The Christian County boys’ basketball team traveled to Paducah on Thursday night to take part in Mustang Madness, losing 61-44 to hosts McCracken County. The Mustangs snap a 3-game losing streak with the win and improve to 11-4, while the Colonels are now 9-4 and have lost three of four.
The Colonels only managed 9 first-quarter points, and trailed by 7 going into the second quarter. They picked up the scoring, with senior forward Jaquon Long scoring 5 in the frame, but no other Colonel was able to add more than 2. McCracken duplicated its 16 point first quarter output, taking a 32-22 lead into the halftime break. Long and senior forward Detorrion Ware led the Colonels in scoring with 6 each, and the Mustangs were paced by senior guard Cam Cartwright’s 11 and sophomore forward Jackson Sivills’ 10.
Christian County produced 11 points in each of the second-half quarters and couldn’t close the gap, trailing by 12 after the third quarter, and going on to lose 61-44. In good news for the Colonels, senior guard Cory Trice made his return from an injury suffered during the Colonels’ football season. Trice, a Purdue University football commit, chipped in 4 points and figures to give the team a big boost once he gets back up to speed.
Ware and Long both scored 11 to lead the Colonels in what was the team’s second-lowest scoring output all season, behind only a 43-point effort in an early December loss at Owensboro. For Ware, who came into the game averaging 33.3 ppg, the 11 points is his lowest total of the season. Next for the Colonels was sophomore guard Damikeon Mathis with 6, followed by junior forward Eric Brody and Trice with 4 each. Senior forward Kolbe Langhi had a basket to wrap up the scoring.
Cartwright finished with 21 for the Mustangs, followed by Sivills with 17, and senior forward Nathan Stonecipher’s 16.
The Colonels will look to bounce back quickly, welcoming Paducah Tilghman into Colonel Gym on Friday night. The Blue Tornado (12-3) will be looking to avenge a 84-70 home loss to the Colonels in the season opener for both teams. Paducah Tilghman come into the game having won nine of their last ten, and four in a row.