On Tuesday, the Second District matchup between McCracken County and St. Mary took place, with the Vikings playing host. In the doubleheader, McCracken County swept St. Mary, the Mustangs taking a 59-53 finish and the Lady Mustangs winning 85-21.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 59, ST. MARY 53
Despite trailing until the third quarter, the McCracken County Mustangs kept the 19-game win streak alive with the 59-53 victory over the Vikings. The high-intensity matchup against the two Second District foes was an all-out battle from tip-off until the final buzzer.
McCracken County senior Connor Miller and St. Mary junior Luke Sims led their teams until the end, tallying 16 points a piece in the Tuesday night contest on the St. Mary court, dubbed the “Holy Hardwood.” In addition to Miller, the Mustangs had two athletes finish in double-digit scoring, with junior Dylan Jackson and sophomore Jackson Klope collecting a combined 20 points. For St. Mary, junior Owen Mikel finished with 10.
The scoring began with a layup courtesy of junior Brett Haas, giving St. Mary a 2-0 lead. McCracken County answered, but foul trouble against the Mustangs allowed Mikel to take trips to the charity stripe. Besides Mikel and Haas, seniors Aidan Hahn and Aidan Hrdlicka added to the scoreboard. For McCracken County, scoring came from Miller, Jackson, Klope, senior Grayson Parish, sophomore Jackson Diaz, and freshman Caden Fulcher. By the end of the quarter, the Vikings had outscored McCracken County by one, leading 17-16.
The second quarter was continued in favor of the Vikings as McCracken County continued to find themselves in foul trouble—including a technical foul that sent Sims to the line for two shots. Despite the Mustangs finding their rhythm, scoring from three Vikings kept St. Mary ahead with intense, wiry pressure against McCracken County’s offense. As McCracken County inched closer with six points from Jackson in the 3-point range, cutting into the Viking lead, St. Mary answered.
At halftime, St. Mary led by four points, but with both teams leaving the court, the four points felt like a more significant number. McCracken County took its first lead in the third quarter with a 3-pointer from sophomore Owen Grogan to make it 40-39. The pressure from the Mustangs increased as St. Mary, like McCracken County, found themselves in foul trouble. Miller, a senior leader for the Mustangs, saw himself at the charity stripe in the third quarter, going 3-for-4. The Mustangs went into the fourth quarter, leading 42-41, with both sides of the court preparing for the final eight minutes of regulation.
McCracken County held the lead despite foul trouble, allowing Sims to keep the Vikings within striking distance. However, McCracken County remained stoic despite the tension on the court, with Miller and Klope posting 12 of the Mustangs’ 17 points in the quarter. Although the Mustangs outscored the Vikings by five in the fourth quarter, Sims and Haas posted all 12 points for St. Mary, all coming from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT: The McCracken County Mustangs will host Graves County for homecoming on Friday at Strawberry Hills Pharmacy Arena. The St. Mary Vikings will host Livingston Central on Friday.
MCHS 16 10 16 17 — 59
STMS 17 13 11 12 — 53
MCHS: C. Miller 16, D. Jackson 10, J. Klope 10, O. Grogan 7, J. Diaz 5, C. Fulcher 5, G. Parish 4, J. Martin 2. FIELD GOALS: 13 (C. Miller 4, J. Klope 4, G. Parish 2, J. Diaz 2, O. Grogan 2, J. Martin). 3-POINT FG: 6 (D. Jackson 3, C. Miller, C. Fulcher, O. Grogan). FREE THROWS: 11/13. RECORD: 15-5.
STMS: L. Sims 16, O. Mikel 10, B. Haas 9, A. Hahn 9, L. Durbin 7, A. Hrdlicka 2. FIELD GOALS: 9 (B. Haas 3, O. Mikel 2, L. Durbin 2, A. Hrdlicka, L. Sims). 3-POINT FG: 6 (A. Hahn 3, L. Sims 2, L. Durbin). FREE THROWS: 17/22. RECORD: 11-9.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 85, ST. MARY 21
The state runner-up McCracken County Lady Mustangs continue to prove that despite a youthful roster, they are a force to be reckoned with on the court. With an 85-21 victory over the St. Mary Lady Vikings, the No. 7 Mustangs moved to a 16-3 win-loss record with senior Claire Johnson leading the charge.
Johnson led all scorers with 21 points in the contest. In addition to Johnson, freshman LeZharia Bolen, senior Mikee Buchanan, and eighth-grader Ava Hughes finished in double-digit scoring. Bolen finished behind Johnson with 17, while Buchanan posted 12 and Hughes with 10 in the victory. For St. Mary, junior Olivia Lorch finished with nine points for the Vikings.
McCracken County broke open the contest in the first quarter, going on a 20-0 run before St. Mary junior Caroline Crider put the Lady Vikings on the scoreboard with a field goal. By the end of the quarter, the Lady Mustangs were led by 19 points, with Bolen posting eight points and Johnson with seven.
The offensive onslaught continued in the second quarter as McCracken County scored 31 points to St. Mary’s six. By halftime, Johnson led with 21 points, Bolen with 17, Buchanan with eight, eighth-grader Ava Hughes with five, and sophomore Reagan Hill with four.
The second half of the contest continued with McCracken County’s youthful roster getting opportunities to see time on the court. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lady Mustangs led 74-14, eventually pushing ahead to a 64-point victory.
UP NEXT: McCracken County will host Graves County in the homecoming doubleheader on Friday night at Strawberry Hills Pharmacy Arena. St. Mary will host Livingston Central on Friday night.
MCHS 24 31 19 11 — 85
STMS 5 6 3 7 — 21
MCHS: C. Johnson 21, L. Bolen 17, M. Buchanan 12, A. Hughes 10, E. Shelbourne 6, A. Brison 5, J. Reed 4, R. Hill 4, A. Casebier 2, M. Swinford 2, B. Preston 2. FIELD GOALS: 31 (C. Johnson 10, L. Bolen 7, M. Buchanan 5, A. Hughes 3, R. Hill, M. Swinford, E. Shelbourne, A. Brison, J. Reed, B. Preston). 3-POINT FG: 4 (E. Shelbourne, L. Bolen). FREE THROWS: 11/12. RECORD: 16-3.
STMS: O. Lorch 9, C. Crider 6, O. Vaughan 3, M. Clements 3. FIELD GOALS: 3 (C. Crider 2, O. Lorch). 3-POINT FG: 3 (O. Vaughan, O. Lorch, M. Clements). FREE THROWS: 6/6. RECORD: 3-13.