CROTHERSVILLE
Crothersville held Medora scoreless in the first and third quarters, as the Tigers dominated their Jackson County foe 80-18 on Tuesday.
The Tigers (9-2) bullied the Hornets (0-4) on the defensive end of the floor in the opening eight minutes and for most of the second half.
In the first quarter, Medora turned the ball over 14 times, with 11 steals by the Tigers, and didn’t tally a single point.
Junior Lacey Hall and senior Kashmir Kelshaw split the opening eight points before sophomore Piper Hensley buried a pair of 3-pointers to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead with 54 seconds left in the first quarter.
A basket by senior Katrina Christian bolstered the Tigers’ lead to 16-0 heading into the second quarter.
Tigers coach Kevin Hensley said he wanted the team to focus on defense during the game.
“We need to play defense without using our hands and picking up silly fouls,” he said. “We need to keep the girl in front of us and become a better defensive team. We need to be great at defense, and I know we can go to another level.”
Crothersville held the Hornets scoreless for the next three minutes, as the home team opened the second quarter on a 13-0 run.
Hensley scored five points in the stretch that was broken by a 3-pointer from Hornets sophomore Kailen Flynn.
Flynn added seven more points before intermission, but the Hornets trailed 42-12.
Needing points, the Hornets tried some different sets in the second quarter.
“We were getting pressured and dribbling right into a double-team,” Hornets coach Brad McCammon said. “Their transition game killed us. They were shooting layups like it was practice.”
Christian scored six of the Tigers’ first seven field goals to start the third quarter.
After 24 minutes, Crothersville held a 68-12 lead.
Medora sophomore Gwyneth Morris stopped the bleeding with a basket at the 1:54 mark, but the Hornets trailed 78-14.
Flynn hit a trey and junior Marsadeez Phillips added a free throw to complete the Hornets’ scoring down the stretch.
Crothersville just missed the school record of 84 points scored in a game.
Christian led the Tigers with 16 points, Hall added 13 and Kalynda Hoevener totaled 11.
Nine different members of the Tigers’ unit scored on the night.
“We want every girl to be a threat on the floor at all times,” Hensley said. “That way, they can’t just key in on Katrina. They have to respect everyone on our court.”
Flynn topped the Hornets with 13 points.
On the glass, the Tigers outrebounded the visitors 38-20.
“I wasn’t displeased with our effort. We just ran into a buzzsaw,” McCammon said. “We just need to get better. They got in our heads early, and we got frustrated. You just need to learn how to play through it. This game is over, and now, we need to focus on the next one.
“It was one of those nights where you just get beat in every phase of the game. They have to be the sectional favorite. They showed it tonight.”