Bobcats Outlast Tigers
Madison senior center Konnor Jackson shoots during the game at Idaho Falls on Saturday
by: Cameron Thueson
from Sports Journalism
The Madison Bobcats were slowed by their trouble scoring the ball, but ultimately it didn’t prove worrisome, as the ‘Cats topped the Idaho Falls Tigers 44-31 at Idaho Falls High School on Saturday night .
The Tigers started in a 2-3 zone defense to try and slow the Bobcats prolific shooters, Nathan Webb and Mason Downey. Webb and Downey had no problem finding the open areas in the defense, but ultimately struggled to knock down shots when doing so.\
“They left some gaps open in their zone, and we knew when and where to find them,”
said the senior Webb. “We just struggled converting on those shots. We knew we would have to get it done on the other side of the floor.”
Despite the shooting struggles the Bobcats experienced balanced scoring, with seven players scoring at least four points, led by senior forward Jaxon Edelmayer who threw down two powerful dunks, on his way to a game-high 12 points. Madison took control of the game early, jumping out to a 13-3 lead and never looked back. The The Bobcats extended their lead in the second quarter to 13 with a three pointer from Webb.
In spite of their struggles from the floor, the Bobcats played lockdown defense. Madison held Idaho Falls to just 32% shooting.
Branden Edelmayer was tasked with guarding the Tigers leading scorer, senior Sawyer Storms, holding him to only eight points and 1 of 5 from the floor.
Idaho Falls cut the Bobcat lead to seven of on a jump shot from the team’s leading scorer, Austin Staker, with just 5:57 left in the game.
Madison coach Bill Hawkins then called a timeout on the ensuing Bobcat possession. Madison followed the timeout on a 8-2 run, while forcing the Tigers to turn the ball over 5 times during the last 3:30 of the game.
The win improves the Bobcats’ record to 12-1. Madison will return home to take on Hillcrest (11-3) on Wednesday, January 18, and Skyline (4-7) Thursday, January 19 for games that will surely test the Bobcats, and their hopes of hosting the district tournament for the second straight season.
