By MICHAEL MURRAY

ELLAVILE – As a closer to a very tough season, the Schley County Wildcats entered the first round of the region 4-A playoffs on Feb. 9 in Ellaville. After a hard-fought battle in which the Wildcats staged a late comeback run, the Schley boys eventually dropped a tight 52-51 decision to draw the curtain on the team’s 2015-16 basketball term.
The Wildcats had previously defeated the Brookstone Warriors twice in region 4-A competition this season, once in early December and again in mid-January.
With the bitter taste of these defeats still lingering, the Warriors brought their toughest competition to date down from Columbus to earn the right to advance in the region playoffs.
The teams stayed neck and neck over the initial eight minutes of play, leaving the score tied 8-8 after the first period. Brookstone eked out a slight lead in the second frame, taking a 26-24 advantage into the locker room at half-time.
After returning from the break, the Cougars tossed two more points onto their pad, outscoring the Wildcats 12-10 in the third stanza.
With the pressure on and the season at stake, the Wildcats began to gain moentum in the final period as Schley’s shooters heated up for their most productive frame of the match. The Wildcats tossed in 18 points before the conclusion of the game while holding Brookwood to only 15.
Unfortunately, for Schley fans, the comeback effort fell just short of a victory and the Wildcats found themselves on the short end of the 52-51 decision.
Dorion Bateman led the charge for the Wildcats in the contest, completing 50 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc on his way to a game-high 16 points. Bateman also brought down six rebounds in the match while contributing three steals and one assist.
Junior, Ja’Marcus Scott followed close behind with 14 points tossed in for the Wildcat cause. Scott grabbed four rebounds, dished out one assist, and gained one steal in the match. The final Wildcat team member to hit double figures in the match was junior, Marquell Sims, who connected on 71 percent of his shots from inside the arc on his way to 10 points. Sims contributed four rebounds and two steals.
Christian Arnett led the Wildcats on the boards with seven rebounds. Arnett also added six points and one assist to the Wildcats’ overall stats in the match.
Wildcats fans can rest assured that the future of the program looks bright as many of the team’s top scorers from this season will likely be returning to the court next year to lead the team.
The Wildcats currently have only three senior players on the roster; Ke’Arius Williams, Chad Smith, and Levi Waters.