Hobbton’s Middle School basketball team traveled to Midway for a rematch with the Raiders Monday. In a game that was close for 3 quarters, the home squad was able to pull away and win by a final of 32-20.

After a 12-12 tie after one quarter, Midway pulled ahead by a bucket in the second quarter, and took the 16-14 lead into halftime.

Midway increased their lead to 24-18 after the third, and then turned up the defensive intensity in the final period of play.

The Raiders allowed just 2 points in the fourth quarter, and were able to take home the win by 12.

Hobbton was led by J. Purcell, who kept the Wildcats in it for a while with strong play. Purcell scored 7 points for the Wildcats.

Cameron Barefoot and Cal Tyndall led the Midway scoring, with 9 and 8 points, respectively.

Midway’s coach Josh Bullard was pleased with his team’s play, as they finished the game off strong.

“I liked the way we played when we tried to speed the game up in the fourth quarter,” said Bullard. “The guys really played good on the defensive end, and that turned out to be big for us down the stretch.”

Up next for Hobbton is Roseboro-Salemburg on Wednesday, when the Wildcats travel to Roseboro looking to grab a road victory.

For Midway, they’ll put their 4-0 record on the line against the always-talented and well-coached Sampson Middle School team. The Dark Horses are coming off their first loss in five years, and are going to be playing with a little extra motivation.

“We have to be able to break their press. We have to not let their press mess with us too much, and we have to rebound the ball well to come out on top,” continued Bullard when asked about the keys to beating Sampson when they head to Midway.

Hobbton at Roseboro-Salemburg, and Sampson at Midway, are each set to tip at 5:15 on Wednesday, for the teams’ last games before the Christmas Holiday will give them some time off.

By Adam Capps

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