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Second half explosion leads to huge Wildcats win

Second half explosion leads to huge Wildcats win
  • PublishedDecember 8, 2021


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The No. 21 ranked Sulphur Springs Wildcats hosted the Royse City Bulldogs Tuesday for a very highly anticipated preseason matchup. The Wildcats entered the game looking to keep their hot start going, after making their debut in the TABC rankings the day before.

Senior Caleb Alexander set the tone early, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to get the Wildcats a quick 6-0 lead. “It really opened up the lanes,” Alexander said in the post game interview, about knocking down a pair of 3-pointers early. “It made it easier for me to get to the middle and dish it to my teammates who were open, because they were so focused on the shooter.” Later in the frame it was Branson Lynn who hit a pair of 3-pointers of his own, extending the lead to 14-8.

In the final few minutes of the frame it was the big men, Justin Haire and Kordrick Turner who finished things out with a pair of buckets down low. Haire was fouled while shooting a last second 3-pointer. The senior made all three of his free throw attempts, making the score 21-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Alexander made another 3-pointer on the opening possession of the second quarter, giving the Wildcats a nine-point lead. Haire knocked down a 3-pointer of his own, before Royse City put together a run to cut the Sulphur Springs lead to 29-28.

The remainder of the half stayed very close, with Sulphur Springs even finding themselves trailing by one point in the final minute. Lynn hit a 3-pointer with just 10 seconds left on the clock, which setup Royse City for a buzzer beating, tying the game up 39-39 at the end of the first half.

Looking to create some separation for themselves for good, the Wildcats opened the second half on a 10-0 run, putting themselves up 49-39. Sulphur Springs continued to dominate for the rest of the frame and a 3-pointer from Jackson Darrow extended the lead to 58-47 heading in to the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats weren’t content there, however, as Alexander once again opened the quarter by getting a 3-pointer to fall. Sulphur Springs was not only scoring at a high rate, but playing just as well defensively, not allowing Royse City to find any offense.

Later in the frame it was Parker Whisenhunt who threw down a huge two-hand slam in transition to give Sulphur Springs their first 20-point lead of the game. The Wildcats continued to play hard in the final minutes of the game, walking away with the 76-57 win after being tied 39-39 at the half. 

“The boys came out and played really hard, played really tough for four quarters and it was an awesome experience to see all the fans, it was a lot of fun for sure,” head coach Brandon Shaver said after the game.

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“They couldn’t miss in the first half,” Shaver said. “We pride ourselves on where we want them to get shots on the defensive side, and they were just hitting contested shots.”

Shaver went on to speak about adjusting to a full court defense in the second half, something Cason Arrington suggested at halftime.  “We came out, we jumped into it and we were able to go up 14 in that third quarter and it was a great adjustment from what he saw there.”

Alexander was the leading scorer for the Wildcats, finishing with an impressive 18 points. Alexander hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the second half.

Just behind him was Lynn, who had 16 points and knocked down four 4-pointers. “I finally started hitting shots and it feels great, I feel like I’m back,” Lynn said after the game. 

Haire also finished in double-digits for the Wildcats, walking away with 12 points. Haire disturbed his scoring fairly evenly, scoring seven points in the first half and five points in the second half.


Other scorers for Sulphur Springs were Turner with eight points, while Whisenhunt and Arrington each had seven points. Jackson Darrow had three points, while Malachi Myles and Jaquan Jones each had two points.

The win pushes the No. 21 ranked Wildcats to 10-2 this year, with both of their losses coming at the hands of higher ranked opponents. So far this season Sulphur Springs has outscored their opponents 767-587, winning their games by an average score of 64-49.

Sulphur Springs returns to action this weekend with more tournament play, starting with Thursday’s game against the Wylie Pirates. That game is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. Coverage of the Wildcats weekend will be published on Front Porch News.

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Written By
Tyler Lennon

Tyler Lennon is the sports editor for Front Porch News and Chad’s Media. Previously with the Sulphur Springs News-Telegram, Lennon has now covered sports in Hopkins County for four years. He also covers the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers and has media credentials for both the Rangers and the Mavericks. On top of his writing, Lennon is also the lead play-by-play broadcaster for Chad’s Media. He has been the lead broadcaster for Sulphur Springs football, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball and more. He is also the host of the sports talkshow Down & Out on Chad’s Media, along side Korey Hankins and Ryan Humphries. You can follow Down & Out on all social medias @Downandout903