Kentucky Challenge

 

Lexington Catholic High School,

Lexington, Kentucky

February 8, 2003

 

© 2003 Ron Harrison

 

 

Lexington Catholic athletic director/coach Greg Todd has put together an excellent field for this premier one-day event.  There will be seven games with seven Kentucky teams scheduled to compete against teams from Illinois, Ohio, and West Virginia.  Teams appearing today will be East Carter, Hughes (OH), Mercer County, Sycamore (OH), Sacred Heart Academy, St. Ursula (OH), DuPont Manual, Mt. Carmel (IL), Mercy Academy, South Charleston (WV), Harrison County, Wyoming (OH), Lexington Catholic, and Trotwood (OH).  Dave Cantrall’s state rankings appeared in the February 3rd edition of the Lexington Herald-Leader and #1 Sacred Heart, #2 Lexington Catholic, #4 Mercer County, #15 Mercy Academy, #21 DuPont Manual, and #25 East Carter all appear on today’s slate of games.

 

There are many individual stars scheduled to perform today.  There are many outstanding out-of-state stars plus several girls mentioned in the Lexington Herald-Leader’s Pre-Season Preview of  top 25 players.  These include Chelsea Chowning (Lexington Catholic), Crystal Kelly (Sacred Heart), Megan Gray (Harrison County), Carly Ormerod (Sacred Heart), Sarah McKemie (DuPont Manual), Sarah Schell (Lexington Catholic), Becca Kopple (Sacred Heart), and Lauren Parrish (Mercy Academy).

 

Game No. 1  Hughes (OH) (15-3)   vs.  East Carter (16-5)

 

Hughes (OH) coach Anita Burke started the following lineup:  5-10 Jr. Lanita Moore, 6-0 Fr. Lanetta Pitts, 6-0 Sr. Sidney Johnson, 5-8 Johnnae Red, and 5-10 Jr. Whitney Davis.   East Carter coach Hager Easterling countered with 6-0 Jr. Kim Stapleton, 5-10 Jr. Amanda Prichard, 5-11 Sr. Mikki Womack, 5-6 Fr. Ashley Baldwin, and 5-5 Jr. Molly Jackson.

 

Sidney Johnson hit a late field goal to give Hughes a 43-43 tie and send the game to overtime.  Hughes outscored East Carter 9-4 in overtime to earn a 52-47 victory.  Hughes held a 43.2%-31.4% edge in field goal shooting for the game.  The victors were led by Whitney Davis and Sidney Johnson with 12 points each.   Lanetta Pitts added 11 points.  Sidney Johnson and Whitney Davis pulled down seven and six rebounds respectively.  East Carter was led by Kim Stapleton with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Ashley Baldwin and Molly Jackson added nine and eight points respectively.  Mikki Womack added two points and pulled down 11 rebounds. 

 

Hughes (OH) 

11

7

14

11

9

-

52

East Carter 

12

13

10

8

4

-

47

 

Hughes (OH) 

(52)

 - 

Moore 6, Pitts 11, Johnson 12, Red 6, Davis 12, Twitty 3, Joiner 2.  

East Carter 

(47)

 - 

Stapleton 17, Pritchard 2, Womak 2, Baldwin 9, Jackson 8, Kouns 4, Everman 5.

 

Game No. 2  Sycamore (OH) (12-7)  vs.  Mercer County (17-4)

 

Sycamore (OH) coach Paula Hayden started the following lineup:  5-10 Sr. Allie Bogenshultz, 6-2 Sr. Stephanie Everett, 5-6 Jr. Lindsay Crum, 5-6 Sr. Erin Mullen, and 5-7 Jr. Bethany Marks.  Mercer County coach Chris Souder countered with 5-8 Jr. Leslye Johnson, 5-8 So. Jillian Horn, 5-10 Jr. Cala Alford, 5-5 Jr. Courtney Watts, and 5-4 Sr. Nina Pike.

