by Rusty Ellis

Pickett County continued it’s undefeated run through District 7-A on Saturday, as they swept Clarkrange in Fentress County.

Girls

A back-and-forth game early saw neither team take full control of the game, though it would be the Lady Buffaloes who took an 18-14 lead into the second quarter thanks largely to eight first-quarter points from Payton Manis.

Clarkrange extended that lead to five at 26-21 at one point in the second frame, but Pickett came roaring back with a 10-0 run to take a five point lead of their own at 31-26. Emmy Lowe began to get things working offensively, as her 12 first-half points allowed Pickett to take a 35-31 lead at the break.

The third quarter saw both teams battle back-and-forth once again, and the Lady Bobcats got nine points in the quarter from Zoey Nicholas to maintain their lead heading into the fourth at 52-48.

There, the Lady Bobcats kept Clarkrange in-check offensively for the first four minutes of the frame and ran their lead to double-digits, keeping their district record unblemished with a 70-57 win over the Lady Buffaloes.

Nicholas ended with a game-high 23 points, followed closely behind by Lowe’s 20. Callie Reeder finished with 10 points of her own in the win.

Kady Hopkins scored 16 points to lead Clarkrange, with six points of those coming in the fourth quarter. Lydia Phillips finished with 11 points, and Manis closed the game with 10.

Boys

Jacob Amonett was the primary story of the boys game, as his career-high 41 points on a perfect 10-10 shooting from three lead the Bobcats to an 82-52 win over the Buffaloes.

Both teams found some offense early, but Gage Harris and Lyric Parris scored eight points apiece in the opening frame to give the Bobcats a 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Amonett caught fire in the second, as he scored 16 of his points and hit four threes to help Pickett break the game open. Harris and Nathaniel Cobb each hit a three of their own in the quarter, and the Bobcats took a 55-26 lead into halftime.

The three-point barrage didn’t end their however, as Amonett scored another 19 points in the third quarter to expand the lead further.

The junior point guard ended his night with his final three-pointer in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, giving him a career-high 41 points, as the Bobcats rolled to an 82-52 win over Clarkrange.

Harris followed Amonett’s 41 with 15 points of his own, while Parris rounded out the trio in double figures with 12 points.

Jack Cordell scored a team-high 19 for Clarkrange, while Bryton Swallows added 13. Kris Beaty scored 12 points of his own.