Rockets, Lady Rockets making history with wins at LCHS

Crittenden's Dakota Watson and Dylan Hicks
contest a shot by LCHS's Colton Ramage.
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It may very well be the best start in school history. For certain, the Rockets' 7-0 record out of the chute is the best December beginning in more than 50 years… and perhaps for the first time ever, the Crittenden County boys and girls are simultaneously 3-0 in the Fifth District and leading the standings outright.

Both CCHS teams won at Livingston Central Friday night.

The Rockets fended off a young, but pesky Livingston Central squad Friday night with offensive catalyst Landon Young in foul trouble most of the game. Crittenden won 59-41 as Noah Hadfield came off the bench to lead the way with 15 points.
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Crittenden's girls (6-1) won a nail-biter, closing out Livingston in the final seconds to win 42-40 thanks to a couple of late foul shots and some good defense down the stretch.

In the boys' game, Hadfield was on fire at times. He scored 10 points in the second period alone, knocking down a couple of threes and helping extend Crittenden's early lead to 13 points.

Livingston paid particular attention to trying to stop Young's hot-handed scoring. The senior went into the bout average 24 points, but the Cardinals' box-and-one defense kept a defender in his face the entire game. The extra attention frustrated Young a bit and he stayed in foul trouble, eventually leaving with just under five minutes to play with five personals.

Colby Watson, the team's second leading scorer, struggled from the floor, too. He finished with eight points and Young had just five. With those two posting sub-par nights offensively, Hadfield, Dylan Hicks and Noah Dickerson stepped up their games. Hicks hit some timely foul shots late and a first-half three that sparked a crucial run. He finished with 11 and Dickerson had nine.

Crittenden scored 17 of its 23 fourth-quarter points at the line to finish off the victory.

Mallory McDowell, who was in the hospital with flu-like symptoms just two days earlier, was the inspiration for the Lady

Mallory McDowell (3) puts pressure on the ball as Livingston's
Hailey Stafford drives down court. See More Photos

Rocket victory at Smithland. She had two key threes in the game and finished with 11 points. Cassidy Moss led the scoring with a dozen and Chelsea Oliver had 10.
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Crittenden led early by eight but Livingston's zone defense frustrated the CCHS girls as the Lady Cardinals clawed their way back behind Kalynn Campbell's long-range shooting in the second period. LCHS took its first lead in the second period and led by as many as six in the third quarter before Crittenden closed the gap in the final two mintues. 

McDowell stole the ball off Livingston's point and went the distance for a layup to tie the contest at 40 with just under a minute to go. Crittenden took its first lead of the second half with 10 seconds left when Oliver dropped in the front end of a two-shot chance at the charity stripe. She missed the second one and Livingston rebounded, but turned the ball over once the Cardinal girls had pushed the ball into their front court. There were just three seconds left at that juncture and a last-ditched foul let Crittenden score another point at the line just before time expired.