REGION: Big win, but Lady Rockets seek more

Senior Taylor Guess fights for a loose ball.

MORGANFIELD, Ky. – By scoring differential alone, it was the biggest Second Region Tournament victory in the history of Lady Rocket basketball.

Crittenden County pelted Hopkinsville 87-61 Monday in the opening round of the tournament. Surprising it was not. Sure it was sweet for CCHS to win just its sixth regional tournament game in the past 25 years, but there wasn’t too much fanfare. 

“It’s nice to get a regional win,” said Lady Rocket coach Shannon Hodge.

But the disinterest couldn’t have been more conspicuous for basketball fans without a deep blue stake in the outcome. Up by 19 at the break, the Lady Rocket played in front of mostly their own fans as the large crowd in the gym after Hopkins Central beat Webster County 64-50 in the early game didn’t stick around too long to see the blister Crittenden left on the Lady Tigers. Crittenden led by 31 at one point in the third quarter and by game’s end all 13 Lady Rockets listed in the scorebook had posted at least a point.

Hopkinsville (8-15) was the fourth worst team in the entire region, according to power rankings. So wiping them out had about as much genuine appeal as a sliced ham and green bean banquet dinner. 

Consider it a somewhat bland appetizer for a main course that will begin on Friday when the stakes go up and the competition follows suit in the regional final four.

“We can’t be satisfied with how we played,” Hodge added. “We have to challenge ourselves mentally, stay focused and get tougher. It will get tougher from here.”

Lady Rocket freshman Andrea
Federico defense Hopkinsville.

The Lady Rockets will find themselves in a rematch with Hopkins Central, a team they lost to by eight points in the last regular-season game at Morton’s Gap and beat in the first round of last year's regional tournament. February's encounter was a closely-contested four quarters, and despite the loss, CCHS somehow came away without losing its No. 2 ranking in region, according to the KHSAA power rankings. They finished the regular season 4/100ths of a point ahead of the Lady Storm in those ratings. According to Dave Cantrall's Ratings – which are a decades-old staple in the Courier-Journal – Crittenden is 4th behind Henderson, Madisonville and Hopkins Central, respectively. The Lady Colonels are the consensus No. 1 team in the region. 

Crittenden and Hopkins Central have already punched their tickets to the Final Four. They will face one another at 6 p.m., on Friday. Henderson will play Madisonville Tuesday in the other side of the opening-round bracket and Livingston Central will have Christian County.

Hopkins Central and Crittenden have each lost just once against the region’s teams this season. The Storm was defeated by Henderson while Crittenden lost to Hopkins Central a couple of weeks ago. Henderson, Crittenden and Hopkins Central are a combined 46-2 against the region field. 

Of course, the rankings will have no bearing whatsoever on the the rest of this week’s play. The championship is scheduled for Saturday, and ratings have never won a championship. Just ask anyone on Crittenden County’s 2021 team, which finished the regular season No. 2 in the region, but missed postseason due to a handful of COVID-19 cases and quarantine protocol that wiped out the roster.

Winning the tournament opener may not have been cause for a grand celebration, but it did bring the Gritty out of the Lady Rockets’ 30-year skipper, who struck the popular dance move for her team after the game. 

If course, that drew grand applause. 

Until Monday, Hodge’s teams had won only one regional tournament game since capturing the entire thing in 2011 and going to the Sweet 16 for the only time in history. Otherwise, CCHS hadn’t won much in the regional tournament – ever. 

Beating Hopkinsville by 26 was close to Crittenden’s other five combined tournament win differentials in the past 13 years.

Now, Crittenden will take its 24-5 record into the semifinal against Hopkins Central’s 24-8 mark. Records have no regional crowns either, but the Lady Rockets are hoping they get a chance at their second later this week. If they can win one more game, it will tie the Rocket girls’ winningest season in history.

Hopkinsville 8 22 37 61
Crittenden County 22 41 67 87
HOPKINSVILLE – Paxton 14, Tulles 2, Fleming 23, Earthmen 3, Forte 10, Sharber 3, McGee 4, Sheffield 2. FG 24. 3-pointers 6. FT 7-11.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 25, N.Boone 9, A.Boone 21, Evans 2, Hatfield 8, Federico 2, Hunt 5, McDaniel 3, Rushing 2, Holeman 2, Stewart 4, Munday 1, Hodge 3. FG 27. 3-pointers 5 (A.Boone, 2, N.Boone 2, Guess). FT 28-43.

