Girls' holiday tournament in Orlando

Lady Rocket Holiday

Tournament statistics

The varsity and junior varsity teams traveled to Orlando during the winter break and competed in a tournament.

Here are the statistics:

Varsity

Dec. 28

Parkview, PA 52, Crittenden Co. 39

Parkview 8 26 36 52

Crittenden Co. 10 24 37 39

Scoring: Jessi Hodge, 21, Laken Tabor 9, Whitney Johnson 5, Jenna Franklin 2, Bailey Brown 2. 3 pointers 5 (Hodge 2, Tabor 3)

Dec. 29

Merion Mercy, PA 58, Crittenden Co. 43

Merion Mercy 17 36 45 58

Crittenden Co. 9 24 39 43

Scoring: Jessi Hodge 15, Whitney Johnson 11, Laken Tabor 6, Hannah Brantley 5, Summer Courtney 4, Jenna Franklin 2. 3 pointers 4 (Tabor 2, Hodge 1, Johnson 1)

December 30

Crittenden Co. 63, Foundation Academy, FL 32

Crittenden Co. 17 33 46 63

Foundation Academy 6 15 25 32

Scoring: Jessi Hodge 20, Laken Tabor 15, Whitney Johnson 14, Summer Courtney 8, Tiffany Graham 4, Jenna Franklin 1, Randa Leidecker 1. 3 pointers 4 (Hodge 2, Tabor 1, Johnson 1)

JV

Dec. 28

Ambridge, PA 67, Crittenden Co. 31

Ambridge 16 33 51 67

Crittenden Co. 10 17 24 31

Scoring: Bailey Brown 9, Jenna Franklin 6, Randa Leidecker 6, Megan Roberts 4, Maggie Collins 4, Kaitlyn Binkley 2. 3 pointers 1 (Randa Leidecker)

Dec. 29

Wayne Co. Tenn. 53, Crittenden Co. 43

Wayne Co. 10 27 40 52

Crittenden Co. 11 19 32 43

Scoring: Jenna Franklin 14, Randa Leidecker 12, Bailey Brown 8, Megan Roberts 5, Maggie Collins 4. 3 pointers 2 (Leidecker 1, Brown 1)

Dec. 30

Crittenden Co. 36, Abingdon, VA 35

Crittenden Co. 10 18 26 36

Abingdon 5 18 30 35

Scoring: Bailey Brown 13, Jenna Franklin 10, Randa Leidecker 5, Megan Roberts 4, Kaitlyn Binkley 2, Maggie Collins 2. 3 pointers 1 (Leidecker)

Turnovers, missed free throws cost Ladies the game

Hopkinsville 49, Crittenden 46

Crittenden 11 27 33 49

Hopkinsville 11 17 25 46

Crittenden - Brantley 18, Hodge 9, Tabor 9, Courtney 6, Graham 2, Brown 1, Johnson 1, Franklin. FG. 17. 3-pointers none. FT. 12-20. Fouls 18.

Hopkinsville - Soldo 20, Williams 7, Nolen 6, Miller 8, Kemp 4, Cole 4. FG. 17. 3-pointers 1 (Miller). FT. 12-20. Fouls 18.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

The Lady Rockets were doomed by 22 turnovers and a very poor 12-of-20 showing at the charity stripe Tuesday at Hopkinsville and dropped the contest 49-46.

With the Lady Tigers playing a triangle-and-two defense to try and limit Crittenden guards Laken Tabor and Jessi Hodge, the visitors struggled to get any consistent offense throughout the game.

Trailing 33-25 entering the fourth quarter, Crittenden (2-3) picked a bad time to go cold from the free throw line. They missed eight free throws in the last stanza which was a huge obstacle in preventing them from making a comeback.

“We just didn’t get going for any length of time,” Lady Rocket coach Shannon Hodge said after the loss.

Long range shooting was also a problem for the Lady Rockets as they were 0-of-10 from the three-point territory in a three point defeat.

One bright spot in Tuesday’s defeat was the way Crittenden went to the boards outrebounding the hosts 46-29.

