Saturday, January 24, 2026

THE SHOW | 2026 | One Month to Go

 

Join Crittenden County basketball coaches Shannon Hodge and Kenny Jackson each week for the Rocket Basketball Coach’s Show — hosted by former Rocket Trace Derrington and proudly supported by our local business sponsors. Today's program features coach Kenny Jackson with
Rockets Emmitt Ellington and Conner Poindexter.

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Thursday, January 22, 2026

Flury of threes ends Storm's chances

Elliot Evans and Andrea Federico play a little
defense at Hopkins Central, but it was their
offense that helped orchestrate the win.
MORTON’S GAP, Ky. — On the eve of what is expected to be historic winter weather, Crittenden County delivered a flurry of three pointers Thursday to beat the Lady Storm 63-53 in a key Second Region matchup.

Crittenden County led 23-13 after one quarter, stretched the margin to 31-24 at halftime and never relinquished control despite several Hopkins Central pushes in the second half. The win improved the Lady Rockets to 14-4 and further solidified their position near the top of the Second Region, where they are ranked No. 2 in the KHSAA power rankings. Hopkins Central slipped to 12-7 and entered the night ranked No. 4 in the region by KHSAA RPI.

The tone was set late in the first quarter the Storm girls led early, but the Crittenden rushed ahead fueled by perimeter shooting. Andrea Federico knocked down a 3-pointer, Elliot Evans followed with two more from deep and Anna Boone capped the surge with an and-one to spark a 12-0 burst. Adri Berry came off the bench and added a short bank shot at the buzzer as the Lady Rockets pushed the lead to double digits to end the opening period. 

Hopkins Central opened in a triangle-and-two defense, keying on Boone and Jordyn Hodge, but the strategy left Evans and Federico with clean looks on the perimeter. Crittenden County capitalized, getting scoring contributions from all five positions and keeping the Lady Storm from settling into a rhythm offensively.

The Lady Storm trimmed the margin to seven midway through the second quarter, but Crittenden County answered with timely baskets to carry a seven-point lead into the break. Federico opened the third quarter with two straight 3-pointers, extending the advantage to 37-24 and forcing Hopkins Central to chase the game from there. Increased ball pressure by the Lady Storm created brief momentum swings.

Hopkins Central made one final push early in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to seven before Evans drilled another 3-pointer to restore a double-digit cushion with five minutes remaining. Boone followed with a 3-pointer of her own and then attacked the basket off the bounce as the Lady Rockets methodically pulled away in the final minutes.

Evans led Crittenden County with 17 points buoyed by 5 three-pointers, while Boone added 15 points and reached a milestone by collecting the 700th rebound of her career during the game. Federico scored 14 points, highlighted by four 3-pointers, and Jordyn Hodge chipped in 13. Berry finished with four points as the Lady Rockets went 15-of-19 from the free-throw line.

The victory gave Crittenden County a 10-4 edge in the series over the past decade and kept the Lady Rockets. With one more win, the senior class will stand alone with the most victories by any Crittenden County girls class over a four-year period.

CCHS is scheduled to play at Caldwell County Tuesday, but based on the weather forecast that game could be in jeopardy.

Crittenden County 23 31 48 63
Hopkins Central 13 24 35 53
CRITTENDEN – Boone 15, Evans 17, Hodge 13, Federico 14, Rushing, Holemana, Berry 4. FG 19. 3-pointers 10 (Boone, Evans 5, Federico 4). FT 15-19.
HOPKINS – White 11, Marsh 6, Menser 8, Mason 16, Dulin 12, Carne. FG 21. 3-pointers 5 (Mason 2, Dulin, White, Menser). FT 6-11.
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Saturday, January 17, 2026

Early turnovers costly for Rockets on the road

CALHOUN, Ky. — Rocket sophomore Emmitt Ellington was 3-for-4 from behind the arc in the first half, but Crittenden County could not keep pace Saturday in a 66-25 loss at McLean County Cougars.

Ellington led the Rockets with 10 points, knocking down three-pointers as Crittenden connected on four shots from beyond the arc for the game. Logan Martin added the other. As a team, Crittenden went 7 of 32 from the field for 21.9%, including 4 of 11 from 3-point range at 36.4%. The Rockets were 7 of 12 at the free-throw line.

McLean County built separation early and steadily extended the margin, leading 15-8 after the first quarter and 38-15 at halftime before pulling away in the second half. 

