WELCH—It was another Lucky Seven match up with the Lady Cats hosting the Lady Eagles of Afton in district tournament play Friday night. A win in the first round of the tournament would secure a spot in the regional tournament; a loss would end the season. Afton had won the previous two meetings with the Lady Cats  this year: a one-point nail-biter in Welch and a blow out win in Afton. The Lady Cats hoped to reverse that trend Friday.

Afton got on the scoreboard first with a pair of free throws and soon jumped out to a 5-0 lead before a bucket by Kelsie Smith got the Lady Cats on the board. The Lady Cats found themselves trailing by seven, 11-4, with two minutes left in the first quarter. When the first period buzzer sounded, the Lady Cats trailed by five, down 13-8.

A quick rally in the second quarter and a pair of buckets kept the Lady Cats from falling too far behind early. A quick Afton bucket extended their lead back to seven with 6:41 left in the first half. Eventually, a pair of back-to-back treys by Afton pushed the margin of their lead to 11. The Lady Cats appeared intimidated by the Lady Eagles this time around, the Lady Eagles dishing it out and the Lady Cats not responding in kind. Afton was the agressor the entire first half, and it was reflected on the halftime scoreboard, 30-19 Afton. It would have been worse for the Lady Cats had Erin Snedden not hit a three at the buzzer. The Lady Cats were paced by Erin Snedden with five first-half points, and three other Lady Cats added four points each.

With the season’s end staring them in the face as they returned from the halftime break, the Lady Cats had 16 minutes to come back, make a statement, and extend their season. Apparently they realized this, and a pair of Lady Cat baskets cut their deficit to nine with just two minutes expired in the quarter. Another Lady Cat basket shrank the Afton lead to seven with five minutes left in the third. A lucky tip-in off a Lady Cat arm on the Afton end pushed the Lady Eagle lead back to eight with three minutes in the period. The referees got a little whistle-happy in the third quarter, calling the Lady Cats for eight fouls while charging Afton with only three. Afton went cold from the field, but their completed free throws kept their lead from evaporating, and they still led, 44-35, at the end of the quarter. Hankins had 14 points in the third quarter, as Welch estblished its inside game.

The Lady Cats scored to start the fourth, putting them down only seven after a made free throw by Afton. Both teams traded baskets the next few minutes, and, with 5:30 left in the quarter, the Lady Cats still trailed by seven. A technical foul on an Afton player gave the Lady Cats a pair of freebies, and Erin Snedden converted both, cutting their deficit to five, 46-41. Welch also received possession of the ball, and looked to score again. Unfortunately, the Lady Cats turned the ball over. With 4:53 left in the game, the Lady Eagles led by five, and a foul sent Afton to the line. Making one of two free throws, Afton led by six with 4:42 left in the game when Kristyn Marlow was fouled. She missed the foul shot, but Sierra Hankins gathered in the rebound and scored to narrow Afton’s lead to four points with four minutes left in the game. Afton again was fouled and made one of two foul shots to extend their lead to five once more. A bucket by Hankins narrowed the gab to three with 3:37 left in the contest. On the ensuing Afton possession, a steal by Megan Carpenter gave the Lady Cats the ball, and they set up their offense. Hankins was fouled on a shot and was sent to the line, where she converted both free throws and shrank Afton’s lead to a single point. A foul on a defensive rebound sent Afton to the line to shoot two more foul shots. After two made charity shots, Afton led by three points with 1:20 left. After the Lady Cat possession, another foul was called on the Lady Cats, sending Afton back to the line where they made one of two once again, widening their lead to four points. Another miss by the Lady Cats and a susequent foul call against Welch sent the Lady Eagles to the line again. This time they came up empty on both attempts, but a point-blank miss by the Lady Cats on their offensive end led to another foul shot opportunity for the Lady Eagles. Again they came up empty, missing both shots and giving the Lady Cats an opportunity to overcome. Welch was fouled and made a free throw, cutting the Afton lead to three points with 18.1 seconds remaining in the game, and quite possibly in the Lady Cat’s season. A reaching foul by Welch with 15.9 seconds left sent Afton to the line, where their senior point guard made both shots, sealing the deal and effectively ending the Lady Cat’s season. A couple of desperate, long-range treys did not find the mark, and the clock expired with the Lady Eagles ahead, 53-48. Sierra Hankins led the Lady Cats with 24, Erin Snedden and Kelsie Smith each added seven, Tylor Dodson and Krystin Marlow had four each, and Megan Carpenter contributed two.

Patrick Hankins contributed to this report. You, too, can be a WelchOK.com contributor. Email your news, info, and pics to info at WelchOK dot com.

WELCH–Our sports coverage this week hasn’t been what you’ve come to expect from WelchOK.com. Your executive editor and our primary sports contributor both had to travel, and then your editor got sick. So, here’s the report, a little belated but better late than never.

And, I usually post this at the end of the sports updates, but I want to put it at the beginning of this report to make sure everyone reads it. The detailed sports reports of late have been contributed by Patrick Hankins. He does a great job of reporting on the basketball games, and if you appreciate him doing so (none of us are making any money off WelchOK.com), please leave a comment on this post letting him know. With that said, let’s review this week in Wildcat basketball.

Welch Lady Cats v. Bluejacket Lady Chieftains, Tues., Feb. 2, 1010 (Senior Night)

Your Welch Lady Cats hosted the visiting Bluejacket Lady Chieftains in a Lucky Seven conference battle on the Kenneth Sooter Court of the Welch Wildcat Gym. The Lady Cats came out and pounced on their cross-the-way rivals, racing out to an eight-point lead on a three by Erin Snedden and a pair of buckets by Sierra Hankins and Tylor Dodson. Welch led, 18-6, at the end of the first quarter. Tylor Dodson sank eight points in the first quarter for the Lady Cats.

Both teams went cold in the second quarter, and it seemed free throws were all either team could muster on the offensive end. The Lady Cats managed one bucket, and the Lady Chieftains sank a pair of baskets; all other scoring came from the charity stripe. At the end of the quarter, the Lady Cats still led by 12, with the score 26-14 going into the halftime break. A balanced scoring attack by the Lady Cats showed Tylor Dodson and Sierra Hankins pacing the Lady Cats’ offense with nine each and Erin Snedden adding eight in the first half.

Bluejacket came out of the break and scored six straight points to shave the Lady Cat lead to points in a hurry. The Lady Cats responded with a bucket by Hankins and a three by Snedden to expand the lead to 11 with half the third quarter remaining. The visiting Lady Chieftains rallied again, cutting the lead to single digits, but the Lady Cats answered with baskets of their own to hold off the surge. At the end of three quarters, the Lady Cats led, 43-26.

