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Crockett alum Kail not happy with loss; Lady Rebs win big

Crockett alum Kail not happy with loss; Lady Rebs win big
By MIKE HUTCHENS
Messenger Sports Editor
A loss to his alma mater was no more or less disappointing than one against any other team for Bill Kail.
“Losing to anybody at anything is a big deal to me,” the Obion Central boys coach — a 1993 Crockett County graduate — said after his Rebels were beaten by CC 74-66 Tuesday night at Troy.
“Me and my wife can play checkers and it’s a big deal when I lose. It’s why we don’t play checkers anymore.”
Obion Central, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, never led in the District 13AA contest and allowed the Cavaliers to shoot a sizzling 61 percent (30-of-49) from the field.
“We didn’t play any defense, and I wish I could tell you why we didn’t,” Kail continued after his team (6-8, 2-5) failed to reach the .500 mark overall and dropped a league game that could be critical in the grand scheme of things come season’s end.
“I told the guys beforehand how important this game was and how we needed it to get in the middle of the pack in the district. Instead of it motivating them, though, I thought we were very uninspired — especially on the defensive end.”
Tuesday’s girls’ opener — a mismatch on paper between the league-leading Lady Rebels and winless CC — was that on the court, too, as Central rolled to a 68-29 triumph.
Now 16-1 in all games and a perfect 7-0 in league play, OC showed no ill effects from a 2,000-mile roundtrip to Naples, Fla., where the county locals traveled and played four times in as many days over the holiday break before returning home late Sunday night.
Macy Wright had 20 points and 10 steals, and Brandi Goodman added 15 markers as every Lady Rebel who dressed played extensively in a contest that saw the clock run continuously in the fourth quarter due to the 35-point mercy rule
Obion Central continues its trek through District 13AA play Friday night by hosting Westview.
The Charger teams were winners over Gibson County on Tuesday.
Crockett Co. 74, OC 66 (B)
The Rebels never had a lead and found themselves down by as many as 13 points late in the third quarter before a comeback effort fell short.
Shaw Logan’s 3-pointer cut the deficit under double digits (60-52) with just under seven minutes to play.
OC was still down nine, 69-60, with 2:16 showing when it appeared to get a huge break as the Cavs’ Devin Nash was whistled for a technical foul for hanging on the rim after a missed dunk.
Central’s Bryan Morris made both free throws to cut the difference to seven points, but lost the ball just before going up for what looked like a sure-fire layup on the ensuing possession.
The Rebs then failed to fully capitalize on three missed foul shots over the final minute, giving up an offensive rebound and missing a 3-pointer before Drake Richards sank a baseline jumper with 23 seconds left to shave the difference to 72-66.
However, a pair of CC charities sealed the verdict and Central’s fate.
Morris continued his solid play for OC with a game-high 26 points that included three 3-pointers and 11-of-12 from the foul line. He also had seven rebounds.
LaPrince Gauldin recorded a double-double for Obion Central with 12 points and 11 boards.
OC 68, Crockett Co. 29 (G)
Game 1 was over essentially as soon as it started as Brooke Jennings got the Lady Rebels off and running with a bucket in the first few seconds and they never looked back.
Wearing their pink uniforms (first debuted at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in November) for the third time this season, Central never allowed the visitors the notion an upset could be possible.
It was 17-5 after one quarter and 45-19 at the half after Wright scored 16 of her game-best total and Goodman hit for 11 of her 15 — both tallying nine in the second frame.
Head coach Lyle LaRue emptied his bench in the third frame and all totaled, the OC starters played two quarters at the most.
“Other than maybe our outside shooting, which could be traced to tired legs, I didn’t see any hangover from the long trip and the four games that we played in Florida,” the Central skipper said.
“I was pleased that we were able to work on a couple of things in a game setting that we’ll probably have to use down the road. We had not been able to use them before tonight, and even though we’d worked on the traps in practice, it’s different seeing how they work against other teams and in games.”
Sports editor Mike Hutchens can be contacted by e-mail at mhutch@ucmessenger.com. Published in The Messenger 1.4.12