By LINDSEY WOOD

CV&T Reporter

Photo submitted by Rebecca Click

Caleb Bonny dribbles ball down the court againts the Powell County Pirates.

The Estill County boy’s basketball team took down Buckhorn 76-65 and Powell County 53-43, with the victory against Powell marking their tenth consecutive win. The Engineers have not lost a game since Dec. 29 and sit on a 16-6 record for the season.

Estill traveled to Buckhorn last Tuesday and bested them 76-65. Despite a slow offensive start, the Engineers were able to overpower Buckhorn late in the game, scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter. Caleb Bonny led the team in scoring, with 19 points. Senior Andrew Doty also had a big night, scoring 16.

When asked for his thoughts on the win, Bonny said: “Buckhorn wasn’t one of our better performances, but we still managed to come out on top. It’s always tough to get a win at Buckhorn, so we were just happy to come out with the win.”

The Engineers’ next match would be away against district rival Powell County. At their last meeting, Estill won 64-55. The Engineers defeated Powell yet again by a similar margin, but the game didn’t have the usual sense of urgency and competitiveness typical of a Powell-Estill match-up. In fact, Estill almost gave up their lead in the second half—leading Coach Bentley to nearly break a clipboard—but the Engineers managed to regain control and finish the game. As per usual, Bonny led the offense; he had 21 points for the night. Lane Doty followed with 10. Estill was clearly the better team, and they were able to grind out a big district win.

Bonny characterized this victory as “a really big game for us. We hadn’t beat Powell in their gym since my freshman year, so we really wanted to go over there and make a statement, which we were able to do by taking home the win.”

With just six games remaining in the regular season, the Engineers must focus on staying sharp  and making any necessary adjustments before post-season play. This team has improved with every outing and continues to impress fans with their abilities, but they can’t let off the gas if they want to bring home their first region championship trophy.

Looking ahead, the Engineers play Owsley County away at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8; Wolfe County at home at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10; and East Carter away at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12.