BARBOURVILLE — Clay County left little doubt in the 49th District Girls’ Tournament semifinals, rolling past Jackson County 67-31 to earn a berth in the 13th Region Tournament for the first time in five years.
The Lady Tigers seized control early and never looked back, using a balanced offensive attack and relentless pressure on the defensive end to pull away. Clay County outscored Jackson County 14-10 in the first quarter before blowing the game open in the second, holding the Lady Generals to just eight points while pouring in 27 of their own to take a commanding 41-18 halftime lead.
Clay County continued to dominate after the break, limiting Jackson County to just three points in the third quarter. The Lady Tigers’ defense forced turnovers, controlled the glass, and consistently turned stops into scoring opportunities.
Carly Fultz led all scorers with 26 points, adding 10 rebounds for a double-double performance. Harper Rice followed with 14 points and five assists, while Lauryn Sizemore chipped in 15 points to give Clay County three players in double figures.
Clay County finished the night shooting 43.8 percent from the field and knocked down nine three-pointers, while also winning the rebounding battle 30-23.
Jackson County struggled offensively throughout the game, shooting 31.4 percent from the floor and connecting on just one three-pointer. The Lady Generals were held to single digits in three of the four quarters.
