Final-minute touchdown by Southwestern drops East, 37-30

Comment by Watchdog: Friday, September 10

I knew it - East Jessamine always were Colts at heart!...read more...

Final-minute touchdown by Southwestern drops East, 37-30

Comment by zerovic: Thursday, September 9

Kind of looks like Mr. Stark had gotten bored reporting about East Jessamine in the third to last pa...read more...

Two candidates eyeing Jessamine County clerk seat

Comment by jjhle6: Thursday, September 9

Finally someone else running against her! Joseph Hagen, you have my vote and my support for your cam...read more...

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Even with some cast changes in the cross-town rivalry drama, the East Jessamine girls’ basketball team continues to dominate with its seventh straight victory over West Jessamine Friday night, 52-43.

While the Jaguars (7-8) controlled the game from the start, the Colts (2-13) threatened the East lead and drew within five points with 2:37 left in the third quarter, making this game as competitive as any East and West meeting has been in years.

“I think the better these teams are, the more the county benefits,” East Coach Jacqueline Coleman said. “We want them to be a better team.”

“I thought our kids played as hard as they’ve had all year in the second half,” West Coach Troy Thomas said. “I told them after the game, if we had took that second half and did the same thing the first half, then you’re talking about completing a whole ball game.”

But the Colts would get no closer. The Jaguars finished the third quarter strong to regain their double-digit lead and kept it through most of the fourth quarter.

The game began with a similar refrain. East took a 14-7 lead after the first quarter and outscored the Colts 11-5 in the second to take a comfortable 25-12 lead into the locker room at halftime.

But the third quarter looked a bit different. West opened with a 12-4 run to open the second half and close the distance to 29-24.

“We got into foul trouble,” Coleman said. “Our main ball handlers weren’t in the game. We had to make some changes there to our press offense. And Troy does a great job. He’s a defensive coach. That’s what he’s known for.”

After the Jaguars adjusted, they outscored the Colts 10-4 the rest of quarter and closed out the game with a 13-11 fourth quarter.

They were paced by senior guard Liz Miller’s game-high 21 points.

“Miller is a very good player,” Thomas said. “Takes it to the hole. Takes you off the dribble. Good college player, definitely. She makes a difference every night. You have to be able to really guard her and contain her. But other people stepped up, as well. They’ve got a really good team and a really good coach.”

Not only were the Colts facing a tough opponent on the road and dealing with Miller, some of the players were unfamiliar with such a raucous atmosphere.

“When you play over there, it’s a different environment and you have to get accustomed to the crowd. You have got to stay focused on your job,” Thomas said.

And even though they were at home, the Jaguars were in a bit of unfamiliar territory as well. Instead of fighting back late or mounting a comeback, East was looking to hold on to a lead late.

“We’ve been on the other end most of the season,” Coleman said. “We’ve bee playing top 10 teams in the state, so we’ve had to learn how to maintain composure when we’re the team that’s expected to win. That hasn’t been the case all season. So, I was very proud that they maintained composure.”

Midway through the season, the Jaguars are starting to look seasoned, Coleman said.

“They made good decisions with the basketball,” she said. “Decisions we probably wouldn’t have made in the first couple weeks of the season. So, they’ve come a long way in that regard.”

Alexus Calhoun tossed in 10 points while Emily Underwood scored seven and Brittany Quinn added six.

For the Colts, Allison Rehner led the way with 12 points. Charlsea Smith scored 11. Erin Conner tossed in eight and Rebecca Hulsing added seven.

Hulsing’s return from injury could be a turning point in Thomas’s building effort at West.

“She’s going to be a great player,” he said. “She’s getting better. It took a while for her to get going where she was out for so long. Her conditioning is very good. She’s a true competitor and works hard every day.

The Colts host Lexington Christian (10-3) at noon Saturday and the Jaguars travel to Burgin (3-6) Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

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