No. 10 ranked Wildcats keep winning streak alive
The No. 10 ranked Sulphur Springs Wildcats hosted Liberty-Eylau Friday night, in what was the second night of a back-to-back. The night before, Sulphur Springs handled Paris, beating them 69-47 in their sixth consecutive victory. Though back-to-back’s are rare at this point in the season, the Wildcats were hoping to keep their winning ways going and get off to another hot start.
A hot start is exactly what the Wildcats’ got, as senior Branson Lynn scored the first seven points of the game. Lynn opened the game by hitting a contested 3-pointer, before hitting a step-back jumper and scoring on a drive to the goal, giving Sulphur Springs a quick 7-0 lead.
With the tone set and Lynn taking on the early role of the leading scorer, senior Malachi Myles settled in as a distributor, dishing out a pair of assists on the following possessions. The Wildcats continued their impressive onslaught, extending their lead to 16-2 at the end of the opening frame.
Lynn opened the second quarter the same way he opened the game, by knocking down a deep 3-pointer. Later in the frame it was the senior duo of Parker Whisenhunt and Kordrick Turner who took over, combining for each of the teams 10 points in the half. Liberty-Eylau had a much better second frame, but it still wasn’t enough to put themselves back within striking distance, as Sulphur Springs went into the locker room leading 35-23.
Whisenhunt kept his momentum going in the third, opening the second half with a huge dunk. The senior wing also scored on the following possession, as Sulphur Springs was once again in full control of the game.
Senior Cole Theofiledes followed with a fancy floater in the lane, before Turner knocked down a 3-pointer, putting the Wildcats up 44-26 midway through the third quarter. Theofiledes would go on to score after grabbing an offensive rebound and Lynn would knock down a jumper, giving Sulphur Springs a 48-32 entering the final frame.
Despite having a commanding lead, the Wildcats never let their foot off the gas, as their senior trio continued to dominate in the final frame. The combination of Whisenhunt, Lynn and Turner combined for all 18 of the teams’ fourth quarter points, as they would go on to win by a final score of 66-40.
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Lynn led the way for Sulphur Springs, scoring 19 points. Lynn did so by knocking down a pair of 3-pointers and shooting 6-8 inside the 3-point line, while also dishing out three assists and forcing a pair of steals.
Behind him was Turner, who added yet another double-double to his impressive season. Turner had 16 points and led the team in rebounds (14), assists (5) and blocks (2), once again proving he can contribute in every way imaginable to this team.
Whisenhunt had a strong outing as well, putting up 14 points, 12 of which were in the paint. Whisenhunt also had seven boards and shot 6-12 on his two-point attempts.
Also scoring in double-digits was Theofiledes, who played well in both nights of the back-to-back. After scoring nine points Thursday, he followed with an 11-point outing.
Other Wildcats to score were junior DJ Wilkerson and sophomores Theo McKelvey and Macauling Rollison, who combined for six points in the game. Though he didn’t get on the scoreboard, Myles played a huge role in the win, having a team-high plus-minus of +29, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists. The senior also had a pair of steals, showing his range on the defensive end of the floor.
The win was a huge one for the No. 10 ranked Wildcats, as it pushes their record to 25-7 and 7-0 in district play. Even more importantly, it gives Sulphur Springs a three-game lead for the district title, with just three games left to play.
The Wildcats will have a chance to essentially clinch their second consecutive district title Tuesday, when they hit the road to face North Lamar. The last time those two teams faced each other, Sulphur Springs cruised to a 50-28 victory.
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