Yoemen get two wins to begin season
The Cameron Yoemen basketball team hosted the Caldwell Hornets on Friday, Nov. 17, for their home opener. The Yoemen were victorious, defeating Caldwell 59-54.
The game started even until Cameron scored on a layup by Damon Flemings (5) to take a 9-6 lead. Cameron continued the scoring run with five unanswered points to extend their lead to 14-6. The Yoemen stayed aggressive with a three-pointer from Kevin Sprinkles Jr. (21) to take a 17-8 lead. The first quarter ended with Cameron ahead of Caldwell 19-8.
The Yoemen started the second quarter slowly as Caldwell stormed back to make the score 19-14. Camerons first points of the quarter came from a free throw by Kason Goolsby (3) at the 5-minute mark to make their lead 20-14. The Yoemen continued to fend off the Hornets with a three pointer by Brayden Williams (11) for a 23-17 lead. Cameron stayed ahead with a layup by Flemings to make the score 27-20. The Yoemen began to pull away and led 32-25 going into halftime.
The Hornets started the second half fast and tied the game at 32. Cameron responded with a big layup by Williams for a 34-32 lead, then Caldwell went in front 35-34. Caldwell gained some separation, but Cameron answered with a layup by Cody Webb (12) for a 38-36 deficit. The Yoemen then took back the lead 39-38 on steal by Goolsby, finishing with a fast break layup. The third quarter ended with Cameron winning 43-41 after a buzzer beating floater by Goolsby.
Cameron scored the first points of the fourth quarter on a layup by Sprinkles, taking a 45-41 lead. The Hornets came back to make the score 45-44, then retook the lead 46-45. The lead changed hands again on a layup by Braylan Drake (1) to make the score 48-46. Caldwell forged ahead ahead late in the game 54-50, but Cameron buckled down and came up with big points from free throws and a layup by Drake to tie the game at 54. The Yoemen showed their toughness with a clutch layup by Webb to take a 56-54 lead, and they would finish strong to win the game 59-54.
Up next, the Yoemen stayed at home and hosted the Smithville Tigers on Monday, Nov. 20. Cameron defeated the Tigers 64-56 to improve to 2-1 in the young season.
The Yoemen will not play again until after Thanksgiving. Their next game will be on the road against the Franklin Lions. The game will be on Tuesday, Nov. 28, and tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.