Lady Cats Defeat District Rival Lady Bears 72-23 at Home

Edmonson County Lady Cats junior power forward Cariann Williams (30) looks to shoot a short contested bucket in the paint against visiting Division rival Butler County January 17 in Brownsville.

Story and photos by Joseph Barkoff:
The last time the Edmonson County Lady Cats met the Butler County Lady Bears was last year in the 2024 Kentucky High School Athletic Association District 12 Tournament. The Lady Cats lost the third meeting that season at Grayson County by 3 points, 41-44.
 
This past Friday January 17th, back home in Brownsville, it’s a new year and Edmonson County almost outscored Butler County by 50 points to win their first meeting of the season 72-23.
 
“We come out and we were ready to play,” Lady Cat head coach Jody Booth said after the game on the Edmonson Voice Live broadcast Post Game Show. “Just overall, offensively and defensively, we done what we needed to do. Our biggest goal was to win the paint, and we did that. It was a team effort.”
 
Booth acknowledged often relying heavily on junior power forward Cariann Williams, and tonight, he said, the team was able to really step up and work together to help her and themselves, he felt.
 
Before the game Williams was presented an award for earning 1000 rebounds, and already has 1000 points in her career at Edmonson. 
 
Williams acknowledged the attention she has received due to her play and is very appreciative of it, she said after the game.
 
Booth doesn’t want to take away from his team’s almost 50-point victory, or the Lady Bears team’s skill, he said. They had a rough night and hadn’t played in almost 14 days, Booth acknowledged.
 

Edmonson County Lady Cats senior shooting guard Jenna Cook (3) finishes a fast break with a layup against visiting Division rival Butler County January 17 in Brownsville.

Edmonson County Lady Cats senior shooting guard Kennadi Swihart (12) finishes a fast break with a layup against visiting Division rival Butler County January 17 in Brownsville.

​It will look differently when the Lady Cats travel to Butler County later this season or meet in the Division games, again, Booth said.
 
“They are a good team,” Booth said. “As long as they don’t put their heads down, they’ll be fine.”
 
“We’ve known all along, playing that tough schedule is gonna pay off, and these are the games where It pays off,” Booth said. “We just gotta keep that momentum going.”
 
At half time Booth told his team two simple things.
 
“Just stay poised,” Booth told his team. “Just stay in the moment.”
 
It can be difficult to be ahead and maintain concentration, sometimes. Maybe for some teams, but not last night for the Lady Cats.
 
“They’re still tough, obviously,” senior power forward Maggie Cassady said after the game. “It’s a toss-up every night, but I was so happy with the outcome.”
 
She knew it was going to be a tough game and the whole team was excited to come out and play, she said. She was very pleased they played like they did.

Edmonson County Lady Cats sophomore power forward Addie Childress (14) moves the ball against visiting Division rival Butler County January 17 in Brownsville.

Edmonson County Lady Cats head coach Jody Booth speaks to his team during a timeout against visiting Division rival Butler County January 17 in Brownsville.

​Some stats from the evening included a double double for Williams with 23 points and 14 rebounds, sophomore point guard Shelby Sowders earned 13 points with 3 boards, senior shooting guard Kennadi Swihart had 9 points and 3 rebounds, senior shooting guard Jenna Cook earned 8 points with 7 boards, sophomore power forward Addie Childress had 7 points with 4 boards, and senior power forward Julie Norris earned 7 points and a rebound, according to the official stats from KHSAA.
 
The Lady Cats out-rebounded the Lady Bears 39-22, and shot around 45 percent to the Lady Bears’ 20 percent on the evening.
 
The Lady Cats only missed one free throw, shooting 11-12 versus the Lady Bears 3-8 from the line.
 
The Lady Cats are scheduled to travel on Monday to the Horn Center at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20th in Whitesville against their host Trinity Lady Raiders.