Thanks to St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine for sponsoring our girls’ high school basketball coverage once again this season. See all of our girls’ basketball stories here and enjoy our state tournament coverage this week from BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Playing three games in three days created an energy shortage on the Holmes girls basketball team during the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA state tournament at BB&T Arena.
After winning two games by double-digit margins to reach the semifinals, the Bulldogs had a meltdown in a 51-36 loss to Franklin County on Saturday. Holmes shot just 23.9 percent (11 of 46) from the field, committed 14 turnovers and made only two steals on defense.
“We just didn’t come out and play like we normally do,” said Holmes coach Tony Perkins. “(Franklin County’s) a good team and probably had a lot to do with that, but we didn’t come out with the same intensity. I don’t think it wasn’t because we didn’t want to. I think we just ran out of gas.”
Franklin County (33-5) advances to the state championship game for the second straight year and plays Mercer County (30-6) in the season finale at 2 p.m. Sunday. Holmes bows out with a 29-6 record after making it to the state semifinals for the first time since 2002.
Holmes fell behind, 10-6, in the first quarter of Saturday’s game and never took the lead. Franklin County was ahead, 26-13, at halftime and kept the margin in double digits until the final horn.
“I thought we came out slow and they got up on us and we were just mellow the whole time,” said Holmes junior forward Tyra Englemon. “We didn’t pick it up when we needed to pick it up.”
If fatigue was a factor, it’s easy to see why. Five starters played the majority of minutes in every game for the Bulldogs this season. During their three state tournament games, those five players were on the court for 61 of the 96 total minutes.
Franklin County ended up shooting 40 percent (15 of 37) from the field and had an 18-12 scoring advantage at the free throw line. The team’s leading scorer was Princess Stewart, who got nine of her 15 points in the first half. Brooklynn Miles, an eighth-grader who plays point guard for the Flyers, had 12 points.
“We shared the ball and got to the free throw line and we played OK in all facets of the game,” said Franklin County coach Joey Thatcher. “Our kids just kind of grinded it out, which is sort of what the plan was.”
In addition to forcing 14 turnovers, Franklin County pulled down 26 defensive rebounds to limit second-chance scoring opportunities for the Bulldogs. The leading scorers for Holmes were Englemon and senior point guard Jaynice Stovall with nine points each.
“I was really proud that we competed on the backboards as well as we did because they’re so athletic,” Thatcher said.
Englemon and Stovall were the Holmes players named to the state all-tournament team after the semifinal game. Stovall, the only senior in this year’s lineup, was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs.
“I’m proud of my team,” Perkins said. “I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They’ve been to three regional finals in a row and two state tournaments in a row, making it to the final eight and final four. We didn’t come out with a lot of energy (Saturday), but I’m still proud of them and wouldn’t trade them for any team up here.”
HOLMES 6 7 10 13 — 32
FRANKLIN CO. 10 16 13 12 — 51
HOLMES (29-6): Johnson 3 2 8, Keith 0 1 1, Englemon 3 2 9, Stovall 2 5 9, Beckett 1 0 2, Stowers 2 2 7. Totals: 11 12 36.
FRANKLIN COUNTY (33-5): Talley 2 0 5, Stewart 4 6 15, Cook 0 6 6, Miles 4 3 12, Courtney 3 1 7, Hogan 2 2 6. Totals: 15 18 51.
Three-pointers: H — Englemon, Stowers. FC — Talley, Stewart, Miles.