By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Northern Kentucky teams played in the closest opening round games in the All “A” Classic girls state basketball tournament on Wednesday at Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena in Richmond.
Owensboro Catholic made a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left and edged Brossart, 33-30. Walton-Verona outscored Newport Central Catholic, 6-4, in overtime to come away with a 43-41 win.
Walton-Verona sophomore center Maggie Buerger, No. 44, tries to bring down a rebound in a crowd during the game against NewCath. (Photo by Carla Martin)
In the girls quarterfinal round on Friday, Walton-Verona (14-4) will play Shelby Valley (13-5) at 1 p.m. The Bearcats, last year’s state runner-up, will take an eight-game winning streak into their second-round matchup.
The boys small school state tournament begins Thursday. The first-round games include Brossart vs. Frankfort at 10 a.m. and St. Henry vs. Campbellsville at 9:30 p.m.
The Walton-Verona girls won their first-round game despite shooting 27.9 percent (12 of 43) from the field and coming out on the short end of a 38-33 rebounding battle. The Bearcats offset all that my making 16 of 22 free throws while NewCath went 6-of-13 at the line.
The teams scored a combined total of 20 points in the first half that ended with Walton-Verona holding an 11-9 lead. They both did a better job on offense after halftime and the score was tied eight times in the last 20 minutes.
In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Walton-Verona senior Emma Strunk made a free throw that tied the score, 37-37, and then came up with a steal. The Bearcats got the ball to junior guard Haylee Neely, who missed a jumper as time expired to send the game into overtime.
In the the extra period, Walton-Verona outscored NewCath, 6-4, with sophomore center Maggie Buerger getting two field goals in the paint and senior forward Emma Gutman making a pair of free throws. NewCath senior Delaney Halpin missed a last-second 3-point attempt and the Thoroughbreds ended up shooting 33.3 percent (16 of 48) from the field.
Walton-Verona forward Emma Gutman adjusts her shot to avoid a block. (Photo by Carla Martin)
NewCath junior Annie Heck finished with a game-high 13 points and eight rebounds. Neely and Gutman each had 11 points and Buerger had 10 for Walton-Verona. Strunk snagged a game-high 10 rebounds.
Brossart struggled through its worst offensive performance of the season in the first-round loss to Owensboro Catholic, last year’s state champion. The Mustangs committed 23 turnovers and shot 30 percent (10 of 33) from the field, but the winner wasn’t decided until the final seconds.
Owensboro Catholic took the biggest lead of the game, 19-11, with 2:20 left in the second quarter. Brossart cut it to 19-16 at halftime and opened the third quarter with a 5-0 run to jump ahead, 21-19.
A field goal by Brossart sophomore Lauren Macht tied the score, 28-28, with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter. After the Mustangs committed turnovers on their next two possessions, Owensboro Catholic junior Catherine Head drilled a 3-pointer that put her team ahead, 31-28, with 1:20 remaining.
A field goal by Brossart junior Rosie Jump made it a one-point game. With the clock winding down, the Mustangs were forced to foul and Head made a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left to give the Aces a 33-30 winning margin.
It was the lowest point total of the season for both teams and neither of them had a double-figure scorer. Brossart’s team leaders were Jump with eight points and junior Marie Kiefer with six, 11 below her season average.
Owensboro Catholic shot 35.3 percent (12 of 34) from the field, but it was good enough to get to Friday’s quarterfinal round of the girls state tournament.
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)
Thursday — Upper bracket
Owensboro Catholic vs. West Carter, 8:30 a.m.
Brossart vs. Frankfort, 10 a.m.
Louisville Holy Cross vs. Metcalfe County, 11:30 a.m.
University Heights vs. Murray, 1 p.m.
Thursday — Lower bracket
Hazard vs. Louisville Collegiate, 5 p.m.
Harlan vs. Painstville, 6:30 p.m.
Somerset vs. Gallatin County, 8 p.m.
St. Henry vs. Campbellsville, 9:30 p.m.
Friday
Upper bracket quarterfinals, 5 and 6:30 p.m.
Lower bracket quarterfinals, 8 and 9:30 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinals, 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.
ALL “A” CLASSIC GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT
(at EKU McBrayer Arena in Richmond)
Wednesday — Upper bracket
Bardstown Bethlehem 64, Berea 13
West Carter 64, Lyon County 40
Glasgow 52, Williamsburg 35
Danville 57, Louisville Collegiate 33
Wednesday — Lower bracket
Owensboro Catholic 33, Brossart 30
Murray 49, Knott County Central 39
Walton-Verona 43, Newport Central Catholic 41 OT
Shelby Valley 64, Louisville Holy Cross 30
Friday
Bardstown Bethlehem (18-2) vs. West Carter (13-5), 8:30 a.m.
Glasgow (15-3) vs. Danville (13-4), 10 a.m.
Owensboro Catholic (14-7) vs. Murray (9-9), 11:30 a.m.
Walton-Verona (14-4) vs. Shelby Valley (13-5), 1 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinals, noon and 1:30 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, noon
