The Skidmore-Tynan varsity basketball Bobcats tuned up for district play with a home win, 42-36, over the Kenedy Lions on Tuesday night.

The ‘Cats began District 30-2A play last night (Friday) with a road tilt at Taft.

The encounter with the Lions was a defensive battle right from the opening tip. The Lions held a 7-6 advantage after one period, but the Bobcats upped the offensive output in the second eight minutes to take control. The S-T boys worked for 12 points while holding the visitors to another seven markers to take a 18-14 lead into halftime.

“We struggled shooting the ball and committed way too many turnovers but played well enough to win. Defensively, we did a good job of contesting most of their shots and keeping them off the offensive rebounds,” said head coach Paul Yuma.

The second half was tight and neither team could shake loose from the other. Both squads recorded 11 points in the third period and the Bobcats outscored the Lions 13-11 over the final eight minutes to capture the 42-36 victory.

“It was not our best game of the year but we found a way to win and our players learned some things about game situations and game management which will help us out later in district games,” Yuma said.

Connor McCarn led the Skidmore scoring with a game-high 21 points. Brandon East followed with seven and Ben Davis sank six in the win. Zach Mengers furnished four points. Erasmo Huerta and Zach Hall each made three. Rene Jimenez closed out the scoring with two.

“Some of our younger kids did a good job of stepping in for Gavin Vandever (our team’s second leading scorer) who was out with a hand injury. Freshman Brandon East and freshman Erasmo Huerta combined for 10 points,” said Yuma.

On Tuesday night, the Bobcats will travel to Banquete to meet the Bulldogs.