February 29 was a rollercoaster of emotions for Madill Basketball. The Lady Wildcats stunned 20th ranked Muldrow to advance in the playoffs, but the boys’ team was eliminated by Perkins-Tryon to end their impressive season.
The boys earned their matchupwithPerkins-Tryon by defeating both Dickson and Checotah, then losing to Inola to slot themselves against the Demons. The Wildcats only managed 16 rebounds on the night and points were tough to come by in the 64-37 loss to Perkins-Tryon. Greg Padgett led the way for the Wildcats with 15 points, followed by Ethan Wilkerson’s 11 points and five boards.
TheWildcatsseasonended with a 22-5 record overall, 11-1 in Lake Country play. A disappointing end to a very successful campaign leaves the senior-laden Wildcats looking to next season now, hoping to reload in 2024. This is one of the best seasons in Madill Boys Basketball history, as they had made the state tourney three times prior to this run; a Class B state title in 1960, state runners-up in 1996, and finally a quarterfinal loss to Oklahoma City Douglass in 2009.
Up next for the Wildcats is the signing ceremony for senior Wilkerson, who capped off a memorable season with an impressive 2,286 points. Wilkerson will be signing with Southeastern Oklahoma University at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12 in the Madill Event Center.
As for the girls’ squad, they surprised#20Muldrow42-34 to earn another game in the playoffs. However, #6 Inola had their number and ended the Lady Wildcats’ season 62-44intheAreaConsolation Semifinal.TheLadyWildcats finished the year with a 1613 record overall, and 7-7 in Lake Country play. Madill looks to build on a solid season and a nice run in the playoffs heading into next season.