Bobcats Get a Nail-Biting Win
The Madison Bobcats fought hard against the Borah Lions for their second win of the season on Friday night, finishing with a close score of 53-51. The Lions started off showing no mercy, shutting down Madison to only 12 points in the first quarter. With the Borah defense on fire, the Bobcats struggled to find their rhythm. But after Kyle Jackson blocked a shot, and Mark Williams drained a three, the team got a little more hyped up.
The game was full of ups and downs for the Cats. At the beginning of the second quarter, both Spencer Hathaway and Bohlder Murray had charges called against them, and a turnover by Dawson Wills led to a slam dunk by Lions guard, Isaac Dewberry. But once again, the team went wild after an and-one play by Murray, immediately followed by a 3-pointer. Even with the last minute efforts, Madison went into the locker room at halftime with the score 27-21.
After halftime, Madison Head Coach Travis Schwab came out with a plan. “We needed to box out, execute our offense, and shut down Borah’s key players. And of course, keep fighting and working hard,” he said. Coming into the third quarter, Madison started out with a steal by Hathaway, another blocked shot by Jackson, and an and-one by Jordan Porter. This is when they really started to pick up the pace. After all the fighting and hard work that Schwab wanted, they still ended the third quarter behind by six points.
Throughout the whole game, the Bobcats were never able to take the lead, but that all changed in the fourth quarter. Borah and Madison continued to battle it out, and with a little less than two minutes in the game, Jackson was fouled and made both free throws, putting the Bobcats in the lead. But, Dewberry answers with an easy layup, tying up the game 51-51.
With only a minute left, it’s Madison’s ball. The team passes and dribbles the ball at the top of the key, letting the clock run. With three seconds on the clock, Hathway drives to the basket, makes a power move, and tips Madison to the win against Borah. Madison’s point guard Jaden Schwab said that he was happy that his teammates were able to pull through and get it done.