Wednesday March 22nd - Session No. 1

Shelby Valley (30-3) vs. Shelby County (27-5)

Shelby Valley coach Bobby Spears' team was led this season by 5-10 Jr. (20.0) Summer Jones, 5-10 Jr. (14.0) Ashley Damron, and 5-7 Jr. Ashely Ratliff, who averaged 11 ppg.  Coach Jim Wright's Shelby County Rockets were led this season by 5-9 Sr. (14.0) Samantha Newton, 5-10 Jr. (13.0) Dana Crittendon, and 6-4 Sr. (11.0) LeNita White.

Shelby County center LeNita White grabbed a rebound and hit the winning basket with less than a second remaining on the clock to give Shelby County a 53-51 victory.  The game was close throughout with several ties and lead changes before White's late heroics. Shelby County was led by Samantha Newton with 18 points and Dana Crittendon with 14.  LeNita White added 7 points and 10 rebounds.  Shelby Valley was led by Summer Jones with 25 points and 7 rebounds.
 

Shelby Valley	15	12	14	10	-	51
Shelby County	13	14	12	14	-	53

Shelby Valley	(51) -	Ratliff 4, Damron 10, Anderson 4, Bakay 5, Jones 25, Wright 3.
Shelby County	(53) -	Newton 18, Johnson 4, Crittendon 14, Morrison 6, Marshall 4, White 7.

 

Presentation (26-3) vs. Union County (23-7)

Presentation coach Joe Voelker must feel relieved at this point in the season.  They overcame key injuries this year to start to peak at tournament time.  5-9 Jr. (17.0) Joleen Phillips and  5-10 Sr. (14.0) Anne Hutchens led the team in scoring.  Coach Lynwood Parsons' Union County team was led this year by 5-6 Sr. (11.0) Kwila Kinard, 5-6 Jr. (11.0) Brandy Willett, and 5-11 So. (9.5) Kara Willett.

Presentation outscored Union County 19-1 in the second quarter to open up a 33-13 lead to end the half.  They cruised the rest of the way to earn a 60-39 win. Hutchens and Phillips led the winners with 17 each.
 

Presentation	14	19	11	16	-	60
Union County	12	1	10	14	-	37

Presentation	(60) -	Hutchens 17, Reed 3, Nash 8, Derrick 3, Darby 3, Phillips 17, A. Lynch 6, Votaw 3.
Union County	(37) -	Kinard 11, Byars 2, Robinson 3, B. Willett 6, Caudill 2, K. Willett 2, Young 4, Buckman 7.

 

Wednesday March 22nd - Session No. 2

Marshall County (31-1) vs. Jackson County (29-5)

Coach Howard Beth's Marshall County team was led this year by 6-2 Sr. (16.8) Leah Lineberry and 5-7 Sr. (14.0) Tosha Gardner.  Coach Greg Parrett of Jackson County utilizes a nine player rotation that is blessed with size and shooting ability.  The Lady Generals feature a balanced scoring attack led by 5-8 Sr. Shay Gabbard, 6-0 Jr. Tiffany Roaden,  and 5-7 So. Leah Moore, who each average 11 ppg.  6-0 Jr. Candice Rose chips in with 10 ppg.

Jackson County went on a 8-0 run to start the second half to increase their lead to 37-24.  They went on to win the game 62-50.  Candice Rose led the victors with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Tiffany Roaden chipped in with 13 points. Marshall County was led by Tosha Gardner with 14 and Leah Lineberry with 13 points.
 

Marshall County	11	13	6	20	-	50
Jackson County	12	15	17	18	-	62

Marshall County	(50) -	Gardner 14, Morton 10, Stone 2, Hall 1, Reeves 4, Adair 2, Harper 4, Lineberry 13.
Jackson County	(62) -	Whitehead 11, S. Gabbard 11, Moore 10, Rose 17, Roaden 13.

Lexington Catholic (30-3) vs. Casey County (23-8)

The defending champion Lexington Catholic is returning with a new coach (Greg Todd) and basically a new group of starters to defend their title.  They have been led this year by 5-10 Fr. Chelsea Chowning and  5-9 Jr. Katie Mendenhall, with 13 ppg each. 5-11 Sr. Kristin Robertson comes off the bench to average 11 ppg. Coach Randy Salyers' Casey County squad has been led by  5-7 Sr. (14.4) Amy Barlow, 5-8 Jr. (12.7) Stacy Woodrum, and 6-1 Sr. (11.2) Misty Hair.

