By Michael Lindsay
Hot Start Leads Lady Bobcats To 84-65 Victory At Clarkrange
The Pickett County Lady Bobcats (21-3, 7-0) cruised to their 7th consecutive District 7-1A victory of the season Friday night as they won at Clarkrange (17-10, 4-4), 84-65.
“We came out of the blocks ready to play and shot it really well,” said Pickett County head coach Brent Smith. “Sometimes when you shoot it well, it covers up some other things. We were ready and that makes a big difference.”
A balanced offensive effort led the Lady Bobcats as point guard Zoey Nicholas dropped 27 points followed by 24 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds from Emmy Lowe and a double-double from Addy Lowe with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Kady Hopkins led Clarkrange with 24 points.
Pickett County controlled the game from the jump as they raced out to a 19-5 lead midway through the first quarter.
“We were spreading the floor well and had some driving lanes,” said Smith. “We had some kick-outs and Addy Lowe got us going early.”
The Lady Bobcats led 24-10 after one quarter. Their lead only grew in the second period as they opened the quarter on a 15-3 run to take a 39-13 lead with 4:54 remaining until halftime. A Nicholas buzzer-beater to end the second quarter gave Pickett County a 49-28 lead at halftime.
“We always had an answer,” said Smith. “That’s the sign of a good team; we’ve grown up a little here at the end of the season.”
Pickett County maintained their lead throughout the third quarter as they entered the fourth with a 69-50 advantage. A Lydia Phillips three-pointer with 3:08 cut Clarkrange’s deficit to 13 points (74-61), but Clarkrange got no closer as Pickett County held on to win by an 84-65 final score.
“When you have seven players, you have to work hard,” said Smith. “It’s such a testimony to our kids.”
Up next for the Lady Bobcats is a trip across the state line to Clinton County, KY, on Saturday evening while Clarkrange takes the court next on Monday at Stone Memorial (7-18, 1-7).
Bobcats Cruise To 81-35 Win At Clarkrange; Secure District #1 Seed
The Pickett County Bobcats (19-5, 7-0) won their 10th consecutive game Friday night as they won at Clarkrange, 81-35.
“We did some really good things tonight,” said Pickett County head coach Joseph Amonett. “Lyric Parris and Jacob Amonett got in some foul trouble, so it gave us an opportunity to see how we’d get through that. We played fantastic defense; this is a hard place to come play and Clarkrange has been playing well.”
Senior point guard Jacob Amonett led the way with 27 points along with 14 from Cole Amonett and 13 by Nathaniel Cobb.
Pickett County raced out to a 17-2 lead midway through the first quarter and held a 26-7 lead entering the second. The Bobcats maintained their advantage through the quarter as they took a 43-23 lead into halftime.
“Jacob was really hot to start the game,” said coach Amonett. “The five that were out there were really locked in; we knew we had an opportunity to lock up a conference championship, so it was a big game and they came out with some intensity.
The third quarter was all Bobcats as they outscored Clarkrange 15-10 in the frame to hold a 58-33 lead entering the fourth, where they closed out to win by an 81-35 final score.
Up next for Clarkrange is a non-district contest at Stone Memorial on Monday.
Friday’s victory secured the #1 overall seed in the District 7-1A tournament for Pickett County. The Bobcats are back in action tonight as they travel north of the state line to Albany, KY, to face Clinton County, who sits at 24-1 overall.
“They’re the #9-ranked team in Kentucky,” said Amonett. “They’ve lost one game in double-overtime and they’re huge. They’re a great team and super-talented. It’s hard to go to Kentucky and win, and we’ll find that out tomorrow.”
