Girls Sweet Sixteen Day One Recap, Pt. 2

Day one of the 2022 Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet Sixteen Basketball Tournament is now in the books after four teams reserved their ticket for the quarterfinal round. Earlier on Wednesday, Meade County won a thriller over Boyd County in the opener before Bullitt East took easy care of Bethlehem in game two. If you missed out on the action, you can catch up by clicking the link here.

Games three and four took place later in the day and produced two close contests. Let’s dive into those recaps.

Southwestern 67, McCracken County 56

In Wednesday’s third game, Southwestern ended McCracken County’s 24-game win streak with a 67-56 victory. After six of their seven losses this season came against Sweet Sixteen teams, the Warriors got a signature victory to start their run at state. Junior Molden’s squad was led by a quartet of players in double-figures. The group of Payton Acey, Kinsley Molden, Makayla Noritis and Ayden Smiddey combined for 57 points to end McCracken’s season at 31-2.

If Southwestern came in as the “underdog” in this one, someone didn’t tell them. The Warriors weren’t gun shy as they fired in three makes from deep that had them in an early lead. For the Lady Mustangs, Destiny Thomas responded more than once with six points to keep it close. Still, Southwestern led most of the way to start and led by three after the first quarter.

To start the second, Scott Sivills’ team switched up their defense. McCracken County came out in a 2-3 zone and added a fullcourt press that took immediate effect. It forced the Warriors into three turnovers and their worst offensive stretch of the game. Halfway through the quarter, Southwestern did make the adjustment to scoring in transition and really moving the Mustangs zone around.

For as disruptive as McCracken’s defense was to start, Southwestern’s caused the Mustangs just as much trouble heading towards halftime. They held Thomas to 1-5 shooting in the quarter, which was enough to keep this one knotted at 29 at the break.

Ladies & Gentlemen…We have ourselves a game 👀

The Lady Mustangs haven’t had a game within single digits in 15 games. The Warriors are pushing them.

If Southwestern is supposed to be the underdog, they sure don’t know it as they’re tied at 29 with McCracken at the half. pic.twitter.com/4CC0H4aHDL

— Sam Gillenwater (@samdg_33) March 9, 2022

The Warriors threw what would be the knockout punch in the third quarter. After a three from Smiddy and an and-one from Noritis, Southwestern went up six. With some heavy lifting from Sivills and Thomas, the Lady Mustangs made their way back to a tie at 35. After that, it was all Warriors.

To start, Molden hit a pair of 3s to extend it back to six. Acey then had a decisive six-point sequence all to herself. Following an and-one, the ball found its way back to her after she missed a free throw, where she connected on a four-point play that sent the Southwestern crowd into a frenzy. That was all part of an 18-9 third quarter for Southwestern that gave them a nine-point leading heading to the fourth.

In the final frame, Southwestern would not relinquish their three-possession advantage. The closest McCracken County would get in the fourth was seven. As impressive as their offensive performance was, the Mustangs’ defense was almost even more so. Destiny Thomas needed some late buckets to get to 22 points for the game and, even so, it was on poor efficiency inside. The Warriors’ lead grew to as much as 14 before winning by 11.

The streak is over! Southwestern ends McCracken County’s 24-game win streak with a 67-56 victory at state.

Acey, Molden, Noritis and Smiddey combine for 57 points.

The Warriors will now face the winner of Henderson Co. and Franklin Co. in the quarters on Friday at 11 a.m.. pic.twitter.com/yUdYpJYEF9

— Sam Gillenwater (@samdg_33) March 10, 2022

— Sam Gillenwater

Franklin County 46, Henderson County 43

Both teams entered the final contest of Wednesday with impressive win streaks. Franklin County left with another tally added to their impressive stretch.

The Franklin County Lady Flyers (28-7) defeated the Henderson County Colonels (24-5) 46-43 in the first round of the KHSAA Girls Sweet 16. The star-studded battle was nothing short of entertaining. Henderson County’s Jarie Thomas, Malorie Veal and Graci Risley each scored double figures. Yet, Franklin County’s lethal duo of Patience Laster and Jazmine Chambers proved to be too much, dropping a combined 22 points.

As entertaining as the game was, both teams started slow. In the first quarter, Henderson County shot a poor 2-12 from the field. Thankfully for the Colonels, the Lady Flyers didn’t do much better. The team went 2-9 from the floor in the first frame. Franklin County finished the period with a narrow 5-4 lead.

The nerves that had plagued the teams in the first quarter disappeared in the second. The Lady Flyers attacked the boards, grabbing 20 rebounds in the half. However, the Colonels’ press caused issues, forcing seven first-half Franklin County turnovers. Henderson County’s Thomas led all scorers at the break with eight points on 4-6 shooting. Fueled by Thomas, the Colonels went into halftime ahead 21-18.

Franklin County struck back in the third frame, outscoring the Colonels 13-10. Chambers propelled the Lady Flyers forward. The crafty guard had 10 points by the end of the third period. Nevertheless, Henderson County’s Veal refused to go away. Veal recorded five points in the frame, including a basket from deep. After a tightly contested third quarter, the team wrestled into the third quarter tied at 33 points.

Henderson County was hit with adversity early in the final eight minutes of the contest. Senior guard Kaytlan Kemp, who led the Colonels with eight assists, went to the bench after suffering a hard fall. The Lady Flyers capitalized on the loss. Franklin County finished the game on a 10-0 run to squeeze out a 47-41 victory.

Franklin County's Cam Ridderikhoff drained a massive 3 with 56 seconds remaining to put this one out of reach. Here it is @HCHSColonels @LadyFlyerHoops pic.twitter.com/yAuYTLOw3I

— Grant Grubbs (@grant_grubbs_) March 10, 2022

Despite the loss, the Colonels shot an impressive 7-15 (47%) from beyond the arc. However, Franklin County’s dominance on the glass ultimately won them the game. The Lady Flyers snagged 15 more rebounds than the Colonels. The red-hot Lady Flyers won’t have long to rest as they will face Southwestern at 11:00 a.m. on Friday.

— Grant Grubbs