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Wildcats senior Austin Kirsch goes up for two of his 10 points in the road win at Bourbon County on January 11. Photo taken by Sam McClanahan.
By Sam McClanahan
It was a banner week for the Pendleton County Wildcats as the team notched three road victories including a pair over Montgomery County and Bourbon County in a span of 48 hours.
The Wildcats entered their January 9 matchup against the Montgomery County Indians having not defeated them on their home floor since February of 2006. After Montgomery County built a 14-point lead at halftime it looked like Pendleton County would have to wait a little longer before accomplishing that feat again. But something clicked during the second half and the Wildcats demonstrated a will to win that had not been shown at this point into the season. The Wildcats clawed their way back into the game thanks in part to a collective intensity on defense coupled with timely execution on the offensive end of the court. 32 minutes would prove to not be enough time to settle things and the teams went into overtime nodded at 63 all. In overtime the Wildcats got clutch plays from Austin Kirsch and Aden Merrill, who came up with a key steal that lead to a basket that sealed the upset win as Pendleton County picked up just its third all-time win in Mt. Sterling, 71-70.
Kirsch posted perhaps his finest performance as a Wildcat as the 6'4" center made 11 of 13 shots to finish with 22 points to go along with a season-best 14 rebounds. Senior Alex Beyst scored 16 points, Merrill totaled 15 and Hunter Cox added 13.
On January 11, the team traveled to Paris to take on Bourbon County and once would displayed a strong desire to handle adversity in picking up a hard-fought 55-52 win. The first quarter saw a fast-paced tempo as both teams shot the ball well and posted 18 points apiece. The second quarter saw a slower pace with neither squad being able to get an advantage as the game went into the half tied at 29 apiece. The second half would be all about timely baskets and key defensive stops for the Wildcats as they got pivotal made three-pointers and free throws down the stretch from Kirsch, Merrill and Hunter Jack. With Pendleton County leading 55-52, Bourbon County had one last possession and would need to execute a made three-pointer with eight/tenths of a second remaining in order to force overtime. However, the shot would not fall and the Wildcats squeezed out the three-point win.
Pendleton County would conclude their week traveling to Mt. Olivet to face district rival Robertson County. This contest would be decided quickly as the Wildcats raced to a commanding lead and would never look back. They went onto post their most lopsided victory of the season with a 87-29 win to improve to 10-8 on the season.
"The guys played well. We showed great poise and grit," said Wildcats head coach Mason Monroe. " We battled an 1.5 hours trip to Montgomery County and playing from behind all night was a gutsy win. Bourbon County is a very big and physical team and we showed we can battle with anyone. That's the effort it takes to win a district championship and play in the regional tournament. Before the season it was a question of can these guys do it. Well they told on themselves this week. It's a now question of will. We have to bring the same mindset we had this week into the remainder of the season," Monroe said.
This week, Pendleton County travels to take on Mason County on January 16 and will host district foe Nicholas County on January 19.