Owen County dominates second half to win the girls’ All ‘A’ Classic championship
After a harrowing escape the day before in the Girls’ All “A” Classic semifinals, Owen County delivered a resounding performance in the small-school event’s championship game and defeated Owensboro Catholic 49-38 on Sunday at Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena.
Back-to-back offensive rebounds and putbacks followed by a three-pointer from tournament most valuable player Lexie Moore in the third quarter were part of an 11-0 Rebels run that helped turn a 22-19 halftime deficit into an 11-point win.
“I just want the ball. I always tell myself that I’ve got to want it more than the next guy. So, I just go get it,” Moore said of the tenacity it took to get those putbacks.
It’s the school’s first state championship in any sport. The All “A” Classic is a midseason state tournament contested in the girls’ game since 1990 among the smallest 125 high schools by enrollment.
The Rebels counted themselves fortunate to be in the finals after trailing Covington Holy Cross for most of the final period of their semifinal game on Saturday. Defense and three-pointers in the final three minutes by Haley Logan and Laurel Lewis helped erase a five-point fourth-quarter deficit. A Holy Cross foul in a scramble for the ball at midcourt as time ran out gave Logan a free throw to win with no time on the clock.
“It’s been kind of crazy. They just found a way to win,” said Owen County Coach Amy Wesselman. “We seem to get better on the defensive side of the ball. We’ve been able to make some stops when we need them. And I think that’s been a big difference this week for us.”
On Sunday against Owensboro Catholic, Owen County’s second-half run didn’t stop until the Rebels were up by 19 points, 47-28 with 1:50 to play in the game. Over the previous 12 minutes of action, Owen County outscored the 3rd Region’s Aces 26-3.
“We came out a little slow in the beginning, but we had a game plan — to not let them shoot threes and not let them get out in transition,” Moore said. “The first half, they got out in transition a lot. The second half, we came out and executed our game plan and got the dub.”
Moore led the team with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Gracie Ferguson and Destiny Goodrich chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively. Owensboro Catholic was led by Madeline Hayden’s 14 points and Katie Riney’s 10.
The victory over No. 22 Owensboro Catholic (18-6), aside from earning a state title, probably ranks as the best performance of the season for Owen County (18-6). The Rebels have played several other top-25 teams this season, falling short until Sunday.
“We’ve been working for this,” Moore said. “We really want people to know our name, and I think after this, we’ve accomplished that goal.”
As an 8th Region team, Owen County must go through a postseason that will surely include two-time defending region champion Anderson County. The Rebels have won six straight 31st District titles, but haven’t been able to make a region finals in that time. An All “A” Classic state title should provide a boost, Wesselman said.
“These girls genuinely love one another. They do it the right way and I think it shows on the floor with what they do and how they play,” she said. “Hopefully, this is some motivation and confidence building for our girls. We’ve been trying to tell them, ‘Girls, you’re as good as anybody else.’”
