By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Brossart advanced to the semifinals of the All “A” Classic girls state basketball tournament for the first time since 2013 behind a strong defensive effort that carried the Mustangs to a 74-46 win over Lexington Christian in Friday’s quarterfinals at Owensboro SportsCenter.
Lexington Christian had more turnovers (21) than field goals (11) in the game. The Mustangs took advantage by scoring 32 points off turnovers and ended up shooting 53.6 percent (30 of 56) from the field compared to 30.6 percent (11 of 36) for the Eagles.
In the semifinals, Brossart (14-4) will face Bardstown Bethlehem (15-1) at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday. The winner will play in the championship game at 1 p.m. local time on Sunday.
Brossart took a 21-4 lead in the first quarter of Friday’s game and extended it to 26-5 before Lexington Christian made its first field goal with 6:28 left in the second quarter. The Mustangs maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the game and posted their second highest point total of the season.
The game’s leading scorer was Brossart junior forward Rachel Shewmaker with 18 points. She was 7-of-8 from the field with four rebounds, three steals and one block.
The team’s other double-figure scorers were sophomore forward Hadley Eviston (14), senior forward Zoee Meyers (13) freshman guard Kylie Smith (11) and sophomore forward Graylee Kramer (11).
The Mustangs had 19 assists on 30 field goals with senior point guard Zoey Woosley getting six followed by Smith and Meyer with three each.
A Northern Kentucky team played in the All “A” Classic girls championship game five of the last six years. The last time Brossart made that far was 2000, one year after winning its first and only state title.
Danville Christian 49, Walton-Verona 29
Walton-Verona boys basketball coach Mike Hester scheduled late-night practice sessions to prepare his players for All “A” Classic state tournament games, but they had a shaky shooting performance in a quarterfinal game on Friday that started after 11:30 p.m. local time at the Owensboro SportsCenter.
Danville Christian defeated Walton-Verona, 49-29, to advance to the state semifinals for the first time. The Bearcats shot 27 percent (11 of 40) from the field in the loss and finished with their lowest point total of the season.
Walton-Verona was 5-of-21 from beyond the 3-point line and 6-of-19 in the paint. A lot of that had to do with Danville Christian having 6-foot-11 junior Geu Leek Ateny and 6-foot-10 senior Lual Ayiei guarding the basket.
The Warriors’ height also resulted in a 33-22 rebounding advantage and they outscored the Bearcats, 24-12, in the paint. Walton-Verona’s only double-figure scorer was senior Aaron Gutman with 10 points. He also had four assists, four steals and four rebounds.
Danville Christian closed out the first half with an 11-4 run to take a 26-15 lead. The third quarter ended with the Warriors ahead, 35-23, and they outscored Walton-Verona, 14-6, in the final period.
Ateny finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. Senior guard Titus Boyd had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The game’s leading rebounder was Ayiei with nine.
Kentucky All “A” Classic at Owensboro SportsCenter
GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT
Listed with N.Ky. tipoff times
SATURDAY
BROSSART (14-4) vs. Bardstown Bethlehem (15-1), 10 a.m.
Danville Christian (13-5) vs. Crittenden County (16-3), 11:30 a.m.
SUNDAY
Championship game, 1 p.m.
BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT
Listed with N.Ky. tipoff times
SATURDAY
Lyon County (13-2) vs. Owensboro Catholic (12-5), 7 p.m.
Danville Christian (15-2) vs. Hazard (19-1), 8:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
Championship game, 3 p.m.