Crittenden sweeps Livingston on senior night

MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County swept a boys’ and girls’ basketball doubleheader Friday night at home against Livingston Central on senior night.

The Lady Rockets controlled their game from start to finish, dispatching Livingston 57-34 and sewing up the top seed for post-season Fifth District play. The CCHS girls are now 14-3 overall and 5-0 in league action.

Crittenden got 22 points from junior Taylor Guess and eighth-grader Anna Boone added 17 in a game where everyone on the bench got into the action.

Although CCHS led comfortably the entire way, Livingston made a third-quarter run to get the margin to about a dozen before CCHS streaked ahead by 24 in the fourth period. 

Livingston fell to 5-9 on the season and is winless in four district games. The Lady Cardinals were led by freshman Emersyn Ramage with a dozen points and eighth-grader Hadley Hargrove had 11.

In the boys’ game, it was much the same as CCHS jumped ahead of an undermanned Livingston squad and built a double-digit advantage early. Soon after the second half was underway, Crittenden was farther ahead, by more than 20. 

Livingston was playing without senior Max Downey, who had scored 45 in the teams’ last encounter at Smithland when CCHS eked out a win. Eighth-grade  starter Logan Wring was injured in pregame warmups, leaving the Cardinals terribly shorthanded for the district matchup.

Crittenden was without senior Tanner Beverly, who was injured in a game earlier this week against Webster County. It took seven stitches to repair his lip.

Every senior available for the Rockets scored, and junior Preston Morgeson led the way with 18 points in his first game back from a two-game suspension levied for technical fouls in a previous outing. Travis Champion and Trace Derrington scored 15 apiece as Crittenden’s full-court pressure set the tempo out of the chute.

The Rockets improved to 8-8 overall and 3-2 in district play, which will ensure at least a second- or third-place finish in the regular-season standings. That will allow CCHS to avoid regional contender Lyon County in the opening round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Livingston dropped to 2-12 on the season and 0-4 in the league. 

GIRLS GAME
Livingston 3 17 25 34
Crittenden 13 32 42 57
LIVINGSTON - Downey 5, Joiner 4, Holeman 2, Hargrove 11, Ramage 12, Leahy, Jennings, Davidson. FG 13. 3-pointers 1 (Hargrove). FT 7-10.
CRITTENDEN - Guess 22, N.Boone 7, A.Boone 13, Driskill 6, Evans 7, Hunt 2, McDaniel, Hatfield, Long, Holeman, Federico. FG 25. 3-pointers 4 (A.Boone, Guess, Evans, N.Boone). FT 3-7.

BOYS GAME
Livingston Central 8 20 33 52
Crittenden County 19 37 56 75
LIVINGSTON – Thomason 12, Rains 6, Crass 10, Calendar 4, Hosick 9, Hargrove 7, Render 2, Zaine 2. FG 18. 3-pointers 7 (Rains 2, Hosick 3, Crass, Hargrove). FT 9-15.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 18, Champion 15, Adamson 6, Hatfield, Crider 2, Davidson 4, Keller 2, Derrington 15, Guess 3, Conyer, Sharp, Yates 2, Cooksey 6. FG 30. 3-pointers 7 (Morgeson 4, Adamson 2, Derrington). FT 8-12.