By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Ryle girls’ basketball team got off to shaky start in its state tournament debut Thursday and trailed for most of the first half. But the Raiders rallied in the second half and defeated Simon Kenton, 61-56, in the final first-round game of the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA “Sweet 16” at BB&T Arena.
Sophomore guard Maddie Scherr led the Raiders’ comeback. After picking up her third foul early in the third quarter, she remained in the game and scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the second half.
Simon Kenton senior guard Ally Niece slips between Ryle defenders on a drive to the basket during state tournament game. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
But coach Katie Haitz said she was proud of all her players for having the moxie to make it through the tough test against the other local team in the state tournament.
“We’ve been talking about mental toughness all year long and being able to come back when things aren’t going our way, and we did that tonight,” Haitz said. “We started hitting some shots (in the second half) and the biggest thing was the defensive side. We made some defensive adjustments and we finally boxed out and got some rebounds and played our game.”
Ryle (29-6) advances to the quarterfinals and plays Louisville Mercy (23-9) at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Mercy defeated Knott County Central, 85-56, in one of the seven first-round games that were decided by double-digit margins.
In the Ryle-Simon Kenton game, more than 4,500 fans watched the lead change hands four times in the fourth quarter before the Raiders scored 10 straight points in the final three minutes to come away with the victory.
After Simon Kenton took a 53-51 lead on a driving basket by senior guard Ally Niece with 3:01 left on the clock, the Pioneers didn’t score on their next six offensive possessions. They committed turnovers on two of them and missed five field goal attempts on the other four.
“We didn’t take care of the ball at the end,” said Simon Kenton coach Jeff Stowers. “That’s kind of been our (tendency) all season. We get it down to where we want it in the last couple of minutes or so and then we turn the ball over and we don’t get the stops (on defense) we wanted.”
Ryle sophomore guard Maddie Scherr attempts to get a shot over the outstretched arms to Morgan Stamper of Simon Kenton. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Ryle started it’s 10-0 run with baskets by sophomore Jaiden Douthitt and junior Juliet McGregor. The next six points came on free throws by three different players that gave the Raiders a 61-53 lead.
Simon Kenton senior guard Shelby Harmeyer hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game to make the final score 61-56.
Niece, who missed most of the season while recovering from knee surgery, had 19 points, eight rounds and seven assists in her final high school game. In the first half, she had 11 points and four assists to fuel her team’s fast start.
“I’m proud of it,” Niece said of her seven-year varsity career that included being named first-team all-state twice. “I’m going to miss it, a lot.”
After the game, coach Haitz hugged Niece and wished her good luck playing for Northern Kentucky University.
“She’s tough for wanting to come back and play,” Haitz said. “That tells a lot about her character and how much she loves the game.”
In the first half, Simon Kenton scored on five of its first seven offensive possessions to take an 11-4 lead. After Ryle tied it, 14-14, on a Scherr 3-pointer, the Pioneers ran off eight straight points to go ahead, 22-14, early in the second quarter.
With 27 seconds left in that period, Simon Kenton sophomore Mattie Vickers made a pair of three throws to give her team its biggest lead, 35-26, but Douthit hit a 3-point shot at the buzzer to make it 35-29 at halftime.
Ryle opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run and outscored Simon Kenton, 15-9, in that period to tie the score.
“We actually came out after halftime and attacked right from the get-go,” Haitz said. “That was a different mentality for us than from when we started the game and that really set the point for the whole second half.”
Scherr and her junior teammate, Lauren Schwartz, both picked up their third foul early in the third quarter, but the coach left them in the game.
“I really told myself, ‘OK, on defense, you can’t foul. You’ve got to play smart,'” Scherr said. “I think what made me pick up my fouls so early is that I was playing hard. I just wanted to win.”
Rebounding played a key role in the Raiders’ comeback. In the second half, they had a 22-17 advantage on the boards and limited the Pioneers to five second-chance points after they got nine in the second quarter.
Schwartz scored six of her 13 points and grabbed seven of her 13 rebounds in the second half to post a double-double. Douthit, McGregor and freshman guard Brie Crittendon had combined totals of 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Raiders.
“It’s incredible because nobody had ever done it before,” Douthit said of getting the first state tournament victory in the history of the Ryle girls’ basketball program. “All the applause we get and the support, and it’s finally here.”
The Raiders are familiar with Friday’s quarterfinal opponent. They lost to Louisville Mercy, 74-66, during a Christmas holiday tournament last December. If Ryle wins the rematch, it will be the fourth time in the last six years that a 9th Region girls team has made it to the state semifinals.
RYLE 14 15 15 17 — 61
SIMON KENTON 17 18 9 12 — 56
RYLE (29-6): McGregor 3 1 7, Crittendon 3 0 7, Schwartz 5 2 13, Scherr 8 2 21, Douthit 4 2 11, Johnson 1 0 2. Totals: 24 7 61
SIMON KENTON (20-11): Niece 6 6 18, Buckner 3 0 7, Jones 2 0 5, Stamper 3 2 8, Harmeyer 5 0 14, Vickers 1 2 4. Totals: 20 10 56.
3-pointers: R — Scherr 3, Crittendon, Schwartz, Douthit. SK — Harmeyer 4, Jones, Buckner.
GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
Wednesday — Upper bracket
Owensborto Catholic 56, Johnson Central 46
Elizabethtown 62, Bowling Green 41
Mercer County 55, Murray 44
Clark County 70, Harlan County 56
Thursday — Lower bracket
Louisville Mercy 85, Knott County Central 56
Louisville Manual 60, Scott County 45
Boyd County 53, Webster County 38
Ryle 61, Simon Kenton 56
Friday
Owensboro Catholic vs. Mercer County, noon
Clark County vs. Elizabethtown, 1:30 p.m.
Louisville Mercy vs. Ryle, 6:30 p.m.
Louisville Manual vs. Boyd County, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinal games, 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.