Whitney Johnson recorded 11 rebounds followed closely behind by Summer Courtney and Laken Tabor with nine apiece.

The Lady Rockets’ three losses have come by an average of only 4.3 points per game as their biggest margin of defeat has been by six points.

Hodge wants her team to realize that one play on either end of the court can spell the difference in winning and losing.

“The expectations have to start in practice,” she said.

Hodge continues to be pleased with the performance of reserve senior center Tiffany Graham, who recorded two points and a pair of rebounds in Tuesday’s loss.

“Tiffany has given us some valuable minutes this year,” she said.

Technical fouls, turnover lead to Rocket defeat

Lyon 55, Crittenden 42

Crittenden 12 16 29 42

Lyon 10 24 31 55

Crittenden - Oliver 16, Clark 5, Pluskota 2, Pierce 7, Porter 8, Highfil 2, Nielsen 2, Gray, Scott, Belt. FG. 10. 3-pointers 5 (Oliver 3, Pierce, Porter). FT. 7-13. Fouls 24.

Lyon - Ringstaff 15, Perdue 12, Houk 10, Sutton 5, Taylor 2, Gray 6, Crady 2, Polk 3, Williams. FG. 15. 3-pointers 3 (Ringstaff 2, Polk). FT. 16-27. Fouls 16.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

In a sloppy game, which featured a combined 45 turnovers and three technical fouls, the Rockets let too many opportunities get away Tuesday at Eddyville and dropped a 55-42 decision to Fifth District foe Lyon County.

Rocket junior guard Casey Oliver scored seven first quarter points in helping his team jump out to a 12-6 lead with 1:38 left in the opening stanza.

The Lyon defense limited Crittenden (1-4, 0-2) to one field goal in the second quarter taking a 24-16 lead into the dressing room.

The hosts’ fullcourt and three-quarter-court pressure defense forced the Rockets into some of their 31 turnovers.

Lyon reserve guard Chris Ringstaff helped fuel the Lyons rally in the second quarter as his first trey gave his team its initial lead. He finished the game with 15, but 12 of those came in the opening half.

The second half is when the whistles started blowing and technical fouls began being called.

Leading 26-18 with 6:16 remaining in the third quarter, Lyon coach Jeff Embrey was called for a technical during a dead ball situation.

The shocking thing was that the Lyon skipper did not appear to lose his temper and seemed to do nothing to warrant one.

However, Crittenden began to seize a bit of momentum slicing the lead to 26-24 less than 1:30 later. Lyon guard Taylor Gray was called for another one at the 4:39 mark of the third stanza.

Rocket senior guard Alec Pierce knotted the game at 32-all with 7:15 left in the game.

They eventually took their first lead since early in the second quarter going up 34-32 less than 1:00 later.

But the Lyons, who only made three treys for the game, took the lead for good on their last one going up 35-34 with about 5:30 left to play.

Trailing 46—39 with 1:44 to go but still very much in the contest, Rocket forward Dylan Clark was called for a technical foul.

Battling the team, who many consider to be the favorite in the Fifth District race, to such a hard-fought game, but coming up short was obviously disappointing to Hayes.

“We had an opportunity tonight to steal one and we didn’t do it,” he said.

Hayes lamented the 31 miscues and knows that can’t continue if they want to start winning. In the last two contests, Crittenden has committed 58 turnovers.

“Its just lazy passes,” said Hayes.

Despite not being a thing of beauty, Embrey was glad to escape with a district win against the pesky Rockets.

“We won, but we sure didn’t look good doing it,” he said.

Crittenden will not have to wait long for a rematch, as they face the Lyons at the Hopkins County Christmas Tournament.

Hayes is impressed with Fifth District archrival Livingston Central who will come to tomorrow night to renew the border rivalry.

“They play extremely hard. It won’t be an easy game,” he said.

Tabor leads team to win over Lyon

Crittenden 71, Lyon 40

Crittenden 11 22 45 54

Lyon 4 15 24 40

Crittenden - Tabor 14, Hodge 13, Johnson 9, Courtney 6, Brown 4, Graham 2, Brantley 6, Franklin. FG. 19. 3-pointers 3 (Tabor 3). FT. 7-14. Fouls 12.

