GRC pulls away; Simon Kenton upset and more from Wednesday's KHSAA Girls' Sweet 16 action

It’s that time of year again… time for the high school basketball postseason!

On Wednesday, the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 tipped off with four games, and KSR has everything you need to get caught up on all the action, so without further ado, let’s get into what went down, shall we?

North Laurel notches 32nd win of the season, taking down Ashland Blazer

The first game of the Sweet 16 did not disappoint as far as competitiveness goes.

Through the first two quarters of play, the North Laurel Lady Jaguars and the Ashland Blazer Kittens were knotted at 20 apiece. Senior forward Brooke Nichelson would have a game-high 12 points and seven rebounds, setting the tone for what was to come for the rest of the game.

She would proceed to put up 16 points in the second half to give her 28 total on the day, and she would also record 10 total rebounds to give her a double-double on the day. Ashland Blazer shot just 21.4% (6-28) from the field in the second half, and as a result, they just weren’t able to keep up with North Laurel. It would be a 51-42 win for North Laurel in the end.

The Lady Jaguars will face GRC at 11 a.m. on Friday. The winner of that game could very well be cutting down the nets on Saturday, making this a very intriguing Quarterfinals matchup.

Kennedy Deener scores 27 to lead Taylor County past Knott County Central

Unlike the North Laurel-Ashland Blazer game, this one wasn’t in question for very long as Taylor County got the lead early and didn’t really ever look back.

She may just be an eighth grader, but Kennedy Deener played more like a senior against Knott County Central. In just 15 minutes of action, she put up 27 points on 8-11 (2-2 3PT) shooting while cashing in on all nine of her attempts from the free throw line.

Deener’s 27 points is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that the Lady Patriots of Knott County Central only put up 35 as a unit for the entirety of the game. They shot just 33% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc as they took a 53-35 loss to the Lady Cardinals.

Taylor County will suit up against Frederick Douglass at 1:30 p.m. on Friday in what could be one of the more slept on matchups in the whole tournament.

GRC ends game on 29-10 run to defeat Franklin-Simpson

After having their Sweet 16 run cut short by Sacred Heart in the first round last season, George Rogers Clark is on a quest to make it to Saturday’s state championship game, and that begun with a convincing 64-42 victory over Franklin-Simpson.

At one point, the Lady Cardinals led just 35-32, but they would go on a 29-10 run to end the game. Senior Jailenn Green had a team-best 22 points on 9-10 shooting. She also had four steals on the day — GRC recording 14 total steals and forcing 21 total turnovers in the win.

Michigan commit Ciara Byars only had nine points in her 27 minutes on the floor, but she did manage to grab seven rebounds and block five shots as well.

Frederick Douglass ends Simon Kenton’s 12-game winning streak

Simon Kenton has been on an absolute tear this season, with their only losses coming to teams in the Sweet 16. They even did what no one else had done in 92 games — hand Sacred Heart a loss to an in-state opponent. None of that mattered on Wednesday night, however. In a “win or go home” scenario, Frederick Douglass sent Simon Kenton packing with a 48-39 win.

The Lady Pioneers got out to a 21-9 lead to open the game, but the Lady Broncos went on an 11-0 run to end the first half to make it a one-point, 21-20 game at the break. Simon Kenton looked like they were going to roll, but Frederick Douglass wasn’t going to go out without a fight.

From there, Douglass had the momentum.

Eighth grader Tamia Waide was the leading scorer for the Lady Broncos, putting up 18 points on 7-8 (2-2 3PT) shooting, also tallying four steals against Simon Kenton. Jaelee Knowles recorded 17 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 31 minutes of action as well.

March is madness, and the madness has just begun.