Ryle filled a square that few probably would have dared to check on their bingo card Thursday night.
It was the Battle of Union rivalry that Cooper had dominated for years in winning 11 straight over Ryle, including four consecutive district titles.
But in the 33rd District championship on Ryle’s home floor, the Lady Raiders didn’t just end that drought, they made a statement, overwhelming the No. 6-ranked Lady Jaguars, 69-30, for their first district title since 2021.
After having their number for so long, it was a lot of firsts for some players, while for others it had been a while since beating Cooper. The Lady Raiders’ last win over the Lady Jaguars came on Feb. 1, 2022.
For tournament MVP and senior Jaelyn Jones, she was one of the few to experience that last victory.
“My eighth-grade year, the first time we played them,” Jones said. “The only other time I beat Cooper. It’s the best game of the year, you look forward to it. To beat them as a senior in your last home game, it’s a good feeling.”
The moment was the culmination of more than a season of work.
“We’ve been talking about the details, the little details, all the things we’ve been working on the last two and a half years with these girls,” Ryle head coach Katie Haitz said. “To see it all come together, it’s an awesome feeling. We played together as a unit and did all the things we needed to do to be successful.”
The two teams met earlier in the regular season at Ryle on Jan. 15, with Cooper taking a 69-63 victory. In that game, the Lady Jaguars’ star junior Haylee Noel scored a career-high 42 points.
To win Thursday, Ryle knew they had to focus on defense. Their focus worked.
Cooper was held to its fewest points in a game since the state semifinals of the 2021–22 season, when the Lady Jaguars scored 29 against state champ Sacred Heart.
“Our key focus was defense,” Jones said. “That’s what won us the game. We shut them down completely and got them flustered. We did a great job of sticking to our game plan and knowing what we had to do.”
Noel still led Cooper with 12 points, while Addyson Brissey added 10.
On Ryle’s side, having a 6-foot-6 Division-I prospect sure does help.
Freshman Jayden McClain made her presence felt inside and out. She scored 15 first-half points and finished with 22 overall, while starting the game with two blocks and immediately showing her defensive impact.
“We decided that we were going to play our best at the tip and then try to play that way the rest of the game,” McClain said. “We were kind of nervous, but we knew we were going to have fun either way. We didn’t expect what happened to happen.”
But it wasn’t just McClain’s inside game that made the difference. On the perimeter, she hit two 3-pointers. She made just six on the season.
“She’s a mismatch for anybody in the state,” Cooper head coach Christian Prohaska said. “If she’s going to make those threes, that’s another issue.”
Those threes came in the second quarter, a glimpse of how dominant Ryle was in the frame.
The Lady Raiders outscored the Lady Jaguars 20-2 in the quarter.
After leading 19-11 after one, Ryle took a 39-13 advantage into halftime. The lead only grew, reaching 55-23 after three and eventually extending to 40 at one point on their way to victory.
But the season isn’t over yet. The 9th Region tournament begins Sunday at NKU’s Truist Arena.
“It’s not over,” Prohaska said. “We have another day to fight, and we’re not backing down from anything. I know what team we have in that locker room. We got punched in the face, but guess what? We get to live another day tomorrow.”
33rd District All-Tournament team
Pictured, left to right: Jaelyn Jones (Ryle, MVP), Jayden McClain (Ryle), Emerson Dowell (Ryle), Haylee Noel (Cooper), Brinklin Rankin (Cooper), Rhys Everett (Conner), Alana Glasheen (Boone County)
LADY RAIDERS 69, LADY JAGUARS 30
RYLE — 19-20-16-14 — 69
COOPER — 11-2-10-7 — 30
Scoring
Ryle (69) — McClain 22, Jones 15, Dowell 14, Cooper 8, Hampton 4, Aschermann 2, Brown 2, Wilkinson 2
Cooper (30) — Noel 12, Brissey 10, Allen 3, Hooper 2, Knox 2, Herlihy 1
Game Stats
3-Pointers: Ryle 6, Cooper 1
Free Throws: Ryle 16/18, Cooper 8/11
Fouls: Ryle 15, Cooper 17
Records: Ryle 20-9, Cooper 20-8