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No. 15 ranked Wildcats bounce back with road blowout

No. 15 ranked Wildcats bounce back with road blowout
  • PublishedJanuary 5, 2022


Sulphur Springs big man Justin Haire throws down a huge slam in warmups earlier this season. Haire had a huge game against Pine Tree Tuesday, finishing with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

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The No. 15 ranked Sulphur Springs Wildcats returned to action Tuesday, hitting the road to face Longview Pine Tree for their second district game of the season. After a huge 75-48 win over Marshall in their district opener, the Wildcats were looking to pick up right where they left off in district play.

Cason Arrington got the scoring started, grabbing an offensive rebound and going back up with it to give the Wildcats a quick 2-0 lead. Sulphur Springs went on to dominate the remainder of the opening frame, leading 21-8 entering the second quarter.

Kordrick Turner scored first for the Wildcats in the second frame, getting himself a nice look in the paint. Later in the quarter Turner made a great backdoor pass, hitting Justin Haire, who threw down a huge two-hand slam as he had a wide open path to the basket. The Wildcats continued to play strong in the final minutes of the half, taking a 48-25 lead as they went into the locker room.

The Wildcats set the tone from the very beginning in the third, forcing a steal which led to a layup from Turner on the other end. Later in the frame Turner gave the team their first 30-point lead of the night, driving the lane and getting a contested layup to go.

Making sure they never took their foot off the gas, Parker Whisenhunt gave the team a huge jolt of energy, when he picked off a pass and turned it into a monster slam on the other end. Sulphur Springs held on to their 30-point lead for the rest of the way, leading 70-40 at the end of the third quarter.

The scoring did slow down a bit for the Wildcats in the fourth quarter, but their defense continued to play as strong as they had all game. Sulphur Springs once again outscored Pine Tree in the final frame, cruising to a commanding 85-51 win.

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“We played one of the most complete games of the year,” head coach Brandon Shaver said. “Competed from the very beginning and never backed down. I’m proud of how hard they competed for 32 minutes.”

Haire led the way for Sulphur Springs, putting up a huge double-double. The senior finished with 18 points on 8-11 shooting, while also pulling in an impressive 16 rebounds. 

Whisenhunt was just behind him, scoring 16 points on 54% from the field. Whisenhunt also had eight boards and one steal.

The Wildcats had three other players score in double-digits, as Turner scored 13 points, Branson Lynn had 12 points and Caleb Alexander had 11 points. The trio did so on an efficient 14-30 combined, shooting 47% from the field as a unit. 

Arrington had seven points and also had the highest +/- of the game, as the Wildcats outscored Pine Tree by 32 points while he was on the court. Jaquan Jones had four points of his own, while Malachi Myles and Jackson Darrow each had two points. 

The win pushes the No. 15 ranked Wildcats to 18-7 on the year and makes them 2-0 in district play. Sulphur Springs will have Friday off to rest, before returning home to host the 22-2 Hallsville Bobcats. Coverage of that game will be provided on Front Porch News, while our broadcast of the game will be aired live on the Chad’s Media Youtube account.

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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