Wildcats win in road nail biter
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The Sulphur Springs Wildcats traveled to Hallsville Saturday, looking to pick up a big road win. Saturday’s game was a chance for the Wildcats to seek some revenge, after losing to Hallsville in overtime back on Jan. 11.
Kordrick Turner got out to a very fast start Saturday, leading the Wildcats offense from the very beginning. Each of the first 10 points scored by Sulphur Springs were either scored by or assisted by Turner, as he helped them get out to a 10-7 lead.
Justin Haire and Branson Lynn scored the final two baskets of the first frame, with Haire scoring in the post, while Lynn knocked down a 3-pointer. The Bobcats kept things close, scoring a pair of baskets of their own, as the Wildcats lead was cut to 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Senior Caleb Alexander set the tone for the Wildcats to start the second quarter, scoring on three consecutive possessions. Alexander scored a pair of baskets inside, before knocking down a 3-pointer that gave his team a 23-16 lead.
Parker Whisenhunt stepped things up in the final minutes of the first half, as the Wildcats utilized him in a big role. Whisenhunt scored or assisted on the final seven points of the half, including a pair of backdoor layups, which put Sulphur Springs ahead 32-24 heading into the third quarter.
The Wildcats opened the second half by adding three more points to their lead, putting them ahead by 11 points. Unfortunately for Sulphur Springs, they were unable to find any offense for a few minutes, as the Bobcats went on a strong run to put themselves back within two points.
Alexander knocked down a very deep 3-pointer to wake the offense back up and Malachi Myles followed with a layup to get the offense going. Hallsville matched with a pair of baskets of their own, as Sulphur Springs went into the final frame with a 43-40 lead.
Despite not scoring much in the early going, Haire threw down a monster slam dunk to open the fourth quarter. The Bobcats answered back with a 5-0 run, to tie things up for the first time since the opening tipoff.
Head coach Brandon Shaver used a timeout to hopefully regroup, as things were all tied up with 6:36 left to play. The Wildcats came out of the timeout and Alexander got them their lead back, draining yet another 3-pointer. Haire followed with a drive, giving Sulphur Springs a 50-47 lead with just 3:08 left to go.
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Neither team was able to find much offense in the final three minutes. Haire scored the final basket of the day for Sulphur Springs, giving them a 52-47 lead.
Hallsville was able to answer back making it a 3-point ball game, and even got the ball back with a chance to tie. They used their final timeout of the game with 7.7 seconds left, hoping to draw up a play that would send the game to overtime.
The Bobcats inbounded the ball and were able to get a pretty good look up, just before time expired. The shot bounced off the rim twice, before hitting the ground, giving Sulphur Springs the 52-49 win.
Alexander was the leading scorer for the Wildcats, finishing with 14 points. The Wildcats senior shot 2-5 from the 3-point line and shot 5-12 from the field.
“I kinda knew, I made a couple shots before the game started,” Alexander said about his strong shooting night. “So I kinda knew going into the game that my shot was on, so I was just coming in confident and shooting it.”
Behind Alexander were Turner and Whisenhunt who each had nine points. Six of Turner’s nine points came in the opening minutes, as he either scored or assisted on each of the first 10 points for Sulphur Springs.
“I was feeling great,” Turner said. “I knew we needed this win to have a chance to win the district championship so I had to come out here and make sure I was there, ya know, make them feel me.”
Whisenhunt had a great all-around game, grabbing six rebounds and also dishing out a team-high five assists. Whisenhunt also had four deflections, three steals and a pair of blocks.
Haire was next, scoring eight points in the contest, six of which came in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats big man also had six rebounds, three blocks and a pair of assists.
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Lynn had eight points as well and shot an efficient 2-5 from behind the 3-point line. Lynn led the team in the +/- stat, finishing the day with a +11.
Cason Arrington and Myles each added two points for the Wildcats.
“We came out and played well int he first half, had some bumps in the second half, but we came out and finished,” Shaver said after the game. “I’m so proud of the guys.”
“It’s huge,” Shaver said of how important the win was. “It puts us right there back in for the district championship, we don’t really talk about substantial goals like that, we just want to get better everyday, but these guys know in the back of their heads that’s what we want and today was really a good time for us to get to that next level where we want to be.”
Alexander also spoke about how much it would mean to him, as a senior, to possibly win the district championship. “It feels great, because we haven’t won it in the past two years, so we all want to go out with a bang and get the district championship.”
The win makes Sulphur Springs 22-9 on the year and makes them 7-2 in district play. The currently trail Hallsville by half a game, as they are 8-2, and the Wildcats are now tied for second place with Mount Pleasant, who is also 7-2.
With just three games remaining on their schedule, each game will have big playoff implications for the Wildcats. They return home Tuesday to face Longview, looking to complete the series sweep against them.
Friday, Sulphur Springs will face Mount Pleasant, looking to even the season series against them, as well as pass them in the district standings.
Both games this week will be broadcast live on the Chad’s Media Youtube channel. Both games are set to begin around 7:30 p.m.
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