Morgeson gets 1K, Champion on his heels

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Crittenden County closed out its holiday basketball action on a high note Friday in Campbellsville, and there was a crescendo to the event that will reverberate for ages.

Travis Champion Player of Game

The Rockets finished 1-2 in the Campbellsville tournament, beating John Hardin 73-60 in the finale as junior Travis Champion tied a career-best 36 points. His offensive performance earned Player of the Game honors and he was also selected to the all-tournament team.

Perhaps paramount to the entire show was senior Preston Morgeson’s 1,000th career point, which came on a three-pointer two minutes into the game. Morgeson finished with 25 points in the win, his team’s sixth in 13 games. 

Champion, too, is closing on in on the 1K milestone, needing only 10 more points to reach it, but will have to wait more than a week as the Rockets are off until Jan. 7 at home against University Heights.

Crittenden 11 32 54 73

John Hardin 13 26 40 60

CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 25, Champion 36, Hatfield, Sharp, Gobin 4, Guess, Poindexter, Counts 8. FG 25. 3-pointers 5 (Morgeson 4, Champion). FT 18-25.

JOHN HARDIN – Owens 26, Lunch 10, Hobbs 8, Curry 3, Hayes 5, Brown 3, Bertolucci 5. FG 20. 3-pointers 6. FT 14-26.

Lady Rockets finish 1-2 in Florida action

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Crittenden County finished play Thursday in the KSA Holiday Basketball Tournament with a 56-44 loss to the eventual champion of their division, Avon Lake, Ohio.

The Shoregals (9-3) brought a balanced and deep squad to the floor, but CCHS was able to stay close and actually led for much of the first half. Just before the break, however, Avon Lake went on a 12-2 run and led 25-18 at halftime. Out of intermission, the team from a Cleveland suburb scored the first eight points and led by 15. The Lady Rockets were able to trim the score back to single digits a time or two, but could never get over the hump as 11 Shoregals shared in the scoring.

Taylor Guess, who was selected team MVP by tournament organizers with 59 points in three games, led this one with 16 points and Elliot Evans and Anna Boone chipped in nine apiece. Crittenden got almost half of its points at the foul line despite a slow start from the stripe where they missed 8 of their first 11. Finishing strong from the line, CCHS made 13 straight in the fourth period.

Crittenden was 1-2 in Florida and will return home with a 8-3 overall record.

Crittenden County 11 18 27 44

Avon Lake, Ohio 8 25 35 56

CRITTENDEN – Guess 16, N.Boone 6, A.Boone 9, Evans 9, Hatfield 2, Federico 2, Hunt, McDaniel. FG 11. 3-pointers 1 (Evans). FT 21-33.

Rocket drop second game at Campbellsville

Seth Guess got his first start of
the season today and scored 12.

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The trio of Travis Champion, Preston Morgeson and Seth Guess combined to score 44 points, but it wasn’t enough against Danville Christian as the Rockets dropped their second game at the Campbellsville Holiday Tournament.

Champion scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half and Guess had all of his dozen points in the first half. Guess drew the start at guard, his first of the season. He also picked up three fouls in the first half. Morgeson scored three treys en route to a dozen points in the 68-54 loss.

The Rockets got behind by double-digits early and it stayed that way the rest of the game. 

Danville Christian improved to 8-4 on the season.

The loss moves the Rockets’ record to 5-7 on the season. They will play one more game at the holiday event at noon Friday against John Hardin. The game can be viewed on NFHS Network.

Danville Christian 27 44 63 68
Crittenden County 18 30 41 54
DANVILLE – Meyer 4, Put 15, Boyd 24, Imfield 9, Ridge 7, Dominion 9. FG 28. 3-pointers 10. FT 2-7.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 12, Champion 20, Hatfield 3, Sharp, Gobin 7, Guess 12, Counts. FG 19. 3-pointers 5 (Morgeson 3, Champion, Hatfield). FT 11-14.

Rockets fall to E-town in opener at Campbellsville

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The Rockets' opening game in the Campbellsville Holiday Tournament Wednesday was a tough one. Crittenden County was on pace during the first period, but it got out of control early in the second quarter, and by the second half, things were lopsided.

CCHS failed to score in the fourth period as Elizabethtown won going away 75-30 to improve to 7-3 on the season.

Meanwhile the Rockets dropped to 5-6 and will play at 1pm Thursday against Danville Christian, which comes in at 7-4.