The Lady Chieftains came fighting back and with a pair of free throws, cutting their deficit to nine with six minutes left in the game. A basket by Hankins pushed the Lady Cats’ lead back to 11 with 5:33 left to play. On their next possession, a made bucket by the visitors again cut the Lady Cat lead to nine, but three converted free throws by Dodson advanced the Lady Cat lead to 12 with under four minutes to play. The rest of the half found both teams shooting free throws after the referees got a little whistle-happy in the last four minutes. In the end, the Lady Cats were victorious, 59-42. Sierra Hankins had a season-high 28 for the Lady Cats. Tylor Dodson also had a season-high 20 points. Erin Snedden finished in double figures with ten, and Krystin Marlow added one.

Welch Wildcats v. Bluejacket Chieftains, Feb. 2, 2010 (Senior Night)

Your Welch Wildcats  went into Tuesday’s game with a 17-2 record, looking to continue their winning ways after a few days off because of inclement weather and hoping not to be too rusty after the layoff. Apparently, the Cats stayed rust-free as they bounded out to a 10-2 lead with 2:33 left in the first quarter on buckets by seniors Dakota Chenoweth, Gabe Moore, Jordan Dry, and Joey Powers to start the game. The other senior starter, Grant Bullard, waited until later in the quarter to get his first points on a nice lay in, extending the Wildcat lead to 14. The Cats were ahead, 21-3, at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter proved to be the second verse of the same song, as the Cats drove their lead to 33-5 with 4:49 remaining in the first half. Back-to-back three pointers by Dakota Chenoweth powered the Cats further past the over-matched Chieftains. The first half saw all 17 Wildcats take the floor and 10 of those found their way into the scoring column, led by Dakota Chenoweth with 12 first half points. At the end of the first half, the Cats had a healthy 43-11 lead.

The Cats extended their lead to 49-14 with 3:54 left in the third, with the Wildcat bench logged significant playing time. Austin Hale nailed a trey from the top of the key at the buzzer and expanded the Wildcat lead to 54-20 at the end of the third.

The fourth quarter saw the Cats’ bench continue to get some playing time, and the game was soon out of hand for the visitors. In the end, the Cats prevailed 65-22. Dakota Chenoweth led the Cats with 12 points, Jordan Dry had nine, Gabe Moore and Brenton Hale added eight each, Joey Powers contributed six, Chance Harris and Grant Bullard each bucketed five, Jacob Mount added four, and Austin Buchanan, Billy McClintick, Alex Smith, and Lucas Thompson had two each to round out the Cats’ offense.

Welch v. Wyandotte, Thur., Feb. 4, 2010

Your Wildcat teams hosted Wyandotte Thursday night. We didn’t have a reporter to provide a detailed report of the game, but the results are as follows:

The Wyandotte girls led the Lady Cats, 25-12, at halftime, eventually beating the Lady Cats, 49-29. Lady Cat scorers were Hankins, nine; Marlow, six; Seigel, five; Dodson, four; Snedden, three; McCord, two.

Both Welch and Wyandotte’s boys’ teams went into the game undefeated in conference play. The Wyandotte boys led the Wildcats, 26-24, at halftime and, 39-37, at end of third quarter. The Wildcats rallied to end the game the victorious, 51-48. They remained undefeated in the Lucky Seven Confernce, while dealing Wyandotte their first conference loss. Wildcat scorers were Powers, 27; Buchanan, nine; Bullard, eight; Hale, four; and Mount, three.

Welch Wildcats v. Wyandotte Bears, Fri., Feb. 5, 2010

(Wyandotte’s homecoming, so the boys played first).

Your Welch Wildcats went on the road last night to visit the Bears of Wyandotte and decide the conference champion. The Bears hoped to avenge their only conference loss, handed to them Thursday night by the Wildcats. A win for the Cats will sew up the Lucky 7 Conference championship; a loss would result in their sharing the title with the Bears. The previous night’s match up ended with the Cats ahead by three after a Wyandotte miss at the buzzer sealed the deal. The Cats hoped Friday night’s outcome would not be so close.

The Bears won the tip and quickly scored but were answered on the Cats’ end by Joey Powers. A three by Wyandotte put the Bears up, but Powers scored on a put-back to cut the Bear lead to one. A trey from Austin Buchanan put the Cats up by one with just over four minutes elapsed in the first quarter. The Cats took a 14-10 lead on a bucket by Powers with less than a minute left in the quarter. A put-back by Powers extended the lead to six, and the Cat defense kept the Bears scoreless the remaining 15 seconds to close out the quarter. Cats led at the end of one quarter, 16-10, ten of which came from Powers.

In the beginning of the second quarter,  quick bucket by the Bears cut the Wildcat lead to four, but Powers answered again to extend it back to six. Both teams traded baskets in the second quarter with neither team establishing themselves. A bucket by the Bears cut the Cat lead to four, and an ensuing foul call and both made freebies cut the Cat lead to two points. The Cats struggled from the line, missing a couple of free throws and allowing the Bears back into the game. Another made free throw by the Bears cut the lead to a single point with under three minutes left in the half. The Cats collected themselves and responded with a pair of buckets to extend the lead to five with just under 20 seconds left. The Cats rebounded a Bear miss, and Grant Bullard was fouled with two seconds left in the quarter, sinking both free throws and extending the Cat lead to seven. At the close of the first half, the Cats led, 30-23. Powers led the Cats scoring attack with 12, while Jacob Mount added nine.

The Cats received the ball first to start the second half, and Powers started where he left off, scoring from the baseline. Two quick buckets in a row by the Bears cut the Cat lead to five, with just over two minutes gone in the period. A trey by the Bears cut into the Cat lead, but back-to-back Cat buckets extended the lead. A Wyandotte player received a technical foul, and Grant Bullard made one of the two free throws to put the Cats up by five with 3:39 left in the quarter. Both teams traded buckets the remainder of the quarter until a Cat turnover led to a foul on a shot, and the Bear made both shots. Welch then turned it over once again, leading to a make by the Bears, who closed the gap to one with under a minute to play in the quarter. A miss by the Cats ended the quarter with the Cats barely leading, 39-38.

