Lady Cats Struggle In Second Half, Fall In District Championship

Skylar Lewis puts up a shot against Grayson County.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
With a ten point lead and some great momentum, the Lady Cats were just where they wanted to be at halftime against the Grayson County Lady Cougars at tonight's District 12 Championship game, but the lead soon disappeared in the third quarter as Grayson County took control.

Grayson County outscored the Lady Cats 19-7 in the third and forced turnovers against Edmonson County as they clogged up lanes, double and triple-teaming Lady Cats. The shots went cold for EC in third as they connected on only 3 of 11 field goals. 

"Defensively, we had them off balance in the first half," said head coach Kevin Jackson. "We never let them get comfortable in running their offense. That was the key in the first half. We hit some big shots there in the second quarter and everything looks better when you're making shots."

Edmonson County started off solid, leading 10-8 after one and they extended their lead to 24-14 at the half, outscoring the Lady Cougars 14-6 in the second quarter.

Katlin Collins drives the baseline.

"We talked at halftime about how Grayson wasn't just going to roll over and give it to us," said Jackson. "We knew they would come at us with pressure and they did. I thought we did okay against their full-court pressure, but not the half-court. I didn't do a very job coaching and the kids didn't respond well in the third, but I think it's about learning how to win in big game situations. Grayson has been there for 13 years. We're trying to figure out a way to do it, but tonight we didn't really play all 32 minutes of the game."

Peyton Martin dribbles around a Grayson defender.

The Lady Cats' struggles continued in the fourth as Grayson outscored them 19-10, for a lop-sided total of 38-17 in the second half. The Lady Cougars went on to win 52-41 and grab their 13th consecutive district title.

Caitlin Simon goes for 2 of her 14 points against Grayson County.

​Caitlin Simon was the leading scorer for Edmonson County with 14 points while Peyton Martin added 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. 

​The remaining box score was: Lewis 5, Collins 5, Cline 3, Ballance 2.

Abby Alexander dribbles through traffic.

Maddie Cline lets a shot go in the district finals.

Although district runner-up is not what the Lady Cats were shooting for, advancing to the district finals still guarantees them a place in the upcoming Region 3 Tournament next week.

"I still think there are six to eight teams that can win the Regional Tournament, and we're one of them," said Jackson. "We're not going to feel sorry for ourselves. We'll go up to Owensboro to practice at the Sportscenter on Saturday, take the kids out to eat, get some positive vibes going again and find out if we play Monday or Tuesday night."

The Lady Cats fall to 23-8 on the season. Stay connected to EdmonsonVoice.com to find out more about the Lady Cats draw in the Region 3 tournament. WildcatsLive will carry all the games live right here.