A Tale of Three Kitties

The tag end of this last week saw another blast from Old Man Winter, one that was accurately forecast by The Weather Channel, of all things. Speaking of which, you know how the Weather Channel always precedes its seven-day forecast with “Your week ahead”? I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am more concerned with my week behind. But I digress.

This snowfall, BTW, was better behaved than its immediate predecessor, in that we weren’t all left freezing and in the dark. In fact, those of us who have access to Wazoo, the new sports channel carried by Intermountain Cable, were able to watch most of the Touchstone All A Classic, starring the Shelby Valley Wildcats.

And speaking of Wildcats, I am a fan of three such basketball teams. There is the local version, the Shelby Valley Wildcats; the statewide favorites, the U. K. Wildcats; and this team’s counterparts at that venerable institution of higher learning, and perhaps the least known of the three, U. K.’s Lady Wildcats. Oddly enough, the three teams each had similar experiences in that they dropped a crucial game before coming back to show that they were far from done.

U. K’s teams first, as each lost to the same opponent, South Carolina. The Lady Cats were there on January 14, and failing to find a way to contain that team’s center, 6’5” Kelsey Bone, lost by the score of 79-71. Coupled with an earlier one-point loss at Georgia, this was a disappointing start to the SEC part of the schedule, as they were 1-2 after the first three games.

All they did, though, was set a school record by winning the next five SEC games, the last two on the road at LSU and Mississippi State. These Cats are not only ranked now, they are in second place in the SEC, behind only perennial powerhouse Tennessee, a situation I predict they will rectify when they pay the Volunteers a visit on February 27 (live on CBS).

The men’s team, who had just run roughshod over Arkansas the week before, went to South Carolina, and underplayed this game as much as they over performed in the previous game. In their first game as the nation’s top-ranked team, they came away the loser 68-62. But in the very next game, this team came back against a dangerous Vanderbilt, who were, prior to this game, first in the SEC. No need to worry as the Cats bested the ‘Dores 85-72.

And finally, the Shelby Valley Wildcats dropped a heartbreaker to Christian County the week before they started defense of their all-A title. Well, if anyone had any doubts, these Cool Cats soon erased them. In short order, the Cats took down all comers, starting with Ballard Memorial (73-34), then Danville (80-56), University Heights, and old friend, coach Randy McCoy (67-54), and in the championship game, Louisville DeSales (46-37).

And get this, not only did they repeat in the all-A, but this year, in the Sweet Sixteen, there are only two top-ranked teams in the lower half of the bracket, Shelby Valley and Clark County. This is no guarantee, but if these Cats can keep their cool, Pike Countians might see one of their schools bring home a Sweet Sixteen championship