Elizabethtown 14 39 59 75
Crittenden Co. 14 20 30 30
CRITTENDEN - Morgeson 8, Champion 7, Hatfield 3, Sharp, Gobin 4, Guess 2, Poindexter, Counts 6. FG: 11. 3-pointers: 4 (Morgeson 2, Champion, Hatfield) FT: 4-7

Lady Rockets lose legs in Game 2 at KSA

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Travel fatigue set in on day two of the Lady Rockets’ KSA Holiday Tournament trip to Florida. Crittenden County lost by two points to a team it arguably should have outmanned from the jump, clearly falling victim to something akin to delayed jet lag in the second half.

The Lady Rockets raced out to a 15-point lead in the second period before their motor locked up and lost 49-47 to undefeated Mount Saint Charles Academy of Rhode Island. 

The private New England school couldn’t stop Taylor Guess and Co. in the early minutes as the CCHS senior guard scored a dozen first-quarter points. Classmate Natalie Boone added eight points to a 15-0 run and Crittenden led 21-6 in the second period. 

The exhaustive two-day trip to Florida began to show in the third period as the Mounties closed the gap. CCHS's typically active legs failed and the Lady Rockets were often beat down the floor. Compounding the Crittenden problems, its always reliable pressure defense wouldn’t start in the second half and Crittenden fell behind 38-37 early in the fourth quarter and never recover. 

It was the first time the Lady Rockets had trailed in eight quarters in Florida and it was their first loss since the season-opener in Graves County in November. Crittenden is now 8-2.

CCHS will be back in action on Thursday to wrap up its three-day tournament at 6:30pm (EST) against Avon Lake, Ohio.

Crittenden County 21 28 37 47

Mt. St. Charles, RI 10 20 34 49

CRITTENDEN – Guess 21, N.Boone 11, A.Boone 4, Evans 2, Hatfield 9, Federico, McDaniel. FG 18. 3-pointers 3 (N.Boone 2, Guess). FT 8-10.

Lady Rockets win opener in Florida

See First Half Action, too, at our Facebook or YouTube Channel.

Anna Boone (2) and Addie 
Hatfield fight for a rebound.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Despite facing a much taller lineup from Long Island, N.Y., the Lady Rockets opened up a close game just before the half and never looked back to win 43-26 in their opener in Florida.

Crittenden led from bell to bell, but the New Yorkers drew within one just before halftime in a game where whistles were few and play was rough at times. The only blood spilled came from the Long Island girls and when it was cleaned up Crittenden went on a tear.

Anna Boone and Elliot Evans dropped in three-pointers just before the half to open up a lead to nine, then Taylor Guess started getting to the line in the second half and the margin grew. 

Guess scored 10 of her one dozen foul line points in the last half as CCHS shot 15-17 from the stripe. Guess finished with 22 and Anna Boone had 12.

The Lady Rockets encountered a difficult time getting to Florida due to a flight cancelation on Southwest Airline. See more about that saga at The-Press.com.

Crittenden plays a private school Mount Saint Charles Academy from Woonsocket, Rhode Island at 8am (EST) Wednesday in Florida.

Crittenden County 11 20 33 43

Cold Springs, NY 7 11 19 26

CRITTENDEN – Guess 22, A.Boone 14, Evans 5, Hatfield 2, N.Boone, Federico, McDaniel, Hunt, Rushing, Hodge, Munday. FG 13. 3-pointers 2 (Evans, A.Boone). FT 15-17.

Basketball teams on move during break

LADY ROCKETS 

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
Florida Basketball Tournament
Dec. 27-29 at Kissimmee, Fla.
Tuesday’s Opponent
Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 2:30pm CST
Wednesday’s Opponent Options
Winner’s Bracket: Lipan, Texas or Avon Lake, Ohio, 7am CST
Loser’s Bracket: Lipan, Texas or Avon Lake, Ohio, 7am, CST
Thursday’s Game Time Options
8am if playing in consolation final 
5:30pm if playing 3rd/4th place game
5:30pm if in championship game
Other teams in bracket
Red Bluff, Calif.; Midlakes, N.Y.; Mount St. Charles, R.I.; New Hope Christian, Ohio.

ROCKETS

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
Campbellsville Holiday Classic
Dec. 28-30 at Campbellsville
Wednesday’s Game
Rockets vs Elizabethtown, 5:30pm
Thursday’s Opponent
Opponent & Time to be determined
Friday’s Opponent
Opponent & Time to be determined

Two Rockets nearing entry to 1K Point Club

Crittenden County basketball has two players approaching a milestone in the coming days.

Senior Preston Morgeson is just 22 points from 1,000 career points and junior Travis Champion is 73 from 1K.

