Sparta rallied from a 13-point deficit with just over 6:30 to play to edge out Wesclin 44-41 Saturday night to win third place in the Lebanon/McKendree Thanksgiving Tournament.
The Bulldogs trailed for most of the game, but got things going late to pull out the narrow victory.
“The guys just kept guarding and making it hard to score for Wesclin,” said Sparta coach Rich Williams. “I think eventually we wore them down and were able to pull out the win. We got some momentum late and the team got it done. We struggled shooting the ball, but David Sams came through big for us in the fourth quarter. He scored 11 points including three three-pointers. He just played outstanding for us late in the game. Maurice Austin, Wes Kiner, Blake Shelton, and Dartanus White did an excellent job on defense. It really was a complete team effort. We also got good minutes off the bench from Jordan Thompson, Austin Peck and Detrick Woods.”
The Bulldogs trailed 10-5 at the end of the first quarter, 24-14 at halftime and 33-23 after three quarters of play. Sparta outscored Wesclin 21-8 in the fourth quarter for the three-point win.
With the win, Sparta improved to 5-1 overall. The Bulldogs lone loss came against Madison, who sprinted past Nashville to win the tournament championship.
The Dawgs will travel to league favorite Du Quoin Friday night. The Indians were picked by many to win the SIRR Mississippi Division this year, while Sparta was picked to finish fifth.
“We will need fan support Friday night,” said Williams. “We definitely need the Bulldog Nation to come to Du Quoin for this big game.”