Thanks to St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine for sponsoring our girls’ high school basketball coverage once again this season. See all of our girls’ basketball stories here and watch for state tournament coverage March 8-12 from BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
If there are no upsets in the first two rounds, Simon Kenton and Holmes will meet in the semifinals of the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA girls’ state basketball tournament that begins Wednesday at BB&T Arena.
Both of the local regional champions have higher power ratings than the other three teams in their segments of the bracket. That means they’re expected to win their first two games and advance to the final four to face each other. But there’s no such thing as a sure thing in high school basketball, especially in the state tournament.
Holmes (27-5) is going to the “Sweet 16” state tournament as the 9th Region champion for the second consecutive year. The Bulldogs will face 3rd Region champion Grayson County (22-10) in a first-round game at 8 p.m. Thursday.
The teams played each other in the Queen of the Commonwealth on Dec. 22 and Holmes came away with a 43-34 victory. But Grayson County won rematches with two other teams that beat them in the final rounds of the 3rd Region playoffs. They Cougars knocked off Breckinridge County, 72-63, in the semifinals and upset Owensboro Apollo, 36-31, in the regional final.
Simon Kenton (27-6) made it to the state tournament for the second time in the last three years as the 8th Region champion. The Pioneers’ first-round game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday will be against Paintsville (28-4) from the 15th Region.
Paintsville lost to Johnson Central in the 57th District final and then beat that same team, 39-36, in the 15th Region championship. The Tigers have one senior, two juniors and two sophomores in their starting lineup. In the regional final, senior guard Abby James made seven of the team’s 14 field goals and scored 15 points.
The state tournament begins at noon on Wednesday with a showdown between defending champion Louisville Butler and Louisville Sacred Heart in the upper bracket. In the Litkenhous power ratings, Butler is No. 1 and Sacred Heart is No. 4 in the 16-team field.
The upper bracket also includes No. 2 Mercer County and No. 5 Murray. The highest-rated teams in the lower bracket are No. 3 Simon Kenton, No. 6 Franklin County and No. 7 Holmes.
ST. ELIZABETH HEALTHCARE/KHSAA GIRLS’ STATE TOURNAMENT
(at BB&T Arena, Highland Heights)
Wednesday — Upper bracket
Louisville Sacred Heart vs. Louisville Butler, noon
Murray vs. Nelson County, 1:30 p.m.
Boyd County vs. Mercer County, 6:30 p.m.
Clark County vs. Harlan, 8 p.m.
Thursday — Lower bracket
Henderson County vs. Knott County Central, noon
Russell County vs. Franklin County, 1:30 p.m.
Simon Kenton vs. Paintsville, 6:30 p.m.
Holmes vs. Grayson County, 8 p.m.
Friday
Upper bracket quarterfinals, noon and 1:30 p.m.
Lower bracket quarterfinals, 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Saturday
Upper bracket semifinal, 6:30 p.m
Lower bracket semifinal, 8 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.