A put-back by the Bears gave them the lead, 40-39, and on their next posession they extended their lead,42-39, with 6:03 left in the quarter. A trey by Powers tied the game at 42-42 with 5:30 left in the game. The Bears scored and were answered by the Cats on their end to deadlock the game once again. A controversial call sent the Bears to the line with an “and one” opportunity, which they failed to convert. Powers scored again to tie the game once more at 46 all. Welch held the Bears on their next possession and called a timeout to set up their offense with 2:03 left in the contest. Another put-back by Powers put the Cats ahead by two with 1:32 left in the game. A nifty move by Grant Bullard against the big Wyandotte center on the next possession put the Cats ahead by four with 52 seconds remaining. The Bears responded with a bucket of their own to cut the Cat lead to two with 35.9 seconds left. The Cats inbounded the ball, moving it across the timeline and calling a timeout to set up a play. Neither team was in the bonus situation, so it came down to who could make a play rather than a free throw shooting contest. Welch inbounded and was fouled immediately, but then turned the ball over on their next inbound with the Bears taking over on their end with under 20 seconds remaining. The Cats almost forced a turnover, but a foul call gave the Bears back the ball under their basket with 10.4 seconds left. Two missed threes by the Bears, and the Cats earned the 50-48 victory and the Lucky Seven Conference Championship. Powers led the Cats with 25, Jacob Mount had 11,  Austin Buchanan tallied six, Grant Bullard scored five, and Gabe Moore and Brenton Hale added two each.

Welch Lady Cats v. Wyandotte Lady Bears, Fri., Feb. 5, 2010

The Welch LadyCats traveled to Wyandotte looking to avenge a conference loss to the Lady Bears the previous night. Sierra Hankins gathered in an offensive rebound and bucketed the put-back to give the Lady Cats a quick two points to start the game. But the Lady Bears answered to tie the game at two each early in the first. A three by Erin Snedden extended the Lady Cat lead, 5-2 with 5:20 left in the quarter. An ensuing bucket by Wyandotte cut the Cat lead to one at the 5 minute mark. A put-back by Tylor Dodson put the Lady Cats ahead once again, 7-5 with 3:22 left in the quarter. Dodson scored again to extend the lead to 9-5 in favor of Welch with 2:20 left in the quarter. Hankins scored on an assist from Krystin Marlow, pushing the Lady Cat lead to six, but the Lady Bears countered with a basket of their own, cuting their deficit to just four. After a Welch miss,the Lady Bears held the ball to run out the quarter and nailed a trey with two seconds left,making the first-quarter score 11-10 in favor of the Lady Cats.

A trey from Wyandotte started the second quarter and gave the Lady Bears their first lead of the game, 13-11. Hankins scored to tie it up at 13 all with 6:40 left in the quarter. A 20-0 Wyandotte run the remainder of the quarter finished out the half, as the Lady Cats could not make a field goal or even a free throw, going zero for five from the charity stripe in the quarter. Sierra Hankins led the Lady Cats with six first-half points.

The Lady Cats started the second half with a trey by Kelsie Smith, but a quick bucket in transition by the Lady Bears killed any momentum the Lady Cats gained. The Lady Cats emptied the bench with five minutes left in the quarter, all bu throwing in the towel. Even with a 38-point lead and the Welch reserves in the game, the Wyandotte coach must have been worried about a come-back, keeping her starting guards in the game to run up the score on layups off turnovers and Lady Cat misses. At the end of the third, Lady Cats trailed by 40 points, 58-18.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Wyandotte coach must have felt her lead was sufficient, finally pulling all her starters and pitting her reserves against the Lady Cat reserves. The reserves played valiantly, but in the end Wyandotte prevailed, 68-18. Hankins led the Lady Cats with six, Tylor Dodson added four, Erin Snedden and Kelsie Smith added three each, and Cheyenne McCord had two. [Editor's note: Stay classy, Wyandotte.]

And there you have it, the results of a busy week of Wildcat basketball. Photos will be added to our Flickr photostream soon. And remember, leave a comment telling Patrick Hankins you appreciate his work on providing reports.

Patrick Hankins contributed to this report. You, too, can be a WelchOK.com contributor. Email your news, info, and pics to info [at] WelchOK [dot] com.

WELCH—It was a fun night for everyone in the Welch Wildcat Gym Tuesday night–unless you were dressed in red and white. Your Welch teams each chalked up a conference win, defeating the Fairland Lady Owls and Owls by healthy margins.

Welch Lady Cats v. Fairland Lady Owls

Fresh off a third-place finish in the NEO Tournament, your Welch Lady Cats resumed Lucky 7 Conference play last Tuesday night, hosting the Fairland Lady Owls on the Ken Sooter Court of the Welch Wildcat Gym. The Lady Cats came out ready to play and started hot with a pair of treys from Erin Snedden, racing out to a quick eight-point lead. The offense continued to click, with buckets coming the remainder of the half from all five Lady Cat starters. Sierra Hankins led the Lady Cats with 10 first-half points, and senior Erin Snedden added eight, giving the Lady Cats a 26-15 lead going into halftime. An outburst by the Fairland coach en route to the locker room earned him a technical foul and guaranteed the Lady Cats would receive the ball first to begin the second half.

The second half started with Snedden converting both technical-induced free throws. The Lady Cats added to their lead on a basket by Tylor Dodson, extending their lead to 14 with 5:30 left in the quarter. A pair of Lady Owl free throws and a made basket narrowed the gap to 11 with 4:03 left in the quarter. An “and one” by Hankins again extended the lead to 13, but she missed the charity shot. A nice up-and-under from Dodson again put the Lady Cats 13 ahead at the end of three quarters.

The fourth quarter began with a couple of touch fouls called on the Lady Cats, which led to three straight made free throws by the Lady Owls, reducing their deficit to 10 with just under seven minutes left to play. The Lady Cats started struggling on the boards until two big free throws by Megan Carpenter ran the Lady Cat lead back to 13. A pair of freebies by the visitors again cut the Lady Cat lead back to 11. The Lady Owls eventually came within nine points of Welch with 1:39 left in the game, giving Lady Cat fans a little trepidation. Tylor Dodson was fouled and made the front end of a one-and-one to push the lead back to 12 with just under 40 seconds remaining in the game. The second free shot rattled out, and Fairland secured the rebound, but the writing was already on the wall. The Lady Owls attempted a couple of long-range bombs that flew wide of the mark, and the Lady Cats chalked up a hard-earned conference victory, 52-40.

Erin Snedden led the Lady Cats with 16; Sierra Hankins and Tylor Dodson joined her in double figures with 15 and 13, respectively. Kelsie Smith and Krystin Marlow each added three, and Megan Carpenter tallied two.

