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Archives
12-25-002
Wildcats tame Tigers in district gamea By KEVIN BURMEISTER, OCN staff
Lyndon Johnson/OCN staff Cody Sells puts up a free throw for the Wildcats in last week's win over the visting DeKalb County Tigers.
After coming off their first winning streak of the year through wins against Cannon and White County, Livingston drooled at the chance to make it three straight in their home game against DeKalb County on Tuesday, Dec. 17. The opportunity instantly proved to be more than a proverbial dangling carrot when Jamie Gurley threw down a thundering dunk on the first shot of the game. Gurley continued to light up the home crowd throughout the night, as he authored yet another strong performance, finishing with 26 points. With a narrow halftime score of 27-25, Coach Danny McCoin believed a suspect defense needed to be remedied before the Wildcats could stake their claim on the Tigers. "I felt like the kids could turn their intensity up a little bit, and we did," he said. "In the third quarter it showed. Our press started working. We got to them and caused them to make some turnovers and make some bad shots." Livingston finished strong in the second half, bolstering their defense to give the visitors little chance at stealing a win. By the time the buzzer had sounded, the Cats still retained a 7-point lead, winning 76-69. Once again, Livingston Academy depended on Gurley's colossal production, which of late has not been limited to his scoring prowess. Coach McCoin believes Gurley has shown his well-rounded play all this season, and has contributed in multiple areas. "Right now he's our man," he said. "I mean, we're just on his back. "We're all playing good, but of course Jamie's our leader right now. Jamie's just kind of got it going, and is playing real good. He's definitely our on-the-floor leader, and we're just following his lead. "It's not just scoring," he continued. "He's doing so many other things. He's passing the ball to other kids, and rebounding, and playing good defense." The win pushed the Wildcats to a 5-3 record. After playing in the Papa John's Classic in Bardstown, KY, the Wildcats will play this week in the Livingston Jaycees Tournament, beginning with an 8 p.m. game Thursday, Dec. 26 against Station Camp.
Lady Cats win
easily over Lady Tigers
Lyndon Johnson/OCN staff Allison Medley moves around the DeKalb County defense while looking for an open teammate.
The Livingston Academy girls basketball team won a gargantuan victory over the DeKalb County Lady Tigers on Tuesday night, Dec. 17. The Lady Wildcats' record moved to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in district play. In the first quarter, the Livingston offense worked so well it seemed the other team wasn't even there, and LA was having a 3-point shootout. The Lady Cats hit six threes in the first quarter alone. Following a game-opening 2-pointer by Kasey Baltimore, a Megan Thompson three opened up the barrage of 3-point shooting. She proceeded to hit another three a couple of trips down the floor later. This opened up a big can of worms for LA, but not earthworms Ð good-tasting gummy worms. The rest of the team got into the 3-point clinic. Katrina Beechboard hit a three, Baltimore hit a three, and then Beechboard hit two more threes. To top it all off, though, four minutes hadn't even passed in the game yet and LA had taken a 26-6 lead. The Lady Cats continued to press the Tigers and took a 28-9 lead to end the first quarter. The rest of the game allowed the crowd to see members of the Lady Wildcats varsity squad who generally don't see too much action. Krista Clinard ran the point for LA for most of the game, and action was also seen by Brittany Ray, Allison Medley, and Whitney Hill. Livingston continued to expand the lead faster than a belt loosens after Christmas dinner. By halftime, the LA advantage was up to 27 points, 42-15. The third quarter proved to be more of the same. It seemed DeKalb County's morale was shot in the third quarter, and, although they were still in it and scoring, they didn't seem to have the "eye of the tigerÓ or any other Sylvester Stallone-like desires to win. As the third quarter drew to a close and the fans were out getting more popcorn, LA led by 39 at 58-19. No big fourth-quarter comeback was in the offing for DeKalb County, just more LA scoring. At the end of the game, Livingston Academy had won 66-32. DeKalb County was led in scoring by Heather Jeffries, with 10 points. She was followed by Amy Adkins, who scored 9 points. Kaitlin Robinson scored 4 points. Kristin Hale scored 3 points. Sherry Davis, Stephanie Lester, and Jessica Ingram each scored 2 points. Livingston was led in scoring by Katrina Beechboard with 13 points. All of these points were scored in about the first four minutes of the ball game. She was followed by Kellie Thurman and April Handy, who each scored 8 points, Megan Thompson, Krista Clinard, and Haley Mullins, all scoring 6 points apiece, and Kasey Baltimore and Whitney Sells, who each scored 5 points. Christen Cates, Kristin Hoover, and Allison Medley all scored 3 points in the contest. Lady Wildcats Coach Lesley Smith said, "We had a great offensive burst in the first quarter. Our offense was just clicking. We hit six threes in the first quarter; that's usually what we hit in a whole game. "DeKalb County is a really young team in a tough district. It was a good time for our young ones to play a lot. Krista, our point guard, had a good game. She really took care of the ball. Haley Mullins also had a really good game." Following, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) tournament in Farragut, held December 20-22, the Lady Wildcats will play in the Jaycees Invitational Tournament. LA will open the Jaycees Tournament against Dobyns Bennett at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, then will play Oliver Springs at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, and finish up against Clarkrange at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28. The regular season will resume on January 10 in a home game against defending state champion Jackson County.
Overton County News
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