Highlights: Scott County rolls, Henry Clay marches on in 11th Region quarterfinals
Scott County 71, Lexington Catholic 35: Junior point guard Morgan DeFoor was a spark plug on both ends of the floor Thursday night, scoring a game-high 24 points to lead host Scott County to a dominating win over Lexington Catholic in the quarterfinals of the 11th Region Tournament.
DeFoor hit eight of 14 shots from the field, including three from behind the arc. She also paced a swarming Cardinals’ defense, swiping seven steals. Currently No. 4 in the Cantrall rankings, Scott County (31-1) combined for 18 steals and forced 31 total turnovers, converting them to 41 points. Maaliya Owens had five steals and 15 points. Kenady Tompkins and Braylee McMath scored 10 points apiece. Tompkins and Malea Williams each had four blocks. Juliette Smith was held scoreless but dished out seven assists in the win.
Chloe Treece and Jay Ballard led Lexington Catholic (13-16) with eight points each.
With the win, Scott County sets up a semifinals showdown with Franklin County in Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena on Sunday at 5 p.m. The Cardinals knocked off the Flyers in last year’s 11th Region finals, 77-54.
Franklin County 79, Madison Central 36: A pair of guards put together monster games to lead the host Flyers in a rout of Madison Central. Sophomore Brooklynn Miles scored 24 points and junior Jasmine Simpson poured in 21 as Franklin County punched a ticket to the 11th Region semifinals.
The Indians kept it close for a while, trailing by just three after the first quarter. But the Flyers outscored them by 11 in the second quarter to take a 33-19 halftime lead then slammed the door with a 22-9 scoring advantage in the third.
Shannon Brunette added 10 points, knocking down a pair of three-pointers for Franklin County (25-8). Jakauri McKeithen scored a team-high 10 points for Madison Central (10-23).
Henry Clay 64, Madison Southern 53: The 15th-ranked Blue Devils spoiled the evening for the host Eagles, knocking off Madison Southern (16-14) to reach the 11th Region semifinals for the first time in three years. Henry Clay (18-13) will look to earn its first trip to the region title game since the 2014-15 season when it faces Woodford County at 3 p.m. Sunday at EKU.
Woodford County 57, Paul Laurence Dunbar 50: The visiting Yellowjackets edged the Bulldogs for their fifth win in six games, avenging a narrow loss to Dunbar (19-13) in last year’s quarterfinals. The loss ended a three-game win streak for the Bulldogs, who last week won their second straight 43rd District championship.