The two conceivably could join the 1,000 Point Club next week during a three-game set at the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic Dec. 28-30. The boys open play in that tournament against Elizabethtown on Wednesday.

It's quite ironic that the pair will almost certainly join the elite 1K Point Club in the same same season, and indeed within a few days of one another. Coincidentally, in 2020, seniors Gabe Mott and Preston Turley became the first two players in school history to reach the milestone in the same season – and they too did it 5 days apart.

There have only been 13 players in Rocket basketball history to score 1,000 or more points. They are Tim Hill, who leads the pack with 1,822 points, Bennett Smith, Lige Shadowen, Don Brasher, Greg Thurman, Aaron Owen, Ronnie Moss, Bruce Belt, Casey Oliver, Tom Wring, Spencer Cozart, Mott and Turley.

Here is a breakdown of how Morgeson and Champion got to the cusp of 1,000 points:

PRESTON MORGESON
Scoring by Season
Senior - 117 to date
Junior - 342
Sophomore - 268
Freshman - 199
8th Grad - 52

Total Points - 978

TRAVIS CHAMPION
Scoring by Season
Junior - 217 to date
Sophomore - 581
Freshman - 113
8th Grade - 16

Total Points - 927

Rockets split in holiday games at Logan

RUSSELLVILLE, Ky. – Crittenden County was badly outmanned in a 67-23 loss to South Warren Wednesday in the first game of the Roy's Barbecue/First Southern National Bank Shootout at Logan County, but bounced back to beat Clarksville (Tenn.) Christian 71-42 in its second game of the day.

South Warren jumped on the Rockets early, outscoring them 21-1 in the first period and went on to drain 11 three-pointers en route to the blowout.

In the second game, Crittenden got 24 and 18 points, respectively from Travis Champion and Preston Morgeson. With seven three-pointers – four by Morgeson – the Rockets grabbed and early lead and held won going away by outscoring Clarksville 21-12 in the final period with nearly everyone getting in on the scoring action.

Crittenden is now 5-5 on the season and will be playing next week in a Christmas Tournament at Campbellsville. 

Crittenden County 1 11 17 23
South Warren        21 41 62 67
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 7, Champion 11, Gobin 2, Counts 2, Hatfield 1, Sharp, Keller, Guess. FG 7. 3-pointers 2 (Morgeson, Champion). FT 7-13.
SO. WARREN – Rowe 6, Coley 4, Smith 3, Hudson 19, Jarvis 3, Radin 4, Linhardt 7, Bell 6, Parrish 11, Grogahn 3. FG 27. 3-pointers 11. FT 1-2.

Crittenden County 22 32 50 71

Clarksville Christian 14 19 30 42

CRITTENDEN - Morgeson 18, Champion 24, Hatfield 2, Suddoth 2, Sharp 3, Keller 4, Gobin 9, Counts 9, Guess. FG 27. 3-pointers 7 (Morgeson 4, Champion 2, Sharp). FT 10-12.

CLARKSVILLE - Middleton 5, Kunis 7, Cardwell 2, Fuqua 10, Judd 3, Prather 10, Smith 3, McGugin 2. FG 16. 3-pointers 2. FT 6-8.

Threat of severe weather cancels Thursday games

Crittenden County holiday tournament basketball games schedule for Thursday have been canceled due to threat of wintry weather. 

The Lady Rockets were scheduled to play McLean County at the Owensboro Christmas Tournament and the Rockets were to play Montgomery Central (Tenn.) in the Logan County Christmas Tournament.

Lady Rockets beat Webster for 7th straight win

CCHS senior Natalie reached for a rebound

MARION, Ky. – Perfect from the foul line down the stretch, Crittenden County held off a fierce comeback attempt by Webster County to win their seventh straight game Monday at home.

Crittenden led by about 10 points almost the entire way, except for a time in the second half when the Lady Rockets had some empty possessions and Webster was on target from the floor. The Lady Trojans outscored Crittenden 9-4 in the third quarter. Six of Webster’s points came at the foul line.

Although Crittenden never trailed, Webster tied it at 39 on a NBA-distance 3-pointer with 3:56 to go. 

Freshman Andrea Federico, who came off the bench to play the post, scored from underneath the basket to put CCHS back ahead for good as the Lady Rockets finished by making 12-of-13 foul shots in the fourth period and six straight down the stretch.

Webster was physical and played with quickness, but the Lady Rockets were up for the challenge. Senior Taylor Guess scored 17 for the Lady Rockets and freshman Elliot Evans dropped in a season-high 11.

