'Cats climb out of early hole

GLADEVILLE — Wilson Central's boys were left spinning their wheels in the first quarter Tuesday before the Wildcats got unstuck and raced past Smyrna 63-54.
Smyrna led 9-2 and 11-4 in the first quarter as point guard K.J. Stripling scored five points.
But after Davis Warner turned a give-and-go into a 13-4 lead, Kelten Stewart sparked the 'Cats with a four-point play and a three-point play to bring Central into a 13-13 tie less than two minutes into the second quarter.
Kody Woodard finally put Central in front 19-18 on a three-pointer 3:36 before halftime as part of a 10-0 run which put the 'Cats in command. Stripling's coast-to-coat layup brought the Bulldogs within 26-23 by the break.
A steal and layup by Timothy Egerton enabled Smyrna to sneak within 33-31. But Arcavius McMurray sank a foul-line jumper to send Central into the fourth quarter ahead 42-35.
Woodard's length-of-the-floor layup opened a 48-36 lead, a margin matched by Stewart's two free throws moments later for a 50-48 spread.
But Stripling scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs battled to within 56-52 on his three-pointer. Stewart knocked down 9 of 10 free throws in the fourth and 13 of 14 for the game to lead everybody with 18 as the Wildcats climbed to 16-8 for the season and 6-3 in District 9-AAA.
Woodard tossed in two second-quarter threes on his way to 17 while JaJuan Brooks also bagged a pair of triples en route to nine. Travis Adkins and Teraes Clemmons each added eight, McMurray two and Daniel Palmer a free throw.
Forward Josh Turner matched Stripling's 15 points while Warner threw in 13 as the Bulldogs dropped to 7-16, 1-8.
The Wildcats, who entered the night tied with LaVergne for second place in the district, will travel to league-leading Gallatin on Friday.

McCarver leads Lebanon guard assault on Cookeville
COOKEVILLE — Lebanon's guards went on the offensive Tuesday night with 57 points as the Blue Devils outscored Cookeville 66-58.
O'Keefe McCarver led Lebanon with five three-pointers on his way to 25 points. Xavier Smith sank a pair of triples en route to 11 while Terrence Logue tossed in 10 and Ken Walton nine.
"We shot the ball well from the perimeter," Lebanon coach Doug Keil said after his Blue Devils improved to 13-11 for the season and 5-6 in District 7-AAA. "We applied some pressure on them at times.
"Cookeville's one of the tougher places to play. It was a disjointing game, a difficult game to play. I was proud of our guys. They found a way to win on the road."
Following a 20-20 first-quarter tie, Lebanon led 36-28 at halftime and 49-44 through three periods.
Connor Burger finished with four points for Lebanon while Alex Johnson, Casey Nunley and Herschal McCathern each tossed in two and Alex Hutto a free throw.
The Cavaliers' production came primarily from inside. Kyle Wyles scored 17 from inside while guard Mitchell Hill had 12.
Lebanon will host Riverdale on Friday at Campbell Brandon Gym/Hester Gibbs Court before the Blue Devils bus to Mt. Juliet's Tommy Martin Gym on Saturday to take on the Golden Bears.

Bears' Bowman steps up to shoot down Bucs
MT. JULIET — With Jeremy Dixon injured, opponents have begun keying on Mt. Juliet point guard Demond Craig.
They may want to start looking for Jonta Bowman, who fired in 15 points in the Golden Bears' 36-34 win over Beech on Tuesday at Tommy Martin Gym.
"Jonta has had three out of our games where he's been scoring for us," Mt. Juliet coach Troy Allen said after his Bears came from behind in the second half to improve to 13-10 for the season and 5-5 in District 9-AAA. "He's a gifted kid. I've never told him he's taken a bad shot. When he takes a shot, it's a good shot."
Beech led 14-10 following the first quarter and 26-18 at halftime before the Golden Bears pulled into a 27-27 tie through three periods.
"We came out in the second half and held them to one point," Allen said of the third quarter. "Both teams were struggling to score the whole game.
"We held them to nine points the second half. It was as good an effort as we've had all year."
Craig added eight points for Mt. Juliet while Berek Lunn sank a pair of three-pointers for six. Cory Payne pitched in four, Ryan Overstreet two and Antwuan Majors a free throw.
Point guard Ben Crocker collected 11 points for the Buccaneers, who fell to 5-5 and a tie for fourth place in the district with the Bears.
Mt. Juliet will welcome Lebanon to The Cave on Saturday night.
Sports Editor Andy Reed can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 17 or by e-mail at andy.reed@lebanondemocrat.com.