By: Weston Smith
February 24th – March 1st
The Class 2, District 6 basketball tournament kicked off on Monday, February 24th at Schuyler County High School. The #4 Scotland County Boys were the first game of the evening in a matchup with the #5 Milan Wildcats. Scotland County ran away from Milan for the third time this year, defeating the Wildcats by a final score of Scotland County 69, Milan 30. Four Tigers scored in double figures. Vince Dale led the way with 14 points, Carter Clatt had 13 points, Bode Austin had 12 points, and Marcus Smith added 10 points. Scotland County advanced to take on top-seeded Canton on Wednesday.
The #3 Scotland County Lady Tigers were in action late on Tuesday, taking on the #6 Schuyler County Lady Rams. In similar fashion to their previous contests; the Lady Tigers took control of the game early and never looked back. Scotland County defeated Schuyler County by a final score of 52-38. The Lady Tigers were led by a big night from Junior Charlee Holland who scored 23 points. Kwyn Hamlin scored 12 points. Freshman Ailea Hayes added 9 points off the bench in the first postseason contest of her high school career.
On Wednesday, the #4 Scotland County boys took on the #1 Canton Tigers in the first semifinal contest of the evening. Canton took an early 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, but were struggling to figure out the Scotland County defense more than they had in their previous matchups. Scotland County stayed close through the end of the second quarter, with both teams scoring 14 points each. Canton went to halftime with a 32-26 lead. Senior Marcus Smith ignited an early spark in the third quarter of play, knocking down an early three, followed by a mid-range jumper that would narrow the deficit to 4 points. Canton responded late in the quarter with a 10-0 run, where they pushed the pace and took advantage of Scotland County in transition. Scotland County battled throughout the final quarter of play to close the gap, but ultimately ran out of time. Canton won the contest by a final score of 67-59. Three Tigers were in double figures on the night with Vince Dale scoring 15, Marcus Smith scoring 14, and Tayte Richmond adding 11. Richmond’s defensive effort on Canton standout Preston Brewer played a key role in the Tiger’s being in the contest late.
The #3 Scotland County Girls faced the #2 Canton Girls in Thursday night’s semi final matchup. Canton won the contest by a final score of 62-43, in a game that was much closer than the final score showed. The Lady Tigers fell behind early and were unable to get within striking distance. Narrowing the deficit to 8 at one point, before a final Canton run would push the game out of reach. Kwyn Hamlin led the way in her final game as a Lady Tiger, scoring 16 points.
Canton went on to defeat Schuyler County in the Boy’s District Championship game. Canton girls went on to defeat Milan in the Girl’s District Championship game. Both teams will take on Clopton in their sectional matchup.