Pairings for next week's regional tournament

SECOND REGION GIRLS

At Union County, Morganfield

MONDAY
Hopkins Central vs Webster, 6pm
Crittenden vs Hopkinsville, 7:30pm

TUESDAY
Christian Co. vs Livingston Cent., 6pm
Henderson vs Madisonville, 7:30pm

FRIDAY
Semifinals, 6pm and 7:30pm

SATURDAY
Championship, 6pm

Lady Rockets capture 5th District title

SMITHLAND, Ky. – It’s always balmy in Livingston Central’s gym, even with the big fans they rolled out for each end of the floor during the Fifth District Tournament Thursday. 

When the home team – which had been down by as many as nine early – tied the game for the first time four minutes into the second half, the pressure cooker turned up to Caribbean levels. Crittenden was battling some foul trouble, starters were on the bench and the offense was a bit stale.

Senior Taylor Guess (10) scored 31.

The real fans – those donning Livingston red – really started blowing the lid off. The momentum had shifted and the Lady Rockets needed it back. 

Weathering the next minute or so was tantamount to heavily-favored Crittenden County winning its second straight district tournament title. 

When you have the district and regional player of the year on your side, everything is cool.

That’s when Lady Rocket senior Taylor Guess and the CCHS defense found new legs and got a handle on the game’s thermostat. It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing the rest of the way, but the storm had passed and Crittenden County beat Livingston Central 56-46.

Lady Rocket senior Natalie Boone and her freshman sister, Anna Boone, both fouled out in the game’s final two minutes and it was still a four-point ballgame. Crittenden had gone almost four minutes without a bucket when off the bench freshman Chloe Hunt netted two free throws that broke the ice and gave Crittenden County some breathing room just when the Cardinal girls were twisting up another warm front. Freshman starter Elliot Evans and Guess dropped in four straight foul shots over the next few seconds to seal the victory.

Thirty-year skipper Shannon Hodge, who guided her team to a district crown for the fifth time, said Livingston did a good job matching her team’s intensity.

“We were able to hit some free throws down the stretch after we had struggled at the line during the game,” she said. “This is their court and they played well. You have to hand it to them. 

"I was proud of our kids. I think they took (Livingston’s) best shot and were still able to come away with the win.”

The Lady Rockets (23-5) had beaten LCHS three times during the regular season, outscoring the Cardinal girls 176-94. Crittenden, ranked No. 2 in the region, according to the KHSAA power rankings, will go into the regional tournament next week at Union County with a district champion’s seed and play a runner-up from another district. The Lady Cardinals (12-18) will advance as well as the Fifth District runner-up. 

Guess finished with 31 points and Natalie Boone had a dozen. 

Livingston’s freshman guard Aubrey Leahy, who had 10 in the fourth period, led her team with 17. Sophomore Victoria Joiner had 13. Against Guess’s defense, Joiner didn’t score a basket in in the final period. 

Crittenden County 18 27 38 56

Livingston Central 11 17 32 46

CRITTENDEN – Guess 31, N.Boone 12, A.Boone 4, Evans 5, Hatfield 2, Federico, Hunt 2, McDaniel. FG 21. 3-pointers 3 (Guess 2, N.Boone). FT 11-19.

LIVINGSTON – Jennings, Davidson, Downey 8, T.Leahy 4, Aubrey Leahy 17, Mikaela Holman 2, Joiner 13, Ramage 2. FG 17. 3-pointers 1 (Downey). FT 11-19.

Rockets lose offense in 5th District loss

Rockets Travis Champion (2) and Case Gobin
guard the lane against Trigg County.

SMITHLAND, Ky. – An old Kenny Rogers country song provides appropriate lyrics for Crittenden County’s 57-49 loss to Trigg County Tuesday in the opening round of the Fifth District Tournament.

It went something like this: “You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille!”

Metaphorically, Lucille was the Rocket offense because it was a complete no show in the second half as Trigg County – despite its own troubles finding the basket at times – was able to avenge two regular-season losses to Crittenden County on the district’s big stage at Livingston County.

The Rocket high point came on a Preston Morgeson three-pointer with just under five minutes to go in the first half. The senior’s wing shot provided CCHS with a seven-point advantage 22-15.

Then, Lucille left the gym.

