Rockets will play for 5DISTRICT title 5th year in a row

When historians write the story of this season’s Rocket basketball team, coach Denis Hodge wants them to be sure to note what was missing. Yet, Crittenden County is right back in the same place it’s been for the past five Februaries.

After beating Trigg County 55-54 Tuesday in the opening round of the Fifth District Tournament, Hodge talked about the pride he has in this players – a patchwork of mostly role players on a team that lost almost all of its scoring when two All Region performers (Gabe Mott and Preston Turley) graduated after last season.

“I was super proud of our guys. I don’t know how many people realize it, but our guys have fought their way into the regional tournament five years in a row. And that’s a big deal,” the coach said.

Crittenden (14-15)  couldn’t get much going inside against taller Trigg defenders, but its outside shooting was key. After trailing by six early, the Rockets managed to inch ahead in the second period and then reeled off an 11-2 run in the third quarter fueled by three straight treys by senior Hayden Adamson.

The Rockets never trailed again, but its 14-point advantage disappeared in the fourth quarter, and the final minutes were quite tenuous. Trailing by one, Trigg (14-14) had the ball near the basket on its own baseline in the final seconds, but Luke Washer tried to dish it back to Jhaden Vaughn in the corner and his pass was deflected by Rocket senior Trace Derrington. He and Vaughn tied the ball up, giving CCHS possession with 3.7 seconds to go. The Rockets misfired on the front end of a bonus foul shot situation, giving Trigg yet another half-court Hail-Mary opportunity. That shot grossly missed its mark, sending the Rockets to their fifth straight Fifth District championship game Friday against Lyon County. The Lyons have won three straight district crowns. Crittenden beat Lyon for the title in 2018.

Trigg County 12 22 41 54
Crittenden Co. 12 26 46 55
TRIGG – Ahart, Gude 3, Shearer 3, J.Vaughn 25, Washer 2, Adams 13, Reynolds, K.Vaughn 8, Parham. FG 21. 3-pointers 3 (Gude, Shearer, J.Vaughn). FT 9-18.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 12, Champion 21, Beverly 3, Adamson 17, Crider, Davidson, Derrington, Cooksey 2, Conyer, Yates. FG 19. 3-pointers 8 (Morgeson 2, Adamson 5, Champion). FT 9-13.