Ramiya White Leads Butler to Sweet 16 Victory; Franklin County Defeats North Laurel

The KHSAA Girl’s Sweet 16 saw two very different types of games take place on Wednesday night. The first was a battle that saw several lead changes. The second saw one team control the whole game.

KSR takes a look at the Butler (Louisville, KY) vs. Anderson County (Lawrenceburg, KY) and Franklin County (Frankfort, KY) vs. North Laurel (London, KY) games that took place on Wednesday. Which teams advanced to the Elite 8?

Butler Pulls Away Late to Defeat Anderson County

The first Sweet 16 matchup of the evening between Butler and Anderson County was a back-and-forth affair. That was until the fourth quarter.

Butler outscored Anderson County 22-11 in the fourth quarter to pull away with a 58-49 victory. Butler senior center and 2024 Kentucky signee Ramiya White was Butler’s leading scorer with 16 points.

Playing in her future college home at Rupp Arena, White said she was nervous before the game. Despite the nerves, she was still able to go 7-for-11 from the field with four rebounds.

“When I started scoring, it just felt comfortable to me so I just kept scoring,” White said postgame.

White’s scoring played a key role in Butler’s victory, but most important was the defensive effort. Butler coach Candyce Wheeler attributed the team’s fourth-quarter defense to laying the groundwork for the win.

“I’ve talked to them all season about how defensively, it’s going to win us games,” Wheeler said. “They just finally locked in and we were able to get some stops and get some easy layups.”

In addition to White’s 16 points, Butler had three other players finish in double-figures. Emaree Gober had 11 points, while Malia Patrick and Mariah Knight scored 10 apiece. Anderson County’s Jenna Satterly and Lainey Johnson each finished with a game-high 17 points.

Franklin Leads the Entire Way in Sweet 16 Win Over North Laurel

The night’s second Sweet 16 matchup was a game that saw Franklin County easily dispatch North Laurel. Franklin County led for all 32 minutes in a 51-30 victory to advance to the Elite 8.

Rachel Shropshire’s 14 points were a game-high as she went 5-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range. Keyonna Taylor also finished in double-figures with 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting.

“I’m just proud of how we guarded,” Franklin County coach Joey Thacker said postgame. “We made it real hard on them. We had to. That’s kind of been our M.O. all year long, to try and get some stuff done on the defensive end. I thought our kids really bought in, played their assignments well, and then some defense turned into offense.”

Franklin County did an especially good job of slowing down Brooke Nichelseon, holding her to six points and 1-for-8 shooting. Mariella Claybrook was the only player to finish in double-figures for North Laurel, scoring 10 points.

North Laurel struggled to knock down shots as a team. They went 11-for-40 from the field and 0-for-12 from three.

Butler and Franklin County are set to face in the Elite 8 on Friday, March 15 at 1:30 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena. The winner will advance to the final four on March 16.