Lyon - West 13, Riggs 11, Rhodes 9, White 2, Doom 3, Snow 2, McGill, Smier. FG. 12. 3-pointers 4 (West 3, Riggs). FT. 4-7. Fouls 16.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Lady Rocket junior guard Laken Tabor had a fantastic outing last Friday at Lyon County recording a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds helping her team gain a 54-40 victory. With the win, Crittenden improved to 2-0 in Fifth District play.

After the contest was knotted at 4-all in the early going, the Lady Rockets ran off seven unanswered points to take an 11-4 advantage capped off by a short jumper from Lady Rocket point guard Jessi Hodge with 1.9 seconds left in the opening quarter.

In the second half Tabor went 3-for-5 from long range to help her team extend the lead to double digits.

Tabor made all of her team’s treys as she recorded her first double-double as a Lady Rocket.

Leading 26-17 with about 6:00 remaining in the third quarter, the Lady Rockets ran off 12 unanswered points to take a commanding 21-point lead.

Displeased with how her team was not picking up the Lyon shooters on the perimeter, Lady Rocket coach Shannon Hodge called a timeout with 5:13 left to play.

“They were all capable of shooting the ball. Our failure to close out on them was a breakdown in intensity,” she said.

Hodge praised the play of Tabor and thought her fine performance was key in the triumph.

“Her shots gave us a big boost and defensively she gave us a spark,” Hodge said.

Lady Rocket forward Whitney Johnson barely missed a double-double of her own scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the league win.

One area Hodge continues to be disappointed in is her team’s assist-to-turnover ratio. They had 14 assists compared to 18 turnovers against Lyon but still managed to win the game.

For the season, Crittenden has handed out 50 assists but committed 64 turnovers.

With a victory over the Lady Cardinals, Crittenden will keep sole possession of first place with a 3-0 mark, However, if the Lady Cardinals defeat Crittenden and Lyon upends Trigg the same night, there will be a three-way tie for first place in district play.

“Its always a war. You can throw records out the window when Crittenden and Livingston get together,” said the Lady Rocket skipper.

Lady Rockets fought had against Caldwell

Caldwell 54, Crittenden 49

Caldwell 14 28 39 54

Crittenden 14 25 43 49

Caldwell - Sindelar 16, Meeks 12, Jackson 11, Pepper 10, Yates 5, Stone. FG. 19. 3-pointers 1 (Jackson). FT. 13-25. Fouls 8

Crittenden - Tabor 16, Hodge 15, Brown 6, Brantley 4, Graham 4, Franklin 4, Courtney, Johnson, Leidecker. FG. 13. 3-pointers 6 (Hodge 2, Tabor 2, Brown 2). FT. 5-8. Fouls 21.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

In a game which featured 11 ties and leads that rarely grew larger than five for either team, the Lady Rockets lost a hard-fought 54-49 game to visiting Caldwell County last Thursday.

The Lady Tigers opened the game giving the Lady Rockets trouble with their fullcourt pressure defense, enabling them to jump out to an early 7-1 lead.

But a pair of Lady Tiger turnovers enabled Lady Rocket point guard Jessi Hodge to convert two layups in transition to whittle the lead to one.

Crittenden center Summer Courtney, who was limited to only 14:24 of action due to foul trouble, drew her second with 2:06 left in the opening stanza.

Whitney Johnson, who had three first half fouls, committed her fourth with 5:28 left in the third period. Her playing time was also severely hampered by foul trouble as she only saw 10:32 of action.

However, the Lady Rockets withstood those problems and were in the game the entire way thanks in part to their three-point shooting.

They went 6-of-15 from behind the arc enabling them to take a 43-39 lead into the fourth quarter. Two of those trifectas came from eighth grader Bailey Brown, which marked the first ones of her varsity career.

It was shots from two-point land and the free throw line which helped the visitors escape with a narrow win.