Welch Wildcats v. Fairland Owls

After being named the second-place winners in the NEO Tournament round robin bracket on point differential, your Welch Wildcats returned to conference play by hosting the Fairland Owls. The Cats controlled the tip, but the Owls scored first on a nice alley-oop to one of their bigs under the basket. The Cats countered with their own big, as Jacob Mount scored on a put-back to even the score. The Owls came back to score again and got a turnover under the Welch bucket, but promptly threw it away to Joey Powers, who missed the contested layup. A bucket by Mount tied the game at six each with 3:50 left in the quarter. A bucket by Mount on the next possession put the Cats ahead 8-6. Joey Powers, usually one of the Cat’s offensive weapons, turned into the facilitator with three assists in the first quarter. Brenton Hale knocked down a long jumper for three, but Fairland answered with an immediate three of their own. Back-to-back-to-back buckets by Powers, Mount, and Powers pushed the Cat lead up to 11 just before the end of the first quarter. When the buzzer sounded, the Cats led, 20-9.

The second quarter found both defenses clamping down on the opponent’s offensive game. The Wildcats were held to just seven points for the quarter, while the visitors managed only eight of their own. The Cats went into the half with a 27-17 lead. Jacob Mount led the Cats with 13 points the first half.

Powers started the second half with a bang, scoring six straight points and extending the Cat lead to 16. A bucket by Mount, assisted by Jordan Dry, fell right before a trey by Chance Harris extended the lead to 20 with 2:50 left in the third quarter. A Powers put-back pushed the Cat lead 22 with under ten seconds left in the third.

The fourth quarter started with Fairland in possession of the ball, and they scored quickly, cutting their deficit 20. A missed trey by Powers led to a Fairland basket in transition, again narrowing the Cats’ substantial lead. Fairland began to rally and gain momentum, but Gabe Moore drew a charging foul to get the ball back into Cat hands, and then he was fouled on the other end attempting a put-back off an offensive rebound. He made one of two foul shots, making the score 48-29 with 4:40 left in the game. Jacob Mount was fouled shooting on the next possession with 3:46 left. He knocked down both free shots to expand the Cat lead back to 21. The Wildcats ran their keep away game the last of the quarter and exhausted the clock with a 54-39 victory.

Jacob Mount led the Cats with 19; Joey Powers joined him in double figures with 16. Brenton Hale added six, Gabe Moore tallied four, Chance Harris had three, and Jordan Dry and Grant Bullard contributed two each.

Click here to see our Flickr photo set for this game.

Patrick Hankins contributed to this report. You, too, can be a WelchOK.com contributor. Email your news, info, and pics to info ‹at› WelchOK ‹dot› com.

Your 3rd-place Lady Cats

MIAMI, Okla.—The 65th annual NEO High School Basketball Tournament is now history, and what a contest it was for your Welch teams! Your Lady Cats suffered a heartbreaking loss to Bluejacket Friday, but they overcame it and thoroughly dominated the Foyil Lady Panthers Saturday, winning 57-45, and securing their spot as third-place winners of the girls’ blue bracket. Your Wildcats drew large crowds for each game they played in the boys’ round robin bracket. Their defeat of Roland may have been the high point of the tourney, but their defeat of Miami in the final game of the tournament was a final feather in their respective caps. A capacity crowd at the NEO College Gym Saturday night watched with rapt interest as the Wildcats schooled Miami, defeating the Wardogs 42-39 when the final buzzer rang out. Each of the four teams in the round robin bracket finished with a 2-1 record, save Miami, which went 0-3. Roland lost to Welch, Welch lost to Lincoln Christian (incidentally, Welch was the only team in the tournament to hold LC under 40 points, allowing them only 32), and Lincoln Christian lost to Roland; Miami lost to everyone.

Welch Lady Cats v. Foyil Lady Panthers

The Welch Lady Cats put the bad taste of a loss out of their mouths as they took on the Foyil Panthers at the Student Activity Center at NEO A&M College in Miami Saturday. Sierra Hankins started the game by winning the opening tip and a sinking quick bucket. The Lady Cats got a great first-quarter start and found the offensive groove early, racing to an early lead with all as five Lady Cats adding to the score. Then the Lady Panthers rallied and came back to narrow the gap from a nine-point deficit, closing the first quarter four points behind the Lady Cats. The fouls came fast and furious as 13 total fouls were called in the first eight minutes, six against the Lady Cats and seven against Foyil.

The second quarter saw more Lady Cat dominance, as they pushed their lead to eight, three minutes into the quarter. The remainder of the second quarter turned into a foul shooting contest, with both teams in the double bonus with over 5:00 left in the half. On a basket by Megan Carpenter, the Lady Cats extended their lead to 10 with just over four minutes left in the half.  Made free throws by the Lady Panthers kept them in the game. At the close of the second quarter, the Lady Cats led 38-27. Hankins led the Lady Cats with 14 first-half points.

The Lady Cats started the second half sporting an 11-point lead and went back to work attempting to extend their lead. With three minutes left in the quarter, the Lady Cats expanded their lead to 18 on a bucket by Hankins. The end of the third quarter found the Lady Cats leading by 16 points, 45-29.

In the fourth, the Lady Cats stood firm and continued to run their offense, getting good shots at the bucket. Tylor Dodson and Kelsie Smith bucketed points for the Lady Cats down the stretch, increasing their lead to 19 with under two minutes in the game. The Lady Cat bench was emptied, all the Lady Cats who dressed participating in the contest. In the end, the Lady Cats were victorious and claimed the third-place trophy with a 57-45 victory. Sierra Hankins led the way with 20, and Kelsie Smith joined her in double figures with 10. Erin Snedden added eight, Tylor Dodson and Krystin Marlow bucketed seven each and Megan Carpenter added five.

Tylor Dodson gets ready to make a move

Sierra Hankins prepares to send the ball home

Erin Snedden puts it to two Lady Panthers

Welch Wildcats v. Miami Wardogs

Gabe Moore flies over the competition

The Welch Wildcats made their last trip to Miami Saturday night for the NEO Tourney. On the main gym at the NEO Fieldhouse, the Wildcats were looking to get back on the winning track after coming up just short against Lincoln Christian the previous night. Once again looking to upset a larger school in the round robin format, the Wildcats were dressed in their road blues and ready to face the host-town Miami Wardogs.

Jacob Mount once again put the Cats on the board first, sinking an offensive rebound. Joey Powers then got an “and one” to fall, converting the gimme to put the Cats ahead 5-3 early in the first. Jacob Mount buried a 12-footer to increase the lead to 7-3, forcing a Wardog timeout. Powers bucketed a floater to extend the lead to 9-3 with 2:30 left in the first. Mount scored again off a Miami turnover on an assist from Brenton Hale to push the lead to eight at the 1:49 mark, forcing Miami into another timeout. The Cats capitalized off another Miami miss, and Powers scored in transition to put the Cats ahead by ten, 13-3. Welch drained the remainder of the first quarter clock on a long miss from Powers at the buzzer. The Cats must have been happy with their performance, ending the quarter up 13-3.

