By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Holy Cross had a score to settle with Owen County when the two teams took the court for a quarterfinal game in the Kentucky All “A” Classic girls basketball tournament on Friday morning at Eastern Kentucky University.
Last year, Owen County made a free throw with no time left on the clock to knock off Holy Cross, 37-36, in the semifinals of the small school state tournament. On Friday, it was payback time for the the Indians and they dominated the rematch with pressure defense to post a 61-31 victory over the defending champions.
Holy Cross junior Aaliyah Hayes keeps her eye on the basket as she weaves through Owen County defenders. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
Holy Cross (19-5) returns to the semifinals on Saturday morning to play Pikeville (18-4) at 8:30 a.m. The other semifinal game will be Bardstown Bethlehem (16-6) vs. Whitefield Academy (17-4) at 10 a.m.
Bethlehem defeated Brossart, 66-49, in the final quarterfinal game on Friday despite a 20-point effort by sophomore guard Zoee Meyers, a first-year starter for the 17-6 Mustangs.
Holy Cross made 20 steals with its aggressive defense against Owen County. The Rebels committed a total of 28 turnovers and the Indians scored 26 points off of those mistakes.
The larceny leaders for Holy Cross were Aleah Arlinghaus with five steals, Aumani Nelson with four and Miyah Wimzie with three. Wimzie also had 11 points and five assists in the victory.
The leading scorer for the Indians was senior forward Nejah Lewis with 13 points. She picked up the slack for junior center Julia Hunt, who got into early foul trouble and finished with seven points, six below her team-leading average coming into the game.
Brossart guard Zoee Meyers
Holy Cross went on a 12-0 scoring run in the final two minutes of the first half to open up a 29-16 lead. Five players scored during that spurt with Arlinghaus getting a 3-point goal and free throw to end it.
The Indians outscored Owen County, 14-3, in the third quarter to extend the lead to 43-19. Once again, five players scored for Holy Cross with eight of the 14 points coming at the free throw line.
Holy Cross ended up shooting 45.7 (21 of 46) from the field compared to Owen County’s 34.5 percent (10 of 29). The Indians had a 21-9 scoring advantage on 3-point goals with Sarah Bottom hitting three treys.
Brossart’s eight-game winning streak came to an end in its loss to Bethlehem. The Mustangs were outscored 41-26 in the first half and never recovered.
Meyers made all four of her 3-point shots in the first half and had 14 points at the break for Brossart. After hitting two more treys in the third quarter to reach 20 points, she was 0 for 3 in the final frame.
Brossart’s other double-figure scorer was senior forward Molly Kramer, who made all five of her field goal attempts for 10 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. The Mustangs shot 39 percent (18 of 46) from the field and committed 25 turnovers.
Bethlehem shot 50 percent (24 of 48) and scored 28 points off turnovers. Four of the five starters for the Banshees were double-figure scorers with junior Carlie Thurmond getting a team-high 18 points.
HOLY CROSS 11 18 14 18 — 61
OWEN COUNTY 11 5 3 12 — 31
HOLY CROSS (19-5): Hunt 3 1 7, Arlinghaus 1 1 4, Hayes 1 0 2, Wimzie 3 5 11, Lewis 5 3 13, McCoy 2 0 5, Nelson 2 0 5, Rhodes 1 0 3, Bottom 3 0 9, Williams 0 2 2. Totals: 21 12 61.
OWEN COUNTY (14-7): Howard 4 3 12, Webster 1 1 4, Logan 3 1 8, Fergusin 0 3 3, Steffen 2 0 4. Totals: 10 8 31.
Three-point goals: HC — Bottom 3, Arlinghaus, McCoy, Nelson. OC — Howard, Webster, Logan.
BROSSART 18 8 10 13 — 49
BETHLEHEM 24 17 13 12 — 66
BROSSART (17-6): Rowe 1 0 3, Meyers 7 0 20, Kramer 5 0 10, Planeaux 2 3 7, Lloyd 2 0 5, Shewmaker 1 2 4. Totals: 18 5 49.
BETHLEHEM (16-6): T. Miles 5 4 15, A. Miles 5 4 15, Clayton 1 0 2, Thurmond 7 3 18, Filiatreau 6 2 16. Totals: 24 13 66.
Three-point goals: BR — Meyers 6, Rowe, Lloyd. BE — Filiatreau 2, Thurmond, A. Miles, T. Miles.
ABOVE: Holy Cross forward D’myah Williams has a clear path to the basket after getting past two Owen County players. BELOW: Holy Cross guard Miyah Wimzie brings the ball up court looking for an open teammate. (Photos by Bob Jackson)
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