LCHS teams sweep Franklin againBreaking open close games in the fourth quarter, Logan County’s basketball teams swept Franklin-Simpson on the road Friday night.
With the doubleheader victories, both the Lady Cougars and the Cougars ran their records to 4-0 in the district with only two games remaining. It was the second time this season that LCHS had sent Franklin to the losers’ column in both games.
Lady Cougars 42, Lady Cats 35
Logan only trailed twice in the girls game—at 2-0 and 23-21, but it wasn’t until the final two minutes that the outcome was no longer in doubt.
While most players were having trouble getting shots to fall, each team had a scoring star. Lady Cougar senior Addie White hit 5 of 7 field goal attempts for 15 points.
The rest of the team struggled significantly trying to get shots fall. Senior guard Paige Vanzant, who had undergone nightmarish shooting inaccuracy the first two and a half quarters, hit some huge goals in the late going to help seal the win. The biggest may have been the 3-pointer when hit with 2:15 remaining in the third to give the Lady Cougars the lead for keeps at 26-23.
Her twin, Peyton Vanzant, added a bucket to make the lead 28-23 at the third stop. Peyton finished with 9 points and Paige with 8.
White started the third quarter like she had opened the game, arching in two straight 3-pointers. The lead grew to 13 at 38-25.
Franklin was shorthanded in the game with the absence of their most experienced and steadiest player, senior Evyn McCutchen, who has an ankle injury. For a while it appeared she was going to be held out of action until the district tournament, but she told The LoJo Wednesday that her leg had improved enough she hoped to play against her Lady Cougar friends. But when it came game time, Coach Lex Lindsey held her out of action.
Keeping the Lady Kats in the game and leading a fourth-quarter resurgence was junior guard Kate Norwood, who was hard to contain the entire game. She scored eight straight points to pull F-S to within three at 38-35 with less than two minutes remaining.
Paige Vanzant responded by hitting one shot and blocking another. Center Kennedy Nichols scored the game’s final clinching goal. She controlled the middle throughout the game and finished with 8 points.
Norwood scored 21 points, but no other Lady Kat added more than 7.
The Lady Cougars improved to 9-11 while Franklin fell to 7-10.
Cougars 65, Wildcats 51
Just as the Lady Kats were hurt by the absence of McCutchen, the Cougars had to play for the third straight game without their leading scorer, the injured Anthony ‘Rooster’ Woodard.
A number of Cougars picked up the slack in Woodard’s absence. Chief among them were Jose Nazario, Dylan Basham, Jay Hardison and Dalton Thompson.
Nazario had a huge game with 24 points on offense and shutdown defense on the other.
With the help of Dawson Knight’s 3-pointer (one of his three on the evening), Franklin took an 18-17 lead, the only time on the evening the Wildcats were ahead. Nazario responded with three quick goals, interrupted only by a 3-pointer by teammate Brady Griggs, to make the Cougar lead 25-18.
That run ended when Knight hit another trey. Basham scored and Nazario filled two more buckets. Logan led 31-23 with Hardison and Nazario each sporting 10 points.
When the Wildcats pulled to within 31-27, big man Basham took over. He scored on an assist from Thompson and then—after a goal by Nazario, Basham hit two straight 3-pointers. Thompson’s trey made the lead 49-37 after three quarters.
Franklin had one last surge in its arsenal. Andreyous Miller scored five quick points and Kyjuan Stutzman added a 3-pointer to cut the margin to three at 49-46.
Thompson added two points of breathing room, but Demarcus Hogan hit another Franklin 3-pointer to make it 53-49. Thompson scored on a rebound shot, Nazario put together a 3-point play, Hardison canned a triple, and Basham out-hustled everyone for a loose ball to make sure the Cougars won going away.
Nazario finished with 24 points, Basham 14 and Hardison 13.
For Franklin, Miller scored 16 with Knight, Stutzman and Tedric Partinger getting 9 each.
Coach John Tinsley’s Cougars improved to 16-3 overall while the Wildcats fell to 9-9