Thanks to St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine for sponsoring our girls’ high school basketball coverage this season. See all of our girls’ basketball stories here during our state tournament coverage this week from BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.
By Terry Boehmker
NKy Tribune sports reporter
They made only one field goal in the second quarter, but the Holmes Bulldogs still managed to beat Russell, 49-35, in the first round of the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Girls Sweet 16 State Tournament on Wednesday at BB&T Arena.
Holmes was ahead, 21-10, at halftime, but coach Tony Perkins wasn’t happy with his team going 1-for-5 from the field and scoring just seven points in the second quarter.
“The thing we do well is when we get the ball in transition we usually make plays and (Wednesday) we had several transition shots we didn’t make,” Perkins said. “In the first half, we had a chance to blow the game wide open and we just missed shots.”
This is the first year that Holmes has been in the girls’ state tournament since 1993 so jitters may have been a factor in their second-quarter scoring slump. The players should be a lot more relaxed when they take on Mercer County in a quarterfinal game at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Holmes ended up shooting 42.9 percent (18 of 42) from the field while holding Russell to 33.3 percent (11 of 33). The Bulldogs did a good job on defense to limit their opponent to less than 40 points, but they had a brief breakdown in that phase of the game as well.
In the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, Russell went on a 10-3 run and pulled to within eight points, 39-31, on a pair of free throws by Maggie Jachimczuk.
“I thought my kids gave a great effort in the second half, gettting down 18 and cutting it to eight,” said Russell coach Mandy Layne. “I still felt with four minutes left to go if we get a couple stops (on defense) we could come out of here with a victory.”
But Holmes responded to the threat by closing out the game with a 10-4 run that got started when senior guard Jynea Harris made her second 3-point goal of the game.
“Coach told me we needed to make a play so that’s what I did,” Harris said. “As soon as I got the ball, I made a play because we were slacking off a little bit.”
Harris finished with a game-high 18 points. The Bulldogs’ other double-figure scorer was senior center Maurissa Brown, who got 10 points in the paint against Russell’s taller inside players.
“Maurissa not only put the ball in the basket but she got their big girl in foul trouble,” coach Perkins said. “If Maurissa catches it around the basket, she can score. And that’s what we needed her to do.”
Holmes sophomore forward Tyrah Englemon also made a good state tournament debut. Her stat line included nine points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.
“I didn’t think we played very well in the first half,” coach Perkins said. “I thought maybe we played a little tight and missed some shots we normally make, but it’s a win and we’re glad to move on.”
RUSSELL 6 4 11 14 — 35
HOLMES 14 7 13 15 — 49
RUSSELL (26-9): Maynard 1 0 3, Jachimczuk 4 5 13, Mitchell 1 0 3, Darnell 4 1 10, Michael 1 1 4, Ross 0 2 2. Totals: 11 9 35.
HOLMES (29-4): Englemon 4 0 9, Brown 5 0 10, Johnson 0 2 2, Harris 6 4 18, Stovall 2 1 7, Graham 1 0 3. Totals: 18 7 49.
Three-pointers: R — Maynard, Mitchell. Darnell, Michael. H — Stovall 2, Harris 2, Englemon, Graham.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Girls State Basketball Tournament
at BB&T Arena, Highland Heights, Ky.
Wednesday — Upper bracket
Mercer County 68, Leslie County 39
Franklin County 47. Shelby Valley 39
Campbell County 48, Trimble County 33
Holmes 49, Russell 35
Thursday – Lower bracket
Murray vs. Louisville Manual, 12 p.m.
Bowling Green vs. Louisville Butler, 1:30 p.m.
Elizabethtown vs. Henderson County, 6:30 p.m.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Harlan, 8 p.m.
Friday – Quarterfinals
Campbell County vs. Franklin County, 12 p.m.
Mercer County vs. Holmes, 1:30 p.m.
Lower bracket games, 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Saturday – Semifinals
Upper bracket games, 6:30 p.m.
Lower bracket games, 8 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.