Taylor Guess banked in a 3-point shot with four seconds left to lift Crittenden County to a 48-45 win over Trigg County Thursday at Wildcat Gym. The Lady Rocket win moves them into a first place tie with the Lady Wildcats atop the district.
The loss is a gut-punch for Trigg County, who had an 11-point first half lead and seemed on their way to clinching the No. 1 seed in the district tournament with a win. However, Taylor Guess scored the final four points of the first half to pull Crittenden to within 26-19 at halftime.
Crittenden hit 8-of-14 shots from the floor in the third quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, to outscore Trigg 20-8 and take a 39-34 lead into the fourth quarter.
Trigg County never held the lead in the fourth quarter although they rallied from a six-point deficit to tie the game at 45 on two Adri Phillips free throws with 42 seconds left.
Crittenden County held for the final shot, and Guess angled right and banked in a step-back 3-pointer for the game-winner. After two timeouts, Trigg County was not able to get off a potential tying shot.
Guess finished with a game-high 20 points. Jaelyn Duncan added eight points and 11 rebounds.
Trigg County got 14 points from Phillips and 13 points and nine rebounds from Marleigh Reynolds.
The Lady Wildcats shot 43-percent from the field for the game but hit just 7-of-17 free throws, including a woeful 3-of-9 in the second half. Crittenden County hit 42-percent of their shots and knocked down 8-of-10 at the line.
With Trigg and Crittenden both sitting at 4-1 in district play, it makes the Lady Wildcats’ game at Lyon County uber important. They need a win over the Lady Lyons to keep pace with Crittenden, who has a Jan. 31 game with Livingston Central. If Trigg and Crittenden win out, a coin toss will determine the No. 1 seed, and coin tosses have not favored the Wildcats in recent years.
Trigg County (15-5) will host Caldwell County Friday night at 6pm, while Crittenden County (11-6) will play at Hardin County, Ill.
Crittenden County 11 8 20 9—48
Trigg County 12 14 8 11—45
Crittenden County (11-6) – Guess 20, Woodward 9, Duncan 8, Boone 7, Easley 2, Moss 2
Trigg County (15-5) – Phillips 14, Reynolds 13, Bush 5, O. Noffsinger 5, E. Noffsinger 4, T.T. Grubbs 2, I. Grubbs 2
