The Best Seat in the House

The Lincoln County girls didn’t get to stay as long at the Girls Sweet Sixteen this year as last, as they a href=”http://khsaa.org/basketball/girls/sweet16/2013/stats/girls05.htm”>lost to Owensboro Catholic 66-55 in a first-round game today at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green.

Lincoln (27-6) never fully recovered after falling behind 14-2 in the first quarter, though the Lady Patriots were never out of the game. They pulled to within three points of Owensboro Catholic (25-7) on three occasions in the third quarter and one in the fourth, but that was as close as they came.

Three-point shooting proved to be a problem for the Lady Patriots, who reached the semifinals last year with two victories. They missed their first six shots from outside the arc before Chansler Gilbert came off the bench to hit one in the final minute of the first quarter, and they made only two of 14 3-point attempts in the first half and were 3 for 22 overall.

Stopping Owensboro Catholic star Rebecca Greenwell also proved to be a handful for Lincoln. The Duke signee and Miss Basketball finalist exceeded her average in the first half with 24 points, and she finished with 32. And when Greenwell wasn’t making shots, she was getting fouled. She went 8 for 17 from the field but was also 14 for 17 from the free-throw line.

The Lady Aces had an obvious edge at the free-throw line, in part because Greenwell was in attack mode and in part because the Lady Patriots weren’t for much of the day. Owensboro Catholic hit 31 of 40 free throws; Lincoln was 4 for 6.

Lincoln shot a chilly 30.6 percent from the field in the first half and finished at 38.1 percent. Owensboro Catholic shot 52.9 percent in the first half and 47.1 percent overall, and the Lady Aces were 3 for 11 from 3-point range.

Their largest lead was a 13-point cushion in the second quarter (at 18-5 and 20-7), but Lincoln trimmed the margin to seven points in less than 3 minutes and was within seven at halftime. Kourtney Belcher scored once and Sydney Harris scored twice during a six-point surge that pulled the Lady Patriots within 37-34 with 3:39 left in the third quarter.

It was 46-43 after a Harris layup 28 seconds into the fourth quarter, but Kaylyn Pearson answered with a three-point play on the other end, and Owensboro Catholic held Lincoln scoreless for 2:22 — the Lady Patriots were 0 for 2 with two turnovers during that stretch — while it opened a 52-43 lead that would not be threatened.

Owensboro Catholic scored all but two of its 20 fourth-quarter points at the foul line, where the Lady Aces were 16 for 21 in the period.

Harris led Lincoln with 18 points and seven rebounds, and she was 8 for 13 from the field. Emily Fox had 13 points and four assists; she was 1 for 7 from 3-point range and 6 for 19 overall from the field. Belcher and Tiandra Hocker also scored six points each for Lincoln, and Rachel Spangler had five assists.

Greenwell had 12 rebounds and Pearson had 11 for Owensboro Catholic, which outrebounded Lincoln 34-27.

It was the final high school game for a remarkable class of five Lincoln seniors — Belcher, Harris, Fox, Spangler and Ciara Saylor — who went 99-28 in four years. During those four years, three under coach Cassandra McWhorter and one under former coach Don Story, the Lady Patriots became the first area team to win consecutive 12th Region championships, made a third appearance in the regional finals, built a streak of 24 straight wins against 12th Region opponents that is still active and won four 45th District championships, part of an overall string of six straight district titles.

The Lincoln County girls return to the Girls Sweet Sixteen on Thursday for their second straight state tournament appearance. (Actually, they’re already there, but let’s not quibble over details.) The Lady Patriots, who play Owensboro Catholic in their 1 p.m. first-round game, are the first Advocate-area girls team ever to repeat as 12th Region champions, and Lincoln is one of only two local schools to play in the girls state tourney over the last 10 years.

It’s the third Sweet Sixteen appearance overall for Lincoln, which defeated Clay County and Magoffin County to reach the semifinals last year before losing to eventual runner-up Marion County.

