Despite inclement weather, a sea of blue and crimson faithful packed the historic Otis Dinning Gymnasium on Friday night for the crosstown doubleheader classic between the hosting Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado and McCracken County Mustangs. The Mustangs came into Tornado Alley and swept with a 74-63 win over the Blue Tornado, while the Lady Mustangs defeated PTHS in a 68-29 finish.
During the boys’ halftime, Paducah Tilghman honored the legendary Coach Lyman Brown. Coach Brown was a staple in Blue Tornado athletics from 1972 to 1990. On April 20, 2024, the Paducah Tilghman track will be dedicated to Coach Brown during the PTHS Invitational.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 74, PADUCAH TILGHMAN 63
The McCracken County Mustangs defeated the Blue Tornado for the fourth consecutive time since 2022. Senior Connor Miller led the charge in the 74-63 victory for the Mustangs with 30 points, leading all scorers in the first meeting between the two programs this season.
In addition to Miller, McCracken County junior Dylan Jackson and sophomore Jackson Klope finished in double digits—Jackson posted 17 points, and Klope had 14. For Paducah Tilghman, junior Ahmad Wilkins led the Blue Tornado with 15 points. Senior Joshua Campbell finished with 13, sophomore Miles Woodfork posted 13, and James Harris finished with 12.
The Mustangs struck first with a dunk by Klope. The Blue Tornado answered with a 3-pointer from Wilkins and moved ahead 3-2. However, McCracken’s offensive proved too much for Paducah Tilghman as the Mustangs went on a 10-0 run before the Blue Tornado could end the offensive threat. Despite being down 15-3, Paducah Tilghman took advantage of McCracken County’s foul trouble, with Campbell going 2-for-2 at the charity stripe.
By the end of the opening quarter, McCracken County led 22-10. The second quarter favored the Mustangs, who outscored the Blue Tornado by one point. Miller continued to control the court, collecting 19 points in the first half as the Mustangs led 39-26 after two.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, McCracken County broke open scoring, overwhelming Paducah Tilghman with a 9-0 run. Although the Mustangs outscored PTHS by eight, the Blue Tornado continued to battle on the court courtesy of Harris, Wilkins, Campbell, and Antwon McClure. Harris sent Otis Dinning into an uproar at the buzzer, allowing Paducah Tilghman to cut into the lead with a halfcourt heave.
Foul trouble plagued the Mustangs as Klope fouled out with less than three minutes to play in regulation. With the fouls, the Blue Tornado inched closer to the Mustang lead with trips to the line, outscoring McCracken County 24-14. However, Miller and Klope collected all 14 points for the Mustangs, allowing the team to keep a comfortable lead as the clock ticked down, allowing the Mustangs to defeat Paducah Tilghman with an 11-point win.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs will be on the road next week, traveling to University Heights and St. Mary before returning home for homecoming on January 26 against Graves County. Paducah Tilghman will host Mayfield on Tuesday and Marshall County on Friday.
MCHS 22 17 21 14 — 74
PTHS 10 16 13 24 — 63
MCHS: C. Miller 30, D. Jackson 17, Jackson Klope 14, G. Parish 6, O. Grogan 4, C. Fulcher 3. FIELD GOALS: 22 (C. Miller 7, J. Klope 6, D. Jackson 4, G. Parish 3, O. Grogan 2). 3-POINT FG: 6 (D. Jackson 3, C. Miller 2, C. Fulcher). FREE THROWS: 12/16. RECORD: 14-4.
PTHS: A. Wilkins 15, J. Campbell 13, M. Woodfork 13, J. Harris 12, A. Thompson 4, O. Williams 2, A. McClure 2, A. Forthman 2. FIELD GOALS: 13 (M. Woodfork 5, J. Campbell 4, A. Wilkins 3). 3-POINT FG: 5 (J. Harris 3, A. Wilkins 2). FREE THROWS: 20/26. RECORD: 8-7.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 68, PADUCAH TILGHMAN 29
The McCracken County Lady Mustangs continued a 24-game win streak over the Paducah Tilghman Lady Blue Tornado with a 68-29 victory as senior Claire Johnson led all scorers with 21 points.
In addition to Johnson, senior Mikee Buchanan finished with 14 points. Paducah Tilghman senior Jayla Reed led all Tornado scorers with six points, and sophomore Myiesha Smith followed behind with five.
Despite a slow start, the Lady Mustangs pushed ahead in the opening quarter, outscoring the Blue Tornado by 15 points. It was all hands on deck for McCracken County as Johnson, Buchanan, senior Jayden Skaggs, sophomore Reagan Hill, and eighth-grader Ava Hughes contributed to the offensive onslaught.
The Lady Mustangs kept Paducah Tilghman in single-digit scoring during the second quarter as McCracken County took advantage of the Blue Tornado’s foul trouble. Johnson went 6-for-7 at the charity stripe while Buchanan went 3-for-4, allowing the Mustangs to carry a 49-15 lead at halftime. Johnson led all scorers by the half with 17 points.
The second half of the contest continued to be all McCracken County as the Mustangs took a 43-point lead by the end of the third quarter. Despite Paducah Tilghman outscoring McCracken County by four points in the fourth quarter, the Lady Mustangs brought home the 68-29 win.
UP NEXT: McCracken County will head to St. Mary on Tuesday in a district doubleheader matchup with the Vikings before returning home to host Graves County on Friday. The Paducah Tilghman Lady Blue Tornado will host Marshall County on Friday.
MCHS 24 25 15 4 — 68
PTHS 9 6 6 8 — 29
MCHS: C. Johnson 21, M. Buchanan 14, A. Hughes 9, J. Reed 7, J. Skaggs 5, R. Hill 4, L. Bolen 4, L. Hamilton 2, A. Word 2. FIELD GOALS: 22 (C. Johnson 7, M. Buchanan 4, J. Reed 3, L. Bolen 2, R. Hill 2, J. Skaggs, A. Hughes, A. Word, L. Hamilton). 3-POINT FG: 4 (A. Hughes 2, M. Buchanan, J. Skaggs). FREE THROWS: 12/16. RECORD: 15-3.
PTHS: J. Reed 6, M. Smith 5, C. Roberts 4, V. Wheeler 4, A. Harris 4, F. Hodge 2, T. Edwards 2, M. Carruthers 2. FIELD GOALS: 9 (J. Reed 2, V. Wheeler 2, M. Carruthers, T. Edwards, M. Smith, A. Harris, C. Roberts). 3-POINT FG: 0. FREE THROWS: 11/20. RECORD: 3-14.