Byars sisters lead GRC, North Laurel hits last-second shot in Girls' Sweet 16 1st round

Day one of the 2023 Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Sweet 16 tournament at Rupp Arena is in the books — and it ended in thrilling fashion.

After Owensboro Catholic and Sacred Heart advanced in the first two games of Wednesday’s opening round in relatively easy fashion, the second half of the day was far more entertaining. George Rogers Clark needed a late effort to take down Mercer County while North Laurel’s go-ahead game-winner with under 10 seconds left lifted the Lady Jaguars past Frederick Douglass.

Eight teams started the day with dreams of continuing a run to the state championship on Saturday, but only four have earned their path to Friday’s quarterfinals. Eight more teams will fight for the final four spots on Thursday. An updated bracket can be found here.

Byars sisters power GRC to another Sweet 16 win

Powered by a combined 36 points from the Byars sisters — senior Brianna (14 points; 6-13 FG) and sophomore Ciara (22 points; 8-12 FG) — George Rogers Clark (28-7) was able to run out the clock down the stretch against Mercer County (21-15), locking up a 51-43 win in the third game of day one action.

After Mercer County started the night off with a quick 4-0 lead, the Cardinals came alive. George Rogers Clark immediately rattled off a 9-0 run to take control of the game, eventually leading 19-9 after the first period came to a close. The Titans refused to go away quietly though, trimming the GRC lead down to as little as four points, 25-21, at the halftime break.

Junior guard Anna Drakeford was doing everything she could to keep her Mercer County alive, converting on several tough shots at the rim. She had 10 of the Titans’ 21 first-half points and came out on the hunt in the third quarter. At one point, Mercer County cut GRC’s advantage down to just two, 36-34, as the game entered the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately, Drakeford couldn’t do everything. After Mercer County knotted the score at 36-36 early in the final period, George Rogers Clark retook momentum for good. The Cardinals responded right away with a made triple and never looked back. With two minutes left, GRC led by six and was able to run the clock out the rest of the way to lock up the victory.

Drakeford finished with 20 points on 8-22 shooting before fouling out late in the game. The next highest scorer for Mercer County was senior forward Lindsay Jessie, who added nine points. Freshman guard Teigh Yeast chipped in six points, nine rebounds, and five assists for the Titans in the loss.

Alongside 36 total points from the Byars sisters, George Rogers Clark was aided by nine points on three made triples from freshman guard Anaya Chestnut. The Cardinals were outrebounded for one of the few times this season, but shot nearly 49 percent from the field and dominated Mercer County in paint scoring.

GRC will move on to play in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 10 at 1:30 p.m.

Emily Sizemore’s late score leads North Laurel to quarterfinals

Senior point guard Brooke Nichelson was the star for the North Laurel, but it was senior Emily Sizemore who saved the day for the Lady Jaguars.

In the final game of day one action, Sizemore hit a layup with roughly seven seconds left on the clock to break a tie and give North Laurel (31-6) a 59-57 victory over Frederick Douglass (24-10). The Lady Jaguars trailed for the majority of the night but found a way to fight back down the stretch and beat the Broncos. Sizemore finished with 14 points and four assists to aid Nicheslon and her game-high 26 points.

“This is the moment I prepared for since I was five years old,” Sizemore said of her go-ahead game-winner. “I had confidence and I just took the shot. That’s what I’ve practiced for my entire life and I’m just so excited to get the win.”

While it was always a tight contest throughout, Frederick Douglass held the lead for almost all of the first half, at one point going up by as many as nine, 25-16, midway through the second period. Junior forward Ayanna Darrington was a force down low for the Broncos, posting 14 points and nine rebounds all by herself at the intermission. Every time it felt like North Laurel tried to wiggle back into the game, Darrington was there to push the Lady Jags away.

Entering the fourth quarter, Douglass held a 45-41 lead that eventually ballooned to 51-45 once Nichelson was tagged with her fourth foul. There were still over five minutes left on the clock, but she stayed on the court to see North Laurel take its first lead since the opening frame. The Lady Jaguars scored seven straight to take a 52-51 advantage. Sophomore guard Bella Sizemore then hit a triple that made it 55-51 in favor of North laurel with under three minutes to go.

Unfortunately, Nichelson would foul out shortly after. Darrington canned two freebies to make it a three-point game before a banked-in triple from Frederick Douglass sophomore Niah Rhodes tied the score at 57-57 with just 31 seconds in the game.

North Laurel would call a timeout and set up the game-winning play for Sizemore, who drove into the lane against four Broncos players and lofted up a contested layup that fell into the bottom of the net with little time on the clock. Frederick Douglass’ desparation shot at the buzzer was off as North Laurel advanced to the Sweet 16 quarterfinals.

Nichelson’s 26 points came on a 10-17 shooting clip for the Lady Jags. She also dished out five assists. Sizemore finished with 14 points on 7-10 shooting while junior center Chloe McKinght added 10 points and five rebounds. Darrington’s night came to a close with 22 points and 18 rebounds for Frederick Douglass.

North Laurel will take on George Rogers Clark during Friday’s quarterfinals action at 1:30 p.m.