For the second straight year, Lincoln (27-5) is a very slight underdog against Owensboro Catholic (24-7), at least according to the major statewide power ratings. This is the second meeting of the season between the teams; the Lady Patriots defeated the Lady Aces 65-53 on Dec. 23 in Lexington Catholic’s Christmas tournament. (Click here for stats from Lincoln and Owensboro Catholic from that game.) Owensboro Catholic was without two starters in that game, including Miss Basketball candidate Rebecca Greenwell, a McDonald’s All America Game invitee who has signed with Duke.

Owensboro Catholic is 0-3 at the Girls Sweet Sixteen; its last appearance was in 2011. Lincoln is 2-2. For more on Thursday’s matchup, follow these links to story’s from today’s Advocate on the game and on Greenwell.

Jessica Hardin of Wayne County and Chrysti Noble of Rockcastle County have been voted the 12th Region girls player and coach of the year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches.

Hardin averaged 19.6 points and 10.0 rebounds for Wayne, which finished 16-14 after losing to McCreary Central in the first round of the 48th District Tournament.

Noble led Rockcastle to a 16-12 record, up from 14-14 in 2011-12.

Hardin’s award comes with an automatic invitation to try out for the Kentucky All-Stars later this month. She and player of the year runner-up Emily Fox of Lincoln County are also scheduled to represent the 12th Region in the KABC East-West all-star game, which will be played at 4:15 p.m. Saturday at Warren Central.

Hardin and Noble will receive their awards Friday at the Girls Sweet Sixteen. Click here for the full list of girls regional winners.

It was a short and unpleasant stay for Wayne County in the Boys Sweet Sixteen, as the 12th Region champion Cardinals were trounced by Madison Central 81-56 today in the first game of the tournament.

Simply put, Wayne (27-8) was outclassed by Madison Central (29-5), which took a double-digit lead in the second quarter and pushed it past 20 points early in the second half. (Click these links for the box score and play-by-play details.) The Indians were bigger, faster and stronger, and it showed in every facet of the game.

But perhaps nowhere was it more evident than on the glass, where Madison Central held a 48-21 advantage. The Indians had nearly as many offensive rebounds (20) as Wayne had total rebounds, and they scored 24 second-chance points and allowed only two.

“If you had to single out one key factor, they just hammered us on the boards. That was a huge concern going into the game, and it never stopped,” Wayne coach Rodney Woods said. “At halftime (when Madison Central led 43-23 and held a 26-11 rebounding edge), there was probably just a little bit of shell-shock, because we haven’t been kicked around like that. That’s a very good basketball team.”

Only a couple of the players Wayne used were on the floor when the Cardinals played in the state tournament two years ago, but Woods said he couldn’t blame their performance on a lack of Sweet Sixteen experience.

“Physical maturity is huge, and not necessarily that you haven’t been here. They (Madison Central) haven’t been here, so I don’t know that that’s a huge factor,” he said.

Peyton Woods scored 14 points and Corey Stearns and Trey Blevins had 10 each for Wayne, which shot 40.8 percent from the field but had 19 fewer attempts than Madison Central, which shot 47.1 percent. Dominique Hawkins led Madison Central with 25 points.

News and notes from day 4 of the girls 12th Region Tournament at Pulaski County:

