Trigg County neared school records in three-pointers made and attempted Tuesday night in holding off Livingston Central 83-74 in Smithland. The win assures Trigg County of no worse than a No. 3 seed in next month’s district tournament to be played at Wildcat Gym.
Trigg County knocked down 15 of 41 from behind the arc, both season highs. The school record is 18 three-pointers made against Lyon County in 1999, and the record for attempts is 46 attempts against Owensboro Majesty in the 1997-98 season opener.
De’Von Ladd came off the bench to score a career-high 39 points. He hit six of 12 shots behind the arc and came up with several key shots in the paint down the stretch to stifle any Livingston Central come-back attempt.
Wildcat head coach Chad Burgett used a different starting lineup Tuesday with Kendric Adams and Tyler Ahart the only normal starters on the floor at the game’s start. Afterward, Burgett said the lineup shuffling was due to some “internal problems” and feels like the benching sent a message to those starters.
The normal starters all played in the game and helped account for Trigg County’s 57 bench points.
The game was tied at 18 after one quarter before the Wildcats outscored Livingston 29-18 in the second quarter. They shot 6 of 14 behind the three-point line in extending their lead before halftime.
Trigg County led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter and led 70-50 inside the final minute of the frame. However, Max Downey spearheaded a 13-0 run for the Cardinals, scoring six points and handing out two assists during the run.
Several times in the second half, it appeared as if Ladd and Downey were heavyweight boxers throwing haymakers to try and knock their opponent out. Downey scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and five steals. He was one of three Cardinals to score in double figures.
Ladd scored 15 of his 39 points in the third quarter. Tyler Ahart hit five three-pointers to finish with 15 points, and Tae Thompson added 14 points. The 83 points of the most scored by Trigg County in a district game since an 89-66 win over Lyon County in 2012.
The win moves Trigg County to 1-1 in district play. The Wildcats will play Livingston Central again Friday at Wildcat Gym that will not count toward the district tournaments seeding. Trigg will play Lyon County next Tuesday. A Wildcat win would mean they, Lyon County, and Crittenden County would each end up with 2-1 district marks and a three-way tie for first place. Because of COVID-19 guidelines, only the first game against district opponents is counted toward postseason seeding in the 2020-21 basketball season only.
A three-way tie means a tiebreaker would be needed to determine the top seed for next month’s district tournament. A Trigg County loss against Lyon County next week means they will be the three seed and play Crittenden County in the semi-finals, while Lyon County gets the top seed and a semifinal match up with Livingston Central.
The Wildcats return to the floor Thursday night at Wildcat Gym when they host Union County — an 83-67 loser to Murray Tuesday night.
Trigg County 18 29 23 13– 83
Livingston Central 18 19 18 19– 74
Trigg County [6-5] – Ladd 39, T. Ahart 15, Thompson 14, Adams 6, Reynolds 3, J. Vaughn 2, K. Vaughn 2, Parham 2
Livingston Central [2-13] – Downey 27, Garrett 14, Barnes 13, Zaim 7, Wring 5, Chandler 4, Schulte 2, Kitchens 2
