Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Madison County High School Cowboys varsity basketball team has moved into the “Elite Eight” in the Florida Class 1A basketball tournament. The Cowboys easily handled the Panthers of Newberry High School in the Region 3 semi-final game with a 71-32 final score.
From the opening tip-off until the final buzzer, the Cowboys exerted their dominance over the Panthers. The
Za'Kobe Fead (#12) gets the advantage in the opening tip-off as the Cowboys faced the Panthers of Newberry High School on Thursday, Feb. 16.
Cowboys never trailed in the contest. The Cowboys used a full court pressing defense to great effectiveness to force several turnovers early in the contest. The Cowboys struggled with shooting accuracy early in the contest. The score at the end of the first period was still close with the Cowboys leading 13-10. In the second quarter the Cowboys kept the defensive pressure on and continued to force turnovers and took advantage of defensive rebounding to open up a 20 point lead.
The second half began with the Cowboys going on a 10-0 scoring spree. The Cowboys enjoyed great production from the bench during much of the second half. By the time the final buzzer sounded the Cowboys had stacked up a near 40 point lead as the final score of 71-32 indicated.
The game was a total team effort with several Cowboys racking up impressive stats. Josiah Mitchell led the Cowboys with 13 points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots. Travis Jay had a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Daryl Hopkins contributed 10 points to the Cowboys' win while Tre Adams and Kris Allen had four assists each. Dilan Lawson was the leading ball thief with four steals for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys faced Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne on Tuesday, Feb. 21, for a chance to move on to the “Final Four.” Be sure to check the sports section of the Madison Enterprise Recorder on Friday, Feb. 24, for full details on the Region 3 final game against Hawthorne.