Jennifer Morgan Creech

Powell County 2015 graduate, Jennifer Morgan Creech, a now three time UCA College Co-ed Cheerleading National Champion.

Creech has also tried out and made the USA Co-Ed Cheerleading National Team.

The former University of Kentucky Blue Squad Cheerleader and now Morehead State University Cheerleader has reached the top of her sport.

The USA Co-Ed Cheerleading National Team includes members from around the nation who will compete in April against other teams from around the world for a Gold Medal.

Cheerleading has received provisional acceptance for the Olympics and hopes to be included in the 2020 summer games.

Team members have to try out for the team every year to be part of the team to compete in the Olympic Games once they are included.  For now the Cheerleading Olympics are held at ICU Worlds at Disney every April.

The team is filled with the most talented Co-Ed cheerleaders from around the nation.

They will be training in Atlanta together proceeding their competition in Orlando at the end of April.

Each USA Cheer member is responsible for raising funds to help support their training, travel, and gear for the quest for another Gold Medal.

Please check out Jennifer’s instagram (jennifercreech) or her Facebook page(Jennifer Morgan Creech) there is a link where you can donate to help her represent the USA.

Also follow her and watch her journey as the team, affectionately call each other Super Friends, takes on the world of Cheerleading.  We are so excited to have a former Powell County graduate and cheerleader reach this level in her sport.

She will also be competeing in the NCA Cheerleading Partner Stunt Competiton in Daytona Beach,

Florida on April 7 representing Morehead State University as it competes for another National Championship at the Bandshell with 13 other partner stunt couples that made it from across the country.

Jennifer is a Junior at Morehead State University and Animal Science Major.  She hopes to work in the field of dairy cow

production in the future or possibly with wildlife.

She attended the University of Kentucky her freshman and sophomore years where she won 2 UCA Co-ed Cheerleading National titles and won her third UCA National Co-ed Cheerleading title this past January with Morehead State University.

She hopes to continue and win a few more before she graduates along with a couple Gold medals.

We wish her well in both ventures and hope she continues to represent Powell County and the USA with such grace and amazing talent.

Times Staff

Sportswriter

   The Powell County Lady Pirates liked their chances as they entered the 14th Region Girl’s Basketball Tournament last week in Irvine. In their bracket was a team they believed they could beat and another they had beaten last month. They did manage to make it to the semifinals, but came up short on their quest for a title.

Powell won their first round game against Wolfe County, 62-52. But they ran into a buzz saw, also known as Knott County Central, falling to the Lady Patriots 69-36.

    The tournament opened last Monday as Powell and Wolfe took to the floor during the Tuesday night action, in the final first round game. Powell took advantage early, jumping out to a 15-6 lead. Powell was able to control the game because of their bench. The Lady Pirates could substitute and never really lose much on the floor. The evidence was he far that Powell’s bench would end up outscoring the Lady Wolves bench, 20-2. By the time the halftime horn sounded, Powell held a 34-22 lead.

    Wolfe, the 55th District Champions, did no come to the tournament just to watch. The Lady Wolves picked up some steam in the third quarter. Outscoring Powell 13-7 in the quarter, the Lady Pirates lead was dwindled down to 41-35 as the game entered the final frame.

    Powell regrouped, as Emily Branham came off the bench to turn up the heat in the game. Scoring her points in the second half, Branham and the Lady Pirates outlast the Lady Wolves. The Lady Pirates held on to their lead and pushed it out to a comfortable double digit advantage. When the final horn sounded, Powell had advanced to the semifinals with a 62-52 victory.

    Wolfe out rebounded Powell 27-25, but that was the only advantage they held. Powell outshot Wolfe (48 to 41 percent) and turnovers (22-16). But both teams were exactly even on the charity stripe, going 11-for-16 for a very impressive 68 percent.

    Wolfe was led by Hailey Smith with a game high 21 points and Madison Neeley with 11 points. The Lady Wolves ended their season with a 14-14 record.

    Powell was led by Branham with an incredible performance and 18 points. Dakota Brown added 14 points and seven rebounds to the cause.

Powell turned for action in the semifinals last Friday against Knott Central. Back on Feb. 10, Powell pulled off quite  huge win for the program, beating the Lady Patriots 51-39. Powell believed they could advance to the final round. But KCC had other plans.

Knott Central opened a 10-6 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They dominated Powell in every aspect of the game. The Lady Patriots out shot Powell (57 to 25 percent) as the Lady Pirates only hit nine shots from the field. Knott Central also out rebounded Powell 31-18.

