LEXINGTON, Ky. — For Ashland, it’s the Bittersweet 16.
The Kittens (26-7) rallied hard but lost 51-47 to McCracken County (34-3) Friday in the Kentucky high school girls basketball state tournament quarterfinals at Rupp Arena.
The Mustangs led by 14 points in the second half and by 12 with 5:48 left in the game. Ella Sellars made a 3-pointer with 5:47 to play to spark a 12-2 run that ended with Gabby Karle scoring off an offensive rebound to pull Ashland within 49-47 with 38 seconds remaining.
McCracken County’s Claire Johnson missed a shot with 18 seconds left, but a tie-up on the rebound gave the ball back to the Mustangs via the possession arrow. After a turnover, the Kittens’ Kenleigh Woods missed a shot driving the lane with 6 seconds left and Carolina Sivills grabbed the rebound for the Mustangs. Sivills was fouled and made both free throws to set the score.
McCracken County coach Scott Sivills said his team was fortunate to beat Ashland.
“Sometimes in tournament play, you just have to find a way to get to the next step,” coach Sivills said. “Give Ashland a lot of credit. They played with a lot of poise, confidence and shot the ball very well. They made some big shots.”
The Kittens led 9-8 after one quarter, to the dismay of coach Sivills, who pleaded with his players to rebound. Bounce back they did, scoring the first seven points of the second period on their way to a 28-15 lead 2:22 before halftime.
Ashland cut the deficit to 32-22 by halftime only to fall behind 11 by the end of the third quarter.
The loss was tough for the Kittens to take. First-year coach Stacy Franz Davis fought back tears as she talked about the game.
“I’m still kind of speechless, here,” Davis said. “These girls worked so hard. The goal was to play on Saturday. No one expected us to go to state. No one expected us to even win the region. I can’t be any more proud of them.”
The Mustangs succeeded inside, scoring at the block time after time. Coach Sivills prodded his team to “catch and score,” which it did, scoring 30 points in the paint. Caroline Sivills scored 14 points, Johnson 13 and forward Destiny Thomas 10 as McCracken County made 20 of 34 shots (58.8%).
Davis said she wasn’t surprised by the comeback.
“We’ve been in that situation all season long,” she said. “The girls never quit.”
Woods said she didn’t know what to expect when Davis replaced legendary Bill Bradley, who retired after last season. She quickly liked what she saw.
“We learned to trust the coaches,” said Woods, whose 17 points backed Ella Sellars’ 20. “They know what’s best for us.”
Two-time defending champion Louisville Sacred Heart beat Owensboro Catholic 67-45 in Saturday’s first quarterfinal. George Rogers Clark defeated North Laurel 63-48 in the second contest. Louisville Mercy and Henderson County met in the late game. The winner meets McCracken County in the semifinals Saturday.
McCRACKEN COUNTY 8 24 12 7 — 51: Thomas 3-8 0-0 4-5 10, Buchanan 4-8 0-1 0-2 8, Sivills 5-7 2-3 2-2 14, Johnson 6-9 0-0 1-5 13, Bufford 0-0 0-0 0-0 0, Benton 2-2 2-2 0-0 6, Hill 0-0 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-34 4-6 7-14 51.
ASHLAND 9 13 11 14 — 47: J. Gulley 3-7 0-0 0-0 6, A. Gulley 0-1 0-1 0-0 0, Woods 7-13 2-4 1-4 17, Karle 1-6 0-4 0-0 2, Sellars 6-13 3-4 5-7 20, Duckwyler 0-0 0-0 0-0 0, Delaney 1-2 0-0 0-0 2. Totals: 18-42 5-13 6-11 47.
Rebounds: MC 19 (Sivills 6), A 26 (J. Gulley 5, Sellars 5). Team rebounds: MC 1, A 3. Deadball rebounds: MC 3, A 1. Steals: MC 10 (Johnson 4), A 7 (Woods 2, Karle 2, Sellars 2). Assists: MC 15 (Thomas 6), A 11 (Sellars 4). Blocked shots: MC: 5 (Thomas 3), A none. Fouls: MC 11, A 13. Fouled out: Woods. Technical fouls: none.