The Lady Tigers were a 20-of-36 from two-point land for 55.5 percent. The hosts shot 19-of-51 from that area for 39.2 percent.

Although Caldwell shot 13-of-25 at the charity stripe, they made more than Crittenden attempted- 5-of-8.

“We weren’t very aggressive,” Crittenden coach Shannon Hodge said, explaining her squad’s inability to get to the free throw line more frequently.

Nursing a slim lead heading into the fourth, the Lady Rockets were plagued by some crucial turnovers in the late going.

They converted 13 Lady Rocket turnovers into 18 points. Unfortunately, Crittenden was only able to score eight points off of the 15 Lady Tiger miscues.

“We didn’t handle things very well at the end,” Shannon Hodge said after the disappointing setback.

“Caldwell became a lot bigger when Summer and Whitney got in foul trouble,” she said.

Despite coming up a little short, she commended her team for giving great effort.

“It was a great game. I thought we played hard,” Hodge said.

Boys' performance disappointing in loss to Webster

Webster 41, Crittenden 22

Webster 13 20 34 41

Crittenden 5 9 16 22

Crittenden: Pluskota 8, Oliver 6, Gray 4, Pierce 2, Clark 1, Porter 1, Nielsen, Highfil. FG. 7. 3-pointers 1 (Gray). FT. 5-13. Fouls 18.

Webster: Scott 12, Little 6, Winstead 6, Hartig 5, Turner 4, Patmor 4, Tapp 4, Baker, Major, Douglas, Piesk. FG. 10. 3-pointers 3 (Scott 2, Hartig). FT. 12-20. Fouls 17.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

The Rockets turned in a lacluster performance Tuesday night against visiting Webster County committing 27 turnovers en route to a 41-22 defeat.

After Crittenden (1-3) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead at the 6:04 mark of the first quarter, the Trojans ran off 13 unanswered points. The hapless Rockets did not score another field goal until :51 ticks left before intermission.

While the Rockets had major issues taking care of the ball, so did the Trojans as they committed 22 for the game.

Unfortunately, Crittenden could not convert many of them into points or they would have been in the game the whole way.

“We just played stupid,” Rocket first-year Coach Chad Hayes describing his team’s poor showing.

He was so disappointed that he said all five starting positions will be up for grabs as practice continues this week.

“We’ve got some stuff to figure out,” he said.

Another area that the Rockets need to get better at in a hurry is free throw shooting.

Through four games this season, they are an anemic 47 out of 93 at the charity stripe for a terrible 50.5 percent.

The Rocket skipper said he could live with a loss if an opponent is simply better than they are and executes better on both ends of the floor.

However, he did not think his team gave themselves a good chance of winning against the Trojans.

With nearly a week before they play again, he is anxious to see how his team responds in practice to the frustrating performance.

“Competitors come back from defeat and dont wallow in it,” Hayes said.

Trojan coach Bev Hart was unsure if he had ever had a team limit an opponent to 22 points in a varsity game.

“Its good to get the win. I thought we played real good defense,” he said.

Conversely, he was also displeased with how his squad failed to protect the ball leading to the 22 miscues.

Despite Tuesday’s results, Hart does not expect an easy game when Crittenden travels to Dixon next month for the rematch.

Coach earns first win of career, season with Rockets

Crittenden 46, McLean 38

McLean 12 21 24 38

Crittenden 2 20 28 46

Crittenden - Oliver 20, Clark 11, Porter 6, Pluskota 3, Pierce 3, Nielsen 3, Gray. FG. 12. 3-pointers 2 (Pierce, Oliver). FT. 16-33. Fouls 20

McLean - Rose 18, Free 7, Phillips 3, Humphrey 2, Ashton 2, Trogden 2, Shocklee 2, Ellis 2, Coakley, Hatfield. FG. 6. 3-pointers 2 (Rose 2). FT. 20-26. Fouls 28.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

After digging themselves a 12-2 deficit at the end of the opening quarter last Saturday night against visiting McLean County, the Rockets kept their composure and came back to give first-year Crittenden skipper Chad Hayes his first victory at the helm winning 46-38.

