‘We’ve got some kids that can shoot it.’ Henderson County ousts Mercy from Girls’ Sweet 16.
Henderson County came into the 2023 Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Sweet 16 as the best three-point shooting team in the state and proved that distinction was no fluke Friday in topping Mercy 63-59 in the final quarterfinals matchup of the day at Rupp Arena.
Colonels sophomore guard Shalyn Sprinkles scored a team-high 21 points and knocked down three of her team’s seven threes in the win.
Two of those deep shots came in a devastating 10-0 run that gave Henderson a lead early in the fourth quarter. Mercy never took it back.
“Sha(lyn) was unconscious, which she has been for the last month or so, shooting the ball and doing what she has to do,” Henderson Coach Jeff Haile said.
Sprinkles’ second three-pointer of the game started the run, cutting Mercy’s edge to 44-41 with 45 seconds left in the third quarter. A quick Mercy miss gave Henderson time for Anna Kemp’s layup to slice the deficit to 44-43 before the end of the third.
Sprinkles opened the fourth quarter with her final three-pointer to put Henderson up 46-44. She offered little inside information as to her hot streak after the game.
“I’ve just been staying after practice and working on my three-point shot, mid-range and going off the dribble,” she said, matter-of-factly.
Mercy tied it twice over the next two minutes, but Mallorie Veal delivered the Colonels’ seventh three for a 53-50 lead Henderson would extend from there at the foul line. Sprinkles made seven of eight free throws down the stretch. Savannah Lacer had a pair.
In addition to Veal and Lacer, Jarie Thomas and Graci Risley each made threes among Henderson’s 15 attempts for 46.7 percent accuracy from beyond the arc. Henderson has shot 41.8 percent from three for the year.
“We’ve got some kids that can shoot it. We can go inside, too,” Haile said. “They did a great job of finding little holes and getting to the short corner and getting us some good shots.”
At times, Mercy and its imposing sophomore forward Leah Macy, looked as if they would take control of the contest. Macy finished with a game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds. Peyton Arnold added 10.
Mercy led by as many as six points twice in the third quarter, but each time saw that lead cut in half by a momentum-shifting Henderson three.
“I just felt like we failed to get enough stops,” Mercy Coach Nick Cann said. “They were patient on offense and they were able to get the ball where they wanted it to go. And, ultimately, they knocked down open shots.”
The win gives Henderson its sixth trip to the state semifinals and second in three years.
“It’s very amazing that we made it back to the final four,” senior Jarie Thomas said. “We made it my sophomore season, so it’s something we’re very proud of.
On Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Henderson was to face fellow Western Kentucky team McCracken County, making its first-ever state semis appearance.
The schools have faced each other 12 times since McCracken was founded in 2013. The Colonels have lost the last two, including an 85-70 rout in Henderson’s first game of this season back on Dec. 2.
“That left a bad taste in our mouth,” Thomas said. “So, we’re ready to get back at them tomorrow and play our hardest to the final buzzer.”
Girls’ Sweet 16 schedule, results
At Rupp Arena
Wednesday’s first-round games
Owensboro Catholic 54, Bowling Green 51
Sacred Heart 70, Lawrence County 33
George Rogers Clark 51, Mercer County 43
North Laurel 59, Frederick Douglass 57
Thursday’s first-round games
Ashland Blazer 46, Knott County Central 34
McCracken County 71, Bethlehem 41
Henderson County 56, Simon Kenton 54 (2OT)
Friday’s quarterfinals
Sacred Heart 67, Owensboro Catholic 45
George Rogers Clark 63, North Laurel 48
McCracken County 51, Ashland Blazer 47
Henderson County 63, Mercy 59
Saturday’s games
11 a.m.: Semifinal 1: Sacred Heart (34-3) vs. George Rogers Clark (28-7)
1:30 p.m.: Semifinal 2: McCracken County (34-2) vs. Henderson County (28-4)
7 p.m.: Championship
This story was originally published March 11, 2023 at 12:21 AM.
