By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Bardstown Bethlehem senior forward Leah Macy is the leading candidate for Ms. Kentucky Basketball this season and the Brossart girls team found out why in the semifinals of the All “A” Classic state tournament Saturday morning at Owensboro SportsCenter.
Macy had 44 points, 16 rebounds and three assists in her team’s 65-56 win over the Mustangs. It was the third double-double performance of the tournament for the 6-foot-2 University of Notre Dame five-star recruit who is ranked among the top 20 seniors in the nation.
In her team’s two previous wins, Macy had 29 points, 19 rebounds and four assists against Holy Cross in the first round followed by 24 points, 13 rebounds and four assists against Owensboro Catholic in the quarterfinals.
Bethlehem (19-1) will play Danville Christian (14-5) in the All “A” Classic championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday local time.
Brossart battled to the end against the Banshees, who entered the tournament ranked No. 9 in the statewide media poll. The Mustangs pulled to within three points, 59-56, on back-to-back 3-point goals by senior Zoee Meyers with less than a minute left.
Bethlehem sealed the victory with six straight free throws in the final 31 seconds. Macy made four of the foul shots to finish four points below the girls tournament single-game scoring record of 48.
Macy enters Sunday’s championship game needing 28 points and nine rebounds to tie girls tournament records for highest totals in those two categories.
The Banshees scored 11 straight points in the second quarter of the semifinal and led 35-26 at halftime. They opened up a 16-point lead early in the fourth quarter before the Mustangs mounted a comeback and cut it to 59-56 with 3-pointers.
Brossart outscored Bethlehem, 27-6, from behind the arc. Meyers connected on seven treys, one below the girls tournament record, to account for 21 of her 25 points. The Mustangs’ other double-figure scorer was freshman forward Kylie Smith with 11.
The Banshees ended up shooting 53.2 percent (25 of 47) from the field, with Macy hitting 18 of 25, compared to Brossart’s 38.2 percent (21 of 55). The winners also led in rebounds (33-24), free throws (13-5) and points in the paint (38-22).
Brossart (14-5) has 10 games remaining on its regular season schedule. The Mustangs had 20 or more wins five of the last six seasons and need six to do it again.