While it wasn’t the most ideal start to the season, the youthful Madill Wildcats showed signs of progress at times last week despite dropping four contests to start the season.
In two of the games the Wildcats held second half leads but watched them slip away for close losses to Durant (58-50) and Sulphur (56-53)intheirAnnualMadill Winter Classic.
After a road game early this week at Lone Grove, Coach William Bencoma’s club returns home for a showdown with Marshall County rival Kingston on Tuesday evening.
In a season-opening loss to Whitesboro, Texas, Madill fell behind 18-10 early on against the Bearcats, who already had several games under their belt.
It was a 40-26 edge at halftime before the Wildcats found some rhythm by outscoring the visitors 17-9 in the third but couldn’t get any closer down the stretch.
RyanAndersonhadasolid outing with 23 points, but was the only Madill scorer to reach double figures. Jagger Rogers tallied nine with Cash Cooper, Sammy Duran and Gilberto Grimaldo each adding six points.
Madill raced to a 16-5 edge afteroneperiodinthetournament opener against Durant while getting three pointers from Cooper, Duran and Rogers, but watched the Lions answer with a 22-9 flurry in the second stanza for a 27-25 lead at intermission.
Bencoma’s crew went on another run in the third frame, outscoring Durant by a 16-10 margin and carried a four-point cushion to the final quarter before watching that advantage slip away. Rogers had five points in the third and seven in the fourth, but the rest of the squad managed only two other points in the final eight minutes. He finished with a game-high 21 points as Anderson tallied 12 with Grimaldo chipping in seven along with five from Cooper and three by Duran.
Madill rode the red-hot shooting of Rogers in its tournament finale as he scorched the nets for eight treys, but theWildcatscouldn’tgetback in the game after falling behind by 10 in the first stanza of a 64-49 loss to Purcell.
It was 22-12 after one period with the Dragons gradually adding to the margin at 34-23 at halftime and 48-34 through three quarters.
Rogers poured in a teamhigh 29 points once again with Duran contributing double figures at 12 points. Anderson scored six and Grimaldo checked in with two.