Wildcats set to finish tournament season with Whataburger

The Kennedale Wildcats (7-8) will play in the respected annual Whataburger Tournament starting Monday morning against Bowie at 10 a.m. at Chisholm Trail High School, 3100 NW College Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76179. Bowie at 8-6 was ranked # 14 in the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) 3A Poll. {{more}}

This is the 58^th year for the tournament and it

attracts some of the top teams from around the state and out. There are 16 teams in the top 5A-6A ?Orange?

division and in the 4A and under ?Blue? division there are 16 teams. Several years ago, the Whataburger added a

girls Blue division for 4A and under. The Kennedale Lady Kats will be making

their second appearance in the tournament this year.

Twenty-nine of the teams entered in the tournament are

ranked including the USA #1 Little Rock Parkview (AR) and the #19 St Rita

(Chicago, IL) boys team. The Blue

Division where the Cats will be playing includes five teams ranked in the state

in Class 4A – #1 Silsbee (the defending

champion), #3 Argyle, #15 Abilene Wylie, #19 Liberty Hill and #22 Tatum and

five state ranked teams in Class 3A – #4 Ponder, #10 Jarrell, #12 Peaster, #14

Brock and #17 Bowie.

The Wildcats have won this tournament several times in the

past but don?t play a favorite?s role this year. At 7-8, the Cats are a work in progress, but

are stronger team than their record indicates. Kennedale has three Cats that

Whataburger has listed as ?Players to Watch? in this tournament in the Blue

Division ? Brandon Conwright, Darious Hammond and Colton Otts.

This is the last tournament that the Cats will play in

pre-district play. With the start of the

new year, the Cats will play two more games before district play starts on

January 15 against Diamond Hill- Jarvis.

On Tuesday, January 8 the Cats will travel to play #3 Argyle (7:30 p.m.)

and then will come back home to play Community High School (8:00 p.m.)