By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Walton-Verona’s game plan going into the 8th Region All “A” Classic girls basketball championship game on Saturday revolved around pushing the tempo and it worked so well that the Bearcats raced past Eminence, 72-29, to win the title for the second consecutive year.
Using pressure defense, Walton-Verona scored most of its points off 30 turnovers committed by the young Eminence team that had three freshmen in the starting lineup. In the first eight minutes, the Bearcats took a 30-11 lead with 20 points coming off 12 turnovers.
“That’s kind of the identity we’re trying to build right now, speeding things up and kind of making (opponents) do things they’ve not used to doing,” said coach Rianna Gayheart.
The Bearcats extended their lead to 46-18 by halftime and opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run that pushed the margin to 37 points and started a running clock. None of the team’s starting players were on the court during the fourth quarter.
Walton-Verona’s top scorers were sophomore guard Elin Logue with 21 points and senior forward Braylin Terrell with 18. They were both named to the all-tournament team with Terrell getting the most valuable player award.
“She’s just been big on both ends of the floor for us,” Gayheart said of the 6-foot-2 Terrell. “And if she’s not scoring at a high clip, it’s because they’re putting two of three people on her and that opens up opportunities for our other players.”
Walton-Verona’s other all-tournament team selections were seniors Campbell Christy and Eva Fuller and eighth-grader Ava Hargett.
The Bearcats (12-5) return to the Kentucky All “A” Classic girls state tournament that’s being held at Owensboro SportsCenter next week. Their first-round opponent will be 12th Region champion Danville Christian Academy (10-5) at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Danville Christian is glad to have 6-foot-5 senior center Grace Mbugua back in the lineup after sitting out the team’s first 12 games. The foreign exchange student from Kenya, who averaged 25 points and 15 rebounds last season, made a commitment with the University of Louisville in October.
“It’s a really tough opponent in the first round, but I’m excited and going to watch some more film and try to figure out the best way we can succeed,” coach Gayheart said.
“With our style of play, I think we can do some things that’ll frustrate them. We definitely want to control the tempo and make sure they’re not getting any easy looks at the rim, and make some of their kids put the ball on the floor who aren’t used to doing that.”
WALTON-VERONA 30 16 19 10 — 75
EMINENCE 11 7 5 6 — 29
WALTON-VERONA (12-5): Terrell 9 0 18, Louge 6 6 21, Hargett 3 0 6, Curtis 1 0 2, Christy 2 3 8, Fuller 2 0 4, VonHandorf 1 0 3, Lemming 1 0 2, Dye 2 0 5, Dryden 1 1 3, McClure 0 1 1, Monday 1 0 2. Totals: 29 11 75.
EMINENCE (7-7): Scott 1 0 2, Seiegl 6 0 14, Vargas 3 2 9, Phillips 1 0 2, Roederer 1 0 2. Totals: 12 2 29.
Three-point goals: WV — Logue 3, Christy, Dye, VonHandorf. E — Spiegl 2, Vargas.
ALL “A” CLASSIC GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT
All games at Owensboro SportsCenter / listed with N.Ky. times
WEDNESDAY — Upper bracket
Middlesboro vs. Owensboro Catholic, 9:30 a.m.
Covington Holy Cross vs. Bardstown Bethlehem, 11 a.m.
Brossart vs. Louisville Holy Cross, 12:30 p.m.
Lexington Christian Academy vs. Mayfield, 2 p.m.
WEDNESDAY — Lower bracket
Walton-Verona vs. Danville Christian Academy, 6 p.m.
Menifee County vs. Metcalfe County, 7:30 p.m.
Crittenden County vs. Martin County, 9 p.m.
Knott County Central vs. Whitefield Academy, 10:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Upper bracket quarterfinals, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Lower bracket quarterfinals, 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
SATURDAY
Semifinal games, 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
SUNDAY
Championship game, 1 p.m.