Sweet 16 Notebook: Stars Shining at Rupp – Day 1 Part 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Girls Hoops Kentucky was in attendance for the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Sweet 16 as some of the state's best teams took the floor on the biggest stage in Kentucky girls basketball. With the bright lights of Rupp Arena shining down, several players stepped up and delivered big time performances when their teams needed it most. The intensity, the energy and the moment were all on full display!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Notre Dame looked like a team on a mission from the opening tip! The Lady Pandas stormed out to a 19-7 lead after the first quarter and never took their foot off the gas, rolling to a dominant 77-38 victory. The ball movement, outside shooting and defensive pressure showed exactly why Notre Dame is such a dangerous team this time of year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='747684' first='Amelia' last='Stallard'] caught fire from the perimeter and led the way with 19 points. She knocked down 5 shots from beyond the three point line and was incredibly efficient, finishing 2-2 inside the arc and 5-6 from deep! Every time Notre Dame needed a spark, Stallard delivered with another big shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='842517' first='Emma' last='Holtzapfel'] also had a huge performance, finishing with 19 points along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. She buried 5 shots from three point range and consistently stretched the defense. Her leadership and confidence on the big stage stood out throughout the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1590841' first='Sarah' last='Young'] made her presence felt inside with a strong double-double performance. She scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, controlling the paint and helping Notre Dame dominate the glass. Her physical presence and effort helped set the tone early!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Pikeville, senior [player_tooltip player_id='376765' first='Kylie' last='Alvin'] battled until the final buzzer in her last high school game. Alvin led her team in scoring, rebounds and assists with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. She finished her high school career with an outstanding senior season, averaging 18.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while consistently leading her team all year long.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final game of the day delivered the drama everyone came to see as Taylor County defeated West Jessamine 60-58 in the best game of the day! The energy inside Rupp Arena picked up as the teams traded big plays late.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor County jumped out early with a 19-8 lead after the first quarter, but West Jessamine battled back and made things extremely interesting down the stretch before time ran out on a potential comeback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor County had several big time performances that helped secure the victory on the Sweet 16 stage!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1050025' first='Kennedy' last='Deener'] once again showed why she is considered one of the best young players in Kentucky. Using her elite athleticism, Deener created offense for herself and her teammates while constantly attacking the basket and getting to the foul line. She finished with 19 points and 3 assists while making plays all over the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='902696' first='Greta' last='Bradstreet'] added 18 points along with 2 assists and 2 rebounds. No basket was bigger than her clutch layup in the final minute which helped seal the huge victory for the Lady Cardinals!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='502129' first='Kayley' last='Benningfield'] filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and an impressive 6 steals. Her length, defensive instincts and ability to create turnovers were a huge difference maker throughout the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Jessamine also had some outstanding individual performances despite the tough loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='502127' first='Katie' last='Mastin'] erupted for a game high 20 points while knocking down 4 shots from behind the three point line. She also grabbed 4 rebounds and wrapped up a strong senior season where she averaged 10.7 points per game and shot an impressive 82.4 percent from the free throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='557203' first='Claire' last='Marshall'] came incredibly close to recording a rare triple double on the Sweet 16 stage! Marshall finished with 9 points, a massive 19 rebounds and 10 assists to go along with 3 steals. After returning from injury this season, she averaged 13.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game and looks poised for a huge senior season next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->