• Lincoln County defeated Casey County 56-54 in overtime for the 12th Region championship.
• Lincoln (27-5) won its second consecutive regional title and its third overall in a thrilling game, the closest girls regional final in more than a decade. This was the third time in five years that Lincoln and Casey played for the title; Lincoln has won two out of three. This is also the third consecutive year in which Casey has lost in the finals.
• Lincoln will play Owensboro Catholic on March 14 in the first round of the Girls Sweet Sixteen at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green. Owensboro Catholic (24-7) defeated Meade County 58-51 on Monday to win the 3rd Region.
• The Lady Patriots beat Casey (15-16) for the second time in 19 days, but this game was much closer than their Feb. 15 game in Stanford. Still, it looked similar to that game in the second quarter, when Lincoln opened a 24-10 lead, and into the second half, when it led 35-22 midway through the third period. Casey came roaring back, however, outscoring Lincoln 22-7 over a span of roughly 10 1/2 minutes to take its first lead in the final minute of the game. Then things got really interesting.
• Casey tied the game at 42-all on Christin Terry’s 3-point basket with 2:40 left in regulation and took a 44-42 lead on two Lakken Miller free throws with 56 seconds to play. Emily Fox of Lincoln tied the game 12 seconds later with two free throws, and the Lady Patriots got a chance to win when Sarah Beard was called for an offensive foul at :28.
• Lincoln held for a final shot, but the ball was deflected out of bounds with 3.6 seconds left. Casey’s Tiara Cochran then stole the inbounds pass and passed ahead to Terry, who drove to the basket for a layup that officials ruled came after the clock ran out, a call that appeared to be correct.
• Casey took a 49-47 lead in overtime on Mariah Richardson’s putback with 2:08 to play, but Sydney Harris answered for Lincoln 12 seconds later with a 3-pointer that put the Lady Patriots in front to stay. Kourtney Belcher was fouled on a rebound when the Lady Rebels missed on their next trip, and she hit one of two free throws to make it 51-49. Belcher hit two free throws at :48 to give Lincoln a 53-50 lead, but that was the only instance in overtime in which a shooter for either team made two free throws. Lincoln was 7 for 14 at the line in overtime; Casey was 2 for 5.
• Lincoln took control in the second quarter with a 17-5 run, taking its largest lead at 24-10 with 1:49 left in the first half on back-to-back layups by Spencer Sims. Casey didn’t get the margin below 10 points until Terry scored with 3:06 left in the third quarter to pull the Lady Rebels within 35-26. In the fourth quarter, a 3-pointer by Katie Douglas and a basket by Miller made it 38-35, and suddenly a game that seemed to be on its way to becoming a rout was up for grabs.
• Fox led Lincoln with 14 points, Harris had 13 and Ciara Saylor had 11. Jasmine Johnson and Douglas, Casey’s two seniors, scored 12 points each, and Terry had 11.
• The game had the closest scoring margin in a girls regional final since Wayne County defeated Mercer County 58-56 in the 2002 final. Wayne won the 2007 title in overtie over Southwestern, but the final score was 46-41.
• The girls all-tournament team: Kourtney Belcher, Lincoln County; Summer Burke, Burgin; Catheryne Claunch, Mercer County; Adison Corder, Southwestern; Kaylee Cotton, McCreary Central; Katie Douglas, Casey County; Bethany Edwards, Somerset; Emily Fox, Lincoln County; Hannah Harris, Boyle County; Sydney Harris, Lincoln County; Jasmine Johnson, Casey County; Cassidy Martin, Mercer County; Ciara Saylor, Lincoln County; Marlee Smith, Boyle County; Christin Terry, Casey County.
• As the regionals conclude, we say a prayer for and send good wishes to Randy Elmore, the Pulaski County athletic director (and former Casey softball coach and assistant football coach) who is continuing a long, courageous fight he has waged since being diagnosed with cancer about two years ago. Elmore recently finished another round of treatment and was unable to be at the girls regional, and he was missed, although Pulaski girls coach Brian Miller and other school staffers carried on without missing a beat. Elmore will be honored at “Elmore Touch Day” on March 23 with a day-long program that includes a 5-kilometer run/walk, chili dinner, trail ride and bonfire. Proceeds from the race will go to the Elmore family. For more information, visit theelmoretouch5k.com.

