For more photos from this event by Kevin Nagle, go here
Austin Ledbetter gets to the rim between a pair of Conway Blue defenders. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
With just over two minutes left in the first quarter, a basket by Jayvon Ivory had pulled the Conway Blue Wampus Cats eighth grade team to within a basket of the Bryant White Hornets eighth grade team of Bryant Middle School.
The Hornets’ Camron Hunter hit a free throw to make it 9-6 then, moments later, his teammate Gavin Brunson collected an offensive rebound and was fouled. He converted twice to make it 11-6
Conway Blue’s Easton McFadin interrupted with a pair of free throws but Brunson scored in response and was fouled with :41 left in the opening stanza. His free throw wouldn’t fall but Hunter tracked down the carom and fed Brunson for another bucket that made it 15-8.
Off a Conway turnover, Austin Ledbetter hit a layup and the Hornets were up 17-8 going into the second quarter. And when they scored the first 4 points of the second period, it became a 13-2 surge that had the Hornets ahead 21-8.
Gavin Brunson tries to get around a Conway Blue defender for a shot. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Though the Wampus Cats whittled the margin to 10 on a couple of occasions, that would prove to be as close as they’d get as the Hornets rolled to a 50-34 victory at the Bryant Middle School gym.
The win improved Bryant White to 14-3 on the season going into a visit to Bryant Blue at Bethel Middle School on Monday.
To start the second quarter scoring, Brunson made a steal and Hunter took a feed from Aiden Adams for a layup. Ledbetter followed up with a basket to cap the run.
Preston Eudy ended Conway Blue’s drought but Hunter answered.
The Cats were within 10 at 25-15 going into the final minute of the half. But Ledbetter nailed a 3, Hunter made a steal and Brunson went to the line. Though he missed twice, he scrambled after the rebound and scored. A theft and layup by Hunter in the final seconds gave the Hornets a 32-15 lead at the half.
Hunter wound up with 18 points in the game. Ledbetter added 15 and Brunson 10. No one had more than McFadin’s 8 for Conway Blue.
Through three quarters, the Hornets were 19 of 36 (53 percent) from the field. They forced the Wampus Cats into 23 turnovers and out-rebounded them 31-24. The Hornets’ boards included 19 on the offensive end.
Aiden Adams follows through on an outside jumper. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Conway Blue cut the lead to 13 early in the third quarter but Connor Coleman finally got the Hornets’ first field goal of the second half with 3:37 left in the third quarter. McFadin and Hunter traded baskets then Conway Blue’s Levern Floyd scored to make it 38-25.
Hunter, however, busted a 3 at that point and started a push that built the lead to more than 20. Ledbetter knocked down a triple as well then Myles Aldridge made a steal and layup.
Jerry Coleman scored in the finals seconds of the quarter to make it 46-27 going into the final stanza.
Coleman hit a layup to start the fourth quarter, which proved to be the only field goal of the period for the Hornets as head coach John Harrison started working in his reserves.
The largest lead was 50-27.
HORNETS 50, WAMPUS CATS 34
Score by quarters
Conway Blue 8 7 12 7 — 34
BRYANT WHITE 17 15 14 4 — 50
WAMPUS CATS 34
Nooner 3-7 0-1 7, Dawes 0-0 0-0 0, McFadin 2-3 4-4 8, J.Coleman 1-2 0-0 2, Floyd 2-6 0-0 4, Ivory 1-2 0-0 2, Babb 0-0 0-0 0, Garlington 0-2 0-0 0, Kaiser 2-4 0-0 4, Turnbow 0-0 0-0 0, Hicks 0-0 0-0 0, Eudy 2-3 0-0 4, Easly 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 14-31 4-5 34.
HORNETS 50
Hunter 8-13 1-3 18, Ledbetter 6-12 1-2 15, Aldridge 1-6 1-6 3, Adams 0-4 2-2 2, Brunson 4-4 2-5 10, Miller 0-2 0-0 0, C.Coleman 1-1 0-0 2, Goins 0-2 0-0 0, Trezvant 0-1 0-0 0, Carey 0-0 0-0 0, Spangler 0-1 0-0 0, Parker 0-0 0-0 0, Turner 0-0 0-0 0, Phillips 0-2 0-1 0, Allison 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-49 7-19 50.
Three-point field goals: Bryant White 3-16 (Ledbetter 2-5, Hunter 1-3, Adams 0-3, Goins 0-2, Miller 0-1, Trezvant 0-1), Conway Blue 2-9 (Nooner 1-4, Easly 1-2, Garlington 0-2, J.Coleman 0-1). Turnovers: Bryant White 13, Conway Blue 23. Rebounds: Bryant White 19-12 31 (Hunter 5-1 6, Brunson 4-2 6, Ledbetter 2-2 4, Aldridge 2-1 3, Adams 1-2 3, Spangler 1-2 3, Goins 1-0 1, Trezvant 1-0 1, team 2-2 4), Conway Blue 6-18 24 (McFadin 0-4 4, Kaiser 1-3 4, Eudy 3-1 4, Dawes 0-2 2, Ivory 0-2 2, Turnbow 1-1 2, Nooner 0-1 1, Hicks 0-1 1, Easly 1-0 1, team 0-1 1). Team fouls: Bryant White 7, Conway Blue 15.
