By Brendan Connelly
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Simon Kenton girls basketball team lost in the first round of the 32nd District playoffs last March and missed the 8th Region tournament for the first time since a statewide realignment put the Pioneers in that region 15 years ago.
To keep that early exit from happening again, Simon Kenton wants to win all three district seeding games on its schedule this season. The Pioneers got off to a good start Friday with a 69-67 home court win over Walton-Verona, the team that won the 32nd District title the last three years.
“We look at three games all year,” coach Jeff Stowers said. “We look at this Walton game. We look at Grant (County). We look at Williamstown. We want to get to the region, let’s start right here and set ourselves up pretty good.”
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Pioneers (4-5) while the Bearcats dropped to 5-3 in their final season under head coach Mark Clinkenbeard, who is retiring after completing his 11th year with the program.
Walton-Verona jumped out to an 11-0 lead in Friday’s game. The run was stopped by Simon Kenton junior Emilee Eggleston’s layup with 3:46 left in the first quarter, but the Pioneers still trailed, 18-8, going into the second period.
After baskets were exchanged at both ends to start the second quarter, Simon Kenton senior Alexis Baker buried a deep 3-pointer. That shot ignited the Pioneers, who used a suffocating press and nine first-half points from seventh-grader Brynli Purnell to trim the visitor’s lead to 33-30 at halftime.
“We’re going to live and die with her,” Stowers said of his young guard. “She’s got more heart than anybody.”
The Pioneers tied the game, 33-33, in the opening seconds of the third quarter when senior guard Teanna Griffin scored her only three points of the game. Neither team lead by more than two points after that and the score was tied, 46-46, going into the fourth quarter.
Sensing an exciting finish, the crowd hung on every possession in the final eight minutes. In a back-and-forth game, another deep three from Baker gave the Pioneers a four-point lead, their largest of the game.
“She’s got carte blanche to come down and shoot it.” Stowers said of Baker, who finished with 13 points.
Simon Kenton senior Sereniti Webb fouled out with 1:30 to go and the Pioneers leading 54-47.
With his leader on the bench, Stowers knew he’d have to rely on the rest of his team to win the game.
“We play about nine girls and we can compensate with them because they know the system,” Stowers said. “We just tried to hold on.”
Walton-Verona immediately took advantage of Webb’s absence, closing to within three points with 30 seconds remaining on the clock.
In a foul-riddled final two minutes, the Bearcats shot 75 percent from the free throw line while Simon Kenton converted only 10 of 18 attempts. In the end, only two free throws mattered. Simon Kenton junior Bella Bach converted one of those two attempts to give her team a 69-67 lead with three seconds left.
A desperation shot by Walton-Verona at the buzzer didn’t fall and the Simon Kenton student section rushed the court in jubilation.
The game’s leading scorers were Walton-Verona teammates Grace Brewer and Maggie Buerger with 21 and 17 points, respectively. Webb and Pernell both had 14 for Walton-Verona.