Miami started the second quarter completing a pair of free throws to cut Welch’s lead. They followed that up with an unsuccessful “and one” attempt, which showed the score 13-7, Welch,  with two minutes elapsed in the quarter. The Wardogs narrowed the gap to five with 4:35 left in the half before a bucket and a foul put Powers at the line for the extra, which he sank, to push the Cat lead back to eight. A basket by Mount and a pair of free throws by Powers extended the Cat’s lead back to 10 with 1:33 left in the half. A pair of free throws and a made basket at the end of the quarter pulled the Wardogs back within 6 at the half with the Cats leading 24-18.

The Wildcats started the second half with the ball, but a jumper by Mount rattled out, and a Miami turnover could not be converted by Powers on the Cats’ second possession. The third time was the charm, as Mount made a baseline jumper for the Cats’ first points of the second half, extending the lead to eight. A slashing bucket by Powers off an assist by Gabe Moore put the Cats up by double digits again, 28-18. The teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter to end up third with Welch leading the Wardogs, 36-25.

Miami scored first in the fourth, cutting the lead to nine, on a tip in, and after a Cat turnover, hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to six. The Cats went cold from the field, going almost four minutes before a free throw by Mount added to the Cats’ total and pushed their lead to seven with under four minutes to play. A baseline jumper by the Wardogs again shaved the lead to five with 2:37 to play, and Coach Schertz called a time out to try to thaw the Cats’ frozen shooting. A Cat turnover after the timeout resulted with a Miami bucket in transition, cutting the lead to three, 37-34, in favor of the Cats. Powers was fouled on an attempt with 1:29 left, but the first freebie rattled out and the second was short, emphasizing the Cats’ struggles from the charity stripe and giving Miami the ball—one three-pointer away from a tie. A Wardog turnover gave the Cats back the ball with a three-point lead. As the announcement of one minute left to play was resounding from the speakers, Powers converted a reverse layup, and Gabe Moore was fouled on a layup attempt. He converted one of his two free throws, to extend the lead to 40-34 with 32.3 seconds remaining. A two-pointer by Miami rattled home cutting the Welch’s lead to four, and Grant Bullard was intentionally fouled to stop the clock. The Wardogs had not committed enough fouls to put the Cats on the line, so a restart of play was ordered, and Powers was fouled on the inbound and sent to the line to shoot a one-and-one with 14 seconds left. He swished both shots, increasing Welch’s lead to six, 42-36. A successful Miami three-pointer at the buzzer resulted in a final score of 42-39, Wildcat favor.

Joey Powers led the way with 22 points, and Jacob Mount added 15 to join him in double figures. Gabe Moore contributed three, and Austin Buchanan added two for the Cats.

With the loss of Lincoln Christian to Roland earlier in the evening, the Wildcats tied for the best record in their division finishing with two wins and one loss. Based on point differential, first place was awarded to Roland, which defeated Lincoln Christian and Miami by a combined 36 points. Lincoln Christian defeated Welch and Miami by a combined eight points. Welch defeated Roland and Miami by a combined five points.

Grant Bullard drives it down the court

Joey Powers easily rises above the competition

Austin Buchanan has his eye on the prize

Jacob Moore concentrates on his jumper

WHS & OSU alumnus Stacy Satterwhite was selected for the halftime shooting contest. For the record, he sank his free throw.

If you think these pics are good, you should see all the great, high quality shots in our Flickr feed. Click here for NEO Tourney Day 1. Click here for NEO Tourney Day 2. Click here for NEO Tourney Day 3.

Special thanks to Patrick Hankins for contributing this and all recent WHS basketball reports. He helps make WelchOK.com available for free. If you appreciate his reports, why not leave a comment saying thanks? And don’t forget, you can also be a WelchOK.com contributor. Email your news, info, and pics to info :at: WelchOK :dot: com. Patrick emails his reports from his Blackberry (or his wife’s iPhone).

MIAMI, Okla.—Your Welch High School basketball teams again headed east to play in the NEO High School Basketball Tournament Friday. At 4:30 p.m. in the Miami Civic Center, the Lady Cats squared off against their long-time rivals from Bluejacket. The tight game eventually showed the Lady Chieftains in the lead, 39-36, when the final buzzer sounded. Later, the Wildcats faced the Bulldogs from Lincoln Christian at 7:30 p.m. in the NEO College Gym. The teams were neck-and-neck the whole game, and the Wildcats could barely buy a bucket. Eventually, time ran out and the 32-28 score handed the Bulldogs a win.

Welch Lady Cats v. Bluejacket Lady Chieftains

The Welch Lady Cats continued their quest to be the girls’ blue bracket champions of the 65th annual Northeastern Oklahoma A&M High School Basketball Tournament. With an afternoon tip-off, the two teams, who met to kick the season off, tangled again on the court of the Miami Civic Center. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in Lady Cats taking home a victory on the Lady Chieftains’ home court. It’s always a rivalry when these two teams meet on the hardwoods, and each team looks forward to saddling the other with a loss.

The Lady Cats won the tip, but the Lady Chieftains scored the first points of the game. The Lady Cats answered with a bucket by Tylor Dodson to tie the game early in the quarter. Both teams traded baskets back and forth the entire first quarter, while attempted to find the other’s weakness. The first quarter ended with Bluejacket leading, 11-10.

The second quarter found the Lady Cats going cold from the field, and they could only muster five points for the entire quarter while the Lady Chieftains added ten to extend their lead to 21-15 by halftime.

The three ball was falling for the Lady Chieftains, and they bucketed a pair of treys in the first part of the second quarter. The Lady Cats closed the deficit with a couple of buckets of their own to end the quarter. A layup by Tylor Dodson at the buzzer reduced the gap to two, 29-27.

The fourth quarter was a defensive struggle, and a steal by Rachel Seigel caused an outburst by a Lady Chieftain, which resulted in a technical foul. Erin Snedden converted both charity shots to tie the game at 29 all with 5:30 left in the game. After the Lady Chieftains added to their tally, a blocked shot by Megan Carpenter and an ensuing bucket by Sierra Hankins evened the score at 33 all with 2:30 left, and the Lady Cats seemed to build momentum. The final two minutes saw both teams trade baskets until a huge trey off an inbound play, coincidentally from the Lady Chieftain who had received the technical foul, put the Lady Chieftains ahead for good. The Lady Cats had a couple of opportunities to tie the game, but in the end the three-pointer from the corner sealed the Lady Cats’ fate, and they lost 39-36. Tylor Dodson and Sierra Hankins each racked up 17 points, and Erin Snedden contributed the other two.

