Strong First Quarter Powers Wildcats to Victory

After having their share of slow starts lately, the Holly Wildcats put the pedal to the floor last Friday against Springfield. The Wildcats raced out to a 22-point opening period, on their way to a 66-59 road win against the Longhorns.

With both of the previous meetings this season between these two teams having been decided by five points, it was no surprise to see the hosts bow their backs and mount a comeback from a 22-9 deficit. Springfield would out score the Wildcats by two points in each of the final three periods, 13-11, 19-17 and 18-16, but the opening blitz was too much to overcome and Holly had protected its #2 ranking with the seven-point victory.

With Drew Thompson (16 points, six rebounds) and Tristan Nelson (13 points, six rebounds) being more than offset by Ross Dunlap (20 points, seven rebounds) and Evan Waters (15 points, 10 rebounds), Holly needed a boost from other players. The spark was provided by freshman Yaniel Vidal, who pumped in 15 points.

The Wildcats were slated to host #6 Cheyenne Wells on Saturday, but Mother Nature had other plans. The contest was postponed due to the winter storm. No make-up date was announced prior to publication. Holly has a pair of home games this weekend, with Wiley visiting on Friday and Eads coming in on Saturday.

By Kerry Sherman

Kerry Sherman and his wife, Colleen, moved to Lamar in August of 2013, from Anton, Colorado, to cover Southeastern Colorado high schools for Colorado Preps. Kerry is in his third year of streaming high school sports online for Colorado Preps, and this is his 23rd year of covering high schools for various print and online outlets throughout Colorado. He also has nine years of coaching experience, with the boys basketball programs at Woodlin and Otis.