For the better part of the next 12 minutes, Crittenden County was virtually bucketless. Trigg went on a 10-0 run to close the second period, and trailed the Rockets by a point at the break. 

The heartbreak and misery of Lucille’s departure left Crittenden prostrate, basically helpless against a team it had handled quite well in previous meetings. Trigg’s size was used to its advantage. A handful of swatted shots were meaningful, their quickness contested many CCHS shots and a barge load of rebounds helped Trigg get timely second-chance baskets during their 18-0 run that spanned the latter part of the second and early in the third. 

Trigg leading scorer Jhaden Vaughn scored 18 points and his junior classmate Landon Stewart had 15, including a neck-breaking three-pointer late in the third period that lifted Trigg to a 12-point lead. It was Trigg’s only trey of the game and they missed 15 of 31 foul shots. Still, the Wildcats went up by 13 seconds later – their biggest margin of the contest. 

Yet despite Crittenden’s vulnerability and struggles – some of the same that had caused the team to lose its last seven games of 2023 – Trigg barely had the horsepower to pull away. Missed Wildcat foul shots down the stretch gave Crittenden a glimmer of hope as it pulled within six. The Rockets remained within striking distance even into the final two minutes, but Kenny had ejected the 8 Track and Lucy was mute.

Junior scoring stalwart Travis Champion got 20 points and senior Preston Morgeson had 15. Acceptable – even commendable – scoring for most players, but the Rockets needed more to overcome that aged cliche about how tough it can be to beat a team three times in a season – particularly without your Lucille.

After being .500 at 11-11 on Jan. 28, Crittenden closes out the first season of the DJ Pigg era with an 11-18 mark. Trigg will take its 15-15 record into Friday’s district championship matchup against Lyon County (26-5).

Trigg County 9 25 43 57
Crittenden County 12 24 32 49
TRIGG – Stewart 15, D.Gude 2, T.Gude 10, Vaughn 118, Washer 11, Reynolds 1. FG 20. 3-pointers 1 (Stewart). FT 16-31.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 15, Champion 20, Walker 5, Hatfield 3, Suddoth, Keller 2, Gobin 4, Guess, Poindexter, Counts. FG 18. 3-pointers 6 (Morgeson 2, Champion 2, Walker, Hatfield). FT 13-7. 

Lady Rockets dialed in to mission's course

Seniors Natalie Boone and Addie Hatfield
wrestle for the ball against Lyon County.

SMITHLAND, Ky. – Phase One of the Lady Rocket mission to the moon is checked.

Well, it might not be a real lunar destination, but rocketing to post-season stardom would indeed be tremdously celestial in nature, particularly if Crittenden County can make the kind of racket its faithful believes is possible.

In this century, one hand will count the number of times a team not named Henderson County or Christian County has won the Second Region championship. The Lady Colonels, ranked No. 1 in the region as postseason begins, have 15 titles since 2000.

So, the journey for 30-year CCHS coach girls’ coach Shannon Hodge began Monday night and her team surprised no one this side of the North Star. Ranked No. 2 in the region, the Lady Rockets deftly handled Lyon County 70-49 in the opening round of the Fifth District Tournament at Livingston Central’s gym.

By virtue of its win, CCHS has a spot at the table when the Second Region Tournament opens Monday at Morganfield. Yet, there’s some business left in Smithland as Crittenden will try Thursday to button up a second straight district tournament title and earn a more tolerable draw for the regional tournament. 

Freshman Anna Boone (2) looks for an outlet
pass to a teammate against Lyon.

Winning a regional crown is rare for any school beyond Henderson or perhaps Christian County – the two largest in the league. Webster and Union have been able to do it once in the 21st Century.

So it’s a bit presumptuous to hear anyone speak of such a lunar scarcity, but Crittenden Countians have been quietly building hope as their team has now won 22 games against just 5 losses.

Armed with a nuclear-fueled Rocket – Second Region Player of the Year Taylor Guess – Crittenden has as good a chance to rock the regional hierarchy for the first time since it completed such a mission and advanced to the Sweet 16. That was in 2011 when coach Hodge’s oldest daughter, Jessi, was on the team. Now, a full dozen years later, she believes there’s room to hope again.

“With a player like Taylor… surrounded by a supporting cast like we have, yeah, you feel like you have a legitimate shot,” Hodge said early this week, moments after dispatching Lyon in a physical struggle that was really not a contest after Crittenden established some tempo and ran away with it.

