HINDMAN — The Clay County Lady Tigers came up just short in an overtime battle Friday night, falling 66–63 to the Hazard Lady Bulldogs in the semifinals of the WYMT Mountain Classic.
Hazard led 12–11 at the end of the first quarter before the teams went into halftime tied at 24 apiece. The Lady Bulldogs pulled ahead in the third quarter, taking a 41–35 advantage into the final period.
Clay County responded with a strong fourth-quarter push, outscoring Hazard 21–15 to force overtime.
However, Hazard regained control in the extra period, edging the Lady Tigers 10–7 to secure the win.
“I was very proud of our team’s fight. It was a very back and forth game against a talented team,” Clay County coach Gemma Gray said. “Mistakes and defensive lapses ended up catching up with us at the end. I’m very proud of the effort we played with, and we’re looking forward to our game Tuesday at Harlan Independent.”
Clay County shot 22-of-61 from the field, including 5-of-16 from three-point range, and went 14-of-22 at the free-throw line. The Lady Tigers were narrowly outrebounded 43–41 and committed 16 turnovers.
Hazard finished 25-of-63 shooting from the floor, hit 6-of-23 from beyond the arc, and converted 10-of-13 free throws. The Lady Bulldogs turned the ball over 17 times.
Maci White led Clay County with a standout performance, scoring 24 points while adding seven rebounds and four blocks. Carly Fultz followed with 16 points and nine rebounds, and Harper Rice chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds as the Lady Tigers placed three players in double figures.