Crittenden improved to 7-1 on the season while Webster fell to 2-7. Some preseason polls had the Lady Trojans projected as the third best team in the region with Crittenden fifth.

Webster County 7 17 26 41
Crittenden Co. 16 27 31 51
WEBSTER – Shepherd, Wright 5, Thompson, Karsyn Cates, Dunn 5, Yates 9, Austin 6, Katelyn Cates 16. FG 13. 3-pointers 4 (Yates 2, Austin, Katelyn Cates). FT 12-15.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 17, N.Boone 7, A. Boone 10, Evans 11, Hatfield 4, Federico 2. FG 17. 3-pointers 2 (N.Boone, Evans). FT 15-18.

Crittenden sweeps Trigg in doubleheader

CADIZ, Ky. – With some perhaps unforeseen support and a bad bounce at the buzzer, Crittenden County survived with a key 69-67 Fifth District victory Friday at Trigg County.

The Rockets dodged the bullet on a wide-open three-pointer from Trigg sharpshooter Luke Washer, which bounced off the front iron at the horn after CCHS had seen a double-digit lead evaporate in the final five minutes. Poor foul shooting by Crittenden in the fourth period gave the Wildcats a chance to spoil it on a last shot. 

In the last quarter, the Rockets missed 11-of-19 from the stripe as Trigg dropped three pointers down the stretch to close to within two in the final seconds.

Yet, Crittenden would not have been in position to win without some heroics off the bench and from a forward who has started just three games this season. 

Senior uard Seth Guess got into the game in the first half when starter Jaxon Hatfield got into foul trouble. Guess played a great deal in the last half, too, and finished with 14 points, including four threes. He made some key baskets and did a tremendous job handling the ball. Junior Gabe Keller was just as integral in the win, grabbing countless rebounds against a Wildcat frontline that had been out-boarding opponents all season.

Crittenden got its typical big scoring from Travis Champion, who finished with 29, and Preston Morgeson, who had 11. But it was also the supporting cast that held the line at key junctures, including center Case Gobin, who is improving quarter by quarter. 

The victory was hauntingly similar to a one-point game last year at Trigg that turned out a differently – with the Wildcats on top. This time, the Rockets came out victors, giving CCHS its eighth win over the Wildcats in the last 11 meetings.

Crittenden improved to 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the district. The outcome could prove very pivotal for seeding purposes for postseason. Meanwhile, Trigg falls to 6-2 overall and 1-2 in the district.

Trigg County 11 28 42 67

Crittenden Co. 13 33 54 69

CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 11, Champion 29, Hatfield, Keller 5, Gobin 10, Guess 14. FG 24. 3-pointers 8 (Guess 4, Morgeson 2, Champion 2). FT 13-29.

TRIGG – Stewart 2, Gude 6, Shearer 2, Vaughn 34, Bush, Nsubuga-Barnes, Washer 13, Linton 2, Reynolds 8, Breckel. FG 23. 3-pointers 8 (Vaughn 5, Washer, Reynolds 2). FT 11-17.

GIRLS WIN BY 20

CADIZ, Ky. – A double dip of offense from the remarkably reliable Taylor Guess and periodically-spectacular Anna Boone left no doubt that Crittenden County is the team to beat in the Fifth District.

Guess and Boone scored 21 points apiece as the Lady Rockets made it a clean sweep of the first trip through the district schedule, knocking off Trigg County 54-34 at Cadiz.

Averaging 28 points through the first seven games, Guess started slower than normal at Trigg, partly due to foul trouble, but compounded by aggressive defensive attention from the Lady Wildcats. She had just two fielders by halftime.

Meanwhile, Boone drained a three-pointer to start the game. When it goes in early, it can go in often, she said. And it did for the freshman, who was averaging just 6.5 coming into the matchup. Boone had Crittenden’s first seven points and continued to shoot with confidence throughout the win.

“I saw my first shot go in and that’s good for me,” Boone said. “I’d been slacking lately and knew I needed to step it up.”

The Lady Rockets improved to 3-0 in league play, handling every team in the district by 20 or more points. Crittenden has now beaten Trigg in five straight, and 19 of the last 23 meetings dating back to 2012.

The Lady Rockets led by 17 early, but Trigg County scratched its way back into the mix in the second half, trailing by just nine early in the third period. Then, Guess warmed up and scored the next six points. Crittenden maintained a double-figure lead the rest of the way.

Trigg County is now 3-4 overall and 1-2 in league play with a win over Lyon County and a loss to Livingston Central. The Lady Wildcats played CCHS closer than the other two teams in the district.