“Now, we have to get some breaks; things have to go your way to win a region. When you get there, everyone is capable. We’ve played just about everybody except Henderson and Madisonville, and you can bet they will be there.”

The Lady Rockets have lost just once this season in regional play. That was in their final game of regular schedule at Hopkins Central, the region’s third ranked team based on KHSAA’s power rankings. It was a close loss on the road, so a rematch on neutral soil wouldn’t be too frightening. 

Avoiding Henderson, the No. 7 team in Kentucky, and perhaps Hopkins Central in the second round would be a moon shot for the Rocket girls. If they’re on the side of the bracket with either them, the undertaking could get tough early. But for now, they’re focused on winning the district and making sure the mission stays on track.

Against Lyon, every hand on the CCHS bench got onto the court in the final period and all but three scored, as the Lady Rockets continued to extend their lead until the game’s end. Guess scored 27 and senior classmate Addie Hatfield had a career-high 14.

Make no mistake, it was a physical basketball game. Coach Hodge said her team weathered the physicality early and adapted appropriately.

“It was extremely physical, and I think that was part of their game plan,” the coach said. “We knew we had to control tempo and handle Lyon’s pressure, and they will all be like that from now on.”

The next box Hodge’s team will have to check is the district title. It could be their seventh in school history and Hodge’s fifth since 2011.

Lyon County 11 18 32 49

Crittenden County 22 43 56 70

LYON – Brasher 3, Collins 5, Cotham 7, Coursey 6, Defew 9, Downing, Holland 4, Perry 9, Taylor 6. FG 21. 3-pointers 2 (Brasher, Perry). FT 5-18.

CRITTENDEN – Guess 27, N.Boone 5, A.Boone 8, Evans 7, Hatfield 14, Federico 2, Hunt 3, McDaniel 2, Munday 2, Hodge, Stewart, Holeman. FG 23. 3-pointers 4 (A.Boone 3, Evans, Guess). FT 17-27.

The Show! Lady Rockets roll into postseason

Coach Hodge, Taylor Guess, Anna Boone and Elliot Evans  join The Show!

PRESENTED BY

FFrazer 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

Bobby Stinnett Used Cars

Cobie Evans Attorney - Marion | Smithland

USA Mortgage Darrick Myers

5TH DISTRICT TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS

 FIFTH DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
At Livingston

GIRLS
Monday
CCHS. vs Lyon, 6pm
LCHS vs Trigg, 7:30

Thursday
Championship, 6pm

BOYS
Tuesday
Lyon vs LCHS, 6pm
CCHS vs Trigg,, 7:30

Friday
Championship, 6pm

The Show! Rockets head into 5District Tournament

Coach Pigg, Preston Morgeson and Travis Champion join The Show!

PRESENTED BY

FFrazer 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

Bobby Stinnett Used Cars

Cobie Evans Attorney - Marion | Smithland

USA Mortgage Darrick Myers

Guess is 2nd Region Player of Year

Guess has scored more than
2,000 points in her career.

Crittenden County senior basketball player Taylor Guess has been selected Second Region Player of the Year by  the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches.

This season, Guess is average over 23 points and nine rebounds a game. She is the career scoring leader in the Fifth District and of course at Crittenden County High School, too. The senior is being courted by a number of collegiate basketball coaches in Kentucky and Tennessee. 

By virtue of being chosen the region’s top player, Guess is automatically nominated for Miss Kentucky Basketball, an award that will be presented after the postseason.

The Second Region boys’ Co-Players of the Year were Madisonville’s Tamarcus Eaves and Henderson County’s Gerard Thomas.

Union County girls’ coach Cory Coble and University Heights boys’ coach Melvin Brown were coaches of the year, as chosen by the KABC.

Lady Rockets at Hoptown canceled

Crittenden County’s girls’ basketball game scheduled for Friday at Hopkinsville has been canceled due to a conflict with another event at HHS.

This was to be the Lady Rockets’ final, regular-season game.

The girls will play next in the district tournament Monday at Livingston Central at 6pm vs Lyon County. 

Rockets lose sixth straight game

PADUCAH, Ky. – Crittenden County watched an early lead disappear by halftime as Paducah St. Mary knocked off the visiting Rockets 68-53 Tuesday.

It was Crittenden’s sixth straight loss as CCHS fell to 11-17 on the season.

