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Walton-Verona girls, St. Henry boys advance to semifinals of All “A” Classic state tournaments


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Walton-Verona’s opponent in the semifinals of the All “A” Classic girls state basketball tournament is the team that defeated the Bearcats in last year’s championship game.

Owensboro Catholic edged Walton-Verona, 44-40, in last year’s final and the teams will meet again at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at McBrayer Arena in Richmond to see which one returns to the title game.

Walton-Verona guard Haylee Neeley gets a driving layup against Shelby Valley. (Photo by Carla Martin)

St. Henry advanced to the semifinals in the boys state tournament and plays Hazard at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The last time the Crusaders made it to the final four was 2003 when they won the small school state championship.

In the girls quarterfinal round on Friday, Walton-Verona let a big lead slip away in the second half of a 37-31 win over Shelby Valley. Owensboro Catholic whipped Murray, 41-25, to make it to the semifinals for the ninth time in the last 11 years.

Walton-Verona took a 30-11 lead over Shelby Valley on a layup by junior guard Haylee Neely with 6:06 left in the third quarter. But the Wildcats steadily chipped away at that margin and got it down to 35-31 with 2:09 left in the fourth quarter.

The only points scored in the final two minutes were a pair of free throws by Walton-Verona senior forward Emma Strunk. Shelby Valley went 0-for-5 from the field with one turnover on its last five possessions.

The Bearcats’ leading scorers were Neely and Strunk with 10 points each. Their team won the battle on the boards, 31-25, with senior guard Addysin Michael snagging a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with four points, four assists and three steals.

St. Henry scored eight straight points in the final 93 seconds and defeated Somerset, 51-50, in the boys quarterfinals on Friday. Junior guards Ryan Butler and Cory Shea hit 3-point shots and senior guard Conner Shea made a pair of free throws to account for the Crusaders’ final eight points.

Wyatt Vieth

St. Henry jumped out to a 17-4 lead in the first quarter and then went into a tailspin. In the second quarter, Somerset put together a 24-8 scoring run that included seven points off turnovers to take a 28-25 halftime lead.

There were five lead changes in the second half before the Crusaders won it with their 8-0 run. After Conner Shea’s two free throws put his team ahead, 51-47, with two seconds left, Somerset hit an uncontested 3-point shot as the final horn sounded.

St. Henry had another perfect night at the foul line, going 10-for-10 after making 11 without a miss in its opening round victory. The Crusaders also had a 40-20 rebounding advantage that helped offset 20 turnovers against Somerset.

Junior guard Wyatt Vieth had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Crusaders. Conner Shea and Jude Bessler also had 11 points. St. Henry got 16 points off the bench with Butler scoring all seven of his during in the final six minutes.

During the 9th Region All “A” Classic last week, St. Henry trailed late in the fourth quarter of its last two games and scored key baskets in the final seconds to come away with victories for head coach Dave Faust.

Live broadcasts of the All “A” Classic games are being provided online by koolhits1057.com and scoring summaries are posted on the allaclassic.org website.

ALL “A” CLASSIC BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT
(at EKU McBrayer Arena in Richmond)
Friday
Frankfort 63, Owensboro Catholic 55
Murray 67, Metcalfe County 55
Hazard 48, Paintsville 39
St. Henry 51, Somerset 50
Saturday
Frankfort (10-12) vs. Murray (16-3), 6 p.m.
St. Henry (14-3) vs. Hazard (16-2), 7:30 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.

ALL “A” CLASSIC GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT

(at EKU McBrayer Arena in Richmond)
Friday
Bardstown Bethlehem 64, West Carter 43
Danville 59, Glasgow 51
Owensboro Catholic 41, Murray 25
Walton-Verona 37, Shelby Valley 31
Saturday
Bardstown Bethlehem (19-2) vs. Danville (14-4), noon
Walton-Verona (15-4) vs. Owensboro Catholic (15-7), 1:30 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, noon


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