Crittenden Co. 20 27 38 54

Trigg County 3 17 24 34

CRITTENDEN – Guess 21, N.Boone 2, A.Boone 21, Evans 8, Hatfield 2, Federico, Hunt, McDaniel, Rushing. FG 16. 3-pointers 2 (Guess, A.Boone). FT 20-26.

TRIGG – Noffsinger 13, Bush, Hyde 10, Koch, McGee 5, Rogers 4, Grubbs 2, Alexander. FG 11. 3-pointers 1 (McGee). FT 11-20.

THE SHOW: Rocket Basketball with Coach Pigg

Coach Pigg and Travis Champion join us on The Show.

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Crittenden Community Hospital

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Crittenden boys and girls sweep Union

Guess gets 30 in pivotal 2nd Region matchup

MARION, Ky. – In an interesting Second Region matchup, Crittenden County led from start to finish Tuesday at home, beateing Union County 49-41.

The Lady Rockets held off a late flurry of offense and defensive pressure from the Bravettes, who are now 5-2.

CCHS senior Taylor Guess scored 30 points to lead the Lady Rockets to their fifth straight win and a 5-1 mark overall.

Crittenden and Union are among the region’s better teams, and the Bravettes had already beaten Madisonville this season.

The Lady Rockets were ahead by a dozen in the first half before Union County drew within a point late in the third period. Some key takeaways and rebounds helped the Rocket girls recover and win by eight.

CCHS was 15-of-25 from the floor, making 5-of-15 from long range and shot 50 percent on two-point fielders. Union was 17-for-38 from the floor, but couldn’t keep pace at the line where CCHS rang up 14 points to the Bravettes’ three.

Guess gets 40 at Lyon County

Senior Taylor Guess scored a career-high 40 points as the Lady Rockets improved to 2-0 in Fifth District action on Friday, beating Lyon County 63-40.

Crittenden County’s defense set the tone early as the Rocket girls raced out to a 14-4 lead only to have it disappear just before the half when Lyon County found some offensive rhythm in its half-court game. 

Guess shredded the Lyons with pinpointing shooting across the board. She scored 10 at the line and hit 14 fielders, including a pair of threes.

CCHS, which has now defeated the Lady Lyons in 10 of the 11 tries, improved to 4-1 overall. Lyon fell to 2-2 and 0-1 in the district. 

Union County 12 22 32 41
Crittenden Co. 18 28 33 49
UNION – Goodloe 3, Morris 16, Steward 10, Beaven, Hagan 8, Hibbs,, Gough 2, Curry 2. FG 17. 3-pointers 4 (Goodloe, Morris, Steward, Hagan). FT 3-4.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 30, N.Boone 5, A.Boone 3, Evans 8, Hatfield 3, Federico. FG 15. 3-pointers 5 (Guess 4, N.Boone). FT 14-22.

Champion, Morgeson carry big load at Union

MORGANFIELD, KY. – Crittenden County’s Travis Champion and Preston Morgeson delivered the knockout blow, playing a spirited second half as the Rockets came from behind to beat Union County 65-63 on the road.

Champion had 19 of his game-high 29 points in the second half and Morgeson had nine in the pivotal third period when the Rockets took the lead for good after trailing by 11 in the first period.

CCHS snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 3-4 by beating the Braves for just the fifth time in the last 20 meetings.

It was a physical game that went down to the wire.

Champion got nine of his points at the foul as CCHS scored 17 from the stripe compared to Union’s nine. The Braves are now 1-3.

Lyon too much for Rockets

Lyon County beat Crittenden County for the ninth straight time Friday, and as expected, it wasn’t close.

The defending Second Region champion Lyons are the odds on favorite to win the region again and they’re also among the top teams in Kentucky with one of the hottest recruits in the nation. 

Junior Travis Perry, who’s being courted by several high-profile college teams from the SEC, Big 10 and beyond, scored five threes en route to a 27-point game. Perry’s mother and father are both Crittenden County graduates.

A second-half running clock helped ease the pain after the Lyon’s led 32-7 after the first period and by 37 points at intermission.

Crittenden fell to 1-1 in Fifth District action. Lyon chipped up to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. Elsewhere in the district Trigg County beat Livingston Central 78-53. 

Crittenden plays at Trigg County Friday to complete the first round of district action. 

Crittenden Co. 7 25 43 65
Union County 18 26 35 63
CRITTENDEN - Morgeson 21, Champion 29, Hatfield 3, Keller 6, Gobin, Guess, Counts 6. FG 22. 3-pointers 2 (Morgeson). FT 17-24.
UNION – Hughes 13, Hancock 4, Curry 4, Pollard, Manuel 23, Jones 13, Miller 2, Wilson 4. FG 25. 3-pointers 4 (Jones 3, Manuel). FT 9-15.

