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.