CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - The Lady Tigers had a senior moment Saturday afternoon, but fortunately it wasn't one endorsed by the AARP.
Saying goodbye to six seniors who have led Campbellsville to 103 wins, the Lady Tigers dismantled the University of the Cumberlands 101-72 for their 32nd conference win in their last 33 starts.
"We handled the pre-game emotions better than I thought we would," said coach Ginger Colvin. "When you have that many seniors against your biggest rival, it was cause for concern."
Campbellsville was led in scoring by senior Whitney Ballinger with 29 points and 10 rebounds. All but one of her fellow seniors scored in the game (T.J. Thomas had two nice assists), making up 47 of the team's 101 points. It was a punctuation mark for a group of women who have made their marks in CU Lady Tiger history.
But as good as the seniors were, it was a duo of underclassmen who were difference-makers. Mackenzie Lee had 13 first-half points (18 for the game), seven in a 60-second span of the first half that put CU ahead by 16, 39-23. Lee was joined in double figures by Courtney Clifton (23) and Alexia Williams (10).
Campbellsville (25-3, 17-1) seized a 20-point lead in the first half and led at intermission, 48-33. And Cumberlands (16-14, 10-8) could do little to dent that advantage after the break as CU constructed a lead of 37 points (86-49) with eight minutes left in the game.
"We let them penetrate a lot, so I can't say that our defense was great today," said Colvin.
The game was so important that Colvin didn't go with a "normal" Senior Day lineup, instead choosing to go with her regular lineup.
"We have six seniors so we were going to have to leave someone out. I think it's a testament to this team's unselfishness that they were OK with that," said Colvin.
Members of the senior class: Whitney Ballinger, Carrollton, Ky.; Courtney Danis, Mt. Sterling, Ky.; Millie Deason, Elkton, Ky.; Melly Heaton, Princeton, Ky.; T.J. Thomas, Glasgow, Ky.; and Alexia Williams, Campbellsville, Ky.
Campbellsville moves on as the No.-1 seed in the Mid-South Tournament and will play Thursday at 4 p.m. in Frankfort against the winner of a play-in game between St. Catharine and Virginia-Wise.
Cumberlands (72) - Quattrociocchi 8, Brimm 7, Gustafasson 16, Salyers 3, Edmonds 11, Coleman 17, Rodriques 7. Totals 24-64 20-31 72.
Lady Tigers (101) - Lee 18, Heaton 3, Danis 2, Clifton 23, Ballinger 29, Isaacs 7, Williams 10, Dunn 6, Deason3, . Totals 23-58 26-32 73.
Half-time - Campbellsville 48-33.
Three-point goals - Cumberlands 4-9, Campbellsville 7-16 (Lee 1, Clifton 2, Ballinger 1, Heaton 1, Williams 2).
Rebounds - Cumberlands 41, Campbellsville36 (Ballinger 10, Clifton 7).
Assists - Cumberlands , Campbellsville 15 (Lee 2, Danis 2, Thomas 2, Allen 2, Dunn 2).
Steals - Cumberlands 10, Campbellsville 15 (Lee 5)..
Blocked shots - Campbellsville 7 (Ballinger 4).
