Lexington Catholic begins defense of their 11th Region championship on March 10 against Bryan Station.  According to Dave Cantrall the Lexington Catholic squad is ranked fifth in the state with a 83.3 rating.  Other teams and ratings in the tourney are Henry Clay (80.9), Bryan Station (80.8), Woodford County (67.4), Madison Central (67.1), Western Hills (61.0), Lexington Christian (58.3), and Berea (50.8).

The 11th Region All-Region regular season team was announced before the first game on March 10th.
The twelve person squad named is as follows:
 

Freddricka Embry	5-10	Sr.	Henry Clay
Neeley Thomas	5-7	Sr.	Paul Dunbar
Nastassia Alcius	5-7	Jr.	Henry Clay
Sharia Young	5-8	Jr.	Bryan Station
Tracy Harbut	6-0	So.	Bryan Station
Destiny Mattingly	5-7	8th	Woodford County
Chelsea Chowning	6-0	So.	Lexington Catholic
Jenny Noort	6-1	Jr.	Lexington Catholic
Katie Mendenhall	5-10	Sr.	Lexington Catholic
Olivia Terry	5-7	Fr.	Madison Central
Katie Boaz	5-6	Sr.	Paul Dunbar
Rhea Lynn Cook	6-1	Sr.	Woodford County

Co-coaches of the year were Jay Lucas (Woodford County) and Jackie Williams (Bryan Station).

March 10, 2001

Bryan Station (19-9) vs. Lexington Catholic (25-4)

Bryan Station coach Jackie Williams started the following lineup:  5-8 Jr. Mimi Combs, 5-9 Jr. Ashlee Crump, 6-0 So. Tracy Harbut, 5-9 Jr. Sharia Young,   and 5-7 Jr. Shanika Penman.  Lexington Catholic coach Greg Todd countered with 6-0 So. Chelsea Chowning, 5-8 Sr. Tyler Bell, 5-11 Sr. Katie Michalczyk, 5-10 Sr. Katie Mendenhall, and 5-10 So. Sarah Schell.

Lexington Catholic utilized good shooting (51.2%) and held Bryan Station to 31.6% shooting from the field to advance to the semifinals with a 57-49 victory. Catholic held a 45-31 lead early in the final period before Bryan Station staged a comeback to pull within 4, 49-45, with 2:47 remaining in the game.  Lexington Catholic managed to hit enough free throws down the stretch to claim the victory.

Katie Mendenhall led a balanced Catholic attack with 14 points. Katie Michalczyk, Sarah Schell, and Chelsea Chowning added 13, 12, and 10 points respectively.  Michalczyk and Chowning each pulled down 9 rebounds.  Bryan Station was led by Tracy Harbut with 24 and 10 rebounds.  Harbut was 9 of 17 from the field but, unfortunately for Bryan Station, the rest of the Defenders were 9 of 40 combined from the field.
 

Bryan Station	6	10	15	18	-	49
Lexington Catholic	12	16	12	17	-	57

Bryan Station	(49) -	Combs 0, Crump 7, Harbut 24, Young 8, Penman 8, Skinner 2.
Lexington Catholic	(57) -	Chowning 10, T. Bell 8, Michalczyk 13, Mendenhall 14, Schell 12.

Berea (14-14) vs. Woodford County (20-8)

Berea coach Jerry Bingham started the following lineup:  5-5 Fr. Samantha Newman, 5-7 Jr. Cara Clark, 5-10 So. Kara Ratliff, 5-8 Jr. Chrissy Himes, and 5-4 Fr. Jessica Engle.  Woodford County coach Jay Lucas countered with 6-1 Sr. Rhea Lynn Cook, 5-9 Sr. Amy Stencel, 5-7 So. Megan Foster, 5-6 So. Mallory Kirtley, and 5-7 8th grade Destiny Mattingly.

