[Stardust]

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. Facing perhaps the best senior in Kentucky, Paul Dunbar coach Sarah Van Horn was content to let Boone County standout Sydney Moss get her points.

Van Horn told her players to “lock down” on everybody else, and it worked.

Moss poured in 41 points, becoming just the fourth player in girls’ state tournament history to score 40 or more, but Paul Dunbar had four players in double figures and stunned the Lady Rebels 72-70 in overtime before 4,416 fans in the opening round of the Houchens Industries/KHSAA Sweet 16 in E.A. Diddle Arena.

“I told them one girl can’t outscore us all,” Van Horn said. “I don’t like giving up 41 to anybody, but we wanted to lock the other players down and we did that.”

Jordin Fender, who forced overtime with a basket at 0:04.9, led Dunbar with 21 points, and Lakeena Parks added 20. The unranked Lady Bulldogs rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit, then hit 10 of 12 free throws in the extra four minutes to knock off the Lady Rebels, who are No. 5 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings.

“I just can’t say enough about my team in red,” Van Horn said. “Don’t count us out until the buzzer sounds. That’s what we do, make comebacks.”

Dunbar (29-6), making only its second appearance in the Sweet 16, advances to Friday’s 1 p.m. quarterfinal against No. 19 Butler (24-9). Dunbar made it to the semifinals in 1997 before losing to eventual champion Hazard.

When asked about Friday’s game, Van Horn said the Lady Bulldogs want a fast pace and hope the Sixth Region champion Bearettes want to go with them.

“Running is what we like to do,” she said. “If they want to run with us, they can jump on the bandwagon.”

The Dunbar comeback ended the career for Moss, who has signed with Florida and is the frontrunner for Miss Basketball. She shot 20 of 38, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range, and had 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

With her father, former All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss, in attendance, Moss finished her career with 2,951 points and more than 1,500 rebounds. Her 41 points rank third in Sweet 16 history behind Pulaski County’s Heather Baker (46 in 1996) and Newport’s Donna Murphy (42 in ’75). Her 20 field goals are second to Murphy’s 21.
http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/article...ar?Avis=B2