Regional review, Sunday 3/11

Notes from the off day:

• Here’s the girls all-tournament team, which I didn’t have Saturday night: Kayla Bowlin, Wayne County; Rachel Bristow, Wayne County; Devin Fothergill, Southwestern; Hayley Hellyer, Boyle County; Cori Mack, East Jessamine; Shakelia Miller, Lincoln County; Heather Overton, Southwestern; Sara Rowe, Rockcastle County; Stephanie Salyers, Southwestern; Mary Saylor, Rockcastle County; Hayley Spivey, Mercer County; Heather Stearns, Wayne County; Kara Weddle, Casey County; Ashley Willoughby, East Jessamine.
• Boyle County’s boys will be trying to make it four regional tourney wins in a row over Southwestern when they meet in Monday’s second semifinal. None of the previous three games have been decided by less than 16 points. The Rebels beat the Warriors 69-52 in the 1998 championship at McCreary Central, 56-40 in a 1999 semifinal at Boyle and 67-51 in last year’s championship at Pulaski County. Lincoln County and West Jessamine, who meet in the first semifinal, have never met in the regional tourney for reasons that should be obvious. (West Jessamine never played in the 12th Region Tournament before last year.)
• The Other 15 (noteworthy scores from the rest of the state): In the only game in the state, George Rogers Clark clipped Mason County 63-59 to win the boys 10th. It’s the Cardinals’ first regional title since 1990.

Regional review, Saturday 3/10

 

Notes and thoughts from Day 4 of the girls 12th Region Tournament:

• Wayne County defeated Southwestern 46-41 in overtime for the championship. Wayne (22-9) will play 7th Region champion Assumption (25-6) at 9 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of the Girls Sweet Sixteen in Bowling Green.
• This was a good game marked by bad shooting, especially in the first half. Wayne was 5-for-21 and Southwestern was 4-for-24 at halftime. The Lady Cardinals finished at 34 percent (13-for-42), Southwestern at 27 percent (14-for-51). Wayne outscored Southwestern at the free-throw line, going 18-for-25 while the Lady Warriors were 11-for-15. Neither team ever led by more than nine points, and there were seven tied and 11 lead changes.
• This is the fifth regional title for Wayne and the third for coach Tim Pyles. The Lady Cardinals won their first championship in 1986 and have won four of the last nine (1999, 2002, 2004, 2007). They defeated Boone County 54-47 in the first round and lost to Butler 43-39 in the quarterfinals in their last trip to Bowling Green three years ago.
• An impressive, if unsuccessful, regional run positions Southwestern as a major player in the 12th next season and beyond. The Lady Warriors lose two senior starters, Jasi Flynn and Chasidy Zimmerman, and have only two juniors. The rub is that the team they just lost to in both the district and regional finals loses only one player who doesn’t start.
• The Other 15 (noteworthy scores from the rest of the state): A private school might well win the Girls Sweet Sixteen for the seventh straight year, but it won’t be Lexington Catholic. The two-time defending champion lost to Lexington Christian 68-60 in the 11th Region final. … Assumption, which will play Wayne at the state tourney, beat duPont Manual 45-35 to win the girls 7th. … North Hardin edged 17th District rival Elizabethtown 57-55 in a battle of top-five teams in the title game of the girls 5th. E-town had won the district final in overtime. … The biggest upset among Saturday’s 16 girls finals came in the 1st, where Calloway County edged Marshall County 64-63 in double overtime. The only blowout was in the 14th, where Breathitt County whipped Perry County Central 53-33. … Three boys champions were also crowned Saturday: Fairdale beat Butler 45-41 in the 6th, Ballard downed defending state champion Jeffersontown 62-50 in the 7th and Shelby Valley defeated Pikeville 55-48 in the 15th. One more ticket gets punched Sunday afternoon when Mason County plays George Rogers Clark in the 10th. (Every other region manages to avoid scheduling on Sunday; they should, too.) … Tates Creek toppled powerful Bryan Station 66-61 in a semifinal in the boys 11th, but the Commodores have another tall order ahead in Tuesday’s final against Scott County, which crushed Lexington Catholic 74-48.
• First-round pairings for the Girls Sweet Sixteen, in bracket order: Wednesday — Iroquois (6th Region) vs. Breathitt County (14th), Clay County (13th) vs. North Hardin (5th), Muhlenberg North (3rd) vs. Barren County (4th), Wayne County (12th) vs. Assumption (7th); Thursday — Rose Hill Christian (16th) vs. Pike County Central (15th), Shelby County (8th) vs. Notre Dame (9th), Lexington Christian (11th) vs. Henderson County (2nd), Calloway County (1st) vs. Montgomery County (10th).