“Wild” would aptly describe Polk County’s home varsity basketball game against conference rival Hendersonville last Friday evening.

When the clock ran out, the visiting Bearcats had earned a 75-70 win, but the Wolverines had played consistently hard, something that pleased Polk Head Coach Josh McEntire.

“I’m really proud of our effort,” McEntire stated after the game. He described the Wolverines’ game as “the best four quarters we did all year. If we can build on that, we’ll be successful.”

However, McEntire also remarked, “We were our own worst enemy. He noted that the Bearcats outscored Polk 11-1 in the last two and one-half minutes of the game.

“You can’t win doing that.” Once three Wolverines fouled out, “we played five guards,” McEntire stated. That hardly helped the Wolverines control the boards.

Toward the end of the game, after a Bearcat player sank a three-pointer, “we were still in pretty good shape,” McEntire said. “Then we made a silly foul.”  A few miscues and some tough luck went a long way to sink Polk.

In all, four Polk players fouled out — Wes Mullis, Jaymes Wingo, Davis Derkach and Holden Owens. Jamal Wheeler’s 18 points led the Wolverines. Mullis added 15, with sophomore Dillon Overholt scoring 14.

“We had our chances,” McEntire pointed out. “You have to give them (Hendersonville) credit.”

Polk, which fell to 3-12 overall and 1-4 in the Western Highlands Conference, hosts Madison County, another WHC rival, this Tuesday evening. Opening tipoff is set for 8 p.m., or after the women’s game, which begins at about 6:30.

For the 5-9, 2-4 Bearcats, Qushawn Brown scored 22, with Tykel Landrum adding 19.

Both teams were neck and neck in the first quarter, with Hendersonville leading, 18-16 after eight minutes of play. Similar scrambling gave Polk a 39-35 lead at the half. Fouls cost the host in the second half. At one point, a technical violation against Polk put Landrum on the line for four shots, of which he sank two.

At least twice in the game, Wheeler roared down court and jammed in two points each time. One of those jams gave Polk a 53-52 lead in the third quarter. Almost immediately, Wheeler broke free again, and jammed in two more points, to put the Wolverines ahead, 55-52. However, Hendersonville tied the game by the end of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Daniel Painter lofted in another of his three-pointers, to put Polk ahead, 69-66, but then, the Bearcats were able to take advantage of Polk’s foul trouble, and forge ahead.