Powell had a tough time with weak side help on rebounding and difficulty in containing the Knott shooters. Knott took advantage of every Powell missed shot and held a 30-20 halftime lead. It was the closest Powell would get the rest of the evening. There was a little excitement in the otherwise one-sided game. Powell’s Ashley King and Knott’s Breana Harrington traded some words after King was fouled on a shot by Harrington. The result was a double technical. But with the exception of some physical play, the Lady Patriots rolled through the second half, outscoring Powell 39-16. The result was a revenge win by the Lady Patriots, 69-36.

     Knott, who went on to beat Hazard 48-45 in the championship game last Saturday, was led by Harrington with a game high 19 points and nine rebounds. Allie O’Hair tossed in 14 and Jada Higgins chipped in 12 points. They will play Louisville Mercy today (Thursday, Mar.8) in the Kentucky Girl’s State Tournament first round.

The Lady Pirates were led by Dakota Brown with 12 points and Emily Branham with 11 points. Ashley King scored five points. Macey Howell, Briana Bush, Alisha Elam and Gracie Hall each scored two points in the final game of the year.

     Brown and Branham were both named to the 14th Region All-Tournament Team.

Powell closed out their season with a 17-13 record.

Powell’s Dakota Brown fires up two of her 14 points against Lee County last Thursday in the 56th District Girl’s Tournament Championship Game. Powell put up a valiant effort, but came up short, losing 44-42. The lady Pirates did advance to play to play in the 14th Region Tournament at Estill County this week.

Times staff

sportswriter

Photo by Sonya Dennis King

The Lady Pirates extended their win streak to five games in the season finale at Western Hills last Friday night. The Lady Pirates came from behind to ruin the Lady Wolverines Senior Night. Powell won 50-40.

     The Power County Lady Pirates winning streak continued through the final game of the regular season. Powell added to the streak, picking two more wins and making it five in a row. The lady Pirates took to the road to beat Buckhorn and Western Hills.

    Last Tuesday night Powell traveled to Buckhorn and had little trouble downing the Lady Wildcats. coming back from a 23-17 halftime deficit, Powell controlled the second half, out scoring the hosts 34-20, to capture another victory in the 14th Region. The Lady Pirates beat Buckhorn, 51-43.

     Powell shot better, hitting 16-of 37 shot from the field for 43 percent. They also had a good night at the free throw line, connecting on 70 percent  (17-of-24) of their shots.

     Powell was led by Dakota Brown with a game high 16 points and nine rebounds. Alisha Elam tossed in 12 points. Ashley King scored nine and had five assists, while Macey Howell added eight points and seven boards to the cause. Emily Branham scored four points and Gracie Hall added two points.

     Then last Friday Powell set sail to Frankfort to play Western Hills. If the Lady Wolverines thought their Senior Night would be easy, they were sorely mistaken. The game stayed close throughout, but a big fourth quarter made the difference. The Lady Pirates took home a 50-40 win.

     Powell enjoyed a slim 11-10 lead early, but fell behind 21-19 at the half. That did not see to bother the Lady Pirates much. The two teams played dead even in the third period and entered the final frame with the home team leading 32-30.

     The Lady Pirates took control in the fourth. The defense sharpened their skills and the offense went to work. Powell outscored the Lady Wolverines, 20-8, in the fourth quarter as Powell caught and passed their opponent. When the final horn sounded the Lady Pirates picked up their fifth straight win, beating Western Hills.

Powell shot 42 percent (17-of-40) from the field, while holding Western Hills to just 28 percent (14-of-50). Most of the home team’s missed shots came in the decisive fourth quarter. Free throw shooting was a little concerning for Powell, hitting 14-of-24 (58 percent) from the charity stripe. And rebounding was dead even at 26 for both teams.

     Brown led the Lady Pirates with 14 points and eight rebounds, while playing the entire game. King scored nine points, while Elam added seven and Hall scored four points. Howell and Briana Bush each scored three points, as Sierra McKinney scored two points in the game.

     Powell finished the regular season with a 15-11 record, 2-4 in district play. The Lady Pirates were seeded fourth in the 56th District Girl’s Tournament and was slated to play top seeded Owsley County this past Monday at Lee County. Owsley has beaten Powell in both matches this season, 64-55 and 69-55. Powell is looking to continue their streak and pull off the upset.

Times staff

sportswriter

       The Lady Pirates had dropped three games in a row and was looking to right the ship entering the last full week of regular season play. They not only snapped the losing streak, they won three straight. Now they are looking to peak at just the right time.

The Lady Pirates knocked off Montgomery County, upset the Knott Central Lady Patriots and handled Lexington Christian on Senior Night. The trio of triumphs has helped to boost some much needed confidence for Powell County, at a time when it is needed most.

     The Lady Pirates hosted Montgomery County last Thursday evening and showed no mercy on a rebuilding Lady Indians squad. Powell jumped out to an 18-8 lead and never looked back. The Lady Pirates rolled to a 62-34 victory over their northern neighbors.

