The East Columbus Gators spoiled senior night for the Hobbton Wildcats, sweeping all three contests Tuesday evening. The JV boys fell 61-32, the Lady Wildcats dropped a 76-4 decision, and the varsity boys were defeated 71-40.
JV
The Gators jumped on the Wildcats early and hard. Hobbton managed just six points in the opening quarter while East Columbus’ run-and-gun offense poured in 19. The onslaught continued in the second quarter, with the Gators outscoring the Wildcats 12-10 to take a 31-16 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Wildcats showed signs of life, cutting the lead to 10 at one point while scoring 15 points. However, East Columbus answered with 17 of its own to maintain control. The Gators added 13 in the final frame while Hobbton finished with 11.
The Wildcats struggled to get shots to fall throughout the night.
Braxton McLamb led Hobbton with 16 points. Javarus Johnson added 11, and Nathan Paschal finished with 10.
Girls
The scoreboard told a difficult story, as the Lady Wildcats were held to just four points in the 76-4 loss. Zariyana Williams and Valorie Bartolo accounted for the scoring with two field goals each.
But Tuesday night was about far more than basketball.
Before tipoff, the program paid tribute to the late Isabel Hepworth, honoring her memory in an emotional senior night ceremony that deeply impacted the team and community.
“I myself did not know Isabel, only passing in the hallway,” Coach Janette Williams said. “But we had her banner — her family brought her senior banner — and we had her uniform. The girls lined up, the announcer spoke some kind words about Isabel, and then we had a moment of silence to honor her, and also to honor her family, who were all there, as well as some of her teammates that she played with in the past.”
Williams described the ceremony as both heavy and necessary.
“There were a lot of tears in our eyes, and it was an emotional time,” she said. “But it was well needed and well deserved, and I’m glad that we had the opportunity to do that.”
Despite the lopsided result, Williams emphasized the growth she has seen from her youthful squad. The Lady Wildcats have relied heavily on underclassmen this season, and the coach believes their development mirrors the long-term growth she once saw in Hepworth.
“Just the change from the beginning of this season to where they are at now is phenomenal,” Williams said. “And they are going to continue — if they keep putting in the effort and the time that they’ve been putting in — they will get to that level that Izzy got to from ninth to 12th grade.”
For a team still building, Tuesday night was as much about character and resilience as it was about points on the scoreboard.
Varsity boys
Facing a tall, fast East Columbus team, the Wildcat varsity squad struggled to find rhythm early, scoring just two points in the first quarter while the Gators raced out to an 18-point start.
Hobbton showed more life in the second quarter, but trailed 28-15 at halftime. The third quarter proved decisive, as the Wildcats were held to seven points while East Columbus added 19 to stretch the lead to 47-23.
The Wildcats found more offensive flow in the fourth, scoring 17 points, but the deficit proved too much to overcome as the Gators sealed the 71-40 win with a 24-point final period.
Amir Tate led Hobbton with 12 points. Jovant’e Johnson added nine, while Richard Simpson finished with six after being held scoreless in the first half. Reggie Thompson, Lathan Warren and Idaris Eason each contributed four points.