Lunsford sparks Rosspoint in championship game win over Evarts
January 10, 2021
Rosspoint coach Rob McHargue called point guard Peyton Lunsford “a machine,” but in the Harlan County seventh- and eighth-grade championship game Saturday night, she was merely part of a machine – specifically, a spark plug.
Lunsford, an eighth-grader, contributed six points and several key defensive plays in the third quarter after missing much of the first half due to foul trouble, as the Lady Cats turned a three-point halftime deficit into an eight-point lead. Rosspoint, the fourth seed in the tournament, claimed its first championship since 2015 with a 45-30 victory over sixth-seeded Evarts after the two sets of Lady Cats knocked out the top two seeds in the semifinals.
Rosspoint got heroic contributions from several players. Seventh-grader Lindsey Skidmore scored a game-high 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the final quarter as the Lady Cats pulled away. Harleigh Vanover (nine points) and Kaitlyn Daniels (six points) provided solid play inside and several offensive rebounds.
“Peyton is a machine; I don’t think she gets tired,” McHargue said. “Lindsey finally stepped up and hit some big shots tonight. I knew she could do it. I think we shoot better here on the high school floor.”
Evarts was led by eighth-grader Ashley Preston with 12 points. Hannah Kirby and Drucilla Brown each added nine.
Evarts grabbed an early lead with a four-point play by Preston and a basket by Kirby. Rosspoint battled back to the tie the game late in the first quarter, but Preston’s second 3-pointer of the period gave Evarts a 9-6 lead.
A 7-0 Rosspoint run midway through the second quarter put the Lady Cats ahead 15-12, but Preston and Brown combined for six free throws to Evarts back on top. Evarts led 20-17 at halftime.
Rosspoint took control in the third quarter as Evarts struggled to find the basket. Rosspoint outscored Evarts 15-4 in the quarter as Lunsford scored six points and Vanover added four.
“Defense is what won us this tournament,” McHargue said. “Peyton and Harleigh, their defense was awesome. I had planned on playing Cawood, and we were planning on running a triangle-and-two with those two playing a man-to-man. But I had to change it up, and they stepped up.”
Skidmore’s first 3-pointer in the fourth quarter pushed the Lady Cats’ lead to 37-24. Evarts pulled back within 10 after a three-point play by Preston, but Skidmore answered a few seconds later with another 3 to stop Evarts’ momentum.
The game marked Evarts’ fifth consecutive appearance in the title game, with Rosspoint tallying its third championship appearance in that span. The game closed the books on a highly unusual season that featured a late start and a lengthy layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a tournament that underscored the parity in the county basketball landscape.
“We started off kind of slow, with COVID and time off and being in and out of practice. But I knew that, once we got going, we’d have a shot at this. Everybody had a shot; it was wide open,” McHargue said.
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The second-seeded Cawood Lady Comets claimed third place in the tournament with a 41-30 win over top-seeded James A. Cawood.
Cheyanne Rhymer scored 21 points and Maddi Middleton added 14 to lead Cawood.
The Trojanettes were led by Leah Davis with 10 points.
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Rosspoint (45) – Lyndsey Skidmore 15, Peyton Lunsford 12, Harleigh Vanover 9, Kaitlyn Daniels 6, Brianna Howard 3.
Evarts (30) – Ashley Preston 12, Hannah Kirby 9, Druesilla Brown 9.
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Cawood (41) – Cheyanne Rhymer 21, Maddi Middleton 14, Alley Stewart 3, Skyler Phillips 2, Lexi Dean 1.
JACES (30) – Leah Davis 10, Lacey Robinson 7, Juleea Smith 5, Kaylissa Daniels 2, Mallory Long 2, Abby Green 2, Madison Daniels 2.