By Ryan Davenport, WSON Sports Correspondent 

The Henderson County Lady Colonels faced off against the Simon Kenton Lady Pioneers in the opening round of the Kentucky Girls Basketball Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington. 

 

In the opening period, the Lady Pioneers outscored the Lady Colonels 15-6 heading into the second quarter. In the second period, the Lady Colonels would outscore the Lady Pioneers 16-11, as the Lady Colonels shot 7 for 7 from the free throw line in the quarter as the Lady Pioneers would have a 4 point lead at halftime with the score 26-22.

To begin the second half, the Lady Pioneers would outscore the Lady Colonels 11-10 in the quarter as the Lady Pioneers would hold a 5 point lead with the score 37-32 heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth and final period, the Lady Colonels would outscore the Lady Pioneers 9-4, as Lady Colonel sophomore guard would hit a three pointer with 16 seconds left to tie the game at 41 and that’s how regulation ends. In overtime, Lady Colonel senior forward Jarie Thomas and freshman forward Brooklyn Gibson both fouled out in the first overtime. Lady Pioneers and Lady Colonels both scored 5 points each, as Lady Colonels had the ball with 12 seconds in the first overtime but couldn’t get a shot off as Lady Colonels would head into the second overtime shorthanded. In the second overtime, the Lady Colonels would outscore the Lady Pioneers 10-8, as sophomore forward Anna Kemp took a charge with 46 seconds in the second overtime as it led to two free throws made by Lady Colonel sophomore guard Shalyn Sprinkles knocked down 2 free throws late to give the Lady Colonels a 2 point win over the Lady Pioneers with the final score 56-54. The Lady Colonels improve their record to (26-4) while the Lady Pioneers end their season with a (19-15) record. 

The leading scorer for the Lady Colonels was senior forward Jarie Thomas with a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 7 for 7 from the free throw line on the night. Sophomore guard Shalyn Sprinkles scored 11 points while shooting 8 for 10 from the free throw line while freshman forward Brooklyn Gibson tallied 10 points and 3 steals. Senior guard Graci Risley recorded 6 points while shooting 2 for 5 from the three point line while senior guard Mallorie Veal added 4 points. Sophomore forward Anna Kemp scored 4 points and grabbed 2 rebounds while senior guard Savannah Lacer tallied 2 points and 5 assists on the night.

The leading scorer for the Simon Kenton Lady Pioneers was 8th grade guard Brynli Pernell with 19 points while shooting 2 for 6 from the three point line and 9 for 9 from the free throw line. The Lady Pioneers outrebounded the Lady Colonels 36-21.

As a team, the Lady Colonels were 3 for 14 (21%) from the three point line and shot 19 for 22 (86%) from the free throw line while grabbing 21 total rebounds and committing 16 turnovers on the day. The Lady Colonels also added 13 assists, 4 blocks, and 10 steals. 

The Lady Colonels will face off against the Louisville Mercy Lady Jaguars in the quarterfinals of the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington tonight, March 10th, at 7:30 P.M.