By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Holy Cross girls basketball players wasted no time showing how determined they are to win a second consecutive All “A” Classic girls state championship in their opening round game on Wednesday at Corbin Arena.
The Indians took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and rolled to a 68-30 win over Whitefield Academy to post their ninth victory in the last 10 games. In eight of those wins, they held their opponent to 36 points or less with their signature trapping defense.
Holy Cross center Julia Hunt
In the quarterfinals on Friday, Holy Cross (16-5) will face 14th Region champion Owsley County (12-5) at 8:30 a.m. After a 2-4 start, the Owls have won 10 of their last 11 games and seven in a row, including a 61-37 first-round victory over Cumberland County on Wednesday.
Whitefield had more turnovers (19) than field goals (10) in its loss to Holy Cross, which jumped to No. 8 in this week’s state rankings by media members. The Indians made 16 steals with junior guard Aumani Nelson getting four takeaways.
Holy Cross senior center Julia Hunt, who was named most valuable player in last year’s state tournament, scored a game-high 17 points with six rebounds three blocks and three steals.
Hunt made eight of 11 field goal attempts and the Indians ended up shooting 50 percent (25 of 50) as a team. Three players –Alyssa Arlinghaus, Aaliyah Hayes and Jade Hill — scored nine points. Arlinghaus and Hill each made three 3-point goals during the second half.
Whitefield’s only double-figure scorer was senior guard Sara Ritter with 14 points. The Wildcats (13-5) ended up shooting just 23.3 percent (10 of 43) from the field.
HOLY CROSS 21 9 21 17 — 68
WHITEFIELD 0 9 11 10 — 30
HOLY CROSS (16-5): Hunt 8 1 17, Arlinghaus 3 0 9, Hayes 2 4 9, Nelson 3 2 8, Hill 3 0 9, Wimzie 2 4 8, Carter 4 0 8. Totals: 25 11 68.
WHITEFIELD (13-5): Smith 3 0 7, Franz 1 0 3, Ritter 4 3 14, Spieker 2 0 6. Totals 10 3 30.
Three-point goals: HC — Hill 3, Arlinghaus 3, Hayes. W — Ritter 3, Spieker 2 Smith, Franz.
Walton-Verona 45, Mayfield 30
Walton-Verona freshman guard Elin Logue made five 3-point goals and scored 17 points in her All “A” Classic state tournament debut on Wednesday to lead the Bearcats in a 45-30 win over Mayfield at Corbin Arena.
It was the fourth consecutive game that Logue topped her team’s scoring list. She went 5 of 7 from 3-point range and 6 of 10 overall in the spacious arena. Walton-Verona’s other double-figure scorer was junior Campbell Christy with 11 points.
Elin Logue
Junior center Braylen Terrell snagged a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with seven points, five assists and three blocked shots for the Bearcats (12-7), who will play 10th Region champion Nicholas County (13-5) in a quarterfinal game at 10 a.m. Friday.
Nicholas County freshman guard Maggie Simons scored 24 points in her team’s 48-30 win over Menifee County in another first-round game on Wednesday. Simons is the top scorer in the 10th Region with a 24.4 average that ranks among the top 10 in the state. She’s shooting 53.4 percent (149 of 279) from the field with 30 3-point goals.
Walton-Verona had a 21-12 halftime lead in its game against Mayfield. The Bearcats widened the margin to 34-17 in the third quarter, but the Cardinals opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run to pull within 10 points, 34-24.
Walton-Verona responded with a game ending 11-6 run to earn its first victory in the small school state tournament since 2021 when the Bearcats lost in the title game for the third consecutive year.
Mayfield’s lone double-figure scorer was Lay Mayes with 16 points. She made five of her team’s 10 field goals. The Cardinals shot just 17.9 percent (10 of 56) from the field as a team.
WALTON-VERONA 10 11 13 11 — 45
MAYFIELD 8 4 5 13 — 30
WALTON-VERONA (12-7): Logue 6 0 17, Christy 3 5 11, Kendall 3 0 6, Geiman 1 0 3, Terrell 3 1 7, Dryden 0 1 1. Totals: 16 7 45.
MAYFIELD (11-4): Mandry 2 2 6, Henson 1 0 3, Feagin 2 0 5, Mayes 5 4 16. Totals: 10 6 30.
Three-point goals: WV — Logue 5, Geiman. M — Mayes 2, Feagin, Henson.
ALL A CLASSIC GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT
FRIDAY
Holy Cross (16-5) vs. Owsley County (12-5), 8:30 a.m.
Walton-Verona (12-7) vs. Nicholas County (13-5), 10 a.m.
Danville Christian (17-1) vs. Owensboro Catholic (15-3), 11:30 a.m.
Crittenden County (11-7) vs. Harlan-Pikeville winner, 1 p.m.
SATURDAY
Semifinals, 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
Championship game, noon
ALL A CLASSIC BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT
THURSDAY – Upper bracket
Newport vs. Sayre, 8:30 a.m.
Danville Christian vs. Breathitt County, 10 a.m.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Lyon County, 11:30 a.m.
Walton-Verona vs. Augusta, 1 p.m.
THURSDAY – Lower bracket
Raceland vs. Clinton County, 5 p.m.
Williamsburg vs. Murray, 6:30 p.m.
Caverna vs. Pikeville, 8 p.m.
Evangel Christian vs. Kentucky Country Day, 9:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Upper bracket quarterfinals, 5 and 6:30 p.m.
Lower bracket quarterfinals, 8 and 9:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Semifinals, 4 and 5:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
Championship game, 2 p.m.
