Christian County’s girls’ basketball roster is littered with seniors and middle schoolers that have accounted for most of its production. Friday at Trigg County, it was a pair of juniors who keyed a 52-49 comeback win over the Lady Wildcats.
Destinee Catlett-Watkins and Mikayah Killebrew scored 11 fourth quarter points to help erase an 8-point deficit.
Trigg County appeared headed to its first win over Christian County since 1996 when DeDe Barbee’s putback off a missed 3-pointer gave them their largest lead of the night at 41-33.
That’s when Catlett-Watkins put the team on her shoulders for the final seven minutes. She hit two free throws after an offensive rebound to trim the deficit to six. After consecutive turnovers by Trigg, Catlett-Watkins fed Mikayah Killebrew on a 3-pointer and layup to get the Lady Colonels to within 41-38.
Catlett-Watkins stole another Trigg pass and fed Killebrew again for a bucket. In just two minutes, Trigg’s lead was down to a single point.
Shemwell, who only played two minutes of the first half due to foul trouble, rebounded a missed shot and stuck it back for Christian County’s first lead of the second half at 42-41 with 4:29 left.
Trigg regained its balance briefly as Olivia Noffsinger hit T.T. Grubbs for a bucket, then stole the inbounds pass and converted a layup for a 45-42 lead with 4:07 left.
Neither team dented the scoreboard again until Catlett-Watkins hit four straight free throws to give the Lady Colonels a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
An Adri Phillips basket with 1:07 left got Trigg to within 48-47, but Shemwell converted again off a missed basket.
Two turnovers and two missed shots in the final minute eliminated any comeback chance by the Lady Wildcats.
Christian County outscored Trigg 19-10 in the fourth quarter, converting nine turnovers into 11 points. The Lady Colonels, who entered the game as a 38-percent free throw shooting team, hit 8 of 12 in the final quarter and 15 of 25 for the game.
Trigg’s season-long free throw misery continued Friday as they missed all four of its charity shots in the fourth quarter and hit only 10 of 24 for the game.
Catlett-Watkins scored six of her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter – all at the free throw line. She also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out five assists.
Killebrew joined Catlett-Watkins in double figures with 11 points.
Christian County outrebounded Trigg 50-34 with 27 offensive rebounds leading to 22-second chance points for the Lady Colonels.
Trigg also turned the basketball over 28 times leading to 23 Lady Colonel points.
The Lady Wildcats took a 23-22 lead into halftime on a T.T. Grubbs bucket ahead of the horn and built its lead to as many as six points in the third quarter with two of their five field goals coming behind the arc.
Phillips scored 10 points for the Lady Wildcats. Noffsinger and Marleigh Reynolds each scored nine. Noffsinger added eight rebounds and four assists. Reynolds grabbed 10 boards.
Trigg County travels to Calloway County Saturday looking to avenge a 51-43 loss to the Lady Lakers on Jan. 8.
Christian County hosts Webster County Monday.
Christian County 9 13 11 19– 52
Trigg County 8 15 16 10– 49
Christian County [5-2] – Catlett-Watkins 16, Killebrew 11, Bagwell 6, Shemwell 6, Brown 5, Day 4, Thomas 2, McGee 2
Trigg County [7-6] – Phillips 10, Noffsinger 9, Reynolds 9, I. Grubbs 8, T.T. Grubbs 6, Hyde 5, Barbee 2
