Lady Wildcats end regular season in battle with Cuba

By Editor | February 25, 2026 |

Photo by Shari Harris
Hadlee Davis goes up for a shot against Cuba.

By Shari Harris, Publisher

The final regular season game for the Lady Wildcats brought the Cuba Lady Wildcats to town. In a game that kept fans at the edge of their seats, Licking and Cuba battled for four quarters to end in a tie, and two overtimes were required to decide the game, with Licking losing 51-53.

Kylee Rinne’s two points and Bailee Medlock’s three points were all Licking had produced by the end of the first quarter, with Cuba not far ahead with nine points. Licking closed the gap to a three point deficit by the half, 17-20, boosted by Hadlee Davis’ five points.

Both teams chipped in nine during the third quarter, with Davis scoring seven of those for Licking. The hometown Wildcats scored nine again in the fourth, with five from Penelope Huff and four from Addison Floyd. Licking’s defense held Cuba to six points in the final quarter, tying the game at 35 at the end of regulation time. The fourth quarter also saw Kylee Rinne go out for concussion protocol, which prevented her from returning in overtime.

Davis connected for eight points in the first overtime, keeping the game tied at 43. But Licking lost Addison Floyd when she collected her fifth foul. Licking was able to keep the game close, but despite Davis adding two more points, Jayde Thompson coming off the bench to score four and Morgan Stone contributing two before fouling out, Cuba had captured the win when the buzzer sounded.

Davis finished with 22 points, Huff had 8, Medlock 6, Floyd 5, Rinne 4, Thompson 4, and Stone 2.

A physical battle with some inconsistencies in the officiating contributed to foul trouble for the Licking Lady Cats. Some opportunities were missed by the young team, but the Licking Lady Wildcats continue to grow. They were effectively able to limit the offense of the Class 4 Cuba Lady Wildcats, who have a record of 20-5, during several stretches of the game. In addition, the heart shown by the home team to the end was inspiring—the Licking ladies showed what they are capable of as they prepared for the District Tournament this week.

Licking won round one of the District Tournament on Monday, February 23, over the Cabool Bulldogs, with a score of 56-27. They will face the Willow Springs Bears in the semi-final round on Wednesday at 7 p.m.