 

Mercer County won this battle 54-46 over Sycamore (OH) despite being outrebounded 43-28.  Mercer County scored 29 points off 28 Sycamore turnovers.  Mercer County held a slight 35.3%-32.6% edge in field goal shooting.  The victors were led today by Courtney Watts and 5-5 Fr. Chelsea Goodman with 12 points each.  6-0 So. Erica Lee added nine points.  Sycamore was led today by Stephanie Everett with 12 points and 12 rebounds.  Lindsay Crum added 11 points.   

 

Sycamore (OH)

7

12

14

13

-

46

Mercer County 

7

20

7

20

-

54

 

Sycamore (OH)

(46)

 - 

Bogenshultz 6, Everett 12, Crum 11, Mullen 6, Marks 3, Wade 2, Shuller 6.  

Mercer County 

(54)

 - 

Johnson 2, J. Horn 2, C. Alford 2, Watts 12, Pike 0, Webb 7, Claunch 2, Goodman 12, Lee 9, Ashford 6.    

 

Game No. 3  St. Ursula (OH) (14-5)   vs.  Sacred Heart Academy (21-1)

 

St. Ursula coach Tim Ballinger started the following lineup:  5-8 Jr. Meaghan Mooney, 5-11 Sr. Kacee Grogan, 5-11 Sr. Monica Naltner, 5-7 Sr. Sarah Leibel, and 5-5 Sr. Kristen Mahon.  Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir countered with 5-8 Sr. Kristin Windchy, 5-11 Sr. Becca Kopple, 6-3 Jr. Crystal Kelly, 5-7 So. Carly Ormerod, and 5-6 Jr. Connie Ferch.

 

St. Ursula led 41-40 in the third quarter before Sacred Heart went on a 9-0 run to take the lead for good and go on to claim a 61-52 victory.   Sacred Heart held a 46.3%-33.3% edge in field goal shooting.  Sacred Heart was led today by Crystal Kelly with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists.  Connie Ferch added 15 points and was six of nine from the field.  St. Ursula was led by Kristen Mahon with 19 points.  Monica Naltner added 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds.  Kacee Grogan chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds.

 

St. Ursula (OH) 

17

15

9

11

-

52

Sacred Heart 

20

11

16

14

-

61

 

St. Ursula (OH) 

(52)

 - 

Mooney 0, Grogan 8, Naltner 16, Leibel 5, Mahon 19, Hennegan 2, Ballinger 2.  

Sacred Heart 

(61)

 - 

Windchy 0, B. Kopple 9, Kelly 28, Ormerod 5, Ferch 15, Distler 4.  

 

Game No. 4  Mt. Carmel (IL) (23-2)   vs.  DuPont Manual (12-4)

 

Mt. Carmel (IL) coach Rick Johnston started the following lineup: 5-11 Sr. Jessica Wilcox, 6-0 Jr. Brittany White, 6-0 Sr. Jeanie Hadra, 5-7 Jr. Brianna Johnston, and 5-6 Sr. Kiley Higginson.  DuPont Manual coach Mina Todd countered with 6-0 Sr. Ellen Doolittle, 6-1 Jr. Candyce Bingham, 6-2 Jr. Sarah McKemie, 5-6 Sr. Dedra McMillion, and 6-1 So. Maggie McKemie.

 

Manual held a 42.9%-31.1% edge in field goal shooting and outrebounded Mt. Carmel 35-29 on their way to a 55-46 victory.  Manual was led by Candyce Bingham with 17 points.  Maggie McKemie added 11 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.  Sarah McKemie chipped in with seven points, nine rebounds, three assists, and blocked four shots.  Mt. Carmel was led by Brittany White with 20 points and six rebounds.  Jessica Wilcox added 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds.  

 

Mt. Carmel (IL) 

15

5

14

12

-

46

DuPont Manual 

15

16

12

12

-

55

 

Mt. Carmel (IL) 

(46)

 - 

Wilcox 13, White 20, Hadra 4, Johnston 5, Higginson 0, Raber 4.

