Both Wildcats and Lady Cats basketball teams play on the road in tournaments Friday.
Women’s basketball is nearby in Winnsboro playing in their second tournament of the season.
Both squads hope for a bit better results than Thursday, which saw the teams go a combined 1-3. The sole win on day one of tournament play for both basketball teams came in the evening in a Wildcat blowout.
The Lady Cats fell in their tournament opener to Leander’s Glenn High School, 57-33.
The loss early Thursday morning is the third on the season for Sulphur Springs.
As a result from then on the squad played in the consolation bracket; but two more losses over Thursday and Friday would end the tournament appearance for Coach Bryan Jones’s team. Unfortunately for the Lady Cats, they then fell in their first game in the consolation bracket to Quitman in a tight one 40-36; back-to-back losses in the Winnsboro Hoopfest putting them on the brink of elimination.
The two-game losing streak is the first such streak on the season, now 8-4.
With that second straight defeat in the tournament, Sulphur Springs finds themselves one loss away from cutting their time in Winnsboro short.
Friday has the Lady Cats again in Winnsboro, playing in the early afternoon. Coach Jones and his team look to beat the loser of Longview/Pittsburg. That game is the first game played Friday at 8 A.M. however Sulphur Springs does not play the loser of Longview/Pittsburg until the early afternoon.
That game tips off Friday, Dec. 2 at Buddy Hawkins Gym at 1:20 P.M.
Men’s basketball continues play in the Mansfield tournament Friday.
The Wildcats, like the Lady Cats, also fell in their tournament opener, losing in a thriller to Frisco Liberty 57-55.
Sulphur Springs trailed 20-10 and 34-24 after the first two quarters, but stormed back in the second half.
The Wildcats defense shut down the Redhawks in the second half, allowing only 33 points — but men’s basketball exploded for 28 points in the fourth quarter, unfortunately falling by two in their tournament opener 57-55.
Kordrick Turner played a big part in the second-half resurgence, scoring 25 points in the game. Parker Whisenhunt was the only other Wildcat to finish in double figures with an even 10 and Branson Lynn (8), Malachi Myles (7) and Theo Mckelvy (5) rounded out the Sulphur Springs scoring in the tourney-opening loss.
The loss to Frisco Liberty is the first on the season for Coach Brandon Shaver’s team, and like the Lady Cats, they continued their appearance in the Springs Creek BBQ Classic hosted by most of the Mansfield high schools in the consolation bracket, playing Northwest later Thursday evening. Unlike the women’s team however, the men’s squad rebounded from their tournament-opening loss by winning their second game; handling the Texans 53-41.
Going 1-1 on Thursday, Dec. 1 brings the Wildcats season record to 7-1.
Friday has the Wildcats first taking on Mansfield at Legacy High School at noon. Breaking down what a victory/loss to Mansfield brings next for men’s basketball in the Spring Creek Barbecue Classic tournament later Friday evening:
- WIN: beating Mansfield Friday at noon puts them in the consolation bracket semi-finals, played later Friday at 6 P.M. at Timberview HS
- LOSS: losing puts the Wildcats in a win-or-go-home bracket, with that game also tipping off at 6 P.M., BUT at Legacy HS
Editor’s Note: The Spring Creek Barbecue Classic is hosted by four of the five Mansfield ISD schools (Mansfield, Timberview, Legacy and Summit, however, the Wildcats do not play at Summit HS Friday or Saturday)
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
