Early turnovers costly for Rockets on the road

CALHOUN, Ky. — Rocket sophomore Emmitt Ellington was 3-for-4 from behind the arc in the first half, but Crittenden County could not keep pace Saturday in a 66-25 loss at McLean County Cougars.

Ellington led the Rockets with 10 points, knocking down three-pointers as Crittenden connected on four shots from beyond the arc for the game. Logan Martin added the other. As a team, Crittenden went 7 of 32 from the field for 21.9%, including 4 of 11 from 3-point range at 36.4%. The Rockets were 7 of 12 at the free-throw line.

McLean County built separation early and steadily extended the margin, leading 15-8 after the first quarter and 38-15 at halftime before pulling away in the second half. 

For the second straight game, Crittenden held an opponent without a made 3-pointer, another sign of improvement on the perimeter. The Rockets struggled with ball security early, committing 19 turnovers in the first half before cutting that number to four after the break.

Crittenden fell to 1-19, while McLean improved to 12-7 and took a 4-2 edge in the series for the decade. The Rockets will have a full week off before returning home to host Whitesville Trinity on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Crittenden Co. 8 15 22 25
McLean County 15 38 56 66
CRITTENDEN – Ellington 10, Porter, Bumpus, Topp 3, Dayberry, Jones, Myers, Hutchison, Adamson, Martin 3, C.Poindexter 1, Collins, B.Pondexter 8, Counts. FG 7. 3-pointers 4 (Ellington 3, Martin). FT 7-12.
MCLEAN – Coleman 1, Mauzy 2, Floyd 3, Graves 16, Bozarth 4, Albin 2, Gatton 9, R.Gattn 8, Bertolini 17, Lynam 4. FG 28. 3-pointers none. FT 10-17.

Boone gets hers; Champion nets 17 in victory

Boone got her 2K and currently No. 2
on the team's all-time scoring list.

MARION, Ky. — Senior Anna Boone got exactly what she came for, then stepped aside and let her teammates finish off perhaps the most lopsided win over Livingston Central in program history.

In the first quarter, Boone scored the six points she needed to reach 2,000 for her career, then deferred as Crittenden County overwhelmed Livingston Central 61-14 Friday night in the inaugural Farmers Bank Highway 60 Classic – a new rivalry concept complete with a traveling trophy.

The Lady Rockets raced to a 17-0 lead before Boone capped the opening burst with the basket that pushed her into the 2,000-point club. Boone, the Lady Rockets’ second-leading scorer in history, is also the program’s most prolific 3-point shooter. Taylor Guess is the girls’ all-time scoring leader with 2,643 points.

Freshman Abigail Champion delivered a breakout performance, scoring a career-high and game-best 17 points. Jordyn Hodge and Andrea Federico set the tone early.

Crittenden’s pressure defense all but erased Livingston from the scoreboard in the first half. The Lady Cardinals scored their first point at the free-throw line with about two minutes left in the half

Boone finished with six points for an even 2,000, while Hodge scored 16 and Federico added 11.

The victory continued Crittenden’s recent dominance of the Cardinals. The Lady Rockets have now won seven straight against Livingston dating back to 2023 and 14 of the last 15 meetings since 2021.

Livingston Central fell to 3-10 overall and 0-3 in Fifth District play. Crittenden improved to 13-4 overall and 4-0 in district, maintaining its hold on first place.

The Lady Rockets will enjoy a brief break before returning to action Thursday at Hopkins Central for a matchup against one of the region’s top teams. A game scheduled for Tuesday against St. Mary was cancelled. 

Livingston Central  0  3   7 14
Crittenden County 20 36 46 61
LIVINGSTON – Collins, T.Leahy 1, A.Leahy 2, Palmer 4, Wring, Jennings, Meyers 3, Wood 2, Hinzman 2. FG 6. 3-pointers 1 (Meyers). FT 1-4.
CRITTENDEN – Boone 6, Evans 9, Hodge 16, Federico 11, Rushing, Holeman, Berry, Champion 17, Grau 2, Rich, Kemmer. FG 26. 3-pointers 5 (Evans 2, Hodge 2, Federico). FT 4-8.

Farmers Bank's Andy Hunt presents the Lady Rockets the

inaugural Farmers Bank Highway 60 Classic trophy in front

of a packed house at Rocket Arena Friday night.

Cardinals capture inaugural Highway 60 Classic

Livingston Logan Wring avoids
a collision with CCHS's
Roane Topp in the first half.

MARION, Ky. — Livingston Central’s boys weathered an early push from Crittenden County, then turned the inaugural Farmers Bank Highway 60 Classic into a rout with a dominant second half, pulling away for an 84-56 win Friday night at Rocket Arena.

