IN ITS 58-51 WIN OVER GREENWOOD.
COLLIER, CAWTHORN CARRY RUSSELLVILLE TO 58-51 VICTORY
Greenwood High School’s girls basketball team led for most of the first half and stayed within striking distance for plenty of the second, too.
But the Russellville Lady Panthers were not going to be denied.
Senior guard A’miyah Collier scored a game-high 24 points and teammate Lareesha Cawthorn added 17 points and 20 rebounds — yes, 20 rebounds — to carry Russellville to a steely 58-51 victory over the Lady Gators on Sunday evening in the KHSAA 4th Region Tournament at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.
It was the Russellville girls’ first 4th Region tourney victory since 1993, when the dynamic duo’s mothers were playing for the Lady Panthers. First-year Russellville coach Orlando Hayden said this was one of his team’s major goals this season, and now they’ll be an underdog again for the semifinals against Barren County on Friday night.
DEFENDS AGAINST GREENWOOD’s LEIA TRINH.
HAD 17 POINTS, 20 REBOUNDS
AND FOUR BLOCKED SHOTS.
Barren County overcame a slow start in the first half to overwhelm Clinton County in the first game of the tournament on Sunday, eliminating the Lady Bulldogs 55-30.
Veteran Barren County coach Piper Lindsey was able to stick around and scout her team’s next opponent, and the Lady Panthers gave her something to think about by forcing 18 Greenwood turnovers while holding their lead down the stretch.
“We’ve made a lot of history this year,” Hayden said. “These kids are fighters. They’ve done it all year.
“When I first got to Russellville, I did look up at the wall. I saw that the girls hadn’t won a district championship since 1999 … even longer since the win here in ’93. I said to my coaches, ‘It’s time to do something about that.’ “
So they did.
“WE’VE MADE A LOT OF HISTORY THIS YEAR.”
Russellville knocked off crosstown rival Logan County High School 45-40 in the KHSAA 13th District championship game on Thursday night in Elkton, and now Hayden’s squad will take a 15-14 record into its semifinal game against the tradition-rich Trojanettes.
Greenwood struggled from the field, hitting 17 of 61 shots (27.9 percent) while finishing the season with a 15-16 record. The Lady Panthers were effective in bottling up Lady Gators point guard Leia Trinh, forcing her Greenwood teammates to take the bulk of the shots from 3-point territory.
The Lady Gators hit 7 of 29 shots from the 3-point line, or 24.1 percent, but Trinh stayed on the attack while playing the game’s entire 32 minutes.
Trinh, the slender 5-foot-6 junior, led the Gators with 17 points. She found her shooting touch late in the game, and used an 8-for-11 showing at the free-throw line to keep Greenwood in contention.
“It was good for us to experience this tonight,” Greenwood coach Zach Simpson said. “Obviously it didn’t go the way we wanted, but I thought we battled … They made a few more plays than we did, at the end.”
It was the final game for Greenwood forward Kayla Grant, the daughter of WKU assistant coach Marcus Grant and his wife, Angela, watching a few rows behind the Lady Gators’ bench. Kayla Grant fouled out with 1:54 left in the game, but not before grabbing 16 rebounds to go with seven points and three assists.
IS JOINED BY VETERAN PLAYERS
KAYLA GRANT (LEFT) AND LEIA TRINH.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Kayla Grant said in the postgame press conference. “I’m very glad I got to come back, and experience this, with these girls … There are a lot of things going through my head right now, like,‘If I would have done this,’or, ‘if we did that’.
“I’m just closing this chapter of my high school career. Ready to start a new chapter. I can’t wait to see what these girls do in the next few years.”
Greenwood’s Jojo McCorkle and Ella Whittle each hit three 3-pointers, finishing with nine points apiece. Trinh usually had to give the ball up, when the Lady Panthers’ defense collapsed on her near the basket.
“I’ll cherish all the things we’ve done with this team,” Trinh said.
