Monticello — The Wayne County Lady Cardinals hosted crosstown rival Monticello, last Friday night at Cardinal Gym, in an important 48th District match up for both teams. Wayne County entered 3-11 overall and 1-1 in district play and was coming off a disappointing 64-61 overtime loss, at Clinton County. The Lady Trojans entered riding a 3-game winning streak with a 7-7 mark overall and 3-2 district tally, which included a 68-66 overtime win, at Southwestern earlier in the week. The teams met just one month earlier with Monticello taking a 58-54 decision at MHS Gym.

Monticello trailed 26-14 with 2:04 left in the first half, but used a

10-2 run to end the half and a 39-19 run to end the game, to claim their first win at Wayne County since 1995, with a 53-45 decision. Sophomore forward Malesha Hughes led a balanced attack with 13 points and a team best

7 rebounds, as the Lady Trojans notched their fourth straight win to improve to 8-7 on the season.

"Our team had a great opportunity to compete for the number one seed and finish off just a great week for Monticello girls basketball. To get three big district wins in a row and the last two on the road is big. I was very proud of our effort against Wayne County, it was a typical physical, hard-nosed game. We made some big plays and even though a lot of district games are still left to play, we put ourselves in pretty good position,"

said MHS head coach Marla Kelsch.

Hughes shot 2 of 6 from the field and 8 of 12 from the free throw line, while Lacey Alley posted 12 points and 6 boards. Alley shot 5 of 13 from the floor and 1 of 1 from the foul-line, in 32 minutes of play.

Cortney Morrow added 9 points and a game high 7 assists, while Mariah Hughes tallied 7 points and 4 rebounds. Jackie Anderson, Autumn Bell and Brittney Crabtree netted 4 points each, as seven Lady Trojans scored in the win.

"This was another very good team effort. Everybody contributed positive things, all of our starters made big plays, plus I thought our bench play was a key," said Kelsch.

Wayne County, which dropped to 3-12, once again had a good early effort go for naught, as the team lost their fourth straight game. Kayla Bowlin and Jessica Hardin finished with 11 points each, to pace six different scorers.

Bowlin, a junior guard, shot 5 of 16 from the field and 1 of 2 from the free throw line, in 32 minutes of action, while Hardin shot 4 of 16 from the floor and 2 of 3 from the charity-stripe. The freshman added 5 rebounds, as the Lady Cards enjoyed a 35-33 rebound advantage.

"We played pretty well in the first half, but once again we struggle to play a full 32 minutes. We had some very good looks at the basket, we missed way too many shots and missed too many defensive assignments to win," said Lady Cards head coach Tim Pyles.

Tashae Pyles added 9 points with 5 rebounds, while sophomore forward Samantha Sexton led all reserves with 8 points. Hallie Gillespie and Kourtney Criswell led Wayne County with 7 boards, as six Lady Cards marked the scoring margin.

"We just don't handle momentum shifts and when they made their run, we never bounced back. Spurts and runs happen, but once again we need to play through it. We need someone to step up and make a big play to spark us,"

said Pyles.

The teams opened on near-even terms, as Monticello made 5 of 6 free throws early, to grab a 9-8 first quarter edge.

Kayla Bowlin heated-up for 8 points in the second stanza and Wayne County used an 18-5 run to push to a 26-14 lead, the largest lead either team would have. The Lady Trojans used a 10-2 spurt of their own to close the half, which left Wayne County with a 28-24 halftime advantage.

"We didn't stop Bowlin's penetration early and they made a nice run, but we responded after a timeout and finished the half strong. Then Lacey Alley really just put us on her shoulders in the third quarter," said Kelsch.

Alley scored all 12 of her points in the third period and the Lady Trojans used a 15-9 tilt, to take a 39-37 lead after 24 minutes.

"I thought we really did a nice job defending Lacey Alley most of the game, with the exception of the third quarter. We missed her and lost her a few times and to her credit she stepped up to make some big shots," said Pyles.

Monticello made 7 of 12 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter and ended the game with a 14-8 surge, to take a 53-45 road win.

The Lady Trojans shot 15 of 43 overall for 35 percent and connected on 3 of 13 3-pointers for 23 percent. The squad made 20 of 28 free throws for 71 percent and totaled 16 assists, with 3 steals against 16 turnovers.

"I really think this streak and level of confidence started with the overtime win over Heath in the Owensboro Tournament, we've really played hard the last eight days and our schedule doesn't let up this week," said Kelsch.

The squad travels to Casey County on Monday night, hosts Garrard County on Friday and may make-up the Henry Clay game on Saturday afternoon.

"Casey County is one of the favorites in the region, Garrard County is playing well, plus we hope that Henry Clay game can be rescheduled, so all of those games should help us for next week's All ŒA' tournament," said Kelsch.

Wayne County finished 18 of 60 from the field for 30 percent and tallied on 3 of 20 3-pointers for 15 percent. The team shot 6 of 12 from the free throw line for 50 percent and totaled 5 assists, with 3 steals, against 10 turnovers.

The Lady Cards return to district action on Tuesday night with a matchup with Southwestern and end the week on Friday, at Pulaski County.

Details on all the action from both Monticello and Wayne County in next weeks edition of The Outlook.