The Cougars went 7 out of 9 at the charity stripe in the opening frame to take the 10-point lead, and it looked like the cold shooting Rockets (1-2) might possibly be in trouble.

But Rocket forward Dylan Clark helped get his team going into the second quarter, scoring nine of his 11 points to help trim the deficit to a slim 21-20 at intermission.

After making only one field goal in the first quarter, the Rocket defense turned the tide on the Cougars, limiting them to a mere one field goal in the third quarter. With the game knotted at 23-all about midway through the third stanza, Rocket guard Alec Pierce hit a trey to give his team a lead they would never surrender.

Crittenden guard Casey Oliver, who is averaging 16.6 points through three games, poured in 20 points to help his team get their first win on the young season.

But a terrible 16 out of 33 showing at the free throw line prevented the Rockets from winning the game in an easier fashion.

“We gutted one out tonight,” Hayes said after the game.

After falling behind by the 10-point margin after the opening 8:00, the Rocket coach was proud of the way his team fought, outscoring McLean 44-26 the rest of the way to claim the win.

He also pointed to Pierce’s trifecta in the third which put his team up for good as being a huge turning point in the contest.

“I thought he gave us some solid minutes,” Hayes said.

With the first win of his tenure in the books, the Rocket coach hopes his team realizes that it will require a maximum effort to achieve success.

When we stay within ourselves, we can be pretty darn good,” said the first year coach.

Boys come up short against Trigg

Trigg 49, Crittenden 42

Trigg 12 31 41 49

Crittenden 8 19 30 42

Trigg - Alexander 14, Wright 15, Mount 11, Nance 8, Grubbs 1, Rogers, Adams, Mitchell, McKenzie. FG. 11. 3-pointers 7 (Nance 2, Wright 4, Alexander). FT. 6-12. Fouls 17.

Crittenden - Oliver 20, Porter 8, Clark 3, Nielsen 3, Gray 3, Highfil 2, Collins 2, Pierce 1. FG. 7. 3-pointers 5 (Oliver, Gray). FT. 13-19. Fouls 14.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

While limiting visiting Trigg County to just 49 points last Friday, the Rockets made only seven two-point field goals for the entire game and fell 49-42 to their Fifth District foe.

Leading 12-8 entering the second quarter, Wildcat forward Zeke Wright made treys in the second quarter to help his squad take a 31-19 advantage at intermission.

After holding Rocket leading scorer Casey Oliver to 10 points through three quarters, the junior guard put his team on his shoulders in the final 8:00 as they attempted to mount a comeback.

Leading 44-31 with 4:16 left to play, the Wildcats seemed to have things pretty much in hand.

But the Rockets never gave up and Oliver connected on three of his four treys in the final frame as they whittled the deficit to 46-41 with 1:24 remaining.

Unfortunately, Crittenden could never get over the top falling to 0-1 in league play.

Despite the setback, the Rocket skipper praised Oliver’s fourth quarter effort to try and record a comeback win.

“That is what he is capable of,” said Hayes.

He also continues to be impressed with the play of senior forward Dylan Clark through the opening three games.

“He is probably one of the hardest working kids I have ever coached,” said the Crittenden coach.

Trigg coach Mike Wright was pleased with the play of his team for the first 28:00 of the district encounter.

“We really controlled the game until the last 4:00,” he said.

But after doing a pretty good defensive job on Oliver before then, the Wildcat coach was displeased that his defenders did not do a good job in finding him late in the game.

Otherwise, he was happy with his squad’s defense which limited the Rockets to only 42 points.

“Our man-to-man was really good,” he said.

Lady Rockets' 71-52 win over Trigg a team effort

Crittenden 71, Trigg 52

Trigg 10 21 31 52

Crittenden 15 37 52 71

Crittenden - Tabor 19, Hodge 12, Brantley 10, Courtney 8, Johnson 6, Brown 6, Franklin 2, Leidecker 4, Graham 4, Head, Mattingly. FG. 28. 3-pointers 3 (Hodge 2, Tabor). FT. 6-10. Fouls 16.

