Sixteen-point lead evaporates in Florida

A non-shooting foul was called as Jordyn Hodge
tried to get off a final shot for the Lady Rockets.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Big leads have a way of evaporating in southern Florida when focus wavers and the competition doesn’t.

Crittenden County watched a 16-point advantage disappear as Keyser’s Golden Tornado stayed composed, leaned on its ace and escaped with a 46-44 win in the semifinal found of the KSA Holiday Tournament at Gaylord Palms Resort. The loss was the third of the season for the Lady Rockets, now 8-3, while undefeated Keyser improved to 6-0 and again looked every bit like a West Virginia Class 3A state contender.

For much of the way, the game tilted heavily toward Crittenden. The Lady Rockets held Keyser to just six points in the first quarter, then led by double digits early in the second half and still carried a 39-31 cushion into the fourth quarter.

Then everything narrowed – the floor, the margin and Crittenden’s offensive options.

Cold shooting down the stretch, defensive complacencies and foul trouble for Anna Boone gave way to the West Virginians getting the most out of their best player. Boone, who averages about 14 points, finished with eight after picking up her third and fourth fouls in the third quarter and spending a good bit of the second half on the bench as a precautionary measure. She got back on the floor with about five minutes to go, but the Golden Tornado had already pulled to within one behind the play of its star, junior Riley “Bibs” Felton.

Felton, a 5-foot-11 shooting guard with a Division I offer from Radford University and interest from Marshall University, scored 31 of Keyser’s 46 points – two-thirds of the Tornado offense. She accounted for 12 of Keyser’s 18 field goals and two of its four 3-pointers.

Crittenden’s perimeter shooting, usually a strength, vanished when it mattered most. The Lady Rockets made just three 3-pointers, all by Jordyn Hodge. Boone and Elliot Evans, who typically combine for at least four from deep, went 0-for from long range. Hodge scored eight of Crittenden’s 14 second-half points and finished with a team-high 17. Andrea Federico was the only other CCHS player in double figures. She finished with 10 after scoring a half-dozen in the opening period to fuel Crittenden’s early lead.

Keyser began its comeback midway through the third quarter and closed it with poise in the fourth. Felton tied the game at 40-all on a strong drive, then pushed the Tornado ahead moments later. Crittenden clawed back as Hodge buried a 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining to tie the score at 44-44.

But Felton had the final word.

She drove the lane in the closing seconds, drew contact and converted at the line with three seconds left. Crittenden had one last chance, but the clock expired before the Lady Rockets could respond.

The loss pushed CCHS into the consolation side of the tournament bracket where they will play in the third-place game at 7:30 a.m., CST Wednesday against Pennsylvania’s Quaker Valley High School (5-4).

Crittenden County 20 30 39 44
Keyser, West Va. 6 20 31 46
CRITTENDEN – Boone 8, Evans 6, Hodge 17, Federico 10, Rushing 1, Holeman 2. FG 16. 3-pointers 3 (Hodge). FT 7-10.
KEYSER – Urice 7, Healy, Alt 2, Felton 31, Kesner 6. FG 18. 3-pointers 4 (Felton 2, Urice, Kesner). FT 5-9.