Rockets fall behind early at Lyon County

EDDYVILLE, Ky. – Lyon County beat Crittenden County for the ninth straight time Friday and as expected, it wasn’t close.

The defending Second Region champion Lyons are the odds on favorite to win the region again and they’re also among the top teams in Kentucky with one of the hottest recruits in the nation. 

Junior Travis Perry, who’s being courted by several high-profile college teams from the SEC, Big 10 and beyond, scored five threes en route to a 27-point game.

A second-half running clock helped ease the pain after the Lyon’s led 32-7 after the first period and by 37 points at intermission.

Crittenden falls to 2-4 overall and is now 1-1 in the district. Lyon is 4-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.

Elsewhere in the district Trigg County beat Livingston Central 78-53. Crittenden will play at Trigg County next Friday to complete the first round of district action. 

Crittenden 7 16 27 38
Lyon Co. 32 53 76 85
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 10, Champion 13, Walker, Hatfield, Suddoth 2, Sharp 5, Keller, McLean, Gobin 2, Belt, Guess 2, Travis 2, Poindexter 2, Counts. FG 16. 3-pointers 4 (Morgeson 2, Champion, Sharp). FT 2-9
LYON – Perry 27, Shoulders 20, Reddick 18, Kirk 12, Breedlove, Suitor, Collins 2, Co.Collins 2, Burchett, Downing, Crawford, Defew 2, Jo.Reddick, FG 30. 3-pointers 9 (Perry 5, Shoulders, Reddick 3). FT 16-22.

Guess nets 40 in district win at Lyon

 EDDYVILLE, Ky. - Senior Taylor Guess scored a career-high 40 points as the Lady Rockets improved to 2-0 in Fifth District action this season, beating Lyon County 63-40.

Crittenden County’s defense set the tone early as the Rocket girls raced out to a 14-4 lead only to have it disappear just before the half when Lyon County found some offensive rhythm in its half-court game. 

Guess shredded the Lyons with pinpointing shooting across the board. She scored 10 at the line and hit 14 fielders, including a pair of threes.

CCHS, which has now defeated the Lady Lyons in 10 of the 11 tries, improves to 4-1 overall. Lyon is 2-2 now and 0-1 in the district. 

Crittenden County will host Union (4-1) in a key regional matchup on Tuesday. 

Crittenden 16  33 50 63

Lyon Co. 11  27 35 40

CRITTENDEN - Guess 40, Evans 8, A. Boone 6, Hatfield 5, N.Boone 2, McDaniel 2, Federico, Hunt, Rushing, Holeman, Munday, Hodge. FG 23. 3-pointers 3 (Guess 2, Evans). FT 11-15.

LYON - Cotham 2, Phillips 2, Coursey, Wynn 2, Brasher, Edwards, Taylor 13, Holland 12, DeFew 6, Downey, Perry 4. FG 16. 3-pointers 1 (Holland). FT 9-11.

Lady Rockets Coach's Show with Taylor Guess / Coach Hodge

Coach Hodge and Taylor Guess joins us to talk basketball and 2,000 points.

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Rockets get best of CCHS in physical game

MARION, Ky. – For about a half, the Rockets kept the game close Tuesday at home against Webster before the Trojans physical play won the battle. 

Champion scored 20 for the Rockets.

Play was a bit chippy at times, and there were technicals called on players from each team during the middle part of the contest.

The road doesn’t get any easier. On Friday CCHS will play a district game at Lyon County against perhaps the region’s top team.

Webster County 13 37 56 67
Crittenden Co.     8 25 35 42
WEBSTER – McDyer, Starks-Scott 5, M.Austin 11, T.Austin 2, Michlek  12, Davis, Gerrard 7, Ma.Austin 11, Alstadt, Gunn 2, Murphey 17. FG 27. 3-pointers 6 (M.Austin 2, Michlek 2, Gerrard, Ma.Austin). FT 7-11.
CRITTENDEN - Morgeson, Champion 20, Hatfield 2, Suddoth, Sharp, Keller 2, McLean, Gobin 6, Belt, Guess 6, Poindexter 2, Counts 4. FG 17. 3-pointers 1 (Champion). FT 7-15.

Guess scores 2,000th career point

Two grand and counting!

Lady Rocket senior Taylor Guess dropped 26 Tuesday night in a win at Caldwell County, ringing up her 2,000th career point in the third quarter.

