With a quick turnaround from the Friday night doubleheader, the McCracken County Mustang basketball programs hosted the visiting Delta (MO) Lady Bobcats and Second Region Christian County Colonels on Saturday afternoon. Both the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs defeated their opponents on the court — the girls beating the undefeated Delta in an 85-53 finish, while the boys defeated Christian County 65-56.
During the Lady Mustangs contest against the Bobcats, senior Claire Johnson scored her 2,000th career varsity point during her time on the court for McCracken County. Johnson collected the achievement within the first two minutes of play against Delta.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 85, DELTA (MO) 53
Heading into the contest, the Lady Mustangs opponent from Deering (MO) sat with a perfect 15-0 record, averaging 90 points per game. With the 85-53 victory, No. 7 ranked McCracken County handed the Lady Bobcats its first 2023-24 season loss with all hands on deck.
The Lady Mustangs kicked off the contest with Johnson collecting her 2,000th point in the opening quarter. However, she quickly became a foul magnet with three before completing the first quarter, sitting out for most of the first half. That did not stop the senior leader from posting 30 points in the contest, leading all scorers.
“(Claire) is a special, special kid. In my 29 years of coaching, she’s up there at the very top of the mountain. I loved her leadership at halftime. She was antsy; it was probably the first time in her career having to be on the sideline with three fouls in the first half,” McCracken County head coach Scott Sivills said. “I love her anticipation on the floor, how she gets deflections and steals. People don’t understand how quick Claire is and how she plays. She’s going to go down as one of the greats of all time now and one of the greats of all time in 30 or 40 years from now.”
The Lady Mustangs broke open the contest despite being without Johnson in the opening quarter, taking a 39-30 lead at the half. By this time, Mikee Buchanan was also in foul trouble with two. Despite Buchanan and Johnson’s troubles, the Lady Mustangs relied on the likes of younger talents on the hardwood, coming from Ava Hughes, Reagan Hill, and Jenaye Reed, and senior Jayden Skaggs, who stoically dropped a 3-pointer in the second quarter to keep McCracken County ahead.
“You’re going to have adversity sometimes in your season — either in a game, quarter or even a half. I loved the response of our kids,” Sivills said. “Overall, to have four kids in double figures was huge. Ava played big; I thought Jayden was humongous offensively when we needed a three, and Reagan Hill was a warrior the entire game.”
Along with Johnson’s 30 points, Buchanan and Skaggs finished with 16 a piece, while Hughes finished with 11 points.
Foul trouble plagued the Lady Mustangs as Buchanan collected her third and fourth fouls in the third quarter against Delta, sending her to the bench as McCracken County brought in Ashley Word and Skater Houser to assist in the contest. By the end of the third, the Mustangs led 57-46, holding their opponent to less than 50 points in three quarters, despite Delta typically averaging above that.
McCracken County surged in the final eight minutes of regulation, going on a 21-3 run, posting 28 points and hindering their opponent to only seven. Johnson collected 12 points for the Lady Mustangs and Buchanan, with the green light and four fouls returned to the hardwood, posting four points. Skaggs continued to be a bright spot for the Mustangs, posting three 3-point field goals in the second half.
The Lady Mustangs moved to an 18-3 record with eight regular season games left ahead of district and regional tournament play.
UP NEXT: The Lady Mustangs will host Paducah Tilghman in a doubleheader on Friday night at Strawberry Hills Pharmacy Arena.
DHS 18 12 16 7 — 53
MCHS 26 13 18 28 — 85
DHS: J. Berry 13, A. Nichols 12, G. Ancell 11, M. Gillespie 11, P. Holweg 7. FIELD GOALS: 10 (M. Gillespie 3, G. Ancell 3, P. Holweg 2, A. Nichols 2). 3-POINT FG: 7 (J. Berry 4, A. Nichols 2, P. Holweg). FREE THROWS: 12/19. RECORD: 15-1.
MCHS: C. Johnson 30, M. Buchanan 16, J. Skaggs 16, A. Hughes 11, R. Hill 8, L. Bolen 2, J. Reed. FIELD GOALS: C. Johnson 11, M. Buchanan 8, R. Hill 3, J. Skaggs 2, A. Hughes 2, L. Bolen). 3-POINT FG: 8 (J. Skaggs 4, C. Johnson 2, A. Hughes 2). FREE THROWS: 7/12. RECORD: 18-3.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 65, CHRISTIAN COUNTY 56
The McCracken County Mustangs kept the momentum going on Saturday afternoon with the 65-56 victory over the Christian County Colonels at Strawberry Hills Pharmacy Arena. With all hands on deck from experienced and youthful athletes, the Mustangs moved to a 17-5 record as the regular season nears its end.
Senior Connor Miller led all scorers with 22 points in the win. In addition, the Mustangs had two more athletes finish in double figures, sophomore Owen Grogan and senior Grayson Parish. Grogan posted 14 points, while Parish collected 10.
For Christian County, the Colonels had two double-digit finishes in the form of seniors Derrell Bateman and Jordan Miles. Bateman and Miles both posted 17 points a piece.
Christian County jumped ahead of McCracken County in the opening quarter. However, McCracken County answered. The two teams continued to battle back and forth in the first quarter, eventually knotting it up at 22-22 as time ran out. The Colonels continued to pressure McCracken County in the second quarter, outscoring the Mustangs by two points and holding a two-point lead at halftime, 32-30.
At the half, Grogan led McCracken County with 14 points, nine coming from the 3-point field goal range. The Mustangs surged in the final eight minutes of regulation, outscoring Christian County 16-12, earning the team’s 17th win this season.
CCHS 22 10 12 12 — 56
MCHS 22 8 19 16 — 65
CCHS: D. Bateman 17, J. Miles 17, T. Quarles 7, D. Bigbee 6, N. Rowe 4, K. Williams 3, P. Northington 2. FIELD GOALS: 11 (D. Bateman 5, N. Rowe 2, T. Quarles 2, P. Northington, J. Miles). 3-POINT FG: 8 (J. Miles 4, Bigbee 2, K. Williams, D. Bateman). FREE THROWS: 10/16. RECORD: 7-14.
MCHS: C. Miller 22, O. Grogan 14, G. Parish 10, J. Klope 9, C. Fulcher 8, J. Diaz 2. FIELD GOALS: 19 (C. Miller 7, G. Parish 5, J. Klope 4, O. Grogan 2, C. Fulcher). 3-POINT FG: 4 (O. Grogan 3, C. Miller). FREE THROWS: 15/19. RECORD: 17-5.