Bowling Green outlasts Brossart in double-overtime thriller, 50-48, in girls Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena

NKyTribune staff

LEXINGTON — As the final buzzer sounded, Bowling Green players celebrated their 50-48 double-overtime win over Bishop Brossart in the opening round of the Sweet 16 on Wednesday.

Brossart senior Rosie Jump’s 3-pointer in the final seconds was off the mark, and Bowling Green freshman JaSiyah Franklin grabbed the rebound to secure the win for the Purples. Bowling Green improved to 19-10 and will take on Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Brossart’s Rosie Jump (3) drives into the lane against Bowling Green during the state tournament. (Photo by Dale Dawn)

“We talked during the timeouts, ‘Don’t let them get a three off,’ and if they do, it’s got to be highly contested,” said Bowling Green head coach Calvin Head of the game’s final play. “The rebound (by Franklin) was probably even more important. Putting a freshman in that situation who hadn’t played all game. She came up with the biggest rebound of the game.”

LynKaylah James scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds for Bowling Green, which won the battle of the boards by a 42-34 margin. The Purples pulled out the victory despite shooting 15-for-29 from the free-throw line.

“They guard you, they rebound, they’re physical, they execute and they’re disciplined,” Head said of Brossart. “We knew it would be a grind, and then eight extra minutes.”

Brossart’s Marie Kiefer finished with 10 rebounds, nine blocked shots and seven points. Kiefer, however, fouled out in regulation and was forced to watch both overtimes from the bench.

“Nobody in the state wants to play without a player like Marie,” Brossart head coach Kevin Bundy said of Kiefer’s foul trouble. “We sure didn’t want to play without her, but that was the hand we were dealt.

“Offensively it affected us an awful lot, to be honest with you, because when you have a player of Marie’s caliber you want to do your best to make sure you run your offense through her.”

Brossart’s Marie Kiefer elevates over Bowling Green defender Meadow Tisdale (1) during the state tournament at Rupp Arena. (Photo by Dale Dawn)

Kiefer, who will play collegiately at Ball State, entered Wednesday averaging 20.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 senior’s nine blocked shots tied the Sweet 16 single-game record.

“It’s hard to duplicate some of the things Marie can do,” Bundy said.

Sophomore forward Meadow Tisdale added 14 points, four blocks and four rebounds for Bowling Green. Tisdale’s basket with 1:39 left on the clock in the second overtime gave the Purples a 48-46 lead.

Brossart’s Lauren Macht countered with a layup off an assist from Jump with a minute remaining to even the score at 48-48. Janiya Bailey drew a foul with 43 seconds left on the clock and made both free throws to give Bowling Green a 50-48 lead, setting the stage for the final seconds in which Brossart missed a pair of 3-point attempts.

Macht drained four 3-pointers and finished with a team-leading 16 points. Brossart was 7-for-21 from beyond the arc, but the Lady Mustangs converted just 11 free throws in 21 attempts.

Jump scored 15 points and dished out seven assists for Brossart, which closed the season with a 21-6 record. Brossart won the 10th Region championship last week by defeating Montgomery County, 61-47, in Winchester.

It marked Brossart’s first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2001. The Lady Mustangs also captured this season’s 10th Region All “A” Classic title.

Bowling Green extended its winning streak to 11 with the triumph on Wednesday. The Purple captured the 4th Region title with a 49-38 win over Barren County in the finale.