Lady Cats and Wildcats Both Bounce Back With Big District Wins

Edmonson Voice Sports
An exhausting schedule through the Christmas holiday took it's toll on both the Lady Cats and Wildcats going into district play which began Saturday at Whitesville Trinity in a girl/boy doubleheader.

Both teams were able to put wins on the board as the Lady Cats stomped the Lady Raiders 67-31, and the boys team edged out the Raiders 61-58 in a thrilling overtime victory.

The Lady Cats were able to set the cruise control early in the game as they established a lead and never looked back. The usual rowdy Trinity crowd didn't have much to cheer about as the Lady Cats steamrolled over the Lady Raiders, led by Caitlin Simon's 26 points and 6 rebounds.

Ten different Lady Cats helped put points on the board during the 36 point blowout. Peyton Martin had 10 points and 6 rebounds, Duncan had 9, Basil had 6, Collins 4, Taylor and Doyle each with 3, and 2 points each from Browning, Cline, and Harrison.

The girls improved to 8-7 on the season and will take on Grayson County away on Friday, Jan 8th in another district match up.

The boys contest was a completely different ballgame, (pun intended).

A close contest with Trinity edging out the Cats throughout the first half saw Edmonson County behind 28-20 at halftime. The first part of the third quarter didn't look good for the Cats as Trinity extended their lead to 34-24 (largest of the game) with 3:40 left in the quarter on a Raider bucket and foul. The free throw attempt was no good and the Wildcats would go on an 8-4 run that narrowed the Raider lead to 42-38 to start the 4th.

The Cats went on a 5-1 run to begin the final quarter as Skaggs hit a three with 6:25 left to tie the score at 43 all, which was the first tie since 18-18 in the second quarter.

Trinity was able to stay just ahead of the Wildcats when a Raiders turnover and a Buttram bucket brought the Cats within 2 at 52-50 with 42 seconds remaining in the game.

Another turnover from Trinity gave the Wildcats the ball with 27.8 seconds on the clock. Edmonson County set up their offense and got the ball down low to Blankenship. His shot missed, but the offensive rebound was swiped by Bailey Board and his putback tied the game at 52 all with 10.7 seconds left. For unclear reasons, officials decided more time needed to be added to the clock and Trinity would have 12 seconds to get the ball the length of the court for a chance to win.

Trinity inbounded the ball, but a smothering trap by Skaggs and Tucker Cole forced the Raiders into a timeout with 8.3 left. The Raiders were forced to take a deep three pointer at the buzzer that missed, moving the game into overtime.

Trinity drew first blood in OT with a basket, but Board answered it with one of his own at 54 all. After a missed Raider three pointer, Sowders got the ball in the paint and made a bucket that gave the Wildcats their first lead since the score was 18-16 in the second quarter.

The Wildcats went on to hit 5 out of 6 free throws in the final minute of the game to pull off the district road win, 61-58.

Leading the effort was senior Hunter Buttram with 16 points and 7 rebounds, along with Cuban Sowders' 15 points and 4 rebounds. Even though they didn't reach double figures, Bailey Board (8 pts) and Caleb Skaggs (9 pts) came up with key baskets and/or free throws when the game was on the line.

"It's what we expected, we've had scares up here before," said assistant coach Bart Weaver. "They're a good ballclub, they have a really nice team. We're just so excited to get a district win on the road in this crazy place."

Also helping in scoring was Blankenship with 4 points and Cole with 6.

The Wildcats are now 9-6 on the season and will face Monroe County at home on Tuesday in a JV/V game beginning at 6pm. You can hear the game live on WildcatsLive with Jamie and DD.