“It was ugly” remarked Head Coach Kiki Radford postgame after the Lady Colonels defeated Livingston Central on Tuesday night.
Despite getting their first win in the region tournament in several years, Christian County was not particularly sharp. In fact, coach Radford went on to remark how her team “came out flat”, and she was not wrong.
Quickly finding themselves down by three possessions, the Lady Colonels certainly gave themselves ground to have to make up. They did just that though battling all the way back, DEBony Anderson being a key cog in that effort with her stifling defense.
By halftime the Lady Colonels led by ten, 27-17, and it seemed as if they would come out and continue that success. That was not the case however.
Coach Radford postgame made it a point to say how all season her team has maybe gotten “to comfortable” when up fourteen or sixteen points, and things were no different Monday.
Up by fourteen midday through the third quarter, the Lady Colonels seemed to take their foot off the gas and here came the Lady Cardinals.
More specifically, Maggie Downey.
Downey had zero points through the first two and a half quarters but had played spectacular defense, mostly on Anaysia Bagwell.
Realizing Bagwell and the like had slowed up however, Downey took advantage and got red hot from the field. She scored all fifteen of her points in the final ten to eleven minutes of the ball game, getting her team within six points at the end of the third, and within four multiple times throughout the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile the Lady Colonels watched as their lead dwindled to near nothing and their two seniors, Sarah Harris and Evanna McGregor, fouled out.
That is when the, very bright, future of Christian County basketball rose to the challenge. Sophomores Amari Northington, Anderson, and Lazarie Daniel all stepped up controlling the ball, applying immense defensive pressure, and cleaning up the boards.
Between them stepping up and Downey putting in more effort offensively, Bagwell was able to find just enough space and create just enough chances down the stretch for herself to make shots and get to the line, ultimately eclipsing the twenty point mark.
As Bagwell made five of her six free throws down the stretch the Lady Colonels pulled away, in the end winning by fourteen.
However, they will have to bring a better effort, their ‘A’ game in fact, come Friday night, if they want to have a chance to defeat their Northern Counterparts, Henderson County, who are the definition of a ‘complete’ team.
Tip-Off is around 7:30 on Friday evening at Union County High School.