News and notes from day 3 of the girls 12th Region Tournament at Pulaski County:

• Casey County defeated Boyle County 49-43; Lincoln County defeated Mercer County 66-59. Casey (15-15) plays Lincoln (26-5) for the championship at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
• There were two good games on this semifinal Monday, setting the stage for a very familiar looking final. More on that below.
• Casey and Boyle went toe to toe throughout the first half, but Casey took the lead early in the second half and never let it go. Casey saw a seven-point lead shrink to two points early in the fourth quarter, then scored five straight points to take a 44-37 lead and held Boyle scoreless for 4:09.
• There were five ties and seven lead changes. The game was tied at 23-all at halftime, but Casey’s Christin Terry broke the deadlock with a 3-point goal 1:41 into the second half, giving her team the lead for good. Terry went on to score eight points in the period.
• Neither team shot free throws well, but Casey hit just enough of them at the right time to stay two or three possessions ahead of Boyle. Casey was 11 for 22 at the line; Boyle was just 6 for 16, including 1 for 6 in the fourth quarter. Casey shot 44.4 percent from the field; Boyle shot 35.3 percent and was just 6 for 18 in the fourth quarter.
• Boyle’s shooting woes kept it from taking advantage of Casey’s many turnovers. Casey had seven turnovers in the first quarter, 10 in the fourth quarter and 22 overall, compared to 14 for Boyle.
• Jasmine Johnson, who was out with an injury when Casey lost to Boyle on Feb. 5, scored a game-high 16 points. Terry had 13 points and 12 rebounds, including seven rebounds in the fourth quarter. Marlee Smith led Boyle with 12 points, and Chelsea Gill had 10.
• The much-anticipated Lincoln-Mercer rematch, a battle between two 25-win teams, was every bit as good as their first meeting Feb. 5, though it wasn’t perfect. Much as Casey had done in its game, the Lady Patriots held off the Titans down the stretch despite a rash of turnovers and missed free throws.
• Lincoln led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter and was up 52-45 with 5:11 remaining in the fourth after a 3-pointer by Emily Fox. But Mercer came roaring back, pulling to within 52-51 just 41 seconds later when Catheryne Claunch stole a Lincoln pass underneath her own basket and laid it in. The Titans never got a chance to take the lead, however, and the Lady Patriots soon pushed their lead back to five points. Finally, Mercer’s offense was crippled when Claunch and Cassidy Martin, its top two scorers in the game and on the season, fouled out just a couple of possessions apart. Martin was the second to go, fouling out with 2:42 to play.
• Mercer took its only lead at 19-18 with 3:28 left in the second quarter on consecutive layups by Martin, but Rachel Spangler answered with a basket to put Lincoln back in front and kick off a run of nine straight points.
• The Lady Patriots led 27-21 at halftime, and they expanded their advantage to 38-28 midway through the third quarter. Many of their big baskets in the second and third quarters came from Kourtney Belcher, who was often open in the paint while Mercer defenders were tracking Lincoln shooters.
• Lincoln beat Mercer for the second time this season despite a high turnover count. The Lady Patriots committed 27 turnovers in their regular-season win over the Titans, and they had 23 in the rematch.
• The Lady Patriots shot 51.2 percent from the field and went 5 for 10 from 3-point range. The Titans, who had 57 attempts to Lincoln’s 41 and took one more shot from outside the 3-point line than from inside it, shot 35.1 percent overall and were 6 for 29 from 3-point range. Lincoln was 19 for 27 at the foul line; Mercer was 13 for 22.
• Lincoln outrebounded Mercer 35-22.
• Fox scored 19 points, Belcher had 18 and Sydney Harris had 16 for Lincoln. Martin scored 26 in the final game of her one and only season at Mercer, giving her 861 points and an average of 25.3 per game in a stellar senior season. Claunch added 11 points.
• Tuesday’s championship game matches the two teams who played for the regional title last year, and who are no stranger to the regional finals. Lincoln defeated Casey 58-47 in last year’s championship game, and Casey defeated Lincoln 32-21 for the 2009 title. This will be the fifth title game appearance for Lincoln since 2006 and the fifth for Casey since 2008, including the third in a row.
• Lincoln beat Casey 55-40 on Feb. 15 in the annual regular season-ending meeting between the teams, as the Lady Patriots’ five seniors combined to score 38 points in their final home game.
• Both Lincoln and Casey will be trying to win their third regional championship.

