When Stars Collide: E-Town vs John Hardin

Elizabethtown hosted John Hardin on Tuesday, December 9th, for a 5th Region matchup loaded with firepower and featuring some of Kentucky's top underclassmen. John Hardin controlled the game from the opening tip, taking a 16–9 lead after the first quarter and stretching it to 25–10 with five minutes left in the second. E-Town struggled at the free-throw line and couldn't find their rhythm offensively in the first half. They got quality looks but simply couldn't convert, while John Hardin was on fire, getting scoring contributions from multiple players. The Lady Bulldogs headed into halftime with a commanding 40–14 lead after playing impressive team basketball and disruptive team defense. E-Town finally found some offensive momentum in the third quarter, but the early deficit was too much to overcome. John Hardin never took their foot off the gas and secured a statement win, 84–68, improving to 4–0 on the season.    Charlotte set the tone defensively from the opening tip, getting a steal and securing a tough rebound that she converted into her first bucket. She came up with multiple steals in the first quarter, stayed active on the glass, and consistently created second-chance opportunities with her own put-backs. She nailed a wing three and finished the first half with 11 points, all while dropping dimes throughout the game and constantly looking to get her teammates involved. She plays the right way and makes everyone around her better. In the third quarter, she showcased her deep shooting range with a long three, then began imposing her will even more on the offensive end. Her tremendous court vision, ability to score at all three levels, and all-around impact were on full display.   Stats: 27 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals.     Ja'Leigha got it going early on offense, opening the game with a strong finish at the rim and connecting on a three from the wing. She was on fire offensively from the jump, pouring in 11 first-quarter points, including another three from the corner and several easy buckets in transition. Her first half was electric. She jumped a passing lane for a steal and took it the other way displaying a pretty ball fake into a layup, then hit a short jumper in the paint, an crashed the boards. Her activity on the defensive end really stood out to me as well. By halftime, she had already racked up 19 points. Ja'Leigha continued to impact the game in the second half, drilling a corner three in the third quarter and making a timely basket cut for a left-handed finish in the fourth. She was dominant from start to finish. Bussey is the REAL DEAL!   Stats: 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist.     Jasmine ran the floor hard and earned early trips to the stripe, showing excellent court-vision and to get others involved. She hit dribble pull-up jumper in the second quarter and continued to distribute the ball at a high level throughout the game. She added a clean euro-step finish, came up with a steal, and made smart cuts that led to quality looks at the rim. In the fourth quarter, she powered through contact for a tough bucket, putting an exclamation point on a breakout performance. I like how confident she looked bringing the ball up and how she initiated the offense, and I see tremendous growth in her game and the makings of a strong sophomore season ahead. (Featured Image)   Stats: Career-high 21 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals.     Maliah opened the game with a strong baseline drive and a smooth floater for an and-one. After a tough start, she settled in and began to find her groove, scoring through contact inside and pulling down 6 first-half rebounds. Despite struggling at the free-throw line early, she still went into halftime with 7 points and steady production on the glass. She came out of the break aggressive, attacking with a nice left-hand finish and jumping a passing lane for a steal that led to an easy deuce the other way. She really heated up offensively in the third quarter, creating contact, earning another and-one, and capping the period with a deep triple. She kept adding timely buckets the rest of the way, continuing to impose her will on offense and on the boards. Loved her competitiveness and willingness to rebound.   Stats: 26 points, 11 rebounds     Miyah was the offensive spark plug, drilling a key three for the first points of the game and attacking the rim hard to earn trips to the line. She grabbed a strong rebound and went coast-to-coast for a finish through contact, then continued to impact the game with her aggressiveness. In the third quarter, she knocked down another three from the corner and put together a huge stretch of strong drives and confident perimeter shooting. She stayed aggressive until the final buzzer, consistently getting downhill, drawing fouls, and knocking down shots from deep. Miyah scored 14 points in the second half alone and finished with 25 points.   Stats: 25 points, 4 rebounds

Elizabethtown hosted John Hardin on Tuesday, December 9th, for a 5th Region matchup loaded with firepower and featuring some of Kentucky's top underclassmen. John Hardin controlled the game from the opening tip, taking a 16–9 lead after the first quarter and stretching it to 25–10 with five minutes left in the second. E-Town struggled at the free-throw line and couldn't find their rhythm offensively in the first half. They got quality looks but simply couldn't convert, while John Hardin was on fire, getting scoring contributions from multiple players. The Lady Bulldogs headed into halftime with a commanding 40–14 lead after playing impressive team basketball and disruptive team defense. E-Town finally found some offensive momentum in the third quarter, but the early deficit was too much to overcome. John Hardin never took their foot off the gas and secured a statement win, 84–68, improving to 4–0 on the season.