When Ayden Hill hit his second 3 of the second quarter the Booneville Bearcats took a 27-26 lead against Western Yell County in Havana Monday night.
That was the eighth and what would be final lead change of the game as the Bearcats would lead the rest of the way.
Hill’s 3 started a 13-3 run to lose the first half and the Bearcats would go on to win 62-50 to complete both a senior high and four game sweep in Havana.
After Hill’s 3 Nick Widener hit one as well and Hill hit his third and it was 33-26.
That gave the Bearcats 8 3-pointers and made it a combined 12 in the game. There would not be another one made.
Out of halftime Reed Brackney was a problem for the Wolverines. Brackney scored 8 unanswered and with a basket by Nate Fowler it was a 10-0 run to start the half and an 18-point advantage.
Fowler’s second basket of the quarter pushed the lead back to 18 but Western Yell then scored the final five points of the quarter.
WYC would three times cut the lead to 11 before finally making it a single digit at 53-44 with two free throws at the 2:53 mark of the final quarter.
Just 59 seconds later it was 55-50 but Western Yell would not score over the final 1:54.
Hill’s 10th point came from the free throw line, starting a streak of 7 points scored one at a time as WYC was forced to foul.
Four of the free throws came from Widener giving him a game high 22. Brackney finished with 14 and Fowler had 13.
Lady Bearcats 61 WYC 26
Sophomores were the story for the Lady Bearcats as Chloe Walker and Emma Fox combined for 25 points.
Fox, a starter, scored 4 first quarter points and, with all starters contributing, the lead was 20-7 after one. She would finish with 10.
Fox had four more second quarter points as the lead grew to 16 and Walker was responsible for pushing it to 18 with her first points of the season. She was on her way to 15 in the game.
By halftime it was 37-15. Walker would score 8 third quarter points, then matching Anna Ferguson, who had checked out with 13 points, in the process.
Haylee Taylor’s second 3 of the night started the final quarter scoring and enacted the running clock sportsmanship rule with the score 54-24.
Both teams will return to action next Tuesday with a trip to Ola to face Two Rivers.
HILL 3 GETS BEARCATS LEAD THEY WILL NOT RELINQUISH; SOPHOMORES SHINE FOR LADY BEARCATS
