By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
A high-scoring romp and an agonizing loss in overtime. That’s how two local teams fared in the opening round of the Kentucky All “A” Classic boys state basketball tournament on Thursday at Eastern Kentucky University.
Holy Cross led from start to finish in an 85-51 win over Lexington Sayre and Walton-Verona lost to Bracken County, 78-76, in overtime during the final session of first-round games at McBrayer Arena.
Despite an inconsistent shooting performance, Walton-Verona (11-9) had a chance to win its game against Bracken County (15-5). The Bearcats took a 76-73 lead with 1:08 left in the overtime period, but they had a turnover on their next possession and then missed a 3-point shot and a pair of free throws in the final seconds.
Walton-Verona trailed, 47-36, going into the fourth quarter and it was easy to see why. At that point, the Bearcats were shooting 39 percent (13 of 33) from the field and had made only one of 16 3-point attempts. But they outscored Bracken County, 29-18, in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
Senior guard Brant Smithers scored 15 of his 29 points to lead the late rally. During that eight-minute span, Walton-Verona was 10-of-14 from the field with five 3-point goals, but the Bearcats were 4-of-8 at the free throw line.
In the four-minute overtime period, Walton-Verona had five turnovers and four field goals. After senior Tanner Thornberry missed two free throws that could’ve given the Bearcats the lead with three seconds left, Bracken County senior Payton Tulley was fouled and made the second free throw to give his team a two-point victory.
Bracken County sophomore Blake Reed scored a game-high 32 points and his freshman brother, Cayden, had 24. The other double-figure scorers for Walton-Verona were Carter Krohman with 20 and Cameron Christie with 12.
Final stats had Walton-Verona shooting 51.9 percent (27 of 52) from the field overall, 29.2 percent (7 of 24) from 3-point range and 46.9 percent (15 of 32) at the line.
Bracken County’s corresponding numbers were 49.2 percent (29 of 59) overall, 38.5 percent (5 of 13) on threes and 68.2 percent (15 of 22) at the line.
Holy Cross took a 23-8 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 43-20 by halftime against Lexington Sayre. The Indians went on to win their fifth game by a margin of 25 points or more this season.
Junior guard Jacob Meyer, who missed a game earlier in the week due to an ankle injury, scored 29 points, 10 below his season average, to go along with six assists and six rebounds. He made all nine of his free throws, but he was 9-of-23 from the field overall and 2-of-8 from behind the 3-point line.
Javier Ward scored 18 of his 27 points in the first half for the Indians. He made eight of his first 13 shots, including a pair of treys, and ended up 12-of-23 from the field. Ward also had five assists and four steals.
Holy Cross won the battle on the boards by a 56-30 margin with Dylan Arlinghaus snagging 12 missed shots. Sam Gibson had nine rebounds and blocked five shots. They were the reason Sayre had only four second-chance points and shot 28.8 percent (15 of 52) from the field.
Holy Cross (16-6) will play Breathitt County (15-4) in a quarterfinal game scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Friday. The Bobcats needed a late rally to beat Lyon County, 62-60, in their first-round game. They ended up shooting 51 percent from the field with three double-figure scorers.
Kentucky All “A” Classic at Eastern Kentucky University
BOYS TOURNAMENT
Friday
Murray (17-2) vs. Pikeville (16-1), 5 p.m.
Todd County Central (16-4) vs. Evangel Christian (9-7), 6:30 p.m.
Bracken County (15-5) vs. Harlan (14-6), 8 p.m.
HOLY CROSS (16-6) vs. Breathitt County (15-4), 9:30 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinal games, 3 and 4:30 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.
GIRLS TOURNAMENT
Friday
Owen County (15-6) vs. Jackson County (15-4), 8:30 a.m.
HOLY CROSS (14-8) vs. Lyon County (12-8), 10 a.m.
Owensboro Catholic (16-6) vs. Whitefield Academy (17-5), 11:30 a.m.
West Carter (16-4) vs. Pikeville (18-1), 1 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinal games, noon and 1:30 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, noon