McCracken County competed in the first round of the FNB Holiday Classic at Marshall County on Wednesday, an eight team tournament consisting of squads from Kentucky, Illinois, Georgia, and Tennessee. The Mustangs matched up against New Faith Christian Academy from Riverdale, Georgia. McCracken defeated the now 11-2 team by a final score of 90-67.
The night’s scoring started with some back-and-forth play from both sides, with New faith Christian starting with the lead 8-5. The Mustangs quickly found a rhythm, going on a 10-0 run in the middle stretch of the first quarter. A pair of threes by Connor Miller and Dylan Jackson maintained the seven point Mustang lead to the end of the first quarter, the score being 19-12.
Sophomore forward Jackson Klope led the charge in the second quarter, picking up a couple blocks and an and-one off of a tough layup in the post. With both sides trading buckets in the last few minutes of the half, some defensive stands by the Mustangs helped extend their lead to twelve and end the half leading 38-26.
Both team’s offenses exploded in the second half, partially due to the 20 combined free throw attempts in the third quarter alone.
McCracken senior Grayson Parish stood out in the third, adding eight points out of his 14 on the night, along with a great effort on the glass to gain extra possessions for the Mustangs.
New Faith Christian battled back to trailing by seven points early in the third, but a quick seven unanswered brought the McCracken lead back to 15. After both teams exchanged fastbreak points to end the quarter, New Faith Christian found themselves trailing 64-50 entering the final quarter.
The fourth is where senior guard Connor Miller shined, scoring 16 out of his impressive total of his 36 points on the night. The Mustangs were relentless on both sides of the court to open the fourth, starting the quarter on a 14-0 run to extend their lead to 28. The team coasted to victory from there, winning the contest by a score of 90-67.
Miller led the team in scoring with 36, followed by Klope at 18, and Parish with 14. The Mustangs scored 90 points with only two made three point shots, 52 second half points and success on the boards paved the way for this first round victory.
McCracken will play their semifinal matchup on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Marshall County High School. They will play the winner of Columbia Academy (TN) and Butler Prep (IL)