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06-16-2009, 11:41 PM
Kentucky swept again by Indiana
For Boone County's Bradley, experience worthwhile
By Richard Skinner • Enquirer contributor • June 14, 2009
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LOUISVILLE - A brilliant first half turned into a frustrating second half for both Boone County High graduate Jacy Bradley and her teammates on the Kentucky Girls' All-Star team.
After a first half in which Bradley, a point guard, played 14 minutes, scored six points and had just one turnover in helping lead Kentucky to a 43-32 halftime lead over Indiana, she went scoreless and had five turnovers in the second half as Indiana rallied for an 85-75 win at Bellarmine University's Knights Hall on Sunday afternoon.
The win gave the Indiana girls a 2009 sweep after they won 105-75 Saturday afternoon at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It marked the second straight year the Indiana girls pulled a sweep and gave them 10 wins in the last 13 games in the series, which has been played annually since 1976.
Indiana used a three-quarter court, run-and-jump trapping defense with great success in the second half, using defenders significantly bigger than Kentucky's point guard trio of Bradley, who is listed at 5 feet 6, Asia Mathies, who is also 5-6, and Kourtney Tyra, who is 5-5. The trio combined for six of Kentucky's 13 second-half turnovers and 12 of their 22 for the game.
"It was one of those difficult things, because we'd only been together for a week and we had some people unsure of where they were supposed to go," said Kentucky All-Stars head coach Steve Helton of Scott County High.
Bradley, who is heading to St. Louis University, said the lack of familiarity with playing with one another was a major factor, but she blamed herself, too, for not handling the pressure.
"I reacted too slow, and I'm not that type of player," said Bradley. "I'm the type that gets the ball and goes and doesn't worry about the run and jump. The guards were coming up and when they did even though my head was up they trapped so fast and I couldn't see and nobody was where I thought they would be to the pass the ball. We had to talk and communicate and at that time we had a lack of communication. I should have taken control and I didn't."
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Helton said taking control is one of the things he came to really like about Bradley and she logged the most minutes of any Kentucky point guard in the two games - 23 on Saturday night and 21 on Sunday.
"Throughout the week she developed as our floor general and as that verbal leader on the court," said Helton. "She was going against some big wingspan kids when they went to trapping. She handled her own, hit some open shots, but I need to get her relax, because she sometimes puts too much pressure on herself. At the college level she'll be used to that run and jump with those type of athletes by the middle of her freshman year and she'll say, 'Well I remember when...' "
Even Boone County coach Nell Fookes, who attended the game, credited Indiana for making the defensive adjustment in the second half.
"Indiana's guards were so much bigger any guard we had on our team," said Fookes. "We didn't come up and take care of business in the middle at times. They were big and quick and tough to blow by them on the dribble. I'm really proud of the way Jacy played though. She played really well in the first half ."
Indiana's second-half rally also came on the strength of stellar play from its Miss Basketball, Skylar Diggins, a product of South Bend Washington High who will play at Notre Dame. Diggins scored 25 of her 29 points in the second half after scoring 17 in the first eight minutes of the second half Saturday to blow open that game.
"Everything she did was under control," said Helton." Never at one point in this game did I think she was forcing or trying to do too much on her own. She knows how to score and knows when to score and knows when to step up and do it for her team.
"When they were kind of on the ropes and on their heels a little bit, Skylar stepped up and said, 'Hey we're OK and I'm going to take care of business.' She just flat out took that team on her shoulders.''
Bradley, too, came away impressed with Diggins.
"I know she feels likes nobody can stop her," said Bradley, who had five points, four rebounds and three assists on Saturday. "I enjoyed playing against her and watching her play."
Despite the two losses Bradley said it's an experience she'll never forget.
"It was so much fun on the floor and off," she said. "I made a lot of great friends. It meant a lot to come back and play well, because we worked our tails off for a week and it didn't show last night.''
Simon Kenton graduate Chelsea Tolliver also was a member of the Kentucky All-Stars, but played just five minutes Sunday, missing both of her field-goal attempts, both 3-pointers in the first half. Tolliver, who is heading to Thomas More College, played eight minutes Saturday and scored two points.