     Powell held Montgomery to single digit scoring in all four quarters, while holding the visitors to 29 percent shooting (13-44). Meanwhile the home team shot 48 percent from the field (28-58).

    Powell was led by Macey Howell with a season high 23 points and she picked up seven rebounds. Dakota Brown scored 16 points and had eight boards. Emily Branham added seven, Gracie Hall scored five and Alisha Elam added four points. Briana Bush nailed a three, while Lauren Payne and Ashley King each scored two points.

     Montgomery was led by Kennon Owens with 10 points.

     Powell then hosted a perennial 14th Region powerhouse when Knott County Central came to Stanton last Saturday. The Lady Pirates ambushed their guests after jumping out to an early 11-8 lead. Powell held Knott Central in check, leading 21-12 at halftime. The Lady Pirates continued to dominate through the third quarter as well, holding a 37-20 when the quarter ended. It was then that the Lady Patriots tried to mount a comeback, outscoring Powell in the final frame. But it was too little, too late. The Lady Pirates completed he upset, 51-39.

     Powell shot an impressive 50 percent (19-38) from the field in the upset win. The Lady Patriots were cold, hitting only 39 percent (15-44) from the field.

     Powell was led by Dakota Brown with a game high 20 points and nine rebounds. Macey Howell tossed in 10 points and Ashley King chipped in nine. Emily Branham, Alisha Elam, Briana Bush and Gracie Hall each scored three points.

Knott Central was led by Keara Mullins with 15 and Breana Harrington with 14 points. They fell to 18-9.

      Powell then hosted Lexington Christian Academy this past Monday for Senior Night. Dakota Brown, Gracie Hall and Alisha Elam started and played their last home game wearing their Lady Pirates uniform. Despite a game more reminiscent of girls basketball in days gone by, Powell won their third straight game beating the Lady Eagles, 37-20.

     The game was marred by a lot of missed shots by both teams. Both sides played a lot of zone defense, some on-on-one and scoring was very low. A lot like games used to be back over 30 years ago.

     Neither team really got on a big run and neither could manage to score in double digits in a quarter until the fourth. It was then that Powell managed to hit the mark.

    How slow and low scoring was it? Powell held a 9-6 lead after one quarter and was ahead 17-10 at the half. After three periods of play Powell was still in control, 26-14. Powell scored 11 points in the fourth, while cruising to the 37-20 win.

     Powell was 15-43 from the field for a cool 34 percent. But LCA was down right cold from the field, hitting just 8-of-43 shots (18 percent). The Lady Eagles did manage to hold a slight advantage at the charity stripe, connecting on 4-of-9 (44 percent) to Powell’s 4-of-10 (40 percent) performance.

     The Lady Pirates were led by senior Dakota Brown with a game high 20 points and high rebounds. Senior Gracie Hall scored seven points and senior Alisha Elam added three points. Briana Bush scored on a three pointer, while Emily Branham and Macey Howell each scored two points.

     Powell improved their record to 12-11 with just two more regular season games to go. The Lady Pirates were slated to travel to Buckhorn this past Tuesday and then finish the schedule at Western Hills on Friday.

    Powell will then begin postseason play next week at Lee County. The 56th District Girls Tournament seeds has still not been decided as of press time. Entering this week’s action Owsley was 4-1 in the district, Lee was 3-2 while Powell and Estill were both 2-4.

Times staff

sportswriter

     It has become the biggest night of the season in Stanton. The annual boys/girls varsity battle between district rivals always seems to draw a big crowd. Powell always puts on a great night of events for the occasion. Lady Pirate Dakota Brown was honored for scoring her 1,000th point and the newest members of the PCHS Basketball Hall of Fame were honored. There was also a moment of silence for HOF members who have passed away this past year.

   Of course, it the matchup between Estill and Powell on the hardwood that makes the night special. So much so that Pirate Head Coach David Fraley was present despite having the flu, sitting on the end of the bench wearing a mask and was still very much into the game, as Assistant Coach Bobby Bowling took the reigns. But this time around, it was only a big night for one side.

    Both the Engineers and Lady Engineers jumped out to huge leads and held on for 10 point victories over the Pirates and Lady Pirates. The games, which had district seeding implications, seemed to have more of a post-season tournament atmosphere.

The ladies took to the court first. Both teams looked prime for another classic matchup. Just two weeks ago the Lady Pirates and Lady Engineers played a double overtime thriller in Irvine, with Powell getting the 73-69 win. The first quarter of last Friday night’s game was close, as Still held a slim 12-10 lead.

