Melodie Phelps, News Editor
Monticello — The Wayne County Cardinals met Greenwood in the championship of the Monticello Bank Holiday Classic on Wednesday, December 30. The Cardinals defeated York Institute in the semifinal round to make it to the title game, while Greenwood defeated Clinton, Tenn. in the semifinal round.
The Cardinals trailed at the half, but finished strong in this one to take a 60-48 win and the title to the tournament.
"This was one of our best wins in a long time," said Wayne County coach Rodney Woods. "The team really battled to win this tournament."
The game was tied at 9 at the first stop. Greenwood had taken a 2-point edge, 25-23, at the half. The score was tied up at 38 at the end of the third quarter, but Wayne County scored 22 points in the final 8 minutes to take the win.
The Cards were led by junior forward Gavin Dunagan who finished with 25 points. Dunagan was 7 of 11 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line in the win. He also led the Cards in rebounding with 11.
Junior forward Austin Shearer finished with 15 points and went over the 1,000 point mark in his career. Shearer grabbed 10 rebounds, which put him over 500 in career rebounds.
He also led Wayne County in assists with 4 and in steals with 2.
Wayne County hit 20 of 39 from the field for 51 percent. The Cards were
3 of 10 from the 3-point line for 30 percent and 17 of 23 from the charity stripe for 73 percent.
The Gators were led by Dee Anderson with a game-high 33 points. Austin Disney scored 10 points.
Greenwood hit 18 of 51 from the field for 35 percent. They were 6 of 22 from beyond the arc for 27 percent and 6 of 11 from the free throw line for
54 percent.
Wayne County outrebounded Greenwood 32-25. The Cards had 12 turnovers while Greenwood committed only 9.
The Cards improved to 11-4 on the season, after putting together an impressive streak of wins in tournament action.
"The Monticello Banking Company deserves a lot of credit for putting together one of the outstanding tournaments n Kentucky," said Woods. "It is a tremendous boost for our community."
Next up for Wayne County was a district matchup against McCreary Central on Tuesday, January 5. See next week's edition for details.