2003 Kentucky High School Girls
11th Region Tournament
Berea
College – Seabury Center
Berea, Kentucky
March 15, 17-18, 2003
Copyright © 2003 Ron Harrison
The teams advancing to the 11th Region tournament are Woodford County (24-6), Madison Model (9-16), Paul L. Dunbar (20-9), Lexington Christian Academy (16-9), Berea (19-10), Frankfort (20-8), Lexington Catholic (26-4), and Lafayette (19-10). Lexington Catholic would appear to be the solid favorite to capture the title. However, last year Henry Clay and Lexington Catholic were solid favorites to meet for the title but both were upset in semifinal games.
Woodford County lost 5-11 Sr. Laura Swan for the entire season with a knee injury, but still has a potent offense featuring excellent long-range shooting and the stellar all-around play of 5-8 So. Destiny Mattingly. Coach Rick Griffith has Dunbar peaking at the right time and they come into the tourney on a roll. Coach Allison Tate Denton had a big turn around season with the Lafayette Lady Generals and they are led by 6-4 Sr. center Kara Hamilton.
Saturday March 15th
Madison Model (9-16) vs. Woodford County (24-6)
Madison Model coach Steven Minter started the following lineup: 5-7 Fr. Kendra Ritter, 5-9 Fr.. Elizabeth Miller, 5-10 Jr. Celeste Roberts, 5-5 6th grader Lyndsay Jones, and 5-7 So. Kasey Powers. Woodford County coach Jay Lucas countered with 5-10 Jr. Blythe Brown, 5-7 Fr. Brittany Henderlight, 5-10 Sr. Erika Rasmussen, 5-8 Sr. Megan Foster, and 5-7 Sr. Mallory Kirtley.
Woodford County utilized 51.7% field goal shooting and an amazing 61.9% (13 of 21) from the three point line on their way to an 86-31 victory over Madison Model. The opportunistic Woodford County defense also scored 45 points on 29 Madison Model turnovers. Model only shot 18.6% from the field and neither team was proficient from the charity stripe as Model was 53.8% (14 of 26) while Woodford County was only 52.4% (11 of 21). Woodford County accomplished this offensive outburst with star soph Destiny Mattingly sidelined for tonight’s game with a sprained ankle.
The victors were led today by Megan Foster and Erika Rasmussen with 12 points each. Foster was four of five from the three point line. Brittany Henderlight added 11 points, six rebounds, and dished out 12 assists. Mallory Kirtley also tallied 11 points and 5-9 Jr. Katie Routt chipped in with 10 points. Madison Model was led by Kendra Ritter, Kasey Powers, and Celeste Roberts with seven, six, and six points respectively.
|
Madison Model |
9 |
14 |
3 |
5 |
- |
31 |
|
Woodford County |
29 |
26 |
16 |
15 |
- |
86 |
|
Madison Model |
(31) - |
Kendra Ritter 7, Miller 3, Roberts 6, Jones 3, Powers 6, Potter 2, Holt 4. |
|
Woodford County |
(86) - |
Brown 2, Henderlight 11, Rasmussen 12, Foster 12, Kirtley 11, Bryant 3, Littleton 3, Nunnelley 9, Freibert 4, Penny 3, Roberts 4, Wilson 2, Routt 10. |
Lexington Christian Academy (16-9) vs. Paul L. Dunbar (20-9)
Lexington Christian Academy coach Ralph Sallee started the following lineup: 5-8 Fr. Katie Brittain, 5-8 So. Leah Anderson, 5-7 Sr. Elisabeth Jones, 5-6 So. Kayla Yates, and 5-3 8th grader Emily London. Paul L. Dunbar coach Rick Griffith countered with 5-9 So. Adaeze Azubuike, 5-10 Sr. Jessica Hanson, 5-10 Jr. Dominique Rowe, 5-8 Sr. Brooke Marnitz, and 5-7 7th grader Briana Green.
Lexington Christian pulled to within one point, 35-34, to open the final quarter but Dunbar answered the challenge and pulled away to record a 50-41 victory. Dunbar was 39.5% from the field, 19 of 33 from the free throw line, and grabbed 33 rebounds. Lexington Christian shot 39.5% from the field, connected on five of 13 from the free throw line, and pulled down 24 rebounds.
