Sports Editor

hazardherald0@alltel.net

The Buckhorn Wildcats spent much of their holiday break in Florida, where they participated in the South Walton Shootout. The Wildcats performed well while in Florida, taking three of four games, and bringing home the third place trophy.

In the first game, Buckhorn took on South Walton. The Wildcats nearly had all the points they would need to secure the victory in the first quarter, and easily cruised to a 30-point win (62-32).

By the end of the first quarter, Buckhorn had built an eight point advantage (24-16). In the second quarter, the Wildcats tightened the lid on South Walton's basket, holding them to a single field goal, sending them to the locker room with a 44-18 lead.

The Wildcats loosened their grip in the second half, giving everyone an opportunity to play. They managed to keep the game under control, and went on to a 62-32 win.

Zach Gay led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points.

Buckhorn (62) Andy Blank 9, Zach Gay 14 (8 rebounds), Brandon Miller 12, Josh Riley 10, Kyle Mullins 5, Kevin Davidson 4 (5 assists), Justin Rice 2 (8 rebounds), Jeremy Abner 2 and Billy Deaton 2.

In the second game, Buckhorn took on the host Freeport team. The Wildcats fell behind early in the contest, but rallied late in the second to take a 36-31 lead into the locker room.

Freeport managed to wrestle away the lead from the Wildcats in the third quarter, putting them down by two (50-48) going into the final frame. Buckhorn was able to upset their host, by outscoring them 20-9 in the final period, giving them the 68-59 win.

Kevin Davidson led Buckhorn in scoring with 16 points.

Buckhorn (68) Kevin Davidson 16 (9/11 free throws), Zach Gay 14 (9 rebounds), Justin Rice 11 (12 rebounds), Brandon Miller 9, Andy Blank 7, Josh Riley 5, Jeremy Abner 4, Kyle Miller 1 and Jeremy Davis 1.

In their third game, Buckhorn took on Mandeville, Louisiana. The Wildcats fell behind early, and were never able to get back in the game.

The Wildcats found themselves down by seven (15-8) in the first quarter, and by the half, the deficit was 20 (44-24). Buckhorn fought hard to get back into the game in the second half, but was never able to break Mandeville's hold on the game. The Wildcats went down to their first defeat of the tournament by the final tally of 74-59.

Josh Riley led the Wildcats in scoring on this night with 19 points.

Buckhorn (59) Josh Riley 19 (5 rebounds), Zach Gay 12 (7 rebounds), Brandon Miller 9 (5 rebounds), Andy Blank 7, Kevin Davidson 5 (7 assists), Jeremy Abner 4 and Justin Rice 3 (6 rebounds).

Despite their loss in the third game, Buckhorn was still alive in the tournament, and was set to play McClay, Florida in the third place consolation game.

The Wildcats fell behind (18-14) in the first quarter, but managed to pull ahead at the half (37-34). The game remained tight throughout the second half, with Buckhorn being able to go on a run late to pull out the 70-61 win.

Andy Blank led the Wildcats to victory by hitting seven 𔄛”s, and scoring 23 points on the night.

Buckhorn (70) Andy Blank 23, Justin Rice 19 (16 rebounds), Brandon Miller 10, Kevin Davidson 8 (6 assists), Josh Riley 5 (5 rebounds), and Zach Gay 5.