By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
When the Conner girls basketball team lost five straight games by double-digit margins in late January and early February, first-year head coach Michelle Gambrel wasn’t sure the Cougars had what it takes to be 9th Region contenders when playoff time rolled around.
The coach’s main concern was most of her players lacked the varsity experience they needed to win big games against quality opponents. But they eased her mind Monday night when they defeated Highlands, 48-44, in double overtime in the opening round of the 9th Region tournament at BB&T Arena.
“All year long we’ve worried about our experience,” Gambrel said. “That’s been the thorn in our side all season and (Monday) they pulled it out. They made free throws when they needed to and made stops when they needed to, and they beat a really good Highlands team.”
Highlands trailed by five points, 32-27, with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Bluebirds rallied and tied the score, 35-35, on a 3-point basket by senior forward Maggie Hinegardner with 14 seconds left.
Conner turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound play, but a last-second shot by Highlands guard Piper Macke fell short and the game went into overtime.
“After all that, I thought it was going to go south for us,” Gambrel said. “But I’d been telling our girls all night, ‘You’ve got to want it more than them,’ and somehow they came out with the win.”
Both teams scored six points in the first extra period that ended with Conner senior center Tyra Murphy making a pair of foul shots to tie it at 41-41. In the second overtime, the Cougars took a 48-44 lead on two free throws by senior Macey Burcham with 12 seconds left and Highlands missed its final two field goal attempts.
Conner shot 33.3 percent (15 of 45) from the field with most of its points coming in the paint. Senior centers Maddie Drummonds and Murphy had 12 of the team’s 15 field goals. Drummonds finished with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. Murphy also posted a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
“That’s what we were hoping,” coach Gambrel said. “That’s been our game plan all year. Not many people can stop the two big post players that we have.”
The leading scorer for Highlands was Hinegartner, who made four 3-pointers for 12 points. The Bluebirds ended up shooting 28.8 percent (17 of 59) from the field overall and 23.3 percent (7 of 30) from behind the 3-point arc.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Conner has made it to the 9th Region tournament, but none of the previous four teams won more than one game. If the Cougars win their semifinal game against Notre Dame at 6:30 p.m. Friday, they’ll be in the regional final for the first time since 2008.
Notre Dame was one of the teams that defeated the Cougars during their five-game losing streak, but Drummonds is looking forward to the rematch.
“The first time we had a lot of confusion with stuff,” she said. “I think we’ll do better this game because we know what we have to do, and we want to get to Rupp Arena (for the state tournament) really bad.”
CONNER 8 7 9 11 6 7 — 48
HIGHLANDS 8 9 5 13 6 3 — 44
CONNER (21-11): Zorich 1 1 3, Burcham 0 2 2, Smith 2 0 5, Drummond 8 6 22, Murphy 4 8 16. Totals: 15 17 48.
HIGHLANDS (21-11): Macke 3 1 10, Hinegardner 4 0 12, Listerman 2 0 4, Riccobene 2 1 5, Walz 2 0 4, O’Hara 4 1 9. Totals: 17 3 44.
3-pointers: C — Smith. H — Hinegardner 4, Macke 3.