Bobcats chase away Greyhounds in 72-19 victory

After the Newcastle Ladycats finished on top of their match-up with the Throckmorton Lady Hounds, it was the Bobcats’ turn to tangle with the Greyhounds this past week.

The Bobcats put on a clinic Tuesday, Jan. 2 as they routed the visiting Greyhounds 72-19 in a victory that was only close for the first few minutes of the first quarter. Newcastle dominated all facets of the game en route to the victory.

For Newcastle, it was one of the team’s more balanced games of the season as contributions came from all around. Seniors Isaac King and Ty Strawbridge continued to light up the scorebook as they have done all season, but the supporting cast of players made their presence felt in every way.

The visiting Greyhounds took a 6-3 lead in the early minutes of this match-up as the Bobcats took a few minutes to get things going. Newcastle missed a number of shots in the early going before pulling ahead on a steal and a fastbreak layup from sophomore Tristan Clemons.

The Bobcats never trailed again in the game as they pushed the lead to 15-6 by the end of the first quarter of play.

Freshman Jacob Omundi began his work on the glass as he pulled down an offensive rebound and scored a putback for two points. Omundi tallied 6 points in the game on 3-of-4 shooting and also led the team in rebounding with seven boards, which included four offensive rebounds.

Another aspect in which Newcastle excelled was sharing the ball. Nine different players recorded at least one assist in this game and nine different players recorded points as well.

Newcastle opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run to go up 24-6 before Throckmorton hit a 3-pointer to stop the run. But the Bobcats’ offense continued to work. The team scored on fastbreaks after steals, 3-pointers and putbacks following offensive rebounds.

Junior Ben Burk scored four points in the span of a couple minutes off an assist from Strawbridge and his own steal and fastbreak layup. By halftime, the Bobcats had nearly tripled the Greyhounds’ point total and led 36-13.

The senior tandem of King and Strawbridge did most of the scoring in the third quarter for Newcastle. Each player possessed an innate ability to find the other open for a shot. In one moment, King and Strawbridge executed a fastbreak to perfection with Strawbridge recording the layup off King’s assist.

Freshman Rylan Hinojosa got in on the action near the end of the period as he pulled down an offensive rebound and went back up strong for two points. As the teams entered the fourth quarter, Newcastle head coach James King put in his reserve players to play the final minutes of the game.

With their lead nowhere near in danger, the Bobcats’ backup players had time to work through their offense and gain experience in a competitive setting. Omundi scored on yet another offensive rebound and putback, followed a few minutes later by an almost identical play from Hinojosa.

Senior Jaren Beaver stole the ball on the next play and earned his two points on a fastbreak layup while sophomore London Martinez finished the game with a few points off assists from Hinojosa and freshman Cooper Clayton.

The Bobcats earned a big win and will look to build off this momentum as they go throughout district play. Following a Friday night game, Newcastle will head to Woodson for a district match-up Tuesday, Jan. 9.