Russellville coach Orlando Hayden sometimes used the rangy A’miyah Collier to guard Trinh on the perimeter, and Collier turned in an outstanding performance, finishing with 24 points, five rebounds, eight assists and five steals.
She had just one turnover while playing the entire 32 minutes.
Collier will be playing college softball at the University of Central Arkansas after graduation, but she’s a natural on the basketball court, too.
Teammate Lareesha Cawthorn was equally productive.
Cawthorn, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, hit 5 of 24 shots from the field but shined on the boards. She finished the game with 17 points, 20 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals.
And, like Collier, she had just one turnover.
AGAINST RUSSELLVILLE’s A’MIYAH COLLIER.
“We’re just now learning how to finish off the game and stay patient,” Collier said. “I tell them all the time, when we have the lead, to stay patient. And calm. We don’t have to be where we have to score.
“They listened pretty well and did exactly that.”
The Lady Panthers’ role players did their part, too.
Senior guard Brinley Mason hit a critical 3-pointer with about 4:30 left in the game, pushing Russellville’s lead to 50-45. Jordin Morris, another RHS senior, played the entire 32 minutes and finished with 9 points and 14 rebounds.
Trinh’s open 3-pointer trimmed Greenwood’s deficit to two points with 2:31 left, but Kayla Grant fouled out shortly afterward, and the Lady Panthers pulled away for the victory.
Now the Lady Panthers will be looking for another upset, after stopping Logan County and Greenwood, in Friday’s first semifinal against Barren County at Diddle. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Hayden said the Trojanettes are “probably one of the better teams in the region. To me, I would almost put them at No. 1. They’ve been here a lot and they know how to play together.
“Everybody on their team can play. They don’t rely on one or two people. I have a lot of respect for them.”
AND CLINTON COUNTY’s TIM MOONS
DO QUICK POSTGAME INTERVIEWS.
LOOKS FOR A PATH TO THE BASKET.
BARREN COUNTY GIRLS 55, CLINTON COUNTY 30
Clinton County was able to control the pace for much of the first half, and Barren County led only 18-17 at the break.
That all changed, in a hurry, in the third quarter.
The Trojanettes hit 15 of 31 shots from the field in the second half and gradually pulled away, improving its overall record to 26-6.
The Lady Bulldogs were fairly effective limiting Barren County’s Abby Varney on offense, forcing the Trojanettes to explore other options. Varney leads Barren County with 17.2 points per game.
MAKES A CROSS-COURT PASS.
“I think we made them nervous in the first half,” Clinton County coach Tim Moons said. “We came, we fought. We battled … We’re excited about what we can build on, for the future.”
Barren County forged a modest lead in the third quarter before kicking it into another gear over the final eight minutes of the game.
Barren County outscored the Lady Bulldogs 37-13 in the second half.
“(At halftime), we talked about our defense and our intensity,” Barren County coach Piper Lindsey said. “We’re normally pretty good defensively, when our energy was there. At times it wasn’t tonight and that also happens when you can’t make shots.
“Once we did get easy shots due to our defense it picked up everything else.”
WON 11 OF ITS LAST 12 GAMES.
Sophomore guard Kathryn Elmore led the Trojanettes with 15 points, four assists and four steals, while Abby Varney added 11 points, a team-high nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
Nine different Barren County players scored in the game, and the Trojanettes forced 23 turnovers, including 15 in the second half.
“We needed to stop forcing it outside,” Barren County guard Katie Murphy said. “Get to the paint. We weren’t making many outside shots, but when we were able to get into the paint, and pass it off the block, we were able to get much easier shots.”
Barren County faced Russellville once this season, claiming a 42-37 victory on the Lady Panthers’ home floor.
Bowling Green, looking for its fourth consecutive 4th Region championship, faces 15th District runner-up Glasgow High School on Tuesday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., followed by the second quarterfinal game between 16th District champion Metcalfe County and Logan County.
The boys’ quarterfinals are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, with a day off to allow for the WKU women’s game on Thursday night.
FACES RUSSELLVILLE ON FRIDAY EVENING.