Lexington Catholic survived a determined Casey County squad to win 59-55 in overtime.  Casey County's Kellie Eads hit a late three pointer to tie the game 48-all to force overtime. Catholic was led by Kristin Robertson with 14 points and 8 rebounds.  Katie Mendenhall added 11  points and  Chelsea Chowning chipped in with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Stacy Woodrum led Casey County with 16. Kellie Eads and Amy Barlow added 13 and 10 points respectively. Misty Hair added 7 points and pulled down 9 rebounds.
 

Lexington Catholic	8	18	13	9	11	-	59
Casey County	6	16	17	9	7	-	55

Lexington Catholic	(59) -	Schuler 3, Chowning 10, Mendenhall 11, Bell 2, Robertson 14, Timoney 9, Mazzetti 2, Michalczyk 8.
Casey County	(55) -	Eads 13, Rader 3, Woodrum 16, Barlow 10, Combs 6, Hair 7.

 

Thursday March 23rd - Session No. 3

Allen County-Scottsville (17-16) vs. Hart County (29-3)

Allen County-Scottsville starts three sophs and a junior and survived a tough schedule and injuries to battle their way to the state tourney this year.  Coach Gary DeWitt's squad is led by 5-11 Jr. (14.0) Stacy Felchner, 5-11 Sr. (12.0) Kristie Ballard, and 5-6 So. (10.0) Cammie Campbell.  Hart County coach Tommy Adams' team was led by 5-10 Sr. (24.0) Leslie Logsdon, 5-4 So. (12.0) Laura Shelton, and 6-0 Jr. (10.0) Stephanie Isaacs.

Hart County's Miss Basketball candidate Leslie Logsdon led her team to a 49-42 victory over Allen County-Scottsville.  Logsdon scored 18 points and recorded 9 steals.  Allen County-Scottsville was led by Stacy Felchner with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
 

Allen County-Scottsville	12	9	8	13	-	42
Hart County	13	12	12	12	-	49

Allen County-Scottsville	(42) -	Campbell 5, Felchner 15, Pearson 4, Ballard 8, Brown 10.
Hart County	(49) -	Logsdon 18, Shelton 7, Sta. Isaacs 4, Ste. Isaacs 6, Gardner 6, Payton 8.

Harrison County (28-3) vs. West Carter (34-1)

Harrison County coach Mac Whitaker brings the Harrison County Fillies to Richmond for their first ever state tournament appearance.  They have been led this year by the coach's daughter, 5-9 Sr. (23.0) Camryn Whitaker, 6-0 Sr. Libby Purcell also chipped in with 12 ppg.  West Carter coach John "Hop" Brown's team is also led by his daughter, 5-11 Sr. (17.0) Kandi Brown. 5-9 Sr. (14.0) Mandi Sterling, 5-5 Fr. (13.0) Megen Gearhart, and 6-1 So. (11.0) Meghan Hillman also added impressive firepower.

West Carter utilized its 2-3 zone defense to shut down Harrison County on their way to a 68-52 victory.  The Lady Comets finally got their three point attack on track and finished 7 for 18 from behind the arc.  The victors were led by Kandi Brown with 22 and Megen Gearhart added 20 points.  Harrison County was led by Camryn Whitaker with 26.
 

Harrison County	12	11	11	18	-	52
West Carter	15	19	17	17	-	68

Harrison County	(52) -	Linville 4, Fryman 5, Garnett 1, Whitaker 26, Gray 2, Furnish 4, Purcell 10.
West Carter	(68) -	Sterling 7, Gearhart 20, Day 7, Brown 22, Jones 7, Hillman 5.

 

Thursday March 23rd - Session No. 4

Perry County Central (23-9) vs. Muhlenberg North (26-6)

Perry County Central coach Randy Napier's team was led this year by 5-8 Jr. (13.0) Kristie Miller, 5-8 Sr. (10.0) Delores Jenkins, and 5-6 8th grade Polly Sebastian.  Coach Mike Harper's Muhlenberg North team was led this year by 5-8 So. (19.0) Holly Mills, 5-9 So. (15.0) Lindsey Sparks, and 6-1 8th grade (12.0) Jade Perry.

