When the First Southern National Bank Christmas Classic tips off Tuesday, the girls’ division could draw more attention than the boys’ bracket. That’s because the Russellville Lady Panthers and Logan County Lady Cougars are off to great starts.
Going into the Christmas break, Coach Calvin Head’s RHS girls stood at 8-2, coming off winning the championship of the Lady Bombers Christmas Tournament in far western Kentucky. Coach Finley Baird’s Lady Cougars are 7-3 with two of the wins coming in single-game showcases, the Independence Bank Classic and the Toyota of Hopkinsville Classic.
Former Russellville Coach Dennis Pardue and his Kenwood Knights will try to repeat as champions of the FSNB boys’ bracket. See a preview on The LoJo at http://www.theloganjournal.com/Stories.aspx?Article=sports738
Host teams play their games on their home floors, RHS at Jim Young Gymnasium and LCHS at its campus.
The Lady Panthers open play at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday against Kenwood’s girls. Their record is not available. That’s 30 minutes after Owensboro (5-4) and Hopkinsville (5-5) face off in the Russellville Middle School Gym.
Winners of these games will play again the same day at 6:30 p.m. Losers will play at 6:15. The Lady Panthers will probably play their second game in the high school gym regardless of whether they are in the championship bracket or the losers’ bracket.
The Lady Cougars, who are the defending tournament champs and have won the FSNB two of the past three years, will open at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday against Central Hardin, which surprisingly is winless in 10 games. Meanwhile the other two teams in their bracket, Coach Anthony Hickey’s Christian County team (5-6) and Crittenden County (6-4) will play in the auxiliary gym, which most Logan fans know as the volleyball gym. When Coach Shannon Hodge’s Crittenden Lady Rockets last took the floor, they were beaten by 22 points by Russellville in the last game of that Lady Bombers tournament.
Winners of these games will play again the same day at 6:30 p.m. Losers will play at 6:15. The Lady Cougars will play their second game in the big gym regardless of whether they are in the championship bracket or the losers’ bracket.
All of the girls games will be played at LCHS Wednesday. The first time Russellville and Logan could play each other is 1 p.m. Wednesday in the seventh place game. If that happens, both of them would have lost both their games Tuesday, and the host teams going 0-4 is not expected.
The fifth place game will be at 2:30, third place 4:30 and championship at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
That final game would be a fitting place for the first Clash of the Lady Cats this season.