Destiny Mattingly hit a free throw with 2 seconds remaining to give Woodford County a hard earned 48-47 victory over a scrappy Berea team.  Woodford County held the advantage until the final period, when Berea took a 45-44 lead before Woodford County came back for the win.  Woodford County was led by Megan Foster and Destiny Mattingly with 15 points each.  Mallory Kirtley chipped in with 11 points.  Berea was led by Samantha Newman with 13 points, 10 coming in the final period.  Chrissy Himes and Cara Clark each added 11 points.  Woodford County connected on 10 three-pointers for the game.
 

Berea	4	20	10	13	-	47
Woodford County	9	17	14	8	-	48

Berea	(47) -	Newman 13, Clark 11, Ratliff 2, Himes 11, Engle 8, Whittamore 2.
Woodford County	(48) -	Cook 2, Stencel 0, Foster 15, Kirtley 11, Mattingly 15, Brown 2, Swan 3.

Lexington Christian (15-15) vs. Madison Central (19-11)

Lexington Christian coach Ralph Sallee started the following lineup:  5-6 Jr. Staci Feck, 5-3 Jr. Caryn Cooper, 6-1 Jr. Jenny Noort, 5-5 So. Lyndsey West, and 5-4 So. Katie McPeek.  Madison Central coach Kent Miller countered with 5-9 Sr. Jennifer Cornett, 6-0 Jr. Tiffany Green, 5-2 So. Heather Rose, 5-7 Fr. Olivia Terry, and 5-8 Jr. Leah Shearer.

Lexington Christian staged a miraculous comeback to defeat Madison Central 54-50.  Madison Central led 15-2 at the end of the first quarter and 42-29 at the end of three quarters.  Lexington Christian scrapped back to take a 48-47 lead on a three point bomb by Lyndsey West with less than two minutes remaining in the game.  Madison Central tied the game at 48-48, then Lexington Christian's Staci Feck, the little lady with the big heart, stepped up and knocked down six straight free throws in the last 46 seconds to secure the win.

Lexington Christian was led by Jenny Noort with 24.  Staci Feck added 13 points  with 9 of them coming in the final period.  5-7 So. Elisabeth Jones came off the bench to get 9 points. Lyndsey West added 8 points and some key rebounds.  Madison Central was led by Olivia Terry and Jennifer Cornett with 19 and 10 points respectively.
 

Lexington Christian	2	14	13	25	-	54
Madison Central	15	8	19	8	-	50

Lexington Christian	(54) -	Feck 13, Cooper 0, Noort 24, West 8, McPeek 0, Jones 9.
Madison Central	(50) -	Cornett 10, Green 8, Rose 6, Terry 19, Shearer 3, Vorbeck 2, Oakley 2.

Western Hills (14-14) vs. Henry Clay (25-3)

Western Hills coach Bryan Edwards started the following lineup:  5-7 Sr. Emily Perry, 5-9 Sr. Kristen Herron,  5-10 So. Meredith Plant, 5-6 Sr. April Cammuse, and 5-5 Jr. Emily McCarty.  Henry Clay coach Scott Cromwell countered with 5-10 Sr. Freddricka Embry, 5-7 Jr. Nastassia Alcius, 6-0 So. Leah Hill, 5-3 Fr. Johnna Carlisle, and 5-9 Jr. Katie Columbus.

Henry Clay blitzed Western Hills 17-1 in the fourth quarter to earn a decisive 67-37 victory.  Meredith Plant scored 14 of her team-high 15 points in the first half to keep Western Hills within 8, 32-24 at the half.   Henry Clay turned up the defensive pressure in the second half to pull away for the win.

Henry Clay was led by their inside-outside duo of  Freddricka Embry and Nastassia Alcius with 22 and 18 points respectively.   Western Hills was led by Meredith Plant with 15 points. Kristen Herron chipped in with 9 points.
 

Western Hills	15	9	12	1	-	37
Henry Clay	18	14	18	17	-	67

Western Hills	(37) -	Perry 3, Herron 9, Plant 15, Cammuse 2, McCarty 2, Keene 4, Goins 2.
Henry Clay	(67) -	Embry 22, Alcius 18, Hill 4, Carlisle 2, Columbus 7, Tobin 6, Currens 6, Wilson 2.

