The month of December was not easy for the Carmi-White County Boys Basketball team. The Bulldogs had lost 5 of their last 7 games heading into the new year, and Kevin Wolff’s squad was looking for a reset, and that’s exactly what they got.
With the combination of Christmas Break and a Winter Storm, the Bulldogs had 17 days off in-between games. They tipped off the second half of the season Tuesday night at McDougal-Evers Gymnasium against conference foe Edwards County, the team that defeated Carmi by 10 in their last game of 2024.
Within the first few minutes, you could tell the kind of game it was going to be for CWC senior Mitchel Edwards. Edwards scored all 10 of Carmi’s points in the first 7 minutes of action, before Beck Huff ended the quarter with a 4-0 run of his own, which included getting fouled on a half-court shot and making 2 of 3 free throws to give Carmi a 14-11 lead heading into the 2nd quarter.
With every punch Carmi landed, Edwards County seemed to have an answer. Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the 2nd quarter, but the biggest blow for the Bulldogs came with just under a minute left in the half.
Gavin Holloman, who has been battling a hamstring injury all season, jumped up to battle for a loose ball and came down awkwardly on his right foot. Holloman needed help to make it off the court, and he did not return to action for the rest of the night. Carmi led 22-20 at the half.
Despite Holloman’s absence, the Bulldogs didn’t blink an eye in the 3rd quarter, and put together one of their best quarters of basketball of the season.
Carmi exploded for a 10-3 run to start the half, capped off by a volleyball-line 3-pointer from Edwards to force Edwards County to call a timeout. Carmi never looked back.
The Bulldogs grew their lead up to 13, but the Lions never got it closer than 7 points, and Carmi held on for their first conference win of the season, 54-42.
“Just a good effort tonight,” said CWC head coach Kevin Wolff. “We got off to a hot start early, and the guys came ready to play.”
After missing 3 games with an ankle injury, senior Kade Stockton made his return to the lineup, and he made his presence felt. To go along with 4 points, Stockton grabbed numerous rebounds, and showed his normal hustle and tenacity that the Bulldogs had missed in his absence.
“Whenever Kade embraces that Dennis Rodman-type role, he is very very beneficial to our basketball team,” Wolff added.
The Bulldogs improve to 7-7 on the year and 1-2 in the Black Diamond Conference. They will travel to Fairfield on Friday for another BDC battle.
Scoring from Tuesday’s game:
Mitchel Edwards – 30 points
Beck Huff – 11 points
Kade Stockton – 4 points
Hayden Sauls – 3 points
Cade Allen – 2 points
Gavin Holloman – 2 points
Merick Millhorn – 2 points
Black Diamond Conference Standings:
1. Hamilton Co. 4-0
2. Fairfield 2-1
3. Flora 2-1
4. Carmi-White Co. 1-2
5. Edwards Co. 0-2
6. Eldorado 0-3
