The Show! Coach Pigg talks Rocket Basketball

Coach Pigg and Case Gobin join us on The Show.

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Champion remains hot as a jalapeño

PADUCAH, Ky. – Rocket junior Travis Champion remains hotter than a jalapeño, registering his third straight game with 35 or more points as the Rocket came from behind to beat Hickman County Saturday afternoon in the McCracken County Organ Donor Shootout.

Champion dropped 38 points after Crittenden County started a little cool and fell behind by double figures.

The CCHS guard has now scored 38, 40 and 35 in the past three outings and he’s doing it off the dribble, from long range and at the line. His seven foul shots in the fourth period helped the Rockets hold off the Falcons for Crittenden’s fifth win the last six games. Champion also drained five threes.

Crittenden is now 11-11 on the season and will take some time off this week before hosting Lyon County Friday in its final Fifth District game of the season. The Lyons are undefeated in league play and the Rockets are in second place right now with just one district loss.

The Falcons fell to 7-14.

Crittenden County 11 29 50 64
Hickman County 21 33 44 57
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 19, Champion 38, Hatfield, Walker, Gobin 4, Guess 3, Counts. FG 24. 3-pointers 8 (Champion 5, Morgeson 3). FT 8-14.
HICKMAN –McClanahan 12, Burgdoff, Newton-Byasse 7, Pettit 5, Prince 27, Burpo 6. FG 18. 3-pointers 6 (Prince 4, Burpo 2, McClanahan 2). FT 9-13.

Taylor Guess | The New 5th District Career Scoring Leader

ARLINGTON, Ky. - On the plains of far western Kentucky Saturday afternoon when Crittenden County senior guard Taylor Guess became the most profile scorer in Fifth District basketball history, the Lady Rockets made a cumulative statement of their own.

Taylor Guess scored 16 in the win at Carlisle.

CCHS beat host Carlisle County 74-54, effectively declaring itself the small-school champion of Kentucky’s west coast. Because only three days earlier Carlisle and Crittenden – champions of the first and second regions, respectively – played in the All A Classic State Tournament more than 300 miles to the east. Neither of them won, so they came home to duke it out it Comet country.

Guess, scored 16 points, among them the basket to overtake the career scoring record in Fifth District history. Her pull-up, 15-foot jumper off the right elbow in the first half surpassed the previous record of 2,351 established in 1981 by Lyon County’s Saundra Oliver, who was watching the game online from her Florida home. Guess now has 2,362 career points and more than 800 rebounds.

Crittenden was tested early by Carlisle’s penetrating offense, but squared things away before halftime and won easily as freshman Anna Boone scored a career-high 28 to lead the way. Elliot Evans was the only other Rocket in double figures with 13.

CCHS is now 16-4 on the season and will play next at Paducah Tilghman on Tuesday. The Comet girls are now 14-7. Crittenden and Carlisle had faced one another a half dozen times over the past six years. Crittenden has now won four straight over the Lady Comets.

Crittenden County 19 35 57 74

Carlisle County 16 28 44 54

CRITTENDEN - Guess 16, N.Boone 1, A.Boone 28, Evans 13, Hatfield 6, Federico 6, Hunt 2, McDaniel, Rushing 2, Holeman, Hodge. FG 31. 3-pointers 5 (Guess, A.Boone 2, Evans 2). FT 7-8.

CARLISLE – Whitacker 20, McGee 4, Hogancamp 18, Edging 1, Jones 11. FG 18. 3-pointers 2 (Whitacker). FT 16-21

Lady Rockets fall in All A opener

RICHMOND, Ky. – A third-quarter scoring drought allowed Bethlehem to build a double-digit lead while Crittenden County scoring stalwart Taylor Guess was troubled by fouls, dooming the Lady Rockets late Wednesday night in the opening round of the All A Classic State Tournament.

Foul trouble helped the Banshees slow
Taylor Guess in the All A opener.

Fifth Region champion Bethlehem, winners of the All A tournament in 2020 and 2021, took command of the game in the second half and cruised to a 71-55 victory.

The Banshees (15-6), led by six-foot lumberjack center Emma Filiatreau and crew of logger-like companions, used heavy defensive pressure to take down Crittenden County (15-4).

