Catherine Head helped the Lady Aces take the first step in defending their All “A” state championship Wednesday afternoon in Richmond, knocking down the go-ahead 3-pointer and sinking a pair of late free throws to lift Owensboro Catholic to a 33-30 win over Bishop Brossart.
“It was a gutty performance,” said Catholic head coach Michael Robertson. “It was a great defensive performance by our ladies. When we needed a play, someone stepped up.”
Robertson said it took contributions from everyone on the team. Head, Hannah McKay and Spencer Harvey all made shots in big moments, while Isabella Henning, Ally Maggard and Caroline Reid came up with key stops on the defensive end.
It was a grueling battle the entire way — the game featured six lead changes and five ties — and the teams were knotted at 28-all after a bucket by the Lady ’Stangs with 3:21 to play.
A steal by Bishop Brossart left them with a chance at a go-ahead bucket with just under two minutes to go, but Catholic forced a turnover to set up what proved to be Head’s game-winner.
The Lady Aces got the ball to McKay down low, but she kicked it out to Reid at the wing. Reid passed to a wide-open Head, who drained a 3 from two steps beyond the line at the top of the key with 1:16 to play.
“Catherine has been lacking a little bit of confidence,” Robertson said. “We believe in her every day, and we showed that today.”
Bishop Brossart got a jumper to fall to cut the deficit to one, but Catholic was able to run the clock down to 18 seconds before going to the free throw line.
McKay missed the front end of a 1-and-1, though the miss bounced long and the Lady ’Stangs stepped out of bounds trying to secure the rebound.
Head hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left for the 33-30 lead, and a turnover by Bishop Brossart on the next possession all but sealed the Catholic win. Head missed a free throw with three seconds left, though a desperation heave from midcourt was nowhere close for the Lady ’Stangs.
Neither team was able to find much rhythm offensively — no player finished with double-digit scoring — but the Lady Aces capitalized on their opportunities at the other end of the court.
Catholic had 11 steals and forced 23 turnovers that led to 25 points. Bishop Brossart finished with eight steals and forced 14 turnovers of their own, but they only converted that into eight points.
The Lady Aces finished with 10 assists on 12 made shots.
McKay and Henning led all scorers with nine points each, while Head finished with eight. McKay grabbed nine rebounds and Henning had five steals.
“Overall it was a good game by everybody,” Robertson said. “It was a great effort. It’s what I’ve been looking for.”
With the win, Catholic (14-7) earned a quarterfinal rematch against Murray (9-9), who advanced after beating Knott County Central 49-39 in their opening-round game Wednesday.
The Lady Aces edged the Lady Tigers in the final seconds a year ago. They will face off again at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
Robertson expects another tough fight, but for now the Lady Aces are celebrating a win.
“At this moment we’re just glad to be moving on,” Robertson said. “It was a close one last year and we get them again in the same round. It should be a dandy.”
BOX
OCHS 11-8-8-6—33
BBHS 9-7-8-6—30
OCHS: Hannah McKay 9, Isabella Henning 9, Catherine Head 8, Spencer Harvey 5, Kinsley Goetz 2
BBHS: Rosie Jump 8, Marie Kiefer 6, Olivia McGrath 5, Madison Crowe 5, Lauren Macht 3, Jordan Rowe 3
Stay up to date on all your local sports coverage by following @OwensboroSports on Twitter and by liking us on Facebook.
__________
2019-20 basketball coverage is presented in part by Rhoads & Rhoads Attorneys at Law.
