Lady Wildcats win Big Cat Classic
Photo courtesy of Licking R-8 Schools
The winner of the 2025 Big Cat Classic is the Licking Lady Wildcats, coached by Steve Rissler and Callie Smith. Town & Country Bank sponsors the annual Classic. At left is Senior Vice President/Loan Officer Doug Barnes, from Salem, in the blue t-shirt. At right is Vice President/Licking Branch Manager Rawly Gorman.
The Licking Lady Wildcats opened their 2025-26 season with the annual Big Cat Classic versus the Salem Lady Tigers. With their headquarters and two banks in Salem, and a branch in Licking, Town & Country Bank sponsors the annual Classic between both the boys and girls basketball teams.
Licking used pressure to jump out to an early lead. Salem regrouped and made a run to even the score midway through the first quarter. Keely Gorman scored nine in the opening frame to lead Licking to a 17-8 advantage after one.
The Lady ’Cats scored 17 in the second quarter also, but this time the Lady ’Cat defense held Salem to four total points. Licking went into halftime with a 34-12 lead.
Both teams scored better in the third quarter with LHS scoring 22 and Salem dropping 13.
Licking held a lead of over 30 points entering the fourth quarter, so the turbo clock was in play. Licking defeated the Salem Lady Tigers 61-31, claiming this year’s Classic trophy.
Licking scorers included Gorman with 20 points, Hadlee Davis scored 13, and Addison Floyd was also in double digits with 10. Kylee Rinne added 7, Penelope Huff hit for 6, Morgan Stone had 3, and Adalee Hart had 2 points.
“This was a good way to open the 2025 season. Several girls saw some sort of success tonight,” said Head Coach Steve Rissler.
The Lady ’Cats faced a hot shooting Dixon team in the first round of the Frisco League Tournament on Saturday. They lost a heartbreaker, 41-44, and will play in round two on Friday.
“I’m proud of the effort,” posted Coach Rissler on the Licking Lady Wildcats Basketball Facebook page. “We will get better at end of game situations as we gain experience. We are very inexperienced and the goal is to see improvement throughout the season heading into districts.”
