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Thomas
The Pendleton County Wildcats began their 2021 basketball season last week and notched a pair of victories over a couple of 9th Region opponents.
On Jan. 5, head coach Sam Elsbernd led his squad to Bellevue and behind a balanced scoring attack came away with a 61-48 victory. Junior Braydon Kidwell, returning to varsity action after missing all of last season due to surgery to repair a torn ACL, led three Wildcats in double figures with 17 points. He knocked down five of his team’s eight three pointers during the game. The senior duo of Tredyn Thomas and Noah Barnard scored 15 and 12 points respectively to help Pendleton County notch the opening night win.
“Kind of an ugly win but we’ll take it,” said Coach Elsbernd. “Defensively, the effort was there but we did get lost of a couple of things. And most importantly, welcome back Braydon Kidwell!” he added.
On Jan. 8, the Wildcats hosted Dayton and held their annual “Senior Night” ceremony to honor the careers of Tredyn Thomas, Noah Barnard, Mason Askren, Ethan Caldwell and Garret Jack. All five seniors started the game and after falling behind 5-0, the Wildcats came to life to blasted Dayton with a 35-12 run to seize control of the first half.
Also taking place before halftime was a historic moment in the career of Tredyn Thomas as he scored a reverse layup early in the second quarter to reach 1,000 points for his career. The versatile shooting guard was recognized with a banner at midcourt and shared a special moment with his family on hand by delivering them the game ball.
Thomas would go on to lead all scorers with 28 points as Pendleton County scored a 66-53 victory. All five seniors scored and overall 11 different Wildcats got into the scoring column.
Following the win, Coach Elsbernd reflected on his seniors and the unusual circumstances surrounding the game that is normally highlighted by a jam-packed gym full of passionate home fans.
“It’s an honor to coach these seniors; they’re all a great group of guys. I’m happy for Tredyn to join the 1,000 point club. He’s no doubt one of the top ten players I’ve ever coached. We did what we could to make the best of this night, but you couldn’t help but feel weird in knowing that everyone who would normally be here couldn’t.
The best thing about coaching this program and its players is the amazing support from this community and its fans. I want everyone to know that you are missed and we can’t wait to get you all back here. These isn’t a better fan base in the 10th region than here in Pendleton County,” Elsbernd explained.
The Wildcats concluded their week traveling to face Bath County on Jan. 9. Despite a huge offensive effort from Thomas, who had a season-best 35 points, the Wildcats lost a lead late in the second quarter and went on to fall 74-63.
“One thing I will say is that we will have to develop a killer instinct and learn to put opponents away. We also have to play with intensity for the full 32 minutes,” Coach Elsbernd summarized.
On Sunday afternoon, it was announced by Bath County that they were shutting down their boys basketball activities as a player had tested positive for Covid-19. That player did not play in the Pendleton County game.
Elsbernd told Falmouth Outlook, “At this time, we do not expect our boys basketball team to be affected as a result of this positive test. We are appreciative of the proactive response by Bath County officials, and will continue to remain in contact with them along with local health officials as necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of our student-athletes.”
Pendleton County is slated for three games this week beginning with a trip to Montgomery County on Jan. 12, followed by a home matchup versus Campbell County on Jan. 14 and wrapping up with a showdown at the Fieldhouse taking on Mason County on Jan. 15.