The Lady Cats next play the consolation game against Foyil at noon Sat. in the Student Activity Center on the campus of NEO.

Welch Wildcats v. Lincoln Christian Bulldogs

Hoping to continue the role of giant-killers, your Welch Wildcats took on the 2A #18-ranked Lincoln Christian Bulldogs in the boys’ round robin bracket Friday night. Welch came off an emotional and exhausting two-point win over the 4A #10-ranked Roland Rangers Thursday night and hoped to continue through the tournament unscathed. The NEO Tournament is providing Coach Josh Schertz’s 1A #14-ranked Wildcats some great experience that will surely pay dividends when the Wildcats begin district play on the way to the state tournament.

Both teams struggled to find the find the range in the first quarter, missing numerous shots. The only scoring for both teams before the final minute was a trey and a free throw for each team. Welch had possession at the end of the quarter and ran the clock down to two seconds when Joey Powers launched a three from the top of the key to take the lead, 7-4, at the buzzer.

The Bulldogs came right back in the second quarter after holding the Cats and forcing a miss on their possession. They knocked down a three, tying game at seven all. The Bulldogs took the lead on a jumper in transition after a Wildcat turnover to take the lead to 9-7. A couple of hurried shots and an offensive foul against Jacob Mount gave the Bulldogs opportunities to score, and they took advantage, scoring four straight points. A basket and a foul call gave Powers the opportunity for a three-point play, but the freebie rattled out leaving the Cats trailing, 13-9, with 2:44 left in the half. A steal by Brenton Hale gave the Cats back the ball, which Powers converted for two, cutting the lead to one possession. With one minute left in the half, the Cats had the ball and trailed by two. Jacob Mount got the ball on the low block and scored, drawing the foul. Again the Cats could not convert the charity throw. The Bulldogs, though, made a jumper with five seconds left to take a 15-13 halftime lead. Powers paced the Cats with eight points in the half.

The Bulldogs received the ball first to start the second half. Their three-point attempt missed, and the Cats tried their own, but it rattled out, as well. Joey Powers made one of two free throws and then a three-pointer to give the Cats a 17-15 lead. The Bulldogs battled back and regained the lead on a jumper from the wing, making it 21-19. Powers scored a driving layup to tie the game at 21 to end the third quarter.

Both teams turned the defense up a notch in the fourth quarter, and both offenses struggled. Powers made a twisting layup with under three minutes left, but the Bulldogs answered with a knifing jumper to keep the lead. After a deuce by Powers, the Bulldog lead was cut to one, but another jumper by Lincoln set the lead to back to three with under two minutes left in play. The Wildcats received the ball with 1:30 remaining, but a three-point attempt from Austin Buchanan bounced in and out, and the Bulldogs regained possession. Welch was forced to foul with less than 30 seconds left, and the Bulldogs made both gimmes to extend their lead. A three by Gabe Moore at the buzzer cut the lead to 32-28, but time ran out on the Cats and they fell in defeat. Powers led the Cats with 20, Austin Buchanan and Gabe Moore each had three, and Jacob Mount contributed two.

The Wildcats play the Miami Wardogs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the NEO College Gym.

Click here for NEO Tourney Day 2 on our Flickr feed.

Patrick Hankins contributed to this report. You, too, can be a WelchOK.com contributor. Email your news, info, and pics to info :at: WelchOK :dot: com.

MIAMI, Okla.—Your Welch Lady Cats and Wildcats made the short trip to Miami today for the 65th annual NEO High School Basketball Tournament. As the day came to a close, both Welch teams had added a mark to their win column. The Lady Cats defeated the White Oak girls this afternoon, 48-35, and the 1A #14-ranked Wildcats topped the 4A #10-ranked Roland Rangers, 45-43.

Welch Lady Cats v. White Oak Lady Ranchers

Your Lady Cats began their quest to add an NEO Tourney title to their résumé Thursday afternoon at the NEO Fieldhouse. First up for the Lady Cats were the Lady Ranchers from White Oak. The Lady Cats, wearing their home whites, came out looking to get a much needed win after taking their lumps against the Lucky Seven Conference’s larger schools the last couple weeks. The Lady Cats had a balanced scoring attack the first quarter, which capitalized on an aerial assault from the outside and some well-timed put backs around the bucket, to secure a 12-10 lead at the end of the quarter. Rachel Seigel paced the Lady Cats with five first-quarter points, and four of the five starters added to the point total during the opening period.

The Lady Cats continued their balanced scoring attack all the way to halftime. Pressure defense yielded quick baskets off turnovers for the Lady Cats, but the Lady Ranchers fed off the Lady Cats turnovers, and the teams slugged it out to a 23-21 halftime score, Lady Cats’ favor.

The second half started with back-to-back buckets by Sierra Hankins and Tylor Dodson and a 3-pointer from Krystin Marlow, which gave the Lady Cats a 30-21 lead just two minutes into the third quarter. The rest of the third quarter was a draw and, at the buzzer, the Lady Cats led 39-30 heading into the final stanza.

The Lady Cats outscored the Lady Ranchers 9-to-5 in the final quarter and preserved a well-earned victory, with a final score of 48-35. Sierra Hankins led the Lady Cats with 15. Joining her in double figures was Tylor Dodson with 12. Krystin Marlow and Erin Snedden added seven each, Rachel Seigel had five, and Kelsie Smith bucketed two.

The Lady Cats continue their quest on Friday with a 4:30 p.m. tip-off against perennial rival Bluejacket at the Miami Civic Center.

Welch Wildcats v. Roland Rangers

Your Welch Wildcats kicked off their NEO Tourney play at the Student Activity Center on the campus of NEO A&M College. Awaiting them on the hardwood were the 4A #10-ranked Roland Rangers, dressed in their orange and black playing the role of Goliath. The Wildcats welcomed their own giant Jacob Mount back into the starting lineup after his recent bout with illness, and he didn’t waste any time, drawing first blood with a put back of his own miss to start the game. An old fashioned “and one” by Joey Powers and a bucket by Austin Buchanan off a nifty feed from Powers put the Cats ahead 7-3 midway through the first quarter. But the Rangers came driving back with a couple of buckets of their own and evened the score just before the end of the first quarter. A steal by Roland’s point guard and a couple aced free throws found the Cats trailing for the first time, 9-7, with less than 30 seconds in the quarter. Then a trey by Chance Harris catapulted the Cats back into the lead, ending the first quarter 10-9.

