Flury of threes ends Storm's chances

Elliot Evans and Andrea Federico play a little
defense at Hopkins Central, but it was their
offense that helped orchestrate the win.

MORTON’S GAP, Ky. — On the eve of what is expected to be historic winter weather, Crittenden County delivered a flurry of three pointers Thursday to beat the Lady Storm 63-53 in a key Second Region matchup.

Crittenden County led 23-13 after one quarter, stretched the margin to 31-24 at halftime and never relinquished control despite several Hopkins Central pushes in the second half. The win improved the Lady Rockets to 14-4 and further solidified their position near the top of the Second Region, where they are ranked No. 2 in the KHSAA power rankings. Hopkins Central slipped to 12-7 and entered the night ranked No. 4 in the region by KHSAA RPI.

The tone was set late in the first quarter the Storm girls led early, but the Crittenden rushed ahead fueled by perimeter shooting. Andrea Federico knocked down a 3-pointer, Elliot Evans followed with two more from deep and Anna Boone capped the surge with an and-one to spark a 12-0 burst. Adri Berry came off the bench and added a short bank shot at the buzzer as the Lady Rockets pushed the lead to double digits to end the opening period. 

Hopkins Central opened in a triangle-and-two defense, keying on Boone and Jordyn Hodge, but the strategy left Evans and Federico with clean looks on the perimeter. Crittenden County capitalized, getting scoring contributions from all five positions and keeping the Lady Storm from settling into a rhythm offensively.

The Lady Storm trimmed the margin to seven midway through the second quarter, but Crittenden County answered with timely baskets to carry a seven-point lead into the break. Federico opened the third quarter with two straight 3-pointers, extending the advantage to 37-24 and forcing Hopkins Central to chase the game from there. Increased ball pressure by the Lady Storm created brief momentum swings.

Hopkins Central made one final push early in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to seven before Evans drilled another 3-pointer to restore a double-digit cushion with five minutes remaining. Boone followed with a 3-pointer of her own and then attacked the basket off the bounce as the Lady Rockets methodically pulled away in the final minutes.

Evans led Crittenden County with 17 points buoyed by 5 three-pointers, while Boone added 15 points and reached a milestone by collecting the 700th rebound of her career during the game. Federico scored 14 points, highlighted by four 3-pointers, and Jordyn Hodge chipped in 13. Berry finished with four points as the Lady Rockets went 15-of-19 from the free-throw line.

The victory gave Crittenden County a 10-4 edge in the series over the past decade and kept the Lady Rockets. With one more win, the senior class will stand alone with the most victories by any Crittenden County girls class over a four-year period.

CCHS is scheduled to play at Caldwell County Tuesday, but based on the weather forecast that game could be in jeopardy.

Crittenden County 23 31 48 63
Hopkins Central 13 24 35 53
CRITTENDEN – Boone 15, Evans 17, Hodge 13, Federico 14, Rushing, Holemana, Berry 4. FG 19. 3-pointers 10 (Boone, Evans 5, Federico 4). FT 15-19.
HOPKINS – White 11, Marsh 6, Menser 8, Mason 16, Dulin 12, Carne. FG 21. 3-pointers 5 (Mason 2, Dulin, White, Menser). FT 6-11.