Paducah Tilghman (23-8, Second District Champions) v. Carlisle County (9-16, First District Runner-Up)

Head to Head...Paducah Tilghman and Carlisle County did not meet during the regular season.

Last five games...Paducah Tilghman 3-2, Carlisle County 1-4

Games decided by five points or less...Paducah Tilghman 4-1, Carlisle County 5-2

When scoring 50 points or more...Paducah Tilghman 23-7, Carlisle County 6-1

When scoring 50 points or less...Paducah Tilghman 0-1, Carlisle County 3-15

Average points per game...Paducah Tilghman 66.8, Carlisle County 41.5

Average points allowed per game...Paducah Tilghman 55.4, Carlisle County 51.4

Against the regional tournament field...Paducah Tilghman 7-3, Carlisle County 0-8

Strength of Schedule...Advantage, Paducah Tilghman.  Josh Barnett always tests the Tornado against difficult competition, and this year was no different.  Tilghman faced Ballard Memorial, Calloway County, Graves County, and Marshall County twice (5-3 against), and they own a win over Community Christian.  They also faced a very good Beech, TN team at the Lady Bomber Shootout, and the Tornado squared off with 28-1 Madison Central at Mercer County's Titans Christmas Clash.  Carlisle County has a very young basketball team, and they faced a schedule appropriate for the make-up of their club...but clearly Tilghman has faced a slate that provides outstanding preparation for postseason play.

Blue Streak...Tilghman's Chelsey Shumpert is the most explosive guard in the First Region, and if not for the spectacular play of Averee Fields, the 5-3 freshman would likely be the player of the year in the region.  Shumpert has played at an MVP-type level all year long, and even more has been required of her since the departure of Brandy Allen from the Tornado lineup.  She scored a game-high 30 points and made the game-winning jumper with four seconds remaining to lift Tilghman to the Second District tournament title over Heath, offering another reminder of her brilliance in the clutch. Shumpert makes as many tough shots as any player in the region, and she seems to get better in the biggest moments.  She's on pace to the become the First Region's all-time leading scorer (averaging nearly 23 ppg this year), she is a brilliant creator (4.5 apg), and a havoc-wreaker with her speed and quickness on the defensive end.

More Fab Freshmen...Carlisle County's future appears bright, resting in the hands of their own talented freshmen.  Macy Moran and Jenna Babb give the Lady Comets an outside-inside punch, and if they adopt the outstanding work ethic of their coach...former Carlisle star Ember Hoskins Wright...they have a chance to join her among the school's all-time best.  Moran is a double-figure scorer (11.3 ppg), and she combines three-point range with a strong and physical frame that gets her to the basket and the foul line.  She is also a fine passer, leading the Lady Comets with 3.5 assists per game.  Babb is a strong and mobile forward with the ability to put up a double-double every night.  Like Moran, Babb is strong and she embraces the physical play around the basket.  Not simply a low-post bruiser, Babb can make the face-up jumper out to 12 feet easily, and she moves well on both ends of the floor.  Averages 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Barnett factor...Josh Barnett was our Froggyland Sports Girls Coach of the Year last season, and Tilghman's 2009-2010 season is just a reminder that he is one of the best coaches in Kentucky.  The Tornado has been tangled in turmoil for six weeks, and there is no way to cover the absence of Allen (19 ppg, 8 rpg), but you have a feeling that Barnett will have all the pieces around Shumpert...Alexis Parker, LaQuesha Prather, Kendra Patterson, Destiny Skinner, Ngodoo Itiavkase...in place to create problems for the regional tournament field.  March is a time for great players to shine, but it never hurts to have a coach that knows the path to postseason success.