Roundball Classic: By George!: Steele, Red Devils close out Patriots: Lions sprint past Cougars

Dec. 9—SUMMIT — Despite her low shooting percentage, Russell coach Mandy Layne knew the ball was in the right hands late in the game.

Shaelyn Steele wants the ball in her hands in the final moments of a close contest.

Both got what they wanted with Russell trailing George Washington by a bucket with 15 seconds left in the Roundball Classic matchup at Boyd County Middle School on Saturday afternoon.

Steele delivered again for the Red Devils with a clutch basket and drew a foul. The senior completed the three-point play and the Patriots missed a final shot to give Russell a 48-47 win.

"She stepped up big," Layne said. "She got the bucket when we needed it. I am really proud of that. I am really proud of how she passed the ball. There were times that we were trying to get in stuff. We were a little off-balanced. They started trapping us. It is something that we need to work on to get better."

George Washington picked up its energy level on the defensive end after halftime. It was a welcome sight for coach Jamie Lemaster. The new spring in their step allowed the Patriots to trim a 13-point halftime deficit to 31-29 midway through the third frame after a Jeriyah Pryor triple.

"I thought coming out and getting stops was the biggest thing," Lemaster said, "and stringing to consecutive stops gave us an opportunity. It's what we talked about in the locker room at halftime. We have to get a stop, come down, get a clean look, and get another second stop. We gave ourselves a chance. We didn't play great in the first half. But I am not sure we lost as much as we learned."

George Washington (1-2) stayed within striking distance during the final eight minutes but could never find the basket to get them over the hump. The time finally arrived in the closing seconds.

Rayana Breckenridge splashed a 3 from the wing to knot the score at 45-45 with a minute remaining in regulation. The Patriots moved ahead for the first time in the final seconds when Breckenridge raced ahead of the pack for a layup after a Red Devils turnover.

George Washington played two of the 16th Region's best teams on back-to-back nights in the Roundball Classic and its coach said his team still had plenty of fight at the finish.

"(On Friday night against Boyd County), we got it down to two," Lemaster said. "They scored eight straight points after that. (On Saturday), we talked with them about energy and effort. We didn't make any adjustments. We were getting beat to loose balls. We were not rebounding the ball. I thought they did a better job in the second half. We got a shot on goal at the end but it didn't go down."

With Steele's off night from the field and its second-leading scorer, Bella Quinn, not finding her first points until the 4;15 mark of the fourth quarter, Russell managed to maintain a large lead in the first half with emerging players, Hannah Sanders and Kennedy Darnell.

Sanders collected seven points in the opening quarter to assist a fast start by the Red Devils. Darnell tallied five straight points in the second stanza to help push the lead to double digits.

"I am really proud of the girls," Layne said. "I thought Hannah Sanders had an unbelievable game. We are always telling Kennedy and the team to be ready. They will pass you the ball. It's what we have been working on, trying to make the easy pass and get the easy shot."

Courtney Fitzpatrick and Kamryn Fleming both scored in the lane to stake Russell (4-0) to a 30-17 lead at halftime.

Steele produced a double-double with a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds. She also dished out eight assists. Darnell contributed nine and Sanders added 13 points.

"Hannah had a really good game the other night (against Bath County)," Layne said. "I was proud of her effort again tonight. She really looked for her shot. She is a very skilled player and I am glad she is having a great season."

Zaniah Zellous netted 13 points and 14 points for the Patriots. Finley Lohan and Siya Smith each had 11.

Boyd County 66 Letcher CC 34The Boyd County defense was still hungry to begin its second game in as many nights at the Roundball Classic.

The pressure quickly swallowed up Letcher County Central.

The Cougars committed 11 first-quarter turnovers, and 26 total miscues. Boyd County responded with 27 points in the first eight minutes on its way to a big victory.

The Lions' first six field goals were layups as the pace started to overwhelm the visitors. Boyd County kept the foot on the accelerator after pulling away for a win over George Washington on Friday to open the event.

"I like the way we shared the ball," Boyd County coach Pete Fraley said. "Our scoring was balanced. We had four kids in double figures. Defensively, we got after them and they didn't like the heat. After a physical game like (Friday night), I wanted to get up on them early and get our legs to see how we were going to respond. I thought we responded really well."

Letcher County Central had no answer for Jasmine Jordan from the opening tip. The forward had eight of the Lions' first 10 points. She finished off the stretch with a left-handed finish.

McKenzie Moore found nothing by nylon on a late first-quarter triple and Jordan finished off the frame with an and-1 to open up a 27-11 lead.

"She's 6-foot-2 and she is long and athletic," Fraley said of Jordan. "We tell her to take care of the paint. I think a lot of it could be college is decided now and the pressure is off. You are just playing. She and Audrey (Biggs) are playing really well. They work and feed off of each other."

"My guards right now are playing tremendous," he added. "Bella Opell is not going to show up in the scorebook with 20 points. It's the things she does defensively and she makes nice passes. Jada Ray is starting to hit some shots. Taylor (Bartrum) does a little bit of everything."

Boyd County (4-1) used a 20-2 run during the second quarter to find plenty of separation. The Lions hit five 3-pointers during the quick spurt.

Keira Couch hit all seven of her field-goal attempts to lead Letcher County Central (1-2) with 14 points.

Jordan finished with a game-high 17 points for Boyd County. Biggs tallied 13 points, Moore added 12 and Ray posted 11.

BOYSPikeville 62 Russell 59Pikeville completed a second-half comeback to take the first game over Russell on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Devils held a 37-26 lead at intermission but Charlie Fitzer scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the final two quarters. The Panthers outscored Russell 36-22 after the break to hold on for the win.

Elijah Neel recorded 20 points and hit a trio of 3s. Caleb Rimmer added 17.

Pikeville had three more players in double figures. Josh Hughes and C. