Staff reports
TOMPKINSVILLE — The Falcons led the Patriots by three at the end of the first quarter. They led by three at the end of the second. They led by three at the end of the third. The end of the fourth broke the monotony.
Late turnovers and key three-pointers from Casey Napier and Caleb Carver sank Monroe Friday night, as the team fell to Allen County-Scottsville in its final regular season district matchup.
“We pretty much led the whole game until the last two or three minutes,” Falcon head coach Steve Kirkpatrick said. “Napier hit a big three late that kind of knocked us out.”
Kirkpatrick said forward Neil Wilson and guard Caleb Rich were both knocked out for portions of Friday’s game. Both suffered minor ankle sprains and were able to return to action, but Kirkpatrick wasn’t sure of the injuries’ severity.
In their absences, Caleb Sheffield led Monroe with 16 points. Kirkpatrick said the Falcons received a “big boost” from freshman Chad Wilson, who added 14 points.
Russell County 45, Lady Hornets 41
Despite leading through three quarters, the Lady Hornets were outscored 17-8 in the final stanza to fall to Russell County 45-41. A free-throw disparity — Metcalfe shot 15 from the stripe as compared to Russell’s 34 — and a rebound difference of 11 contributed to the Lady Hornets’ fifth consecutive loss.
Kara Reece led Metcalfe with 13 points, while Christie Jewell added 12. Michelle Jewell ripped down 12 rebounds and Aspen Edwards grabbed seven.
The Lady Hornets followed the loss with a Saturday matchup against Campbellsville. The Campbellsville contest was part of a two-game homestand that concludes Tuesday when Metcalfe welcomes Glasgow.
Russell County 70, Hornets 68
Grant and Russell Kindred continued their solid seasons on Friday, but the forwards weren’t enough to upset the 17-2 Lakers as the Hornets fell 70-68.
But they almost pulled it off.
Russell led 32-16 in the second quarter before the Hornets embarked on a 17-4 run to cut the lead to three at halftime. Metcalfe and Russell played to a 16-16 tie in the third stanza and the Hornets even outscored the Lakers in the fourth, but ultimately weren’t able to overcome the early deficit.
Metcalfe was 19 of 25 from inside the arc to post a 76 percent shooting clip. The Hornets fired 59 percent overall.
Grant Kindred led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Trevor Merideth added 16. Russell Kindred finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Dylan Harris and Jesse Jones rounded out the scorers with 13 and five, respectively.
Lady Falcons 45, Allen County-Scottsville 39
The Lady Patriots held Caylan Bybee to just eight points and went into halftime clutching a four-point lead. But if they expected Monroe County to fold, they were sorely mistaken.
Eleven points from Madison Clements and 10 from Kayla Murray lifted the Lady Falcons to a 45-39 victory that elevated Monroe to a perfect 6-0 record in district 15.
“We finally got the lead with about four minutes left in the game,” Lady Falcons head coach Dwayne Murray said. “We showed some gut. We could have just folded and quit.”
Murray said Lorran Hart helped keep that from happening. The senior forward provided a “spark” by rattling off four consecutive baskets in the second half.
The Lady Falcons will host three of their four final regular season games. Those games include dates with 4-16 Cumberland County and 3-17 Warren East. Monroe won’t finish the year without a challenge, though. The Lady Falcons will welcome 16-9 Greenwood on Feb. 16.
