Playing for an opportunity to defend last season’s 13th-District championship, the Todd County Central boys’ basketball team saw their postseason future slip away on Tuesday with a 59-54 semifinal defeat to Logan County.
The Rebels couldn’t hold on to a narrow fourth-quarter lead, going scoreless over the final three minutes to allow the Cougars to pull away down the stretch and advance to Friday’s championship matchup with Russellville. The 4th-seeded Panthers pulled off a five-point upset of Franklin-Simpson on Monday to punch their first title-game ticket in three seasons.
A putback and a three-pointer by Devin Schutt led to a 9-5 advantage, but the Cougars answered with five straight to lead by a point after a pair of free throws from Samson Hightower. Todd Central’s Miles Reding found his way to the basket for a layup and a one-point Rebel lead after the first quarter.
Hayden Strader opened the second frame with a three-pointer for Todd Central, but Evan Campbell capped a 7-0 Cougar run with a steal and layup for a three-point edge. Still trailing by three, Keyshawn Moore finished off a six-point quarter with a bucket in the lane to send the Rebels into the halftime break only down a point.
Neither team led by more than a point in the third until Colby Collins drilled a three for a 35-32 Cougar lead with 2:50 left in the frame. However, Schutt answered with his second triple of the quarter to tie the game, and the teams were knotted at 41-41 with a quarter to play.
Just as he did in the Rebels’ overtime win over the Cougars, Glass took over in the fourth with 11 points. He tied the game with dunks on consecutive possessions with just over five minutes left, and again at 52-52 with a three-point play with 3:17 to play. But the Cougars responded with a Kade Wall jumper to break the deadlock and take the lead for good.
Glass scored on a putback and drew a foul, but missed the free throw and Hightower connected on a pair from the stripe at the other end. Rebel turnovers on either side of one of two from the line for the Cougars doomed Todd Central and gave Logan County its first appearance in the title game since bringing home the trophy in 2020.
Glass finished with 17 points to lead all scorers, followed by Schutt with 13, and Moore with 10.
Hightower led the Cougars with 22, Brady Hinton scored 12, and Wall finished in double figures with 11.
Logan County enjoyed a big edge at the free throw line, finishing 13/24 while the Rebels connected on only two of seven attempts.
Todd County Central 11 11 19 13 — 54
Logan County 10 13 18 18 — 59
Todd County Central (13-16) — Glass 17, Schutt 13, Moore 10, Strader 7, Robinson 5, Reding 2
Logan County (15-15) — Hightower 22, Hinton 12, Wall 11, Delaney 7, Campbell 4, Collins 3
