Wildcats Take Third in Royse City Tourney
Wildcats 3-1 In RC Tourney
The Wildcats’ basketball team took third place in a Royse City tournament with a victory over Royse City, 61-43 Saturday afternoon.
The Wildcats were led in scoring by Victor Iwuakor with 16 points followed by Ke’Ontae Dunn with 15 points and Keaston Willis with 9 points.
The Wildcats got off to a slow start but still managed to lead 11-5 after one quarter. They went up by eleven at the half, 31-20 and increased their lead to 14 after three quarters, 48-34. Earlier Saturday the
Wildcats lost their first game in the Gold Bracket to #13 rated Class 6A team Dallas Skyline, 65-47. The Wildcats qualified for the Gold Bracket with pool wins over Anna, 91-57 Thursday and over Lufkin, 57-39 Friday.
The Wildcats are now 7-1 for the season. The Wildcats return to Wildcats Gym Tuesday night at 7 p.m. as they will play host to North Lamar.
“Updated with Video” Lighted Christmas Parade, Music, Lights Filled Celebration Plaza and Streets
Celebration Plaza was filled with Christmas lights and revelry Friday night both before and after the Lions Club and City of Sulphur Springs Lighted Christmas Parade. Prior to and following the parade, live music from the sound stage, multiple vendors, and a snow slide provided a variety of opportunities. The evening began with a tree lighting ceremony.
The parade, broadcast on KSST and videoed for replay on Suddenlink Cable Channel 18 and ksstradio.com, brought 20-minutes of light and action to the streets from Buford Park to Celebration Plaza to Houston Street.
Lights of all colors festooned vehicles, floats, musical instruments, and those walking in the parade. Businesses, social organizations, schools, and churches were represented. The Lions Club float feature the face of a Lion. The float was drawn by a utility vehicle driven by Garret Glass and his wife, Sulphur Springs Mayor Emily Glass.
Both the Sulphur Springs High School Marching Band and the Como-Pickton War Eagle Marching Band provided music from instruments outlined by lights. For most band members, their hats were also covered with lights. Charles McCauley, SSHS Band Director, road a motorized vehicle that was lighted and also sported reindeer antlers.
According to Lions Club member John Campbell, prizes for parade winners will be awarded at noon Tuesday at Pizza Inn during the club’s weekly meeting.
Wildcats Lose to State Ranked 6-A Skyline
The Wildcats’ basketball team suffered defeat for the first time this season as Dallas Skyline, the #13 ranked team in Class 6A, outscored the Wildcats, 65-47 in a Royse City tournament Saturday morning. Wildcats Coach Clark Cipoletta said his team was competitive all game long and he added he was proud of their effort. The Wildcats are now 6-1 this season.
The Wildcats will play for third place in the tournament against Royse City at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Walk on the Wrong Side Near Park Leads to Arrest
Derrick Glen Berry, 34, of Sulphur Springs was walking on the wrong side of the road near a park in the city. Sulphur Springs Police arrested Berry on Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 less than 1-gram in a Drug Free Zone.
Berry is in Hopkins County Jail being held on a $15,000 bond.
Defective License Plate Result in Arrest
Janice Kelly Barnes, 53, of Dallas had a defective license plate on vehicle and the Cumby Police officer took notice at the 110 Mile Marker on I-30. The traffic stop let to a search of the vehicle that revealed a clear baggie containing a crystal like substance in the pocket of a jacket located on the passenger side of the vehicle.
Barnes is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 less than 1-gram. She is being held on a $10,000 bond.
Lady Cats Defeat Winnsboro; Play for Consolation Championship at Winnsboro Hoopfest
The Lady Cats’ basketball team won a rematch with Winnsboro, 52-37 Friday afternoon at the Winnsboro Hoopfest. The Lady Cats opened the regular season losing to the Lady Raiders in Wildcats Gym, 63-57.
Friday the Lady Cats fell behind early before rallying to lead after the first quarter, 13-11. The Lady Cats stretched the lead to 23-15 at halftime and went up by 11 after three quarters, 36-25. Kaylee Jefferson led the Lady Cats with 16 points. Sadavia Porter added 14 points and Autumn Tanton scored 13 points.
The win boosted the Lady Cats season record to 7-2. The Lady Cats have now won 3 and lost 1 at Hoopfest.