Bethlehem was sluggish out of the chute, making just 3-of-11 shots in the opening period while CCHS built an 11-point lead. The Banshees went on a 13-2 run after Guess picked up here her third foul early in the second period and CCHS abandoned its typical man-to-man defense for a zone to help protect Guess.

Lady Rocket coach Shannon Hodge, piloting her team in an eighth All A state tournament appearance, said she chose to keep Guess on the floor, but admitted that the foul issue caused the senior to be more tentative on the both ends of the court.

“We have to have her in there,” Hodge said.

Bethlehem defenders disrupted passes and picked the Lady Rocket pockets, creating 25 CCHS turnovers and scored 36 points off of them. They started nailing threes in the last half and for the game scored 16 points at the line. The Banshees scored 34 points in the paint while CCHS managed only a dozen.

Guess, who is chasing the Fifth District career scoring record, needed 23 to begin the game and finished with 17 points, six shy of the league record. She celebrated her 18th birthday at Richmond, but it wasn’t the party she expected.

Freshman Anna Boone led CCHS
with 20 points in the game.

Freshman Anna Boone led Crittenden in scoring with 20 points, including four threes, and classmate Elliot Evans had a team-high 11 rebounds.

In reality, the Banshees – a private school from Bardstown – put the game away early in the third quarter with a 14-0 run when CCHS failed score in the first four and a half minutes out of the dressing room.

“I am so proud of our girls,” Hodge said. “I don’t think anyone in the gym except those in the blue and white would have believed anything would happen like it did in the first half.”

Second-chance buckets, Hodge said, helped Bethlehem erase her team’s early lead in the second period.
“And in the second half, we weren’t getting to the free throw line. They shot 24 free throws and we shot seven,” she said.

Guess, who averages almost 25 points a game, typically gets a bucket full at the charity stripe, but was just 2-of-2 in the game. Through her six-year varsity career, Guess has netted 30 percent of her points at the line.

“When she doesn’t get to the line or we don’t get to the line it makes a huge difference,” Hodge added.
Hodge said Bethlehem’s size and quickness around the basket was indeed an intimidating factor in the outcome. The Banshees also scored 10 points in transition while the Lady Rockets – who typically rack up racing down court were scoreless on the break.

Crittenden will return home to play Carlisle County on the road Saturday. The Lady Comets (13-6) were the First Region All A champions, and lost to Pikeville 76-23 in the first round of the tournament.

Crittenden County 17 32 42 55

Bethlehem 9 33 51 71

CRITTENDEN - A.Boone 20, Hatfield 2, Guess 17, N.Boone 9, Evans 4, Hunt 3, Hodge, Stewart, Holeman, Federico, Munday, Rushing, McDaniel. FG 21. 3-pointers: 7 (A.Boone 4, N.Boone, Guess, Hunt). FT 6-7.

BETHLEHEM - T.Miles 17, A.Miles 14, Clayton 2, Thurmond 24, Filiatreau 12, Young 2. FG 25. 3-pointers 5 (T.Miles w, Thurmond 3). FT 16-24.

Union snaps CCHS 3-game streak despite Champ's 35

MARION, Ky. - Travis Champion scored 16 points in the fourth period as Crittenden County trimmed down a big Union County lead, but it wasn’t enough as the Rockets lost 76-63.

CCHS didn’t shoot well for much of the contest, but Champion and Preston Morgeson heated up a bit down the stretch to turn a 25-point third-quarter Union County lead into a 10-point game with about four minutes to go. However, the Rockets couldn’t get some key defensive stops when it matter and saw a three-game winning streak snapped by the Braves, who CCHS had defeated earlier this season.

The Rockets fell to 10-11 and Union County improved to 9-9.

Union County      17 29 51 76
Crittenden Co. 8 18 33 63
UNION – Hughes 19, Hancock 17, Pollard 2, Manuel 15, Jones 13, Johnson 2, Gentry, Miller 8. FG 27. 3-pointers 5 (Jones 3, Hancock, Manuel). FT 17-24.
CRITTENDEN - Morgeson 20, Champion 35, Walker 2, Hatfield 2, Keller, Gobin, Guess 4. FG 24. 3-pointers 7 (Morgeson 5, Champion 2). FT 8-11.

The Show! With Coach Hodge and Lady Rockets

The community is invited to gather along Main Street at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday to join a sendoff for the Lady Rocket basketball team, which is headed to Richmond for the All A Classic State Tournament.

