Out of halftime and holding onto an eight-point lead, Owensboro Catholic swapped to a full-court press defense that Edmonson County had no answer for. The Lady Defense instinctively swarmed to the ball – swatting pass after pass – culminating in 46 second-half points. A 29-21 lead quickly ballooned into a 75-48 win, and Owensboro Catholic’s fourth straight trip to the 3rd Region Championship.
“Where our offense got going is when we started turning them over and getting easy buckets,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Michael Robertson said. “We did a good job passing the ball once we settled down. We settled for a lot of threes early and weren’t shooting the ball well. We really struggled in our man defense to get them sped up, but when we went to our zone-press, I thought that really sped them up, and that was a game changer.”
Owensboro Catholic struggled early to adjust to the Lady Cats’ Cariann Williams, whose height gave them fits. In the opening quarter, Shelly Soders hit a pair of threes to go with her eight points to give Edmonson County a 12-9 lead.
In the second quarter, Katie Hagan took over the game, scoring 12 of her 28 points. The junior repeatedly found herself at the line, knocking down six of her seven free throws.
“She got her hands on some balls, and we were able to get some easy baskets,” Robertson said.
Hagan’s influence on the game carried over into the second half – spearheading the defensive charge. She finished just shy of a triple-double, recording 28 points, 10 steals, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Her 10 steals were just one away from tying the program record.
Not to be outdone by her teammate, Sophia Newby also flirted with a triple-double – finishing with 15 points, 14 rebounds, nine blocks, and six steals.
“I just try to do everything on the floor,” Newby said. “I just try to get my nads on the balls, and I try to score for the team.”
Behind their defense, the Lady Aces were able to suffocate Edmonson County out of the game, setting up their fourth matchup of the year with Daviess County.
Claudia Munsey hit three threes to go with her 13 points, while Taylor Mannahan added nine points. For Edmonson County, Sowders led the way with 19 points, Williams added 14 points, and Jocelyn Decker, Addison Spainhoward, and Hayley Sanders each finished with five points.
On Sunday, Owensboro Catholic will be searching for its first 3rd Region title since 2023, having lost in the title game the last two years. Robertson acknowledged that he wants to see his team finally finish in the big game.
“Our defense carries,” Robertson said. “We have to continue with our defensive presence and our defense just leading the way. That’s what’s going to get us here and keep us here. We just have to make sure our defense is locked in and ready to go.”
