Lawrence County Girls Surge Past Columbia Central; Lions Dominate Second Half in Boys Matchup
Friday night in Lawrenceburg delivered a tale of two halves-twice over. The Lawrence County Lady Wildcats used a second-quarter burst to take control and cruise to a 63-49 win over Columbia Central, while the boys’ game flipped in the opposite direction, with the Lions storming out of the halftime break to pull away for a 63-46 victory.
Lady Cats Find Their Groove After Tight Start
Early on, this one looked like it might go down to the wire. Columbia Central came out strong, matching Lawrence County bucket for bucket in a back-and-forth first quarter that ended with the Lady Wildcats holding a narrow 11-10 edge.
But then came the second quarter-and that’s when Lawrence County found another gear.
The Lady Cats outscored Columbia Central 16-6 in the second frame, building an 11-point cushion by halftime and never letting the Lady Lions back in it. By the end of the third, the lead had ballooned to 15. With balanced scoring and a hot hand from deep, Lawrence County kept their foot on the gas and closed out a convincing 14-point win.
Ryann Hughes led the charge with a game-high 17 points, doing damage both inside and out while anchoring the team’s offensive rhythm. Kamya Bryce added 11, and Kabry Tinin chipped in 10. But what really set this group apart was their perimeter shooting-Lawrence County knocked down seven triples on the night, with Tinin, Tevy Statom, and Anniston Rose each hitting two.
“I feel like we executed our plays really good, just looking for the open man,” said Hughes, the junior center who’s becoming a steady presence in the paint. “And if the play broke down, just looking for whatever was open.”
That ability to stay composed and find the right look was key, especially as the Lady Cats began to pull away.
Head coach Wendi Scott was pleased with the offensive execution but didn’t shy away from pointing out areas that still need work.
“We’ve got to crash the boards a little better offensively,” Scott said. “But I thought our offensive execution was fine.
Defensively, we’ve got to stop fouling. We’ve got to play clean.”
Hughes echoed that sentiment, pointing to communication and offensive flow as points of emphasis moving forward.
Columbia Central, for their part, hung tough early behind a strong showing from Tasia Barner, who scored 16 points. Kennedi Houston added 14, and Pauleisha Radley contributed 11, giving the Lady Lions a solid trio. But once the Lady Cats started hitting from the perimeter and spreading the floor, Columbia Central couldn’t quite keep pace.
Lions Flip the Script in the Second Half
The boys’ game had a similar feel early-tight, physical, and up for grabs.
Lawrence County made a strong push late in the second quarter, closing the half on an 11-0 run to erase a deficit and head into the break tied 24-24. But whatever was said in Columbia Central’s locker room at halftime? It worked.
The Lions came out firing in the third quarter, opening with a 10-0 run of their own and outscoring the Wildcats 23-9 in the period. That third-quarter surge flipped the game on its head, turning a deadlock into a 14-point Columbia Central lead heading into the fourth.
“Our defense was on point,” said Lions head coach Joe Washington. “We went to do what we were supposed to do.”
That defensive intensity sparked everything. The Lions pressured the ball, forced turnovers, and turned those extra possessions into easy buckets in transition. On the offensive end, they got balanced scoring, with Tae’Shaun Moore leading the way with 17 points, followed by Kingston Booker with 14 and Brendon Secrest with 12.
Lawrence County coach Bryce Clifft pointed to the opening minutes of the second half as the turning point.
“We knew going into the game that we couldn’t turn it over and we had to rebound,” Clifft said. “We came out and started the second half and turned it over like our first five possessions or something close to it.”
It was a costly stretch. Columbia Central seized the momentum and never let go. The Wildcats, meanwhile, struggled to regain their footing and couldn’t mount a serious rally.
“We got down too much in the third quarter,” Clifft said. “I saw a little bit of fight, but at that point, it was too late.”
Max Carr led the Wildcats with 11 points, the only Lawrence County player to reach double figures. Clifft acknowledged that his young team is still learning how to play with toughness and consistency.
“We show flashes of being talented and can score the basketball,” he said. “But we show a lot of signs of being very soft. We can decide tomorrow that we’re going to be tougher and box people out and take charges and do whatever it takes to win.”
Columbia Central, meanwhile, closed strong, knocking down free throws and maintaining defensive pressure to seal the win. For Washington, it was a gratifying result after a strong week of preparation.
“Man, we wanted to come in and get a win,” he said. “The guys worked hard at practice (Thursday), and they were hungry.”
Final Scores
Girls: Lawrence County 63, Columbia Central 49
Scoring by Quarters:
Columbia Central - 10 | 6 | 17 | 16 - 49
Lawrence County - 11 | 16 | 21 | 15 - 63
Lawrence County Scoring: Ryann Hughes 17, Kamya Bryce 11, Kabry Tinin 10, Anniston Rose 9, Tevy Statom 8, Liyah Dixon 4, Lily Loyd 2, Collyns Newton 2
Columbia Central Scoring: Tasia Barner 16, Kennedi Houston 14, Pauleisha Radley 11, ReRe Morris 4, Tristyn Shaw 2, Sydney Bratton 2
3-Pointers: Lawrence County 7 (Rose 2, Statom 2, Tinin 2, Bryce); Columbia Central 0
Boys: Columbia Central 63, Lawrence County 46
Scoring by Quarters:
Columbia Central - 14 | 10 | 23 | 16 - 63
Lawrence County - 9 | 15 | 9 | 13 - 46
Columbia Central Scoring: Tae’Shaun Moore 17, Kingston Booker 14, Brendon Secrest 12, R.J. White 8, Joshua Green 5, Ke’Marion Long 4, James Stewart 2, Jamari Brown 1
Lawrence County Scoring: Max Carr 11, Andrew Massa 9, Jake Moore 8, Shuylar Webb 4, Bracyn Rose 3, Wyatt Shelton 3, Landon Bracey 2, Gavin Glass 2, Beck Land 2, Hud Mattox 2
Two games, two very different second halves-but plenty for both coaching staffs to take away. For Lawrence County’s girls, the win was a statement of offensive execution and perimeter firepower. For Columbia Central’s boys, it was a reminder of what can happen when talent, energy, and defense all click at once.