Boys lose barnburner; Hobbton teams now 0-2
The Hobbton Wildcats’ basketball teams kicked off their home season Tuesday evening against North Johnston. All three teams lost; however, the boys were involved in a barnburner that went down to the wire.
North Johnston’s girls jumped out to a 9-3 lead on the young Wildcats in the first quarter and took a commanding 18-10 lead into half time.The Wildcats picked up eight points in the third quarter; however they finished trailing by 10 points at 26-16. They only managed to get two points in the final quarter to finish down 40-18.
Commenting on his young team, Hobbton coach Timothy Thompson said, “They are learning. They are working hard in practice. They are doing everything we’re asking them to do. There are some things it just taking time for them to grasp. We believe that in time, the next week or two, we will be where we need to be … a lot better. They want it, that’s the most important thing. We don’t have any seniors so that’s the good part. Coach Ashley and I told them that if we get everything together this year, we will be something to reckon with next year. They’ve bought in to and are working hard.”
Ciara Bryant led the Wildcat scoring with eight points including two three-pointers. Gracie Jones had four points.
Boys drop heartbreaker
In the nightcap, the Wildcat boys jumped out to an 8-2 lead on North Johnston. However, after tying the score at eight and 10 each, the Panthers held a 13-10 advantage after one period of play. At the half, the Wildcats had fought back and both teams went to the locker room with 23 points each.
The third quarter was even as well finishing with a 32-32 tie. The Panthers went up by eight points in the final quarter; however, the Wildcats, using a bit of pressure, pulled back up on the Panthers. But, they couldn’t quite pull it out finishing with a 50-48 loss.
“We came out here and played aggressive defense tonight,” commented Hobbton coach Brandon Beasley. It’s still early in the season. We have a very young team. They come in and work hard every single day. We’re going to get better. This is a learning experience. We put ourselves in a bind. We stayed with it, we fought through. Overall, I like my team’s effort and energy. We just have to clean up a few things and we’ll be on the right path.”
Leading the Wildcat scoring effort was Bennett Darden with 13 points. J. Bizzle had nine points, Josiah McLaurin had seven points and Colby Weeks added six point.
The Wildcat teams are now 0-2 on the season and hit the hardwood after the Thanksgiving break, traveling to North Johnston for a return engagement.