March 12, 2001

Semifinal No. 1  Woodford County (21-8) vs. Lexington Catholic (26-4)

Woodford County coach Jay Lucas started the following lineup:  6-1 Sr. Rhea Lynn Cook, 5-9 Sr. Amy Stencel, 5-7 So. Megan Foster, 5-6 So. Mallory Kirtley, and 5-7 8th grade Destiny Mattingly.  Lexington Catholic coach Greg Todd countered with 6-0 So. Chelsea Chowning, 5-8 Sr. Tyler Bell, 5-11 Sr. Katie Michalczyk, 5-10 Sr. Katie Mendenhall, and 5-10 So. Sarah Schell.

Lexington Catholic pulled away from a 27-24 lead at halftime to defeat Woodford County 64-52.  Catholic outscored Woodford County 25-5 in the third period to take a 52-29 lead at the end of the quarter.  Catholic actually led by a score of 60-31 early in the fourth quarter before Woodford County scored 21 of the last 25 points to cut into the lead.  Catholic outshot Woodford County 44.2% to 37.3% from the field and held a 42-34 rebound margin.

Lexington Catholic was led by Katie Mendenhall with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Chelsea Chowning added 11 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.  Woodford County was led by Destiny Mattingly, Megan Foster, and Mallory Kirtley with 17, 15, and 12 points respectively. Amy Stencel did not crack the scoring column but she puled down a team-high 9 rebounds.
 

Woodford County	14	10	5	23	-	52
Lexington Catholic	14	13	25	12	-	64

Woodford County	(52) -	Cook 6, Stencel 0, Foster 15, Kirtley 12, Mattingly 17, Swan 2.
Lexington Catholic	(64) -	Chowning 11, T. Bell 2, Michalczyk 9, K. Mendenhall 22, Schell 10, Carney 8, M. Mendenhall 2.

Semifinal No. 2  Henry Clay (26-3) vs. Lexington Christian (16-15)

Henry Clay coach Scott Cromwell started the following lineup:  5-10 Sr. Freddricka Embry, 5-7 Jr. Nastassia Alcius, 6-0 So. Leah Hill, 5-3 Fr. Johnna Carlisle, and 5-9 Jr. Katie Columbus.  Lexington Christian coach Ralph Sallee countered with 5-6 Jr. Staci Feck, 5-3 Jr. Caryn Cooper, 6-1 Jr. Jenny Noort, 5-5 So. Lyndsey West, and 5-7 So. Elisabeth Jones.

Henry Clay led 26-18 at halftime but their depth and strength finally wore down a scrappy Lexington Christian squad and the Lady Blue Devils won 54-35.  Henry Clay was led tonight by Freddricka Embry with 17 points.  Nastassia Alcius added 16 points.  Lexington Christian was led by Jenny Noort with 23 points and 14 rebounds.  Henry Clay will now play Lexington Catholic for the 11th Region championship and a trip to the Sweet 16.
 

Henry Clay	18	8	10	18	-	54
Lexington Christian	10	8	6	11	-	35

Henry Clay	(54) -	Embry 17, Alcius 16, Hill 0, Carlisle 6, Columbus 6, Tobin 3, Currens 2, Spencer 2, Sullivan 2.
Lexington Christian	(35) -	Feck 4, Cooper 3, Noort 23, West 4, Jones 0, McPeek 1.

March 13, 2001

Championship  Henry Clay (27-3) vs. Lexington Catholic (27-4)

Henry Clay coach Scott Cromwell started the following lineup:  5-10 Sr. Freddricka Embry, 5-7 Jr. Nastassia Alcius, 6-0 So. Leah Hill, 5-3 Fr. Johnna Carlisle, and 5-9 Jr. Katie Columbus.  Lexington Catholic coach Greg Todd countered with 6-0 So. Chelsea Chowning, 5-8 Sr. Tyler Bell, 5-11 Sr. Katie Michalczyk, 5-10 Sr. Katie Mendenhall, and 5-10 So. Sarah Schell.

