MURRAY, KY — In the first round of the Mercy Health First Region Girls Basketball Tournament, the McCracken County Lady Mustangs met a familiar foe, the Marshall County Lady Marshals. In an explosive matchup, the Lady Mustangs took a 54-45 victory over Marshall County with a 20-point third quarter to give McCracken County their first contest lead.
“We got into some foul trouble, got down in double digits, and could have very easily folded, but the kids dug deep, and from the technical foul on, we called a timeout and said, hey buy in more, zero in more on what your job is and be a star in your role and let’s go with it,” McCracken County head coach Scott Sivills said. “You got to credit Claire Johnson because of the leader she is and what she does, but you have to start with Reagan Hill and the way she fought the entire time. She was one of our unsung heroes. Jayden Skaggs made a big three over by us, and Ava Hughes hit a humungous three.”
Senior Mustang Claire Johnson led all scorers with 24 points—nine coming from the fourth quarter alone. The game’s MVP, sophomore Reagan Hill, finished with 14 points for McCracken, taking control in the third quarter and dropping 10 to lead the Mustangs in the second half’s opening. Senior Mikee Buchanan rounded out the top three scorers for McCracken County with eight.
“I loved how Mikee and Claire kept our kids calm because they’ve been here before, and that’s the big thing,” Sivills said. “You’ve got to give Coach Beth and his group a whole bunch of credit because they had a great gameplan. They did it to perfection and played very well.”
Marshall County sophomore Eden Sandlin led all scorers for the Lady Marshals with 14 points—seven coming in the second quarter. Junior Skylar Waller followed behind in scoring with nine points, and freshman Kenzlee Terry posted eight.
Marshall County struck first in the opening quarter with a 4-0 run courtesy of Terry and Sandlin. Despite free throws from Johnson, the pressure of the Lady Marshals and missed shots by the Lady Mustangs allowed Marshall County to control the quarter’s pace. Scoring for Marshall came across the board with all hands on deck from Sandlin, Terry, junior Laken Schroader, and senior Chevelle Henson. Johnson collected all six points for McCracken to open up the contest.
“When you get in the regional tournament, sometimes things will just not go your way. The last two years, we’ve been spoiled, and how we’ve won games up here,” Sivills said. “But sometimes, you have games like this that you have to build character from, and I think tonight we’ve built a lot of character going forward in this tournament. We must come back on Friday and do the same thing, hopefully, Saturday.”
With an 11-6 lead, Marshall County continued to show signs of classic Lady Marshall ball with Sandlin at the helm, posting seven and going 2-for-2 at the line. The Lady Mustangs found a rhythm in the second quarter, outscoring Marshall County 14-13 with the dynamics of Johnson, Hill, Buchanan, and senior Megan Swinford. By halftime, the Marshals led 24-20, with Sandlin leading the team with nine points while Johnson led the Mustangs with 10 points.
“I love the toughness of our kids and how they competed and didn’t stop fighting,” Sivills said. “We had some crucial rebounds, and we had to have them. I’ve been antsy all day just knowing that I know how Coach Beth is and how they work. It is one of the best traditions in the First Region. Going in, I knew he would have a great gameplan, but we had some kids that made some shots down the stretch that were big.”
The third quarter started with the Marshals continuing what they had started in the contest’s first half. McCracken County collected a technical foul against the bench, allowing Sandlin and Waller to take shots for Marshall County. However, the Lady Mustangs quickly surged, with Hill and Johnson leading the charge. A three from eighth-grader Ava Hughes and a field goal from Buchanan added to the 20-point Mustang quarter.
The Lady Mustangs outscored Marshall County in the third quarter, holding the Lady Marshals to 12 points. Sandlin continued to lead her team, posting five of the 12 points at the start of the second half.
Going into the fourth quarter, McCracken County held on tightly to a 40-36 lead over Marshall County. Johnson took control with the pace of play in the quarter, posting nine to keep her Mustangs ahead of the Lady Marshals. Two other scorers for McCracken County aided in the quarter with a field goal from Buchanan and a 3-pointer from senior Jayden Skaggs. Despite scoring from Waller, Sandlin, and eighth-grader Jessica Reed, the Lady Marshals could not overcome the late lead that McCracken County created.
The Marshall County Lady Marshals finished with a 21-9 win-loss record for the 2023-24 season.
GAME MVP: Reagan Hill, McCracken County
UP NEXT: The McCracken County Lady Mustangs will face the Carlisle County Lady Comets on Friday night at the CFSB Center at 6:00 p.m. The winner will advance to the regional championship on Saturday night.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 54, MARSHALL COUNTY 45
MCHS 11 13 12 9 — 45
MCHS 6 14 20 14 — 54
MCHS: E. Sandlin 14, S. Waller 9, K. Terry 8, C. Henson 6, J. Reed 5, L. Schroader 3. FIELD GOALS: 11 (C. Henson 3, S. Waller 2, E. Sandlin 2, J. Reed 2). 3-POINT FG: 5 (E. Sandlin 2, K. Terry 2, S. Waller). FREE THROWS: 7/13. RECORD: 21-9.
MCHS: C. Johnson 24, R. Hill 14, M. Buchanan 8, J. Skaggs 3, A. Hughes 3, M. Swinford 2. FIELD GOALS: 18 (C. Johnson 7, R. Hill 6, M. Buchanan 4, M. Swinford). 3-POINT FG: 3 (C. Johnson, J. Skaggs, A. Hughes). FREE THROWS: 9/15. RECORD: 27-5.