The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Since coming back from the break, the "Cardiac Cats" have been playing a lot of basketball, including two district games and tournaments. West Orange-Stark was the first team on the docket for the Bobcats as they looked to open up district play with a big win against the Stallions. The first group to lace them up was Coach Ragsdale's group of 7th graders, who put on a defensive clinic nearly shutting out WO-S 24-6. Hayden Clark led this group on both sides of the floor scoring eight points, as well as contributing several steals and rebounds. Other Cats who led the way for the Bobcats were Gavin Gravett and Cooper Dorman, who each scored five points. Next up, Coach Morgan's group tried their hand at taming the Stallions. The Bobcats would jump out to an early lead, led by Carson Gonzales, Jackson Luker, and Elijah Jones, each hitting multiple shots in the first quarter to take a 9-2 lead. As the game progressed, the Stallions would slowly chip away at the lead and the game became a back and forth chess match. Unfortunately, the Bobcats would come up short 25-29 as they struggled to score points in the fourth quarter. Coach Legate's squad was the last group of the night, and they looked to continue their success from before the break. Finally back at full strength, and with the addition of newcomer Jaden Scales, the Bobcats were able to apply heavy defensive pressure to the Mustangs throughout the game. The press allowed the group to jump out to a commanding 14-2 first-quarter lead. Steal after steal would lead to several assists, which allowed Mason Manning, Kyler Green, Carson Worthy, and Rylan McAlpin to each score buckets and set the tempo for the rest of the night. At the half, the score was 27-7 and WO-S would not score again the rest of the night. The game ended in a 41-7 victory for the Bobcats. Leading scorers were Manning, Green, Scales, and Colton Michael. With a quick turnaround, the Bobcats would be on the road to Mid County for the C.O. Wilson Invitational Tournament. The 7th graders would lead off with the host team C.O. Wilson, falling short 39-20. After getting into early foul trouble, the Bobcats failed to recover from 2nd quarter mistakes on defense. The Bobcats were led again by Carson Gonzales and Jackson Luker. The next day, the Bobcats looked to recover from back-to-back losses. They did just that; getting two wins against Little Cypress and Bridge City. The Bobcats came out of the gates ready for the Cubs as Rylan Agerton and Cylan Granger combined for eight in the first quarter. By half-time, the Bobcats were well ahead leading 26-8, but kept their foot on the gas, winning 41-16. Carson Gonzales and Elijah Jones were once again lead scorers, with 12 and 11 points consecutively. The last game of the tournament would be against the neighboring Cardinals, with the winner taking home Consolation. It was a close game, and only eight points were scored between the two teams in the first quarter. During the 2nd quarter, Coach Morgan switched defenses and made some substitutions from his bench that seemed to spark the Cats as they erupted with a 15 point quarter, led by Cade Canizaro, Rylan Agerton, and Carson Gonzales. As the game progressed, the Bobcats would build on their lead with Jackson Luker hitting another pair of 3's to ice the Cardinals. The Cats took home the final win, 44-31.

The 8th grade would also make the trip to Mid-County with three games of their own, taking on Port Neches, C.O. Wilson, and St. Anne's. The Cats beat Port Neches in a 40-38 offensive showdown, matching the Indians shot for shot. Jaden Scales led the team with 12, followed by Kyler Green with 10, and Rylan McAlpin with 9. The next game was another nail-biter as the Cats beat C.O. Wilson 38-35. Leading scorers for this game were Carson Willis and Mason Manning, each with 10 points. The Bobcats played St. Anne's for the championship but came up short 47-30. The leading scorers were Manning with 12 and Green with 10.