The Vikings got 16 first-half points from sharpshooter Luke Simms. St. Mary scored 17 points at the foul line against eight by the Rockets.

Crittenden was led by junior Travis Champion, who scored 22. He made seven of 10 foul shots, recording all but one of his team’s points at the line. Senior center Case Gobin had 10 points.

St. Mary improved to 12-16.

Crittenden County 19 27 41 53
Paducah St. Mary 14 35 51 68
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 5, Champion 22, Belcher 3, Hatfield 3, Keller 4, Gobin 10, Guess 6. FG 20. 3-pointers 5 (Morgeson, Champion, Belcher, Hatfield, Guess). FT 8-14.
ST MARY – Simms 25, Mikel 23, P.Simms 5, Haas, Willett 4, Quigley 4, Hahn 5, Southern 2. FG 21. 3-pointers 9. FT 17-22.

CCHS falls by 7 at Hopkins Central

MORTON’S GAP – Second- and third-chance baskets played a big role in Hopkins Central’s victory of the Lady Rockets Tuesday.

The hosts scored nine points off three-pointers and about a dozen in the paint to take a 17-point lead in the first period. However, Crittenden scraped its was back into the game with strong defense and heavy scoring by freshman Anna Boone and Elliot Evans in the second period. 

Although CCHS was within two points twice and one point once in the fourth period, it couldn’t get a key stop when absolutely necessary and the Lady Storm won the highly-watched game between two of the Second Region’s top three teams. 

Anna Boone and senior Taylor Guess each finished with 24 for Crittenden and Evans had 13.

Hopkins Central had five girls in double figures and improved to 21-7 on the season. They came into the contest ranked No. 3 in the KHSAA Second Region power rankings. Neither team had lost in the region coming into the matchup.

Crittenden, who was No. 2 in the rankings, fell to 21-5 and will close out its regular season Friday at Hopkinsville.

Crittenden County 14 34 49 68
Hopkins Central 27 38 58 76
CRITTENDEN – Guess 24, N.Boone 3, A.Boone 24, Evans 13, Hatfield 3, Federico 2, Hunt. FG 24. 3-pointers 7 (A.Boone 4, Guess 2, Evans). FT 13-14.
CENTRAL – Mason 11, White 19, Harrison 4, Clark 13, Sutton 13, Jones 14, Whitaker-Greer 2. FG 29. 3-pointers 5 (Mason 2, Sutton 2, Clark. FT 11-23.

Lady Rockets win big matchup at Union

 MORGANFIELD, Ky. – Despite a rocky road down the home stretch, Crittenden County won a big matchup at Union County Saturday night 60-53.

It was showdown between teams ranked in the top four in the region in RPI. Crittenden is No. 2 and Union No. 4, and they could see one another again in the regional tournament later this month, which will be at Morganfield.

The Bravettes scored five of their seven three-pointers in the first half and led until right before the half when CCHS reeled off a 12-0 run to take a one-point lead by the break.

The Lady Rockets came out strong early in the second half and built an 11-point lead, but hit a difficult spot in the fourth period that allowed the hosts to pull to within one.

Freshman Anna Boone gave Crittenden a lift with a couple of late threes to seal the deal as CCHS won its 21st game against just four losses. Boone finished with 15 and senior Taylor Guess led the way with 28, most of them coming in the first half.

Union County fell to 16-9

Crittenden County 17 31 47 60
Union County 18 30 36 53
CRITTENDEN – Guess 28, N.Boone 8, A.Boone 15, Evans 7, Hatfield, Federico 2. FG 22. 3-pointers 7 (Guess 5, A.Boone 2). FT 9-15.
UNION – Goodloe 8, Morris 25, Steward 2, Hagan 8, Hubbs, Curry 10, Gough. FG 20. 3-pointers 7 (Morris 3, Goodloe 2, Hagan 2). FT 6-10.

Champion hot, but Rockets stay cool in another loss

MURRAY, Ky. – Carlisle County scored more than a third of its points at the foul line as they beat Crittenden County 73-65 in overtime at the U.S. Bank Shootout Saturday afternoon in Murray.

Rocket junior Travis Champion continues to pile up the points, but Crittenden has now lost five straight, its longest losing streak of the season. Prior to the current skid, CCHS had not lost more than three in a row.

Champion dropped 36 against the Comets, who are now 14-12. 

