KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16: Wednesday Evening Recap and Standouts

The second half of Wednesday’s action featured two thrillers that came down to the wire.  The first game was close thanks to a furious comeback effort, while the second was close the whole way, with 12 lead changes.  See who stood out in these great Wednesday night games. Pikeville vs Casey County The Casey County Lady Rebels defeated the Pikeville Lady Panthers 49-46 to move on to the 2nd round.  While Casey County controlled the game most of the way thanks to their strong, turnover creating defense, Pikeville almost pulled off a furious comeback in the 4th quarter before coming up just short.  Here are the players who stood out in this thrilling contest. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80511" first="Lauren" last="Lee"], Casey County-</strong> With one of the major differences in this game being Casey County’s superior offensive ability, Lee deserves this spot as the game’s MVP.  The guard was able to create offense for herself and her teammates, getting penetration to create open shots for the rest of the team, as well as knocking down shots from the perimeter for a total of 15 points and 7 assists.  She also showed some strong rebounding skills, pulling down a team-high 5 boards, and some nice defensive skills, with 3 steals and 2 blocks, including the game clincher. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145024" first="Kristen" last="Cole-Williamson"], Pikeville- </strong>The game’s premier rebounder by a mile, Cole-Williamson provided great value inside for the Lady Panthers.  It seemed at times like the senior forward was pulling down every missed shot, and her game-high 14 rebounds back that up.  She also showed strong scoring ability inside, going on a run in the 4th quarter where it seemed like Casey County couldn’t stop her en route to a team-high 15 points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145017" first="Jordyn" last="Stephens"], Casey County- </strong>The other half of Casey’s County’s dynamic duo on the offensive end, Stephens took on a scoring role to complement Lee’s playmaking.  The senior guard shot well from outside, going from 2 of 3 deep and knocking down some clutch free throws down the stretch, and was able to create her own shot as well thanks to her strong ball skills for game-high 16 of points. <strong>Triniti Rowe, Pikeville- </strong>In a game where the Pikeville offense struggled with consistently, Rowe remained the Lady Panthers’ most consistent offensive weapon.  While Cole-Williamson and [player_tooltip player_id="80520" first="Kelsey" last="JoTackett"] had strong offensive runs, Rowe made plays throughout the game for herself and her teammates, resulting in 14 points and 7 assists.  She also proved to be her team’s most effective weapon in the final minutes, almost completing the Lady Panther comeback thanks to her smart play. Anderson County vs Franklin County This game was incredibly close the whole time, with neither team leading by more than a possession most of the way and 13 lead changes, including several in the final minutes.  Franklin County’s overreliance on Miles ended up backfiring, as Anderson had enough balance and rhythm to overwhelm the Lady Flyers and eke out the victory.  Here are the players who did the best. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31846" first="Brooklynn" last="Miles"], Franklin- </strong>In the first half Miles, put on one of the most impressive individual performances of the tournament’s first day.  The junior point guard showed off some excellent slashing skills, getting to the rim and scoring at an elite level, while also using her penetration to set up teammates for 15 points and 2 assists, generating almost all of Franklin County’s offense.  Unfortunately, Anderson zeroed in on Miles in the 2nd half, largely shutting down her offense, although she was still able to contribute with 4 steals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31885" first="Amiya" last="Jenkins"], Anderson- </strong>The best offense on the other side was a more balanced effort, but one of the clear standouts was Jenkins.  She was aggressive in attacking the tough Franklin defense with slashing skills of her own, scoring well inside as well as knocking down a 3 pointer for 15 points.  The sophomore played especially well down the stretch to get tough points for the Lady Bearcats.  She also pulled down 5 rebounds, showing a strong inside presence. <strong>Jacie Chesser, Anderson- </strong>The other key piece of Anderson’s offense was Chesser.  Like Jenkins, she did her best work inside, although Chesser was more of a steady inside presence than a slasher.  The sophomore center converted 13 big points, pulled down 6 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots to help lead Anderson to victory. <strong>Nevaeh Carter, Franklin- </strong>When Miles was shut down in the 2nd half, Carter became Franklin’s main source of offense.  She scored largely off of Miles penetration, but also did a nice job getting some penetration of her own and creating a shot for herself.  In a game where offense was tough to come by, Carter’s 12 points were invaluable for her team.