Webster County looked very much like the 2nd Region favorite in Thursday’s opening round contest. The Lady Trojans ran out to a 21-1 lead to start the game, and went on to rout Caldwell County 63-27 at Crittenden County High School in Marion.
Webster (28-3) will next face Christian County in Monday’s semifinals as the Lady Trojans look to continue their march to their second-straight state tournament.
Caldwell, which ends the season at 13-16, could not solve Webster’s full-court pressure defense in the opening quarter. The Lady Tigers were held without a field goal until Jacey Jaggers made a short jumper with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter. Webster led 23-3 after 8 minutes, but Caldwell settled down somewhat in the second period.
The Lady Tigers were outscored just 13-12 in the second quarter, but Webster still took a 36-15 advantage to the locker room at the break.
Caldwell was forced into 15 turnovers in the first half and made just four of 16 field-goal attempts. Meanwhile, Webster was 16 of 32 from the floor and committed just five miscues in the first 16 minutes.
A big third quarter helped Webster extend its lead to 52-18 entering the final stanza. The Lady Trojans led by as much as 39 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the 36-point decision.
Karlie Keeney led Webster with 22 points, six rebounds, four steals and four assists. Raigan Price added 15 points and nine boards for the Lady Trojans, who defeated Caldwell for the 16th straight time.
Jaggers was the only Lady Tiger to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Bella McConnell had six points and seven rebounds. Caldwell finished the night just six of 26 from the floor and turned the ball over 25 times. Webster, meanwhile, was 26 of 56, including eight of 28 from 3-point range.
The Lady Trojans are now 22-5 all-time in first round contests at the regional tourney.