The Rangers quickly scored on a floater from the baseline and retook the lead at the beginning of the second quarter. Missed free throws stymied the Cats at the beginning of the second quarter as they missed a two-shot foul opportunity and the first shots of a couple one-and-ones to fall behind, 14-12. The Rangers also capitalized on the offensive glass, adding a couple of buckets on second-chance opportunities and threatened to pull away. But a soaring dunk by Joey Powers brought the partisan Welch crowd to its feet, and a reverse lay-in on the ensuing possesion evened the score at 20 each. The Cats continued to allow Roland to clean the offensive glass, which allowed the Rangers multiple opportunities for second—and even third— chances, which they often converted. Roland missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the half leading the Cats, 24-22. Powers powered the Cat attack with nine points in the first half.

After a halftime performance from Welch’s Lexi Baker and Riley Chenoweth, which drew enthusiastic applause, the Cats strode onto the court ready to take care of business. A quick bucket by Powers off an assist from Gabe Moore evened the score to start the second half. Both teams traded hard-earned baskets throughout the remainder of the third quarter, and both defenses asserted themselves. Roland scored on a short bucket to end the quarter with a 36-35 lead.

Heading into the final period of play, the Cats continued to get victimized on the offensive glass, giving up easy put-backs while having to work for their baskets on the offensive end. A Roland three-pointer with 3:50 left to play extended their lead to four. But the Cats responded with their own glass cleaner, as Powers secured an offensive rebound, scored, and was fouled on the play. After the made free shot, Roland led by one, 43-42. Welch’s Jacob Mount was fouled while shooting and sank both free throws to put the Cats ahead by one, 44-43 with under two minutes left in play. On a miss by Roland with 32 seconds remaining, the Cats finally got an over-the-back call, which sent Grant Bullard to the line for a one-and-one. The normally reliable Bullard missed the first gimme, giving the Rangers the ball with under 30 seconds left. After a strong defensive effort, the Cats forced a turnover with just under four seconds left in the game, holding onto a 44-43 lead. Mount was fouled almost immediately and made one of two free throws to extend the the Wildcat lead to 45-43 with 1.6 seconds left in the game. After a desperation heave from the backcourt fell harmlessly short, the Welch fans and players erupted in joyous celebration, feeling very much that they had slain a giant. Final score: 45-43, Welch. Powers paced the Cats with 18, Mount added 13, Austin Buchanan scored six, Gabe Moore and Chance Harris had three apiece, and Grant Bullard contributed two.

The Cats play again Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the NEO College Gym against Lincoln Christian.

To see photos of the Welch teams in action at the NEO Tourney, check out our Flickr photo set here.

Click here for more information about the 65th Annual NEO High School Basketball Tournament.

Patrick Hankins contributed this report. You, too, can be a WelchOK.com contributor. Email your news, info, and pics to info <at> WelchOK <dot> com.

AFTON, Okla.–Your Welch teams traveled to Afton Friday night for a rematch of the Lucky Seven Conference’s only 1A teams. After great efforts by both teams, the Lady Cats couldn’t quite best the Lady Eagles, but the Welch Wildcats handily dismissed the Afton Eagles.

Welch Lady Cats v. Afton Lady Eagles

The last time these two teams met, the game went down to the buzzer, with Afton spoiling the Lady Cats’ home opener when the Lady Cats missed a last-second shot to fall in defeat. This time, the Lady Cats hoped to spoil the Eagles’ homecoming by saddling them with a loss on their home floor.

The first half wasn’t a pretty one for the Lady Cats, as they fell behind early and couldn’t buy a bucket on the offensive end. On the other end of the floor, they seemed out of sync, as well, and gave up easy points to the Lady Eagles and found themselves down 11 at the half, trailing 35-24.

Coming out for the second half, the Lady Cats couldn’t seem to get a defensive stop, as they traded baskets with the Eagles. The Lady Cats battled back to cut their deficit to nine with a three-pointer by Kristyn Marlow with 4:23 left in the game, but the home team Lady Eagles proved too tough down the stretch and pulled away when two Lady Cats fouled out.

At the end of the fourth quarter, the final score was 66-49, giving the Lady Eagles a homecoming win. Sierra Hankins led the Lady Cats with 23 points, Erin Snedden added 11, and Tylor Dodson and Krystin Marlow contributed seven each.

Welch Wildcats v. Afton Eagles

Your Wildcats held Afton scoreless the first four minutes of Friday’s game. The Eaglesthen scored two, and they were only able to double that production the rest of the quarter. Putting intense pressure on the Eagles, the Cats feasted off the turnovers they created on the defensive end.

The three ball was hot in the first quarter, as Brenton Hale knocked down a pair of threes and Gabe Moore bucketed a trey, as well.

Joey Powers started the second quarter with a offensive rebound and put-back to extend the Cat lead to 17-4. Back-to-back old-fashioned three-point plays by Powers and Austin Buchanan midway through the second quarter extended the Cats’ lead. A breakaway Powers’ dunk with less than a minute left in the half lifted the visiting crowd to its feet and catapulted the Cats to a 31-14 halftime lead.

The second half started the same as the first, with the Cats holding the Eagles to just one goal the first four-and-a-half minutes. The end of the third quarter found the Cats sitting out most of their starters and leading 45-22.

The Wildcats apparently caught a little of what was ailing the Eagles, and the Cats went over three minutes into the fourth quarter without a field goal. Then a pair of free throws thawed their cold shooting. The reserves maintained Wildcat dominance, and played until the final buzzer, when the scoreboard showed the Wildcats had topped the Eagles, 53-30.

Joey Powers led the way with 23 points, Brenton Hale poured in nine, Gabe Moore had six, Austin Buchanan added five, Chance Harris and Dakota Chenoweth each had three, and Jordan Dry and Billy McClintick had two each.

Your Welch Lady Cats and Wildcats host the Commerce Tigers, in what is sure to be a very physical set of rematches, Saturday, when homecoming festivities commence at the Welch Wildcat Gym.

Patrick Hankins contributed this report. You, too, can be a WelchOK.com contributor. Email your news, info, and pictures to info :at: WelchOK :dot: com.

COMMERCE, Okla.—It was another battle of the big cats tonight as Welch traveled to Commerce to tangle with the Tigers. The end of the evening saw the Lady Cats just barely unable to overcome Commerce, losing the game 40-35. The Wildcats successfully de-clawed the Tigers, 61-39.

Welch Lady Cats v. Commerce Lady Tigers

Commerce jumped out to an early 16-9 lead by the end of first quarter. Sierra Hankins bucketed six, and Kristyn Marlow nailed a three-pointer to set the pace for Welch’s offensive attack. Two Commerce three-pointers and stringent defense proved to be the real difference in the first quarter for the home-court Tigers.

