The middle school Lady Cougar basketball teams split a pair of games Thursday evening with the visiting Ohio County Lady Eagles.
In the opener, the seventh-grade girls came back from a seven-point, third-quarter deficit to grab a 35-26 win that improved their season record to 4-5. The eighth-graders continued to struggle, though as they fell to the Lady Eagles by a score of 40-8. Their record fell to 1-8 for the year.
SEVENTH-GRADE GAME
Kelsey Cornwell scored eight of her game-high 17 points in the first quarter as the Lady Cougars jumped out to a 10-6 lead heading into the second period.
Briley Renfrow’s lay-in with 1:10 left in the first period had given the Lady Cougars a 10-5 lead, but they would not score again until the 4:16 mark of the third quarter. That allowed the visitors to score 10 unanswered points for a six-point, 16-10 lead.
Cornwell broke the Ohio County run with an old-fashioned three-point play at the 4:16 mark. When Ohio’s Camryn Kennedy buried a 15-footer with 3:44 remaining, the Lady Eagles held their largest lead of the game, seven points at 21-14.
That’s when momentum began to turn in favor of Grayson County. The Lady Cougars scored the final six points of the period and trailed by just a point, 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
Cornwell then tied the game at the 5:12 mark of the final period when she hit one-of-two at the free throw line. Kennedy answered with 1-of-2 at the line at 5:07 to put the Lady Eagles back on top for the last time.
Mikah Lee tied it with 5:05 left with a free throw, and when Lee buried a 10-footer with 4:39 left, the Lady Cougars went in front to stay. A 10-1 Grayson County run expanded the lead to eight points, 31-23 with 1:32 left and they cruised home from there.
Guard Heaven Moore led the Lady Eagles with 15 points, while Kennedy finished with 11.
In addition to her 17 points, Cornwell added six rebounds. Lee finished with seven points and also had six rebounds and a pair of steals. Renfrow finished with five points, while Elizabeth Lindsey and Tori Carroll both scored three to complete the Lady Cougar scoring. Lindsey added six rebounds, and Carroll led the team on the glass with eight boards.
EIGHTH-GRADE GAME
Riley Parks scored on a lay-up at the 4:37 mark of the first quarter to tie the game at 2-2. Grayson County would not score again until the 2:35 mark of the third quarter when Jenna Lowe scored on a rebound basket. By that time, the Lady Eagles had scored 29 unanswered points and led 31-4.
Ohio’s Ella Gaddis led all scorers in the game with 14 points.
Four Lady Cougars, Parks, Lowe, Briley Renfrow and Tori Carroll all scored two points to round out the scoring.
By Don Brown, Local Sports
Reach Don at donbrown@k105.com
Kasey Cornwell led the seventh-graders with 17 points.
Briley Renfrow applied defensive pressure in the
first half of the seventh-grade game.
Shalee Collins brought the ball up the
floor during eighth-grade action.