The Rockets hung within five points for much of the opening period and showed defensive improvement early, but Livingston gradually seized control late in the first quarter and widened the gap in the second. The Cardinals pushed the margin past 20 points before halftime and never let Crittenden back into contention.

Crittenden scored 10 three-pointers in the contest with Brady Dayberry and Jack Porter dropping two apiece. No Rocket scored in double figures. For Livingston, Logan Wring led the way with 29 and Bryson Walker had 19. Avery Zaim and Ethan Garner pitched in 14 and 11, respectively. The Cardinals had no threes in the game.

Crittenden’s defense has shown progress, but fatigue has set in early during recent losses to district opponents, including Trigg County earlier in the week. 

The loss dropped the Crittenden County Rockets to 1-18 overall and 0-4 in district play. Livingston Central Cardinals improved to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in league play and have now won six straight meetings against Crittenden.

The Farmers Bank Highway 60 Classic debuted this season as a rivalry series featuring a traveling trophy between the neighboring programs.

Livingston Central 19 45 67 84
Crittenden County 11 22 40 56
LIVINGSTON – Walker 19, Garner 11, Gainey 3, Zaim 14, Wring 29, Ross, Chittenden, Sinks 6, Messenger 2, Peek, Holman. FG 31. 3-pointers none. FT 22-30.
CRITTENDEN – Jones, Ellington 3, C.Poindexter 8, Dayberry 8, B.Poindexter 2, Topp 6, Martin 3, Porter 6, Myers 8, Bumpus 6, Bryant 3, Hughes 3, Hutchison, Murray, Counts. FG 18. 3-pointers 10 (Dayberry 2, Porter 2, Ellington, C.Poindexter, Topp, Martin, Bryant, Hughes). FT 8-17.

Farmers Bank's Andy Hunt presents Livingston Central with

the first ever Highway 60 Classic traveling trophy.

THE SHOW | 2026 | Season enters second half

 

Join Crittenden County basketball coaches Shannon Hodge and Kenny Jackson each week for the Rocket Basketball Coach’s Show – hosted by former Rocket Trace Derrington and proudly supported by our local business sponsors. Today's program features coach Shannon Hodge along with players Anna Boone and Jordyn Hodge.

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Second-half collapse leaves Rockets in defeat

Joel Bumpus dives for ball against Trigg.

MARION, Ky. — Trigg County’s lead went from near zero to 30 in the first 12 minutes of the second half and buried the Rockets 80-47 after a highly competitive start to the game Tuesday at Rocket Arena.

What began as a high-energy, back-and-forth battle unraveled quickly for Crittenden County after halftime, largely due to 23 second-half Rocket turnovers.

Crittenden traded the lead several times in the opening half and trailed by just one point at the break, 27-26, after matching Trigg’s physicality and pace. Both teams played at full throttle the entire way, and the game was loose at times — marked by hurried possessions and miscues on both ends of the floor.

The tone changed abruptly coming out of the locker room. Trigg, which shot poorly in the first half, got on track offensively while Crittenden struggled to get good looks. The Wildcats steadily stretched the margin, building a 33-27 lead midway through the third quarter before the game slipped away. A decisive Trigg run late in the period pushed the lead to 54-34 with 25 seconds left in the quarter, effectively sealing the outcome.

Coach Jackson tried to rally his troops
to their second win of the season.

Trigg outscored Crittenden 29-11 in the third quarter and continued to pull away in the fourth, when the Wildcats’ lead ballooned to as many as 32.

Junior guard Landon Swann led Trigg with a game-high 35 points, including six 3-pointers. Crittenden was led by Emmitt Ellington and Conner Poindexter with 10 points each.

The win was Trigg County’s first district victory as the Wildcats improved to 4-9 overall. Trigg has now won seven straight meetings against Crittenden dating back to February 2023. The Rockets fell to 1-17 overall and 0-3 in district play after being unable to sustain the inspired play they showed in the opening half.

The Rockets are at home Friday against Livingston Central for another district showdown. It will be the team’s homecoming game.

Trigg County 12 27 56 80
Crittenden Co. 13 26 37 47
TRIGG – Gude 14, Dixon 12, Swann 35, Travis 6, Broussard 4, Shepherd 4, McCormick 2, Lawson 3. FG 27. 3-pointers 8 (Swan 6, Dixon, Lawson). FT 18-28.
CRITTENDEN – Ellington 10, Porter 3, Bumpus 2, Topp, 5, Bryant, Jones 8, Dayberry 4, Myers, Martin 2, C.Poindexter 10, Hughes, Murray, B.Poindexter 6, Counts, Hutchison. FG 18. 3-pointers 6 (Ellington 2, Topp, Dayberry, Jones, C.Poindexter). FT 5-9.