Dunbar was led by Briana Green with 18 points, while Jessica Hanson added 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Lexington Christian was led by Emily London with 13 points. Elisabeth Jones and 5-11 Fr. Kirby Barnhart added nine and seven points respectively.
|
Lexington Christian Academy |
5 |
11 |
15 |
10 |
- |
41 |
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
15 |
8 |
12 |
15 |
- |
50 |
|
Lexington Christian Academy |
(41) - |
Brittain 2, Anderson 1, Jones 9, Yates 4, London 13, Cara Johnson 5, Barnhart 7. |
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
(50) - |
Azubuike 4, Hanson 16, Rowe 2, Marnitz 6, Greene 18, Tamaji 2, Napier 2. |
All Region Team
|
Kara Hamilton |
|
Lafayette |
|
6-4 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Brittany Pittman |
|
Tates Creek |
|
6-2 |
|
So. |
|
|
Meredith Plant |
|
Western Hills |
|
6-0 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Sarah Schell |
|
Lexington Catholic |
|
5-11 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Brooke Marnitz |
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
|
5-8 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Mallory Kirtley |
|
Woodford County |
|
5-7 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Mary Tobin |
|
Henry Clay |
|
6-0 |
|
Jr. |
|
|
Johnna Lewis-Carlisle |
|
Henry Clay |
|
5-5 |
|
Jr. |
|
|
Olivia Terry |
|
Madison Central |
|
5-8 |
|
Jr. |
|
|
Chelsea Chowning |
|
Lexington Catholic |
|
6-0 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Tracy Harbut |
|
Bryan Station |
|
6-0 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Destiny Mattingly |
|
Woodford County |
|
5-8 |
|
So. |
|
|
Co-Coach of the Year |
Allison Tate Denton |
|
Lafayette |
|
Co-Coach of the Year |
Jay Lucas |
|
Woodford County |
Frankfort (20-8) vs. Berea (19-10)
Frankfort coach Joey Thacker started the following lineup: 5-10 Sr. Jackie Gordon, 5-10 Sr. Alex Oder, 5-10 Jr. Rachel Yett, 5-9 Jr. Brittany Wilson, and 5-5 Sr. Alisha Thomas. Berea coach Jerry Bingham countered with 5-11 Sr. Kara Ratliff, 5-8 Sr. Bethany Robinson, 6-2 Jr. Desiray Palmer, 5-6 Jr. Samantha Newman, and 5-4 Jr. Jessica Engle.
Frankfort led 20-16 at halftime on their way to a 42-33 victory over Berea. Frankfort held a 35.6%-26.8% edge in field goal shooting and was 10 of 25 from the free throw line, while Berea visited the charity stripe 17 times, connecting on seven shots. Berea held a 44-29 edge in rebounds. Frankfort scored 17 points on 23 Berea turnovers.
Frankfort was led by Jackie Gordon with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and eight steals, while Alex Oder added 12 points. Berea was led by Kara Ratliff with 17 points and eight rebounds. Desiray Palmer added four points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
|
Frankfort |
14 |
6 |
12 |
10 |
- |
42 |
|
Berea |
11 |
5 |
6 |
11 |
- |
33 |
|
Frankfort |
(42) - |
Gordon 14, Oder 12, Yett 2, Wilson 5, Thomas 2, Roberts 7. |
|
Berea |
(33) - |
Ratliff 17, Robinson 3, Palmer 4, Newman 6, Engle 0, Lewis 3. |
Lafayette (19-10) vs. Lexington Catholic (26-4)
Lafayette coach Allison Tate Denton started the following lineup: 5-9 Sr. Mollie Kelly, 5-9 So. Lucy Clark, 6-4 Sr. Kara Hamilton, 5-8 Fr. Susie Owens, and 5-6 Fr. Katie Kelly. Lexington Catholic coach Greg Todd countered with 6-0 Sr. Chelsea Chowning, 6-0 Fr. Anaris Sickles, 6-1 So. Shannon Novosel, 5-8 Jr. Megan Mendenhall, and 5-11 Sr. Sarah Schell.
Lafayette pulled to within two points, 28-26, early in the fourth quarter before Lexington Catholic pulled away for a 45-30 victory. Lafayette’s chances were hampered when Kara Hamilton fouled out with 5:36 remaining in the game. Lexington Catholic shot 31.6% from the field, 19 of 32 from the free throw line, and grabbed 34 rebounds. Lafayette was 29.4% from the field, visited the charity stripe 21 times, connecting on nine shots, and pulled down 34 rebounds. Lexington Catholic scored 28 points off 30 Lafayette turnovers, while Lafayette scored 18 points off 22 Lexington Catholic turnovers. This victory may prove to be costly, as Shannon Novosel suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter and the extent of the injury is not known at this time.
