By JAMES BROWN
WCLU Sports
The much anticipated showdown between two of the top girls’ teams in the Fourth Region takes place in the semifinal round of the regional tournament Tuesday night.
Barren County (26-5) and Franklin-Simpson (26-2) tip off at 6:30 p.m. at WKU’s Diddle Arena in Bowling Green. Their game is the first of the night. At about 8 p.m., Bowling Green and Metcalfe County play each other. Franklin beat Barren in double overtime, 55-49, on Feb. 4. The luck of the draw pitted four of the top five teams against each other in the first round of the tournament.
Metcalfe (26-5) clipped Warren East (20-8), 45-44, on Monday night to advance, while Barren beat Cumberland County (19-8), 52-39, in the tourney opener Sunday afternoon.
The Trojanettes took control of the game in the fourth quarter. Barren led 33-26 after three quarters of action, but Abby Morgan drained a 3-pointer to start scoring in the final frame to pull Cumberland within four points, 33-29. Addy Slagle answered with a 3. Morgan scored and was fouled, and made the free throw. Barren led 36-32 with 6:53 showing in the game. Slagle responded with a made free throw and a layup to put her team back ahead, 39-32.
The Lady Panthers got a free throw from Kenzie Willen, and a basket by Jordy McDonald with 4:25 left in the game and they were back within four, 39-35.
From there, the Trojanettes finished the game on a 7-2 run to punch their ticket to the matchup with Franklin-Simpson. Senior Katie Gearlds scored four of the seven points. She finished with a team-high 16, while fellow senior Katie Elmore posted 12 points.
SCORING
Barren
Gearlds, 16; Elmore, 12; Shelby Byrd, 9; Slagle, 8; Ann Ashley Atkinson, 5; Mahalia Burton, 2.
Cumberland
Morgan, 16; Madi Cooksey, 9; Keagan Walden, 7; McDonald, 6; Willen, 1.
Comments