A bus carrying the team with a police escort will make a loop through town before heading eastward for its eighth appearance in the small-school state tournament where they will open at 8:30pm (CST) Wednesday against Bethlehem. 

Tickets for the game are available from Go Fan. A live audio stream of the game is available online for free at this GAME LINK. A webcast can also be viewed online for $14.95 at PrepSpin.

Rockets win third straight, improve to .500

Travis Champion put
40 points on the board.

MARION, Ky. – Junior guard Travis Champion scored a career-high 40 points as the Rockets beat Christian Fellowship Academy 77-67 at home Saturday afternoon.

Freshman Bryson Walker continues to shine, too. He scored 19 after getting 21 the previous night.

Crittenden led most of the way, but it wasn’t easy sledding as the guests put up a solid fight.

The Rockets got back to .500 on the season, winning its third straight game and improving to 10-10. Crittenden will be at home again Tuesday to host Union County (8-9), a team it beat by two earlier this season.

Christian Fellowship 13 24 46 67
Crittenden County 17 37 52 77
CFA – Dunning 23, E.Grigg 12, S.Grigg 8, Fletcher 2, Burnett 11, Hicks 11, Kite. FG 24. 3-pointers 6. FT 13-18.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 3, Champion 40, Walker 19, Hatfield, Keller, Gobin 9, Guess 4, Counts 2. FG 27. 3-pointers 2 (Morgeson, Walker). FT 21-29.

Crittenden takes doubleheader at Livingston

GIRLS MAKE COACH SMILE

SMITHLAND, Ky. – Ahead of its trip to the small-school state tournament, Crittenden County made its coach smile Friday at Livingston Central with something she’d been wanting – a four-quarter, quality effort.

Crittenden guard Chloe Hunt guards LCHS's
Hadley Hargrove in the Lady Rocket win.

“It was probably the best first half we’ve played in a while, trying to lock people down defensively and create offense with our defense,” coach Shannon Hodge said.

Crittenden led by four after one period, but blew the socks off the Lady Cardinals in the second quarter, fueled by a spate of three-pointers from freshmen Anna Boone and Elliot Evans. Senior Taylor Guess was scoring at will, too, and the Lady Rockets built a 39-point lead before posting a 61-30 victory.

Livingston scored only nine points in the first half (they’d scored just seven in the second half when the teams played one another a week earlier in the All A Class Second Region title game). Crittenden’s defense was something to behold indeed. The Rocket girls didn’t put too much pressure on the ball until it crossed half court, but then poured the coal to it. Anna Boone was swatting shots and teammates were regularly turning over LCHS in the front court.

Guess scored a game-high 25 points and moved to within about two dozen points of becoming the Fifth District’s career scoring leader. The Lady Rockets improved to 5-0 in league play and 15-3 overall. 

Livingston fell to 8-11 overall and 2-2 in league play. Sophomore Victoria Joiner scored 14 points, virtually half of her team’s total. She and classmate Emersyn Ramage were honored following the game for each reaching 500 rebounds in their careers.

Crittenden County 9 37  55  61
Livingston Central 5 9  19 30
CRITTENDEN – Guess 25, N.Boone 6, A.Boone 13, Evans 8, Hatfield 5, Hunt 4, McDaniel, Federico, Rushing, Holeman, Stewart, Munday, Hodge. FG 25. 3-pointers 6 (N.Boone 2, A.Boone 3, Evans). FT 5-9.
LIVINGSTON – Jennings 2, Downey 6, A.Leahy 8, Joiner 14, Davidson, T.Leahy, Holman, Ramage. FG 11. 3-pointers 1 (Joiner). FT 7-19.

ROCKETS BURN UP NETS

SMITHLAND, Ky.  – So far, first-year Rocket basketball coach DJ Pigg has done about all he could do, and perhaps more than some might have expected at this point in the season. 

Rocket freshman Bryson Walker came off the
bench to score 21. Here he guards Caridnal
Jude Ferrell in the second half.

Crittenden County beat Livingston Central 84-52 to improve to 4-1 in Fifth District play, locking up second place. It’s about as high as any reasonable observer might have hoped for CCHS. Only Lyon County has bested the Rockets in league play, and Crittenden has one more crack at them. Albeit a long shot. 

