Hodge joins KABC Court of Honor

Last March for Women in Local History Month, Lady Rockets coach Shannon Hodge was featured in a Crittenden Press series highlighting her service to the school, community and beyond. Last week, the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches (KABC) affirmed her contributions.

Hodge was named to the KABC’s Coaches Court of Honor. Raised and educated in Crittenden County, Hodge was a sports star from the beginning. She played on some of the earliest and winningest girls’ basketball teams in Crittenden County history. She went on to have a successful collegiate career at Centre College in Danville, where she was a Division III All American.

For the past 30 years, Hodge has been a fixture in Marion as the Lady Rocket basketball coach where she’s won just seven shy of 400 games and won unprecedented small-school championships in the Second Region. In 2011, Hodge guided CCHS to a berth in the Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16, its only appearance in the KHSAA state tournament. This year’s team won Hodge’s eighth All A Classic regional crown and its second straight Fifth District championship.

No other woman in high school basketball’s Second Region has ever coached longer and had as much success as Hodge, who just completed her 30th season as Crittenden County High School’s girls’ basketball coach. That ranks her among the longest tenured coaches in Kentucky, only a handful of them women. 

She is the winningest female coach in Second Region history, yet her successes on the hardwood pale in comparison to what she’s done in other areas. Her values, character and respect for others have given Hodge the tools necessary for shaping others and molding new leaders for this community and beyond. Hodge has touched the lives of countless local young women, inspiring and engaging them in athletics, character building and life skills. 

“Years ago, I had the opportunity to play on a powderpuff football team with Coach Hodge. Her love of all things sports is only eclipsed by her love of coaching and nurturing young ladies into becoming strong, focused leaders,” said Marion’s first female Mayor D’Anna Browning. “Shannon's legacy extends beyond the basketball court, because this is what happens when you prove to a young lady that she can do absolutely anything she sets her mind to.”

School Supt. Tonya Driver said Hodge, who retired from teaching last year, has been a role model for students and student-athletes.

“Shannon's induction into the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches Court of Honor is a proud moment for all of us here in Crittenden County Schools, and it's another indication of her commitment and dedication to the youth of our community,” Driver said. “For nearly three decades now, Coach Hodge has served as a role model both in the classroom and on the court for countless children. This honor signifies the caliber of her character and the passion she has for teaching, coaching, and mentoring. We are certainly proud of our Rocket.”

Lady Rockets fall in regional title game

Winning a championship can be difficult. 

Losing one is tougher.

For a small-school basketball coach operating in an unclassified, arcane playoff system that provides no consolation for school enrollment, winning a regional championship and getting to the KHSAA Sweet 16 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

Thirty-year Lady Rocket skipper Shannon Hodge had her second chance Sunday afternoon, and she knows all too well how rare a moment it was. Stars and basketball gods must align and agree perfectly to give a country school of 400 students a sliver of hope against power Goliaths like Henderson County with an enrollment of 2,016. Simply stated, the Lady Colonels have five times the muscle mass. For Crittenden, it’s like trying to download a Netflix movie on dial up. The bandwidth simply isn’t there in most seasons. This year felt a little different, postseason lasted a little longer, but at the final horn, the result was a direct reflection of the probability factor.

The Lady Rockets’ magical season came to an end with a 71-53 loss to Henderson. It was a tough pill to swallow because hopes had been high for this team. It was one coach Hodge had circled in the yearbook a few seasons back. She knew the talent and chemistry would be right with three seniors – one of which is Taylor Guess, arguably the best female basketball player in school history – and a stable of young freshmen with high ceilings. 

Still, Henderson was far too hearty. Crittenden went about four minutes without a basket in the second period while Henderson drained a three three-pointers en route to 13-0 run and a 32-11 lead with just over three minutes left in the first half. The journey was far from over, but the die was cast. The rest of the way was merely exhibition as Henderson easily improved to 26-4 on the season and heads to its 16th Sweet 16 this century under long-time coach Jeff Hale.

“We knew coming in it would be a tall order to knock off Henderson County. They’re a team that it seems like every year are the team to beat in the region,” said Hodge. “They’re a big school and we’re a small school, but when it comes down to it you have to go out and play.”

The Lady Rockets captured the hearts and souls of fans who watched them finish 25-6, the best winning percentage in team history and tied the girls’ basketball record for most wins in a season. 

