A pair of Second District rivals found themselves in a slugfest on Friday night, as the McCracken County Mustangs picked up a huge win over the Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado, coming from behind in the second half for a 72-65 victory.
“We showed a lot of guts in that second half,” McCracken County head coach Dustin Roberts said, following the win. “Hats off to Tilghman, they really took it to us in the first half. They were physical, outrebounded us, and really controlled the game in the first half. But credit to our guys, too, for showing some real fight and finding a way to win.”
Across the night, the Mustangs were led by a stellar performance for former Tornado Miles Woodfork in his return to Tilghman, with the senior dropping 28. On the night, Woodfork was 5-for-8 from the field, and a perfect 18-of-18 from the free throw line.
Two other Mustangs had double figures, with Aaron Adams and Jackson Klope notching 13 and 14, respectively.
Across the floor, Warren Carruthers was a consistent presence for Tilghman, picking up 16 points, while Jonathan Lockridge was a threat from three all night long with 12. Two other Tornado broke the 10-point mark, with Semaj Mosby having 10 and Alijah Dabney recording 13.
The decisive runs of the night for McCracken would come in a hectic third quarter, one they entered trailing 38-30. While Tilghman looked to stay on the front foot through the first few minutes, extending the lead into double digits for the first time on the night, the Mustangs would catch fire to rally down the stretch. Capitalizing on foul trouble for the Tornado, McCracken strung together eight unanswered points between Woodfork and Owen Grogan, finding themselves right back in the mix with only a single possession deficit. Across the final minutes of the half, an 8-2 run including an emphatic dunk for Adams would vault the Mustangs in front heading into the fourth, 53-51, a lead they’d defend for the remainder of the night.
“We’ve been in these kinds of situations all year long, that’s why we play a tough schedule,” Roberts said. “Our guys know how to win games, and I thought in the second half, we were the more physical team, and had a lot better control of our glass.”
Before the Mustangs’ third quarter comeback, though, a frantic first half saw the cross-town rivals go end-to-end, trading scoring opportunities. While the Mustangs got off the mark first to take an early lead, big plays quickly turned the tide for Tornado, with a three for Semaj Mosby putting them ahead.
As the first half rolled along, Tilghman did enough in their defensive end to hold the Mustangs at bay, keeping their narrow lead afloat with some timely transition baskets. While McCracken made their run late into the second half, with eight points for Woodwork from the line and a three from Aaron Adams giving them a brief edge, a strong finish for Tilghman would give them the lead at the break. Finding some space in the corner, Jonathan Lockridge would knock down a pair of late threes to put Tilghman back in control, and ahead 36-30 at halftime.
However, once the Mustangs made their move and took the lead across the third, the Tornado were never able to find their way back in front.
While not without its drama, the fourth quarter came and went with the McCracken offense never wavering, staying consistent on their way to the 72-65 final score.
“Some people think a team is going to just run through a region and blow everybody out of the water, that’s just not the way it’ll ever go in First Region basketball,” Roberts concluded. “The players and the coaches are too good, you’re going to get schemed up, get new stuff thrown at you, and forced to make adjustments. We knew we’d get that tonight, we didn’t handle it well in the first, but our guys responded well and stepped up in the second half.”
Next up on the schedule for the Mustangs, they’ll be right back in action this afternoon at home against University Heights. Tilghman, on the other hand, will spend a week on the shelf before looking for a bounce-back performance against Marshall County.