The victors were led by Chelsea Chowning with 17 points and six rebounds. Shannon Novosel added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lafayette was led by Lucy Clark with nine points and seven rebounds, while Kara Hamilton added eight points and six rebounds.
|
Lafayette |
8 |
11 |
4 |
7 |
- |
30 |
|
Lexington Catholic |
14 |
10 |
4 |
17 |
- |
45 |
|
Lafayette |
(30) - |
M. Kelly 2, Clark 9, Hamilton 8, Owens 5, K. Kelly 4, Coats 1, Colson 1. |
|
Lexington Catholic |
(45) - |
Chowning 17, Sickles 2, Novosel 13, Mendenhall 0, Schell 4, Server 3, Davis 5, Bell 1. |
Monday March 17th
Paul L. Dunbar (21-9) vs. Woodford County (25-6) Semifinal No. 1
Paul L. Dunbar coach Rick Griffith started the following lineup: 5-9 So. Adaeze Azubuike, 5-10 Sr. Jessica Hanson, 5-10 Jr. Dominique Rowe, 5-8 Sr. Brooke Marnitz, and 5-7 7th grader Briana Green. Woodford County coach Jay Lucas countered with 5-10 Jr. Blythe Brown, 5-8 So. Destiny Mattingly, 5-10 Sr. Erika Rasmussen, 5-8 Sr. Megan Foster, and 5-7 Sr. Mallory Kirtley.
Paul Dunbar defeated Woodford County tonight 64-47 to avenge a 37 point drubbing at the hands of Woodford County in January. Dunbar took a 44-22 lead in the third quarter before Woodford County went on a 13-0 run to close the margin to 44-35. Dunbar responded to the challenge and pulled away for the victory. Dunbar shot 51.2% from the field, was 18 of 33 from the free throw line, and pulled down 40 rebounds. Woodford County was uncharacteristically cold from the field (34.8%), and was only five of 14 from the three point line. They were 10 of 14 from the free throw line and grabbed 23 rebounds.
The victors were led by Briana Green with 19 points. Jessica Hanson added 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Brooke Marnitz chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds. Woodford County was led by Destiny Mattingly and Erika Rasmussen with 17 and 12 points respectively.
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
12 |
21 |
13 |
18 |
- |
64 |
|
Woodford County |
6 |
12 |
17 |
12 |
- |
47 |
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
(64) - |
Azubuike 6, Hanson 16, Rowe 2, Marnitz 15, Greene 19, Napier 6. |
|
Woodford County |
(47) - |
Brown 2, Mattingly 17, Rasmussen 12, Foster 9, Kirtley 7. |
Frankfort (21-8) vs. Lexington Catholic (27-4) Semifinal No. 2
Frankfort coach Joey Thacker started the following lineup: 5-10 Sr. Jackie Gordon, 5-10 Sr. Alex Oder, 5-10 Jr. Rachel Yett, 5-9 Jr. Brittany Wilson, and 5-5 Sr. Alisha Thomas. Lexington Catholic coach Greg Todd countered with 6-0 Sr. Chelsea Chowning, 6-0 Fr. Anaris Sickles, 5-7 So. Lesley Server, 5-8 Jr. Megan Mendenhall, and 5-11 Sr. Sarah Schell.
Lexington Catholic held a 53.3%-28.2% edge in field goal shooting on their way to a 71-37 victory over Frankfort. Lexington Catholic scored 26 points off 30 Frankfort turnovers. Frankfort held a 32-26 rebounding margin.
The victors were led by 5-8 Fr. Nikki Davis with 14 points. Chelsea Chowning added 13 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Megan Mendenhall added 10 points. Frankfort was led tonight by Alex Oder with 13 points. Jackie Gordon added 10 points and nine rebounds. Lexington Catholic’s Shannon Novosel and Regina Carney did not play tonight due to injuries.
