The Todd County Central boys’ basketball team roared back from a rough first half, but went cold in the final quarter to lose 56-48 to the visiting Barren County Trojans. On a day when the Rebels honored their four seniors, Nolan Barrow, Tashaun Foster, Collin Sharp, and Elijah Bell, they saw a two game win streak halted and slip to 12-9 on the year. Barren County has now won five straight, and improves to 13-9 overall.
The Rebels fell behind 6-0 to start the game, before junior center Jon Calvery got them on the board. By the time the Rebels scored again, a bucket by sophomore guard DJ Johnson followed by a layup by sophomore forward Austin Rager, they were down 11-6 with 2:40 left in the quarter. Barren County missed a three pointer at the buzzer, but were in control at 17-6.
Calvery put back his own miss to cut the lead to 9 just over a minute into the second quarter, but the Rebels couldn’t get closer than 11 the rest of the half. The Trojans took a 31-20 lead into halftime, led by sophomore guard Will Bandy’s 7 points, all in the first quarter. Senior guard Jared Coomer scored 6. Calvery led the Rebels with 10, followed by Rager with 6.
Todd County came out of the locker room on fire, and with 3:36 left in the period they had cut the lead to 36-30. Calvery scored and was fouled, with the free throw trimming the lead to 36-33. After a defensive stop, Foster hit a three to tie the game at 36, bringing the Rebels all the way back from what was once a 14 point deficit. With just under a minute to play in the third quarter, Collin Sharp stepped to the line and converted two free throws to give Todd County its first lead of the game at 41-40. Barren County missed a jumper at the buzzer, and the Rebels took a 43-42 lead into the final period.
Calvery picked up his fourth foul with 6:03 to play, and the Trojans hit both free throws to take a 46-43 lead. Foster stepped up again for the Rebels, draining a three pointer to tie the game. With 2:37 remaining, Calvery scored down low to cut the lead to 1, but Barren County answered with a three, taking a 4-point lead and calling a timeout with 2:22 left. The Trojans began to effectively run out the clock, and neither team scored again until Barren County hit one of two free throws for a 5-point lead with only :33 on the clock. Rager missed a corner three, and the Trojans hit three of four free throws to see out the game, winning 56-48. Barren County scored 14 fourth-quarter points and held the Rebels to only 5 to secure the comeback win.
Calvery led all scorers with 23, including 11 in the Rebels’ third-quarter comeback. Foster finished with 13, 8 in the third quarter, and Rager scored 6. Sharp and Johnson both had a bucket, as did senior guard Nolan Barrow, well below his team-leading 17.1 average. Coomer led the Trojans with 14, with 9 coming in the decisive fourth quarter, and Bandy finished with 12.
The Rebels face a stiff test on Tuesday, when they welcome the 8-11 Hopkinsville Tigers to Elkton. The Tigers will be coming off a 105-92 loss to 8th District rivals Christian County on Saturday.