Muhlenberg North survived a frantic finish by Perry County Central to win by a score of 75-72.  Muhlenberg North led by 16 in the third quarter but Perry County Central clawed back to make it close at the end. Muhlenberg North was led by Holly Mills with 20 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds.   Perry County Central was led by Kristie Miller with 30 points.
 

Perry County Central	13	18	17	24	-	72
Muhlenberg North	14	25	21	15	-	75

Perry County Central	(72) -	P. Sebastian 13, Hamilton 2, B. Sebastian 12, Jenkins 6, Brashear 5, Smith 4, Miller 30.
Muhlenberg North	(75) -	Burden 8, Phelps 6, La. Sparks 2, Li. Sparks 13, Mills 20, Sommers 12, Stovall 6, Grace 2, Perry 6.

Highlands (26-5) vs. Manual (24-4)

Coach Luci Cecil's Highlands squad was led this year by 6-0 So. (17.0) Tara Boothe  and 5-10 Jr. (10.0) Stephanie Ripberger.  Manual coach Mina Todd's team was led by 5-11 Jr. (13.0) Chelsey Thompson, 5-11 Jr. (11.0) Liz Plass,  and 6-1 Sr. (9.1) Emily Church.

Highlands raced out to a 16-4 lead but Manual stepped up on the defensive end to defeat Highlands by a score of 56-37.  Manual was led by Chelsey Thompson with 13 points. Liz Plass and Emily Church added 10 points each. Highlands was led by Stephanie Ripberger with 10 points.
 

Highlands	16	6	4	11	-	37
Manual	12	16	10	18	-	56

Highlands	(37) -	Imhoff 8, Winkler 3, Ripberger 10, Sheanshang 2, Stefanopoulos 5, Boothe 6, Dickerson 3.
Manual	(56) -	Butler 8, Carcara 2, Benberry 7, Thompson 13, Plass 10, Hohmann 2, Brown 4, Church 10.

Friday March 24th - Session No. 5

Presentation (27-3) vs. Shelby County (28-5) Quarterfinal 1

Shelby County shot 59% from the field, played great defense, and 5-7 So. Taneisha Johnson hit a tourney record 19 of 22 from the free throw line to help defeat Presentation 66-54.  Shelby County utilized superior size and quickness to control the outcome.

Shelby County was led by Taneisha Johnson with 19 points.  5-10 Jr. Dana Crittendon and 5-9 Sr. Samantha Newton added 18 and 13 respectively. 6-4 Sr. LeNita White added 11 points and 6 rebounds.  Presentation was led by 5-7 Jr. Sarah Nash and 5-9 Fr. Dominique Derrick with 10 and 9 points respectively. Top scorers 5-9 Jr. Joleen Phillips and 5-10 Sr. Anne Hutchens were held to 6 and 5 points respectively.
 

Presentation	9	10	13	22	-	54
Shelby County	12	13	15	26	-	66

Presentation	(54) -	Young 3, Hutchens 5, Nall 2, Reed 7, Nash 10, Derrick 9, Darby 7, Phillips 6, Lynch 5.
Shelby County	(66) -	Newton 13, Johnson 19, Barnett 1, Crittendon 18, Marshall 4,  White 11.

Lexington Catholic (31-3) vs. Jackson County (30-5) Quarterfinal 2

Lexington Catholic overcame a 47-40 deficit with 3:33 remaining to defeat Jackson County 54-47 to advance to the semifinals.  This was a game of runs and one team would race out to a lead then the other team would respond.  Foul troubles hampered Jackson County as they were whistled for 22 fouls as compared to Catholic's 11 fouls..

Catholic was led by 5-10 Fr. Chelsea Chowning with 21 points. 5-9 Jr. Katie Mendenhall and 5-11 Sr. Kristin Robertson each added 12 points. Jackson County was led by 5-7 So. Leah Moore with 9 points.
 

