Clutch fourth-quarter threes lift Southwestern to Girls’ Sweet 16 semifinals
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2022 Girls’ Sweet 16 coverage
Click below to read all of the coverage from Kentucky.com and the Lexington Herald-Leader during the Girls’ Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament in Rupp Arena.
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Southwestern Coach Junior Molden didn’t worry that his team couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn in the first half. The Warriors made just two of 17 first quarter shots and went 1-for-9 from three-point range in the first quarter.
“I knew in the second half, we were going to hit them,” Molden said confidently after the Warriors’ 47-40 win over Franklin County on Friday in the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament quarterfinals in Rupp Arena.
His daughter Kinsley Molden did just that in the fourth quarter, nailing back-to-back three-pointers that proved to be the difference in the game.
Molden’s first three-pointer came after two consecutive offensive rebounds by her teammates. Her second three-pointer was taken from outside the college arc a minute later, staking Southwestern to a 41-36 lead with 4:58 to play.
“I was just really feeling it out there,” Kinsley Molden said. “My team was getting me going with other plays and Mak (Makayla Noritis) was going off on me. … I had the adrenaline pumping and I was ready to shoot.”
Coach Molden benched his daughter in the first half because of a “body-language issue,” but he realized she was leading the team in rebounding at halftime. He acknowledged he probably doesn’t talk about Kinsley’s contributions enough.
“She deserves more, but because her daddy’s the head coach, I don’t give her enough props,” Coach Molden said.
Noritis had a three-pointer of her own earlier in the game and led the team in scoring with 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, four on the offensive glass, despite going up against Franklin County’s long, powerful forwards.
Southwestern actually hung with the Flyers on the backboards, losing the rebounding battle by just one, 32-31, but doing damage on the offensive end where it got 17 rebounds to Franklin’s 14. That helped the Warriors keep their offensive possessions alive despite their shooting woes.
“How about Makayla Noritis tonight?” Coach Molden asked. “I mean, ‘player of the game,’ left it all on the floor and she’s laying there at the end wanting to get back up and play.”
Noritis suffered a badly turned ankle in the game’s final moments and had to be helped off the court. She hoped to be ready for the quick turnaround for Southwestern’s next game, the state semifinals Saturday morning.
“Yeah, my ankle is in pain right now, but we’ve got some tricks,” Noritis said.
Molden finished with 14 points for the Warriors, and Payton Acey scored eight, including a pair of threes.
Southwestern’s missed shots early helped Franklin County take a 12-7 lead after the first quarter. The Warriors responded with a solid second period to tie the game 25-25 at the break. It remained tied, 35-35, after three quarters, setting up the momentum shift on Kinsley Molden’s threes.
Franklin County (28-8) made one last run late in the fourth quarter to get back in it. Patience Laster’s post-up on the left block cut the Flyers’ deficit to 41-38 with 2:18 to play and Leia Hogan stole the ball on the ensuing inbounds. But after a Franklin timeout, the Flyers turned it over into the hands of Southwestern’s Kaylee Young. She drove the length of the floor for a momentum-killing fast break and 43-38 lead.
“We just couldn’t jump up and put the ball up in the basket consistently,” Franklin County Coach Joey Thacker said. “We gave up six threes and I know two of those threes were back-breakers, especially off offensive rebounds. … But I can’t say enough about our kids. Nobody thought we’d be back here after we lost Miss Basketball (2021 graduate Brooklynn Miles). And I knew we’d be pretty good.”
Laster led Franklin County with 14 points. Jhaven Meade added nine. This was Franklin County’s third straight trip to the state tournament.
Girls’ Sweet 16 scores, schedule
At Rupp Arena
Wednesday’s first-round games
Meade County 53, Boyd County 46
Bullitt East 67, Bethlehem 50
Southwestern 67, McCracken County 56
Franklin County 46, Henderson County 43
Thursday’s first-round games
Bowling Green 58, Letcher County Central 45
Cooper 57, Pikeville 37
Clark County 42, Corbin 35
Sacred Heart 48, Anderson County 38
Friday’s quarterfinals
Southwestern 47, Franklin County 40
Bullitt East (31-4) vs. Meade County (29-6)
Cooper (24-4) vs. Bowling Green (29-7)
Clark County (31-2) vs. Sacred Heart (33-3)
Saturday’s games
11 a.m.: Semifinal 1: Winners of Friday’s day session.
1:30 p.m.: Semifinal 2: Winners of Friday’s evening session.
7 p.m.: Championship.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 2:05 PM.
