Shelbyville, KY – For a whole season, the defense did it all: suffocate the other team, force more turnovers, create scoring opportunities off the transition. It led the Lady Colonels to 23 wins in 29 games, including big victories over DuPont Manual (7^th Region champs), Lincoln County (13^th Region Champs), 2^nd-ranked Sacred Heart, 4^th-ranked Shelby County, and top 20 teams Presentation and Assumption.

But it also hid some weaknesses, and on a night when the Lady Colonels were definitely a step slow after the double-overtime gut-wrencher over Shelby County just the night before, the Scott County Lady Cardinals (24-6) got an opportunity to exploit them.

An average-shooting team, the Lady Colonels went into a bit of a slump in the regional, hitting just 58 of 159 shots from the floor, unofficially, in the three contests for just 36.5%. They were 5 of 20 from beyond the arc (25%) and a woeful 41 of 80 at the line for 51.3%. And against a definitely fresher Scott County squad, the Lady Colonels seemed flat.

All-state candidate Brandi Miller scored the first two points of the ballgame to get Oldham off to a good start. After Scott rattled off six straight points, Miller personally went on a 6-0 tear to push the Lady Colonels out to an 8-6 lead. Scott County’s talented junior forward Erin Brown, a transfer from Lexington Christian Academy, tied it at 8, but Miller – who scored Oldham’s first ten points – tied it at the 2:26 mark and Julie Hedges scored off an assist from Miller to stretch the lead to four at 12-8.

After one quarter, Oldham led the fast-paced affair, 14-12, with Miller scoring 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Oldham was 7 of 12 from the floor in the first half, and showing few signs of strain from the night before.

Then came the disastrous second period.

L’rin Scott and Stacy Tackett scored back-to-back baskets to give Scott County their second lead of the night at 16-14. Oldham finally scored at the 6:30 mark on two free throws by Sarah Hadley to tie it – for the last time, it turned out – at 16. Tackett and Brown then each scored to push the lead to 20-16, before Oldham County got their first basket of the second period midway through the quarter from Rebecca Husband. That’s when Scott took control for good, gunning to an 8-0 run that included two free throws and a basket by Brown, a bucket by Lakeisha Washington, and a steal and a layup from Scott.

Oldham’s frustration during the run was exemplified by a steal by Rebecca Husband: she missed the ensuing layup attempt.

Trailing by double figures for the first time at 28-18, the Lady Colonels seemingly got a break when they stole the ball just before the half, and Hannah Gibson got a layup to trim the score to 28-20 with six seconds left in the half. But Scott quickly got the ball into play, and L’rin Scott hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the Lady Cards into the locker room ahead, 31-20.

Oldham hit just 2 of 11 shots during the second period. Miller, after scoring ten first-period points, took just one second-quarter shot, and missed it. Perhaps the most telling halftmie stat: Oldham County, after turning the ball over only 8 times in the double-overtime loss to #4 Shelby County, had coughed it up 13 times in the first half alone.

Sarah Hadley got the second half off to a good start by scoring the first four points on a basket and two free throws. After a free throw by Scott, Miller scored to pull Oldham to within six at 32-26.

The two teams had swapped baskets a couple of times, leaving the score 36-30, when the Lady Cardinals put together another mini-run, outscoring Oldham County, 6-0, to seize their biggest lead of the night, 42-30, with less than a minute to play. Two free throws by Hadley trimmed the lead to ten after three quarters.

The 11^th-ranked Lady Colonels gathered themselves for one final run in the fourth quarter. With the defense holding Scott County scoreless for the first 3:55 of the final period, the Lady Colonels began chipping away at the lead. The offense, however, coughed and sputtered throughout the period, and Oldham managed just six points during the same time period, on two baskets by Husband and one from Miller.

With Oldham knocking on the door at 42-38, L’rin Scott re-entered the picture, knocking down a basket to push the lead back to six at 44-38.

After Scott’s basket, Miller sandwiched two buckets around a Scott County basket by Washington, and Oldham was within four at 46-42 with less than two minutes to go. But the Lady Colonels were unable to manage any kind of offense the rest of the way, hitting just two free throws. Meanwhile, the Scott County Lady Cardinals sent a parade of shooters to the line in the final 1:30, hitting 8 of 12 shots to pull away to a 54-44 win.

Oldham County finished 18 of 46 from the field for 39.1%, including 0 of 11 beyond the arc. The Lady Colonels were 8 of 14 at the line (57.1%).

Scott County improves to 24-6; Oldham finishes a fabulous season at 23-7. The Lady Cardinals will take on Muhlenberg North in the first round of the Sweet 16 next week at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green.

Rebecca Husband, Brandi Miller, and Sarah Gibson made the 8^th Region All-Tournament squad. They were joined by: Rachel Aylor of Trimble County, Emily Dent of Henry County, Lauren Hatchett of North Bullitt, Jessica Schmidt of Walton-Verona, Amber Coy and Tonya Jacobs of Bullitt Central, Dana Crittenden and Brittany Morrison of Shelby County, and Erin Brown, L’rin Scott, Stacy Tackett, and Lakeisha Washington of Scott County.
 

Unofficial WYKY 105.7 FM Stats:

Oldham County 12 6 12 12 - 44

Scott County 11 19 11 12 - 54

Oldham County – Miller 19, Hadley 10, Husband 7, Hannah Gibson 4, Eryn Jacobson 2, Julie Hedges 2 Three pointers: none.

Scott County – Brown 21, Scott 15, Fraley 7, Washington 6, Tackett 4, Garrett 1

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