The teams know they will meet again with a region tournament berth on the line at Cooper.
But aside from earning the second seed in the 33rd District Tournament, the host Ryle Raiders (16-5, 2-1) and Conner Cougars (11-6, 1-2) took the court seeing how they matched up with each other that night and what needs improvement between this game and that next matchup in February. Ryle used its offensive balance and team defense to prevail in this one, 65-48.
“I think we’ve been in so many situations where we’re tied or down and it’s helped us in the long run,” said Katie Haitz, Ryle head coach. “When we can get into our transition and then into our offense, it’s been a good lesson for us to learn to be able to play in both realms by having possession of the ball. I thought they did a great job of that. We played really strong defense at the beginning, made their possessions short and really controlled the tempo of the game.”
All five starters hit double figures, junior forward Quinn Eubank led the way scoring 14 points. Junior center Sarah Baker followed with 13 continuing her solid play in the paint. Senior guard Austin Johnson and freshman small forward Jaelyn Jones scored 12 points each for the Raiders. Abby Holtman added 10 points.
Ryle led 33-20 at halftime. But Jones hit two of her three three-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half and Johnson had one to help the Raiders double up their lead at 48-24 with 4:13 left in the third quarter.
“That’s something we’ve been emphasizing this year in sharing the ball with the extra pass – just looking for the good shot,” Johnson said. “JJ (Jones) hit a couple big shots. As the season continues, I think we’ll do a good job with that.”
Teams have focused their defense on stopping Conner junior point guard Anna Hamilton this year. Hamilton finished with nine points after coming into the game averaging 15.7 per game. Johnson and junior guard Gracie Carrigan shared some responsibilities guarding Hamilton.
“I think it’s just so crucial to make sure we’re staying in front of (Hamilton) and help push her out of the lane so we’re not so focused on (Baker) coming out so she can focus on her job,” Carrigan said. “We’re just a really good team when we play together. I think that’s something that makes us so hard to beat.”
The Cougars tried to equal the Ryle balance. Senior forward Juliet Strange scored near her average with a team-high 11 points. Senior guard Kelsee Simpson and sophomore guard Alexis Craddock scored eight each.
“It was a very physical game,” said Michelle Gambrel, Conner head coach. “We thought we were going to be the ones to get up and down the floor in transition and they beat us down the floor several times. We found things we can work on for the next time we see them in the district tournament. We still get to play tomorrow. The next time if we lose to them, there is no tomorrow.”
The game stayed tight for most of the first half. Holtman made a three in the final seconds of the first quarter to give Ryle a 17-11 lead.
Conner managed to tie it at 19 when Craddock scored with 5:20 left in the half. But Ryle scored five in a row before Hamilton had a steal and score to make it 23-20 Raiders.
But Ryle finished the half with a 10-0 run. Eubank had two offensive putbacks along with a steal and score and Baker scored twice during that Raider run.
“We’re very blessed that we have multiple players that can go off at any time,” Haitz said. “We did that. We were even scoring. That makes a difference.”
Both teams play again Saturday. Conner travels to Campbell County (7-12) for a 2:30 p.m. game and Ryle travels to Louisville Mercy for a 5:45 p.m. battle.
Other Scores:
Bellevue 62, Ludlow 49
Cooper 56, Boone County 13
Dayton 1, Francis Parker 0 (forfeit)
Grant County 69, Walton-Verona 62
Highlands 54, St. Henry 38
Holy Cross 76, Holmes 28
Simon Kenton 53, Pleasure Ridge Park 30
Villa Madonna 60, Covington Latin 13