Junior Travis Champion was lights out against the Cardinals, scoring 20 points in the first half – 14 in the second quarter when the Rockets made their move. Jumpers, layups and long-range bombs were on tap as Champion led a 16-4 run over the last five minutes of the first half. During the spurt, Morgeson and Walker also drained a couple of threes.

CCHS reeled off another 11-0 scoring spurt in the third period, taking a 25-point lead and driving driving a nail in Livingston’s coffin. The Cardinals struggled to get much of anything going offensively other than during a short two-minute spurt in the second quarter.

Crittenden improves to 9-10 overall and Livingston falls to 5-13. The Cardinals are winless in the district and have lost 10 straight times to the Rockets dating back to 2019.

Crittenden County 17 40 63 84
Livingston County 14 26 37 52
CRITTENDEN - Morgeson 26, Champion 22, Walker 21, Hatfield 8, Suddoth, Sharp 3, Keller 1, Gobin, Guess, Travis, Poindexter, Counts 1. FG 25 3-pointers 12 (Morgeson 5, Champion 2, Walker 2, Hatfield 2, Sharp) FT 22-31.
LIVINGSTON - Render 3, Hargrove, Orr 8, Ferrell 8, Wring 15, Zaim 6, Davidson 6, Walton 3, Myers, Turrey 5. FG 16 3-pointers 5 (Orr 2, Wring 2, Davidson) FT 15-19

Rockets beat Trigg for 2nd time this season

Write Case Gobin down for a double-double and perhaps his best performance of the season as Crittenden County improved to 3-1 in Fifth District play with a 67-55 win over Trigg County Tuesday at Rocket Arena.

Gobin grabbed a dozen rebounds and scored a season-high 14 points as CCHS improved to 8-10 on the season and snapped a two-game losing streak. Gobin’s previous high was 10 points in the first win over Trigg County.

Junior Travis Champion led the game with 21 points and Preston Morgeson had 15 for the Rockets.

Trigg’s Jayden Vaughn rolled his ankle in the first period, but returned to the game after the break. He scored 11 points for the Wildcats (9-9, 2-2), nine in the fourth period.

The game was tied in the third period at 27, but CCHS began to pull away and hit 11 foul shots in the final period to close out the win.

Trigg County 12 23 32 55

Crittenden Co. 15 25 38 67

TRIGG – Stuart, Vaughn 11, Gude 9, Reynolds 12, Shearer 7, Washer 14, Linton, Bush 2, Beckel, Terrell, Carter, Barnes, Reeves. FG 25. 3-pointers 6 (Reynolds 3, Shearer, Washer 2). FT 7-14.

CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 15, Champion 21, Walker, Hatfield 6, Suddoth, Sharp, Gobin 14, Guess 7, Travis 2, Poindexter, Counts 2. FG 24. 3-pointers 5 (Champion 3, Hatfield 2). FT 14-20.

Girls swamp Trigg in 2nd half to remain perfect

 The Lady Rockets remain undefeated in Fifth District play this season after putting Trigg County away in the second half en route to a 63-47 victory at home Tuesday night.

Crittenden will work to keep its district worksheet in order on Friday when they travel to Livingston Central.

Excellent passing and season-high 11 points for center Addie Hatfield helped CCHS open up a game that was close for the first half. Crittenden led by three at intermission, but its defense held Trigg to just three points for the first 12 minutes of the last half and built a 30-point lead with about four left in the contest.

Senior Taylor Guess scored a game-high 29 and needs just 48 more points to become the district’s all-time leader scorer.

CCHS improved to 14-3 on the season while Trigg County is now 5-10 overall and 1-3 in Fifth District action this season.

Trigg County 13 28 31 47

Crittenden Co. 17 31 47 62
TRIGG – Norwood 3, Noffsinger 17, Bush 3, Hyde 4, McGee, Rogers 4, Grubbs 1, Alexander 11, McKalve 4. FG 18-40. 3-pointers 4-12 (Noffsinger 2, Norwood, Bush). FT 7-13.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 29, N.Boone 7, A.Boone 4, Evans 8, Hatfield 11, Federico 1, Hunt, McDaniel 1, Rushing, Holeman, Stewart 1, Munday, Hodge. FG 22-46. 3-pointers 2-6 (Guess, N.Boone). FT 16-27.

