After opening the season with a dominant road win, the Madill Lady Wildcats finished off a highly successful first week by claiming the consolation championship in the Madill Winter Classic.
Madill’s only loss of the week was a narrow 28-25 decision to Class 5A power Durant as a last second tying three pointer was just off the mark.
The Lady Wildcats began the Carlos Humphrey era with a 43-17 rout of Whitesboro, Texasandthenbounced back from the Durant defeat by throttling Dickson, 45-22, as well as a big second half to topple Era, Texas by a 43-39 count.
Madill continues an early homestand on Tuesday, December 16 facing Marshall County rival Kingston.
In the season opener, Humphrey’s unit got off to a fast start with a 13-4 edge through one stanza and extended things even more in the second as Lamiyah Brown exploded for 11 points in a 14-6 Lady Wildcat flurry. It was a 35-12 cushion through three periods.
Brown tallied a gamehigh 19 points to lead the charge, which included 10 points from Allyson Coles inside.ChloeMillertackedon seven, Arlette Andrade had four, Jade Soto and Karma Williams scored two apiece and R.J. Combs chipped in one point.
It was a low-scoring defensive slugfest throughout the matchup with a veteran Durant squad that returned mostly intact from last year’s state tournament run. Following a 3-3 first quarter standoff, Durant squeezed out a 10-8 halftime edge before the Lady Wildcats knotted it at 18 through three frames spurred by Brown’s five points.
Andrade pitched in five of Madill’s seven points in the fourth but it was just three points short at the end. She finished with a team-best eight points, Brown scored seven, Williams tallied five, Combs had three and Coles notched two.
Madill found a bit more offensive rhythm the following game and put the clamps on Dickson with Andrade posting all nine Lady Wildcat points in a 9-2 lead through one quarter.
It was a 20-9 cushion at halftime and 31-13 through three quarters.
Four three pointers was a big factor in Andrade’s game-high 18 points. Brown pumped in eight, Combs had five, Coles and Jade Soto contributed four apiece with Williams and Miller each adding two points.
Another big opening surge behind a combined 13 points from Andrade and Brown staked Madill to a 15-7 advantage againstEra,butthey never could completely shake the Texas foes.
Era knotted the game at 22 going to intermission but a decisive 15-10 third quarter surge proved to be the difference.
Andrade once again led the way with 18 points while Brown notched double figures as well to finish with 13. Miller tossed in six, Coles contributedfiveandWilliams had two points.