Last Friday, the Tigers outlasted the Yoakum Bulldogs 72-44 in an impressive offensive and defensive competition at Tiger Gym.
Smithville’s Wade Childress was the story of the game, contributing a game-high 34 points.
“Wade has been playing really good,” said head coach Cyril Adkins. “He really stepped up in our last couple games.”
Tiger Oscar Kenebrew, who followed Childress with a total of 11 points, scored the first field goal of the game with 5:43 remaining.
Childress contributed his first of many field goals a minute later and got fouled; his free throw was good. Just a few seconds later, he got a steal and made another field goal.
With a little less than four minutes remaining in the first quarter, Kenebrew got his second basket of the night. Seconds later, he got fouled and made both free throws.
The score was 11-3 Smithville with 3:05 remaining in the quarter.
Childress made his third field goal with 2:19 remaining.
Shortly after, Yoakum’s Trey Hights, who totaled with four points, got his team’s first field goal of the night. Teammate Koryon Beltran, who totaled with six points, then made a three-pointer with a little less than a minute left on the clock.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 17-8 Smithville.
Just a few seconds into the second quarter, Yoakum’s Hights made his second field goal.
A little less than a minute later, Tiger Coltyn Brown, who had a total of four points, contributed a field goal for his team.
During the next three minutes of the game, Childress went on a scoring rampage, scoring 12 points for Smithville.
With 3:47 left in the first half, the score was 36-14 Smithville.
Childress got fouled three times in the remaining minutes of the half, contributing three more points for the Tigers.
A few of the Bulldogs got fouled as well, earning a total of three points from the free-throw line.
The Tigers went into the locker room ahead by 24 points, 44-20. In the first half alone, Childress made a total of 24 points.
Childress made the first basket of the third quarter and got fouled with 5:41 left on the clock; he made the free throw.
Teammate Kenebrew made another field goal shortly after.
A minute later, Childress made yet another field goal.
Yoakum’s Kendrick Brown, who led his team with 13 points, made his first field goal of the night, making the score 51-24 with 4:32 remaining in the quarter.
Shortly after, Tiger Jacob Hannusch, who had a total of six points, made a field goal. Brown then followed him with another field goal for the Bulldogs.
In the next couple minutes, Childress scored two field goals for Smithville.
Yoakum’s Beltran then got another three-pointer with a little over a minute remaining in the quarter. No more than five seconds later, Smithville’s Adam Hahn followed him with a three-pointer for his team.
The score was 60-32 at the end of the third quarter.
In the first 30 seconds of the fourth quarter, Yoakum’s Brown made a three-pointer.
A minute later, Tiger Dominique Ward came off the bench to score a field goal. Teammate Cody Hlavaty, who scored a total of six points, all in the fourth quarter, also came off the bench to make his first basket right after.
With 3:54 remaining in the game, Hlavaty made another field goal and got fouled twice after, earning two more points from the free-throw line.
“I am proud of the kids for playing hard,” Adkins said. “We are doing everything we can to prepare for district, which starts in a week.”