A strong second half performance would make the difference for the McCracken County Lady Mustangs on Thursday night, as timely scoring runs on either side of halftime powered them to a 65-35 win over Carlisle County, their third victory in a row.
“This was our third game this week, and I could tell that early on, we didn’t have the same type of energy that we normally have,” said McCracken County head coach Scott Sivills, reflecting on the win. “At halftime, we really put an emphasis on effort, and it really was a complete team effort in the second half. That’s how we want to play across a full four quarters.”
For the Lady Mustangs, LeZharia Bolen would rack up 20 points to lead all scorers on the evening, including 14 points through the second half.
“I thought LeZharia gave us a huge lift coming out of halftime,” said Sivills, on Bolen’s effort. “The energy she brought created turnovers which turned into layups…She brought us a spark, and has been a big catalyst for us all year long.”
Ava Hughes would also make an impact on offense for McCracken, reaching double figures as well with 12 points, followed up by Anna Hammonds with nine and Skater Houser with seven. In total, 13 different Lady Mustangs would see the floor, with 10 contributing to the 65 total points.
At the other end of the floor, Macee Hogancamp would top the scoresheet for the visitors with 17 points, the only Lady Comet to score double digit points on the night.
Across the first half, things stayed close between the two, as Carlisle spent the bulk of the opening quarters defending an early lead. After gaining the upper hand on a three from Rylee Lemons within the first few minutes of the game, a 13-point half for Hogancamp would keep the Comets ahead well into the second, having taken a 10-8 lead out of the first.
“The problem for us early was that we were giving up too many offensive boards,” said Sivills, breaking down the Lady Mustangs’ first half struggles. “They were really going in, attacking the glass and getting to those rebounds while we were just watching. Credit to them, they’re a great team and have done that well all year, but we have to do a lot better job of taking care of the boards for the rest of the season.”
However, as the half rolled along, the speed of the Lady Mustangs would begin to pay dividends, as they worked their way into the lead. Making the most of opportunities from forced turnovers, McCracken was able to beat Carlisle up the floor for baskets in transition, with a 6-0 run late in the second giving them a 25-19 edge at halftime.
Once play resumed, momentum stayed on the side of the hosts, as they supplemented their late first quarter run with another big swing early in the third. Continuing to push a brisk pace, the Lady Mustangs would open up the quarter with 13 unanswered points. Even after the Lady Comets broke up their scoring drought from the line, McCracken stayed on the gas, quickly pushing the lead beyond 20 points.
While widening the gap on offense, the Lady Mustangs would take care of business defensively as well throughout the second half. Keeping the Lady Comets to just a single field goal across the third, McCracken would take a 50-23 advantage into the fourth, where they’d cruise through the final eight minutes on the way to the 65-35 final.
“I’ve thought that our defense has been one of the best parts about our team all year long,” Sivills said. “If you can hold a team under their average, you’re doing something right, and I thought the girls did a tremendous job defensively in the second half.”
The Lady Mustangs will be right back to action tonight, looking to turn three straight wins into four when they travel to take on Graves County.
“We know it’s going to be a war with Graves, it always is. They’re a very good, well-coached ballclub,” Sivills concluded. “Hopefully we can come back with a good effort and better energy across four quarters. We’ll just have to see how it goes, and try to finish out the week strong.”