Owensboro Catholic is back in the championship game, and they made it look fairly easy with a 57-42 win over Covington Holy Cross in the girls’ All “A” Classic state tournament semifinal Saturday morning.
They trailed early, but the Lady Aces (16-6) pulled away and were never really threatened by the Indians (18-5) down the stretch. Hannah McKay carried Owensboro Catholic most of the way, scoring all of her game-high 20 points in the first three quarters.
McKay scored the first six points for the Lady Aces, though Holy Cross used a 7-4 run to close the first quarter with a 17-13 lead.
The pace slowed significantly in the second period, but a bucket by Sarah Beth Clemens and five points by McKay gave Catholic a 1-point lead. A pair of free throws put the Indians back on top with about a minute to go.
Clemens ended the half by blocking a shot on defense and sinking a 3-pointer at the other end in the final seconds, sending Catholic into the break with a 24-22 advantage. They never trailed again.
The teams traded buckets for much of the third, but a pair of scores by Mackenzie Keelin and seven more points by McKay kept the Lady Aces in front. Clemens knocked down another late triple for a 40-32 lead heading into the final frame.
The Indians tried to make a push by closing the deficit to 42-37 early in the fourth, though Keelin converted an and-1 and Owensboro Catholic pulled away over the final four minutes.
Clemens finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Keelin added 10 points and eight boards. The Lady Aces got 28 points in the paint, 14 points off turnovers and 16 points in transition.
Catholic makes their first return to the championship since losing the final game to Murray in 2016. The Lady Aces won the title in 2011 and 2013. With a win, they would move into a tie for most All “A” Classic championships.
Owensboro Catholic will face Walton-Verona (18-5), who led most of the game but could never quite pull away in their 58-54 semifinal victory over West Carter (19-4). The Bearcats handily won their first two games over University Heights and Bethlehem.
Scoring
Owensboro Catholic 13-11-16-17–57
Cov. Holy Cross 17-5-10-10–42
Owensboro Catholic: Hannah McKay 20, Sarah Beth Clemens 14, Mackenzie Keelin 10, Isabella Henning 5, Madelyn Lyon 4, Spencer Harvey 3, Camille Conkright 1
