After grabbing three straight wins to make it to the All A State Championship, the Lady Aces offense struggled in the second half on Sunday as they fell to Owen County 49-38.
Owensboro Catholic had battled its way through the All A State Tournament, defeating Berea, Whitefield Academy and Pikeville in four days.
The stage was set for the championship game following their three-game winning streak and they wasted no time getting to work.
The Lady Aces defended their way to a 10-7 lead in the first quarter, limiting the Lady Rebels offense throughout.
Owen County’s offense was able to turn the corner in the second, but Owensboro Catholic matched them and went into halftime owning a narrow 22-19 lead.
However, the second half was a much different story for the Lady Aces. After going 11-26 from the field in the first half, Owensboro Catholic’s offensive efficiency plummeted.
Owen County held the Lady Aces to 1-6 shooting for six points in the third, outscoring them to claim a 32-25 lead.
In the fourth Owensboro Catholic was able to hit its two lone threes on the night, but that wasn’t enough as the Lady Rebels had its strongest quarter of the night offensively (17 points) to secure the All A State Championship at 49-38.
Owen County shot 48% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc, as opposed to a 34% clip from the field and 15% shooting from three for the Lady Aces.
Junior Maddie Hayden led the way with 14 points for Owensboro Catholic, while junior Katie Riney followed with 10.
The win moves the Lady Aces to 18-7 on the season, as they will have a few days to prepare for a district battle with Owensboro at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