Lexington Catholic	10	16	7	21	-	54
Jackson County	17	5	13	12	-	47

Lexington Catholic	(54) -	Schell 4, Chowning 21, Mendenhall 12, Bell 1, Robertson 12, Mazzetti 4.
Jackson County	(47) -	Whitehead 7, S. Gabbard 5, L. Moore 9, Rose 5, Elliot 7, Roaden 4, Carr 4, Combs 6.

Friday March 24th - Session No. 6

West Carter (35-1) vs. Hart County (30-3) Quarterfinal 3

The top two girls teams in the state met in tonight's quarterfinals and West Carter avenged its one loss of the season and defeated Hart County 50-44.  Hart County led at the end of the first two quarter breaks 10-9 and 19-16.  The score was tied at 32 at the end of the third quarter.  West Carter took a 43-42 lead with 1:35 remaining on a short jump shot by 5-5 Jr. Cathy Day and managed to hold on for the win.  The charity stripe was not kind to Hart County as they only shot 10 of 23 for the game.  West Carter, on the other hand, was 12 of 18 from the free throw line.  Kandi Brown shot 9 for 9 at the line including four free throws to seal the win.

West Carter was led by 5-11 Sr. Kandi Brown with 18 points and 6 rebounds.  Hart County was led by 5-10 Sr. Leslie Logsdon with 25 points.  6-0 Jr. Stephanie Isaacs added 9 points and 8 rebounds.
 

West Carter	9	7	16	18	-	50
Hart County	10	9	13	12	-	44

West Carter	(50) -	Sterling 9, Gearhart 6, Day 4, Brown 18, Jones 6, Hillman 7.
Hart County	(44) -	Logsdon 25, Shelton 5, Ste. Isaacs 9, Gardner 2, Payton 3.

Manual (25-4) vs. Muhlenberg North (27-6) Quarterfinal 4

Manual fell behind 11-4 in the first quarter but roared back to handily defeat Muhlenberg North 62-39. Manual was led today by 5-11 Jr. Chelsey Thompson with 19 points.  5-11 Jr. Liz Plass added 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Muhlenberg North  was led by 5-8 So. Holly Mills with 10 points. Muhlenberg North only trailed 25-24 at halftime and with a very young squad should be heard from in the future.
 

Manual	6	19	17	20	-	62
Muhlenberg North	11	13	9	6	-	39

Manual	(62) -	Butler 4, Benberry 4, Thompson 19, Plass 17, Miller 2, Doolittle 2, Jones 2, Church 12.
Muhlenberg North	(39) -	Phelps 4, Li. Sparks 9, Mills 10, Sommers 6, Stovall 3, Grace 2, Jad. Perry 5.

Saturday March 25th - Session No. 7

Lexington Catholic (32-3)  vs. Shelby County (29-5) Semifinal No. 1

Shelby County proved too strong inside for Lexington Catholic and that coupled with Lexington Catholic's early frigid shooting led to a Shelby County 54-50 victory.  This avenged a loss to Lexington Catholic in last year's semifinals. Shelby County was led by 5-10 Jr. Dana Crittendon with 18 points.  6-4 Sr. LeNita White added 13 points and 7 rebounds.  Lexington Catholic was led today by  Fr. Sara Schell with 14 points.  5-9 Jr. Katie Mendenhall added 11 points.
 

Lexington Catholic	4	13	11	22	-	50
Shelby County	13	15	6	20	-	54

Lexington Catholic	(50) -	Schuler 3, Schell 14, Chowning 6, Mendenhall 11, Robertson 6, Mazzetti 6, Michalczyk 4.
Shelby County	(54) -	Newton 6, Johnson 6, Slaughter 5, Crittendon 18, Marshall 4, Kerchner 2, White 13.

Manual (26-4) vs. West Carter (36-1) Semifinal No. 2

West Carter shot 54 percent form the field and forced 24 Manual turnovers which led to their 73-55 victory and a trip to the championship game.  Manual actually took a 38-37 lead in the third quarter but West Carter went on a 14-0 run to regain control of the game.  West Carter was led by 5-11 Sr. Kandi Brown with 22 points.  5-9 Sr. Mandy Sterling and 5-5 Fr. Megan Gearhart added 19 and 16 respectively.  Manual was led by 5-11 Jr. Chelsey Thompson with 24 points.
 

