Cats defeated in area tournament to end season

Lee handed the Enterprise boys basketball team a 68-38 loss Feb. 7 in the Class 7A, Area 3 tournament to end the Wildcats' season.

"The Wildcats fought hard, gave it their all, and just fell short," EHS boys basketball coach Alonzo Barkley said. "Lee has been really rolling, and they shot the ball extremely well. We had to game plan against what they were trying to do. You've got to try to take something away. They were able to get a lot of long-range shots against our zone. They tried to attack us with a lot of penetration, but they also shot the ball well. That just kind of negated what we were trying to do there."

The Generals raced to a 20-4 lead in the first quarter.

"They caused a lot of early turnovers," Barkley said. "My guys were running a press-breaker, and we just were slow to get to our spots. That led to guys just holding the ball longer and getting 10-second calls or throwing a bad pass and turning it over. They were able to make a lot of breakaway layups. They made a lot of free throws, too."

Lee outscored Enterprise 19-14 in the second to take a 39-18 lead at the half.

"In the second quarter we got ourselves together and kind of made it a game," Barkley said. "(It was) ball movement and hitting some open outside shots."

The Wildcats scored 12 points in the third quarter to Lee's 11, but the Generals led 50-30 at the end of the third quarter.

Lee outscored EHS 18-8 in the final frame to secure the win.

E.J. Scott led the Wildcats with nine points. Chris Dunford and Mason Jordan each had eight. Ja'Juan Hayes scored six. Dennis Chastang had four, Sam Purvis had two and Dallas Howell had one.

"My guys never quit," Barkley said. "They played hard throughout the game. We had a lot of young players in there who work hard. The depth of what they had...their shooting ability really showed why they're No. 1 in the state. They played well tonight." 

Enterprise finished the season with an 8-16 record.

"They just had a lot of Wildcat pride," Barkley said. "I'm proud of how they played. (They) didn't complain and gripe through the adversity they faced. I'm just proud to have been able to coach these guys."