In a 26-hour span, Russellville’s team won three games by two or fewer points and celebrated homecoming for good measure.
Friday night, the Lady Panthers’ Khalia Hampton put a teammate’s blocked shot in the basket with six seconds remaining for a two-point win. Then with three seconds remaining in overtime of the boys game, Lee McMurray scored on an assist by Christian Naylor to give the Panthers a two-point win. Both of those victories were over South Warren.
Saturday afternoon, Coach Phil Todd’s Panthers held off a fourth quarter surge by visiting Daviess County to win 60-59.
In between Friday, seniors Amber Sydnor and Zach Hines were named homecoming queen and king. Both are long-time key players on the basketball teams. The entire homecoming court:
9th Grade: Kaitlyn Oakley, Chandara Vanna, Mason Aguire, Colby Nichols
10th Grade: Kayla Scott, Katelyn Suiter, Tacorian (Coco) Darden, Coty Gossett
11th Grade: Kaelyn Adler, Jayla Townsend, Christian Naylor, Corey Wright
12th Grade: Nathanshia Haskins, Amber Sydnor, Zach Hines, Thomas Landrum
Lady Panthers 52, Lady Spartans 50
The Russellville girls have refused to give up all season, and they did so again in this game despite the odds being stacked against them. When South freshman Timitryl Patterson scored at the halftime buzzer, Coach Ken Waddell’s Lady Spartans led 28-21 at the half.
Kaley Burnette’s 3-pointer helped South (7-15) surge to a 14-point lead at 35-21 with the second quarter only 90 seconds old. Coach Dedra Adler of RHS called timeout, and whatever she said must have been magic. The Lady Panthers scored 11 straight points over a three-minute span to pull within 35-32. Hampton scored six of them.
RHS pulled to within two, and Nathanshia Haskins drew a charge on South star Colby Downing to get the ball back. Sydnor’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer just missed, so South entered the final quarter ahead 38-36.
Sydnor hit a trey on the opening possession of the fourth quarter to give the Lady Panthers their first lead in a long, long time. Brittny Taylor’s 3-pointer put the visitors back up, but Hampton scored on an assist from Davonna Sydnor, and Haskins’ basket sent RHS ahead. Davonna Sydnor had also hit a 3-pointer in that third quarter surge.
Downing, who had been quiet most of the second half, hit two straight 3-pointers to make the Lady Spartan lead four. Hampton then drew her fourth foul, but Downing missed both free throws. Amber Sydnor followed with a pair of free throws to tie the score.
Davonya Bryant made a steal for the Lady Panthers and got the ball to Amber Sydnor for an assist. Sydnor hit the free throw to make the RHS lead three with 1:50. Almost exactly one minute later, Downing hit her third trey of the quarter to tie the score one last time.
The Lady Panthers played for a last shot. Amber Sydnor’s shot was blocked, but Hampton picked off the loose ball and put it in for the game winner.
Adler’s team, which had hit only 4 of 9 free throws in the first half, went 8 for 9 in the second half, led by Sydnor’s 7 for 7. She finished with 24 points, and Hampton, who controlled the boards late, added 16. Downing had 20 for South with Burnette adding 10.
Score by quarters: 1) South 14-9, 2) 28-21, 3) 38-36, Final) Russellville 52, South Warren 50
SOUTH (50) Colby Downing 20, Kaley Burnette 10, Timitryl Patterson 8, Brittny Taylor 5, Chelsey Forrester 1, Amy Cummings 1
RHS (52) Amber Sydnor 24, Khalia Hampton 16, Davonna Sydnor 7, Nathanshia Haskins 4, Shea Hampton 1, Davonya Bryant, Reagan Wilkerson
Panthers 58, Spartan 56
Good news for the Panthers quickly turned to concern early in the game. Homecoming King Zach Hines was in uniform for the first time since mid-December after breaking his wrist early in season. He didn’t play but will soon. But early in the game, sophomore guard Coco Darden, one of the team’s best athletes, injured his elbow and had to leave the gym for medical attention, He wasn’t available for Saturday’s game. That basically limits Todd’s rotation to six players. That proved to be enough in both games.
