After missing out on the 2nd Region tournament last season, the Webster County Lady Trojans are back in the regional semifinals for the 7th time in eight seasons. Using the “long ball” to gain a big 1st quarter lead, Webster County advanced with a 60-35 win over the Hopkinsville Lady Tigers Monday night in Tiger Gym.
The Lady Trojans came out shooting as soon as they walked in the door. Webster County knocked down four threes in the first four minutes as they bolted out to a 14-2 lead. As if their outside shooting was not enough of a problem for the Lady Tigers, the Lady Trojan half-court trap was a whole other issue.
Webster’s pressure in the first quarter limited the Lady Tigers to just one field goal in the first eight minutes of the contest as the Lady Trojans would lead 24-4 at quarter’s end. Webster ended the quarter with six made three-pointers.
It was a team shooting effort for the Lady Trojans as Madison Hinton, Katelyn Cates, and Hannah Yates all buried threes in the opening quarter.
But, just when the possibility of a running clock may have entered some fans’ minds. The whole flow of the game changed in the second quarter. Hopkinsville made a defensive adjustment, and suddenly the threes quit falling for the Lady Trojans. Additionally, Hopkinsville began to force the Lady Trojans into mistakes in the halfcourt, and the Lady Tigers started converting on the other end.
Shiyah Forte started to take control offensively down in the paint and LaTaijha Cherry became a force down low on the defensive end, as the Lady Tigers began to fight their way back into the game. Hoptown used a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 29-17 late in the second. The Webster County lead would be down to 31-20 at the break.
The momentum that Hopkinsville built up in the second quarter decided to stay in the locker room coming out of the half. Hopkinsville had several good looks close to the basket that would not fall in the opening minutes of the second half.
At the other end, with the Lady Tigers shading the outside shot, Raigan Price began to get open down in the paint. Price scored the first six points of the second half to extend the lead back out to 37-20. Another three from Hannah Yates followed that, and suddenly the lead had stretched back out to 20 points at 40-20.
Another problem for Hopkinsville coming out to start the second half was ball security. The Lady Tigers began to turn the ball over and miss opportunities to try and cut into the Webster County lead. The turnovers were costly enough that Hopkinsville did not score in the third quarter until Faith Dansbury made one of two free throws with 1:12 left in the quarter. The quarter would end with the Lady Trojans holding a 44-23 lead.
Raigan Price was a force for Webster in the third, finishing with eight points in the quarter.
The Lady Trojans would then deliver the final knockout blow by going on a 7-1 run to open the final quarter and run the lead out to 51-24. From there, it was just a matter of the final score.
Webster County was led by Raigan Price with 23 points, 15 of them coming after the half. Hannah Yates added 18 points, all of them coming on made three-pointers.
For Hopkinsville, Shiyah Forte topped the scoring column with nine points, all of them in the first half of play. Shaterrea Bellamy would finish the night with 8 points. Webster County would hold the Lady Tigers’ leading scorer on the season Donisha Flowers to just five points for the game.
The loss ends Hopkinsville’s season at 15-13, the first season under head coach Keith Leslie.
Webster County improves to 18-11 and advances to Wednesday night’s second semifinal game at Madisonville-North Hopkins.
WCHS — 24 7 13 16 – 60
HHS — 4 16 3 12 – 35
Webster County (18-11) – Price 23, Yates 18, Hinton 8, Rakestraw 4, Cates 3, Shepherd 2, Shoulders 2
Hopkinsville (15-13) – Forte 9, Bellamy 8, Flowers 5, Dansbury 4, Pendleton 3, Cherry 2, Fleming 2, Hill 2
