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.
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| Senior Taylor Guess (10) scored 31. |
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.
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