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 and 7th in Kentucky, now have more than two-thirds of the regional crowns since 2001.
For Crittenden County, this semifinal game was its third in school history. The 1978 team lost in the championship to West Hopkins and Crittenden beat Christian County in 2011 to capture its only regional crown.

There’s no wonder that hearts were heavy on the Blue and White bench Sunday afternoon as the game slipped away. It had become strikingly clear even before halftime that Crittenden had crashed squarely into those Vegas long-shot odds, bearing the immutable truth that winning a regional championship is indeed incredibly difficult, no matter how mighty the mouse. And losing one is miserable. 

Henderson County 14 40 58 71

Crittenden County 8 22 32 63

HENDERSON – Veal 6, Thomas 14, Lacer 7, Sprinkles 14, Kemp 2, Gish 2, G.Risley 11, Gibson 15. FG 27. 3-pointers 7 (Sprinkles 3, Veal, Risley 3). FT 10-14

CRITTENDEN – Guess 31, N.Boone 8, A.Boone 5, Evans 1, Hatfield 4, Federico 2, McDaniel, Rushing 2, Holeman, Stewart, Munday, Hodge. FG 17. 3-pointers 2 (N.Boone). FT 17-20.

Lady Rockets headed to regional title game

SEE MORE GAME PHOTOS

MORGANFIELD, Ky. – Don’t let a little Valentine’s Day heartache get you down, and you will be stronger for it.

Just ask 30-year coach Shannon Hodge. Her Lady Rockets’ sorrow on Feb. 14 at Morton’s Gap may have been just the temporary setback that propelled Crittenden County into the Second Region championship game.

Senior Taylor Guess celebrates with
assistant coach Bristyn Prowell.
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After losing a closely contested game on the road to Hopkins Central 19 days earlier, the Lady Rockets flipped the script on the Storm girls, beating them quite handily 57-39 in Saturday’s regional semifinal at Union County’s gym.

“I’d never say it’s good to lose, but it almost fueled the fire,” said Hodge after guiding CCHS into a regional title game for the second time in her illustrious coaching career. 

“Coming into this game we were excited, the seniors didn’t want to lose and this be our last game. So we came out and gave it our all,” said Taylor Guess, who led her squad with 23 points. “(At Hopkins Central) I don’t feel like we played very well as a team. We were not locked in. This time we had scouted them a little more and knew what they were going to do.”

It took some tenacious defense to taste this sweeter treat, and there were some big defensive plays, big shots and forced turnovers that put Crittenden over the top. No shots were bigger than three-pointers by senior Natalie Boone and freshman Elliot Evans at the end of the half and third quarter. Both of the buzzer-beaters gave the Lady Rockets their largest leads to those points in the game, six and 14, respectively. Those gut shots helped break Hopkins Central.

Senior Natalie Boone positions for a rebound.
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In the pivot, senior Addie Hatfield turned in a remarkable performance against the taller Storm girls. Freshman Anna Boone’s drives and left-handed layups gave Crittenden some key baskets in the second half as the Rocket girls expanded their lead to as many as 23 points. Anna Boone finished with 14 and Natalie Boone 11.

The see-saw first half turned in Crittenden’s favor just before the break. A 9-2 run from late in the second period and into the third gave CCHS the lead for good and they outscored the Storm girls 13-5 in the third period.

Crittenden’s starting five played the entire game until coach Hodge unloaded the bench in the final two minutes up by more than 20.

The victory, Crittenden’s 25th of the season, tied the 2016-17 Lady Rockets for most wins ever.

CCHS will play either Henderson County in Sunday’s 3pm championship match at Morganfield. It will be Crittenden County's third trip in school history to the regional title game. The Lady Rockets have previously been there in 1978 and 2011, winning the school's only regional title in 2011.

Crittenden County 10 27 40 57

Hopkins Central 11 21 26 39

CRITTENDEN – Guess 23, N.Boone 11, A.Boone 14, Evans 6, Hatfield 1, McDaniel 2, Federico, Rushing, Holeman, Stewart, Munday, Hodge. FG 18. 3-pointers 4 (N.Boone, A.Boone 2, Evans). FT 17-21.

HOPKINS CENTRAL – Mason 8, White 4, Harrison 2, Clark 10, Sutton 11, Whitaker 4, Grant, Jones. FG 17. 3-pointers 5 (Clark 2, Sutton 3). FT 0-3.