Lady Rockets advance to regional semifinals

 MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County’s voyage to just its fifth Second Region semifinal berth in school history was just about as smooth as the Lady Rockets could have asked for.

Out to an early lead that turned into double digits by the third quarter, Crittenden’s girls were sailing right along a peaceful sea until the Lady Storm mustered up one final gust of wind. Hopkins Central, winner of 18 games this season, came full bore in the final four minutes, deploying all the press it could muster. However, CCHS weathered the storm with a steady hand at the foul line and beat the Storm 42-30.

Crittenden County has now won in the quarterfinal round of the regional tournament three times since 2010 and only twice before that – in 1976 and 1984. Girls didn’t play basketball at Crittenden County until 1973.

The Fifth District champion Lady Rockets led by 15 points in the final seconds of the third quarter thanks to a three-pointer and 16-foot jumper for back-to-back buckets by eighth-grader Anna Boone, who finished with 10 points. Those points were critical for the Rocket girls to buoy the Storm’s final flurry. Eighth-grader Elliot Evans scored the team’s only field goal in the fourth period as CCHS relied on its keen foul shooting to close the door on Hopkins Central, which cut the Lady Rocket lead to nine with three minutes to go.

The Central girls struggled to get open shots against Crittenden’s defense and missed often. The Lady Storm made 11 field goals in the game, and Crittenden was equally unimpressive from the floor at times, settling for only 11 itself. Scoring sensation Taylor Guess led CCHS with 18 points, but counted only three fielders the whole way, none in the second half. However, she was 12-for-15 at the stripe where CCHS knocked in 14 points. Crittenden was 9-for-11 at the line in the final period and 5-for-6 in the last minute.

Hopkins Central’s second-leading scorer Brooklyn Clark was held to just two points. Guess spent much of the game guarding her, and Clark returned the favor, which cost her five fouls and she went to the bench with over five minutes to play. Emilie Jones got her typical 13 points per game for the Lady Storm, but no one else had more than five.

The Lady Rockets improved to 23-7, the second most wins in 29-year skipper Shannon Hodge’s career. As the CCHS coach, Hodge has now advanced three teams to regional semifinals and she played on the 1984 team that got there. 

Crittenden will play 18-11 Webster County – an opponent it split with during the regular season - in Wednesday’s 7:30pm semifinal at Madisonville. Henderson plays Madisonville in the 6pm semifinal matchup.

Hopkins Central 5 10 18 30
Crittenden Co. 8 21 31 42
HOPKINS – Fritz 3, Mason 5, Peyton, White, Clark 2, Sutton 3, Jones 13, Greer 4. FG 12. 3-pointers 1 (Jones). FT 5-9.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 18, N.Boone 4, A.Boone 10, Hatfield 6, Driskill 2, Evans 2. FG 13. 3-pointers 2 (A.Boone). FT 14-18.

Lady Rockets draw path to regional title; boys get Hoptown

Lady Rocket celebrate Thursday, collecting
the Fifth District championship trophy 

Crittenden County couldn't have asked for much more hope based on past results. For the path to a regional championship berth includes teams the girls have already handled this season. 

The Lady Rockets drew Hopkins Central for the opening round of the Second Region Tournament which begins at 6:30pm Monday at Rocket Arena. The CCHS girls are in the lower bracket with three teams they have already beaten this season. And just as importantly, CCHS is away from the region's top-rated team, Henderson County, which is on the other side of the regional bracket. Based on potential pairings, Crittenden wouldn't see Henderson until the championship game Friday. The Lady Colonels are ranked No. 12 in the state, according to the latest Associated Press poll.

Crittenden (22-7) beat Hopkins Central (18-10) by 7 points on Feb. 15 at Marion.

The rest of Crittenden's half of the regional bracket includes Hopkinsville and Webster County. The Lady Rockets defeated Hopkinsville by 17 points on Feb. 17 at Marion and split with Webster during the regular season. The Rocket girls beat the Lady Trojans 60-45 in December at Rocket Arena, but lost 55-35 to the Webster girls Feb. 10 at Dixon.

Webster will play at Hopkinsville on Monday. The first rounds games are all played at sites hosted by district champions. The semifinals and championship will played at Madisonville. 

