The Opp Bobcats split varsity games with the Slocomb Redtops on Friday in Opp to open up Class 3A, Area 3 play.

BOYS

OPP 55,

SLOCOMB 38

In the final game of the evening, the Bobcats surged in the second half to pick up a 55-38 victory.

Slocomb got on the board first, but Erik Matthews put the Bobcats up when he knocked down a free throw on an and-one attempt.

E. Matthews put in a few more shots and a bucket from Caleb Hinton helped put Opp on top 10-9 at the end of the first period.

The Bobcats continued their strong start as the extended their lead to 26-22 at halftime.

The lead was almost 29-22 as Bryan Matthews hit a last second shot from halfcourt, but the officials talked it over and agreed the ball skipped off of the lights in the ceiling before landing in the basket.

Opp’s biggest period came in the fourth when they held Slocomb to just three points.

Just before the buzzer sounded to end the game, Opp’s Jacob King playfully tossed the ball up from halfcourt and the ball hit nothing but net to cap off the Bobcats’ 55-38 victory.

Hinton led the Bobcats with 17 points in the win.

E. Matthews finished the game with 14 points.

“It’s very important to open area play with a win,” Opp head coach Willie Edwards said. “The reason it’s so important is because you start to control your own destiny. If you come in your own place and lose, you are in trouble when you go to their place. I’ve been preaching to the kids that it’s never how you start, it’s how you finish. We are starting to finish basketball games.”

Edwards said he was pleased with things he saw from his team.

“Our effort,” Edwards said when asked what stood out to him. “We were getting after loose balls and just playing the game hard. I preach all the time that if you play hard you have the opportunity to make things happen. When you don’t play hard, bad things happen. We’ve been big on trying to trust the process. Trust the stuff we’ve got in. It will work if we trust it.”

GIRLS

SLOCOMB 54,

OPP 20

In the varsity girls’ game, the Lady Redtops built a huge lead to open up the game as they ran away with a 54-20 victory.

Slocomb came out firing on all cylinders and were up by 20 points early in the opening period.

The Lady Redtops continued their assault into the second period and they took a 40-8 lead into halftime.

Slocomb pulled back on the reigns in the second half, but still managed to come away with a 54-20 victory.

B-TEAM

OPP 49,

SLOCOMB 38

In the first game of the evening, the Bobcats held on for a 49-38 win.

Opp had a big night from Jaydon Lacey as he finished the game with 17 points.

Tavion Head finished the game with 15 points for the Bobcats.