Carroll County placed four players in double figures — including a monster double-double by Reagan Matthews — and pulled away in the second half to beat Trimble County 65-54 in girls basketball Friday in Bedford.
Matthews scored 18 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the Panthers, who dominated the game in the paint. But she wasn't the only Carroll player who was in a scoring zone. Courtney Strickland hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 16 points while Grace Perkins and Katie Hensley scored 11 each.
That firepower was more than enough to allow the Panthers to lead wire-to-wire and open 31st District play with a crucial win.
"We got into a pretty good pace and played the way we wanted to play it. And then the girls stepped up and hit some shots," Carroll coach Scott Anderson said. "We've been struggling to hit shots lately. Courtney hit a couple threes early quarter and Reagan took care of what she normally does in the paint. We've really been stressing District games and looking at other games as practice. All that matters is trying to get one of those top two seeds."
Despite Carroll's balanced scoring, the game was close until the third quarter. The Panthers never trailed, but led only 37-30 at halftime.
But the Panthers' quick style of play paid dividends in the second half. As the pace of the game picked up, Carroll seemed to relax while Trimble appeared frustrated. The Panthers eased the lead out to 53-40 by the end of the third, then ripped off a 12-5 run to start the fourth to push the lead to 20 (65-45) with 3:40 to play. Trimble got hot late and scored the final nine points of the game, but the damage had been done.
Playing that quicker style was exactly what Anderson wanted to do this season and he wasn't disappointed.
"From day one I've been trying to change the culture of we want to play fast. We want to get fast shots. We want to get as many shots as we can get," said Anderson, who is in his first year at the helm of the Panthers. "When I first got hired, everybody told me that these girls would love to play fast. When I looked to the record I said 'You know what? They probably do.'"
Trimble coach Zach Adair, also in his first season, said he too would like to see his team play at a faster pace. But with that the Raiders need to do a better job of talking on the floor.
"That's kind of the pace we want to play and we run a lot in practice. But we're not talking and not communicating, not picking up the ball early and gapping. It slowed us down," Adair said. "A lot of times they would put some transition in we wouldn't be aware of on the weak side and wouldn't rotate, then you're giving up a layup or you get a second chance."
Addison Edmondson scored 16 points to lead Trimble and Kimberly Rodriquez had 11.
On Saturday, Carroll County (3-3) suffered a 52-38 loss at Beechwood. Strickland scored 12 points and Hensley had 11 for the Panthers. On Monday they ran their record to 2-0 in 31st District play with a 47-35 win over Henry County. Hensley had 15 points, Strickland 13 and Perkins scored 10 for Carroll. The Lady Panthers host Switzerland County tonight at 7:30 p.m. and travel to Owen County Friday night for a 6 p.m. tip.
Trimble, now 2-3 overall and 1-1 in district play, won at Eminence 61-34 and hosts Gallatin County on Thursday, both district contests. The Raiders then travel to Williamstown on Friday.
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