Lady Rockets win All A regional crown

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. – A remarkable second-half performance by the Lady Rockets saw Livingston Central’s early lead wilt in a hurry followed by Crittenden County cutting down the nets Saturday in the All A Classic for a record eighth time.

Senior Natalie Boone cutting
down the nets afterwards.

As well as the Lady Cardinals (8-7) shot to build a five-point halftime lead over the tournament favorite, Crittenden was more impressive on the last lap to win going away 50-32 to punch its ticket to the All A State Tournament starting Jan. 25 in Richmond.

CCHS, now 14-3 on the season, will play 15-5 Bethlehem in the state tournament. It will be a rematch of the 2021 Final 16 opener when the Banshees beat Crittenden 80-54 en route to a Class A championship.

To win its second regional crown in three years, CCHS had to find its legs in the last half after a lackluster start.

“This is a great win for our team and our program,” said 30-year Lady Rocket skipper Shannon Hodge. “They had set this as one of their bigs goals at the beginning of the year.

“The first half didn’t look very pretty. For some reason we just had trouble getting our legs going defensively. I felt like we were the quicker team. At halftime, I issued a challenge to really get out and defend, and they did.”

Anna Boone and Addie Hatfield displaying
the defense that brought CCHS back to win.

Livingston was on target with nearly every ball early. Lady Cardinals leading scorer Victoria Joiner dropped 10 points in the second period as Livingston went ahead by seven at one point. She finished with 11. Likewise, Livingston post player Emersyn Ramage scored all six of her points in the first quarter. The second half, LCHS managed only seven points, and went 1-for-7 at the foul line. Their shooting touch had left the building.

Crittenden senior Taylor Guess, who scored with a game-high 21, netted eight in the third period as the Lady Rockets rolled off a 15-2 run and won the race to Richmond.

The Lady Rockets open play in the All A State Tournament at 8:30 p.m. (CST) one week from Wednesday. 

Bethlehem, winner of the Fifth Region, is a private Bardstown school, one Crittenden Countians are familiar with from many meetings in football. Bethlehem is ranked No. 1 in its region with a KHSAA RPI of .611. 

The Rocket girls, winners of small-school regional titles in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2011, 2017, 2021 and now 2023, like Bethlehem, have not lost in regional play this season. Crittenden is ranked No. 3 in its region with an RPI of .577.

Livingston Central 12 25 27 32

Crittenden County 9 21 36 50

LIVINGSTON – Downey 5, T.Leahy, Joiner 11, A.Leahy 7, Holman, Hargrove 3, Ramage 6. FG 12. 3-pointers 4 (Downey, Joiner, A.Leahy, Hargrove). FT 3-10.

CRITTENDEN – Guess 21, N.Boone 8, A.Boone 7, Evans 6, Hatfield 4, Federico 4, McDaniel. FG 20. 3-pointers 2 (Guess, A.Boone). FT 8-8.

All A Classic Second Region Champion

Quick turn-around dooms Rockets at Trinity

WHITESVILLE, Ky. - In a tough turn-around match, the Rockets lost Saturday on the road at Whitesville Trinity 78-31.

After taking a licking in the All A Classic semi-final Friday night, Crittenden County had 14 hours to regroup and found fatigue overwhelming. Their troubles were magnified by the fact that three players were unavailable, including leading scorer Travis Champion who is out with an ankle injury and starter Jaxon Hatfield.

Crittenden fell behind by a dozen in the opening period, and it got worse from there as Whitesville accelerated the score with 12 three-pointers. 

Senior guard Preston Morgeson, the team’s second leading scorer on the season, led the Rockets with 18, more than half of his team’s total offensive production.

Trinity is 9-6 on the season, while the Rockets fall to 7-10.

Crittenden Co. 10 18 25 31

Whitesville Trinity 22 38 66 78

CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 18, Walker 6, Suddoth 2, Sharp 3, Counts 2, Guess, Travis, Gobin, Poindexter. FG 11. 3-pointers 4 (Morgeson 3, Sharp). FT 5-6.

WHITESVILLE-–Aull, 18, Howard, Huft, Smith 20, Mills 5, Hernanez 4, Huff 6, Goetz5, Payne 3, N.Hernandez 9, Howard 8. FG 31. 3-pointers 12 Aull 3, Mills 1, Henandez 1, Goetz 1, Payne 1, N.Hernandez 3, Howard 2). FT 4-8.

