The Lady Comets of Carlisle County defeated the Murray Lady Tigers on Saturday to claim their second straight First Region All “A” Classic title in a 44-35 decision.
Murray got the jump on Carlisle early on, but a determined defense by the Lady Comets down the stretch made the defense in snagging the win. The Lady Tigers held their opponents to just 12 points in the first half of play, while the Lady Comets defense took control in the latter half of the game, allowing 16 points.
A pair of 16-point quarters in the second half led by Kiera Whitaker and Macee Hogancamp helped propel the Lady Comets to victory. But what might have been more instrumental in the win was the defensive pressure Carlisle added down the stretch.
The height that Murray boasts in Alyssa Daughrity makes her a threat in the paint, so the Lady Comets pressured the perimeter, trapping the ball whenever possible in an attempt to keep the ball out of Daughrity’s hands.
“We knew we weren’t the favorite coming in, we had to beat three good teams to get here and my girls just came to play,” Carlisle County head coach Ember Wright said. “They never stopped, that’s what I’ve got to be proud of. They are young and they just wanted it.”
Holding a 19-12 lead, the Lady Tigers were doing everything write, getting the ball into the paint and splitting the points across seven different players. The Lady Comets did the same on offense in the second half, attacking the basket and dominating the boards for second chance opportunities.
Whitaker led the half with 15 points and Hogancamp had nine. The two dominated the entire game as Whitaker had 21 total points on the night and Hogancamp had 13. Malle McGee added four along with Gracyn Edging and Alexis Jones added two points.
Daughrity led the Lady Tigers with 10 points, Mylee Smith had nine, Reese Downey added six, Riley Campbell had five, Madeline Howell and Brooklyne Darnell had two and Kendyll English had one. Carlisle County, now 11-5, will take on Pikeville, 13-4, in the first round of the State All “A” Classic tournament. That game will tip-off at 12 p.m. CST on Wednesday, January 25 at McBrayer Arena on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.
Mayfield: Addaley Smith, Lay Mayes
Christian Fellowship: Gracie Howard, Jayden Jackson
Murray: Reese Downey, Alyssa Daughrity
Carlisle County: Macee Hogancamp, Malle McGee, Kiera Whitaker (MVP)
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