Elks Drop Third Straight Contest
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Despite a strong start offensively for Elkhart, the Elks would cool down and the Tigers would slip out of town with a 54-43 victory.
In the first quarter it was all Elkhart. The Elks would jump out to an early lead behind hot shooting from Jacob Cheatham and Cole Bridges. Troup would respond, but Elkhart had already built an early lead and was able to hold on for a 17-16 lead after the first quarter of play.
Troup would gear up in the second quarter offensively, but defensively were able to slow down the Elks roll. The Tigers would hold Elkhart to just 11 points in the quarter, giving themselves enough room to wiggle past the Elks and take the lead. Troup would take a 30-28 lead into the half, and wouldn’t allow the Elks to lead again.
Despite continued struggles offensively, due to solid Elkhart defense, Troup was able to stay a step ahead of Elkhart. The Elks were held to just seven points in the third quarter, allowing the Tigers to pull away to take a six-point lead into the fourth quarter, despite scoring just 11 points.
Trailing 41-35 going into the fourth quarter, the Elks had to come out hot in order to regain the lead. Elkhart threw everything they had at the Tigers, keeping the game close until the final minutes. Troup would go on to seal the game from the free throw line and timely shooting from some of their key playmakers to seal the 54-43 win.
Cheatham led three Elkhart players in double figures. The junior guard finished the night with a game-high 14 points including one trey offensively. Bridges and Jeffery Wilson each added 10 points apiece with Bridges continuing his hot shooting from behind the arc with a pair of treys. Jared Ham added four points with Luke Hollingsworth scoring two points offensively.
The Elks wrapped the first half of district play with a 3-3 record and tied with West Rusk for fourth place in district action. Currently the Elks are a game behind Sabine and Frankston, who have matching 4-2 records, and Troup, who sits atop the district with a perfect 6-0 record.
Elkhart took to the road on Tuesday evening to face off against the Arp Tigers. The Elks defeated Arp 64-48 in their district opener, and are looking to complete their first season sweep of the Tigers in over 10 years.
The Elks will be off on Friday, January 27 for their second bye of district play, but they will return to action on Tuesday, January 31 when they host the Frankston Indians. Elkhart defeated Frankston 43-42 at the buzzer on a tip in by Jordan White in Frankston.
For a complete recap of the Elks district match against Arp, as well as other area basketball news, check back in The Messenger. Also follow The Messenger on Facebook and check out our website at www.messenger-news.com. Chris Boothe can be reached at cboothe@messenger-news.com.