The Panthers led 12-9 after a quarter, but Travis Hardcastle hit a pair of 3-pointers for South to tie the score at 19-19 at the half.
The Spartans built a 28-20 lead when Austin Bybee hit a 3-pointer. The Panthers pulled to within two before Bybee hit another from long range. Lee McMurry, who was accustomed to playing only a couple of minutes at a time, hit a pair of goals late in the third quarter, as did Jordan Kennedy, and the Panthers led 36-33 going into the final quarter.
South regained the lead to start the quarter, but Barrett Croslin hit a spin shot and Christian Naylor canned two free throws to put the Panthers on top 40-37. Three lead changes and two tiesfollowed in the remainder of regulation. The most important was a tip-in by South’s Hardcastle with five seconds left to send the game into overtime.
South quickly built a six-point lead in the extra period, but Naylor took over. He not only hit a 3-point shot, but drew a foul and hit the free throw. That four-point play pulled the Panthers to within two. Hardcastle hit two free throws, but Kennedy responded with a goal on the other end.
The Spartans’ Bryan Cummings was fouled, but missed both free throws with 36 seconds. McMurray rebounded but walked. South led by two and had the ball when Naylor made a steal and fired the ball to Kennedy for the tying goal. Kennedy was fouled on the play, but he missed the free throw. Quarles rebounded for the Panthers, who then played for one shot. Everyone thought Naylor was going to shoot it, but he responded to South’s double team by finding the open McMurray under the goal for the game winner.
Kennedy finished with 17 points and Naylor had 10 for the Panthers, who won their 12th game in 20 starts. Hardcastle had 20 for South Warren (12-9).
Score by quarters: 1) RHS 12-9, 3) 19-19, 3) 36-33, 4) 48-48, Final) Russellville 58, South Warren 56
SOUTH (56) Travis Hardcastle 20, Zack McDaniel 11, Austin Bybee 10, Brad Logsdon 6, Joel Iyiegbuniwe 4, Cedric Gumm 3, Bryan Cummings 2, Jacob Smiley, Drew Wilken
RHS (58) Jordan Kennedy 17, Christian Naylor 10, Barrett Croslin 9, Lee McMurray 9, Josh Hampton 7, Darrion Quarles 4, Coco Darden, DeQuan Beard
Panthers 60, Daviess County 59
The game was close throughout the first half. The Panthers led by a single point at the first two stops. Then Quarles scored 10 of his 16 points and Naylor 8 of his 16 in the third period, helping the home team go up 48-40 entering what they hoped would be the final quarter. It was, but by the closest of margins.
Daviess County (also known as Panthers) outscored RHS 19-12 in the final quarter with Chase Whitmore scoring 9 of his 20 points in that eight minutes. Sean Woodsen, a starting guard, hadn’t scored in the first three quarters but added six in the final quarter. He was only 3 of 6 at the line during that time, though. Coach Pat Hume’s visitors only hit 13 of 22 free throws for the game.
Tim Bickell not only scored 10 of his 18 points in the quarter, but his teammates managed only 7 more points in the period as the Panthers built the small cushion.
Russellville (13-8) hit six 3-pointers with Naylor connecting on four of them. Kennedy hit a trey among his 17 points, and it played a big role, since it came in the fourth quarter.
Daviess County (13-11) returns to the Land of Logan Tuesday to face Logan County. The Panthers and Lady Panthers will entertain Franklin-Simpson in a district doubleheader that night.
Score by quarters: 1) RHS 14-13, 2) 24-23, 3) 48-40, Final) Russellville 60, Daviess County 59
DCHS (59) Chase Whitmore 20, Tim Bickel 18, Adam Wilkinson 10, Sean Woodsen 6, Antonio Pendleton 2, Dalton Richardson 2, Stewart Currie 1, Dalton Richardson, Jordan Adams
RHS (60) Kennedy 17, Naylor 16, Quarles 16, Hampton 8, McMurray 2, Croslin 1, Beard