Wildcats pick up non-conference win

Jalen Elrod scored 18 points as Trumann picked up a 49-46 non-conference win over Rector Jan. 28 in high school boys’ non-conference basketball action at Wildcat Gym.

The Cougars took an early 2-0 lead with two free throws as Elrod hit triple twine for Trumann to make 3-2 Wildcats. Rector scored five straight points to make it 7-3 Cougars with 5:13 left. Landon Adams and Elrod canned back to back three-pointers to take a 9-7 lead before Rector scored in the paint making it 9-9. Kristopher Harris and Johnny Bell scored back to back baskets down low for the Wildcats to make the score 13-9 Trumann at the end of one.

Bell scored in the paint for Trumann to open the second quarter before Rector scored back to back baskets making the score 15-13 Wildcats. Harris scored inside and hit one of two free throws to push the Wildcats lead to 18-13 only to see the Cougars convert an old-school three-point play and hit a jumper to tie the game at 18-18 with 3:27 left. Drake Harlow got inside for a basket before Rector hit two free throws and a jumper in the lane to take a 22-20 lead. Adams canned a three-ball with just over a minute left to give Trumann a 23-22 lead at halftime.

Elrod flushed a two-handed slam dunk for Trumann’s first points of the third quarter before Rector hit a three-pointer and converted an old-fashioned three-point play to take a 28-25 lead. Elrod threw down an alley-oop two-handed dunk before Tony Postell, Jr. hit one of two free throws and scored in the paint to make the score 30-28 Wildcats with 4:54 left. The Cougars tied the game at 30-30 with a basket inside, Harlow converted a conventional three-point play, Rector answered with a three-pointer before Elrod scored down low to make it 35-33 Wildcats. The Cougars scored inside, Elrod scored down low before Rector got a stick back to make the score 37-37 after three quarters of play.

Rector scored back to back baskets early in the fourth quarter to take a 41-37 lead before Luke Bishop and Elrod hit back to back jumpers for the Wildcats to tie the game at 41-41. The Cougars hit one of two free throws and a jumper in the lane to make the score 44-41 with 2:18 left. Bell canned a three-pointer and Elrod hit a jumper in the lane to give Trumann a 46-44 lead only to see Rector hit a jumper to tie the game at 46-46 with 40 seconds left. Postell, Jr. converted an old-school three-point play with 27 seconds left to give Trumann a 49-46 lead and the Wildcats held on to take the win.

“Man, I’m just proud of the guys. The last couple weeks have been great. The guys are showing up for practice and working hard and it’s showing in the games. We are stacking good practices together and now we are stacking good games together,” Trumann head coach Aaron Ballew said after the game. “The guys were resilient tonight and never quit,” Ballew added.

Bell finished with seven points as Postell, Jr. and Bell scored six points each. Harris and Harlow netted five points each with Bishop chipping in two points for the Wildcats.