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03-02-2012, 11:12 AM
ALEXANDRIA | Bracken County held 10th Region player of the year Macie Spence to six points in the region tournament semifinals on Wednesday night.
But the Lady Bears struggled to keep the 6-foot-1 junior and her teammates off the boards, where Montgomery won the rebounding total decisively to set the tone in its 50-31 victory at Campbell County Middle School.
Bracken (18-11) saw its season end one game shy of what would have been its first region final appearance since 1986.
Cassidy Jefferson scored 10 points to lead the Lady Bears. For the Indians (27-6), post player Schyler Tipton racked up 11 points off the bench and Keria Lockett and Olivia Colliver each pitched in 10.
The Indians advance to Sunday afternoon's region final against Campbell County, which beat Mason County 67-54 earlier Wednesday.
Montgomery didn't shoot the lights out -- hitting 19 of its 52 field goal tries, or 36.5 percent, compared with Bracken's 13-for-47 -- or 27.7 percent -- showing.
Nor did the Indians dominate the turnover total. The Lady Bears gave it away 20 times compared with Montgomery's 19.
The defending region champions did own the glass, though, collecting 42 rebounds -- 19 offensive -- to Bracken's 30.
That was where Spence and Tipton in particular made a difference despite neither dominating the stat sheet in points.
Lady Bears coach Patrick Kelsch was impressed with Bracken's defensive effort against Spence, who was by far the biggest player on the floor. But the other Indians proved they're not a one-woman show.
"They got so many offensive weapons, if you feel like you've stopped one, you've gotta stop three. You've gotta stop four," Kelsch said. "I felt like we made Spence shoot contested shots tonight. I felt like we did a good job with her in the paint, and that's attributed to Cassidy Jefferson playing aggressive. I think Cassidy was aggressive with her. I think Cassidy grew up this week down here inside defensively."
Bracken jumped out to a 7-2 lead on Jefferson's 3-pointer, Emma Conley's steal and transition layup, and after Montgomery's Erica Rogers' drive, a possession in which Jordan Wills swiped the ball, Conley claimed two offensive boards, and Jefferson cleaned the glass once more and scored on a putback.
The Indians responded with an 18-4 run. Destiney Taul drove the lane for two, Spence scored back-to-back buckets and Tipton scored down low.
Bracken's Allison Tarvin made a steal and Conley found Mallory Bell with a half-court dish for a transition layup, and after two Lockett free throws, Bailey Cummins drove the lane for a bucket with 15 seconds to go in the first quarter to keep the Lady Bears within 12-11 after one quarter.
Colliver proceeded to sink a trey on the first possession of the second frame, Rogers nailed one and Lockett scored on a transition layup to force a Bracken timeout.
Jefferson made a steal to cue up Conley's 3, and after a Tipton bucket, Jefferson hit a jumper from the free throw line to cut the Lady Bears' deficit to 22-16.
Montgomery countered with the final six points of the half, and Bracken was never within single digits again. Spence hit one at the line, Colliver's steal set up two Lockett charity tosses, Spence again sank one, and Tipton scored from close range with 55 seconds to go in the half for a 28-16 edge after two quarters.
"I just don't think we matched their intensity for four quarters," Kelsch said. "We played about two and a half."
The Lady Bears used one last 8-1 spurt to try to keep it interesting. Trailing 37-20 midway through the third, Cummins canned a transition layup, Conley made a steal and one free throw, and after one Tipton freebie, Bell made a steal and scored down low, then swiped the ball again before Jefferson drove the lane for an and-1 and a 38-28 deficit with 53.5 seconds to go in the third stanza.
Those were the final points Bracken scored until the game was well out of reach as the Indians scored the next 12 before Cindy Berry's bucket down low with just under 3:30 to play.
"The first quarter, we came out, (and) I thought we gave 'em our best shot energy-wise (and) intensity-wise," Kelsch said. "I thought our full-court press wore 'em down a little bit at times, but when it's all said and done at the end, they had so many offensive weapons and so much veteran leadership and so much experience that in the end, when we relaxed or we turned it over, they capitalized. They do what good teams do."
Bracken certainly isn't satisfied with the final result, but the young Lady Bears -- they only graduate Sara Sticklen and Kayla Cummins, neither of whom was available for the postseason run due to injury -- expect to be back.
And they enter the offseason figuring they've exceeded expectations this year just be not folding when Sticklen, who was honored at halftime as part of the all-region first team -- went down with a torn ACL in January.
"I told the girls in the locker room before, I said, 'We have nothing to lose,'" Kelsch said. "'We're probably not expected to be here. We probably weren't expected to win the district tournament after Sara got out. But you guys believed and I believed it was a possibility. Nobody expects us to beat Montgomery County. Come out, play loose, play smart, play hard and have fun.'
"I think we played hard, and when the score's 50-31 I can't say we had so much fun, but I'm proud of my team. I'm proud of the effort."
Read more: http://www.maysville-online.com/sports/m...z1nyEkuONh
But the Lady Bears struggled to keep the 6-foot-1 junior and her teammates off the boards, where Montgomery won the rebounding total decisively to set the tone in its 50-31 victory at Campbell County Middle School.
Bracken (18-11) saw its season end one game shy of what would have been its first region final appearance since 1986.
Cassidy Jefferson scored 10 points to lead the Lady Bears. For the Indians (27-6), post player Schyler Tipton racked up 11 points off the bench and Keria Lockett and Olivia Colliver each pitched in 10.
The Indians advance to Sunday afternoon's region final against Campbell County, which beat Mason County 67-54 earlier Wednesday.
Montgomery didn't shoot the lights out -- hitting 19 of its 52 field goal tries, or 36.5 percent, compared with Bracken's 13-for-47 -- or 27.7 percent -- showing.
