Come From Behind

If the first district battle of the season was any indication then this basketball season will come down to the wire. For three periods the Whitley County Lady Colonels had host Corbin on the ropes but in the final eight minutes the Lady ‘Hounds stepped up and delivered a 61-54 win. Corbin outscored Whitley County 20-9 in the final period to post the come from behind victory.
“I think we came out on fire, things were clicking for us, we were running the floor well and I think we had Corbin on the ropes,” said Whitley County coach Larry Anderson. “It seemed like when we get tired we quit executing and that is something we have to get better at.”
“We’re playing a lot of young kids right now, there were times when we had three freshmen and a sophomore on the floor,” Anderson said. “I can’t be displeased with their effort.”
“The only thing I am not pleased with tonight was after we got the lead in the third and fourth quarter we quit executing,” he said. “We didn’t execute well on defense. We just seemed to go blank and stale at that point and Corbin took advantage of it.”
Whitley County ran out to a 10-2 lead behind the play of 6-0 sophomore Amanda Brimm, who scored six of the first eight points in the game. Kayla Osborne and Kayla Haynes added two points each before Julie Jones scored for the Lady Redhounds.
The Lady ‘Hounds made a run and cut the lead to two (16-14) by the end of the first quarter.
Down 16-10, Mikkah Rogers and Katie Akins went inside for the final two baskets of the period.
But Whitley County caught fire once again at the start of the second period when Brimm scored in the paint and Stephanie McCullah drilled a three pointer for a 21-14 lead. It was Corbin’s turn to answer with a 6-0 run when Brittany Jackson, Jones and Rogers all scored in succession.
Those baskets forced Anderson to call a time-out with 4:26 in the half. Corbin got its first lead when Akins hit a pair of free throws a minute later for a 22-21 lead. A turnover and three point play by Akins pushed the Corbin lead to 25-21 with 2:38 left.
Whitley County refused to quit and outscored Corbin 7-2 in the final minutes to retake the lead at the half, 28-27. McCullah hit two baskets, including the three point play at the end of the quarter to send her team ahead by one (28-27).
The lead changed hands four times at the start of the third quarter before six unanswered points by Whitley County’s Brimm, Lawson and Haynes pushed the Lady Colonels ahead 39-33.
Corbin pulled within two (41-39) on a Heather Clouse basket but Brimm went inside for two points followed by back to back trips to the free throw lane for the Lady Colonels. Haynes and Brimm were one of two each as Whitley eased ahead 45-39.
Akins closed out the quarter with a pair of free throws but Corbin trailed 45-41 at the end of three.
It was all Corbin in the first two and a half minutes of the fourth period as Jones, Sutton and Akins went on a 7-0 spree, pushing the Lady Redhounds ahead 50-45. Whitley County was never able to recover.
Free throw shooting proved to pave the way for the Lady Redhounds and was costly for the Lady Colonels. Corbin hit 20 of 21 from the line while Whitley County connected on 8 of 16 from the stripe.
“I don’t know why we struggle there,” Anderson said. “Corbin shot the ball well from the free throw line and that was probably the difference.”
“I felt like we were not ready at the beginning of the game,” said Corbin coach Jennifer Parsons. “We were before the opening tip, but I think we were shell-shocked when they came out so strong. I don’t think my girls were expecting that.”
“I knew what to expect, I had seen them play and knew what potential they had,” said Parsons. “We had to fight back, if you come out ready from the beginning it should have been the other way around. We are the experienced team.”
“We kept our composure and fought through the game and played excellent,” said Parsons. “I think the difference was experience and inexperience even though I wished we had played a little stronger at the beginning of the game.”
Anderson felt the atmosphere fit tournament time and this is what seeding is all about.
“I don’t think anyone in the district will go undefeated this year,” said Anderson. “I think whoever wins their home games and maybe one on the road will eventually be the number one seed. I think it’s that close.”

Corbin 61, Whitley Co. 54
Whitley Co. 16 12 17 9- 54
Corbin 14 13 14 20- 61
Whitley County (54) – Haynes 10, McCullah 13, Brimm 19, Osborne 4, Holbrook 6, Lawson 2.
Corbin (61) – Rogers 12, Clouse 14, Jackson 5, Akins 17, Sutton 7, Jones 6.