CORNERSVILLE — The Cornersville Bulldogs (3-2) faced the Wildcats of Wayne County High School (4-3) in the night cap of Friday night’s doubleheader in the gymnasium at Cornersville High School.
The Bulldogs used a great game by Kel Ford as the big man scored 17 points and dominated under the basket, allowing Cornersville to come away with 56-38 victory over the Wildcats.
The Bulldogs also benefited from the continuing sure-handed ball handling and quickness of point guard Gage Lovell as the sophomore scored 13 points weaving his way through the Wildcat defense.
Saylor Skelton then sank a basket off a pass from Cooper Shamer to put the Wildcats on the board first.
Lovell responded as he, after being fouled on a drive, made one of two free throws to make the score 2-1.
Skelton again from down low scored a basket then Lovell sank two free throws to make the score 4-3.
Cayman Camfield scored on a putback that stretched the Wildcat lead to three points, 6-3.
Lovell sank another free throw and Ford made his first basket of the night to tie the game with 2:17 left in the first quarter, 6-6.
Lovell then from behind the arc swished a three-pointer to push Cornersville into the lead, 9-6
Camfield for Wayne County sank a short jumper to make the score 9-8 and this score prevailed until the quarter ended.
The second quarter began with Camfield for Wayne County bombing a three-pointer before Ford for Cornersville banged home a short jumper to tie the game at 11-11.
Camfield and Skelton made back-to-back basket as Wayne County eased out to a four-point lead, 15-11 before Carter Neat rattled home the first of his three pointers in the quarter that brought the Bulldogs back to within one point, 15-14.
Neat put the Bulldogs in the lead, sank two free throws, with 3:20 showing on the clock until halftime.
Neat sank another three-pointer, Drew Bevis sank two free-throws sandwiched between Cornersville’s Blaine Woodard’s deep three pointer before Neat drilled his third three-pointer of the second quarter as the Bulldogs increased their lead to 25-17.
Ford scored on a put-back scored a basket before Wayne County’s Landyn Prater drilled a three-pointer to finish the scoring before the second quarter horn sounded with Cornersville leading, 27-20.
The third quarter saw Wayne County battle back but Cornersville’s Ben Franklin with two baskets and Ford scoring a basket down low pacing the Bulldogs that built the lead to 33-30 lead, when a long three-pointer from the corner by Shamer with 4:50 left in the quarter tied the game at 33-33.
Cornersville responded when Woodard, on an inbound pass, found Ford underneath the basket for a layup to put Cornersville back in the lead, 35-33.
Camfield nailed a short jumper later in the quarter to make the score 41-38, but Cornersville’s Kale Adcox put the topping on the quarter for Cornersville when he sank a three-pointer to increase the Bulldog lead to six points, 44-38.
The fourth quarter saw the Bulldog defense slam the door shut on Wayne County as the Wildcats failed to score in the final eight minutes.
In the final quarte,r Lovell scored six points, all on free-throws, Hayden Grover scored four and Ford, with the last two points of his 17-point effort for the night, led the Bulldogs to a 56-38 victory.
“I felt like we kind of got off to a slow start, but we got a quick lead there at the end of the half. We responded there in the third quarter whenever they made a three or a bucket, I tell them every time we leave the locker room that the third quarter determines who will win the game. If you start off fast, start off quick then that determines how the rest of the ball game will go. I am super proud of the team and the effort Del Ford put together tonight,” Bulldog coach Dakota Brown said.

Wayne Co. 8 12 18 0 — 38
Cornersville 9 18 17 12 — 56

Wayne Co.: Cayman Camfield 11, Cooper Shamer 10, Saylor Skelton 8, Landyn Prater 6, Drew Bevis 3.
Cornersville (56): Kel Ford 17, Gage Lovell 13, Carter Neat 11, Ben Franklin 4, Hayden Grover 4, Blaine Woodard 3, Kale Adcox 3.
3-Point Goals: Cornersville (5): Neat 3, Woodard, Adcox; Wayne Co. (5): Prater 2, Shamer 2, Camfield.
Halftime Score: Cornersville 27, Wayne Co. 20.