Freshman Karmin Riley had a breakout performance on Tuesday for Owensboro Catholic, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Mustangs were able to forge a 64-63 comeback win thanks to a layup with less than a second to play.
It was a slow start for both teams, as sloppy play filled the first quarter. McCracken County was able to get the slight edge though, getting out in transition to take a 9-5 lead into the second quarter.
The Lady Aces offensive struggles carried into the second, as it seemed as though a lid was on the basket with multiple close looks and open threes not falling.
This led to Owensboro Catholic trailing 16-7 with three minutes left in the first half. However, thanks to seven quick points from Riley, the Lady Aces misfortune quickly turned around and their deficit was 20-19 at halftime.
The Lady Aces came blazing out of the locker room, as a second chance bucket from sophomore Hailee Johnson and junior Maddie Hayden’s steal and a transition layup sparked a 10-3 run to grab their first lead of the night to open the second half.
Owensboro Catholic’s offense stayed hot in the third, as Riley rattled off nine points in the third quarter to lead the charge.
Meanwhile sophomore Claire Johnson was keeping the Lady Mustangs hope of a win alive, as she poured in 10 points in the quarter to keep their deficit at 40-39 going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with each team countering with an answer to every single blow. The Lady Aces had the edge thanks to their marksmanship from deep, as they had the biggest lead in the quarter at 57-52 with 2:52 left to play.
But McCracken County wasn’t going down without a fight, as they quickly knotted things back up at 57.
Less than a minute later it seemed as though the Lady Mustangs had momentum on their side thanks to a huge steal and layup from junior Destiny Thomas that gave them a 60-59 lead with 46.1 seconds left to play.
A quick foul moments after put Riley at the line, where she had gone 1-3 at on the night. This time she sank both, giving Owensboro Catholic a 61-60 lead. Thomas struck again with a tough layup on the other end, but with the game at stake the Lady Aces relied on Riley once again.
Riley watched as the clock winded down from 20 seconds, as an isolation set up at the top of the key led to her driving and being fouled at the rim with 7.2 seconds left to play.
The freshman guard hit both free throws at the line, giving the Lady Aces a one-point lead once again at 63-62. Following a timeout, Claire charged her way down the floor, used a hesitation dribble and fired up a layup that fell and gave the Lady Mustangs a 64-63 lead with 0.6 seconds remaining.
After an Owensboro Catholic timeout senior Camille Conkright heaved a pass downcourt to find Hailee for an open look from three. However, the shot careened off the backboard, as the Lady Aces fell to No. 15 ranked McCracken County 64-63.
Riley led the Lady Aces with 23 points on the night, while senior Kinsley Goetz chipped in 12 and Hailee and junior Katie Riney both had nine each.
It was Claire who led the way with 23 points for the Lady Mustangs, while Thomas followed close behind with 22 points.
The loss moves Owensboro Catholic to 14-6, as the schedule doesn’t get any easier with a district matchup against Apollo at 6 p.m. on Friday.
