Simon Kenton’s dream has ended two wins short.
The Lady Pioneers came up short in the girls KHSAA Clark’s Pump-n-Shop Sweet 16 semifinals on Saturday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, falling 66-40 to George Rogers Clark.
A nightmare start to the game was the key culprit in ending the Lady Pioneers season. The Lady Cardinals came out hot and jumped out to a 23-6 end of first quarter lead. They hit five 3-pointers in the frame to shellshock Simon Kenton.
“We just lost assignments,” Simon Kenton coach Jeff Stowers said. “We usually tag who the shooters are early on and we let some folks get loose.”
With GRC’s intensity and relentlessness on the defensive end, a 17-point deficit made for a near impossible task of coming back. An example of that was when Simon Kenton scored on a layup to make it 57-36 GRC with 3:25 to play and Lady Cards coach Robbie Graham called a timeout.
“Yeah, it’s a 21-point game, but what if it’s tonight and we’re up one and there’s seven seconds to go and we relax. Everything matters throughout the course of game,” Graham said. “We talk about it on a daily basis. Everything matters every minute, every second. Everything matters so we get beat back door. Up 21 we don’t want it to happen.”
GRC will play Assumption Saturday evening at 7:30 for the championship as both program’s search for their first title.
The Lady Pioneers just struggled to get much momentum on Saturday after the disastrous start. After trailing by 17 after the first eight minutes, they never got it any closer than 15.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
“It’s not like we weren’t prepared. We knew exactly what they were going to throw at us,” Stowers said. “We knew they were going to throw pressure in and a lot of bodies and we didn’t respond. And that’s kind of out of character for us, especially our seniors, who led us all year long. And I’m just going to tip my hat to GRC.”
Simon Kenton’s season will be one that will be remembered for a long time in Independence. They won the most games in program history in a single season with 33 and made the Final Four for the first time in program history.
“It’s been really, really good,” Stowers said. “I just like being around these young athletes and just teaching the game of basketball. It’s not always about basketball. There’s going to be situations in your lifetime that you’re going to have to handle and you’re going to you can come back on your basketball experience and be able to handle that situation.”
They’ll graduate Haylie Webb, Anna Kelch and Meg Gadzala, three multi-year starters who all made their imprint on the program and leave with three region championships. The culture was a family like attitude on the team, number 1-15.
Webb will continue her career at Thomas More.
“We’re all really close. We all make jokes with each other and we’re all like sisters, this is a family,” Webb said. “It’s more than just a team and I think that we mess around and we make stupid names for each other and I think that helps us. Just to have that chemistry on the court and just get to know each other as a person.”
Kelch is headed to Georgetown College. After last year’s first round loss at the Sweet 16, Kelch stated she never wanted that feeling again. Even with the loss today, there’s some satisfaction with all they’ve accomplished in their time in a Lady Pioneers uniform.
“I’m forever proud of these girls,” Kelch said. “Obviously tears are going to come, this is my last time playing with them. These girls are my family. I keep my head up high, I’m proud of what we accomplished this season. There’s nothing to be sad about other than this is my last game playing with them. But I’m just so proud and I can’t wait to see what they all do in the future.”
Gadzala will play soccer at Thomas More. Her season was cut short a little over a month ago due to an injury, but provided enthusiasm and served as an extra coach on the sidelines.
“Honestly I just think we’re all best friends. I would do anything for anybody,” Gadzala said. “If they needed me outside of sports, I’d be there for them. They’d be there for me. And I know if I need them, I can call them. And I think that kind of got passed down with older teams, my freshman year and my eighth grade year. I really looked up to the seniors and they kind of taught me to be a really good role model. I think that trickling down has really affected me and that’s why we had such a strong connection on our team.”
Despite the loss of three starters, the Lady Pioneers still have a bright future ahead with Brynli Pernell, Bella Ober and Angela Kabeya back as returning starters and Naomi Krohman and Allison Wiggins as key reserves.
Pernell and Kabeya were named to the All-Tournament team.
LADY CARDINALS 66, LADY PIONEERS 40
GEORGE ROGERS CLARK — 23-8-14-21 — 66
SIMON KENTON –6-9-11-14 — 40
Scoring
GRC (66) — Stamper 18, Edmonson 14, Yeast 12, K. Chestnut 10, A. Chestnut 5, Strode 2, Goodwin 2, Kennedy 2, Howard 1
SK (40) — Pernell 12, Ober 12, Kabeya 8, Webb 6, Krohman 2
Game Stats
Field Goals: GRC 22/49, SK 14/36
3-Pointers: GRC 7/16, SK 2/14
Free Throws: GRC 15/21, SK 10/17
Rebounds: GRC 29, SK 25
Assists: GRC 15, SK 9
Turnovers: GRC 9, SK 18
Steals: GRC 10, SK 6
Blocked Shots: GRC 6, SK 5
Fouls: GRC 15, SK 16
Records: George Rogers Clark 32-2, Simon Kenton 33-3