The Christian County Lady Colonels faced an early challenge Thursday night but showed resilience and determination in a 59-51 loss to Portland, Tennessee, during the Toyota of Hopkinsville Holiday Classic at Hopkinsville High School.
Portland opened the game with a fast start, scoring the first eight points of the night. Early turnovers put Christian County on its heels, allowing the Lady Panthers to build momentum and take advantage in transition. After the first quarter, the Lady Colonels trailed 17-5.
Christian County settled in during the second quarter, tightening ball control and finding a spark behind senior Anaysia Bagwell. The Lady Colonels opened the quarter on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 19-13. While shots were slow to fall, Christian County continued to battle, heading into halftime trailing 30-19.
Coming out of the locker room, the Lady Colonels turned up the defensive pressure, forcing Portland into mistakes and creating opportunities on both ends of the floor. Fueled by Genesis McGee’s energy and scoring, Christian County closed the gap to just four points midway through the third quarter at 38-34, bringing the crowd back into the game.
A late three-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer pushed Portland’s lead back to 46-36 heading into the final period, but Christian County continued to fight. The Lady Colonels opened the fourth quarter with four straight points, trimming the deficit to 46-40. Despite multiple pushes in the closing minutes, Portland was able to make timely plays to hold off the comeback attempt.
McGee led Christian County with 15 points, including 13 in the second half. Bagwell added 10 points, while Carliah Hobson contributed nine points and eight rebounds in a strong all-around performance.
Christian County moves to 2-1 on the season and will return to action Saturday in Paducah, taking on McCracken County in the 2025 Holiday Hoopla Classic.
Despite the final score, the Lady Colonels showed poise and perseverance, battling back from an early deficit and continuing to grow as the season progresses.
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