7th grader Kendal Hardin ties Bourbon’s school-record for threes made in a game

She now shares the record with her sister Laiken, as Bourbon knocks off Augusta and Powell County

 

IVAN K. RICE I doctorofsports@aol.com

 

PARIS, KY – Lady Colonels’ second-year Head Coach Kylie Hilander has been talking highly about seventh grader Kendal Hardin all season long and rightfully so, considering how well the seventh grader (although she’s certainly not playing like one) is playing for her Lady Colonels, which many believed would struggle this year after losing long time starters Laiken Hardin and Caylie Baker. But thanks to the younger Hardin and the inside presence of Morgan Howell and Regan Ring, that hasn’t been the case.

Bourbon, just before Winter Storm Blair would shut things down, won their last two games with Hardin, the team’s top scorer, leading the way as they blew past 10th Region foe Augusta and then took down Powell County, out of Region 14 a day later, also inside Russ Day Gymnasium, improving their record to 8-7 on the year.

Against Augusta, Hardin finished her evening with a blistering 7 three-point goals to tie Laiken for the most threes made in a single game. Her night saw her with a career-high 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. She also had the stern test of guarding Augusta’s top scorer Laci Tackett, holding the Lady Panthers’ junior to 12 points.

“Kendal is extremely well rounded as a 7th grader and she is the ultimate team player,” shared Hilander. “She has a very bright future ahead of her.”

Bourbon, who also received a big evening out of senior guard Riley Hunt (19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 made threes), was in a battle with the Panthers at the beginning, with both teams scoring 19 points each after the first quarter of play. The Tackett sisters Laci and the senior Reagan led the Panthers with six points each during the period, while senior Kenzington Hinson had 5 points. Bourbon was led by Hunt (8 points), and Hardin (6 points) as both players hit two three-point goals each.

The teams played pretty evenly throughout the second eight minutes, but Bourbon ended up winning the quarter 15-13 to grab a 34-32 lead at the break. Hardin finished the quarter making three treys to lead Hilander’s team with 15 first half points. Five different players scored for the Panthers during the period that helped them stay close with the home team.

The third quarter is when the Lady Colonels put this one away as they outscored Augusta 22-6 to push their margin out to 56-38 heading into the final quarter.

Hunt’s 9 points, all coming from behind the three-point line, as well as Hardin’s 6 points, and Ring’s 5 points, were the main reasons Bourbon put some much needed distance between them and Augusta. The Lady Colonels would then ride that momentum into the fourth quarter to win those eight minutes 14-8 to leave Russ Day Gymnasium with a nice 70-46 victory, after outscoring the Lady Panthers in the second half 36-14.

Along with Hardin and Hunt, the Lady Colonels received a huge game out of senior Morgan Howell, who finished her evening with her fifth double-double of the season. Her stat line had her with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. Ring was equally impressive with 8 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Rounding out the scoring were freshman Paisley Hutchison with 3, and junior Makenzie Jolly had 2.

Hilander had this to say following their win over Augusta, where her team made 13 threes and grabbed 44 rebounds.

“We’ve been talking about having strong starts, putting pressure on the other teams early. We came out ready to play, as Riley had 3 steals within the first 2 minutes of the game.”

Bourbon concluded the week with a 45-36 victory over the Powell County Lady Pirates.

Hardin, again, led them in scoring with 18 points that included four made three-point goals, giving her a total of 43 treys on the season. She also added 4 rebounds.

Ring reached double figures with 11 points to go along with her 11 rebounds. Hunt totaled 6 points, and 4 rebounds, while Howell had 4 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Completing their scoring had senior Tiffany Jones with 3 (4 rebounds), Hutchison 2, and eighth grader Maddy Bezeau with 1 point.

Weather permitting, the Lady Colonels, who are in a midst of nine straight home games, will return to action tomorrow night when they entertain the Lady Defenders of Bryan Station out of the tough 11th Region.

ALL GAME PHOTOS TAKEN BY KRISTA BARNETT