In transition, Guess pulled up from the wing for a nothing-but-net trey to make her just the sixth female in Fifth District history to reach the milestone. She is already Crittenden County’s all-time leading scorer and will likely become the most prolific scorer in district history later this season. She needs just under 350 more points to catch Lyon County’s Saundra Oliver, who scored 2,351 in a career that ended in 1981.

CCHS easily beat Caldwell on the road 60-41.

Crittenden Co 16 35 46 60

Caldwell Co. 2 10 21 41

CRITTENDEN - Guess 26, N.Boone 6, A.Boone 8, Evans 6, Hatfield 4, Federico 2, McDaniel 4, Holeman 2, Rushing, Hunt, Stewart 2. FG 26. 3-pointers 2 (Guess 2). FT 6-9.

CALDWELL - Clark 3, M.Thomas 14, B. Thomas 3, Hollowell 8, Sykes 4, Copeland 4, McKinney 5, Ortt, Williams, Alexander. FG 14. 3-pointers 4 (M.Thomas 2, B.Thomas, McKinney). FT 9-22.

Boys fall behind early in loss at McLean

CALHOUN, Ky. – The Rockets struggled early to get the ball in the basket and McLean County grabbed a lead it never relinquished as Crittenden lost 67-54 Monday on the road.

Junior guard Travis Champion scored 33 points, one the best outings of his career, including a dozen in the fourth period as CCSH rallied a bit but couldn’t cover the deficit. 

Crittenden Co. 11 26 35 54
McLean Co.      23 41 55 67
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 9, Champion 33, Walker, Hatfield 4, Suddoth, Sharp, Keller 2, Gobin 3, Guess, Travis, Poindexter 2, Counts 1. FG 15. 3-pointers 7 (Champion 4, Morgeson 2, Hatfield 1). FT 9-15.
MCLEAN – Lee, Cline 14, Floyd 26, C.Lee 4, Patrick, Scott, Baldwein, Ward 6, Algood, Revelett 15, Whitaker 2, Taylor. FG 30. 3-pointers 3. FT 4-6.

Rockets beat Tennessee boys on Saturday

MARION, Ky. – The Rockets won for the second straight game, beating Tennessee’s Stewart County 73-57 behind a strong performance by the Crittenden County backcourt tandem of Travis Champion and Preston Morgeson.

The two guards combined for 45 of a season-high 73 points scored by CCHS. Champion led the way with 27. Morgeson netted 18, including a couple of threes.

First-year Rocket head coach DJ Pigg went deep into the bench to get the win, running 14 players onto the floor during the Saturday matchup.

Stewart County, Tn. 13 26 42 57
Crittenden County 14 30 55 73
STEWART – G.Maria 5, S.Wallace 16, B.Brainard 5, D.Dennis 10, H.Wallace 10, J.Morgan 2, A.Fox 8, E. Ide 1. FG 16. 3-pointers 7. FT 16-23.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 18, Champion 27, Walker 4, Hatfield 8, Sharp, Keller 4, Atchison, Gobin 7, Belt, Guess 2, Travis, Poindexter, McLean, Counts 3. FG 24. 3-pointers 5 (Hatfield 2, Morgeson 2, Champion). FT 20-27.

Lady Rockets win matinee game over Tennesseans

The Lady Rockets were command of its Saturday matinee basketball game against Stewart County, Tenn., from start to finish. CCHS won 53-34.

Senior Crittenden County guard Taylor Guess scored 25 points – which is her average through the first three games – and grabbed nine rebounds. 

The Lady Rockets shot well, making almost 50 percent of its field goals, including 36 percent from behind the arc, and 64 percent from the foul line.

CRITTENDEN – Guess 25, Hatfield 8, Evans 7, McDaniel 5, N.Boone 3, A.Boone 3, Federico 0. FG 20. 3-pointers 4 (Guess, Evans, McDaniel, A.Boone). FT 9-14.

Pigg leads Rockets to Trifecta over Cards

MARION, Ky. – New Rocket basketball coach DJ Pigg hit the trifecta in his first game at Rocket Arena Friday, grabbing his inaugural victory as head coach, notching the team’s first Fifth District win of the season and beating perhaps Crittenden County’s greatest rival – Livingston Central – in front of a large crowd.

Preston Morgeson hit 6 three pointers.

The Rockets won 58-39 by being more physical, rebounding well and winning loose balls. Crittenden led start to finish after jumping out to a 15-0 edge in the first period. Livingston trimmed it back to single digits for a time, but by the third quarter CCHS was back head by 14 after senior guard Preston Morgeson led a 10-2 run with a couple of three pointers.

