Raiders ride Waggoner to win over West

Jan. 4—GRAYSON — In a game that featured 39 combined turnovers, the margin for error down the stretch was razor thin.

The driving room for East Carter's Makyla Waggoner in the final seconds was even more compact.

The senior maneuvered through a group of West Carter players in the lane and found enough space to score the eventual winning basket. It helped lift the Raiders to a 50-48 win in a 62nd District seeding game at the Harold L. Holbrook East Gym on Tuesday night.

East Carter coach Matt Clark could see the final result and finish start to manifest over the last couple of weeks. The Raiders fell in a couple of close contents at the Ohio River Classic at Raceland before the turn of the calendar.

They left the tournament with a victory and now possess a winning streak.

"You can go back to the (Maysville) St. Patrick game (on Dec. 19) before we started the holiday tournament," Clark said. "It was a game just like this one. They hit a 3 to beat us. My message afterward was winning is a process, (especially) when you haven't been in a lot of close games the last couple of years."

"It held true last week," he added. "We had some games that we could have won and didn't. We were able to get over that hump to win a couple of these close games.

Kinsley Rutledge added a late free throw, but East Carter missed a final attempt, giving the Comets one last chance.

Leading scorer Millie Henderson beat the press and took it strong to the basket. The last shot bounced off the rim and the clock struck zeros.

West Carter coach Faith Conn said Henderson has accepted the bigger role this season. The shot didn't fall, but the senior showed confidence and wants the ball in her hands during crucial moments.

"She knew at the end of last year that it would be her role this year," Conn said. "She has stepped into that really well. She wanted the ball and took it coast to coast. She wanted to shoot the last shot and that was fantastic. You really can't ask for a better shot than what she got."

The two rivals could not find much separation for four quarters. East Carter (5-7) grabbed the biggest lead of the game, a 43-38 margin, at the 4:18 mark in the final stanza.

Tussey erased a Comets advantage to start the fourth quarter with five straight points on a triple and a steal and score. Rutledge also created a turnover, one of 22 that the Comets produced on the night, a few possessions later and paid it off with a layup.

"We tried to press, and we did a pretty good job of it at times," Clark said. "(West Carter) did a pretty job of breaking it at times. I felt like we were deeper. If we could wear them down and have some foul trouble, it would be in our advantage. ... When we switched into our halfcourt man, I think we did a really good job."

West Carter (2-11) responded with a 10-2 run, highlighted by a pair of high-energy plays and buckets from Kaylee Kinney to assist the quick surge.

"We put in the effort, and we had a chance to win," Conn said. "The effort is there but we have to get our brains to match it. It something that we have talked about over and over again. We have got to finish these games knowing how to play basketball in the last two minutes."

"It is something that we've had the opportunity to learn and grow in," she continued. "We are not quite there yet, but I'm hopeful by the end of the year, we will pull these games out."

Kinney posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Her motor never shuts off and she keeps her team energized.

"Kaylee Kinney is the only reason we are in these games with the way she plays," Conn said. "It's the effort that she gives, the rebounds that she pulls down out of nowhere and the steals that she gets. Her double-double kept us in this game the whole time."

Henderson led West Carter with 16 points. Holly Brown chipped in 10 points off the bench. Emilee Barker grabbed 10 boards.

The Comets moved ahead by three late in the game, but Rutledge got to the tin for a layup to start the Raiders' final comeback.

The game featured nine ties, five were contained in the second quarter. Rutledge banked in a deep wing 3 to knot the score at the start of the frame.

Brown, who posted eight points in those eight minutes before the break, brought the game even again at 17-17.

Brown would hit the Comets' last four field goals in the quarter. Henderson sandwiched three free throws during that stretch.

Rutledge and Waggoner each shared team-high scoring honors with 16 points. Rutledge recorded 10 rebounds and Tussey netted 14 points and a pair of 3-balls.

"We have a dynamic where our players, No. 1 through 11, are all very similar on any given night," Clark said. "Sometimes, depending on what we need, are better in certain areas. I have confidence in everybody that we run onto the floor to step up and do their job."

East Carter snapped a 13-game losing streak to their county rivals from Olive Hill.

Clark said his team put four quarters together and hopes that becomes the blueprint to future success.

"It is huge," Clark said. "I hope this is something that really look to and build off of going forward. We don't spend a lot of time talking about the past. We are on a two-game winning streak. We have the potential to win some of these close games and compete with a lot of teams in the region."

(606) 326-2654 — msparks@dailyindependent.com

W. CARTER FG FT REB TP

Burton 3-11 0-1 7 7

Kinney 5-5 0-0 11 10

Henderson 6-21 4-5 4 16

Nichols 1-5 0-0 4 2

Barker 1-8 0-0 10 3

McCleese 0-1 0-0 0 0

Brown 5-10 0-0 6 10

Team 4

TOTALS 21-61 4-6 46 48

FG Pct: 34.4. FT Pct: 66.7. 3-point FGs: 2-18 (Burton 1-8, Henderson 0-7, Barker 1-3) Fouls: 20. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: 22.

E. CARTER FG FT REB TP

Bush 0-3 2-3 4 2

Waggoner 7-17 2-6 7 16

Moore 0-4 0-0 3 0

Tussey 5-11 2-2 2 14

Rutledge 6-16 3-8 10 16

Hall 0-4 0-0 5 0

Bishop 1-1 0-0 1 2

Boggs 0-1 0-1 2 0

Team 4

TOTALS 19-57 9-20 38 50

FG Pct: 33.3. FT Pct: 45.0. 3-point FGs: 3-12 (Bush 0-1, Hall 0-1, Waggoner 0-2, Moore 0-2, Boggs 0-1, Tussey 2-3, Rutledge 1-2) Fouls: 14. Fouled out: Waggoner. Turnovers: 17.

W. CARTER 13 11 12 12 — 48

E. CARTER 10 14 9 17 — 50

Officials: Bill Renzi, Jeff Adkins, Gavin Ramsey

(606) 326-2654 — msparks@dailyindependent.com