Rockets fall to UHA in All A semifinal

Freshman Bryson Walker works against UHA's
pesky defense in the semifinal game.

PRINCETON, Ky. – As if tangling with giant-killer University Heights in the All A Classic semifinal Friday wasn’t arduous enough, Rocket scoring stalwart Travis Champion turned his ankle 24 hours ahead of the match, leaving Crittenden County sorely shorthanded. 

The Rockets struggled to get off open shorts and at times simply to get the ball into front court. UHA’s quick hands made ball handling a challenge for CCHS. The Blazers won the game 68-34, two days after slaying regional favorite Lyon County in the small-school tournament opener.

UHA, which has won 19 Second Region All A titles, advances to play Heritage Christian – in its tournament debut – in the Saturday’s championship. 

The Rockets were whistled for three technicals in the game, including one against first-year skipper DJ Pigg. Senior Preston Morgeson had a technical and intentional foul to his credit and fouled out in the third period. It was a frustrating event to say the least. 

The Rockets are now 7-9 on the season and will be at Whitesville Trinity at 4:30 p.m., Saturday. On Tuesday, Crittenden gets back to Fifth District action as Trigg County comes to Marion.

Crittenden County 5   8   15   34
University Height 19 39  54   68
CRITTENDEN - Morgeson 3, Walker 11, Suddoth 3, Sharp 2, Guess 13, Poindexter 2, Hatfield, Gobin, Counts. FG: 13. 3-pointers 5 (Morgeson, Walker, Guess 3). FT 3-12. 
UHA - Brown 6, Northington 16, Grubbs 13, Walton 6, Thomas 4, Quarles 3, Baker 3, Havrette 5, George 4, Bell 3, Wallace 4, B.Northington FG: 27. 3-pointers 4 (Northington, Quarles, Havrette, Bell). FT 10-16

Lady Rockets headed to All A title game

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. – Crittenden County beat University Heights by almost identical scores five days apart, but Thursday’s triumph was like a shot of mouthwash.

The Lady Rockets, favorites to win the Second Region All A Classic for the second straight year, will actually get a chance to play in the title bout this January. Last season, a semifinal round upset by host Lyon County left a year-long bitter taste on the Lady Rocket palate. 

Coach Shannon Hodge’s girls took care of business early despite missing their first four or five shots of the game. From there, senior Natalie Boone settled in to drop four three-pointers and lead a charge that built a 20-point-plus lead that lasted the entire way. Freshman Elliot Evans led CCHS with 15 points and Boone and senior Taylor Guess got 14 and 13, respectively, as Crittenden won 69-48. Last weekend, Crittenden beat UHA in a regular-season game 69-51.

“This was a huge game for us… to get back to the championship of the All A. We didn’t get there last year and that’s been a thorn in my side and I know it has especially for our seniors,” Hodge said. 

The Lady Rockets have won seven small-school regional crowns, more than any other team in the league, and Hodge remembers all of them. She also remembers the losses, particularly the sting of last year’s when her team was poised for a real shot at the title.

Now, 12 months later, Hodge and the CCHS girls are where the 30-year veteran coach believes they belong, facing another Fifth District foe in Saturday’s championship game. The winner will advance to the to All A State Tournament starting Jan. 15 in Richmond. Tipoff for this weekend’s Second Region title match 4pm Saturday in Hopkinsville at UHA. Crittenden (12-3) will be playing Livingston Central (8-9).

Crittenden County 25 43 62 69

University Heights 9 26 35 48

CRITTENDEN – Guess 13, N. Boone 14, Evans 15, A. Boone 6, Hatfield 4, Federico 2, Hunt 7, McDaniel 4, Rushing, Holeman, Stewart 4, Munday, Hodge. FG 26. 3-pointers 7 (N.Boone 4, Evans, Guess, Hunt). FT 10-12.

UHA – Acree, Dilday, Davis 28, Quarles 6, Hoosier, Bass 4, Love 10. FG 19. 3-pointers 1 (Quarles). FT 6-12.

Rockets claim first All A win in 8 years

PRINCETON, Ky. – Crittenden County snapped a six-game losing streak against Caldwell County and more importantly won an All A Classic opener for the first time in 8 years.

The Rockets completed the deed in somewhat uncomplicated fashion, getting way ahead of the Tigers early on their home floor and winning 63-44.