They have a chance to win the consolation championship of the Gold Bracket in a game at noon Saturday in the Winnsboro High School Gym. The Lady Cats will play the winner of a Longview and Emory Rains game.
Chester Makes Cage Fighting Debut Saturday
Ryan Chester of Sulphur Springs makes his debut as a cage fighter in the Xtreme-Knockout Amateur Series Saturday December 3rd at The Gym, 921 W. Mayfield, Arlington. Matches get underway at 7 p.m. It is his first fight and will go against an amateur that is 1-0 in his career. Chester is on the 7th card of the evening.
Chester, 34, said he has always wanted to fight but had never taken the steps to get into shape for competition. He has been training locally for several months and for the last three months focused on the martial arts side of fighting. He stated cage fighting demands abilities in several disciplines including boxing, wrestling, various martial arts, and kick boxing. One can face someone who is good in one specific area so that necessitates diversity in ones skill set.
Chester said he would give the amateur ranks a go for four to five fights and then decide whether or not to turn pro. He expects a large support group make up of family, friends and church friends, as well as those with whom he has trained to be in attendance Saturday night.
Lady Cats Lost to Lindale; Play in Consolation Bracket Saturday
The Lady Cats’ basketball team lost their first game Friday morning at Winnsboro’s Hoopfest after a pair of win’s Thursday. Poor shooting did in the Lady Cats in a 46-31 loss to Lindale in a Gold Bracket game. The Gold Bracket features first and second place pool teams.
The Lady Cats hit only 12 of 42 field goal attempts or 29%. They were only 3 of 15 from three-point range for 20%. As a result, they scored 11 first half points with 7 in the first quarter and 4 in the second quarter. After scoring 13 points in the third quarter, the Lady Cats managed only 7 fourth quarter points. Several Lady Cats are fighting off illness and even Coach Jeff Chapman said he’s feeling a little under par. Kaylee Jefferson scored 16 points for the Lady Cats and also added 5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 5 steals. The team committed 24 turnovers.
Thursday the Lady Cats defeated Longview, 42-38 and Whitehouse, 76-12 to win their pool. Coach Chapman said the Longview win brought back memories when they were in the Lady Cats’ district. He said since they were a Class 6A program now, the win was a big one for the Lady Cats. He said his players accepted the challenge put forth by Longview. However Coach Chapman said he thought the Lady Cats need to work on their press breaking. During the Whitehouse rout Thursday evening, the Lady Cats’ half court trap devastated Whitehouse. The Lady Cats had 18 assists, many after turnovers forced by the press.
The Lady Cats play on the consolation side of the Gold Bracket now. Play in the tournament continues on Saturday.
Wildcats Defeat Lufkin; Continue Tourney Play Saturday Morning
Wildcats Basketball Coach Clark Cipoletta is a big believer in defense. He feels a team can win with strong defense even on occasions when a team has a sub par shooting game. The case in point was the Wildcats’ 57-39 win over Lufkin in a Royse City tournament Friday morning.
The Wildcats struggled some to hit outside shots so they funneled the ball inside to post Victor Iwuakor and played tenacious defense. Coach Cipoletta said he was proud of the way his team played. He said anytime you can hold a good team like Lufkin or anyone else under 40 points a game you are really getting after it on defense. He said defense can lead to steals that can result in easier baskets.
Besides defense, Coach Cipoletta is also urging his team to get the ball inside to tall post Victor Iwuakor, who scored 21 points against Lufkin. Freshman Michael Jefferson chipped in 12 points including 2 three-pointers. Coach Cipoletta said Jefferson has tons of potential. He said Jefferson struggled early to find his role and to adjust to more ball handling responsibility. The 6-foot-5 Jefferson had previously played as a post or shooting guard. Bryson Lynn scored 10 points, including 2 three-pointers. Against Lufkin, the Wildcats led 16-8 after one quarter, 39-20 at the half and 49-31 after three quarters.
The Wildcats, now 6-0 this season, face their sternest test of the season by far Saturday at 8:30 a.m. against ranked Class 6A power Dallas Skyline. They feature a Kansas commit.Coach Cipoletta said he looked forward to playing Skyline and he added he would take the same approach that’s been successful for the Wildcats so far this season.
