In their first ever Final Four appearance, Owensboro Catholic hung close but couldn’t quite take control in the second half, eventually falling 55-43 to Ryle in the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 Basketball Tournament. Hannah McKay and Mackenzie Keelin were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Lady Aces (29-8) largely stayed within two scores for the most of the game, but the Lady Raiders (32-5) countered every attack to maintain an advantage.
“It didn’t turn out the way we wanted it, but I’m proud of these girls,” said Catholic head coach Michael Robertson. “We showed that we can compete at this level. We got beat by a really good team. Ryle is excellent.”
The Lady Aces actually outshot Ryle, going 17-of-44 from the field compared to only 13-of-42 for the Lady Raiders. Ryle, though, went 27-for-32 at the free throw line while Catholic only shot 6-for-7.
“You can’t foul that much,” Robertson said. “We’ve got to play better position defense. We got out of position and reached. That’s what happens.”
Even with such a disparity at the line, the Lady Aces threatened again and again throughout the night. Trailing by 6 points with 5:10 to play, Catholic got 2 points each from McKay, Keelin and Sarah Beth Clemens to get within 43-41 to play.
Ryle hit four consecutive free throws on the two ensuing possessions, and the Lady Aces weren’t able to answer. They turned the ball over three times in a row, and the Lady Raiders went on to hit their final eight free throws over the final 1:28.
Robertson said the turnovers hurt, but he’s proud of the effort his team gave against a strong defense.
“I think we were trying to execute our plays, and maybe had people in the wrong places that didn’t execute it exactly how we wanted it,” he said. “We played hard. I think we left it all out on the floor.”
It was one of the toughest defenses the Lady Aces have faces all year. Ryle is one of the few teams who matched the size Catholic has used to their advantage this season.
“I just think we played weak early,” he said. “I think there were jitters. Their press probably had an effect. They were about the same size as us. We haven’t seen a lot of teams like that, so I think that did bother us. They’re strong, they’re athletes, and they play hard.”
The Lady Raiders forced 20 turnovers, 12 coming in the first half, that resulted in 14 total points. Catholic was also outscored in the paint (22-18) for the first time in the tournament.
The only lead for the Lady Aces came at 10-8 with 2:22 left in the first quarter on a layup by Isabella Henning, but Ryle closed the frame on a 7-0 run.
Midway through the second, Keelin hit a 3-pointer and McKay got back-to-back buckets down low to cut Ryle’s lead to 18-17. The Lady Raiders went up by as many as 8 points before Madelyn Lyon got a jumper to bounce in at the buzzer, and the Lady Aces faced a 25-19 deficit at the half.
Ryle maintained a lead of at least 3 points for the entire third period, stretching it to as much as 9 with 2:49 left. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Spencer Harvey and Keelin cut it to 34-31, though the Lady Raiders got a late score for a 39-33 advantage heading into the fourth.
McKay paved the way for Catholic with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Keelin added 8 points and 7 boards. Lyon scored 6 points and had 8 rebounds, and Clemens finished with 8 points. Keelin, Lyon and Clemens are seniors.
Lyon said she couldn’t have asked for a better team and was proud of what they accomplished in her final season.
“I’m proud of all the girls on my team,” she said. “I’m proud of the way they showed up this tournament. I wouldn’t change it for the world, to be on the Lady Aces basketball team. I’m very proud of all of them. We played our hearts out. I think we proved that we can hang with tough teams.”
Scoring
Ryle 15-10-14-16–55
Catholic 10-9-14-10–43
Ryle: Brie Crittendon 19, Lauren Schwartz 16, Juliet McGregor 15, Maddie Scherr 3, Austin Johnson 2
Catholic: Hannah McKay 16, Mackenzie Keelin 8, Madelyn Lyon 6, Sarah Beth Clemens 6, Spencer Harvey 5, Isabella Henning 2
