Wildcats Dominate Second Half Against Trigg County, Win 65-52, Finish 2-1 in Caveland Classic

Edmonson County junior shooting guard Blayne Deweese (3) flies to the bucket looking for a score while earning a double-double against visiting Trigg County in the Rafferty's/Double Dogs Caveland Classic Tournament Saturday December 28 in Brownsville.

Story and photos by Joseph Barkoff:
​Edmonson County Wildcat junior shooting guard Blayne Deweese was almost everywhere while working on a double-double in the final game of the Rafferty’s/Double Dog Tournament against Trigg County Saturday, December 28th in Brownsville in the battle of the Wildcats.
 
Despite being only up by two points at the half, the home Wildcats outscored the visiting ones 65-52 when it was all said and done.
 
In the first half we did some silly stuff, Edmonson County head coach Brad Meredith said.
 
By the end of the first half, it appeared as if Trigg County was running out of gas. 
 
The Wildcats looked like they had plenty in their tanks, but after some lazy passes they allowed Trigg, not only back in the game, but to take the lead with less than a minute to go in the first half.
 
After a 3-pointer from the manual-drive senior shooting guard Kollin Doyle, the Wildcats would take a 2 point lead into half time, ahead 34-32.
 
“I had a little heart to heart with them at half time,” Meredith said. “You know it kinda fired ‘em up a little bit and they played better in the second half.”
 
The second half was a different game indeed.

Edmonson County senior shooting guard Kollin Doyle (22) hauls in a rebound against visiting Trigg County in the Rafferty's/Double Dogs Caveland Classic Tournament Saturday December 28 in Brownsville.

Edmonson County junior shooting forward Owen Ruth (30) shoots a 3-pointer against visiting Trigg County in the Rafferty's/Double Dogs Caveland Classic Tournament Saturday December 28 in Brownsville.

​“Our coaches talked to us at half time,” Edmonson County senior shooting guard Carter Swihart said after the game. “Sayin’, if we wanna win, we can’t play like the other team, we have to play like we play. And I think everyone could see that we played different in the second half and that’s what got us that win.”
 
Overall, on the tournament Meredith would grade the team’s performance as a “B plus,” he said.
 
“That was a good tournament for us,” Meredith said.
 
Over break we had the Apollo Tournament and this Tournament, Meredith said. We went 3-0 in the Appollo and 2-1 in the Caveland.
 
“The boys are really buying in and doing what we ask them to do,” Meredith said. “They’re playing good together.”
 
“It’s awesome,” Meredith said. “It’s awesome to be able to host a tournament like this at home. Having 16 teams. People we won’t see again for the rest of the season, that’s what I like about it.”
 
He acknowledged playing different teams with different styles, “really helps us improve,” he said.
 
Having been in situations before, end of the game, where some clutch play was needed, like against John Hardin the previous night, and having not handled before “the late game situations the right way, the way the boys handled it the previous night was his favorite thing from the Tournament, he said.
 
“I feel like we are becoming better as a team and we are gonna keep getting better throughout the season,” Deweese said after the game. 

Edmonson County bench erupts with cheers after (not pictured) senior shooting guard Carter Swihart sank a 3-pointer against visiting Trigg County in the Rafferty's/Double Dogs Caveland Classic Tournament Saturday December 28 in Brownsville.

Edmonson County head coach Brad Meredith draws up a play during a timeout against visiting Trigg County in the Rafferty's/Double Dogs Caveland Classic Tournament Saturday December 28 in Brownsville.

​Deweese earned a double-double on the evening with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
 
“I feel like we could have won our first game,” Deweese said after the game about the Tournament as a whole. “But other than that I feel like we did pretty good.”
 
Edmonson out rebounded Trigg 48-25, according to the curator of unofficial stats from the Edmonson Voice Live broadcaster Darren Doyle.
 
“Beginning of the year, we were a horrible rebounding team,” Meredith said about the team’s rebounding after the game on the Edmonson Voice Live After Game Show. “But we have improved on that a whole lot.”
 
With the way the team has seemed to have “bought in” to Meredith’s coaching style has been shown through their obvious improvements on the season. When he told the boys, it was not a rebuilding year, his sincerity and commitment seem to have been reciprocated from the players. The season is still young and there is room to grow.
 
“I feel great,” Swihart said about the win after the game. “You know, it was a disappointing first loss to Allen County (Scottsville), but I think we picked it up the next two games and you could see it.”
 
Some other stats on the evening included senior Doyle with 17 points with 5 rebounds, sophomore point guard Brayden Wright had 6 points with 11 rebounds and Edmonson County held Trigg’s leading scorer to only 10 points.
 
Edmonson County was also 12-15 from the free throw line.
 
Of note in the previous night’s game against John Hardin, Doyle was 8 for 8 from the free throw line and sunk two with less than :05 seconds like putting donuts into coffee and the Edmonson was able to hold on for a 68-65 win.
 
With the next week off during the rest of the school’s break, and a little time to heal from the impacted schedule, the team looks forward to getting back to playing, Meredith said.
 
The Wildcats take to the hardwood next year 7:30 p.m. January 6 at home in Brownsville against Owensboro Knights Christian.