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(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Leader recognizes Jayden Hemby as this week’s Athlete of the Week. Hemby picked up key points for the Bobcats in the first quarter and scored 10 points in the Bobcats 47-31 win Tuesday, Feb. 3 over the Bryson Cowboys. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Leader recognizes Kinzlee Sweat as this week’s Athlete of the week. Sweat was pivotal in scoring inside the arc for the Ladycats in their matchup Tuesday, Feb. 3 against the Bryson Cowgirls that resulted in a 49-28 victory.
As the district schedule continues to march on, playoff spots are being eyed by teams around the state and in Young County.
Athletes from Graham and Newcastle have continued to work hard for their programs as they make a push for postseason play.
The Graham Leader is recognizing Kinzlee Sweat of the Ladycats and Jayden Hemby of the Bobcats as this week’s Athletes of the Week.
Kinzlee Sweat, Ladycats Basketball
After a tough outing against Perrin-Whitt, the Ladycats basketball team has gotten back on track with a pair of victories at home.
The Ladycats latest victory came Tuesday, Feb. 3 against the Bryson Cowgirls.
Newcastle came away with a 49-28 victory and while there were many effective scorers for the Ladycats offense throughout the contest, one of those crucial scorers was Sweat.
She ended the first quarter with a layup to extend Newcastle’s lead to 15-3 and was very effective drawing contact inside the arc to pick up foul shots.
This played a pivotal role for the Ladycats in the second quarter to help the team take a 32-11 lead into halftime.
Head coach Ryan Dollar praised Sweat after the game for her performance and impact on the roster.
“She just gets in their and competes,” Dollar said. “She’s stepped in as a freshman and protects the middle for us. She just keeps on ticking.”
Dollar is hoping that the team can get on an even greater winning streak to go into the playoffs.
Jayden Hemby, Bobcats Basketball
After the Ladycats picked up their victory earlier in the night, the Bobcats made sure to follow this up with a victory of their own and come away with a complete sweep of Bryson.
The Bobcats defeated the Cowboys in their matchup Tuesday, Feb. 3 by a score of 47-31 and there were many solid performances to go around.
One of those solid performances was Hemby.
The front court player made sure that the Bobcats hit the ground running in the opening quarter and was a pivotal player throughout the game.
Hemby scored eight points in the opening quarter for Newcastle to help them take a 15-12 lead. Hemby finished the night with 10 points all off of buckets inside the arc.
However, another area that Hemby was an impact for the team was on the glass. The forward picked up key rebounds offensively to give himself and his teammates second chance scoring opportunities as well as change possessions for Newcastle.
“I thought Jayden did some really good things,” King said. “His help defense was great. I feel like Jayden is coming a long way especially after being out with an injury.”
Hemby has returned to the court after suffering a finger fracture and been a key piece of this Bobcats team.
