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West Jessamine holds off Wayne Co. Cardinals to claim 59-52 win Shannon Hutchinson Sports Writer The Wayne County Cardinals hosted West Jessamine last Saturday night at Cardinal Gym, in a game billed as ³Retro-Night² for both squads. Wayne County entered the contest with a 6-17 record and looking to snap a four-game losing streak. West Jessamine, in their last year in the 11th Region before joining the 12th Region in 2005-2006, entered with an impressive 17-5 mark on the season. The contest marked the second ever meeting between the two schools, with the Colts claiming a 73-56 win earlier this season in the Monticello Bank Holiday Classic, at Cardinal Gym. Senior guard Michael Spann netted a team high 24 points with 3 rebounds, as West Jessamine built a 40-23 lead and withstood a second half Cardinal rally to claim a 59-52 win. Spann finished 8 of 17 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the charity-stripe, while Trevor Gray added 17 points, as two different Colts scored in the double-figures. ³I thought for one of the first times all season when we got down by nearly 20 points, we never quit and played hard for 32 minutes. We battled back to have a chance to win in the end and thatıs all you can ask for. West Jessamine has a very good team and are well coached,² said Cards head coach Rodney Woods. Wayne County, which dropped to 6-18, was led by the game high 36 points of senior guard Steven Sexton. The senior All-State candidate shot just 5 of 14 from the field, but converted on a school record 24 of 26 free throws, plus grabbed a team high 8 rebounds, in 32 minutes of action. ³Stevenıs been struggling some from the field, but he really stepped-up and gave a huge effort. To play the minutes he plays and the way he plays says so much about his dedication and conditioning. To make 24 of 26 free throws says so much,² said Woods. Cody Decker added 6 points and 5 rebounds, while senior center Drew Guffey tallied 4 points with 7 boards in his last game at Cardinal Gym. ³I thought Drew Guffey played like a man possessed in the second half and really attacked the glass on both ends of the floor. Thatıs the type of effort we need out of him every time out,² said Woods. Jacob Gregory contributed 4 points and Dustin Wells chipped-in with 2 points, as only five of eight Cards that played marked the scoring column. Four different Colts scored in the opening period, as the visitors forced 9 Wayne County turnovers and raced to an 18-9 lead. West shot 6 of 16 from the field, while the Cards were paced by the 6 points of Steven Sexton. Michael Spann scored 13 points in the first half and West Jessamine used a 22-14 second stanza run to build a 40-23 halftime advantage. Sexton tallied 10 more points in the quarter and accounted for 16 of Wayne Countyıs 23 points at the intermission. Wayne County committed just 2 turnovers in the second half and used the 10 third period points of Steven Sexton to ignite an 18-9 run. The Cards made 6 of 15 field goal attempts and closed the gap to 49-41 after 24 minutes. ³I thought we came out with a lot more intensity in the second half and only had 4 turnovers the last three quarters,² said Woods. Wayne County had chances late and made 11 of 14 free throws in the fourth period, but West Jessamine converted on 6 of 6 free throws down the stretch, to hold on for a 59-52 win. A review of the stats shows West Jessamine shot 20 of 49 overall for 41 percent and tallied on 3 of 10 3-pointers for 30 percent. The Colts claimed a 30-28 rebound advantage and converted on 16 of 19 free throws for 84 percent. The squad totaled 9 steals with 4 assists against 9 turnovers. Wayne County shot 10 of 33 overall for 30 percent and connected on 3 of 16 3-pointers for 19 percent. The hosts tallied on 29 of 35 free throws for 83 percent and totaled 4 steals with 2 assists against 13 turnovers. The win improved West Jessamine to 18-5 on the season 2-0 all-time against Wayne County. The final home game of the season was a memorable one for Wayne County senior Steven Sexton. Sexton surpassed the 1,800 point mark for his career and now has 1,809, plus connected on the 300th 3-pointer of his illustrious career. The Cards, now 6-18 on the season, wrap-up the regular season at 11th Region power Lexington Catholic on Friday night. The Knights are playing their best basketball of the season, under first year head coach Curtis Turley, and are coming off back to back wins over #1 ranked South Laurel and #2 Scott County over the weekend. ³We certainly have a tremendous challenge at Catholic, but we just have to go back to practice and work toward our goal of winning the 47th District Championship,² said Woods. Add a comment |
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