Bethlehem defense sparks comeback for a girls’ All ‘A’ Classic title
After ceding the lead and what looked to be all the momentum to their opponent late in the third quarter, Bethlehem turned up its defensive intensity and surged to a 51-47 win over Walton-Verona on Sunday for the school’s first girls’ All “A” Classic state championship.
“There was a lot of adversity in this game and whoever took it better was going to win. And we did,” said Bethlehem’s Amelia Hodges, who scored 10 points in the finals and was named the tournament MVP. “There’s no greater feeling. We’ve had 100-percent effort all weekend. It’s amazing.”
When their post-presence, Mikiah Livers-Bryant, got her fourth foul in the third quarter, and the Bearcats’ lead swelled to seven points, the Banshees responded.
“Defense, man. I’ve been saying it all week, it’s all about defense with us,” Bethlehem Coach Jason Clark said. “We can go on spurts scoring any time. We’re very gifted on the offensive side, and when we play defense we’re pretty tough.”
Trailing 38-31 late in the third quarter, Bethlehem went on a 13-2 run capped by an Amelia Hodges steal and layup that put the Banshees in front 44-40 with 3:56 left in the game.
“It all goes through No. 10 if ya’ll ain’t ever noticed,” Clark said. “She’s our ball-handler, our scorer. It all goes through her and trickles down.”
During that momentum shifting stretch, Bethlehem’s Livers-Bryant returned and made an immediate impact — her steal set up Ella Thompson for a tying bucket (40-40) and her block and rebound set Thompson loose for a breakaway in which she was fouled. Thompson made both free throws to put the Banshees in front 42-40.
“We just gave it everything we had. We put everything on the line and just gave defense our all,” Thompson said. “We tried to keep them in front of us and make shots, and we put the ball in the hoop.”
Thompson scored 10 of her 12 points during the run.
“She probably got tired of hearing me say ‘Ella, wake up, Ella wake up,’” Clark said. “And finally, she woke up.”
Bethlehem, which made the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Girls’ Sweet Sixteen last season, earned its first small-school All “A” Classic state title in only the program’s second appearance. Walton-Verona finished runner-up in the classic for the second year in a row. Hayley Neeley led three players in double figures with 13 points.
