Published: March 06, 2009 12:20 am      

Defending champs fire past Ashland

MOREHEAD — Rowan County’s girls played their keys to victory like a smooth melody.

The defending 16th Region champs got Ashland post player Katelyn Conner into early foul trouble and then took control with their defense to roll 59-38 in the tournament semifinals Thursday night at Johnson Arena.

The Lady Vikings will meet Elliott County tonight at 7 for the championship.



“No one can say we took an easy road to the finals. We played against two of the other three top teams in the region, and the other (Elliott County) is getting ready to play right now,’’ Rowan County coach Scott Tackett said between semifinal games.

In a matchup of last year’s regional final, Ashland played Rowan County even through one quarter. But Lady Vikings forward Amber Riddle continually attacked the basket and Conner picked up her third foul with 5:19 still remaining in the half.

Rowan County senior Katie Martin’s 3-pointer triggered a 9-0 run leading into the intermission. The Lady Vikings pressured Ashland into 10 third-quarter turnovers and broke away to an 18-point margin.

“Our plan was to take them out of their offensive game, which is Conner and outside shooting,’’ said Rowan County point guard and defensive catalyst Jennifer Brockman. “Everybody worked together to make it happen.’’

All five of Brockman’s steals came in the second half and the Lady Vikings finished with 13 as a team.

“That’s the way it’s been all year,’’ Tackett said of his team’s defensive performance. “We’ve been allowing an average of 46 points, and that includes 91 in one game (loss to Lexington Christian). The girls just executed so well tonight.’’

Rowan County (26-3) held Ashland below 40 points for the first time since the Christmas holidays.

Kittens coach Bill Bradley said Rowan looked like a team serious about winning back-to-back regional titles.

“I think they had the Rowan County fire tonight that they are noted for,’’ Bradley said. “We didn’t top their offensive rebounding all night. They just got after the ball more than we did.’’

The Lady Vikings racked up 18 offensive rebounds and converted them into 19 second-chance points.

Riddle did the damage early. She scored 12 of her game-high 17 points in the first half.

“Obviously, Amber was MVP of last year’s regional tournament for a reason,’’ Bradley said. “She’s a five-year starter and played like a champion. She did a great job of taking the ball inside and getting Katelyn in foul trouble.’’

Rowan County’s Adri Neely and Martin had putbacks in the second quarter, then Riddle turned a nice pass from Jenna Kiser into a three-point play to make it 23-17.

Rowan County also enjoyed a big night at the foul line, going 9-for-9 in the first half and 17-for-23 overall.

Martin sparked the second-half getaway with a rebound basket and 3-pointer early in the third quarter. She finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Lady Vikings extended the lead to 20 points with 5:49 remaining on Martin’s layup off a feed from Brockman, who had four assists.

Ashland’s Conner had 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots in 18 minutes of action. The Kittens closed the season with an 18-10 record.

“I told the girls that the last three games we played before tonight were probably our best of the season,’’ Bradley said. “I thought we were prepared and came in ready, but hats off to Rowan County. They took it to us.’’

Three of Ashland’s seniors — Ali Wilcox, Kim Strait and Nikisha Farrow — have been staples in the program’s success in recent years. The Kittens won back-to-back district championships.

“That group has been starting for five years,’’ Bradley said. “They have done a tremendous job and will be missed.’’

ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2671.