For the first time in program history, Christian Fellowship played for a 1st Region All “A” title against a team also going for their first ever and one they have already played twice this season. They tipped off Saturday afternoon at Mayfield High School against Carlisle County for the chance to advance to the All “A” State Tournament that gets underway next week at Eastern Kentucky University.
In the two previous meetings this season, Carlisle County had the upper hand in nine-point wins in both and Saturday, it was the Lady Comets who came away with the 1st Region All “A” title. They will play 8th Region champion Owen County on Wednesday at 8:30 am at EKU.
“The first thing we reiterated to the girls was, nine…10 other teams…however many teams are in All A wanted to be here and we made it”, Coach Trevor Jackson said. “No one expected us to make it. We might have been the two seed, but honestly I don’t think anybody really thought we had the team to do it.”
Carlisle County sophomore Kierra Whitaker, who led the Lady Comets with 22 points, was a force in the first quarter, scoring seven in their 11-8 lead. Gracie Howard had four for CFS and a basket each came from Alyssa Warren and Jayden Jackson.
CFS trailed 19-13 in the second quarter but cut it to four points on a basket by Jackson with 2:55 left in the half. A 3-pointer by Malle McGee stretched the Lady Comets lead out to seven points and they would lead by eight before Lillian Burnett grabbed a rebound after a miss and got the buzzer beater to fall to cut the Carlisle County lead to 26-20 at halftime.
The Lady Comets size advantage, especially under the goal, played a huge part of the game in the first half, forcing fouls that put them at the free throw line.
“I’ll give Carlisle credit”, Jackson said. “They stayed man and they used their size to take us out of what we wanted to do offensively.”
The third quarter belonged to the Lady Comets who out-scored CFS 20-7 to take a 46-27 lead into the fourth quarter, one that proved to be too much to overcome.
Jackson opened the fourth with a 3-pointer that cut the lead down to 16 points and Lillian Burnett made it a 14-point game with her field goal. It became a quarter of trips to the free throw line for Carlisle County, toeing the line 35 times in the game and completing 19 of them, but it was interspersed with CFS free throws from Warren, Howard and Jackson in the closing minutes of the game.
“Learn from the experience”, Jackson said of the loss. “Next year we want to be the team out here cutting down the nets. That’s why we kept fighting to the end.”
CFS will play Murray on Tuesday in their first district game since the Dec. 10 game against Calloway County was suspended due to the tornado.
“We’re 11-3…we still have half the games left to play this season so now it’s on to our next goal to win a district game”, Jackson said.
Another goal, according to Jackson, is to win the KCAC state tournament next weekend.
CFS 8 12 7 15 – 42
Carlisle 11 15 20 18 – 64
CFS: G. Howard 12, Burnett 10, Jackson 10, Shields 5, Warren 5
Carlisle: Whitaker 22, Wright 12, Jones 10, McGee 6, Tyler 6, Gibson 5, Hogancamp 3
CFS: FG 16/51, 3 PT 2/4 (Jackson, G. Howard), FT 12/19 (Jackson 5/6), REB 28 (G. Howard 7), PF 24, AST 3 (Jackson 3)
Christian Fellowship vs Carlisle County – All “A” Championship,1-15-22
