Throughout their quarterfinal match of the All A Classic State Tournament against Owen County, Owensboro Catholic’s offense looked completely different with Taylor Mannahan on and off the court. The junior picked up two fouls in the first four minutes, and played sparingly throughout the first half.
But when she returned for good in the third quarter, a 31-30 lead quickly blossomed into a 60-43 victory and a trip to the semi-finals next Sunday. She finished with 16 points on an efficient 6/9 shooting and also dished out a pair of assists.
“They couldn’t stay in front of her, and that’s why I got on her so much,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Michael Robertson said. “She had eight points in four minutes in the first half, and they couldn’t stay in front of her. When she was getting to the rim, then we had people rolling open, and it opened more things. Survive and advance. That’s the name of the game right now.”
The Lady Aces led 17-11 late in the first quarter, but the Lady Rebels found their stride in the second quarter, led by Kylee Steffen, who scored 8 of her 16 points. Robertson attributed his team’s early struggles to not rotating well and giving up long passes.
Claudia Munsey opened up the second half with a three-pointer, sparking Katie Hagan. The junior started her takeover by hitting a pull-up two, and on the following possession, she spun around and drilled another two. She then quickly came back down the court for a layup – scoring eight of her 14 points in the quarter and fueling the Lady Aces’ 15-4 run.
“I like the fact that we were getting after them and playing hard,” Robertsons said. “I thought there were a few loose balls they got on, and in the beginning, they were getting them, and then we started getting them. That’s a change of momentum.”
Hagan finished with 14 points, five rebounds, four steals, and two assists, and Sophia Newby had nine points and six assists.
Due to the expected inclement weather this weekend, the semi-finals and championship of the All A Classic have been moved to Sunday, January 31st. The Lady Aces are set to square off against Bishop Brossart in the semis at 8 am, and the girls’ championship game is scheduled for 3 pm.
Before that, Owensboro Catholic will return to action on Friday at 6 pm when they host Daviess County, with the top seed in the 9th District on the line.
