[blue1424]

The Walton-Verona High School girls' basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16 for the first time.

Courtney Sandlin hit a 10-foot jump shot with 19 seconds left to beat Anderson County 40-39 Saturday night for the Eighth Region championship at Gallatin County.

The Bearcats (25-8) will play Fourth Region champion Bowling Green in the first game of the Houchens Industries Girls' Sweet 16 at 1 p.m. Wednesday in E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green. But for now coach Cory Miller wants to relish this accomplishment.

"Our girls have played so long and so hard, and this really is the pinnacle of high school basketball," he said.

Anderson County had beaten Walton-Verona, a school of about 450 students in four grades, to win the regional in 2010 and 2008.

After Sandlin's go-ahead shot from the baseline, Anderson County (23-9) called a timeout with 4.8 seconds to go, but a long jumper by Sydney Brown with 1.3 seconds left missed.

"(Sandlin's basket) was a broken play out of our offense," Miller said. "Last night against South Oldham she hit a 19-footer to send the game into overtime (Walton-Verona won 47-45), so she's made back-to-back big shots for us."

Sandlin, a sophomore forward, and senior forward Kelli Dixon each scored 13 points to lead the winners.

Freshman forward Eriel McKee led Anderson County with 23 points, but only three other players scored.

http://www.highschoolsports.net/local/lo...nty-40-39/

Walton-Verona 9 8 10 13 40
Anderson County 10 8 12 9 39

Walton-Verona (25-8) - Mullikin 2, Ginn 6, Taulbee 4, Dixon 13, Judy 2, Sandlin 13.
Anderson County (23-9) - Cann 6, Robinson 3, McKee 23, Brown 7.

3P: Ginn 2, Taulbee 1, Dixon 1, Sandlin 1, Cann 2, McKee 2, Robinson 1.