LADY BEARCATS, HOLUB WIN OPENER

The Booneville Lady Bearcats built a 19-point first quarter lead and led throughout on the way to a 49-38 win in coach Katelyn Holub’s debut as the Lady Bearcat head coach Tuesday night in Havana.

Early on it was Linley Garrett doing the scoring damage. Garrett hit a 3 to give the Lady Bearcats a 5-3 lead and, with the exception of a pair of Lexi Franklin free throws, scored all of the points to push the lead to 14-5 by the 2:14 mark of the opening quarter.

A couple of Franklin baskets and another by Garrett before one by Tempi Terry, who had actually scored the first points of the season, made it 24-5.

By then Garrett had 12 points and Franklin had six. Franklin also already had four assists.

Garrett would finish with 14 points and six rebounds while Franklin would lead the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds and added four steals.

The pace slowed in the second quarter but Emma Ferguson (shown) and Ciara Smith got into the scoring act, the later making it 29-11 with 3:30 left in the half.

Bonus free throws helped the Lady Wolverines get it to 29-15 but in the final minute of the half Garrett scored on another assist from Franklin and Franklin, on an assist from Garrett, hit a buzzer 3 to push the lead back to 19 at halftime, 34-15.

The lead grew to 39-17 with 5:58 left in the third quarter on an Angie Brown basket after one of her three steals but that would be the only points for the visitors the rest of the quarter and WYC drew within 41-30.

WYC had a chance to get closer but missed a couple of free throws with 3.1 seconds left in the quarter but would cut it to nine with 6:57 remaining, only to have JJ Keatts hit two of three free throws to push it back to 11 with 6:09 to play.

WYC again trimmed it to nine with 3:52 to go but a Franklin basket and an assist, her sixth, to Anna Ferguson had the lead at 13, 49-36 with 2:54 to go.

The Lady Bearcats will be back in action on Thursday when they host Hector. The game will be livestreamed on Click Here.

WYC 61 Bearcats 49

A seven man Bearcat roster came up short in their season opener despite an early seven point lead and one of six in the second quarter.

An Aiden Carter 3 gave the Bearcats an 8-1 lead but WYC rallied to lead 12-10 before a Noah Harrel basket and a conventional three-point play by Carter gave the Bearcats a 15-12 lead through one quarter.

Harrell hit a 3 with 7:12 to go in the half and it was 20-14 but by the 5:05 mark it was tied at 22.

Another 3 by Harrel gave the Bearcats the lead back but WYC scored the next 11 points to lead 33-25.

A pair of Carter free throws cut it to 33-27 just 12.2 second before the half and started what would be an 11-0 Bearcat run.

Nate Smith was responsible for five of the third quarter points and would go on to lead the Bearcats in his debut in purple with 15 points.

WYC scored the next six points and would not trail again.

A Smith basket cut it to 39-38 with 3:07 left in the third quarter and consecutive baskets by Cody Sum cut it to 43-42 with 56 seconds to go in the quarter but WYC scored the next five and led 48-42 with a quarter to play.

Sum cut it to 48-44 on an assist from Wesley Fonseca with 7:12 to go but a conventional three point play had WYC up 53-44 with 5:13 left.

Fonseca was not one in the scoring column but did have 13 rebounds.

Smith added five assists to his night and Sum finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocked shots.

Carter finished with 12 points and Harrel had the remaining eight.

The Bearcats will next play next Tuesday at home against Mansfield on November 14, which is the annual Ethan Napier Toy Toss.