Morgeson finished with a 24 points, including six treys, to lift the Rockets to their ninth straight victory over the Cardinals dating back to 2019. Junior guard Travis Champion had 19.

CCHS improves to 1-1 overall and will host Stewart County, Tenn., Saturday afternoon. 

Livingston 4 15 28 39

Crittenden 15 22 40 58

LIVINGSTON - Casen Render 4, Mason Hargrove, Drew Hosick 8, Logan Wring 9, Josh Turney 2, Eli Walton 5, Avery Zaim 4, Will Orr 7, Reese Davidson, Zion Mayers. FG 17. 3-pointers 4 (Hosick 2, Render, Orr). FT 1-3.

CRITTENDEN - Preston Morgeson 24, Travis Champion 19, Bryson Walker, Jaxon Hatfield 7, Gabe Keller 1, Turner Sharp, Case Gobin 4, Tyler Belt, Seth Guess, Zach Counts 3. FG 23. 3-pointers 8. (Morgeson 6, Champion, Hatfield). FT 4-12.

Lady Rockets beat Livingston by 33

Crittenden's Anna Boone defends against
Livingston Central's Aubrey Leahy.

MARION, Ky. – Lady Rocket senior Taylor Guess scored 25 points as Crittenden County took control early and ran away late in an early Fifth District showdown Friday at Rocket Arena.

CCHS beat the Lady Cardinals for the 14th time in the last 15 tries and captured a key league win in the season’s first week. Crittenden will be back in district action next Friday at Lyon County. 

The team's all-time leading scorer, Guess needs just 49 more to reach the 2,000 point plateau. She was the catalyst behind Crittenden’s win, although Livingston stayed close for almost three periods. LCHS played within 10 or so most that time, but CCHS outscored their guests 19-1 in the final period to make it a blowout. 

Senior Natalie Boone and her freshman sister Anna Boone added 26 points – 13 apiece including three treys each – for the Lady Rockets. CCHS nailed half of its long-range goals in the fourth period when it pulled away for a lopsided win. 

Crittenden improved to 1-1 on the season after losing their opener at Graves County earlier in the week.

Livingston, which had just seven players dressed for the game because of sickness on the team, had no one in double-figure scoring. The Lady Cardinals are now 1-1.

Livingston 8 23 31 32
Crittenden 19 30 46 65
LIVINGSTON – Nevaeh Jennings, Maggie Downey 5, Taylor Leahy 2, Victoria Joiner 9, Aubrey Leahy 8, Emersyn Ramage 8, Mikaela Holman. FG 12. 3-pointers 1 (Downey). FT 1-3.
CRITTENDEN – Taylor Guess 25, Natalie Boone 13, Anna Boone 13, Elliot Evans 8, Addie Hatfield 2, Andrea Federico, Elle McDaniel, Chloe Hunt, Bristyn Rushing, Georgia Holeman, Jordyn Hodge, Morgan Stewart, Charlee Munday 2. FG 26. 3-pointers (A.Boone 3, N.Boone 3). FT 7-9.

Rocket Basketball Show with DJ Pigg

Coach DJ Pigg and crew joins us to talk about the 2022-23 basketball season.

PRESENTED BY

Frazer Law Firm in Marion 

First United Bank in Marion

Rocket Tire, Oil & Lube

Farmers Bank & Trust Co. of Marion

C-Plant Federal Credit Union in Marion

H&H Home & Hardware

The Heritage Golf & Pool

Clark's Marion True Value

YTG Insurance of Marion

Crittenden Community Hospital

Lady Rocket Basketball Coach's Show

Coach Shannon Hodge joins us to talk about the 2022-23 basketball season.

PRESENTED BY

Frazer Law Firm in Marion 

First United Bank in Marion

Rocket Tire, Oil & Lube

Farmers Bank & Trust Co. of Marion

C-Plant Federal Credit Union in Marion

H&H Home & Hardware

The Heritage Golf & Pool

Clark's Marion True Value

YTG Insurance of Marion

Crittenden Community Hospital

Get your basketball season tickets

Click Image for Tickets

Season Tickets for Crittenden County girls' and boys' basketball are now available.

Tickets can only be purchased at this LINK electronically. However, once your ticket is purchased, school officials will provide the holder a paper ticket to present when entering Rocket Arena.

Tickets are available for adults at $38 for the entire regular season. Student season tickets are $15. These tickets are not good for postseason games. These are general admission season tickets, not chair-back seats. Those are sold out.

Deadline to purchase a season ticket is Dec. 12.