Monticello — Wayne County opened the new season at Rockcastle County on Tuesday,

December 1. The game marked the 11th meeting between the two schools with

Wayne County leading the series 9-2.

The last time these two teams squared off was in the 12th Region

Tournament in March, when Wayne County advanced with a 73-55 win.

On Tuesday night, Wayne County held off a scrappy Rocket team to take a

61-51 win.

"We played hard," said Wayne County coach Rodney Woods. "It is always

tough on the road, especially in the opening game of the season."

The Cards led 18-17 at the end of the first quarter. The Rockets scored

9 points in the second stanza to take a 26-24 lead at the half.

Wayne County reclaimed the lead in the third quarter and was up 44-41

going into the final eight minutes.

The Cardinals were led by juniors Gavin Dunagan, with 18 points and

Austin Shearer, with 16 points. Freshman Dagan Shelton scored 14 points.

Wayne County shot 35 percent from the field, hitting 20 of 56. They were

3 of 17 from the 3-point line for 17 percent. From the free throw line, the

Cards hit 18 of 24 for 75 percent.

Rockcastle County was led by Derrick Thacker with 14 points. Matt

Bullens scored 10 points.

The Rockets hit 39 percent from the field. They were 2 of 14 from beyond

the arc for 14 percent. They hit 3 of 8 from the free throw line for only 37

percent.

Wayne County had the rebounding edge in this game, 38-36. Dunagan led

Wayne County on the boards with 13. Dunagan also had 2 blocked shots

Ryan Hopper, who finished with 2 points, led the Cards in steals with 4.

Kyle Hopper, who scored 4 points, led Wayne County in assists with 3.

Next up for Wayne County was a home opener on Friday night against

Mercer County. See a story in this week's edition for details.