Lexington Catholic survived a thriller to defeat Henry Clay 52-51 to claim the 11th Region crown.  The game was close throughout but Lexington Catholic took a 50-43 lead in the fourth quarter.  Henry Clay's Freddricka Embry fouled out with 4:15 remaining and it looked like Henry Clay was done for the evening.  However, Henry Clay's Katie Columbus hit a three point bomb to tie the game at 51.  Katie Mendenhall gave Catholic the eventual winning point on a free throw to make the score 52-51 with 46 seconds remaining in the game.  After a missed Henry Clay shot and ensuing scramble for the ball, Catholic got the ball out of  bounds with 5 seconds on the clock.  The intended target of the in bounds pass fell down and the ball went out of bounds giving Henry Clay one more chance.  Henry Clay was unable to get off a shot and Lexington Catholic advances to the Sweet 16.

Lexington Catholic was led tonight by tourney MVP Katie Mendenhall with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Chelsea Chowning added 12 points and 6 rebounds.  Henry Clay was led tonight by Nastassia Alcius and Freddricka Embry with 17 and 11 points respectively.  6-0 Fr. Mary Tobin came off the bench, played with a lot of heart and emotion, and added 8 points and a team-high 7 rebounds.

This was a very exciting game between two outstanding teams.  There was much jubilation on the Lexington Catholic side -- it was a big game to win.  The Henry Clay girls and coaching staff should be congratulated on a great season; they left all on the floor tonight, both physically and emotionally.
 

Henry Clay	10	19	13	9	-	51
Lexington Catholic	13	18	10	11	-	52

Henry Clay	(51) -	Embry 11, Alcius 17, Hill 0, Carlisle 0, Columbus 6, Currens 6, Tobin 8, Birdwhistell 3.
Lexington Catholic	(52) -	Chowning 12, T. Bell 4, Michalczyk 8, K. Mendenhall 18, Schell 3, Carney 5, Novosel 2.

All Tournament Team
 

Jenny Noort	6-1	Jr.	Lexington Christian	2 games	23.5 ppg
Destiny Mattingly	5-7	8th.	Woodford County	2 games	16.0 ppg
Meredith Plant	5-10	So.	Western Hills	1 game	15.0 ppg
Tracy Harbut	6-0	So.	Bryan Station	1 game	24.0 ppg
Samantha Newman	5-5	Fr.	Berea	1 game	13.0 ppg
Olivia Terry	5-7	Fr.	Madison Central	1 game	19.0 ppg
Freddricka Embry	5-10	Sr.	Henry Clay	3 games	16.3 ppg
Nastassia Alcius	5-7	Jr.	Henry Clay	3 games	17.0 ppg
Chelsea Chowning	6-0	So.	Lexington Catholic	3 games	11.0 ppg   9.7 rpg
Sarah Schell	5-10	So.	Lexington Catholic	3 games	8.3 ppg
Katie Mendenhall	5-10	Sr.	Lexington Catholic	3 games	18.0 ppg	MVP

Conclusion

This was an excellent tourney with some outstanding teams, excellent players, and good coaching.  The future of 11th Region basketball looks extremely good -- 123 players were listed in the program and only 16 were seniors.  Seven of twelve of the all-region regular season squad will return.  Nine of eleven members of the all-tournament squad will return for the 2001-2002 campaign.  There were many excellent young players in the tourney and coach Jay Lucas of Woodford County has an eighth grader, Destiny Mattingly,  that made both the regular season and all-tournament teams.

Acknowledgments

I would like to express appreciation for the hospitality extended me by the people at Dunbar High School.  I truly enjoyed my daily talks with Dave Anderson, president of the Dunbar Lady Bulldog boosters club, and a man who loves girls basketball.  I would also like to thank all the coaches who patiently brought me up to speed on their teams.  Once again, thanks a lot to the WL Stats crew -- nobody does it better.

Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the tournament, teams, or players to me at  prephoops@yahoo.com .