Wharton 42, Gaither 34

Wharton survives a scare from the Gaither Cowboys and manage to overcome a turnover-abundant game on the way to a win, 42-34.

Wharton (11-8,5-7) surged past the Cowboys late in the third quarter and dodged a bullet Saturday afternoon at Gaither High School.


AJ Astroth added an immediate two points right after Xavier Owens won the tip and gave the 'Cats the quick 2-0 advantage. However, after the quick points, Astroth struggled the rest of the game from the perimeter but aided in the 'Cats run down the stretch with stifling defense and transitions layups.

Damian Dixon and Stephen Simmons added a couple of three pointers each to help the 'Cats counteract the Cowboy offense. Wharton struggled all game long and had turned the ball over time after time including three or four stretches in which multiple back to back possessions were ended by Cowboy steals or ill-advised passes that found there way out of bounds. Gaither held a slim 20-17 lead at the end of the half.


On the first possession of the second half, Xavier Owens sunk an 8 foot jumper from inside the charity stripe and cut the Cowboy advantage to 1 early in the second half. A few possessions later Damian Dixon found his mark from behind the arch and tied the game at 22. On the ensuing possession, Astroth was intentionally fouled on the fast break. He was sent to the line and nailed both free throws and Dixon found Owens on the lob to the hoop to give the Wildcats the four point lead.

After a few straight turnovers by the Wildcats, Astroth was able to put back his buzzer beating attempt before the clock hit zero. The shot bucket gave Wharton a 30-26 lead going into the fourth quarter.


Wharton started the fourth quarter with four straight misses complimented with four offensive rebounds and a Mike Robinson put back gave Wharton the 6 point lead early in the fourth. Gaither managed to cut the lead to 4 with 1:23 left in the contest. But the Cowboys turned the ball over on their next 3 possessions and Zach Litton's inbound pass to Xavier Owens ended any hope of a comeback for the Cowboys.

Wharton will return to action next Tuesday at The Jungle against Bruce B. Downs Rival Freedom High School and 7:45PM.