South Warren stumbles/Barbee, Franklin-Simpson eliminate cold-shooting Lady Spartans 41-23

LADY WILDCATS, METCALFE COUNTY ADVANCE TO 4TH REGION SEMIFINALS

It was a tough evening, all the way around, for the South Warren High School girls basketball team.

South Warren, which squeezed into the KHSAA 4th Region Tournament by slipping past Greenwood 41-39 in the 14th District semifinals, could never get on track against neighboring Franklin-Simpson, the 13th District champion.

Senior forward Alera Barbee scored a game-high 20 points, in just 22 minutes on the floor, as the Lady Wildcats subdued South Warren 41-23 on Sunday evening at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Franklin-Simpson forced 20 turnovers and limited the Lady Spartans to 19 percent shooting to earn its 23rd victory of the season against three defeats. The Lady Wildcats will tangle with Metcalfe County in the semifinals on Friday night. Metcalfe County came back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to knock off Monroe County 59-49.

“It’s a long wait,” Metcalfe County coach Greg Stephens said. “After a game like that, you want to get back on the court as quickly as you can.”

Both Franklin-Simpson and South Warren struggled offensively in the early going of their quarterfinal Sunday evening. The Lady Wildcats led 5-2 after the first quarter as the two teams combined to shoot 3-of-20 from the field.

Barbee began to take charge in the second quarter, on the offensive end of the floor, while junior forward Hadley Turner made one big play after another on defense. Barbee hit 8 of 20 shots and 4 of 5 free throws for her 20 points, with five rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots, to boot.

Turner had four of her team’s seven blocked shots, adding nine points and seven rebounds.

South Warren junior guard Gracie Hodges almost willed the Lady Spartans back into contention herself, hitting a couple drives to the basket to trim the deficit to 35-20. Barbee also picked up her fourth four early in the fourth quarter.

No matter.

South Warren managed just three points in the final quarter, finishing its season under fourth-year coach Lane Embry with an 11-18 record.

“We talked about that, beforehand, that if we didn’t take care of the ball, we were going to struggle,” Embry said. “That’s their MO … they are turning people over at a high clip. We were rushing things all night.”

Franklin-Simpson coach Ashley Taylor said her team’s players understand their roles, and that’s made a considerable difference as they’ve compiled an impressive 23-3 record.

“We’re a team full of role players,” Taylor said afterward. “Alera’s role is to score. She knows her role … When we’re in the half court, we have to be able to execute … You always want to win the first one.

“We predicate everything we do on the defensive end of the floor.”

Hodges hit 4 of 11 shots, while going 7-for-8 at the free-throw line, to lead the Lady Spartans with 15 points and four rebounds.

“When you get behind like that,” Hodges said, “you have to push the ball upcourt as hard as you can.”

South loses just two seniors on its roster, forward Carrie Enlow and center Kayla Hoy. Embry also has an eighth grader in his starting lineup, guard McLaine Hudson.

METCALFE COUNTY 59, MONROE COUNTY 49

Kassady London led Metcalfe County with 24 points, while Lady Hornets teammate Jaycie Harper finished with 14.

Metcalfe County closed the game with a 26-7 run.

Paisley Ford led Monroe County with 14 points, and Lady Falcons teammate Brynley Howard finished with 10.

“We’ve had a lot of games where one quarter was the deciding factor,” Monroe County coach Clifton Hamilton said. “We’ve been on the winning side of those a few times, too. This is just the second time in 10 years that the Lady Falcons have made it this far, and none of our seniors were on the floor tonight.”

Metcalfe County and Franklin-Simpson will square off at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

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