By Les Dixon / Sports Editor
Boy, what a difference a couple of days make.
The Lynn Camp Wildcats quickly erased the memory of their season-opening three point loss to Berea by disposing of 13th Region foe Middlesboro at home, 70-60.
The meeting could be a preview of things to come — both teams are considered as being some of the top teams in the 13th Region All ‘A’ Classic Tournament.
The game was close throughout the first half, but Lynn Camp (1-1) caught fire in the second half and led by as much as 18 points before putting the game away.
“This was a good win for us,” Lynn Camp coach Anthony Pennington said. “It’s still early in the season, but we wanted to show our fans tonight that we are very capable of being a good team and like I said, I think we showed that tonight.
“We still have a lot of room for improvement, but I’m proud of how our guys responded after our loss to Berea,” he added. “It was important to come out and play well. We ironed some things out and did a very good job out there.”
After turning the ball over 26 times against Berea, Lynn Camp only had 16 miscues against the Yellow Jackets. The Wildcats connected on 27-of-72 shot attempts from the floor, but shot well during the fourth quarter (six-of-13). They also took care of the ball during the final eight minutes with only four turnovers — a far cry from the 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter they had against Berea.
“I thought we did a better job controlling the ball tonight,” Pennington said. “We’re still not as good as I think we can be, but we’re going to get there.”
The game was tied at 18 apiece after the first quarter, and Lynn Camp managed to take a 37-35 lead into the locker room at halftime before taking control of the game in the second half.
The Yellow Jackets began to wilt under Lynn Camp’s defensive pressure in the third quarter, which allowed the Wildcats to take a 48-42 edge into the fourth quarter. Lynn Camp limited Middlesboro to a dismal 3-of-20 effort from the floor during the period, and the Yellow Jackets also had eight turnovers.
“I really believe our defense has improved a lot,” Pennington said. “That’s why I believe we’re going to be a very good team. These guys are really working hard on defense.”
The Wildcats put the game away early in the fourth quarter by going on a 14-2 run, which was ignited by the play of Josh Silas, Brad Bargo and Tyler Wagner.
Bargo finished the game with a double-double (23 points, 14 rebounds), while Silas (19 points) and Wagner (15 points) also scored in double figures.
“I really want to brag on those guys,” Pennington said. “They really played hard out there. I also want to brag on Brian Smith for his defensive effort against Blaine Green and Tyler Falconberry, who I believe is the best sixth man in the region.”
The Wildcats will be back in action Tuesday on the road against Williamsburg.
Lynn Camp 70, Middlesboro 60
Middlesboro 18 17 7 18 60
Lynn Camp 18 19 11 22 70
Middlesboro (60) - Green 23, Cowan 10, Lewis 5, A. Lewis 8, Knuckles 2, Poindexter 4, Rorcher 2, Riddle 4.
Lynn Camp (70) - Bargo 23, Wagner 15, Silas 19, Falconberry 9, Mobley 4.
