Lady Cats Win Sixth In A Row On Emotional Senior Night

Peyton Martin brings the ball up the court behind the four senior Lady Cats on senior night.

Darren Doyle story
Laney Meredith photos
The Lady Cats took the court one last time this season at ECHS last night in a 67-44 victory over the Greenwood Lady Gators. It was certainly special for four seniors, as it would be the last home game of their high school careers.

Sophomore Caitlin Simon was brilliant in the Lady Cats sixth win in a row with 29 points and 10 rebounds, but the night belonged to the seniors, and they were honored with their families in a pre-game ceremony,  as well as seniors from the cheerleading team and band. Lady Cat seniors discussed the roller coaster ride of emotion.

"Knowing this was my last time walking off the floor was bittersweet," said Jhonna Basil, "but getting the win made it so great and I couldn't have asked for a better game to go out on." Basil finished with 17 points and 4 rebounds.

Rachael Duncan said much of the same. "I love playing with these other seniors, and I'm so glad they've stuck through it with me," she said. "They have been there for me during my roughest times, and I could never repay them. They are my best friends."

In a pre-game interview, Coach Jackson discussed how they wanted to embrace the special night, yet control their emotions in a positive way in order to take care of business. The Lady Cats were a bit scattered in the first quarter as they trailed 17-15 after one.

Edmonson County took control of the game in the second quarter, going on a 17-8 run that gave them a 32-25 lead at halftime. 

The Lady Cats never looked back as they forced Greenwood into many turnovers and were able to score baskets in transition. Simon was able to create opportunities with dribble drives, scoring easy buckets or drawing fouls. She scored 12 points from the free throw line alone.

​It was the fourth game of the week for the Lady Gators and Edmonson County, with fresher legs, was able to take advantage.

Coach Kevin Jackson shares an emotional hug with Tori Browning and Rachael Duncan.

The win improved the Lady Cats' record to 16-11 on the year, and the focus now is carrying positive energy into the district tournament next week, were they'll face Butler County first.

"I believe the momentum we have going right now into the tournament is awesome," said Tori Browning. "Coach Jackson has been talking a lot about Butler and getting us prepared for them. We know what we have to do and I hope we can carry over the way we've played these last few games into the tournament."

Madelyne Taylor called the game a "tear-jerker," especially noting the impact of hearing the announcer saying "one minute remaining." She said her team was a family.

"They're all great people and I know they will all be successful in whatever they choose to do after high school," she said. Like her teammates, she's focused on next week. "We're in a six game win streak going into the district tournament so we have confidence. We want to be the aggressor in the tournament and hopefully we come out with some W's."

In the remaining box score, Duncan had 8, Martin had 7, Collins had 4, Taylor had 1.

The Lady Cats will face Butler County Monday night at 7:30pm at Grayson County High School in the first round of the District 12 Tournament. You can listen to all the action live on WildcatsLive, starting around 7pm on EdmonsonVoice.com.

ECHS Principal Tommy Hodges gives high fives to the Lady Cats as they celebrate their win on senior night.