Junior high takes 2nd in Whitehouse tourney

The eighth grade basketball teams competed last week in the post-season district tournament held in Whitehouse.

The "A" team came into the tournament with the top seed after claiming the regular season district title with a perfect 8-0 record.

They opened the tournament Thursday night with a 53-17 thumping to the Kilgore Bulldogs to head into Saturday morning's semifinal game against Pine Tree.

In the semifinal, the Wildcats found themselves up only 24-16 at the half before pulling away in the second half for a 51-31 win.

Trey Metoyer paced the Wildcats in scoring with 14, followed by Jake Potter with 8, Quincy Aldridge with 7, and Conner Cashion with 5.

The win set up an anticipated rematch with the Jacksonville Braves in the final.

After defeating the Braves twice already this season, the Wildcats knew things would be tough in the tournament final.

The Wildcats' worst fears would be faced as a poor shooting performance in the first half propelled Jacksonville to a 28-19 lead at the half.

The Wildcats came out determined in the third quarter only to see a late Jacksonville run keep the lead at 9 going into the final period.

The fourth quarter provided plenty of excitement, as the Wildcats clawed their way back into the game taking the lead by two with 2:04 left in the game.

Conner Cashion led the way, as he poured in 17 of his game-high 20 points in the final period, including 7-8 from the line. The lead would change hands three different times before the Braves dodged a late bullet to pull out a 58-56 win and claim the tournament championship.

Trey Metoyer had 13 points in the game followed by Quincy Aldridge with 12. The free throw stripe proved to be the demise for the Wildcats as they shot only 13- 30, with most of those misses coming early in the first half.

The loss ended the "A" team's season at 15-1 with a regular season district crown and second place in the Whitehouse tournament.