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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

COLUMBIANA – In their second-to-last home game of the regular season, the Shelby County Wildcats picked up some valuable momentum with a 64-41 win over the Jefferson Christian Academy Eagles.

The Thursday, Jan. 18 win secured a sweep of the season series and came on the back of double-digit scoring nights from Luke Edwards and Ryan Sipes.

Edwards and Sipes spearheaded the scoring early, with Sipes draining a trio of three-pointers for nine points in the first quarter and Edwards making four field goals for eight points during that same span.

Those performances highlighted a 28-point first quarter where six different Wildcats scored a basket, which gave the home side a 28-9 lead after eight minutes of play.

The second quarter was more evenly contested between the two teams, and Jefferson Christian outscored Shelby County 11-10 in the remaining minutes before halftime.

Montez White scored four points to help the Wildcats offense, while their defense helped them take a 38-20 lead into the locker room.

After scoring 11 points in the first half, Sipes kept working and scored five more points in the third.

In addition, Edwards and Lawson Starnes each added four points apiece as Shelby County scored 15 points in the third quarter to increase the lead to 53-25.

The Eagles began to find their offense in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to overcome the massive deficit.

Freshman Tyson Duncan took advantage of the fourth to score seven points for the Wildcats to put the finishing touches on the 23-point win.

Sipes led all scorers with 16 points, including four three-pointers, and Edwards dropped 12 points in the win. Montez White scored eight points, Duncan had seven and Starnes scored six.