Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
It was a night to bring out the brooms as all four Madison County High School (MCHS) basketball teams chalked up victories at home over district rival Hamilton County High School.
The action began with the girls' junior varsity teams taking the court. It did not take long for the Cowgirls to establish dominance by jumping to a 10-2 lead at the end of the first period. The Cowgirls extended their lead during the second period and by halftime, they held a comfortable 18-3 advantage. During the third quarter, the Lady Trojans were able to cut into the Cowgirls lead slightly, but the Cowgirls still held a 26-13 lead at the end of three quarters. The Cowgirls managed to hold off the Lady Trojans during the final period to finish the contest with a 31-20 victory.
Next, the junior varsity Cowboys took their shot at the junior varsity Trojans. The Trojans held an early lead in the opening period, but the Cowboys were able to come from behind to hold a 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cowboys built upon their lead during the second period to carry a 33-21 lead to the locker rooms at halftime. The Cowboys continued to press their advantage through the rest of the contest until the end of the game when the Cowboys chalked up a 70-51 win.
Next, the varsity Cowgirls hit the hardwood to face the Lady Trojans. The Cowgirls doubled up on the Lady Trojans in the opening period to hold a 16-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cowgirls opened a greater lead during the second period and held a commanding 33-11 lead at intermission. During the third period, the Cowgirls opened an even greater lead with a 51-15 advantage at the end of the third period. The fourth quarter moved quickly with a continuously running clock and by the end of the contest, the Cowgirls had improved their record to 11-7 with a 55-17 victory.
The final game of the evening saw the Cowboys hoping to extend their winning streak to 13 games. This would turn out to be far from automatic as the Cowboys struggled to score and the Trojans jumped out to an early lead. The Cowboys were able to close the gap and by the end of the opening period, the Trojans had an 11-10 lead. The Trojans managed to extend their lead to 28-25 going into halftime. The Cowboys began to establish an edge during the third quarter and had built a 10-point, 47-37 lead at the end of the third period. The Cowboys were able to keep the Trojans at-bay during the final period and when the clock hit 00:00, the Cowboys had won their 13th straight contest with a 64-53 final score.
Demarvion Brown led the Cowboys with 17 points and nine rebounds. Dilan Lawson scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds. Travis Jay contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Cowboys. Christopher Simmons added 12 points and six rebounds to the Cowboys' total.
The next home contest will be on Friday, Jan. 25. All four MCHS teams will be in action, beginning at 4 p.m., in the MCHS gymnasium.