By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Friday night’s game between the West Carter Lady Comets and the Menifee Lady Cats was a nail biter at times, despite West Carter’s eventual seven point victory. Menifee tried hard to rally, coming within three points of the Comets early in the third period, and within two points twice in the fourth period, but always coming up just short.
West Carter ended the first period up by four points, 16-12, and held pretty close in the second period, edging up by another point over Menifee to end the half 30-25.
The Lady Comets started the third period stretching their five point lead to seven on a pair of foul shots, but a pair of back-to-back goals by Menifee’s Taylor Parks and Morgan Wells brought the score to 32-29 early in the period. A field goal by Kara Jordan widened the gap again, and a foul shot by Menifee’s Kelsie Woodard put the score at 34-30. A three-pointer from Allie Stone and a shot from Beth Middleton put West Carter up by nine for a while, but a three-point shot from Menifee’s Jayce Gevendon made the score 39-33 going into the fourth period.
That’s when things got interesting.
A basket each from Wells and Woodard brought Menifee within a goal of West Carter in the fourth period, but the Lady Comets extended their lead by eight points on three-point shots from Millie Henderson and Stone, putting the score at 45-37.
Parks would score again for Menifee, taking the score to 45-39, but Henderson sank another three-pointer, widening the gap once again 48-39.
Another rally by Menifee brought them within two points again after three field goals and a foul shot, two of them from Parks, brought the score to 48-46. Henderson broadened the Lady Comets’ lead to five again on another three-pointer, but Menifee’s Woodard brought the Lady Cats within three points of West Carter on a two-point shot, 51-48, then again on another goal after a pair of foul shots by Stone put the Comets at 53. Woodard’s basket bringing the Lady Cats to 50 points, with 31.6 seconds left on the clock, would be Menifee’s last though.
West Carter broadened their lead to 55-50 on a pair of foul shots by Middleton and to 57-50 on another pair of free throws from Jordan, before running out the rest of the clock.
Stone was the top scorer for West Carter with 24 points on five two-point field goals, four three-pointers, and a pair of free throws. She had six total rebounds with five defensive and one offensive, and five assists. Henderson had 14 points, with twelve of those points coming from three-point shots and one from a two-point, seven total rebounds – three offensive and four defensive – and one assist. Middleton had 11 points on two field goals, a three-point shot and four free throws, seven offensive rebounds, five defensive rebounds, and an assist. Jordan scored six points on a pair of field goals and a pair of free throws, had two offensive rebounds, three defensive rebounds, and two assists. Kylie Gilliam had two points on a field goal and two rebounds, one defensive and one offensive. Lexie Bond had three defensive rebounds and two assists, Kayleigh Rayburn had a pair of defensive rebounds for the Lady Comets, and Peyton Stegall had a pair of offensive rebounds and an assist.
Woodard had 24 points for Menifee, Morgan Wells six, Shaylee Baker six, Parks eight, Cali Wells three and Gevendon three.
Coach Faith Conn said she was happy with the performance from her girls.
“Menifee is a good team. I mean, Woodard is fantastic. Just the way she alters the game herself will make any team play hard,” Conn said.
She said the team had practiced keeping the ball in motion in the week leading up to the game, something that she thought helped the girls.
“One thing we have worked on a lot this week was passing the ball, and getting it to where we see an open man, and today I think we did that so much that we did it too much,” she laughed. “So we talked about that a couple of times, and just the intensity of the mind set where we are going to play to win every single game.”
The West Carter boys team had their last game, against Rowan County, canceled per COVID-19 restrictions. Their next home game was scheduled for Tuesday night, after press time for this paper, against Raceland. The Lady Comets were also scheduled to meet Raceland that night, with both games regional championships.
We will share results of those games online as information is available and in next week’s paper.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Menifee’s Jayce Gevendon, #5, guards West Carter’s Allie Stone, #22. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Millie Henderson, #30, guards for Allie Stone, #22, as the Lady Comets’ take advantage of an opening. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Menifee’s Cali Wells, #10, faces off against the Lady Comets’ Lexie Bond, #5. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
