The 2023-24 season opened for the McCracken County Mustangs on Tuesday night at Strawberry Hills Pharmacy Arena. The Mustangs hosted the visiting Community Christian Academy Warriors in a district doubleheader. McCracken County’s Lady Mustangs defeated CCA in a 75-13 finish, while the Mustangs finished with a 92-37 finish.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 75, COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 13
The 2022-23 KHSAA Girls Basketball State Runner-Up Lady Mustangs started the new season with a bang, defeating the Lady Warriors with a 75-13 victory, filled with new and familiar faces dominating the court at Strawberry Hills Pharmacy Arena.
“We’re truly excited to be back for a brand new basketball year, and it’s so good to be with some great kids. We talked about it before the game—we got 10 kids that were not a part of us last year, so it’s a new ride with a brand new team led by some great seniors,” McCracken County head coach Scott Sivills said. “We’re excited about our senior class this year with Claire (Johnson), Mikee (Buchanan), Jayden (Skaggs), and Megan (Swinford). We look forward to a new year, and getting off to a good start district-wise was a big key for us tonight.”
Johnson led all scorers with 19 points in the victory for the Mustangs. The other half of the scoring duo returning for McCracken County, Buchanan, followed behind with 13 points. After the contest, the team honored Buchanan for her 1,000th career point during the state championship contest against Sacred Heart.
For Community Christian Academy, Gabrielle Stoffel led the Lady Warriors with six points. All of Stoffel’s scoring came from the 3-point range for CCA.
The youthful roster of McCracken County held Community Christian Academy scoreless throughout the opening quarter. After 47 unanswered points, Community Christian Academy scored with a 3-pointer by Stoffel. Audrey Tucker went 1-for-2 at the free throw line. However, the Lady Mustangs led 61-4 ahead of halftime.
“We saw glimpses of how good this team can be down the road with our guard play with Ava Hughes. You know she’s someone that will be Claire’s heir after she leaves us this year,” Sivills said. “You saw the athleticism, the extra passes to each other. The one thing we’ve always had with Jayden is her athleticism. Keeping her healthy for the last couple of years has been crucial. She’s been out a lot with injuries, so knock on wood; this year, she has been healthy and shooting the ball very well in practice. Jayden is someone that can help us with the offense. Reagan Hill has played tremendously well in the last two scrimmage games, and we’re happy to see her progress as a player.”
Eighth-grader Hughes, who made her debut for the Mustangs in the contest, tied Buchanan with 13 points in the win for McCracken County.
The McCracken County Lady Mustangs will head to Henderson County on Friday and compete in the Independence Bank Tip-Off Classic hosted at Owensboro Catholic on Saturday. The CCA Lady Warriors will be on the road Friday night with the matchup against Fulton City.
CCA 0 4 3 6 — 13
MCHS 34 27 5 9 — 75
CCA — G. Stoffel 6, H. Allred 3, L. Jones 3, A. Tucker 1. FIELD GOALS: 0. 3-POINT FG: 4 (G. Stoffel 2, H. Allred, L. Jones). FREE THROWS: 1/4. RECORD: 0-2.
MCHS — C. Johnson 19, M. Buchanan 13, A. Hughes 13, R. Hill 7, E. Shelbourne 5, L. Hamilton 4, J. Skaggs 4, A. Word 3, B. Preston 3, A Casebier 2, J. Reed 2. FIELD GOALS: 28 (C. Johnson 8, A. Hughes 5, M. Buchanan 5, R. Hill 3, J. Skaggs 2, L. Hamilton 2, A. Casebier, E. Shelbourne). 3-POINT FG: 5 (C. Johnson, M. Buchanan, A. Word, E. Shelbourne, B. Preston). FREE THROWS: 4/7. RECORD: 1-0.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 92, COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 37
The reigning First Region champions McCracken County collected the program’s first win of the season with the 92-37 defeat over the Community Christian Academy Warriors, with senior Connor Miller and sophomore Jackson Klope leading the charge.
“There’s a lot of talent that we have. A lot of them are inexperienced and young. They’re learning how to play and what it takes to win at a high level,” McCracken County head coach Dustin Roberts said. “It’s going to take our group a little bit of time; they’re learning what will make the difference in March from loose basketballs to toughness, things of that nature. We’re on our way to that, but not quite where we need to be with it.”
Connor Miller led all scorers with a game-high 17 points. Klope followed behind in scoring with 16 points. Sophomore Carter Hawes made his varsity debut with 12 points in the victory.
CCA’s Ahmed Dee led his team with 11 points. Eighth-grader Bradon DeJarnatt followed behind for the Warriors with eight points—six coming from 3-point field goals.
“This is a young bunch, and they’ve shown a lot of progress,” Roberts said. “But, like I said, we still have a way to go.”
In the opening quarter, the Mustangs struck first with a 3-pointer by Connor Miller before Klope added to the scoreboard with a dunk within the first four minutes of play. McCracken County outscored CCA 29-12 in the first quarter despite the Warriors answering in the form of Dee and DeJarnatt.
Momentum continued to favor the crimson Mustangs in the second quarter as McCracken County took a prominent 55-22 lead over the Warriors going into halftime. By the third quarter, MCHS held a 41-point lead over the Warriors.
As Roberts mentioned, the youthful and fresh faces of McCracken County appeared in the contest for the Mustangs, with freshmen Garrett Miller, Caden Fulcher, Jay Martin, and sophomore Owen Grogan making waves on the court for a combined 22 points.
The McCracken County Mustangs will head to Marshall County’s Hoopfest for a matchup against New Madrid County Central (MO) on Saturday with an approximate start time of 1:30 p.m. The CCA Warriors will travel to Fulton City on Friday before returning home next week.
CCA 12 10 10 5 — 37
MCHS 29 26 18 19 — 92
CCA —A. Dee 11, B. DeJarnatt 8, C. Reed 8, S. Luker 5, M. Jendro 4, J. Anderson. FIELD GOALS: 6 (A. Dee 2, M. Jendro 2, S. Luker, B. DeJarnatt). 3-POINT FG: 6 (B. DeJarnatt 2, C. Reed 2, A. Dee, S. Luker). FREE THROWS: 7/12. RECORD: 1-1.
MCHS — C. Miller 17, J. Klope 16, C. Hawes 12, D. Jackson 8, G. Miller 8, O. Grogan 6, J. Martin 6, G. Parish 4, C. Wallace 4, Car. Fulcher 3, M. Tanner 2, C. Watson 2, J. Diaz 2, Cad. Fulcher 2. FIELD GOALS: 24 (J. Klope 7, C. Miller 5, O. Grogan 3, G. Parish 2, M. Tanner, G. Miller, C. Watson, J. Diaz, Cad. Fulcher, C. Hawes, D. Jackson). 3-POINT FG: 11 (C. Miller 2, J. Martin 2, C. Hawes 2, G. Miller 2). FREE THROWS: 11/16. RECORD: 1-0.