    Estill went on a 9-2 run to extend their lead early in the second quarter. But Powell fought back. Key free throws by Brown and shots by Alisha Elam edged the home team closer. The visitors still held a slim 26-22 lead at the half.

Powell hit first in the third quarter to make it a two point contest, 26-24. But it was Estill from there on. It seemed like for every shot Powell hit, Estill would hit two. The Lady Engineers would push their lead to nine points, 37-28. The Lady Pirates would scratch and claw their way back to make it close at 43-37 entering the fourth quarter.

    That would be the closest Powell would get. Estill took advantage of missed shots, fast breaks and miscues to open up a 62-49 lead with 1:40 to play. Powell tried to mount a comeback, but time and fortune was not on their side. The Lady Engineers took the 64-54 win.

    With the win Estill improved to 7-14 overall, but more importantly they are 2-3 in the district. Powell fell to 10-11 and 2-4 in district play. Estill was slated to play Lee County (2-2 in the district) this past Monday. It is now a possibility that Powell could fall to the number four seed, based on how the rest of the district games play out.

    Estill was led by Amy Brewer with a game high 21 points and 19 rebounds. Savannah Brewer chipped in 16, as did Meagan Bellamy. Eighth grader, Mia Hale, tossed in 11 points and 10 rebounds.

    Brown led Powell with 14 points and 13 boards. Elam scored 11 and Ashley King tossed in 10 points. Macey Howell scored eight points and had seven rebounds.

    The boys capped off the night with what, at times, felt like a district title game. Powell struck first on a quick layup by Payton Barnett, but then Estill matched with a three from Joe Benton. That started a 9-0 run early, but a few more layups by Barnett along with early foul trouble for one half of the Engineer Twin Towers, helped Powell edge back to 9-7. But the visitors, namely Caleb Bonny, closed out the first quarter with five straight points to make it 14-7 after one period.

    The Engineers pushed their lead to 20-12 midway through the second stanza and the Pirates began their comeback move. Drew Ginter scored after receiving an awesome pass from Bryce Merion. Barnett caught fire gain and the score was 20-18 with 1:30 to play in the half. Then the visitors took the air out of the ball, holding it until just four seconds to play before missing their shot. Merion rebounded and tried a long shot at the buzzer, but the scores stood at 20-18.

    The second half began with Estill trying to regain some momentum, but the Pirates stayed close. The Engineers pushed their led to 29-21, only to see the home team creep right back into the game. Carlos Hernandez hit a shot in the lane then later nailed a three, meanwhile DaShaun Williams picked up a steal, scored and then hit two charity tosses. Chimaobi Ajuonuma was showing his proweness on the inside with rebounding and put back scores.  Estill tried to hold the ball again, but turned it over. That is when the three by Hernandez made it 33-30 at the :25 mark. But Bonny answered in the closing seconds of the period to make it 36-30 entering the final frame.

The atmosphere was electric as the fourth quarter got under way. Both teams traded shots, but Estill held the lead, 38-30. That is when the Pirates mounted another offensive surge.

Ajuonuma bulldogged his way along he baseline to score, Hernandez hit a jumper in the lane off a fast break, while the Engineers managed just a free throw in the time span. Hernandez scored an an impressive cutting move on an inbounds pass, Ginter put back a missed shot and Barnett connected on one of two free throws. The home crowd exploded as Barnett’s shot slipped through the net, the score was now 39-39 with just 3:20 to play in the game.

    But it seemed that each time Powell got close or when they tied the game the fouls would begin to pile up. Four straight charity tosses hit by Estill helped them regain the lead. In fact Estill only scored six points from the field in the final three minutes of the game, with the remaining eight points coming on free throws, which they did not miss down the stretch.

    Powell tried to get back into the hunt, but the shots were not falling. Barnett hit two free throws and the final shot, the Pirates only scores in the final minutes. Estill held on to survive, 53-43.

Estill, now 16-6 overall, improved to 5-0 in district play and grabbed the number one seed in the 56th District. They were led by Bonny with 21 points and Lane Doty with 10. They were the only two in double figures for the visitors.

Powell fell to 12-10 overall and 4-2 in the district, giving them the number two seed. Earlier in the week they fell to Knott Central 73-57, where Williams had an incredible 17 point night. Barnett had 12 and Ginter scored 10 at KCC. Against Estill Barnett led the Pirates with 18 points, the only Pirate in double figures.

The Lady Pirates were scheduled to travel to Perry Central this past Monday and return home Thursday to host Montgomery County. On Saturday they play Knott Central at home beginning at 5 p.m.

The Pirates were slated to host Wolfe County this past Tuesday and will host Jackson City this Friday in their last home game. On Saturday they will travel to Williamstown, before ending the regular season on the road on Feb. 13 at Montgomery County and Feb. 15 at Morgan County.