The Second District basketball postseason began Monday night at Paducah Tilghman’s historic Otis Dinning Gymnasium. In the first matchup, McCracken County and Community Christian Academy took to the hardwood, with the Lady Mustangs keeping their season alive with a 67-9 victory over the Lady Warriors.
Senior Claire Johnson led all scorers in the contest with 16 points for McCracken County. Mikee Buchanan followed behind with 11 points. For Community Christian, sophomores Audrey Tucker, Emma Wring, and senior Carmella Saxton posted three points a piece.
The Lady Mustangs left nothing on the court, posting 26 points in the opening quarter. Johnson and Buchanan led the charge for McCracken County with 18 points between the senior duo. Additionally, in the quarter for the Mustangs, seniors Jayden Skaggs and Megan Swinford, along with eighth-grader Ava Hughes, worked together to push the team to a 26-2 lead. Saxton’s field goal in the first quarter put the Lady Warriors on the scoreboard.
The second quarter continued to be all Mustang as the younger team members backed senior leadership from Johnson and Buchanan. Johnson added nine more points to her night, while freshman LeZharia Bolen and sophomore Arrianna Brison showed out offensively with a combined 10 points between the two. Brison’s points came from the free throw line, going 5-for-6. The Lady Warriors added three points in the quarter, all from the line courtesy of Tucker and Saxton.
The offense in the third quarter was all McCracken County, who posted eight points, while Community Christian Academy fell short of posting a successful basket. Six of the eight points for the Lady Mustangs came from beyond the arc, with threes from junior Ashley Word and freshman Ella Shelbourne.
The fourth quarter allowed sophomore Skater Houser, freshman Janaye Reed, sophomore Brooklin Preston, and Brison to post nine points for the Mustangs to secure the 67-9 victory. Community Christian posted four points in the final eight minutes of regulation with a 3-pointer by Wring and a free throw shot by Tucker.
The Community Christian Academy Lady Warriors finished the 2023-24 season with a 14-16 record.
UP NEXT: McCracken County will head to the Second District Championship on Thursday night, facing the winner between St. Mary and Paducah Tilghman. The Lady Mustangs will represent the district during the First Region tournament at the CFSB Center next week with the Vikings or Blue Tornado.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 67, COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 9
CCA 2 3 0 4 — 9
MCHS 26 24 8 9 — 67
CCA: A. Tucker 3, E. Wring 3, C. Saxton 3. FIELD GOALS: 1 (C. Saxton). 3-POINT FG: 1 (E. Wring). FREE THROWS: 4/10. RECORD: 14-16.
MCHS: C. Johnson 16, M. Buchanan 11, A. Brison 7, L. Bolen 5, J. Reed 4, A. Hughes 4, A. Word 3, A. Casebier 3, E. Shelbourne 3, B. Preston 3, J. Skaggs 2, M. Swinford 2, L. Hamilton 2, S. Houser 2. FIELD GOALS: 22 (C. Johnson 6, M. Buchanan 4, A. Hughes 2, L. Bolen 2, J. Skaggs, M. Swinford, A. Casebier, L. Hamilton, S. Houser, A. Brison, J. Reed, B. Preston). 3-POINT FG: 4 (C. Johnson, M. Buchanan, A. Word, E. Shelbourne). FREE THROWS: 11/23. RECORD: 25-5.