News and notes from day 4 of the boys 12th Region Tournament at Lincoln County:

• Wayne County defeated Somerset 61-48 for the 12th Region championship.
• Wayne (27-7) won its ninth regional title and its second in three years before a standing-room only crowd at Lincoln. Wayne is now tied with Somerset for the second-highest total of titles among 12th Region schools; they trail only Monticello, which has 16. This is the Cardinals’ eighth title in 27 seasons under coach Rodney Woods.
• Wayne will play Madison Central on Wednesday in the first round of the Boys Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Madison Central (28-5) defeated Lexington Catholic 67-46 tonight to win the 11th Region.
• The Cardinals avenged a loss Somerset (20-10) 26 days earlier by taking control of a close game at the start of the second half. Consecutive 3-point baskets by Corey Stearns and Peyton Woods gave Wayne, which had led 27-26 at halftime, a 37-27 lead with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter, and a 3 by Trey Blevins capped a 20-8 run and made it 47-34 with 1:30 left. Somerset never made a serious run at the lead after that, getting no closer than 10 points in the fourth quarter.
• Wayne also had its way at the start of the first half, jumping out to an 8-2 lead thanks in large part to three steals by Dagan Shelton in the first 1:50. Woods also helped fuel the Cardinals’ hot start, scoring 11 of their first 15 points. Somerset recovered, pulling within 21-19 midway through the second quarter. The Briar Jumpers had one chance to go in front in the closing seconds of the first half after pulling within 27-26, but they turned the ball over with 20 seconds left on a charging foul by Ryan Dishman, and they never got another shot at the lead.
• Woods led Wayne with 23 points, and Stearns was right behind him with 21. Ryan Weddle had 17 points and Tyson Williams had 12 for Somerset.
• Both teams shot 48.8 percent from the field, with Wayne going 21 for 43 and Somerset going 20 for 41. But the Cardinals were 9 for 17 from 3-point range, and the Jumpers were 1 for 5.
• Somerset outrebounded Wayne 26-22; Matt Gordon had nine rebounds and Williams had eight for the Jumpers; Stearns had eight for the Cardinals. Somerset had five turnovers in about the first 4 minutes and finished with 16; Wayne had 11.
• Wayne won the regional title with a lineup consisting of two freshmen, a sophomore, a junior and a freshman, meaning the Cardinals can be considered a serious threat for at least a couple more years. Somerset started three seniors and two juniors.
• The boys all-tournament team: Trey Blevins, Wayne County; Ryan Dishman, Somerset; Justin Edwards, Southwestern; Chase Fain, West Jessamine; Will Hager, Mercer County; John Ingram, Mercer County; Kidy Johnson, Pulaski County; Daulton Peters, West Jessamine; Corey Stearns, Wayne County; Timmy Taylor, Lincoln County; Hagen Tyler, Boyle County; Ryan Weddle, Somerset; Tyson Williams, Somerset; Peyton Woods, Wayne County.
• The girls regional resumes Monday, when four Advocate-area teams will play in the semifinals at Pulaski County. Casey County ((14-15) plays Boyle County (18-13) at 6 p.m.; followed by Lincoln County (25-5) and Mercer County (25-8) at 7:30. Boyle defeated Casey 56-49 on Feb. 5; Lincoln defeated Mercer 64-55 the same day.

