In a game of streaks, Trigg County had the last one and the one that mattered most as they closed on a 15-4 run to beat Ballard Memorial 53-49 Thursday afternoon in the first game of the Lady Warrior Classic at Community Christian.
Ballard Memorial scored the first six points of the game before Trigg ended the first quarter on a 9-2 spurt to lead 11-10.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Ilyssa Holman put Ballard ahead 18-15 midway through the second quarter, but Trigg countered with the final nine points of the half for a 25-18 lead. The Lady Wildcats turned up the pressure in the quarter with six turnovers that led to five points.
The Lady Wildcats seemed to have the game in control when Emily Noffsinger hit a layup, and sister Olivia followed with a 3-pointer on their next possession for a 36-24 lead with 4:03 left in the frame.
But Ballard Memorial had the next run, scoring the final 12 points of the quarter thanks to questionable Trigg shot selection and five points each from Holdman and Autumn Dowdy.
The Lady Bombers built a 45-38 lead with 3:51 left before the Lady Wildcats began to chip into the lead. Ballard led 47-41 with 2:23 left but began to rush missed shots. Emily Noffsinger scored on a putback, and Marleigh Reynolds made a pair of free throws with 2:01 left to make it 47-45.
After another missed Ballard Memorial shot, Adri Phillips tied the game at 47 with 1:29 left. After a Ballard turnover, Reynolds gave Trigg the lead with a short jumper with 49 seconds left.
Holdman tied the game at 49 with 34 seconds left with two free throws. But it was Reynolds who came up big with another bucket with 16 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner. Olivia Noffsinger added a pair of free throws with 0.6 left for the final margin.
Reynolds finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She knocked down 7-of-10 free throws. Rylee Bush added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Olivia Noffsinger had 11 points and seven boards.
Trigg controlled the glass 48-36 which included 21 offensive rebounds and 13 second chance points. Seven different Lady Wildcats had at least five rebounds. Emily Noffsinger had a season-high eight boards.
Holdman led Ballard Memorial (5-5) with 19 points, with Maddy Calvin adding 14 points and 15 rebounds.
Trigg shot just 26-percent from the field and was 2-of-19 behind the arc. However, they scored 16 points off 16 turnovers during their selective defensive effort.
It was only the second career meeting between the schools, and Trigg’s first win. Trigg County (7-2) will play Carlisle County Thursday night at 8 in the tournament quarterfinals.
Ballard Memorial 10 8 18 13—49
Trigg County 11 14 11 17—53
Ballard Memorial (5-5) – Holdman 19, Calvin 14, Dowdy 8, Tyson 6, Nichols 2
Trigg County (7-2) – Bush 14, Reynolds 13, O. Noffsinger 11, Phillips 7, E. Noffsinger 5, I. Grubbs 3
