Staff Report

UNIONTOWN – Redemption came for the R.C. Hatch Bobcats Tuesday night.

They avenged their only loss of the season in grand style by beating Wilcox-Central 77-56.

“Brandon Battle got suspended (the first meeting), so that threw our chemistry out of whack,” Hatch coach Homer Davis said. “But we shouldn’t make excuses for losing. The boys played really well together tonight. Every year, Wilcox makes our season and we make their season. This was what we needed. This was a big win for us.”

The Jaguars won the first meeting of the season 74-64 on Nov. 13, but Hatch had plans to even things up.

The Bobcats got 28 points and seven steals from Frankie Sullivan and 16 points and 12 rebounds from Nicholas Johnson. Demarcus Porter scored 12 points, and Rodney Scott scored 10.

Diedrick Irby led Wilcox with 11 points, and Kendrick Atwood scored 10.

Davis gave credit to the team’s sixth man for fueling the charge toward a win.

“We played in front of a sellout crowd, and our fans really made the difference,” he said. “The guys played hard and had a good time.”