Travis Champion suffered a cut under his eye
and missed part of the first half at Caldwell.

Crittenden’s prize will be a second-round matchup against surging University Heights, a team that upset Lyon County in the small-school tournament this week and beat the Rockets by 45 last week.

CCHS has had a penchant for drawing the best team in the regional All A over the past several years. The Rockets won the small-school regional crown in 2000, its only championship since the tournament began in the early 1990s.

Junior Travis Champion and senior Preston Morgeson were blazing in the first half. Champion dropped in eight in the opening period before missing part of the second after taking an elbow underneath the eye that left a large gash. He returned to finish with 20 points. Morgeson picked up the offense with Champion getting locker-room care, scoring 13 of his team’s 17 in the second quarter. He finished with five threes and 24 points.

CCHS led by as many at 24 in the second quarter. Caldwell cut it back to 16, but got no closer in the second half.

The Rockets play UHA at Princeton at 7:30pm Friday in the semifinal round.

Crittenden County 15 32 49 63

Caldwell County 9 16 25 44

CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 24, Champion 20, Walker 4, Hatfield 8, Suddoth, Sharp, Gobin 3, Guess 2, Poindexter, Counts 2. FG 25. 3-pointers 7 (Morgeson 5, Hatfield 2). FT 6-11.

CALDWELL – Phelps, Bumpus 15, Maddox, Whittington 9, Thompson 6, Hammett, Littlejohn, Rowland 3, Parker 5, Roach 6, Wall. FG 15. 3-pointers 5 (Thompson 2, Bumpus, Rowland, Parker). FT 9-16.

Lady Rockets advance to Class A semifinal

Elliot Evans fights for a loose ball during the
Lady Rockets' win over Caldwell County.

MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County’s girls are headed to the All A Classic semifinals after beating Caldwell County 62-34 in the opening round of the small-school tournament Monday at Marion.

The Lady Rockets rushed out to a 17-point lead in the first period as senior Taylor Guess scored 16 of her game-high 26 points in the opening stanza. Crittenden built its lead by pressuring the ball and forcing Caldwell into turnovers.

In the second half, the Rocket girls cooled from the floor and the Lady Tigers drew within nine with about a minute to go in the period. Guess reeled off a couple of field goals and Elliot Evans drained a three-pointer minutes later in the third to push CCHS’s lead back to 20.

Evans stayed hot in the final period, scoring eight of her career-high 15 as CCHS won going away. Guess finished with a double-double, grabbing 16 rebounds to go along with her offensive production.

The Lady Rockets will play University Heights, which beat Fort Campbell 89-23 Monday, in Thursday’s semifinal round at UHA in Hopkinsville. Crittenden improved to 11-3 on the season and still hasn’t lost to a team in the Second Region.

Caldwell County 8 19 27 34
Crittenden County 24 32 48 62
CALDWELL – Clark 10, Hollowell 12, Sykes 8, Thompson 2, McKinney 2, M.Thomas, B.Thomas, Johnson, Ort, Hawkins, Williams, Alexander. FG 15. 3-pointers none. FT 4-9.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 26, Evans 15, N.Boone 4, A.Boone 8, Hatfield 9, Federico, Hunt, Holeman, McDaniel, Rushing. FG 24. 3-pointers 2 (Guess, Evans). FT 12-19.

Champion gets his 1000th Point

MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County split with University Heights in a Saturday afternoon matinee doubleheader with the girls winning big and boys losing in a similarly lopsided game.

Travis Champion was drawing plenty of 
attention from UHA's defense.

The Rocket 84-39 loss was highlighted, however, by junior Travis Champion reaching the 1,000-point milestone. He joined the high-scoring club with a drive down the lane for a 15-foot jumper in the third period. 

Champion’s teammate senior Preston Morgeson, who led the Rockets with 16 points, had reached the 1,000-point threshold last week. The duo became the 14th and 15th players in school history to score more than 1,000 points. Champion netted 13 against UHA, one of the top teams in the region despite a 6-6 record. 

The Rockets have only beaten UHA once in the series and that was in 2000 in the All A Classic championship game. Crittenden is now 6-8 heading into next week’s All A Classic opener Tuesday at Caldwell County.

