Bowling Green rallies to knock off Bishop Brossart in double overtime in Sweet 16
In the second game of the opening round of the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16, Bowling Green prevailed in a marathon.
Trailing by five in the fourth quarter, the 4th Region champion Purples rallied to knock off Bishop Brossart 50-48 in double overtime in Rupp Arena on Wednesday. An open three-pointer in the closing seconds by Brossart’s Rosie Jump clanged off the rim, sending Bowling Green (19-10) into Friday’s quarterfinals against Sacred Heart Academy.
“It shows resiliency from both groups,” Bowling Green Coach Calvin Head said. “We knew it was going to be a grind. We didn’t know it was going to take eight extra minutes, but we’re glad to be on this side of it.”
Bowling Green’s LynKaylah James took over late after struggling on offense much of the afternoon, scoring nine of her game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods. James also ripped down 19 rebounds.
Meadow Tisdale had 14 points and four boards in the win. She also made life tough on Brossart’s guards, coming up with four blocks and two steals.
“She exerted so much energy on the defensive end,” Head said of Tisdale, the sister of University of Kentucky football player Vito Tisdale. “Then in the second half she really started getting loose and started attacking the basket like we wanted her to. She got big rebounds and had a big blocked shot there at the end ... She played like a champ.”
Bishop Brossart star Marie Kiefer fouled out with 5:33 left in regulation, opening the door for the Purples. Tanaya Bailey made a layup to tie the game with 1:09 to go then came up with a big block. Her half-court heave at the fourth-quarter buzzer was just off the mark.
Bishop Brossart’s Lauren Macht made a huge three late in the first overtime to put the Mustangs ahead 43-41, but Bowling Green’s James muscled home a layup to send the game into the second overtime. Emma Huskey hit a three from the wing early in the period, and the Purples never trailed again.
Kiefer fouling out was a major blow for the Mustangs (21-6). She had trouble getting it going on offense but dominated in other areas. Kiefer played great defense on Bowling Green’s James, holding the Purples’ leading scorer to six points before fouling out. James went 5-for-15 from the field.
Kiefer finished with seven points on 3-for-13 shooting and had 10 rebounds and nine blocks. She took over in the third quarter, scoring five points and menacing the Purples in the paint. A Kiefer block led to a fast break that Macht finished off with another corner three, giving the Mustangs their first lead since the first quarter, 25-23. Kiefer went to the bench with her fourth foul late in the third as Bishop Brossart took a four-point lead into the fourth.
James scored the first five points of the fourth to push the Purples back ahead 30-29, prompting Mustangs Coach Kevin Bundy to bring Kiefer back in.
Emma Steffen and Jump hit back-to-back threes to put Bishop Brossart ahead 35-30, then Kiefer picked up her fifth foul and exited with 5:33 remaining.
“I definitely had a lot of trust in (my teammates). I thought we could pull it out,” Kiefer said of her mindset after exiting. “It was really tough having to watch. I was on the edge of my seat.”
Bishop Brossart, a small private school located in Alexandria in Campbell County, was in danger of digging a deep halftime hole. But with the Mustangs trailing 15-7 Macht came to the rescue, scoring eight points in the final 2:08 of the second quarter. Macht drilled a straightaway three off a nice pass out of the post from Kiefer, then hit two free throws in the closing seconds to send the Mustangs to the locker room trailing 17-15. Macht finished with 16 points, hitting four of 10 shots from downtown.
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 5:34 PM.