Crittenden has won the regional championship just one time in history. That was in 2011 when the girls beat Henderson for the crown. Coach Shannon Hodge's team's 22 wins this season are the second most in her 29-year coaching career.

The Rockets (14-16) drew Hopkinsville as its first-round opponent. That game will be played at 6:30pm Tuesday at Hoptown. Admission will be cash at the gate.

Crittenden's boys' path to a possible regional title, which would be their first ever, is much more challenging. Hopkinsville is (21-6) is widely considered the second best team in the region. Hoptown has lost only twice against regional teams this season – Lyon and Webster. Crittenden and Hopkinsville have not met this season. 

The other side of Crittenden's boys' bracket includes Henderson County (18-12) and Hopkins Central (14-12). Crittenden has faced only HopCentral this season, losing by 10.

2ND REGION TOURNAMENT
District Champions Host First Rounds
GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT
OPENING ROUND MONDAY, Feb. 28
Hopkins Central at Crittenden County, 6:30pm

Webster County at Hopkinsville, 6:30pm

Christian County at Henderson County, 6:30pm

Lyon County at Madisonville, 6:30pm
SEMIFINAL FINALS

WEDNESDAY, March 2
At Madisonville, 6pm and 7:30pm
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

FRIDAY, March 4
At Madisonville, 7pm

BOYS’ TOURNAMENT

OPENING ROUND TUESDAY, March 1

Union County at Madisonville, 6:30pm

Christian County at Lyon County, 6:30pm

Hopkins Central at Henderson County, 6:30pm

Crittenden County at Hopkinsville, 6:30pm

SEMIFINAL FINALS

THURSDAY, March 3

At Hopkinsville, 6pm and 7:30pm

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

SATURDAY, March 5

At Hopkinsville, 1pm

Rockets fall to Lyon in 5DISTRICT title game

Rocket defenders Dylan Yates
and Hayden Adamson work the front
and back of Lyon's Jackson Shoulders.

MARION, Ky. – The last time Crittenden County beat Lyon County on the basketball court was two years ago in Marion when the Rockets mitigated Lyon’s big man in the middle and shot the lights out on their own goals. 

Crittenden had hoped for the same kind of magic Friday when the Lyons rolled into Rocket Arena for the Fifth District championship game. 

Instead, Lyon senior center Jackson Shoulders set the tone early – scoring 18 of his 21 points in the first half – and his running mates befuddled Crittenden’s offense, forcing turnovers and making the Rockets live off the perimeter. The result was less than palatable for CCHS which fell behind early and lost 86-48.

Still, Crittenden (14-16) will advance to next week’s Second Region Tournament. The Rockets will play Tuesday night at 6:30 either at Henderson, Hopkinsville or Madisonville. All of those teams won their respective districts and will host a first-round game. 

Lyon (25-6) advances to the regional tournament and will host a game Tuesday against either Christian County, Union County or Hopkins Central. 

The tournament draw will be held via Zoom Saturday morning.

Rocket guards Travis Champion and Preston Morgeson were each named to the all-district team. 

Lyon County 25 50 70 86
Crittenden Co. 13 30 42 48
LYON – J.Shoulders 21, B.Shoulders 11, Perry 33, Reddick 10, Whalin 5, Bingham 2, Gilbert, Parker, Cissell, Ray, Radivoynk, Kirk 4, Breedlove, Burchette, Dunning. FG 37. 3-pointers 6 (J.Shoulders 2, B.Shoulders, Perry 3, Reddick 2). FT 3-6.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 10, Champion 14, Beverly, Adamosn 12, Hatfield, Crider, Davidson 2, Keller, Derrington 6, Guess, Hutchison, Conyer, Yates, Cooksey 4. FG 20. 3-pointers 7 (Morgeson 2, Champion, Adamson 2, Derrington 2). FT 1-1.

Lady Rockets win district crown in OT

Senior Grace Driskill cuts down the net.

MARION, Ky. – It took Crittenden County overtime and a fourth-quarter superhuman effort by junior stalwart Taylor Guess to lift the Fifth District Tournament championship trophy Thursday night at Rocket Arena.

Guess scored 17 of her game-high 28 points in the fourth to lead CCHS back from a double-digit deficit and force an extra period where it won 58-54 in a thrilling finish.

