The McCracken County Mustangs returned to Strawberry Hills Pharmacy Arena on Saturday after facing regional rival Marshall County on Friday night. Despite the less than 24-hour turnaround, the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs swept St. Mary in the afternoon district matchup doubleheader.
The Lady Mustangs defeated the Lady Vikings in an 84-28 finish, while the Mustangs took a 63-51 win over the Vikings. Both Mustang programs remain undefeated in Second District play, with wins over CCA and St. Mary. After the Christmas break, McCracken County will face crosstown and district rival Paducah Tilghman.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 84, ST. MARY 28
On Saturday, The Lady Mustangs moved to 22-1 against the St. Mary Lady Vikings since McCracken County's inception in 2013. The win allowed the win streak to move to 20 since St. Mary's lone win against the program came on February 11, 2014, in a 47-44 finish.
With minimal playing time on Saturday, senior Claire Johnson led all scorers with 15 points. St. Mary junior Olivia Lorch led her team with 14 points, six from the 3-point range.
The Lady Mustangs pulled away from St. Mary early, with the power of Johnson posting 11 points in the opening quarter. Scoring also came courtesy of senior Jayden Skaggs, sophomore Reagan Hill, junior Ashley Word, freshman LeZharia Bolen, and eighth-grader Ava Hughes, allowing McCracken County to take a 27-5 lead over St. Mary in the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lady Mustangs held the Vikings to two points, which came from the hands of junior Caroline Crider. McCracken County added before the half, taking a comfortable 56-7 lead over their opponent.
St. Mary outscored McCracken County in the third quarter 17-5, with Lorch leading the charge. Eighth-grader Maddie Ault and freshman Audrey Sims assisted in the offensive explosion for the Vikings. However, by the end of the quarter, the Mustangs still led by 37 points going into the final quarter.
The Lady Mustangs surged to finish the contest, outscoring the Vikings 23-4, with sophomore Sarah Kate "Skater" Houser posting nine points from the 3-point range. The four points for St. Mary came from Lorch and freshman Mason Clements.
STMS 5 2 17 4 — 28
MCHS 27 29 5 23 — 84
STMS: O. Lorch 14, M. Ault 9, A. Sims 2, C. Crider 2, M. Clements 1. FIELD GOALS: 6 (O. Lorch 4, C. Crider, A. Sims). 3-POINT FG: 5 (M. Ault 3, O. Lorch 2). FREE THROWS: 1/2. RECORD: 1-6.
MCHS: C. Johnson 15, A. Hughes 10, L. Bolen 10, A. Word 10, R. Hill 9, S. Houser 9, J. Skaggs 5, M. Swinford 4, J. Reed 4, A. Brison 4, M. Buchanan 2, A. Casebier 2. FIELD GOALS: 27 (C. Johnson 6, L. Bolen 5, R. Hill 4, A. Hughes 2, M. Swinford 2, A. Word 2, J. Reed 2, J. Skaggs, M. Buchanan, A. Casebier, A. Brison). 3-POINT FG: 9 (S. Houser 3, A. Word 2, A. Hughes 2, J. Skaggs, C. Johnson). FREE THROWS: 4/8. RECORD: 5-1.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 63, ST. MARY 51
With the victory over St. Mary, the McCracken County Mustangs move to a 22-2 record over the Vikings since the school's inception in 2013. The Saturday win allowed the Mustangs to keep an 18-game win streak alive since 2016. St. Mary's last win against McCracken County came on February 24, 2015, in the Second District Tournament.
Sophomore Jackson Klope led all scorers with 23 points in the victory, while Junior Luke Sims led his Vikings with 22 points.
After the Friday night loss to Marshall County, the Mustangs started hot on the court against the Vikings. With three scoreless minutes passed in the opening quarter, senior Connor Miller's 3-point shot allowed the Mustangs to take a 3-0 lead. From there, McCracken County surged offensively over the Vikings.
Freshman Jay Martin and junior Dylan Jackson kept the theme going for the Mustangs with back-to-back 3-point field goals to go on a 9-0 run over St. Mary. Scoring continued for McCracken County as Klope's dunk made it an 11-0 lead. Jackson added his second basket in the quarter, giving McCracken County a 14-point lead as St. Mary called for a timeout with three minutes left.
Returning to the floor from the timeout, McCracken County extended the lead to an 18-0 run courtesy of Jackson and junior Jace Dawson. The run ended at the hands of Sims, who put St. Mary on the board with a 3-pointer. Junior Owen Mikel added to the Viking tally in the quarter with an and-1 as the Vikings trailed 23-6 to end the first quarter.
Neither team could find a rhythm in the second quarter, posting nine points ahead the half. Scoring in the quarter came from Klope and Martin for the Mustangs, while St. Mary's points came courtesy of Sims, Mikel, and senior Aidan Hahn. By halftime, the Mustangs led 32-15 over the Vikings.
At the end of the third quarter, the Mustangs led 53-32 as sophomore Carter Hawes drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to keep a 21-point lead over the Vikings. Heading into the final quarter, Klope led all scorers with 21 points.
During the final eight minutes of regulation, the Vikings took advantage of McCracken County's missteps on defense, with Sims leading the charge. St. Mary broke McCracken's hefty lead into half by the end of the contest but could not overcome the deficit to pull off an upset.
STMS 6 9 17 19 — 51
MCHS 23 9 21 10 — 63
STMS: L. Sims 22, O. Mikel 15, Hahn 9, J. Willett 3, L. Durbin 2. FIELD GOALS: 10 (L. Sims 4, O. Mikel 4, A. Hahn, L. Durbin). 3-POINT FG: 8 (L. Sims 3, O. Mikel 2, A. Hahn 2, J. Willett). FREE THROWS: 7/10. RECORD: 3-4.
MCHS: J. Klope 23, C. Miller 10, D. Jackson 10, J. Dawson 9, J. Martin 6, C. Hawes 3, C. Fulcher 2. FIELD GOALS: 18 (J. Klope 10, J. Dawson 3, C. Miller 2, D. Jackson 2, C. Fulcher). 3-POINT FG: 9 (J. Martin 2, C. Miller 2, D. Jackson 2, J. Klope, J. Dawson). FREE THROWS: 0/4. RECORD: 6-2.