Lady Rockets will face Lyon for district crown

Elliot Evans (22) scored 13 points in her first
game since Feb. 4 due to ankle injury.

CADIZ, Ky. – Crittenden County will return to the Fifth District championship game Thursday for the 10th time in 11 seasons. It likely would have been the 11th straight had it not been for a COVID forfeit in 2021. Instead, this will be the fourth straight trip to the tournament final for CCHS.

After dispatching district tournament host Trigg County 64-28 on Monday, the Rocket girls will be vying for their fifth title over that same span.

Coach Shannon Hodge said her girls had to “knock some rust off” in the early minutes of Monday’s tournament opener, but once the rough edges were smoothed out, CCHS poured it on the Lady Wildcats, and the mercy rule running clock was enforced with two minutes left in the third period.

Crittenden had not played in 11 days due to snow and had lost their final two regular-season games against Hopkins Central and Henderson County before weather wiped out that final week of the season.

Anna Boone (2) led CCHS with 20 points.

At Trigg, junior Anna Boone was in postseason form, scoring 20 points, shooting 60 percent from the floor, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Junior Elliot Evans scored 13 in her first game since spraining an ankle Feb. 4 in a loss at Christian County.

Evans had a scare in the third quarter when CCHS was ahead by 33 points. Her wounded ankle was kicked while being double-teamed in the backcourt. Hodge quickly pulled her from the game, and a couple of minutes later, the coach unloaded her bench to rest the other starters.

Crittenden (20-7) will face off against Lyon County (21-8) in the championship game at 7 p.m., Thursday at Trigg County. The Lyons beat Livingston Central in the other opening-round matchup. Lyon is a team CCHS sees quite often each season during the regular season and in the All-A Classic. Over the past 11 years, CCHS has faced the Lyons five times in the district final, winning two and losing three, including last year’s championship at Eddyville.

“We know if we're defensively moving, being aggressive, rebounding the basketball and transitioning well, we will give ourselves a chance,” said Hodge, a 33-year veteran skipper with seven district crowns.

The Lady Rockets posted their 20th win of the season with the opening round victory in the playoffs, giving coach Hodge her fourth 20-win season.

Trigg County 13 17 20 28
Crittenden Co. 20 40 58 64
TRIGG – Norwood, AJ Norwood 3, Bush 10, Grinols 11, Adams, Jones, McGee 4. 3-pointers 2 (Bush, Grinols). FT 4-6.
CRITTENDEN – Boone 20, Evans 13, Hodge 7, Federico 6, Rushing 8, Stewart 4, Holeman 2, Berry 4, Matthews, Champion, Grau, Rich, Hunt. 3-pointers 7 (Boone 3, Evans 3, Hodge). FT 13-16.