“We came out not hitting any of our shots and really not focusing on our offense,” said Guess, who became the team’s all-time leading scorer just days earlier in the first round of the district tournament. “Towards the end of the third quarter we picked it up and ran our offenses right and shots starting falling.”

The Lady Rockets won the tournament for the first time since claiming back-to-back tiles in 2017 and 2018.

Natalie Boone (11) fights for position against
Lilly Perry in the second half.

Guess and her teammates struggled offensively early and were out-rebounded by the Lyons, who finish the season 16-14. Four three-pointers by LCHS’s freshman Lilly Perry and an enormous offensive effort by junior Ella Defew helped the Lyons take a 12-point lead by halftime. Perry finished with 17 points and Defew had 16, more than double her scoring average.

Crittenden still couldn’t find the basket in the third period, shooting 28 percent from the floor, but its defense smothered the Lyons in the second half. The Rocket girls began closing the gap despite its inability to handle the taller Lyons on the boards. Crittenden had just one second chance shot on its end until it pulled down a couple of offensive boards with 18 seconds in regulation that gave Guess a chance to drop her only three-pointer of the game. That bucket pulled pulled Crittenden to within one, 40-49.

Lyon made one of two foul shots on the ensuing exchange and Guess went from baseline to baseline for a layup to tie the game at 51 with three seconds to go. It was the first time CCHS had tied it or led since the first two minutes of the game.

District Champions

In overtime, junior Natalie Boone drained a three-pointer and Guess scored with 40 seconds to go for a 56-54 lead courtesy of Lyon missing three of four free throws in the final 1:19. Guess put the contest away with a couple of foul shots with 14 seconds to go.

The Lady Rockets (22-7) had suffered a tough loss to Lyon in January during the All A Classic and this win proved a measure of revenge. 

“We really came out here with a lot of pressure,” said the Lady Rockets’ only senior Grace Driskill, pointing to that All A Classic overtime loss a few weeks ago.

“We felt it, we dealt it. We really were just excited to come back from the All A. We were fighting really hard and it was down the wire at the end, but I knew we were going to pull through.”

Coach Shannon Hodge won her fourth district championship in 29 seasons as head coach, and the third since 2017. She also played on two district championship teams in the 

"We struggled offensively at the begging of the game, and really into the second half. We didn't knock down the shots that we normally do. We rushed ourselves, I thought, a little bit offensively," said Hodge. "On the defensive end of the floor, we just failed to get stops because we did not keep them off of the boards."

"Finally in the second half our defense picked it up a bit and caused few turnovers, and we knocked down a few shots to get ourselves back within 5 or 6 points. Then we just kept chipping away and made some big shots and big plays at the end," Hodge added.

As a district champion, Crittenden will host a first-round game in the Second Region Tournament which starts Monday. The Lady Rockets will play either Christian County, Hopkins Central or Webster County.

Guess, Natalie Boone and Anna Boone were each named to the All District Team and Guess was chosen Player of the Year in the league.

Lyon County 20 32 40 51 54
Crittenden Co. 13 20 30 51 58
LYON – Butler, Smith 11, Collins 10, Taylor, Holland, Defew 16, Perry 17. FG 21. 3-pointers 4 (Perry 4). FT 8-18.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 28, N.Boone 13, A.Boone 12, Hatfield, Driskill 5, Evans. FG 24. 3-pointers 4 (A.Boone 2, N.Boone, Guess). FT 6-11.

Rockets will play for 5DISTRICT title 5th year in a row

When historians write the story of this season’s Rocket basketball team, coach Denis Hodge wants them to be sure to note what was missing. Yet, Crittenden County is right back in the same place it’s been for the past five Februaries.

After beating Trigg County 55-54 Tuesday in the opening round of the Fifth District Tournament, Hodge talked about the pride he has in this players – a patchwork of mostly role players on a team that lost almost all of its scoring when two All Region performers (Gabe Mott and Preston Turley) graduated after last season.

“I was super proud of our guys. I don’t know how many people realize it, but our guys have fought their way into the regional tournament five years in a row. And that’s a big deal,” the coach said.

Crittenden (14-15)  couldn’t get much going inside against taller Trigg defenders, but its outside shooting was key. After trailing by six early, the Rockets managed to inch ahead in the second period and then reeled off an 11-2 run in the third quarter fueled by three straight treys by senior Hayden Adamson.

