(by Don Meador)
Eight girls programs from across the Commonwealth will compete for the 2A state championship this weekend at the Owensboro Sportscenter in Owensboro. The tournament includes Allen County-Scottsville, Calloway County, Johnson Central, Knox Central, Mercer County, Nelson County, Rowan County, and Taylor County.
Section 2 champion AC-S (10-3) opens play against Johnson Central (8-4). The Lady Patriots are led by Avery Morris. The junior guard is averaging 27 points per game---the highest of any player in the field as of Sunday, January 11. AC-S senior Debora Patrick adds 12.1 points and grabs nine rebounds per game. The Johnson Central Lady Eagles are led by sophomore Karlea Stanley who enters the state tournament scoring 17.6 points while collecting 5.1 rebounds. Lady Eagle freshman Allie Stone scores 11.4 points. Johnson Central averages 61.5 points per game compared to AC-S’s 60.8 points.
The two teams do have a common opponent this year---Franklin-Simpson. Johnson Central lost to Franklin-Simpson 57-52 in a tournament in Tennessee on December 20. The Lady Patriots defeated the Lady Cats 69-56 on January 3 at Glasgow in the 2A Section 2 championship game.
Johnson Central and AC-S last met on December 30, 2013 in the South Central Bank-Halton Classic at AC-S. The Lady Patriots prevailed 51-34. The only prior meeting between the programs was in the opening round of the 2001 Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s state tournament. Coach Garry DeWitt’s Lady Patriots won 61-43 in action at Diddle Arena in Bowling Green.
AC-S and Johnson Central face off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at the Sportscenter. The winner advances to the 2A semifinals against the winner of Section 1 champion Calloway County and Section 3 champion Nelson County. Calloway County and Nelson County open the tournament with a 9 a.m. matchup on Friday.
Calloway County brings a perfect 17-0 record into the tournament. The Lady Lakers average 73.1 points per game with two players leading the way. Senior Saylor Lowe averages 22.6 points and 9.4 rebounds. Senior Jaden Koch adds 19.1 points and 5.9 rebounds. Nelson County stands 7-7 on the year and, pending a game on Tuesday, January 13, have won four of their last five games. 53.6 points per game and are led by senior Nora Kate Simpson (17.6 ppg). Calloway County and AC-S also share a common opponent. The Lady Patriots defeated Mayfield 63-33 while the Lady Patriots upended Mayfield 60-41 in the Lady Invitational of the South.
The bottom half of the bracket pits Section 5 champion Mercer County (9-5) and Rowan County (8-6) in quarterfinal play at noon on Friday. Mercer County---a traditionally strong, state-championship winning program---is coached by veteran Chris Soulder. The Lady Titans go into this week as winners in six of their last seven games. Junior Izzie Carlton scores 19.4 points with sophomore Alexa Wade adding 11.8 points. Rowan County has sophomore Kelbie Ford scoring 14.9 points and eighth-grader Ellie Ingels averaging 12.9 points. The Lady Vikings---champions of Section 6 average 53 points per game.
Section 4 winner Taylor County (13-2) faces Section 7 champion Knox Central (11-3). Taylor County freshman Kennedy Deener leads the Lady Cardinals---averaging 25.5 points per game and 4.7 rebounds. Sophomore Greta Bradstreet chips in 13.3 points. Taylor County has won seven of their last eight games. Knox Central has also won seven of their last eight. The Lady Panthers are led by junior Shelbie Mills who scores 19.6 points per game. Junior McKenzie Hensley (12.6 ppg) and sophomore Kaylynn Smith (10.6 ppg) also score in double figures.
The winners of Calloway County vs. Nelson County and AC-S vs. Johnson Central plays at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The winners of Mercer County vs. Rowan County and Knox Central and Taylor County play Saturday afternoon at 2:30. The 2A championship is scheduled for noon on Sunday, January 18. The tournament will have a new champion as last year’s title winner Franklin County was eliminated in their sectional by Mercer County.
Tickets for the 2A tournament will be on sale after noon on Monday, January 12. Tickets are priced at $14.00 per person with children five and under admitted free. The tickets can be purchased online through OwensboroTickets.com.
The 2A girls state tournament Friday through Sunday runs alongside the 2A boy’s tournament. Hence, eight overall games will be played at the Sportscenter on Friday---four girls and four boys. The girls’ semifinals Saturday will be followed by the boys’ semifinals. The boys 2A championship game is at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.