Livingston Sweeps District Foe White County

by Rusty Ellis

The Livingston Academy Lady Wildcats continued their winning ways on Tuesday with a 55-45 victory over district foe White County.

The Lady Wildcat defense showed up early, limiting Sparta to just a single field goal in the first quarter to take a 9-5 lead.

White County appeared to figure something out in the second quarter, as they opened with a 10-0 run to take a 15-9 lead. Livingston didn’t back down however, as they closed the quarter on a 14-9 run to go into halftime down by just one point at 24-23.

The Lady Wildcats were the ones that made a run in the third, as they held Sparta scoreless for over half the period and outscored the Warriorettes 10-5 to take a 33-29 lead into the fourth.

There, Livingston made free throws and limited any good looks for White County on the offensive end of the floor, sealing a 55-45 win that puts LA at the top of the district standings all alone.

Ellie Butler led the way with a game-high 23 points for Livingston, while Aleah Melton added 16. Nia Powers paced Sparta with 15.

There was quite a bit to like from head coach Lesley Riddle’s perspective, but what jumped out the most to her was how her team was able to match White County’s physicality.

“They’re a very physical team, so that’s been a focus for us,” Riddle said. “I thought Halle Ledbetter played tremendous defense, and Aleah Melton and Ellie Butler both stepped up and matched the physicality. I think that’s what got us this win.”

Riddle called a timeout after the 10-0 run in the second quarter, and her message to the team was simple: they were going to have to rebound if they wanted this win.

“The first six points they got were all second-chance points,” Riddle said. “I said if we were going to give them up, they’re going to score, so we needed to box out and rebound…they just came out and said they’re going to rebound and not give up second chances.”

The Wildcats finished off a sweep of the doubleheader with a 55-52 win over Sparta of their own.

Livingston jumped out to a quick 11-5 lead early before White County closed the first quarter on a 9-3 run to make the score 14-14 heading into the second quarter.

Both teams traded baskets early in the frame, but it was Livingston who outscored the Warriors 14-7 in the period to take a 28-21 lead into the halftime break.

White County trimmed the lead down to five heading into the fourth, and despite a barrage of threes from the Warriors, Livingston held on late for the 55-52 win after a pair of Daniel Bilbrey free throws and a tipped pass that ran the clock out.

Wyatt Hargis continued his excellent play this season with a game-high 16 points, while Isaac Story added 12 and Tucker Miller scored 11 for the Wildcats. Thomas Brock led the Warriors with 13 points.

The Wildcats moved to 16-0 on the season, and head coach Jimmy Miller believes this game is one his team will look back on as a key moment in their development.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys, that’s one of the gutsiest wins I’ve seen in that gym in a long time,” Miller said. “Taking care of the ball when White County turned up the defense was so important for us…the will to win and defend, I love the way this team is playing right now. There were a lot of kids that were nervous going into this game, and I think this will do a lot for them.”

Both Livingston and White County’s crowds showed up in a big way for what was one of the biggest games of the night. Miller says it was one of the best environments he’s gotten to coach in.

“I loved our home crowd tonight, and I loved the buzz this week around these teams,” Miller said. “I love how they came in and supported and it was loud. It was one of the more fun nights I’ve had here in years.”

LA will hit the road to Baxter on Friday to take on Upperman, while White County will look to rebound at Macon County.

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