The Rocket guard is averaging 23.3 points a game and has scored 35 or more points in four of the last six outings. CCHS is now 11-16 with two regular-season games left before the district tournament at Livingston Central where Crittenden will have the No. 2 seed and open against Trigg County. The Rockets close out the regular season with a road games at St. Mary Tuesday and Hopkins Central Thursday.

Crittenden County 9 15 31 56 65
Carlisle County 13 30 38 56 73
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 7, Champion 36, Walker 2, Hatfield 8, Keller, Gobin 4, Guess 6, Counts 2. FG 23. 3-pointers 6 (Champion 3, Morgeson, Hatfield 2). FT 13-18.d
CARLISLE – Williams 12, Bowles 2, Burnett 27, Perez 5, Bruer, Arnold 4, Grogan 7, King 5, Rickard 11. FG 20. 3-pointers 6. FT 27-34.

Last-second shot spoils doubleheader sweep for CCHS

MARION, Ky. – A last-second three-pointer by Dawson Springs stopped Crittenden County short of sweeping a doubleheader Friday at Rocket Arena.

The Lady Rockets beat Dawson Springs 68-37 in the first match of the homecoming twinbill, but the Rockets were shocked by Rex Blue’s final shot in a 62-61 loss.

For the second straight game, Crittenden got very little offensive production other than from junior Travis Champion, who dropped 40 in the loss, and senior Preston Morgeson, who had 19. Senior Seth Guess was the only other Rocket to score. He had two points.

The loss to the Panthers was just the fourth for CCHS in the last 24 games dating back to 2010.

The girls dashed ahead by more than 20 in the first period and cruised to their win as 10 players got in on the scoring. Senior Taylor Guess led the way with 13 and freshman Elliot Evans had 11.

The Rocket girls improved to 20-4 on the season and will play at Union County Saturday night. The boys fell to 11-15, losing their fourth straight. Dawson's boys improved to 10-16.

GIRLS 
Dawson Springs 3 20 23 37
Crittenden County 26 44 62 68

DAWSON – McCoy 2, Brennan 5, Harper 8, Ward 19, Colson 3. FG 11. 3-pointers 4. FT 11-16.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 13, N.Boone 5, A.Boone 9, Evans 11, Hatfield 4, Federico 2, Hunt 9, Rushing 4, Stewart 2, Munday 5, Hodge, McDaniel, Holeman. FG 29. 3-pointers 2 (N.Boone, Hunt). FT 8-13.

BOYS

Dawson Springs    16    30    44    62

Crittenden County 20 39 55 61
DAWSON – Blue 11, Plunkett 17, Johnston 26, Thomas 2, Fain 2, Bullock 2, Dever 2. FG 21. 3-pointers 9 (Blue 2, Plunkett 5, Johnston 2). FT 9-13.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 19, Champion 40, Walker, Hatfield, Keller, Gobin, Guess 2. FG 23. 3-pointers 8 (Morgeson 5, Champion 3). FT 7-12.

Rockets fall to Caldwell County in tight game

Case Gobin defense the post agaisnt
Caldwell's Xavier Bumpus.

MARION, Ky. – Junior Travis Champion scored 34 and senior Preston Morgeson 24, but the Rockets couldn’t overcome a slow start at home against Caldwell County and lost their third straight 70-63.

In the early going on Senior Night, the Rockets were unable to stop 6-foot-4 sophomore center JayDarius Wilson, who made five buckets in a hurry and helped the Tigers to a 12-point lead.

Crittenden finally solved its defense in the pivot and slowed Wilson’s production, but had trouble getting over the hump. Caldwell led the entire way, save a two-point Rocket advantage on two Morgeson foul shots with 3:20 play. From there, Caldwell made its foul shots down the stretch and Crittenden misfired on a couple of long-range tries in the final minute, one that could have tied the game.

Caldwell won for just the fifth time in 23 games while the Rockets fell to 11-14. 

Crittenden will host Dawson Springs Friday night in a girl-boy doubleheader for homecoming in the annual Hall of Fame Game. 

Caldwell County 16 29 50 70
Crittenden County 6 27 46 63
CALDWELL – Bumpus 15, Ca.Whittington 6, Co.Whittington 7, Thompson 13, Wilson 21, Roach 8. FG 24. 3-pointers 4 (Thompson 3, Bumpus). FT 18-26.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 24, Champion 34, Hatfield, Keller 2, Gobin 1, Guess 2, Counts. FG 23. 3-pointers 3 (Morgeson). FT 14-20.

