After splitting a pair of games on Saturday and Monday evenings, the Lady Cougar JV squad evened its season record at 5-5.

On Saturday, the Lady Cougars fell to Butler County 35-27. On Monday in Owensboro, behind Moriah Ashley’s 17 points, the Lady Cougars beat Owensboro Catholic 46-35.

BUTLER COUNTY

The Lady Bears (4-3) broke open a tight game with a 15-1 run at the end of the second quarter and the start of the third to take command and they never let the Lady Cougars (4-5) back in the game.

The Lady Bears scored five straight to take a 7-4 lead at the 5:50 mark of the second quarter, but the Lady Cougars got a rebound basket from Katie Newton and a short jumper from eighth-grader Cassidy Swift to take an 8-7 lead with 4:19 left in the half.

That would be the last time they had the lead as the Lady Bears went on their 15-1 run. Lexie Smith scored on a put-back, and Heather Jennings hit a three-pointer and a lay-up as Butler County led 14-9 at the half.

Smith then hit back-to-back threes and a 10-footer opening the third quarter and the Lady Bears led by 13 points, 22-9 with 4:24 left in the period.

Kylee Gorby hit a pair of three-pointers to close the gap to nine points, 24-15 with 1:53 left, but Butler County still led by 11, 30-10 heading into the final period of play.

Gorby scored on a lay-up, then hit another three at the 4:47 mark to pull her team to within six points, 30-24, but they would get no closer.

Smith led all scorers in the game with 16 points and Jennings added 11 for the Lady Bears.

Gorby led Grayson County with 13 points and also led on the boards with four rebounds. Ashley had four points, while Sarah Taylor and Alex Crowe had three each. Newton and Swift both finished with two points to complete the scoring.

OWENSBORO CATHOLIC

The Lady Cougars put together a 16-2 run late in the game to take charge of what had been a nip-and-tuck game.

Ashley had her best offensive performance of the year and Gorby just missed a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds. Gorby also led the team with five assists.

An Ashley lay-up with 2:31 left in the first period put the Lady Cougars up by four, 9-5, but they led by just one, 9-8 at the end of the period. A Gorby three at the start of the second quarter pushed the lead back to four points, but the Lady Aces stayed right with the Lady Cougars.

Leading by a point in the closing seconds, the Lady Cougars held for the last shot and Ashley beat the buzzer with a lay-up to make it 17-14 at the half.

A three-pointer from Lauren Yevincy at the 2:55 mark of the third quarter put the Lady Aces on top 21-19, but Taylor answered with a three of her own with 1:39 left to put the Lady Cougars back in front.

Two free throws by Martina Riney tied things at 23-23 at the 1:01 mark, but that’s when the Lady Cougars put the game away.

Crowe beat the third quarter buzzer with a three that completed a 7-1 run closing out the period to give the Lady Cougars a 30-24 lead. They then opened the fourth quarter with a 9-1 burst to bulge the lead to 14 points, 39-25 with 3:59 left to play. The Lady Aces were never closer than eight points the rest of the way.

Lara Riney led the Lady Aces with 10 points.

Crowe finished with nine points, all on three pointers, and pulled down five boards. Taylor had six points, all on threes and added four rebounds. Halee Johnston scored two points to complete the scoring and also had four rebounds.