Jim Mashek

STATE-RANKED LADYKATS EARN 23rd WIN AGAINST SINGLE DEFEAT, 53-44

FRANKLIN — Barren County’s Tate Spillman was anxious to get back in the win column, after the Trojans took losses in four of their previous five games.

Including Monday night’s 58-43 defeat at the hands of struggling Allen County-Scottsville in the Patriots’ gym.

So Spillman and the Trojans emphasized a fast start against homestanding Franklin-Simpson on Tuesday night, after the Lady Wildcats — ranked ninth, statewide, in this week’s Courier-Journal girls basketball poll — turned back a dogged Barren County squad, 53-44, in the first game of a doubleheader on Franklin-Simpson’s home court.

Spillman hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter and the Trojans followed his lead, keeping the Wildcats at arm’s length for a 54-44 victory. Barren County improved to 15-8 overall and will play host to another KHSAA 4th Region contender, Monroe County, on Friday night in Glasgow. Franklin-Simpson dropped to 12-9 overall, with three consecutive road games on the horizon, starting Friday night at Logan County (11-13).

Spillman scored a game-high 17 points and helped keep the Trojans in control against Franklin-Simpson, which threatened early in the fourth quarter until Barren County reeled off seven consecutive points to extend its lead to 48-37.

“Last night was a rough night, at Allen County,” Spillman said. “Tonight, we needed to to get some momentum, to carry us the rest of the year. When tournament time comes around, we’re going to have to keep trusting in each other.”

Barren County coach Warren Cunningham said Spillman and fellow BCHS guard Mason Bunch put the Trojans on the right track, and they completed the task at hand with a strong defensive effort in the second half.

“It’s been a struggle, since we came back from the ‘snow break,’ ” Cunningham said. “We needed to play well. Getting a win was big for us. (Opponents) scout us, and try to keep us off the 3-point line. But Tate and Mason hit those big shots in the first half.”

Franklin-Simpson’s O.J. Gamble had a handful of spectacular plays and led the Wildcats with 15 points.

“They smacked us around a little, early on, and we didn’t respond,” Franklin-Simpson coach Dee Spencer said. “They did a good job of breaking us down, defensively … we’ve just got to play better defense.”

Spillman’s outside shot, shortly before halftime, sent the Trojans to a 32-23 lead into the break. Bunch made it happen in the third quarter, with two 3-pointers — one from downtown, on the right wing, and the other in transition — to extend the Barren County lead to 38-25.

That prompted Spencer to call a timeout, but the Wildcats couldn’t make their move until the fourth quarter.

FRANKLIN-SIMPSON GIRLS 53, BARREN COUNTY 44

Franklin-Simpson’s 6-foot-1 junior center, LaReesha Cawthorn, made plays at both ends of the floor as the Ladycats extended their winning streak to seven games.

Franklin-Simpson (23-1 overall) has emerged as perhaps the primary threat to end Bowling Green High School’s four-year run as the KHSAA 4th Region champion, but Barren County (17-7) has had similar ambitions since its 59-37 loss to the Lady Purples in the 4th Region championship game last year at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.

“I thought we could match (Franklin-Simpson’s) physicality, but they’re tough to guard,” Barren County coach Piper Lindsey said. “Our tallest girl is 5-foot-8, and at 6 feet, they (Cawthorn and Kloie Smith) are able to shoot over you, every time. You’ve got to do the little things well, to succeed.”

Smith led the Ladykats with 18 points and Cawthorn finished with 17.

“We’re looking at finishing our district strong,” Franklin-Simpson coach Ashley Taylor said. “We’re going to flip the page, look ahead to Logan County on Friday. I think we finished the game well tonight; we’ve seen some growth in our team. We’re a veteran team.”

Cawthorn, who has a handful of NCAA Division I offers, including Tennessee-Martin, has been a Franklin-Simpson starter since her middle school days.

“The coaches push us really hard in practice,” Cawthorn said, “so when it’s time to play, it’s almost like a break.”

Junior guard Abby Varney led the Trojanettes with 21 points, and sophomore guard Kaitlyn Elmore finished with 11. Only four Barren County players scored in the game.

Varney is averaging 17 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Cawthorn has put up impressive numbers, too, leading the Ladycats with 19 points and 10 rebounds per game.