Lady Rocket comeback peters out in 4th

MARION, Ky. – Although it came up it too short, Crittenden County’s recovery effort against Union County Saturday afternoon at Rocket Arena deserves a nomination nod for Comeback of the Year.

Down 19 right out of the gate, Crittenden looked to be ready for the shower, but the girls regrouped and brought a package of defensive fire that turned the Bravettes over a few times, slowed traffic in the lane and gave junior tandem Taylor Guess and Natalie Boone a chance to come alive offensively. The duo combined for all the team’s 16 second-quarter points as CCHS scratched to within striking distance by the half.

Crittenden keep chiseling away early in the second half, even taking the lead once, 40-39, on a Guess coast-to-coast layup in the third period. However, its buildup from the bottom left CCHS short of fuel in the last five minutes and the Lady Rockets lost back-to-back games for the third time this season.

Union’s 61-56 victory also snapped a Crittenden County 16-game home winning streak dating back to January of last year.

Guess, who led CCHS with 29 points, is just 60 away from tying the school’s all-time scoring record held by Cassidy Moss. Boone finished with 18, including four threes that helped CCHS’s resurgence after an unfavorable start.

Crittenden fell to 18-7 on the season while Union improved to 13-12, beating the Rockets girls for the fifth time in the last six encounters. 

The Lady Rockets have just two regular-season games left. They host Hopkins Central (17-6) on Tuesday and Hopkinsville (11-11) on Thursday. Hopkins Central is having its best season in quite some time and the Lady Rockets haven't beaten Hopkinsville in more than 10 years. So, the final stretch will be tough for Crittenden's girls, who won eight straight to start the season, but have played .500 ball the last eight games.

Union County 20 29 39 61
Crittenden Co. 5 21 40 56
UNION – Goodlowe 6, Theus, Morris 23, Hagan 7, Mackey 19, Steward, R.Hagan 6, Hibbs, Gough. FG 20. 3-pointers 7 (Goodlowe 2, Morris, Mackey 2, R.Hagan 2). FT 15-20.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 29, N.Boone 18, A.Boone 7, Hatfield, Driskill, Evans 2, McDaniel. FG 21. 3-pointers 7 (Guess 2, N.Boone 4, A.Boone). FT 9-12.