Lady Rockets improve to 3-0 in district play

Crittenden's Andrea Federico guards
Trigg County's Veyda Grinols.

MARION, KY. – After a greatly disappointing early exit from the All A Classic, the Lady Rockets bounced back Tuesday with their third straight regular-season win in district play. Crittenden County dominated from start to finish, roughing up Trigg County 59-30.

Crittenden County dominated from the opening tip Tuesday night, rolling past the Lady Wildcats for a clean sweep of the first trip through league play.

Defense set the tone early and never relented. Trigg County managed just two points over a long stretch bridging the first and second quarters as Crittenden ripped off a 16-2 run to seize control. A 3-pointer by Jordyn Hodge at the first-quarter buzzer pushed the Lady Rockets to a 17-10 lead, and four straight points from Hodge early in the second quarter quickly stretched the margin. Crittenden led 25-12 at the half after a sluggish scoring period for both teams.

The Lady Rockets opened the third quarter with the same intensity, ballooning the lead to 33-12 and then 36-12 midway through the period. Trigg briefly steadied itself behind sophomore Cali Jones, a force around the basket who helped keep the Lady Wildcats competitive during a short run that trimmed the margin to 38-19, but the surge was short-lived.

Crittenden’s depth and pressure wore Trigg down in the fourth quarter. With the outcome no longer in doubt, the Lady Rockets unloaded the bench with 2:25 remaining, having already rotated freely throughout the second half, and closed out the lopsided win.

Hodge led all scorers with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, while Anna Boone added 17. Boone entered the night needing 23 points to reach the 2,000-point milestone for her career and now sits six shy, with the opportunity to reach the mark Friday night when Crittenden hosts Livingston County as district play begins its second rotation. 

Trigg County was led by Jones with 10 points as the Lady Wildcats fell to 6-7 overall and 0-1 in district play.

The victory extended Crittenden’s dominance in the series. The Lady Rockets have now won 11 straight meetings against Trigg County dating back to a district tournament championship game loss in 2020.

Crittenden improved to 12-4 overall.

Trigg County 10 12 22 30
Crittenden Co. 17 25 44 59
TRIGG – Norwood 5, Grinols 8, Jones 10, Mayes 1, Navarrd 6. FG 12. 3-pointers 3 (Navarrd 2, Norwood). FT 3-6.
CRITTENDEN – Boone 17, Evans 3, Hodge 22, Federico 6, Rushing 6, Holeman, Stewart 2, Berry 1, Champion, Grau, Rich, Kemmer 2. FG 22. 3-pointers 6 (Hodge 4, Evans, Boone). FT 9-10.

Lyon knocks Rockets out of All A Classic

Roane Topp scored a team high 11 points

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Lyon County continued its dominance over Crittenden County on Friday night, pulling away early and cruising to an 83-24 victory in the All A Classic semifinal round at Fort Campbell.

Lyon jumped out to a 27-5 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, extending a streak that now stands at 19 straight wins against Crittenden County Rockets dating back to 2020. The Lyons led 52-14 at halftime and 72-16 after three quarters. Crittenden shot fairly well in the opening half, particularly from long range, but had trouble getting up enough them.

The loss came two days after Crittenden snapped a 51-game losing streak with a win over Heritage Christian in the opening round of the small-school tournament, a result that briefly shifted momentum for the Rockets before they ran into a deep and powerful Lyon County lineup.

Lyon placed 11 players in the scoring column and finished with 35 field goals. 

Crittenden struggled to find consistent offense against Lyon’s pressure. Freshman Roane Topp led the Rockets with 11 points, while Ellington added 6 and Brayden Poindexter scored 6. 

With the win, Lyon County improved to 9-5 on the season, while Crittenden dropped to 1-16.

The Rockets will now turn their attention back to district play Tuesday when they host Trigg County (3-9), a matchup some see as a realistic opportunity for Crittenden to build on the confidence gained earlier in the week.

Crittenden Co. 5 14 16 24
Lyon County    27 52 72 83
CRITTENDEN – Ellington 6, Porter, Bumpus, Topp 11, Dayberry, Jones, Myers, Martin, C.Poindexter 1, Murray, B.Poindexter 6, Hughes, Counts. FG 11. 3-pointers 5 (Ellington 2, Topp 3). fT 3-4.
Lyon County – Collins 8, Kirk 13, Ca.Collins 4, Coffman 11, Defew 10, Reddick 2, Ramey, McDaniels 4, Cotham 10, Akridge 6, Cowan 5, Cain 8, Taylor 2. FG 35. FT 5-7.