The Bolton Wildcats were the 69-64 winner over the Haywood Tomcats when they last played one another last Tuesday, but their luck changed this time around. Bolton fell just short of Haywood by a score of 73-70. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (58), Bolton still had to take the loss.
Bolton's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kylan Collins, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Collins has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Ethan Caswell, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Haywood's win on Tuesday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Lekendrick Phillips, who scored 23 points along with five steals. Phillips is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. The team also got some help courtesy of Ron Brisbon, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 15 rebounds.
Bolton has not been sharp recently as the team's lost seven of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-15 record this season. As for Haywood, their victory bumped their record up to 15-9.
Bolton will be playing in front of their home fans against Fayette Ware at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Fayette Ware presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Bolton in Tennessee (Fayette Ware is ranked 24th, while Bolton is ranked 187th). As for Haywood, they will head out on the road to square off against Bolivar Central at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Bolivar Central is coming into the game with five straight losses at home, meaning Haywood will have to defend against a team hungry for a victory.