For the second straight game, Crittenden held an opponent without a made 3-pointer, another sign of improvement on the perimeter. The Rockets struggled with ball security early, committing 19 turnovers in the first half before cutting that number to four after the break.

Crittenden fell to 1-19, while McLean improved to 12-7 and took a 4-2 edge in the series for the decade. The Rockets will have a full week off before returning home to host Whitesville Trinity on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Crittenden Co. 8 15 22 25
McLean County 15 38 56 66
CRITTENDEN – Ellington 10, Porter, Bumpus, Topp 3, Dayberry, Jones, Myers, Hutchison, Adamson, Martin 3, C.Poindexter 1, Collins, B.Pondexter 8, Counts. FG 7. 3-pointers 4 (Ellington 3, Martin). FT 7-12.
MCLEAN – Coleman 1, Mauzy 2, Floyd 3, Graves 16, Bozarth 4, Albin 2, Gatton 9, R.Gattn 8, Bertolini 17, Lynam 4. FG 28. 3-pointers none. FT 10-17.

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Friday, January 16, 2026

Boone gets hers; Champion nets 17 in victory

Boone got her 2K and currently No. 2
on the team's all-time scoring list.
MARION, Ky. — Senior Anna Boone got exactly what she came for, then stepped aside and let her teammates finish off perhaps the most lopsided win over Livingston Central in program history.

In the first quarter, Boone scored the six points she needed to reach 2,000 for her career, then deferred as Crittenden County overwhelmed Livingston Central 61-14 Friday night in the inaugural Farmers Bank Highway 60 Classic – a new rivalry concept complete with a traveling trophy.

The Lady Rockets raced to a 17-0 lead before Boone capped the opening burst with the basket that pushed her into the 2,000-point club. Boone, the Lady Rockets’ second-leading scorer in history, is also the program’s most prolific 3-point shooter. Taylor Guess is the girls’ all-time scoring leader with 2,643 points.

Freshman Abigail Champion delivered a breakout performance, scoring a career-high and game-best 17 points. Jordyn Hodge and Andrea Federico set the tone early.

Crittenden’s pressure defense all but erased Livingston from the scoreboard in the first half. The Lady Cardinals scored their first point at the free-throw line with about two minutes left in the half

Boone finished with six points for an even 2,000, while Hodge scored 16 and Federico added 11.

The victory continued Crittenden’s recent dominance of the Cardinals. The Lady Rockets have now won seven straight against Livingston dating back to 2023 and 14 of the last 15 meetings since 2021.

Livingston Central fell to 3-10 overall and 0-3 in Fifth District play. Crittenden improved to 13-4 overall and 4-0 in district, maintaining its hold on first place.

The Lady Rockets will enjoy a brief break before returning to action Thursday at Hopkins Central for a matchup against one of the region’s top teams. A game scheduled for Tuesday against St. Mary was cancelled. 

Livingston Central  0  3   7 14
Crittenden County 20 36 46 61
LIVINGSTON – Collins, T.Leahy 1, A.Leahy 2, Palmer 4, Wring, Jennings, Meyers 3, Wood 2, Hinzman 2. FG 6. 3-pointers 1 (Meyers). FT 1-4.
CRITTENDEN – Boone 6, Evans 9, Hodge 16, Federico 11, Rushing, Holeman, Berry, Champion 17, Grau 2, Rich, Kemmer. FG 26. 3-pointers 5 (Evans 2, Hodge 2, Federico). FT 4-8.

Farmers Bank's Andy Hunt presents the Lady Rockets the
inaugural Farmers Bank Highway 60 Classic trophy in front
of a packed house at Rocket Arena Friday night.


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Cardinals capture inaugural Highway 60 Classic

Livingston Logan Wring avoids
a collision with CCHS's
Roane Topp in the first half.
MARION, Ky. — Livingston Central’s boys weathered an early push from Crittenden County, then turned the inaugural Farmers Bank Highway 60 Classic into a rout with a dominant second half, pulling away for an 84-56 win Friday night at Rocket Arena.

The Rockets hung within five points for much of the opening period and showed defensive improvement early, but Livingston gradually seized control late in the first quarter and widened the gap in the second. The Cardinals pushed the margin past 20 points before halftime and never let Crittenden back into contention.