The second quarter wasn’t much better for the Lady Cats, as the Commerce defense successfully clamped down on the Lady Cats’ offense. A driving layup by Tylor Dodson and a three-pointer by Erin Snedden was all the offense the LadyCats could muster in the second quarter, and they fell behind, 24-14.

After halftime, the Lady Cats emerged from the visitors’ locker room fired up for the third quarter and were a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor. Playing ferocious defense, the Lady Cats held the Tigers to only four points the entire third quarter, while scoring 11 of their own to end the third quarter trailing by three points, 28-25.

As the fourth quarter began, the Lady Cats could not get a call from the referees, while Commerce was seemingly fouled on every other play. In the second half of the game, the Lady Cats were called for 12 fouls, while the home-court Tigers were called for a mere two. Commerce sank their free throws and persevered, ending with a 40-35 conference win.

Sierra Hankins led the Lady Cats with 17, Erin Snedden and Krystin Marlow had seven each, and Tylor Dodson and Kelsie Smith added two each.

Welch Wildcats v. Commerce Tigers

The Welch Wildcats pounced on the Tigers and sprinted to a 7-0 lead before a Commerce timeout stemmed the tide of Wildcat baskets. Commerce made a game of it the second quarter, sinking their shots and cutting the Wildcat lead down to 7 before a bucket by Joey Powers pushed the Cats ahead, 22-13, with just under four minutes left in the half. Powers scored again on a slash to the rim, and Austin Buchanan was fouled on a break-away and made both free throws to push the Wildcat lead to 13 with under two minutes remaining in the first half. A floating layup by Jordan Dry increased the lead to 15, and a no-call on a near steal caused an upset Tiger coach to receive a technical foul. Grant Bullard made both free throws, and the Wildcats closed out the half with a 10-2 run, increasing their lead and closing the half 32-15. Powers set the pace in the first half with 20 points for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats extended their first-half lead with treys from Buchanon and Brenton Hale, plus a number of other baskets, as all the Cats got into the offensive act. The third quarter got intense, and tempers flared as a Tiger player flagrantly fouled Powers and was subsequently hit with consecutive technical fouls and tossed from the game. Bullard made three of the four freebie tosses to extend the Wildcat lead and end the third quarter 50-26.

Composures were regained, though, in the fourth quarter, and the Cats pushed their lead to 20 with 4:30 left in the game. Still playing tough half-court defense, the Cats continued to pressure the home team, even after the reserves relieved the regulars. In the end, the Cats had too much firepower and dominated Commerce to secure a Lucky Seven Conference win, 61-39.

Joey Powers led the Cats, scoring 27, Grant Bullard added nine, Brenton Hale and Austin Buchanan contributed seven each, Jordan Dry made three, and Billy McClintick, Gabe Moore, Chance Harris, and Dakota Chenowith each chipped in two.

The Lady Cats and Wildcats travel to Afton Friday for another Lucky Seven Conference game.

Patrick Hankins contributed to this report. You, too, can be a WelchOK.com contributor. Send your news, info, and pictures to info <at> WelchOK <dot> com today!

WELCH—The Quapaw Wildcats braved the then-uncleared roads to face the Welch Wildcats last Friday night at the Welch Wildcat Gym here in Welch. Seemingly thankful for a break in the boredom due to the week-long severe cold and weather, a good crowd showed up for the games.

Welch Lady Cats v. Quapaw

It had been three weeks since the Lady Cats were in action before Friday’s tip-off against the visiting Quapaw girls. The game, originally scheduled as Welch’s homecoming, should have seen the Lady Cats in formals and heels, but because of the frigid weather having put a damper on school activities, homecoming has been rescheduled, so it was back to shorts and high-tops instead.

In the Wildcat-Wildcat battle on a brisk Friday night, both teams seemed to start off cold and and somewhat rusty from their holiday break. The Welch Lady Cats played well in the first half, forcing the visitors to a poor shooting performance with their pressure defense, and went into the half with a 12-9 lead. Sierra Hankins led the Welch attack with 10 first-half points, as the Lady Cats dominated the glass and the inside game.

The visitors returned from halftime determined to to claw their way back into the game, and six straight points erased their deficit and gave them a 15-12 lead in the first couple minutes of the third quarter. The Welch Lady Cats got cold from the field during the third quarter, as they only scored three points to fall back behind the visitors heading into the fourth quarter. The Welch Lady Cats fought back, and with contributions from their back court of Krystin Marlow, Megan Carpenter, and Tylor Dodson, they cut Quapaw’s lead to four points with under four minutes to play. The visitors, however, connected on their free throws down the stretch, pulled away, and escaped with a 35-26 Lucky Seven conference win.

Scorers included Sierra Hankins with 17, Megan Carpenter with 4, Erin Snedden with 2, and Tylor Dodson, Kristin Marlow, and Kelsie Smith, each with 1.

The loss puts the Lady Cats’ record at 4-7 for the season as they head into Lucky Seven Conference play in the upcoming weeks.

Welch Wildcats v. Quapaw

Following a long holiday break, the Welch Wildcats, currently ranked 13th in the state in Class A with a 10-1 record, were back in action on the Ken Sooter court inside the Wildcat Gym facing the visiting Quapaw Wildcats last Friday night. With homecoming moved to the 16th because of the weather, the Wildcats were free to focus on the competition instead of the glitz and formalities of homecoming.

The cold temperatures outside the gym couldn’t rival the cold shooting both teams exhibited in the first quarter, as everyone struggled to find the mark. At the end of the first quarter, Welch led Quapaw, 6-3.

The second quarter didn’t warm up much, as both teams continued to struggle at finding the range from the outside. With Welch playing shorthanded because of injuries and illness—Jacob Mount’s imposing presence was especially apparent—they seemed out of sync at times and found themselves in the unfamiliar position of being tied at halftime, 16 all.

The third quarter was more of the same, as the teams traded baskets with neither team imposing its will on the other. Midway through the fourth quarter, on a pair of free throws by Jordan Dry, Welch extended their lead to double digits for the first time with just over four minutes remaining in the contest. Welch played keep-away from the visitors, limiting their shot attempts the remainder of the fourth quarter to finish the game with a 39-25 win.

Scorers included Joey Powers with 15, Jordan Dry with 7, Grant Bullard with 5, Asa Chenoweth with 5, Gabe Moore with 4, Brenton Hale with 2, and Chance Harris with 1.

Welch’s homecoming has been rescheduled for Sat., Jan. 16, against the visiting Commerce Tigers. The Lady Cats will be back in action tonight at Commerce.

See more basketball photos in our Flickr stream.

Patrick Hankins contributed to this report. You, too, can be a WelchOK.com contributor! Email your news and photos to info[at]WelchOK[dot]com.