DuPont Manual 

(55)

 - 

Doolittle 8, Bingham 17, S. McKemie 7, McMillion 9, M. McKemie 11, Schutte 3.  

 

Game No. 5  South Charleston (WV)  (13-1)  vs.  Mercy Academy (13-8)

 

South Charleston coach Gerald Burgy started the following lineup:  5-9 Sr. Rebecca Charles, 5-5 Sr. Lori Coleman, 5-7 Jr. Blair Ruddle, 5-9 Jr. Alexis Hornbuckle, and 5-5 So. Renee Montgomery.  Mercy Academy coach Mark Evans countered with 5-8 Sr. Erica Hardy, 6-0 Jr. Katie Willinger, 5-7 Sr. Sarah Darnell, 5-7 Jr. Ashley Mannel, and 5-5 Sr. Lauren Parrish.

 

South Charleston scored 33 points off 27 Mercy Academy turnovers and held a 54.7%-37% edge in field goal shooting on their way to a 78-67 victory.  Mercy closed the margin to 71-67 in the final quarter but South Charleston pulled away for the win.  Mercy held a 39-25 advantage in rebounding.  South Charleston was led by Renee Montgomery and Alexis Hornbuckle with 35 and 24 points respectively.  Rebecca Charles added nine points and pulled down nine rebounds.  Mercy Academy was led by Ashley Mannel, 5-9 Sr. Brittany Kittel, and 5-11 Jr. Kate Ulanowski with 12, 11, and 11 points respectively.  Katie Willinger added nine points and nine rebounds. 

 

South Charleston (WV)

16

23

22

17

-

78

Mercy Academy

14

18

20

15

-

67

 

South Charleston (WV)

(78)

 - 

Charles 9, Coleman 4, Ruddle 6, Hornbuckle 24, Montgomery 35.

Mercy Academy

(67)

 - 

Hardy 5, Willinger 9, Darnell 4, Mannel 12, Parrish 4, Mehr 2, Ulanowski 11, McDonald 7, Kittel 11, Luckett 2.  

 

Game No. 6  Wyoming (OH) (13-6)   vs.  Harrison County (12-7)

 

Wyoming coach Deb Gentile started the following lineup: 5-8 Jr. Jennifer Harris, 5-10 So. Tess Loper, 5-8 Sr. Kristen McKimm, 5-7 Jr. Abby Mowry, and 5-11 Sr. Veronica Vance.  Harrison County coach Mac Whitaker countered with 6-0 Jr. Megan Gray, 5-8 So. Nikki Owsley, 6-3 Sr. Lindsey Dickson, 5-9 Fr. Brooke Faulkner, and 5-6 Sr. Allison Snedeker.

 

Harrison County held a 41.9%-23% edge over Wyoming in field goal shooting on their way to a 50-35 victory.  The victors were led by Brooke Faulkner with 17 points including five three point baskets.  Faulkner also pulled down eight rebounds.  Megan Gray added 13 points, 14 rebounds, and blocked six shots.  Nikki Owsley chipped in with 11 points.  Wyoming was led by Veronica Vance with 13 points, nine rebounds, and six steals.  Jennifer Harris added eight points.

 

Wyoming (OH) 

7

5

6

17

-

35

Harrison County 

11

13

13

13

-

50

 

Wyoming (OH) 

(35)

 - 

Harris 8, T. Loper 0, McKimm 5, Mowry 2, Vance 13, Meyers 2, Gaski 1, Marteney 4.

Harrison County 

(50)

 - 

Gray 13, Owsley 11, Dickson 2, Faulkner 17, Snedeker 5, K. Kendall 2.