Crittenden scored 10 three-pointers in the contest with Brady Dayberry and Jack Porter dropping two apiece. No Rocket scored in double figures. For Livingston, Logan Wring led the way with 29 and Bryson Walker had 19. Avery Zaim and Ethan Garner pitched in 14 and 11, respectively. The Cardinals had no threes in the game.

Crittenden’s defense has shown progress, but fatigue has set in early during recent losses to district opponents, including Trigg County earlier in the week. 

The loss dropped the Crittenden County Rockets to 1-18 overall and 0-4 in district play. Livingston Central Cardinals improved to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in league play and have now won six straight meetings against Crittenden.

The Farmers Bank Highway 60 Classic debuted this season as a rivalry series featuring a traveling trophy between the neighboring programs.

Livingston Central 19 45 67 84
Crittenden County 11 22 40 56
LIVINGSTON – Walker 19, Garner 11, Gainey 3, Zaim 14, Wring 29, Ross, Chittenden, Sinks 6, Messenger 2, Peek, Holman. FG 31. 3-pointers none. FT 22-30.
CRITTENDEN – Jones, Ellington 3, C.Poindexter 8, Dayberry 8, B.Poindexter 2, Topp 6, Martin 3, Porter 6, Myers 8, Bumpus 6, Bryant 3, Hughes 3, Hutchison, Murray, Counts. FG 18. 3-pointers 10 (Dayberry 2, Porter 2, Ellington, C.Poindexter, Topp, Martin, Bryant, Hughes). FT 8-17.

Farmers Bank's Andy Hunt presents Livingston Central with
the first ever Highway 60 Classic traveling trophy.


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Wednesday, January 14, 2026

THE SHOW | 2026 | Season enters second half

 

Join Crittenden County basketball coaches Shannon Hodge and Kenny Jackson each week for the Rocket Basketball Coach’s Show – hosted by former Rocket Trace Derrington and proudly supported by our local business sponsors. Today's program features coach Shannon Hodge along with players Anna Boone and Jordyn Hodge.

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Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Second-half collapse leaves Rockets in defeat

Joel Bumpus dives for ball against Trigg.
MARION, Ky. — Trigg County’s lead went from near zero to 30 in the first 12 minutes of the second half and buried the Rockets 80-47 after a highly competitive start to the game Tuesday at Rocket Arena.

What began as a high-energy, back-and-forth battle unraveled quickly for Crittenden County after halftime, largely due to 23 second-half Rocket turnovers.

Crittenden traded the lead several times in the opening half and trailed by just one point at the break, 27-26, after matching Trigg’s physicality and pace. Both teams played at full throttle the entire way, and the game was loose at times — marked by hurried possessions and miscues on both ends of the floor.

The tone changed abruptly coming out of the locker room. Trigg, which shot poorly in the first half, got on track offensively while Crittenden struggled to get good looks. The Wildcats steadily stretched the margin, building a 33-27 lead midway through the third quarter before the game slipped away. A decisive Trigg run late in the period pushed the lead to 54-34 with 25 seconds left in the quarter, effectively sealing the outcome.

Coach Jackson tried to rally his troops
to their second win of the season.
Trigg outscored Crittenden 29-11 in the third quarter and continued to pull away in the fourth, when the Wildcats’ lead ballooned to as many as 32.

Junior guard Landon Swann led Trigg with a game-high 35 points, including six 3-pointers. Crittenden was led by Emmitt Ellington and Conner Poindexter with 10 points each.

The win was Trigg County’s first district victory as the Wildcats improved to 4-9 overall. Trigg has now won seven straight meetings against Crittenden dating back to February 2023. The Rockets fell to 1-17 overall and 0-3 in district play after being unable to sustain the inspired play they showed in the opening half.

The Rockets are at home Friday against Livingston Central for another district showdown. It will be the team’s homecoming game.

Trigg County 12 27 56 80
Crittenden Co. 13 26 37 47
TRIGG – Gude 14, Dixon 12, Swann 35, Travis 6, Broussard 4, Shepherd 4, McCormick 2, Lawson 3. FG 27. 3-pointers 8 (Swan 6, Dixon, Lawson). FT 18-28.
CRITTENDEN – Ellington 10, Porter 3, Bumpus 2, Topp, 5, Bryant, Jones 8, Dayberry 4, Myers, Martin 2, C.Poindexter 10, Hughes, Murray, B.Poindexter 6, Counts, Hutchison. FG 18. 3-pointers 6 (Ellington 2, Topp, Dayberry, Jones, C.Poindexter). FT 5-9.
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