Lady Rockets drill Calloway for 4th straight win

MARION, Ky. – An active Crittenden County defense had Calloway County on its heels early as the Lady Rockets wiped out the Laker girls 77-48 Tuesday at Rocket Arena. 

Crittenden was firing in near perfect rhythm the whole way, leading by more than 20 in the first half and running the margin to more than 30 in the third period. 

Senior Taylor Guess scored 25 and Natalie Boone and Elliot Evans added 14 apiece as the Lady Rockets won their fourth straight and improved to 19-4 on the season. With six more victories the Lady Rockets will tie the most wins in a single season.

Calloway County (6-16) came into the game on a three-game winning streak.

Since losing two straight games in Florida, the Lady Rockets have won 11 of their last 12. Crittenden will host Dawson Springs Friday for the annual homecoming and Hall of Fame Game.

Calloway County 12 22 36 48
Crittenden County 21 47 66 77
CALLOWAY – Koch 8, Croci 8, Schumacher 5, McReynolds 4, Thomas 1, Lucas 2, Lowe 20. FG 19. 3-pointers 3 (Croci 2, Schumacher). FT 7-9.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 25, N.Boone 14, A.Boone 4, Evans 14, Hatfield 9, Federico, Hunt 2, McDaniel 2, Rushing 2, Holeman, Stewart 2, Munday 3, Hodge. FG 26. 3-pointers 5 (Guess 2, N.Boone 2, Munday). FT 20-22.

Mayfield rains threes for a win at Rocket Arena

MARION, Ky. – Former Crittenden County basketball standout coach Payton Croft brought his Mayfield Cardinals to Rocket Arena Saturday and wiped out CCHS 84-61.

The Cardinals (18-5) are second in the KHSAA power rankings in the First Region and showed off their quickness and height advantage over the Rockets. However, CCHS jumped out to an early lead.

Crittenden, fueled by Preston Morgeson’s 20-point first half, scored the game’s first six and led by two after the first period before the Cardinals went on a run and built a 10-point advantage by halftime. Mayfield’s defense held Rocket leading scorer Travis Champion to nothing in the first half. Champion hadn’t gone a half this season without scoring.

The Rocket junior guard got on track, and to the foul line in the second half, finishing with 18, but Mayfield dropped threes like a meteor shower. The Cardinals made 13 from long range, including nine by junior Brayden Pate. Crittenden center Case Gobin fouled out midway through the last half, which exacerbated the Rocket troubles.

Crittenden fell to 11-13 after two lopsided losses less than 24 hours apart. The Rockets were beaten by No. 10 Lyon County the night before losing to Mayfield.

Mayfield 16 41 68 84

Crittenden County 18 31 48 61

MAYFIELD – Dabei 9, Pate 30, Webb 3, Fulton 13, Stone 10, Watson 4, Barnes 1, Morris 2, Trease 4, Morton, Gammons 8. FG 28. 3-pointers 13 (Pate 9, Dabeny, Webb, Fulton 2). FT 15-22.

CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 27, Champion 18, Walker, Hatfield 6, Suddoth, Sharp, Keller, Gobin 4, Guess 4, Poindexter, Counts 2. FG 19. 3-pointers 6 (Morgeson 4, Hatfield 2). FT 17-24.

Lady Rockets weather tough third to beat Mayfield

MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County weathered a severe cold front in the third quarter to beat Mayfield 55-37 in a matinee game Saturday afternoon.

Crittenden jumped ahead early as Mayfield was misfiring from long range and turning over the ball over. A strong Lady Rocket man-to-man defense kept the Cardinal girls at bay most of the game and CCHS led by 18 when center Addie Hatfield scored six straight and Taylor Guess nailed a three at the halftime buzzer. 

A seven-minute Lady Rocket scoring drought out of the dressing room let Mayfield draw to within five at one point, but Crittenden got some key baskets off the bench from Andrea Federico and Chloe Hunt to help pull the offensive back together. Crittenden outscored Mayfield 18-11 in the final period to put the game away.

Guess and Anna Boone led the Lady Rocket scoring with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Guess scored all of her points in the first half. 

The Lady Rockets improve to18-4 on the season while Mayfield fell to 14-8. CCHS has won four of the last six meetings between the teams dating back to 2016.

