Bowling Green, McCracken County advance to Girls' Sweet 16 quarterfinals
The 2024 Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena is officially underway, and two schools have already locked up spots in Friday’s quarterfinals.
During Wednesday’s opener, the Bowling Green Purples struggled to shoot the ball early on but found a rhythm in the second half, allowing them to sneak out with the win over Owsley County. In the second game of the day, there wasn’t nearly as much drama down the stretch as McCracken County took it to Russell from the first quarter to the very end.
Check out KSR’s full recaps of both games below. Wednesday’s slate will conclude with two more first-round games: Butler vs. Anderson County (6:00 PM) and Franklin County vs. North Laurel (8:30 PM).
Bowling Green overcomes slow start to down Owsley County
For the fifth straight season, Bowling Green made it to the Sweet 16. The Purples kicked off the state tournament with even more hopes of winning the whole thing for the first time in school history.
In the opening game of the Sweet 16, Bowling Green (24-10) shook off a poor shooting start to rally against the Owsley County Lady Owls (26-10), winning by a final score of 46-44. The Purples saw three players reach 12 points: seniors JaSiyah Franklin and Chloe Potter and junior Katy Smiley.
“It’s kinda been how we’ve played all year,” Bowling Green head coach Calvin Head said afterward, “Little muddy, up-and-down roller coaster. But I thought our kids fought. Big shoutout to Owsley County and the job that they did this year. We knew their guards were gonna be tough to handle. They shoot the ball extremely well and they made us pay when we didn’t do what we were supposed to do defensively.
“But all-in-all, very proud of our girls in those last 16 minutes of being resilient and showcasing a lot of toughness.”
Despite shooting just 31.1 percent as a team, Bowling Green’s defense stepped up down the stretch. The Lady Owls went just 31.6 percent from the floor in the second half after a great start in the first quarter. Owsley County had two players — sophomore Addison Terry and senior Carly Smith — finish with 14 points each while junior Aaliyah Lynch added 12 of her own. But no other Lady Owl scored more than four points.
This was Owsley County’s first-ever Sweet 16 appearance since joining the KHSAA all the way back in 1929.
Owsley County came out eager to extend its Sweet 16 run beyond one game. Bowling Green actually scored the first four points of the game, but the Lady Owls responded by rattling off 16 straight to close the opening quarter. A pair of three-pointers from junior Aaliyah Lynch helped set the tone.
The second quarter saw Bowling Green slowly begin to mount its comeback, but not before Owsley County took a 22-7 lead. The Purples were an ugly 1-18 shooting to start the game. That quickly changed though as Bowling Green scored the final six points heading into the half, making it a 22-13 advantage in favor of the Lady Owls.
Bowling Green continued to chip away to start the third quarter. Senior Chloe Potter, who came into the game averaging just 4.9 points per outing, put up seven by herself in the third period alone. Owsley County struggled to fend off the Purples, with Bowling Green now down just three, 29-26, heading into the fourth quarter.
Out of the break, it didn’t take long for the Purples to gain its first lead since early in the game. Back-to-back buckets to start the final period put Bowling Green in front 30-29. That lead would grow to as many as six, but Owsley County refused to go away silently. With two minutes to go, the Lady Owls called timeout down 39-36.
Owsley County converted out of the timeout to make it a one-point game. Bowling Green came right back with a score and had a chance to make it a five-point game but a missed fastbreak layup allowed the Lady Owls another chance. Owsley County sophomore Addison Terry was then fouled on a three-point attempt, hitting two.
Now with under 60 seconds left, Bowling Green was clinging to a 42-40 lead after making one of two freebies. A clutch layup from senior JaSiyah Franklin made it a four-point contest, ending Owsley County’s comeback attempt for good. The Purples walked away with a 46-44 victory and a spot in Friday’s quarterfinals (11:00 AM) against McCracken County.
Foul trouble hinders Russell as McCracken County cruises
After coming up just short in the championship game last season, McCracken County (30-5) is one step closer to avenging that loss. The Lady Mustangs took it to the Russell Red Devils (28-7) from start to finish, coming away with a 50-33 win in game two of Wednesday’s first-round action.
Senior Claire Johnson was the star for McCracken County, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. She was aided by sophomore Reagan Hill, who posted a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double. The Lady Mustangs only went 1-5 from deep but still shot 47.2 percent overall as a team.
“Overall we played, really, four complete quarters,” McCracken County head coach Scott Sivills said afterward. “We shot the ball well at times. Got some tough rebounds at times. We made plays when we had to have them. I was really happy for Reagan Hill, who gave us a double-double tonight. With the way that she’s playing, she really makes us a different team. We knew all year long she’s capable of doing that. She had a terrific game. I loved it.”
Foul trouble doomed Russell from the start. Leading scorer senior Shaelyn Steele fouled out down the stretch while second-leading scorer senior Bella Quinn finished with four personals. Steele still managed 15 points and nine rebounds before being disqualified. Sophomore Kennedy Darnell added 11 points for the Red Devils.
Out of the gate, it appeared we would be in for an even matchup. McCracken County held an 8-6 lead over halfway through the opening quarter. But once Russell’s two leading scorers — seniors Shaelyn Stelle (21.3 PPG) and Bella Quinn (10.3 PPG) — each picked up two fouls before the end of the first period, the tides began to shift in the Lady Mustangs’ favor. McCracken County took a 17-9 lead into the second frame.
Life didn’t get any easier for Russell in the second. The Red Devils put up a mere five points in the quarter on a 2-14 shooting clip. And while McCracken County wasn’t much better with just eight points, it was enough to take a double-digit lead, 25-14, into the halftime break.
The Lady Mustangs’ Miss Basketball candidate, senior Claire Johnson, was already up to nine points, six rebounds, and three assists at the break. Despite her foul trouble, Steele, also a Miss Basketball candidate, had registered seven points and six boards for Russell.
McCracken County continued to cruise to kickstart the second half, ballooning its lead to as many as 14 points midway through the third quarter. To make matters worse for Russell, Steele picked up her third and fourth fouls while Quinn, who was still scoreless, was tagged with her third. At this point, there was still 2:35 to go in the third. The Lady Mustangs ultimately took a 38-21 lead into the final frame.
There was little drama in the fourth quarter. Less than two minutes into the period, Quinn picked up her fourth foul while the Lady Mustangs extended its lead to 21. Steele fouled out a couple of minutes later, ending her high school career. In the end, McCracken County pulled out the 50-33 victory and will take on Bowling Green this Friday at 11:00 AM in the state quarterfinals.
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