MURRAY — For the ninth time since McCracken County’s inception in the fall of 2013, the Mustangs will return to the title matchup, looking to represent the First Region at the 2024 UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 Tournament. In a 47-37 battle, the Mustangs edged out the Murray High Tigers in the semifinal round of the Mercy Health First Region tournament.
Going into the matchup, Murray High had only fallen to three teams within the region–McCracken County, Marshall County, and Calloway County. McCracken County’s previous win over the Tigers came at the buzzer courtesy of freshman Jay Martin in a 33-32 finish. This time, the Mustangs were prepared and ready for battle.
“We planned pretty hard for this game since we had two days to prepare,” McCracken County’s Jackson Klope said. “We knew we had our work cut out for us. Murray played tough, and we didn’t play as well in the first half. I think we grinded harder in the fourth quarter, and they were still making shots, but we passed the ball better and made our free throws.”
Klope led the Mustangs with 15 points. He was the lone scorer in double figures for McCracken County. Seniors Grayson Parish and Connor Miller finished with a combined 14, and Junior Dylan Jackson finished with six.
Murray senior Lincoln English left everything on the court for the Tigers, leading all scorers with 20 points. Additionally, he collected his 1,000th career point in his final appearance for the Murray High School program.
The Murray Tigers got on the board first with a free throw by English. However, Parish gave the Mustangs a 2-1 lead early. Despite McCracken County having a one-point lead, the Murray Tigers were able to surge offensively in the opening quarter, holding the Mustangs to seven points—including shutting out leading scorer and First Region Player of the Year Miller. At the buzzer, sophomore Owen Grogan made the final shot to keep it a six-point game.
With a 13-7 lead going into the second quarter, the Tigers pushed ahead on an 8-0 run. However, Klope knotted it at 15-15 with an untouchable dunk. With a back-and-forth battle for the remainder of the opening half, the Mustangs found themselves with possession as time ran out. At 0.3 seconds, Martin was fouled from long range, cutting into Murray’s lead, making it a 3-point difference with the Mustangs trailing 23-20.
After halftime, the Mustangs do what they’ve done countless times throughout the season with senior guidance from Miller and Parish, along with the younger members of McCracken County coming in at times when they are needed to produce offense.
Miller led the Mustangs in the third quarter with five points, three coming from beyond the arc. English kept Murray in the game with seven. By the end of the quarter, the score remained knotted at 31-31, with eight minutes of regulation left to determine the outcome.
The Mustangs held Murray to six points in the fourth quarter to push ahead, with Jackson and Klope going 6-for-6 at the line. Between the junior and sophomore duo, they rallied 12 of the 16 points in the quarter. English and junior Jeremiah Jones were the Tigers' lone scorers in the quarter.
“Marshall County is always a tough matchup. They’re a lot like us when they play,” Klope said. “We’re going to have to prepare as much as we can in the time we have before tomorrow.”
The McCracken County Mustangs will face the Marshall County Marshals on Sunday in the championship matchup. The last First Region championship between the two programs was on March 8, 2020, when the Mustangs won 43-42. Overall, the Mustangs are 2-1 this season against Marshall County.
MVP: Jackson Klope
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 47, MURRAY 37
MHS 13 10 8 6 – 37
MCHS 7 13 11 16 – 47
MHS: L. English 20, A. Armstrong 7, J. Jones 6, C. Wilson 2, D. May 2. FIELD GOALS: 14 (L. English 8, A. Armstrong 3, D. May, J. Jones, C. Wilson). 3-POINT FG: 1 (J. Jones). FREE THROWS: 6/12. RECORD: 24-10.
MCHS: J. Klope 15, G. Parish 7, C. Miller 7, D. Jackson 6, C. Fulcher 5, O. Grogan 4, J. Martin 3. FIELD GOALS: 13 (J. Klope 5, C. Miller 2, D. Jackson 2, G. Parish 2, O. Grogan, C. Fulcher). 3-POINT FG: 2 (C. Miller, C. Fulcher). FREE THROWS: 15/17. RECORD: 26-7.