For Boone County's Bradley, experience worthwhile
By Richard Skinner • Enquirer contributor • June 14, 2009
• • Print • ShareThis • Type: A A • Click-2-Listen
LOUISVILLE - A brilliant first half turned into a frustrating second half for both Boone County High graduate Jacy Bradley and her teammates on the Kentucky Girls' All-Star team.
After a first half in which Bradley, a point guard, played 14 minutes, scored six points and had just one turnover in helping lead Kentucky to a 43-32 halftime lead over Indiana, she went scoreless and had five turnovers in the second half as Indiana rallied for an 85-75 win at Bellarmine University's Knights Hall on Sunday afternoon.
The win gave the Indiana girls a 2009 sweep after they won 105-75 Saturday afternoon at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It marked the second straight year the Indiana girls pulled a sweep and gave them 10 wins in the last 13 games in the series, which has been played annually since 1976.
Indiana used a three-quarter court, run-and-jump trapping defense with great success in the second half, using defenders significantly bigger than Kentucky's point guard trio of Bradley, who is listed at 5 feet 6, Asia Mathies, who is also 5-6, and Kourtney Tyra, who is 5-5. The trio combined for six of Kentucky's 13 second-half turnovers and 12 of their 22 for the game.
"It was one of those difficult things, because we'd only been together for a week and we had some people unsure of where they were supposed to go," said Kentucky All-Stars head coach Steve Helton of Scott County High.
Bradley, who is heading to St. Louis University, said the lack of familiarity with playing with one another was a major factor, but she blamed herself, too, for not handling the pressure.
"I reacted too slow, and I'm not that type of player," said Bradley. "I'm the type that gets the ball and goes and doesn't worry about the run and jump. The guards were coming up and when they did even though my head was up they trapped so fast and I couldn't see and nobody was where I thought they would be to the pass the ball. We had to talk and communicate and at that time we had a lack of communication. I should have taken control and I didn't."
(2 of 2)
Helton said taking control is one of the things he came to really like about Bradley and she logged the most minutes of any Kentucky point guard in the two games - 23 on Saturday night and 21 on Sunday.
"Throughout the week she developed as our floor general and as that verbal leader on the court," said Helton. "She was going against some big wingspan kids when they went to trapping. She handled her own, hit some open shots, but I need to get her relax, because she sometimes puts too much pressure on herself. At the college level she'll be used to that run and jump with those type of athletes by the middle of her freshman year and she'll say, 'Well I remember when...' "
Even Boone County coach Nell Fookes, who attended the game, credited Indiana for making the defensive adjustment in the second half.
"Indiana's guards were so much bigger any guard we had on our team," said Fookes. "We didn't come up and take care of business in the middle at times. They were big and quick and tough to blow by them on the dribble. I'm really proud of the way Jacy played though. She played really well in the first half ."
Indiana's second-half rally also came on the strength of stellar play from its Miss Basketball, Skylar Diggins, a product of South Bend Washington High who will play at Notre Dame. Diggins scored 25 of her 29 points in the second half after scoring 17 in the first eight minutes of the second half Saturday to blow open that game.
"Everything she did was under control," said Helton." Never at one point in this game did I think she was forcing or trying to do too much on her own. She knows how to score and knows when to score and knows when to step up and do it for her team.
"When they were kind of on the ropes and on their heels a little bit, Skylar stepped up and said, 'Hey we're OK and I'm going to take care of business.' She just flat out took that team on her shoulders.''
Bradley, too, came away impressed with Diggins.
"I know she feels likes nobody can stop her," said Bradley, who had five points, four rebounds and three assists on Saturday. "I enjoyed playing against her and watching her play."
Despite the two losses Bradley said it's an experience she'll never forget.
"It was so much fun on the floor and off," she said. "I made a lot of great friends. It meant a lot to come back and play well, because we worked our tails off for a week and it didn't show last night.''
Simon Kenton graduate Chelsea Tolliver also was a member of the Kentucky All-Stars, but played just five minutes Sunday, missing both of her field-goal attempts, both 3-pointers in the first half. Tolliver, who is heading to Thomas More College, played eight minutes Saturday and scored two points.
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