On Friday, Graves County welcomed the McCracken County Mustangs into the Eagles’ Nest for an action-packed doubleheader. McCracken County split with Graves County as the Mustangs defeated the Eagles in a 14-point, 51-37 finish. The Lady Eagles won three points over the Lady Mustangs with a 47-44 contest.
The win for the Mustangs marked the 12th consecutive victory over the Eagles, with Graves County’s last win over McCracken County coming on January 8, 2019, in a 67-56 finish. The win for the Lady Eagles marked the first victory over McCracken County since March 9, 2021, when Graves County defeated the Lady Mustangs 46-42.
Graves County honored its senior basketball players during the doubleheader. For the girls, head coach Lyndon Dunning recognized Morgan Alexander as the lone senior in the program. Head coach Jason Holland recognized seniors Carson Carrico, Taytum Holland, Lukas Pigg, and Briley VeuCasovic.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 51, GRAVES COUNTY 37
The nightcap contest was nothing less than a thriller as the McCracken County Mustangs relied heavily on one senior and a roster of youth—as senior Connor Miller was out due to illness—to defeat the Graves County Eagles, surging with a 21-point fourth quarter to put the final nail in the 51-37 contest.
McCracken County senior Grayson Parish and junior Dylan Jackson led the charge for the Mustangs. Parish and Jackson dropped 26 of 51 points in the victory. Additionally, sophomore Jackson Klope rounded out double-digit scoring for the Mustangs with 12 points.
Graves County senior Lukas Pigg led the Eagles with a team-high 12 points in the loss. Junior Braden Waller was second best for the team with eight points. Senior Briley VeuCasovic rounded out the scoring with seven.
Like the girls’ contest, Graves County came out aggressively, pressuring the Mustangs in the opening quarter, leading to fouls on both sides. Offensively, McCracken County and the Eagles went shot for shot, neither allowing the other to take an extensive lead early in the contest. However, the Eagles pushed ahead with less than two minutes to play in the quarter with a field goal by Pigg.
The Mustangs surged in the second quarter, with Jace Dawson kicking off with a 3-point shot in the first minute of play. Immediately after, Graves County received a technical foul for having six players on the court, allowing freshman Caden Fulcher to take two shots for the Mustangs, making them both.
Heading into halftime, Graves County led by one point and was looking for the sweep over their opponent. Despite trailing by one point, the Mustangs outscored the Eagles 11-10 in the quarter, with Jackson going 4-for-4 at the line and Fulcher going 2-for-2.
After the half, McCracken took advantage of Graves County’s foul trouble with Jackson and Parish heading to the line. On the other end of the court, VeuCasovic led the Eagles in scoring during the third quarter with three points, all coming from the charity stripe. As the Mustangs surged, the team outscored Graves County in the quarter, 11-7. It was all hands on deck for the Mustangs in the fourth quarter as the team posted 21 points, propelling them to victory.
MCHS 8 11 11 21 — 51
GCHS 10 10 7 10 — 37
MCHS: G. Parish 13, D. Jackson 13, J. Klope 12, C. Fulcher 5, J. Diaz 3, O. Grogan 3, J. Martin 2. FIELD GOALS: 12 (J. Klope 5, G. Parish 5, D. Jackson 2). 3-POINT FG: 3 (D. Jackson, O. Grogan, J. Diaz). FREE THROWS: 18/21. RECORD: 20-7.
GCHS: L. Pigg 12, B. Waller 8, B. VeuCasovic 7, C. Carrico 3, R. Mathis 3, K. Tubbs 2, C. Carrico 2. FIELD GOALS: 12 (B. Waller 4, L. Pigg 4, B. VeuCasovic 2, C. Carrico, K. Tubbs). 3-POINT FG: R. Mathis, C. Carrico). FREE THROWS: 7/ 8. RECORD: 18-8.
GRAVES COUNTY 47, MCCRACKEN COUNTY 44
The night’s events started with the matchup between the Lady Mustangs and Lady Eagles—the latter ending a 40-game win streak that McCracken County held over the First Region since 2021. In the 47-44 statement victory for Graves County, junior Hannah Glisson led the charge with a team-high 15 points for the Eagles. Senior Morgan Alexander finished with 13 points for Graves County—nine coming from beyond the arc.
Despite the three-point loss, McCracken County senior Mikee Buchanan led all scorers with a game-high 17 points. Eighth-grader Ava Hughes scored nine points as the team’s second-best scorer.
Although the Lady Mustangs jumped on the scoreboard first with a successful free throw by Reagan Hill, the Lady Eagles answered with a three from Glisson and set the tone for the opening half. The Lady Mustangs struggled to find a rhythm in shooting but remained within striking distance of Graves. Glisson, who commanded her team on the hardwood, led all scorers with five points as the Lady Eagles held on to the one-point lead to end the first quarter.
Despite the aggressive pressure of the Eagles, McCracken County continued to battle, posting 12 points in the second quarter, showing how Graves County worked against their opponent, controlling the pace of play. However, it was Graves County with the 22-21 lead. Despite a 3-pointer from Hughes to slice the score in half for McCracken County, it was previously missed shots that kept the team trailing. By halftime, the defense of the Lady Eagles had kept McCracken County’s leading scorer Claire Johnson without a single point.
The Lady Eagles kept the Mustangs shut down offensively in the third quarter, outscoring McCracken County 15-9, giving Graves County a comfortable seven-point lead. Alexander’s back-to-back 3-point field goals were crucial to keep the Lady Eagles ahead of McCracken County as tensions flared and fouls were going against the Lady Mustangs, keeping the team out of rhythm as Graves County continued to find opportunity.
The Lady Mustangs found a stop against Graves County in the fourth quarter, making it a two-point difference. However, foul trouble hindered McCracken County as Alexander stepped to the charity stripe, going 4-for-4 to keep the Lady Eagles ahead with time running out. Throughout the fourth quarter, it was back and forth with McCracken County looming. However, missed shots in the final seconds by the Lady Mustangs would allow the Eagles to take the victory with ease—snapping McCracken County’s 40-game winning streak in the First Region.
MCHS 9 12 9 14 — 44
GCHS 10 12 15 10 — 47
MCHS: M. Buchanan 17, A. Hughes 9, R. Hill 8, C. Johnson 7, S. Houser 3. FIELD GOALS: 9 (M. Buchanan 4, R. Hill 2, A. Hughes, C. Johnson). 3-POINT FG: 4 (A. Hughes 2, M. Buchanan, S. Houser). FREE THROWS: 16/20. RECORD: 19-4.
GCHS: H. Glisson 15, M. Alexander 13, K. Winfrey 8, K. Scott 5, K. Burgess 3, E. Kemp 3. FIELD GOALS: 9 (H. Glisson 3, K. Winfrey 3, K. Scott 2, E. Kemp). 3-POINT FG: 6 (M. Alexander 3, H. Glisson 2, K. Burgess). FREE THROWS: 11/15. RECORD: 14-9.