Unbeaten, not untested. Anderson County topping some of state’s strongest teams.
Undefeated and No. 1-ranked Anderson County isn’t trying to coast into the postseason. The Bearcats welcome all comers. That’s why they set up a last-minute tilt against then No. 5 Bardstown on Friday amid last week’s snowstorms after having a different top 10 marquee matchup canceled.
“We personally all love playing the best teams,” senior point guard Rachel Satterly said after Anderson County’s come-from-behind 54-45 win over the Tigers. “That’s what makes you better. It exposes all your weaknesses. It’s just really good for us as a team.”
Anderson County (17-0) got what it wanted against the Tigers (14-3), ranked No. 5 in Dave Cantrall’s ratings last week and featuring one of the top juniors in the state, Jaileyah Cotton.
Cotton scored 14 of her 30 points in a dominating second period as Bardstown took advantage of Anderson having starters Amiya Jenkins, Tiffani Riley and Jacie Chesser on the bench with two fouls apiece. The Tigers went on a 13-4 run over that span to lead at halftime by nine points, 28-19.
“We have three 6-footers in our lineup and all of them were assistant coaches in the second quarter,” Anderson County Coach Clay Birdwhistell said. “Having them back out there, they knew what they had to do better. And they did a great job.”
Anderson’s defensive intensity ramped up after halftime with 6-foot senior forward Riley and 5-foot-11 junior guard Jenkins at the top of its 2-3 zone. Anderson subsequently held Bardstown scoreless for more than half the third period.
With two bigs up top and 6-1 junior center Chesser anchoring the paint, the Bearcats showed why they have the ninth-best scoring defense in the state.
“Defense is our main role,” Riley said. “When we have (Jenkins and her) at the top of our zone, it’s really hard for (the opponents) to get across half court most of the time.”
And that got the offense rolling.
Anderson began turning Bardstown over and scored 11 unanswered to take a 30-28 lead midway through the third quarter. Satterly drove nearly the length of the floor unchecked for a layup to tie the game ahead of a Jenkins step-through two defenders drive for the lead.
Jenkins scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half.
“In the third quarter, she looked like Mimi,” Birdwhistell said of Jenkins, whom he considers the best defender in the state. “And when she plays like that, we’re a whole different animal. When she’s passive and she’s reaching on defense and sitting next to us, she’s obviously not very effective. I thought she was dominant.”
Still, Bardstown kept it close until about midway through the fourth period when a Jenkins steal and fast-break bucket started an 12-2 run.
During the rally, Satterly drove into the paint and converted two three-point plays and Riley nailed her second three-pointer of the game off an inside-out feed from Chesser. Riley finished with 10 points. Chesser scored eight with seven rebounds, two assists and a block.
“I hate the fact that we’re getting good at digging out of holes,” Birdwhistell said, smiling. “We’ve got to be a little better earlier, but give them credit. They’re good. Defensively, they’re elite. They gum up everything that you’re trying to do and they caused us a lot of trouble.”
The road to an 8th Region championship and Sweet 16 bid doesn’t get easier. The Bearcats narrowly escaped a harrowing road test at then No. 4 Sacred Heart on Saturday in which they ceded a 12-point third-quarter lead and trailed by two with 13 seconds left. A banked in three-pointer by Paige Serafini with 3.2 seconds left saved the day.
Anderson has also scheduled No. 9 Ryle, No. 3 Boyd County, No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 18 Danville before the regular season runs out. In all, the Bearcats have already beaten six top 25 teams and several more opponents who are considered contenders in their respective regions.
Birdwhistell said he’s not worried about his team becoming overconfident despite their success.
“It sounds like coach-speak, but the biggest thing is we have to get better,” he said. “We have to get better every game, every day.”
Riley said she knows “No. 1 is just a ranking. We’re still hoping to get that title.”
Satterly shares her confidence just as matter-of-factly. Whoever they play, the Bearcats intend to be ready.
“I think as long as we play like we do — to the best of our ability, we can beat anyone,” Satterly said.
Highlights
This story was originally published February 20, 2021 at 2:14 PM.
