CASEY HINDMAN
Saturday, December 12, 2009 2:43 am

Friday night, the Lions and Lionettes traveled to Livingston Academy for a clash of district leading teams.

It may have been cold outside, but inside the Wildcats’ gym two very hot teams were about to meet. The Lionettes and Lady Wildcats both brought unblemished records (8-0) into the contest, and whoever came out on top would be the undefeated district leader.

The first quarter was a defensive struggle. Livingston scored the first 2 points after 3:30 of play. The Lionettes tied the score on a Taylor King basket, but fell behind until an Ashley Campbell 2 point basket put the Cannon ahead, 9-7, at the 2:50 mark. Lauren Ruehlen ended the first quarter scoring, giving the Lionettes an 11-7 lead.

Livingston fought back in the second quarter closing to within 3, 16-13, midway through the quarter. Erica Melton pushed the lead to 9, 24-15, with a 3-point basket at the 2:10 mark. Emily Sissom, with 7 points in the quarter, put the Lionettes ahead 26-17 at the half.

The third quarter saw five Lionettes put points on the board, but they were unable to put the Lady Wildcats away. Livingston cut the lead to 5 with 2-minutes remaining in the third, but a basket by Ruehlen and Melton’s second 3-point shot of the night ended the quarter with a 39-32 Cannon lead.

Both teams got off to a slow start in the fourth going 3-minutes without a score until Sissom hit a 2-point basket, putting the Lionettes up by 9. Livingston score the next 6-points over the next 4-minutes to cut the lead to 3, 41-38.

Cannon answered with an 8-0 run taking a 49-38 lead with 30-seconds remaining in the game. The 52-41 win put the Lionettes in first place in the district with a 2-0 record and improved their overall record to 9-0.

SCORING: Emily Sissom 13 points; Lauren Ruehlen 10; Erica Melton 8; Ashley Campbell 6; Taylor King 6; Lindsey Reed 5; Shelby Jordan 2; Chelsey Payne 2

In boy’s action, the Lions faced a young but talented Livingston Wildcat team. It was a run and gun game from the very beginning with both teams firing shots from all over the court.

The Lions went ahead on a Justin Davenport basket, but Livingston scored the next 4. The lead changed seven times during the quarter. Cannon tied the score at 15-15 with 40-seconds left in the quarter on a Colin Jones 3-point basket. Livingston answered with a quick 2-point basket, and Jones finished the quarter with a 3-point basket giving the Lions an 18-17 lead.

Livingston increased the defensive pressure in the second quarter forcing the Lions into some poor shot selections hitting only two baskets in the quarter. The Wildcats started the quarter with a 10-2 run taking a 27-20 lead with 3:30 left in the quarter. Scoring 6 points in the quarter, the Lions found themselves trailing 32-24 at the half.

The Lions opened up the third with a 3-point basket by Davenport. But Livingston answered with a 15-3 run over the next 4-minutes taking a 47-32 lead.

The fourth quarter was a series of runs by both teams. Cannon finally found the range outscoring the Wildcats, 10-2, over the first 4-minutes of the quarter with Davenport and Jared Nave scoring 5-points each. The Lions eventually extended their run to 12-4, getting to within two points, 53-51, at the 2:40 mark.

Livingston would not be denied the win as they answered with a 7-2 run, pulling ahead 60-53 with 1:10 left in the game. The Lions were forced to foul, and with the Wildcats hitting four foul shots in a row, the final score was left at 64-55.

SCORING: Justin Davenport 25 points; Cody Ruehlen 10; Jared Nave 9; Colin Jones 6;
T.J. Mitchell 2; Andrew Woodin 2; Brian Cripps 1