By Ryan Davenport, WSON Sports Correspondent 

The Henderson County Lady Colonels faced off against the Louisville Mercy Lady Jaguars in the quarterfinals of the Kentucky Girls Basketball Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington. 

In the opening period, the Lady Jaguars outscored the Lady Colonels 18-16 heading into the second quarter. In the second period, the Lady Colonels would outscore the Lady Jaguars 13-9, as the Lady Colonels shot 2 for 4 from the three point line in the quarter as the Lady Colonels would have a 2 point lead at halftime with the score 29-27.

To begin the second half, the Lady Jaguars would outscore the Lady Colonels 17-14 in the quarter as the Lady Jaguars would hold a 1 point lead with the score 44-43 heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth and final period, the Lady Colonels would outscore the Lady Jaguars 20-15, as the Lady Colonels would come away with a 4 point win over the Lady Jaguars with the final score 63-59. The Lady Colonels improve their record to (28-4) while the Louisville Mercy Lady Jaguars end their season with a (25-10) record. 

The leading scorer for the Lady Colonels was sophomore guard Shalyn Sprinkles with 21 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 3 for 5 from the three point line and 10 for 12 from the free throw line on the night. Freshman forward Brooklyn Gibson scored 10 points and grabbed 2 rebounds while recording 4 assists while sophomore forward Anna Kemp contributed 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals while senior forward Jarie Thomas tallied 7 points and 8 rebounds while recording 3 assists. Senior guard Savannah Lacer recorded 7 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds while senior guard Graci Risley added 6 points and 2 assists. To round out the scoring for the Lady Colonels, senior guard Mallorie Veal scored 3 points on the night. 

The leading scorer for the Louisville Mercy Jaguars was sophomore forward with a double-double scoring 30 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while recording 4 assists and shooting 10 for 11 from the free throw line on the night.

As a team, the Lady Colonels were 7 for 15 (47%) from the three point line and shot 14 for 17 (82%) from the free throw line while grabbing 21 total rebounds and committing 7 turnovers on the night. The Lady Colonels also added 19 assists, 1 block, and 5 steals. 

The Lady Colonels will face off against the McCracken County Lady Mustangs in the Final Four of the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington today, March 11th, at 12:30 P.M.