The Logan County Lady Cougars held off the visiting Russellville Lady Panthers 47-36 in the Clash of the Lady Cats Saturday.
Torrie Pollard and Rachel Barnett each scored 12 for the Lady Cougars while Brooke Barnes had 12 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
Winning the crucial district game was not that simple, however.
The score was tied at 6-6 late in the first quarter before senior guard Pollard hit the go-ahead goal with three seconds left in the first quarter. When Pollard hit a 3-pointer a couple of minutes later, the lead was suddenly 13-6.
Loreal Cheaney finally resumed the scoring for the Lady Panthers when she hit a free throw nearly three minutes into the quarter, but it got worse for Coach Calvin Head’s team. Logan scored five more points on a goal by Rachel Barnett assisted by Abbi Lindsey, and a rebound goal by Jessica Hines. Finally Russellville got its first field goal of the quarter with 59 seconds remaining on a shot by Cheaney. Logan led 18-9 at halftime.
The Russellville offense was much better early in the third quarter. Senior Devonya Bryant came to life, hitting a shot on her team’s first possession. Barnett returned the lead to nine on a Pollard assist, but RHS scored the next eight points. Cheaney swished a 3-pointer, Bryant made a steal and took it the length of the court for a bucket, and Cheaney put together a three-point play to cut the lead to a single point with 5:52 left in the period.
Pollard hit a pair of free throws and then penetrated for a goal to give her team some breathing room. But she was assessed her third foul and had to sit down.
Center Brooke Barnes hit a rebound shot and then fired an assist to Barnett on a high-low post play to make it 28-20.
After cutting the lead to one, the Lady Panthers managed only four points in almost six minutes, all of them coming on Cheaney free throws. Logan, meanwhile, was scoring on another Barnes-to-Barnett assist, an Abbi Lindsey assist to Ann-Meguiar Bouldin, and a Lindsey 17-footer. Suddenly it was 35-23 at the end of the third quarter.
The lead grew to 40-25 on a goal and a free throw by Barnes, and a goal by senior guard Taleia Mason, who was able to play her first game in almost a month because of injury.
The Lady Panthers mounted their final comeback on goals by DeShala LeBlanc and Bryant plus five straight points by Cheaney. With 4:16 remaining, Russellville had pulled within 40-34.
Pollard, who joined fellow senior Cierra Johnson with four personal fouls, returned to the floor and immediately got the ball to Barnes for a goal. Then she made a steal, resulting in a Barnett basket on an assist from Lindsey, a freshman. The lead by back to 10.
When Pollard hit two straight goals, including one in which she traveled the length of the court, the lead was 46-34.
Reagan Wilkerson scored Russellville’s last two-pointer.
Cheaney did most of the scoring for the Lady Panthers, piling up 20 points. Hitting 10 of 13 free throws played a big role in that.
Logan improved its record to 11-3 overall and 3-0 in the district. Russellville dropped to 9-5 and 1-1.
Score by Quarters: 1) LCHS 8-6, 2) 18-9, 3) 35-23, Final) Logan County 47, Russellville 36
RHS (36) Loreal Cheaney 20, Devonya Bryant 9, DeShala LeBlanc 4, Reagan Wilkerson 2, Addie Hendley 1, Jolanda Wells, Denise Stovall, Lexie Day, Tiffany Gray
LCHS (47) Rachel Barnes 12, Torrie Pollard 12, Brooke Barnes 7, Taleia Mason 5, Cierra Johnson 4, Jessica Hines 3, Abbi Lindsey 2, Ann-Meguiar Bouldin 2, Logan Williamson