CCHS girls steal thunder in district DH

Travis Perry (left) guards Rocket sophomore
Bryson Walker during Friday's game.

MARION, Ky. – One of the largest crowds to ever see a regular-season district doubleheader was on hand Friday night at Rocket Arena, ostensibly to see UK commit Travis Perry and his No. 1 ranked Lyons, but the Lady Rockets stole much of the evening’s thunder.

Crittenden County’s girls came back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit to beat Lyon County 63-56 in a pivotal Fifth District matchup. Lyons boys, led by future Wildcat Travis Perry’s 35 points, beat the Rockets 97-38.

Crittenden County boys’ coach Matt Fraliex said his team played well despite the lopsided loss against the one of the premier teams in Kentucky. Longtime Lady Rocket skipper Shannon Hodge was elated with her team’s second-half effort.

Behind freshman guard Piper Cotham’s 17 first-half points, Lyon’s girls led by 10 at the break and they went on a 6-0 run to start the third period to lead 39-23. From there, CCHS closed the door on Cotham and pinned Lyon down with a frustrating pressing defense that turned the tide in the fourth period.

Lady Rocket sophomore Elliot Evans guards
Lyon's Piper Cotham in the 2nd half.

Sophomore Anna Boone led Crittenden with 24 points and eight rebounds. She scored 17 in the second half. Classmate Elliot Evans scored 17 for CCHS and the bench provided 15 points, mostly from freshman backup center Morgan Stewart. Stewart played much of the last half when starting center Bristyn Rushing left the game with an illness. Stewart finished with a career-high 11 points and four rebounds. 

Crittenden has now beaten Lyon five in a row and 14 of the last 15. The Lady Rockets improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in district play. Meanwhile, Lyon fell to 2-1 in the league and 4-3 overall. 

Perry, whose Lyons feature at least two other college-bound players, didn’t disappoint the crowd that turned out for the show. He scored eight of Lyon’s 14 threes and didn’t play much in the final period during a running clock. 

Perry, whose parents both graduated from Crittenden County High School, has a large extended family in this community. 

Crittenden was slow out of the chute, trailing 22-0 in the first period, but coach Fraliex said his boys maintained their composure and played with great effort. Senior Turner Sharp erased the early goose egg with a three-pointer at the 2:38 mark of the first period, and CCHS trailed 62-22 at the half.

Rocket center Jonah Reddick had 10 points playing against his brother Jack Reddick, a Lyon County guard. Jack finished with 13 for Lyon.

More than 550 tickets were sold for the game, which does not include more than 100 season ticket holders. With around 750 total attendance, school officials say it was perhaps the largest regular-season crowd ever at Rocket Arena.

Crittenden’s boys remain winless six games this season while Lyon improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the district. CCHS is 0-3 in district games.

GIRLS SUMMARY

Lyon County 14 33 41 56

Crittenden Co. 10 23 37 63

LYON – Taylor 5, Cotham 20, Collins 12, Coursey 7, Holland 10, Perry 1, Downey, Wynn, Edwards. FG 22. 3-pointers 4 (Cotham 4). FT 9-18.

CRITTENDEN – Boone 23, Evans 17, Holeman 6, Federico 1, Hodge 4, Stewart 11, Rushing. FG 21. 3-pointers 6 (Boone 5, Evans). FT 15-24.

BOYS SUMMARY

Lyon County 32 62 87 97

Crittenden Co. 11 22 34 38

LYON – Perry 35, Shoulders 10, Reddick 13, Kirk 12, Breedlove 4, Collins 2, DeFew 7, Crawford 5, Burchett 2, Collis 7. FG 38. 3-pointers 14 (Perry 8, Kirk 2, Reddick, Crawford). FT 7-9.

CRITTENDEN – Belcher, Walker 6, Hatfield 10, Sharp 5, Keller 6, Reddick 10, Travis, Poindexter 1. FG 17. 3-pointers 3 (Hatfield 2, Sharp). FT 1-9.