The Rockets never trailed again, but its 14-point advantage disappeared in the fourth quarter, and the final minutes were quite tenuous. Trailing by one, Trigg (14-14) had the ball near the basket on its own baseline in the final seconds, but Luke Washer tried to dish it back to Jhaden Vaughn in the corner and his pass was deflected by Rocket senior Trace Derrington. He and Vaughn tied the ball up, giving CCHS possession with 3.7 seconds to go. The Rockets misfired on the front end of a bonus foul shot situation, giving Trigg yet another half-court Hail-Mary opportunity. That shot grossly missed its mark, sending the Rockets to their fifth straight Fifth District championship game Friday against Lyon County. The Lyons have won three straight district crowns. Crittenden beat Lyon for the title in 2018.

Trigg County 12 22 41 54
Crittenden Co. 12 26 46 55
TRIGG – Ahart, Gude 3, Shearer 3, J.Vaughn 25, Washer 2, Adams 13, Reynolds, K.Vaughn 8, Parham. FG 21. 3-pointers 3 (Gude, Shearer, J.Vaughn). FT 9-18.
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 12, Champion 21, Beverly 3, Adamson 17, Crider, Davidson, Derrington, Cooksey 2, Conyer, Yates. FG 19. 3-pointers 8 (Morgeson 2, Adamson 5, Champion). FT 9-13.

Lady Rockets win, Guess becomes scoring queen

Taylor Guess is now CCHS's all-time
leading scorer in basketball.

MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County beat Livingston Central 42-35 Monday in the opening round of the Fifth District Tournament and junior Taylor Guess became the school’s all-time leading scorer.

Going into the game, Guess needed eight points to eclipse the previous record of 1,825 points set by Cassidy Moss in 2017. She scored 24, including four straight baskets to close out the first half as CCHS took the game’s lead for the first time. 

The Lady Rockets had opened the contest with a cold offensive hand. Guess missed all four shots she took in the first period, and her teammates followed suit. Junior center Addie Hatfield had Crittenden’s only two buckets nine minutes into the game, and CCHS trailed by eight, 13-3.

Then, Guess got hot and Anna Boone dropped in a three-pointer as the Lady Rockets went on a 13-2 scoring spurt to grab a 20-15 lead by the half. They never trailed again as Guess scored 10 of her points in the second period, including the basket that made her the queen of CCHS scoring.

The Lady Rockets will play Lyon County for the district championship at 7pm Thursday at Marion. Lyon bested Trigg County 54-45 in the other first-round game Monday.

Livingston Central 11 15 26 35
Crittenden County 3 18 28 42
LIVINGSTON – Downey 5, Joiner 6, Leahey 8, Holman, Hargrove 7, Ramage 6. FG 15. 3-pointers 2 (Hargrove, Downey). FT 3-4.
CRITTENDEN – Guess 24, N.Boone 5, A.Boone 7, Hatfield 5, Driskill, Evans 1. FG 15. 3-pointers 2 (N.Boone, A.Boone). FT 10-13.

Morgeson scores career high in loss

PRINCETON, Ky. – The Rockets made 11 three-pointers in the final regular-season game, but came up a bit short in a 79-69 loss at Caldwell County.

Preston Morgeson, a junior guard, has been on an offensive roll recently and scored a career-high 29 points to pace the Rockets, who trailed the entire way, but the game was close from start to finish. Morgeson had a half dozen three-pointers.

Crittenden goes into postseason with a 13-15 record. Caldwell finishes the season at 18-10. The Rockets have lost six straight games to the Tigers dating back to 2010.

The Rockets host the Fifth District Tournament starting Tuesday. They open against Trigg County.

Crittenden Co. 11 31 52 69
Caldwell County 21 37 59 79
CRITTENDEN – Morgeson 29, Champion 14, Beverly 10, Adamson, Crider, Davidson 4, Derrington 8,Yates 2, Cooksey 2. FG: 25. 3-pointers 11 (Morgeson 6, Champion, Beverly 2, Derrington 2). FT: 8-10.
CALDWELL – Bumpus 19, Spikes 29, Ca. Whittington 6, Riley 6, Joyner, Vivrette 3, Thompson 16, Shahean. FG: 27 3-pointers 9 (Bumps 4, Spikes, Vivrette, Thompson 3) FT: 16-30.