Trigg - Futrell 14, Want 14, Matlock 12, Parker 6, Maxey 4, Grubbs 2, Wortham. FG. 20. 3-pointers 2 (Futrell 2). FT. 6-17. Fouls 10.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Lady Rocket junior point guard Jessi Hodge possibly set a school record for assists in a varsity girls’ game last Friday dishing out 12 as the hosts dismantled Fifth District foe Trigg County 71-52.

Hodge posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists as the Lady Rockets got a measure of revenge for last year’s setback to the Lady Wildcats in the Fifth District Championship game.

After the game was knotted in the early going, the Lady Rockets (1-1) began to cause havoc with their fullcourt pressure defense taking a 6-2 lead less than 2:00 into the contest.

After the hosts took a 21-11 lead with about 5:00 remaining in the first half, the lead never dropped below double digits again.

The Lady Rockets had very crisp passing and ran nice fastbreaks which helped them capture the game in easy fashion.

Lady Rocket guard Laken Tabor led the Lady Rockets with 19 while Hannah Brantley pitched in with 10 as the winners placed three players in double digits.

The game also saw freshman Randa Leidecker and eighth grader Bailey Brown score their first points of their young varsity careers. Brown had six points while Leidecker chipped in with four as 11 Lady Rockets saw action in the satisfying district win.

“I thought we played a very unselfish game,” Lady Rocket coach Shannon Hodge said after the triumph.

Crittenden shot a very fine 31 out of 70 from the field for 51.7 percent, many of them coming in transition after forcing Trigg turnovers.

Hodge was proud of the business-like approach her squad took to the game and was glad that it carried over into good execution on both ends of the floor.

“Every district game is huge,” she said.

She was also very pleased with the way center Summer Courtney (8 points, 6 rebounds) ran the floor in transition.

“I thought Summer could really outrun their post players. If she runs the floor that hard, she deserves to get the ball,” said the Lady Rocket skipper.

She praised the efforts of youngsters Brown and Leidecker and believes both of them have bright futures as Lady Rocket hoops players.

“Everybody made some positive things happen,” she said.

Teams drop season openers to Union

Boys Stats

Union 70, Crittenden

46

Crittenden 11 27 41 46

Union 17 32 53 70

Crittenden - Clark, Dyl., 7, Oliver 10, Pluskota 12, Porter 9, Nielsen 7, Highfil 1, Pierce, Clark, Dev., Scott, Belt, Copeland, Frazer. FG. 15. 3-pointers 1 (Porter). FT. 13-28. Fouls 20.

Union - Rister 22, Curry 18, Hall 10, Brown 12, Higginson 6, Cruse 2, Price, Foster, Alvey, McCormick, Moore. FG. 19. 3-

pointers 8 (Rister 5, Hall 2, Brown). FT. 8-20. Fouls 25.

Girls stats

Union 45, Crittenden 41

Crittenden 13 24 29 41

Union 10 21 30 45

Crittenden - Hodge 12, Tabor 8, Courtney 8, Brantley 6, Johnson 5, Graham 2, Franklin. FG. 11. 3-point

ers 1 (Tabor). FT. 16-21. Fouls 18.

Union - Dayberry, 20, Fowler 11, Hodge 10, Houston 2, Davis, P. 2, Little, Buchanan, Davis, C. FG. 11. 3-pointers 6 (Dayberry 4, Hodge 2). FT. 5-13. Fouls 19.

Boys lose despite tying game up in 3rd period

BY CHRIS HARDESTY

PRESS SPORTS WRITER

After hanging tough for the first half, the Rockets could not muster enough to make new Rocket coach Chad Hayes’ debut a winning one falling 70-46 at Union County Tuesday night.

The Braves’ pressure defense gave the visitors trouble the entire way and helped force many of their 28 turnovers.

But despite making way too many turnovers in the first quarter, the Rockets only trailed 17-11 after the opening eight minutes of action.