The Lady Rockets area still undefeated against Second Region opponents this season after pouring the coal to its early offense against UHA then cooling the engines late. CCHS scored the game’s first 13 points and led 46-18 at halftime before emptying the bench in the last half and winning 69-51. 

Senior Taylor Guess led the Rocket girls with 22 points. Freshman Elliot Evans had a career-high 13 points and classmate Anna Boone added a dozen. 

The Lady Rockets are now 10-3 on the season while the Lady Blazers fall to 2-11.

Crittenden will host Caldwell County in the girls’ All A Classic Monday. 

BOYS SUMMARY

University Heights 33 58 74 84

Crittenden County 14 19 28 39

UHA – Brown 4, Northington 29, Grubbs 8, C.Brown 4, Walton 19, Quarles 11, Baker 4, George 3. FG 35. 3-pointers 12 (Northington 7, C.Brown 2, Walton 2, Quarles). FT 2-6.

CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 16, Champion 13, Hatfield 3, Sharp 2, Gobin 5, Guess, Poindexter, Walker, FG 14. 3-pointers 4 (Morgeson 2, Champion, Hatfield). FT 7-9.

GIRLS SUMMARY

University Heights 6 18 31 51

Crittenden County 30 46 61 69

UHA – Davis 21, Quarles 9, Bass 6, Love 13, Hoosier 2. FG 20. 3-pointers 4 (Davis, Quarles 3). FT 7-13.

CRITTENDEN – Guess 22, A.Boone 12, Evans 13, Hatfield 6, N.Boone, Federico, Hunt 6, McDaniel 4, Hodge, Holeman, Stewart 2, Munday, Rushing 4. FG 27. 3-pointeres (Guess 2, Evans). FT 12-20.

Chloe Hunt brings the ball up the court
for the Lady Rockets in the 2nd half.

Lady Rockets beat Christian to go 7-0 in region

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. – The Lady Rockets remain undefeated in regional action this season despite some lackluster shooting in the final period.

Crittenden County escaped Christian County Thursday with a 50-47 win in a game featuring two of the top teams in the Second Region.

In this contest, there was a great deal of hacking and whacking that led to numerous foul shots and five girls fouled out, including Crittenden starters Addie Hatfield and Natalie Boone. Three of Christian’s top four scorers also fouled out in the fourth period, limiting the Lady Colonels’ size advantage down the stretch. 

The Lady Rockets led most of the game. It’s largest lead was nine points in the first period before Christian County went on a 9-0 run to tie it. From there, the margin was rarely larger than three points, but Crittenden only trailed once the entire game. That came midway through the third period. It was tied again at 47 with less than a minute to go.

Crittenden closed out the victory at the foul line, but barely made enough to win. Taylor Guess, who scored a team-high 24 points, was 2-for-4 in the final minute and Elliot Evans made 1-of-2 to put Crittenden ahead for good with 38 seconds to go. The Rocket girls missed 6 of 13 fourth-quarter freebies and only three Crittenden girls scored in the whole game. Anna Boone finished with 17 and Evans had nine. Guess grabbed 19 rebounds. 

Christian County turned the ball over twice in front court in the final minute and missed two shots just before the buzzer that could have forced overtime.

Going into the contest, the Lady Rockets had matched up against the Colonel girls only twice over the previous 13 years, including Crittenden’s regional championship victory over Christian County in 2011. The Rocket girls last saw Christian County in a 2015 holiday tournament and lost.

With its win, the Lady Rockets improved to 7-0 against Second Region opponents and 9-3 overall. The Crittenden girls went into the Christian County matchup ranked No. 5 in the KHSAA’s Second Region power rankings while the Lady Colonels (5-8) are No. 6.

Crittenden will be at home for a matinee 3pm start Saturday against 2-9 University Heights.

Guess, who is chasing the Fifth District career scoring record, now has 2,193 points, needing 159 to break the league’s 42-year-old . She averages 25 points per game.

Crittenden County 13 25 37 50
Christian County 8 22 35 47
CRITTENDEN – Guess 24, A.Boone 17, Evans 9, N.Boone, Federico, Hunt, Hatfield. FG 14. 3-pointers 2 (A.Boone, Guess). FT 19-29.
CHRISTIAN – Northington 3, McGregor 10, Bagwell 15, Day 3, Harris 13, Powell, Bradley 3. FG 12. 3-pointers 2 (McGregor, Bagwell). FT 12-26.