Wayne County Outlook

W.C. Cardinals win at McCreary Central 59-45
SHANNON HUTCHINSON
Sports Writer

The Wayne County Cardinals faced McCreary Central, last Tuesday night at

Raider Gym, in a match up of 47th District rivals.

The Cards entered looking to snap a four-game losing skid and owned a

4-11 record. The homestanding Raiders entered with a 0-14 mark and were

looking to avenge an overtime loss to the Cards, in early December.

The contest marked the 73rd meeting between the two schools, with the

Cards winning 31 of the last 33 games in the series, including a 67-59

overtime decision earlier in the season, at Cardinal Gym.

Steven Sexton scored 15 of his game high 24 points in the opening

quarter, as Wayne County opened with an 18-5 run and never trailed, en route

to a 59-45 win.

Sexton, a 6-1 senior guard, finished 7 of 17 from the field and 7 of 11

from the free throw line, to pace the winners in double figures. The

All-State candidate added 8 rebounds with 4 assists and 4 steals, as the

Cards won their 11th straight game over the Raiders.

Senior center Drew Guffey contributed a big effort in the road win.

Guffey just missed-out on a triple-double with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 9

blocked shots. Dustin Wells chipped-in with 10 points and 4 boards, as seven

different Cards scored in the win.

�I thought this was the most intense we�ve been for 32 minutes all

season. We didn�t play great the whole game, but our intensity level was

there all night. We�ve talked a lot about getting better as a basketball

team and I think the last few games we�ve made some progress,� said Cards

head coach Rodney Woods.

Wesley Dick netted 16 points and Jacob Gregory tallied 4 points with 7

rebounds, to help pace the attack.

Wayne County shot just 36 percent from the field, but committed a

season-low 5 turnovers, which included none in the first half.

�The two things we�ve worked on the most are rebounding and taking care

of the basketball. We lost the battle on the boards, but for us to have no

turnovers in the first half was huge,� said Woods.

McCreary Central, which dropped to 0-15 on the season, shot just 30

percent from the field and was led by the 12 points of junior reserve

forward Devin Gibson. Gibson added 8 boards, while the trio of Josh Bartley,

Luke Watson and Lucas Gregory all tallied 8 points each. Watson grabbed a

game high 16 boards, as the Raiders owned a 44-36 rebound advantage.

Steven Sexton opened 5 of 6 from the field, with 3 3-pointers, as Wayne

County raced to an 18-5 lead. The Cards limited the hosts to just 2 of 11

shooting in the first period, as the Raiders were plagued by 6 turnovers.

Central heated-up to shoot 50 percent from the floor in the second

stanza and used a 11-9 second quarter edge, to close the halftime score to

27-16. The Cards shot just 3 of 15 from the field in the second stanza and

made 35 percent of their first half field goal attempts.

Josh Phillips made 6 of 6 free throws in the third quarter and the

Raiders used a 17-14 tilt, to close the gap to 41-33 after 24 minutes.

Five different Cards scored in the period, as the squad converted on 5

of 14 field goal attempts. Steven Sexton tallied 5 points in the final

quarter and Wayne County made 7 of 11 free throws down the stretch to claim

the 59-45 win.

Central was limited to only 3 field goals in the final frame and ended

the game just 3 of 13 from the field. The Raiders shot 14 of 47 overall from

the field for 30 percent and tallied on 2 of 14 3-pointers for 14 percent.

The hosts made 15 of 22 free throws for 68 percent and totaled 3 assists

against 15 turnovers.

�The last couple of games we�ve played better offensively and I felt our

defensive effort was the best we�ve had all season,� said Woods.

Wayne County finished 19 of 53 overall from the field for 36 percent and

connected on 5 of 22 3-pointers for 23 percent. The squad made 16 of 27 free

throws for 59 percent and totaled 7 assists against only 5 turnovers. The

win improved Wayne County to 5-11 on the season and 53-20 all-time against

McCreary Central.

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