Manual	13	17	10	15	-	55
West Carter	17	18	18	20	-	73

Manual	(55) -	Butler 4, Benberry 5, Thompson 24, Plass 11, Brown 8, Church 3.
West Carter	(73) -	Sterling 19, Gearhart 16, Day 1, Brown 22, Jones 4, Hillman 11.

Saturday March 25th - Session No. 8

West Carter (37-1) vs. Shelby County (30-5)  Championship Game

Shelby County pulled to within 2 (52-50) midway through the final period but West Carter's Kandi Brown hit four key free throws to lead her team to a 58-50 win.  West Carter won their last 27 games culminating in their first state championship.  Coach John "Hop" Brown also had the pleasure of seeing his daughter Kandi named tournament MVP.

West Carter was led by 5-11 Sr. Kandi Brown with 19 points and 6-1 So. center Meghan Hillman added 17 points. 5-8 So. Kayla Jones added 9 points and 11 rebounds.  Shelby County was led by 5-10 Jr. Dana Crittendon with 15 points and 6 rebounds.  6-4 Sr. LeNita White added 12 points.  5-9 Sr. Samantha Newton chipped in with 10 points and 5-7 So. Taneisha Johnson also added  10 points and 9 rebounds.
 
 

West Carter	18	15	11	14	-	58
Shelby County	13	17	8	12	-	50

West Carter	(58) -	Sterling 5, Gearhart 7, Day 1, Brown 19, Jones 9, Hillman 17.
Shelby County	(50) -	Newton 10, Johnson 10, Crittendon 15, Morrison 3, White 12.

 

All Tournament Team
 

Kandi Brown		5-11		Sr.		West Carter	4 games	20.3 PPG	4.0 RPG	M.V.P.
Megan Gearhart		5-5		Fr.		West Carter	4 games	12.3 PPG
Mandy Sterling		5-9		Sr.		West Carter	4 games	10.0 PPG
Dana Crittendon		5-10		Jr.		Shelby County	4 games	16.3 PPG	5.8 RPG
LeNita White		6-4		Sr.		Shelby County	4 games	10.8 PPG	6.8 RPG
Samantha Newton		5-9		Sr.		Shelby County	4 games	11.8 PPG
Taneisha Johnson		5-7		So.		Shelby County	4 games	9.8 PPG
Chelsey Thompson		5-11		Jr.		Manual	3 games	18.7 PPG	3.3 RPG
Leslie Logsdon		5-10		Sr.		Hart County	2 games	21.5 PPG	4.5 RPG
Chelsea Chowning		5-10		Fr.		Lexington Catholic	3 games	12.3 PPG	5.7 RPG
Elizabeth Plass		5-11		Jr.		Manual	3 games	12.7 PPG	7.3 RPG
Summer Jones		5-10		Jr.		Shelby Valley	1 game	25.0 PPG	7.0 RPG
Holly Mills		5-8		So.		Muhlenberg North	2 games	15.0 PPG
Kristie Miller		5-8		Jr.		Perry County Central	1 game	30.0 PPG
Camryn Whitaker		5-9		Sr.		Harrison County	1 game	26.0 PPG

Conclusion

West Carter finalized a dream season with a 38-1 record and a state championship.  Coach John "Hop" Brown had the pleasure of winning a championship and seeing his daughter selected tournament M.V.P.  West Carter's star point guard 5-5 Megan Gearhart is only a freshman but is already a three time state tourney veteran.  5-9 Sr. Mandy Sterling provided outside shooting and 6-1 So. Meghan Hillman added points in the paint.

Leslie Logsdon, the 5-10 Sr. guard from Hart County lived up to her sizable reputation. Shelby County had a great run in the tournament, finishing second and having four players selected to the all tournament team.  Lexington Catholic came back to the big show with a new lineup and a new coach, and made it to the final four.  Coach Mac Whitaker had the pleasure of taking Harrison County  to the state tourney and watching his daughter Camryn lead the team this year.

Remember the name Chelsey Thompson - a 5-11 Jr. from Manual who had an outstanding tournament.  The future looks bright for girls basketball in Kentucky as 9 of the 16 all-tournament selections were underclassmen.  Another encouraging fact was the total attendance - 40,425 over a four day period which easily eclipsed the old record of 33,666.  Congratulations to all the coaches and players who made it to Richmond for the big show this year.

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