Missed layups, which displeased Hayes during preseason scrimmages, continue

d to be a problem as they missed three in the first quarter.

Union seemed ready to possibly take control of the game with about five minutes remaining in the first half. They extended their lead to 22-11 before senior forward Joey Pluskota connected for an old-fashioned three pointer to keep his team in contention.

The visitors continued to slice into the deficit even further as Casey Oliver made a short jumper to cut it to 26-25. The Rockets finally knotted the score at 36-all in the third

period on a layup from senior forward Patrick Nielsen and it appe

ared like they had new life.

But behind more pressure defense which led to more easy points off turnovers, the hosts went on a 17-5 run the remainder of the third quarter to take a 53-41 lead into the final frame.

Although playing good defense, Union did not exactly take good care of the ball either committing 22 turnovers of their own.

Unfortunately, Crittenden did not convert nearly enough of them into points to score an upset win in Hayes’ debut.

Giving up 19 offensive rebounds and missing 17 shots from 10 feet and in were also huge problems in the season opening loss.

The Braves had a very balanced scoring attack, placing four players in double figures.

Meanwhile, Pluskota led his team with 12 points and eight rebounds while Oliver had 10 points.

Senior forward Dylan Clark also had a solid effort scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds in the setback.

Obviously wishing he could have experienced a victory in his debut as the Rocket coach, Hayes realizes it is a process of rebuilding that is going to take time.

“We’re having to learn a brand new system,” he said.

After knotting the contest at 36-all in the third quarter, he did not believe his team took the right approach from that point.

“We weathered all the storms, but then we got complacent,” said the new coach.

The three glaring things which stood out to him in the setback was the 17 mis

sed shots from 10 feet and in, 19 offensive rebounds they allowed Union and 28 turnovers.

He was also very displeased with his team’s 13-of-28 showing at the free throw line, many of those misses coming when the game was still close.

Lady Rockets’ errors contribute to 45-41 lose

Surrendering 17 offensive rebounds and committing 19 turnovers led to the de

mise of the Lady Rockets Tuesday night at Morganfield as they dropped a 45-41 decision to host Union County.

It didn’t take long for the lack of offensive rebounding to rear its ugly head as Crittenden gave up two just :50 ticks into the game.

But behind the steady play of guards Jessi Hodge and

Hannah Brantley, the visitors still managed to claim a 13-10 lead after a seesaw first quarter.

But in a game which neither team led by more than eight points, the Lady Rockets did not have a defensive answer for Bravette forward Madison Dayberry. She poured in four three-pointers and scored 20 points to help lead her team to victory.

Long-range shooting was another telling difference in the outcome. Both te

ams made 11 two-point field goals and the Lady Rockets held a huge advantage at the free throw liner going 16-of-21.

But despite Union going a terrible 5-for-13 at the free throw line, they co

nnected for six trifectas compared to only one for the visitors.

Trailing 42-34 with 3:19 left to play, the Lady Rockets managed to stay in the contest by connecting on 10 fourth quarter free throws to trim the deficit to 43-40.

But a lack of rebounding late helped seal their fate as the Bravettes got two rebounds off of missed free throws to hold on for a close win.

The 19 turnovers were also a huge problem as five players had at least two in the regular season opener.

Hodge led her team with 12 points and also dished out six assists in the game.

Even with the poor rebounding and high number of miscues, Lady Rocket coach Shannon Hodge felt like her team should have won the ballgame since they held the Bravettes to only 45 points.

“If you would have told me we would have just scored 41 points, I would not have believed you,” she said after the game.

The Lady Rocket skipper hopes her team realizes that proper execution and taking care of fundamentals can be the difference between winning and losing.

“I think we have to take it a little more personal when we don’t rebound and defend well,” she said.

The Lady Rockets host Fifth District foe Trigg County tomorrow night in a rematch of last year’s Fifth District championship game.

She hopes her team remembers that disappointing 51-46 overtime loss and uses it for a bit of motivation in the home opener.

“It becomes a pride thing. I feel like we’ll get ourselves going Friday night,” Hodge said.