Wildcats upset Bulldogs in overtime in playoffs

Kennedale shocked the 18th-ranked Burkburnett Bulldogs, 90-85, in overtime of a Region I-4A area round matchup in Jacksboro on Friday. {{more:Read more …}}

Kennedale stuck to its game plan and found success to once again make the regional quarterfinals. Wildcat Head Coach Doug Groff had said that if they could limit Burkburnett to one shot by controlling the boards, work the press and keep feeding the ball inside, they had a chance.

it worked …

The Wildcats effectively fed the ball to two big men underneath, Tre Jones and Chris Saulsby, who combined to score 50 of Kennedale 90 points (Jones had 32 points and Saulsby had 18 points) while guard Uniikye Washington sank 25 points. Jones had a super night by also snagging 22 rebounds.

#52 Tre Jones and #42 Chris

Saulsby combined for 50 points in Friday?s

night upset overtime win (photo: Staci Otts)

The Wildcats (25-10) move on to play #16 Midlothian Heritage in the Region I-4A quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 28 at Mansfield Legacy High School with game set for 7:30pm. UIL

Boys 4A Playoff Brackets

Burkburnett led the majority of the game, but could never break away from the Wildcats which played into Kennedale?s favor. Groff said at the beginning of the season that this year?s version of the Wildcats would not overwhelm teams and dominate games but in the big games, if the Cats were still in the game in the 4th, they have a good chance to win. Friday night they were able to tie the game in the 4th and in overtime, seal the deal.

“We played really hard. That’s a great team. Coach (Danny) Nix is an awesome coach,” Coach {{t2:Doug Groff:

}} told the Times

Record News. ?Any time you can beat a team like that, it’s definitely a feather in our cap.”

#22 Uniikye Washington

scored 25 points in the win over Burkburnett (photo: Staci Otts)

“We made too many little mistakes at different parts of

the game,” Nix told the Jonathan Hull of the Times Record. “It’s tough to win against a good team ? a team

that wins every year, a team that made it to the regional tournament last year.

Those mistakes cost us.”

Burkburnett continuously gave Kennedale scoring opportunities and the Cats responded scoring well above their season average of 60 point per game. Kennedale out rebounded the Bulldogs 62-45. The Cats hit just 40% of their shots from the field but the Dogs managed only 39%.

game story ?

In Q1 Kennedale fell behind by ten, 6-16 and closed out the quarter at 29-21. The second quarter saw Burkburnett claim a 16 point lead at 27-43 but by the quarter ends the Cats had slowed the bleed, scoring 19 point to the Dogs 22 in the quarter. In the 3rd, Kennedale stopped the bleeding and got a transfusion as they outscored Burkburnett 24-15, bringing the score to 64-66. While it was still in the Dogs favor, the Cats had outscored the Dogs 43-37 over the last two periods.

4th Quarter ?

Burkburnett did get a 5 point lead before Kennedale tied the game at 69 less than halfway into the final quarter. The Dogs then reel off 5 points to get a 74-69 point lead at the halfway point in the quarter. The lead stay around five points, until the Cats scored five unanswered points to tie the game just before the buzzer. The Dogs were not able to score and the game was knotted at 78.

#32 Devon Stapleton with the

ball as time was running out for Burkburnett, Devon went 4-4 in crucial free

throws for the Cats (photo: Staci Otts)

overtime ?

In overtime, it was the Cats time to shine. The teams swapped baskets at the beginning but once the Bulldogs fell behind and didn?t respond with a score, Kennedale took the lead for good. With less than a minute left in overtime, Kennedale had an 88-82 lead and there was no time left for the Dogs to mount any serious comeback. The game ended at 90-85.

Scoring: {{t2:Tre Jones: }} 32; {{t2:Uniikye Washington (Jr): }} 25; {{t2:Chris Saulsby (Sr): }} 18; {{t2:Devon Stapleton (Jr): }} 9; {{t2:Bryce Hackett (Jr): }} 6.

Period Stats

1

2

3

4

OT1

KHS

21

19

24

14

12

90

BHS

29

22

15

12

7

85