|
Frankfort |
7 |
11 |
8 |
11 |
- |
37 |
|
Lexington Catholic |
16 |
28 |
16 |
11 |
- |
71 |
|
Frankfort |
(37) - |
Gordon 10, Oder 13, Yett 1, Wilson 2, Thomas 0, Roberts 6, Wilcox 1, Howard 1, Wilhoite 3. |
|
Lexington Catholic |
(71) - |
Chowning 13, Sickles 4, Server 2, Mendenhall 10, Schell 7, Snowden 7, Rhule 9, Bell 5, Davis 14. |
Tuesday March 18th
Lexington Catholic (28-4) vs. Paul L. Dunbar (22-9) Championship Game
Lexington Catholic coach Greg Todd started the following lineup: 6-0 Sr. Chelsea Chowning, 6-0 Fr. Anaris Sickles, 5-7 So. Lesley Server, 5-8 Jr. Megan Mendenhall, and 5-11 Sr. Sarah Schell. Paul L. Dunbar coach Rick Griffith countered with 5-9 So. Adaeze Azubuike, 5-10 Sr. Jessica Hanson, 5-10 Jr. Dominique Rowe, 5-8 Sr. Brooke Marnitz, and 5-7 7th grader Briana Green.
Lexington Catholic led 22-16 at halftime and pulled away in the second half for a 45-28 victory over Paul Dunbar to claim the 11th Region championship. Dunbar was forced out of their zone defense when Lexington Catholic took the lead and had difficulty matching up man-to-man. Lexington Catholic held a 45.9%-32.4% edge in field goal shooting and held a narrow 24-22 advantage in rebounds.
Lexington Catholic was led by 6-1 So. Shannon Novosel, who managed to play through an ankle injury to tally15 points. Chelsea Chowning added nine points, nine rebounds, and recorded five steals. Megan Mendenhall had six very important points as she nailed two early three-pointers to give Lexington Catholic a 9-2 lead and set the tone for the game. Paul Dunbar was led tonight by Jessica Hanson and Adaeze Azubuike with 11 and seven points respectively.
|
Lexington Catholic |
14 |
8 |
12 |
11 |
- |
45 |
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
8 |
8 |
9 |
3 |
- |
28 |
|
Lexington Catholic |
(45) - |
Chowning 9, Sickles 2, Server 4, Mendenhall 6, Schell 7, Bell 2, Novosel 15. |
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
(28) - |
Azubuike 7, Hanson 11, Rowe 0, Marnitz 0, Greene 4, Napier 6. |
All Tournament Team
|
Celeste Roberts |
|
Madison Model |
|
5-10 |
|
Jr. |
|
|
Emily London |
|
Lexington Christian Academy |
|
5-3 |
|
8th |
|
|
Kara Ratliff |
|
Berea |
|
5-11 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Lucy Clark |
|
Lafayette |
|
5-9 |
|
So. |
|
|
Erika Rasmussen |
|
Woodford County |
|
5-10 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Destiny Mattingly |
|
Woodford County |
|
5-8 |
|
So. |
|
|
Alex Oder |
|
Frankfort |
|
5-10 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Jackie Gordon |
|
Frankfort |
|
5-10 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Jessica Hanson |
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
|
5-10 |
|
Sr. |
|
|
Briana Green |
|
Paul L. Dunbar |
|
5-7 |
|
7th |
|
|
Nikki Davis |
|
Lexington Catholic |
|
5-8 |
|
Fr. |
|
|
Shannon Novosel |
|
Lexington Catholic |
|
6-1 |
|
So. |
|
|
Chelsea Chowning |
|
Lexington Catholic |
|
6-0 |
|
Sr. |
|
Conclusion
Congratulations to Coach Greg Todd and the Lexington Catholic Lady Knights on their championship. This team would seem to be one of the favorites to capture the Sweet 16 crown this year. Also, and excellent job was turned in by Coach Rick Griffith, who peaked his Dunbar squad at tourney time, but fell one game short of capturing the regional title. Coach Allison Tate Denton had a turn-around season at Lafayette and appears to have that program headed in the right direction. It was an emotional loss for Woodford County in the semifinals as three fine seniors played their last game— Megan Foster, Mallory Kirtley, and Erika Rasmussen. A fourth senior, Laura Swan, missed her entire senior season with an ACL injury. These four ladies were key players in last season’s region champions. A star was born late this season in 7th grader Briana Green of Paul Dunbar. This young lady could be a very special player before she graduates.
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to Coach Greg Todd of Lexington Catholic and the Berea College
personnel for the hospitality extended me during this tournament. Also a special thanks to the stats
crew, Glenn Gentry and Gary Long, for providing comprehensive statistics for the
entire tourney.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the tournament, teams, or players to me at prephoops@yahoo.com .
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other basketball events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky/prephoops.