Nor did the Indians dominate the turnover total. The Lady Bears gave it away 20 times compared with Montgomery's 19.
The defending region champions did own the glass, though, collecting 42 rebounds -- 19 offensive -- to Bracken's 30.
That was where Spence and Tipton in particular made a difference despite neither dominating the stat sheet in points.
Lady Bears coach Patrick Kelsch was impressed with Bracken's defensive effort against Spence, who was by far the biggest player on the floor. But the other Indians proved they're not a one-woman show.
"They got so many offensive weapons, if you feel like you've stopped one, you've gotta stop three. You've gotta stop four," Kelsch said. "I felt like we made Spence shoot contested shots tonight. I felt like we did a good job with her in the paint, and that's attributed to Cassidy Jefferson playing aggressive. I think Cassidy was aggressive with her. I think Cassidy grew up this week down here inside defensively."
Bracken jumped out to a 7-2 lead on Jefferson's 3-pointer, Emma Conley's steal and transition layup, and after Montgomery's Erica Rogers' drive, a possession in which Jordan Wills swiped the ball, Conley claimed two offensive boards, and Jefferson cleaned the glass once more and scored on a putback.
The Indians responded with an 18-4 run. Destiney Taul drove the lane for two, Spence scored back-to-back buckets and Tipton scored down low.
Bracken's Allison Tarvin made a steal and Conley found Mallory Bell with a half-court dish for a transition layup, and after two Lockett free throws, Bailey Cummins drove the lane for a bucket with 15 seconds to go in the first quarter to keep the Lady Bears within 12-11 after one quarter.
Colliver proceeded to sink a trey on the first possession of the second frame, Rogers nailed one and Lockett scored on a transition layup to force a Bracken timeout.
Jefferson made a steal to cue up Conley's 3, and after a Tipton bucket, Jefferson hit a jumper from the free throw line to cut the Lady Bears' deficit to 22-16.
Montgomery countered with the final six points of the half, and Bracken was never within single digits again. Spence hit one at the line, Colliver's steal set up two Lockett charity tosses, Spence again sank one, and Tipton scored from close range with 55 seconds to go in the half for a 28-16 edge after two quarters.
"I just don't think we matched their intensity for four quarters," Kelsch said. "We played about two and a half."
The Lady Bears used one last 8-1 spurt to try to keep it interesting. Trailing 37-20 midway through the third, Cummins canned a transition layup, Conley made a steal and one free throw, and after one Tipton freebie, Bell made a steal and scored down low, then swiped the ball again before Jefferson drove the lane for an and-1 and a 38-28 deficit with 53.5 seconds to go in the third stanza.
Those were the final points Bracken scored until the game was well out of reach as the Indians scored the next 12 before Cindy Berry's bucket down low with just under 3:30 to play.
"The first quarter, we came out, (and) I thought we gave 'em our best shot energy-wise (and) intensity-wise," Kelsch said. "I thought our full-court press wore 'em down a little bit at times, but when it's all said and done at the end, they had so many offensive weapons and so much veteran leadership and so much experience that in the end, when we relaxed or we turned it over, they capitalized. They do what good teams do."
Bracken certainly isn't satisfied with the final result, but the young Lady Bears -- they only graduate Sara Sticklen and Kayla Cummins, neither of whom was available for the postseason run due to injury -- expect to be back.
And they enter the offseason figuring they've exceeded expectations this year just be not folding when Sticklen, who was honored at halftime as part of the all-region first team -- went down with a torn ACL in January.
"I told the girls in the locker room before, I said, 'We have nothing to lose,'" Kelsch said. "'We're probably not expected to be here. We probably weren't expected to win the district tournament after Sara got out. But you guys believed and I believed it was a possibility. Nobody expects us to beat Montgomery County. Come out, play loose, play smart, play hard and have fun.'
"I think we played hard, and when the score's 50-31 I can't say we had so much fun, but I'm proud of my team. I'm proud of the effort."
Read more: http://www.maysville-online.com/sports/m...z1nyEkuONh
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03-02-2012, 11:12 AM
Bracken County 11 5 12 3 -- 31
Montgomery County 12 16 13 9 -- 50
BC: Jefferson 10, Conley 6, Bell 4, Tarvin 2, Wills 0, B. Cummins 6, Berry 2, Woods 1, Ishmael 0, Brothers 0, Hicks 0. Total 31.
MC: Lockett 10, Colliver 10, Rogers 9, Spence 6, Taul 2, Tipton 11, Conyers 2, Arnett 0, C. Barker 0, Stevens 0, Clark 0, Alicea 0, J. Barker 0. Total 50.
3-pointers: Bracken County 2 (Jefferson, Conley), Montgomery County 3 (Colliver 2, Rogers).
Records: Bracken County 18-11, Montgomery County 27-6.
Read more: http://www.maysville-online.com/sports/m...z1nyEnE7Xl
Montgomery County 12 16 13 9 -- 50
BC: Jefferson 10, Conley 6, Bell 4, Tarvin 2, Wills 0, B. Cummins 6, Berry 2, Woods 1, Ishmael 0, Brothers 0, Hicks 0. Total 31.
MC: Lockett 10, Colliver 10, Rogers 9, Spence 6, Taul 2, Tipton 11, Conyers 2, Arnett 0, C. Barker 0, Stevens 0, Clark 0, Alicea 0, J. Barker 0. Total 50.
3-pointers: Bracken County 2 (Jefferson, Conley), Montgomery County 3 (Colliver 2, Rogers).
Records: Bracken County 18-11, Montgomery County 27-6.
Read more: http://www.maysville-online.com/sports/m...z1nyEnE7Xl
03-02-2012, 11:12 AM
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