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Grayson McClure knocks down one of his four 3-pointers in Monday’s Bi-District round win over Lufkin. Staff photo by Tyler Lennon
TYLER — The Sulphur Springs Wildcats traveled to Tyler Junior College Monday for the Bi-District matchup against Lufkin.
The Wildcats won the tip, and Sadaidriene Hall got them on the board first with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. With the score tied at 5-5, Hall knocked down another 3-pointer to spark a 12-7 run for the remainder of the quarter. Sulphur Springs led 17-12 at the end of the frame.
Lufkin opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer to make it a 2-point game, but a pair of baskets from Hall and a layup from Boo Wilkerson forced Lufkin to use a timeout with Sulphur Springs leading 23-15. Lufkin made a 3-pointer out of the timeout to make the score 23-18, and the Wildcats answered back with a 10-3 run to end the half, entering the locker room, leading 33-21.
The second half opened with both teams trading baskets before Grayson McClure sparked a big run with his first 3-pointer of the night. Hall followed the McClure 3-pointer with a pair of put-back dunks, and Lufkin was forced to use a timeout, trailing 45-27.
Lufkin still didn’t have an answer for the Wildcats after the timeout, and Cameron Kahn was able to give Sulphur Springs their first 20-point lead of the night with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter. McClure knocked down three more 3-pointers in the frame, the last of which came in the final seconds. Sulphur Springs ended the quarter, leading 59-35.
The fourth quarter saw Hall throwing down a big dunk on the opening possession, and the Wildcats cruised through the rest of quarter. Sulphur Springs extended their lead to 78-48 before pulling their starters for the final two minutes of the game.
Lufkin finished the game with a 7-0 run, and the Wildcats won the game, 78-55.
Hall was the leading scorer for the Wildcats, finishing with 34 points, 19 of which came in the second half. McClure and Kahn also finished in double-digits, scoring 12 points and 11 points, respectively. Twenty-one of their 23 points also came in the second half. Other scorers for the Wildcats were Lamodrick Johnson, who finished with 8 points; Wilkerson, 7; Justin Haire, 5; and Justin Brock had 2 points.
The Wildcats will face Red Oak in the Area round of the playoffs on Friday, Feb. 28. The game will be at Forney High School and will start at 7:30 p.m.