The Second District girls’ basketball tournament ended Thursday night at Paducah Tilghman’s historic Otis Dinning Gymnasium. For the ninth consecutive season, the McCracken County Lady Mustangs claimed the Second District in the 73-31 victory over the Paducah Tilghman Lady Blue Tornado.
“They have worked so hard from the summer to the fall and throughout the year. We have an incredible senior class, and it’s been a great ride so far,” McCracken County head coach Scott Sivills said. “We have goals that we want to reach, and this was one of our goals. In this profession, you can’t take things for granted, and we’ve talked about how some teams don’t get to have a championship night like this, so we need to understand the magnitude of this moment and a chance to be in a game like this. We want to enjoy it, and now, on to the big tournament.”
Senior Claire Johnson led all scorers with 29 points in the victory for the Lady Mustangs. By halftime, Johnson held 27 points. In addition to Johnson, McCracken County finished with two more double-digit scorers. Senior Mikee Buchanan finished with 21 points, and eighth-grader Ava Hughes finished with 13 in the contest.
“They are like Batman and Robin (Buchanan and Johnson), two very special players. Even though Jayden Skaggs didn’t score tonight, it’s all the other things that Jayden did from her defense, making good passes to her teammates,” Sivills said. “Skaggs has had a really good year for us as well. Those three and adding Megan Swinford back since her freshman year. It’s been a blessing to have her back. We’re excited that these kids get to cut nets down.”
For Paducah Tilghman, senior Jayla Reed led the team with eight points. Sophomore Myiesha Smith finished with seven, and junior Victoria Wheeler rounded out the top three scorers for the Blue Tornado with six points.
McCracken County jumped on the scoreboard with a 4-0 run at the hands of Johnson. Paducah Tilghman cut into the lead with free throws by Reed and tied it 4-4 with a field goal, but soon Johnson went on an offensive tear before a timeout was called by Tilghman head coach Steph Gray. By the end of the opening quarter, McCracken County led 30-13, with Johnson sitting with 23 points.
Buchanan and Johnson controlled the pace of play in the second quarter, posting a combined 19 points. The Lady Mustangs held Paducah Tilghman to four points in the quarter from senior Fran Hodge and Wheeler. By halftime, the Lady Mustangs held a 55-17 lead over the Blue Tornado, with Johnson leading all scorers with 27 points and Buchanan behind her with 18.
Although Paducah Tilghman posted 10 points in the third quarter, the youthful roster of McCracken County continued to surge with Hughes at the helm. The eighth-grader posted five of the 11 points for the Lady Mustangs in the second half’s opening, going 3-for-4 at the charity stripe. Swinford, Buchanan, and Johnson each collected a field goal to round out scoring for their team.
With a 66-27 lead going into the final eight minutes of regulation, the Lady Mustangs relied on sophomore Abby Casebier, who posted all seven points for McCracken County. Wheeler and senior Alex Harris split the quarter’s four points for Paducah Tilghman.
Claire Johnson (McCracken County), Mikee Buchanan (McCracken County), Ava Hughes (McCracken County), Reagan Hill (McCracken County), Myiesha Smith (Paducah Tilghman), Jayla Reed (Paducah Tilghman), Maddie Ault (St. Mary), Olivia Lorch (St. Mary), Mason Clements (St. Mary), Audrey Tucker (Community Christian Academy)
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 73, PADUCAH TILGHMAN 31
PTHS 13 4 10 4 — 31
MCHS 30 25 11 7 — 73
PTHS: J. Reed 8, M. Smith 7, V. Wheeler 6, C. Roberts 4, F. Hodge 2, A. Harris 2, J. Shumpert 2. FIELD GOALS: 10 (J. Reed 3, M. Smith 2, V. Wheeler 2, F. Hodge, A. Harris, C. Roberts). 3-POINT FG: 1 (M. Smith). FREE THROWS: 8/16. RECORD: 10-20
MCHS: C. Johnson 29, M. Buchanan 21, A. Hughes 13, A. Casebier 7, M. Swinford 2, L. Bolen 1. FIELD GOALS: 15 (C. Johnson 5, M. Buchanan 4, A. Hughes 3, A. Casebier 2, M. Swinford). 3-POINT FG: 9 (C. Johnson 4, M. Buchanan 3, A. Hughes). FREE THROWS: 16/20. RECORD: 26-5