Darren Kinnard/River Radio Sports Central
WOODLAWN — It’s a game fans in Jefferson County and beyond had circled on their calendars back in the summer–Waltonville at Woodlawn.
The two schools are longtime rivals, but the buildup to this matchup was different with Kyle Cooper transferring from Waltonville to Woodlawn to play his senior year for his brother, Luke, who’s the Cardinals’ head coach.
Oh, and both came in undefeated.
Waltonville surged to a 21-12 lead early in the second quarter, but Woodlawn answered by scoring 13 straight points in a 13-2 run to close the half with a 25-23 lead.
The third quarter was back and forth with the Spartans taking a 35-34 lead to the final frame.
The Cardinals grabbed the lead for good and Luke McKay’s driving bucket. Then Woodlawn proceeded to go 8-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.
Cooper led all scorers with 22 points. Tyson Frick added 12 for Woodlawn.
Gage Peterson led the Spartans with 16. Witten Devor added 14.
Up next, Waltonville will head to the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament as the top seed. The Spartans will open tourney play Friday at 4:30 against Marissa/Coulterville. Woodlawn will head to Pinckneyville to play in the Duster Thomas Hoops Classic. The Cardinals will open against Meridian at 1:30 Saturday afternoon.
