Sweet 16 First Round Recap: Game 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Photo Credit: Cam Anderson</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size">McCracken County-50</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>-Third straight trip to the Sweet 16, made it all the way to the championship game last year-</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Standouts:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Mikee Buchanan-SR-F</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Buchanan showed good range on the 18-ft jumper, cleaned the glass and did a great job keeping the ball high and going right up after offensive rebounds. She made her presence known on the defensive end as well by blocking shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats: 8 points and 6 rebounds</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='897365' first='Reagan' last='Hill']-SO-PF</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hill played strong in the paint and was good at finishing through contact at the rim. She showed touch from the mid range, swatted shots, and was relentless on the boards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats: 12 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Top Performer:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='369667' first='Claire' last='Johnson']-SR-PG</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson was aggressive to start the game, and very effective on the fast break displayed blazing speed and the ability to split the defense with her excellent handles, tough competitor, showed range from beyond the arc, rebounded well, had a nice pro-hop that led to a basket and foul to start the third quarter, made a living from the free throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, went 12/15 from the FT line</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size">Russell-33</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>-First trip back to the state tournament since the 2020-2021 season-</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Standouts:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='724188' first='Kennedy' last='Darnell']-SO-SG</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Darnell was solid on the defensive end, did a good job guarding the perimeter and the post. Showed a lot promise on offense in the second half by knocking down a spot up jump shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats: 4 points and 2 rebounds</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Courtney Fitzpatrick-SR-F</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fitzpatrick was very active on the glass, fought for rebounds, and scored around the rim. She provided a defensive post presences as well and did a good job using her length to make it hard to score in the paint. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats: 3 points and 3 rebounds</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Top Performer:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='167099' first='Shaelyn' last='Steele']-SR-PG</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Steele saw the floor very well she had elite passing ability. She found her groove from the mid-range early, played with poise and maintained the tempo of the offense, has a lightning-quick first step and a workhorse mentality. She also used active hands on defense, hit two 3's in the game and played hard from start to finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->