Published: March 12, 2009 10:41 pm      

Rowan takes tough shot

BOWLING GREEN — In a generally low-scoring first round of the Girls State Basketball Tournament, nobody reflected the offensive woes more than Rowan County.

The way the 16th Region champions struggled to make shots Thursday afternoon, it seemed there must have been barbed wire stretched across the baskets in Diddle Arena.



Rowan County, the state’s fourth-highest scoring team during the regular season, managed a mere seven field goals in a 39-26 loss to Boone County.

Lady Vikings coach Scott Tackett stared down at the stat sheet during the postgame press conference and shook his head. One by one, he rattled off the ugly totals: 16 percent from the field; 1 of 16 on 3-pointers; and 61 percent at the foul line.

“Those kind of numbers on this stage against this level of competition, it’s going to make for a tough night,’’ Tackett said.

Rowan County beat the Lady Rebels by 20 points at Florence in December, but never got untracked this time.

Only a gritty defensive effort allowed the Lady Vikings to stay in contention most of the way. Boone County shot 34 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 19 times.

“Defensively, we played well enough to win this game,’’ Tackett said. “We just could not make shots. I didn’t think we could shoot worse here than 27 percent (Rowan’s figure in last year’s first-round loss to Breathitt County). If we do that this year, we’re probably not out of the game.’’

Despite putting in just four points in the first quarter and three in the third, the Lady Vikings trailed by only nine points on three occasions in the fourth quarter. The last time came when Amber Riddle put back her own miss with 4:34 remaining.

But Rowan County sealed its fate by producing one point over the next four minutes.

“They pressured us well,’’ Lady Vikings guard Katie Martin said of Boone County’s defensive effort. “What hurt the most was their rebounding.’’

The Lady Rebels (25-6) outboarded Rowan County 42-26 in a matchup of teams without a starter taller than 5-foot-9.

Boone County coach Nell Fookes praised her players for carrying out the defensive game plan and keeping Rowan County off the glass.

“Rowan County is a great rebounding and transition team,’’ Fookes said. “They get energized off their press.’’

But the Lady Vikings’ 26 total points _ 21 less than their previous low this season _ didn’t allow for many opportunities to jump into fullcourt pressure.

Boone County standout point guard Jacy Bradley sat out most of the second quarter with two fouls and finished with only three points. But senior forward Lauren Bowling picked up the slack with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“Coach (Fookes) said we had to outhustle them, and beat them in all aspects,’’ Bowling said. “I thought we did that. I tried to be more assertive (in the first half) since we didn’t have Jacy out there.’’

Bowling hit a 3-pointer to put the Lady Rebels up 13-3 and she finished the half with 11 points. After Martin’s driving shot gave Rowan County its only lead at 2-0, the Lady Vikings went more than 11 minutes before getting another basket. Martin finished with 11 points.

Boone County’s Joscelyn Davis contributed 12 rebounds and 10 points to the inside attack as the Ninth Region champs handed Rowan County only its fourth loss in 30 games.

“Obviously, it’s not the kind of ending we wanted but this group has accomplished a lot the last two seasons with 53 wins and two regional titles,’’ Tackett said. “Like I told the girls, there are nearly 300 schools in Kentucky and only 16 teams made it this far.’’

The Lady Vikings had plenty of support in Diddle Arena. Rowan sold all 589 tickets allotted to the school and sent 10 buses to Bowling Green.

“Unbelievable,’’ said Rowan County superintendent Marvin Moore. “For all these people to take a four-hour drive, I think that says a lot. The community, students, parents and school staff have been very supportive. It’s well-deserved. Coach Tackett and the girls have had a fantastic year.’’

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