 

Game No. 7  Trotwood (OH) (5-14)   vs.  Lexington Catholic (16-4)

 

Trotwood coach Johnny Vance started the following lineup:  5-9 So. Janae Garrett, 5-10 So. Ashley Rankin, 5-8 Sr. LaTasha Pearson, 5-8 Fr. Madison Davis, and 5-8 Jr. Marcia Cole.  Lexington Catholic coach Greg Todd countered with 6-0 Sr. Chelsea Chowning, 5-8 Jr. Megan Mendenhall, 6-0 Fr. Anaris Sickles, 5-7 So. Lesley Server, and 5-11 Sr. Sarah Schell.

 

Lexington Catholic scored 50 points on 41 Trotwood turnovers and held a 48.5%-25.5% edge in field goal shooting on their way to a 90-33 victory.  Sarah Schell led the victors with 20 points, seven assists, and six steals.  Chelsea Chowning added 14 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots, and six steals.  Anaris Sickles, 5-7 Fr. Nikki Davis, and Megan Mendenhall added 13, 11, and 10 points respectively.   Trotwood was led by Marcia Cole and Ashley Rankin with eight points each.  Rankin also pulled down eight rebounds.

 

Trotwood (OH) 

8

12

5

8

-

33

Lexington Catholic 

24

20

26

20

-

90

 

Trotwood (OH) 

(33)

 - 

Garrett 3, Rankin 8, Pearson 2, Davis 1, Cole 8, Mize 3, Sams 2, Shipp 4, Patterson 2.

Lexington Catholic 

(90)

 - 

Chowning 14, Mendenhall 10, Sickles 13, Server 3, Schell 20, Rhule 5, Davis 11, Bell 5, Carney 9.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Congratulations to Lexington Catholic athletic director/coach Greg Todd for putting together an excellent day of basketball.  Hughes (OH) did an excellent job staying in the game against East Carter and eventually tracking them down and earning the win in overtime.  Kim Stapleton continues to impress for East Carter as she tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds today and has the ability to score both inside and beyond the arc.  Sycamore (OH) never allowed Mercer County to get in their tempo but Mercer County gained a tough win.  Sycamore’s Stephanie Everett gets the job done in the paint.  St. Ursula (OH) played Sacred Heart tough today but Sacred Heart’s Crystal Kelly was unstoppable in the paint.

 

South Charleston (WV) brought some great athletes to town including Renee Montgomery and Alexis Hornbuckle and they did not disappoint the fans.  Tennessee’s coach Pat Summitt was in attendance for this game so you knew you would see something special.  However, anytime you play coach Mark Evans’ Mercy Jaguars you will have to earn your victory and they were a very worthy opponent for the talented West Virginia visitors.  DuPont Manual came out victorious against a good Mt. Carmel (IL) team.  Manual has a lot of tall, talented players and if they get consistent guard play can be tough.  Harrison County has some excellent young talent including Megan Gray and Brooke Faulkner.  Lexington Catholic’s duo of Chelsea Chowning and Sarah Schell provide talented, senior leadership to a team that is also loaded with young talent.

 

Sacred Heart is battling through an array of ailments and injuries and has a huge bullseye on their back but the fact remains—they are still number one until someone knocks them off the mountain.  There will be several challenges come tourney time but Crystal Kelly presents a very difficult matchup problem.  The seventh region is tough so they don’t have an automatic path to the Sweet 16.  Lexington Catholic should be one of the contenders with the talent, experience, and coaching to mount a formidable challenge.

 

Acknowledgements

A special thanks to Greg Todd for the hospitality extended me during this event.  Also thanks to Jon Albaugh of Lexington Catholic for the media info provided for this event.  As usual, a special thanks to Glenn Gentry and Gary Long for providing the computer stats provided for this event.  It was good to see super fan Louis Meadows in attendance.  Louis attended the Class A semifinals in Richmond this morning but still made this event.  I also had the honor of meeting Pat Summitt today.  I have had the fortune to have met Kentucky coaches from Adolph Rupp through Tubby Smith, famed AAU coach Ernie Lorch of Riverside Church in New York City, etc. and I assure you this lady takes a back seat to nobody. 

 

Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prephoops@yahoo.com

Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other basketball events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky/prephoops.