Wildcats defeat ranked opponent in final game before Christmas
The No. 10 ranked Sulphur Springs Wildcats had a third consecutive home game Tuesday, treating their home crowd with one final present before Christmas. Fans were treated with a Top-25 matchup, as the Wildcats played host to the No. 22 ranked Bullard Panthers.
Tuesday was a huge match for Sulphur Springs, for numerous reasons. Not only was it a third chance for the Wildcats to pick up a win over a ranked opponent, but it was also a chance for them to bounce back after falling to Nacogdoches in their previous game.
Both teams opened the game firing on all cylinders, providing what was a very close opening frame. In the final minutes of the first quarter it was senior point guard Branson Lynn who caught fire, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.
In the final minute of the opening frame it was once again Lynn who knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 16-13 lead. Bullard would answer back with a bucket of their own, cutting Sulphur Springs’ lead to just one point going into the second quarter.
The Bullard Panthers opened the second quarter on fire, scoring nine points in the opening 90 seconds of the frame to take a 24-22 lead. Bullard was able to hold on to the lead for a few minutes before sophomore Theo Mckelvey knocked in his second 3-pointer of the night to take the lead back at 33-30.
Senior big man Kordrick Turner joined in on the scoring in the final minutes of the half, scoring on back-to-back post moves to extend the Wildcats lead. The Panthers were able to score just once more before the half, and the Wildcats went into the locker room leading 37-32 over the No. 22 ranked Bullard Panthers.
Momentum was fully on Sulphur Springs’ side entering the second half, though they had to make sure the break between half’s didn’t slow them down. Senior guard Malachi Myles helped provide a huge spark of energy, getting himself open in the paint for a number of buckets down low.
With Myles and Turner scoring in the post, things opened back up for Lynn who was able to continue knocking down shots from long range. The Wildcats offense continued to fire on all cylinders, as they quickly extended their lead to double-digits.
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Lynn knocked down his sixth and seventh 3-pointers of the night in the closing minutes of the frame, both of which came on assists from Parker Whisenhunt. A pair of free throws from Mckelvey in the closing seconds helped Sulphur Springs extend their lead to the largest of the night at 62-45 going into the final frame.
With the lead firmly in their grasps, Sulphur Springs never slowed down, matching Bullard step-for-step in the final frame. Though the final quarter was more low scorer than the previous two, that worked in the Wildcats’ favor, as they were able to walk away with a 76-59 win.
Lynn was the leading scorer for the Wildcats, finishing with an impressive 24 points. Lynn was on the verge of history, knocking down eight 3-pointers in the game, falling just two shy of the single-game record set by Grayson McClure. Lynn also dished out three assists and shot a very efficient 8/14 from behind the 3-point line.
“Before the game even started, I came up [to the gym] early to get some shots up and I just felt it, my shot felt great so I knew I was going to have a night tonight,” Lynn said after the game.
The next leading scorer for Sulphur Springs was Turner, who had yet another strong game added to his resume. Turner scored 13 points and pulled in 11 rebounds, picking up his 11th double-double of the season. He needs just three more to give him the third most double-double’s in a single-season as a Sulphur Springs Wildcat.
Two other Wildcats also finished in double-digits, as Whisenhunt added 11 points, while McKelvey had 10 points. Whisenhunt also led the team with a +21 +/-, as well as having a team-high six assists.
“I was just finding my open teammates, they were making great cuts and I was just finding them when I needed to,” Whisenhunt said in his postgame interview.
McKelvey also had a great performance, shooting 3/6 from the field and shooting 2/4 from behind the 3-point line. The sophomore also knocked down each of his free throw attempts and brought energy on both sides of the ball.
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Another strong performance as that of Myles, who scored eight points on 4/5 shooting. Including last night’s win, Myles is now averaging eight points on over 80% shooting in each of the teams’ last six wins.
A pair of sophomore’s were also able to add points for Sulphur Springs, in Macaulin Rollison and DJ Wilkerson. The two sophomore’s each scored five points, meaning all seven Wildcats who played scored at least five or more points.
After the win, head coach Brandon Shaver spoke about his team bouncing back after a tough loss in their most recent outing. “
“That’s what we looked at, we watched film and we broke it down and that was probably the worst game we’ve played all year, which I hate that because we don’t get to play at home very much and to have that game at home was tough.”
“but to bounce back and play the game we did tonight was good for our fans to be able to see it,” Shaver said. “The crowd was awesome tonight and it was just a great environment to be able to play in.”
The win marks the 15th of the season for Sulphur Springs, making them 15-4 to start the year. Click right here to see a full broadcast of the win, including postgame interviews on Chad’s Media.
The Wildcats will get the remainder of this week off, before returning to action next week in the Allen Tournament. Sulphur Springs is scheduled to open the tournament against Tyler Legacy.
A full recap of the Wildcat’s performance in the tournament will be provided on Front Porch News. After that, Sulphur Springs will begin district play with a road match against Anna. A live broadcast of that game will be available as well, on Front Porch News and Chad’s Media.
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