Taylor County rides fast start, stifling defense to Sweet 16 win over Knott Central
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2025 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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Taylor County held Knott County Central scoreless for the first 6 1/2 minutes and got 27 points from eighth-grade sensation Kennedy Deener in its 53-35 win Wednesday in the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16 first round in Rupp Arena.
Sophomore guard Avery Raikes knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and another jumper as the Cardinals jumped to a 10-0 lead out of the gate. Taylor added four more first-half triples as it built a 26-12 margin at halftime.
“People call me the energy starter and when we get energy, we start playing faster,” said Raikes, who finished with 11 points and went 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
Taylor County coach Matthew Turner credited his team’s offensive production to a defense that held Knott Central to five field goals in the first half, one fewer make than the Cardinals had from beyond the arc.
“I felt like we were able to create a couple of opportunities offensively by how aggressive we were on the ball tonight,” Turner said.
But Knott County Central (24-8) responded in the second half. The Patriots went on a 14-5 run to start the third quarter fueled by 3-pointers by Dani McAlarnis, Kyra McAlarnis and Drew Reed. Reed also had an old-fashioned 3-point play in the rally. Her 3-pointer from the left wing brought the Patriots within 31-26 with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
Kyra McAlarnis, KCC’s senior UPike signee and the 14th Region’s Miss Basketball finalist, led the Patriots with 18 points.
“I told these girls that the third quarter was probably the best basketball we played all year — offensive execution, guarding people and getting them out of their comfort zone … ,” Knott Central coach Megan Mosley said. “So, we’ve got nothing to hang our heads about. I’m just really proud of these kids and what they’ve been able to do.”
After KCC’s rally, Taylor County’s Deener seemed to take over. The eighth-grader scored the next seven Taylor points, including a coast-to-coast play in which she eluded defenders at midcourt with a behind-the-back dribble. As a huge “ooh” from the crowd resonated through the arena, she calmly put in the layup for a 35-26 lead with 1:11 to play in the game.
Deener, who leads Taylor in scoring with 18.6 points per game, was quick to credit her team in the postgame interview.
“It was a really exciting game, but I’m really out here for my teammates,” Deener said. “They’re my family, and I think we all just play together really well”
Sparked by Deener’s burst, Taylor County (25-8) outscored Knott Central 18-7 in the fourth quarter. Deener’s 27 points included a perfect 2-for-2 from 3-point range and 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Turner acknowledged her performance was a “typical Kennedy Deener game,” and joked “I’d like to get her more than two rebounds, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Taylor County outrebounded Knott Central 38-22 and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second-chance points. Taylor also grabbed nine steals and scored 15 points off KCC’s 13 turnovers.
Turner spread his praise around.
“We’ve got a lot of girls that do a lot of great things defensively that I think that allows (Deener) to be so successful offensively,” Turner said. “You get five girls all going in the same direction, it makes it pretty easy for anybody, especially Kennedy Deener, to get going.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 5:44 PM.
