Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
In life there is the old adage which says “all good things must come to an end.” This is especially true when it comes to game winning streaks, no matter the team and no matter the sport. Earlier this season, the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys varsity basketball team began an impressive 16 game winning
Travis Jay (#0) shoots a three point shot for the Cowboys during their game against the Bulldogs of Suwannee County on Saturday, Jan. 28.
streak, which is the longest basketball winning streak in school history. This winning streak came to an end on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the hands of the Bulldogs of Suwannee County. The Bulldogs defeated the Cowboys with a final score of 52-48.
“We just had a bad shooting night,” said MCHS Head Basketball Coach Allen Demps after the contest. Late in the first half, the Cowboys threw several errant passes and gave up several points due to the Bulldogs' fast break attack. The Cowboys had a six point advantage going into the second quarter; however by the time the half-time buzzer sounded that lead had dropped to just one point. A back and forth third period saw the game tied at 34 as the clock ticked down. Vincenta Mitchell hit a three point shot to beat the buzzer and give the Cowboys a three point lead going into the final period. During the final period, the Bulldogs continued to take advantage of missed shots and put into place their fast break attack with long passes down the court that seemed to catch the Cowboys' defense off guard. By the end of the fourth period the Bulldogs had pulled ahead; and despite efforts by the Cowboys to catch up, the lead held.
The leading scorer for the Cowboys was Josiah Mitchell, who had 18 points and eight rebounds, along with two blocked shots for the Cowboys. Kris Allen had 13 points with 12 of those points coming from three point shots.
Next up for the Cowboys will be the district tournament. The Class 1A, District 5 tournament gets underway in Jasper on Monday, Feb. 6. The tournament championship game is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10, at Hamilton County High School, in Jasper. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. The Cowboys are undefeated in district play this season.