Mayfield 7 15 28 37
Crittenden County 16 33 37 55
MAYFIELD – Smith 14, Mandry 3, Mayes 11, Morris 6, Henson, Creason 2, Feagan 2, Sanders, Thomas. Hunt. FG 14. 3-pointers 4 (Morris 2, Mayes, Smith). FT 5-6.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 16, N.Boone 7, A.Boone 14, Evans, Hatfield 8, Federico 4, Hunt 2, McDaniel 2, Rushing, Holeman, Stewart 2, Munday, Hodge. FG 20. 3-pointers 
4 (A.Boone 2, N.Boone, Guess). FT 11-12.

Rockets settle for 2nd in District after loss to Lyon

Lyon's Travis Perry guards CCHS junior
guard Travis Champion in the first half. 

EDDYVILLE, Ky. – Losing home court advantage likely didn’t make a hint of difference in the outcome as Crittenden County fell 95-50 at Lyon County Friday in a game that was supposed to have been in Marion.

Snowed out of school almost all week, CCHS was forced to move what amounted to a Fifth District regular-season championship to Lyon. The Rockets went into the contest with just one league loss – from earlier this year at Eddyville – while Lyon had none. They could have played on the banks of the Jordan – where miracles are documented – and hardly anyone would have expected to see one. 

The Lyons substituted liberally in the first half and still managed some basketball theatrics as the No. 10 team in Kentucky took a 27-point lead, turned on the running clock in the third period and rolled to a perfect sweep in Fifth District play this season.

During the second half, Lyon County junior Travis Perry, one of the top recruits in the country, became Kentucky's career leader in three-point makes with 494. Against the Rockets, he scored 29 points, including eight treys. Junior guard Travis Champion led Crittenden with 18 points, including four threes.

The Rockets fell to 11-12 on the season, but still finished second in the league and will have the No. 2 seed for the tournament in a couple of weeks at Livingston Central. 

CCHS will host Mayfield Saturday in a matinee game at 4:45pm.

Lyon County 26 53 79 95
Crittenden County 13 26 39 50
LYON – Perry 29, Shoulders 20, Reddick 24, Kirk 4, Breedlove, C.Collins 2, Burchett 5, Co.Collins, Suitor 4, J.Downey 5, Crawford, K.Downey 2. FG 37. 3-pointers 17 (Perry 8, Reddick 4, Shoulders 2, Kirk, Burchett, J.Downey). FT 4-10.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 16, Champion 18, Belcher, Walker 7, Hatfield 5, Suddoth 2, Sharp, Keller, Gobin, guess 2, Poindexter, Counts. FG 19. 3-pointers 7 (Morgeson, Champion 4, Walker, Hatfield). FT 5-8.

Lady Rockets win snow-flipped encounter

EDDYVILLE, Ky. – On a night when Crittenden County couldn’t answer the door at its own place, the Lady Rockets knocked improvised host Lyon County out early and completed a sweep of the Fifth District with a 67-50 victory on Friday.

The Lady Rockets have now won 17 games, just eight from the most ever in a season with six games to play, plus the district tournament. 

CCHS was the scheduled host of the game, but because its students were out of school for snow, the game was moved to Lyon where the Lady Rockets had already beaten Lyon earlier in the season. This time Crittenden opened the show with a celebration of senior Taylor Guess breaking Lyon County’s Saundra Oliver Ramey’s Fifth District scoring record. Ramey set the record in 1981 and she appeared on the jumbo screen at Eddyville before the game to congratulate Guess, who announced just before tipoff that she had been offered a scholarship to play basketball at Lyndsey Wilson College in Columbia, Ky.

Guess promptly scored 38 points – two fewer than she’d dropped in the first meeting with Lyon this season. 

The Lady Rockets will be at home Saturday at 3pm against Mayfield. 

Lyon County 11 29 38 50
Crittenden County 17 40 57 67
LYON – Cotham 12, Taylor 10, Holland 11, Defew 5, Collins 12, Perry, Coursey, Brasher, Downing. FG 19. 3-pointers 2 (Cotham, Holland). FT 9-18.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 38, N.Boone 6, A.Boone 8, Evans 8, Hatfield 5, Federico 2, Hunt, McDaniel, Rushing, Holeman, Stewart. FG 23. 3-pointers 6 (Guess 4, N.Boone 2). FT 13-17.