Bulldogs take a whippin' from Wildcats
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[On Friday, Jan. 30th the Sparta Bulldogs met up against the Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats in a conference square off. The Wild cats came out on top with a 55-51 final score."Its about adjustments," said Head Coach Greg Bass, "We don't make adjustments." The 'Dogs are 6-13 overall and 1-6 in the conference as of this game.
The 'Dogs opened up the game strong taking 13-points from the Wildcats. Dartanus White, 1, took 7-points in three field goals and a free throw. Jake Hargis, 10, Malcolm Oliver, 23, and Maurice Austin, 22, each contributed a field goal apiece. The first quarter ended with Bulldogs up by 4-points, with 13-9 showing up on the board.
In a relatively low scoring quarter, the 'Dogs matched the Wildcats, 10 for 10 in points. Hargis took home two baskets. Oliver drilled a long range field goal. Jordan Thompson, 11, nabbed a field goal and a free throw for a 3-point play. The first half ended with a score of 23-19, Bulldogs.
The 'Dogs had their worst quarter of the game in the third, taking 9-points, while allowing the Wildcats 17. At around the 5:30 mark they allowed the score to be tied and were not ever able to recover from it. Hargis brought in 4-points in two field goals. Austin and Oliver each took a basket apiece. White contributed one shot from the charity line. The third quarter buzzer showed the Bulldogs taking a downturn, 36-32 Wildcats.
The 'Dogs took their best quarter in the fourth with 19-points but it was not enough to secure the win. The Wildcats matched with 19-points of their own. White brought in 6-points in a shot from behind the arc, a shot from inside the arc, and one free throw. Hargis maintained consistency in two field goals. Thompson drilled a shot from down town. Oliver took home one field goal while Adam Peck, 0, stepped up to snag a field goal of his own. Clay Peck, 4, hit two of three attempts from the foul line. The final buzzer showed the 'Dogs unable to overtake the Wildcats with a final score of 55-51. "We've run out of excuses," said an exasperated Bass, "We talked about all the different excuses we've made from this year to last year. Our mental approach just isn't that good."
White and Hargis took home high points for the game, each bringing home 14-points. Oliver brought home 9-points while Thompson came off the boards with 6. Austin hit for 4-points while the Pecks each hit for 2. Sparta's next game will take on Chester on Friday, Feb 6.