News and notes from day 3 of the boys 12th Region Tournament at Lincoln County:

• Wayne County defeated West Jessamine 67-66; Somerset defeated Mercer County 58-48. Wayne (26-7) plays Somerset (20-9) for the championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
• A capacity crowd had the Lincoln gym rocking on semifinal Friday, which for my money is always one of the best days of the basketball season. Fans were treated to another compelling game in the opener, and a decent if less dramatic game in the nightcap.
• Peyton Woods buried a 3-point shot with four seconds left to lift Wayne over West Jessamine in a game that was tight from start to finish. The Cardinals got the ball after West Jessamine’s Will Henderson hit two free throws with 15 seconds to play to give the Colts a two-point lead. They worked the ball to Woods to the right of the key, and he drained the decisive shot with a defender in front of him and another trying to block it from behind. West Jessamine got a timeout at :03, but Wayne’s Corey Stearns got a piece of a desperation shot by Chase Fain from just in front of the center line.
• West Jessamine scored five straight points to take a 62-59 lead with 3:30 to play, but Woods tied the game with a three-point play 30 seconds later. The Colts’ Robby Irgang missed two free throws at 1:46, but Daulton Peters’ basket at 1:28 gave them a 64-62 lead. Meanwhile, Woods turned the ball over on consecutive Wayne possessions. Stearns was fouled while going for a rebound and made two free throws to tie the game with 39 seconds to go.
• Neither team led by more than eight points.
• Woods, one of Wayne coach Rodney Woods’ sons, led the Cardinals with 19 points, followed by Trey Blevins with 18 and Stearns with 15. Fair scored 30 points for West Jessamine; Irgang added 10.
• The Wayne-West Jessamine game was a tough act to follow, but the Mercer-Somerset game wasn’t bad. The Briar Jumpers scored nine straight points in the final 2:20 of the first quarter and kept the Titans at arm’s length for the rest of the night. Mercer rallied to within four points midway through the second quarter and again early in the fourth, but a 9-0 run that included points from four different players gave Somerset a 51-38 lead with 4:52 remaining, leaving the Titans with too tall a hill to climb. They cut the deficit to seven points by the final minute before yielding.
• Somerset had the edge in size and strength and used that to its advantage, as Tyson Williams and Ryan Weddle combined for 26 points and 14 rebounds. Guard Ryan Dishman also hit a handful of big baskets for the Jumpers.
• Mercer struggled against the Jumpers’ 2-3 zone defense, often settling for outside shots that weren’t going down. The Titans were 10 for 22 from 3-point range in their first-round win over Southwestern, but they hit only two of 16 3-point attempts and shot 36 percent overall from the field Friday. Somerset shot 51 percent and outrebounded the Titans 31-23.
• Williams and Weddle had 13 points each, Dishman had 12 and Cam Cheuvront had 10 for Somerset. Will Hager led Mercer with 19 points, and he got 13 of them in the second half.
• Saturday’s championship game is a rematch of a Feb. 5 game at Somerset in which the Briar Jumpers edged Wayne 62-59. Somerset led by 16 points early in the third quarter, saw Wayne rally to take a 54-49 lead, then engineered its own rally with eight straight points. Dishman’s three-point play with five seconds remaining broke a 59-all tie and provided the margin of victory.
• The game matches two of the 12th Region’s most successful programs in terms of winning regional championships. Somerset has won nine titles; Wayne has eight.
• Wayne returns to the finals for the second time in three years. The Cardinals defeated Southwestern 51-35 for the 2011 title.
• Somerset is in the finals for the first time since 1989, when it lost a 66-64 decision in overtime to a Wayne team that went on to the state finals. The Jumpers’ last won a regional title in 1985, when current coach Jeff Cothron played for a team that beat Mercer in the semifinals and Danville in the finals.
• Somerset and Wayne have gone 2-2 in head-to-head regional meetings since the 1989 final. Their last regional meeting was in 2000, when Wayne won a first-round game 57-54 on its home floor.
• A tip of the cap to high school sports historian Daniel Hopkins of Lancaster for much of the above historical data.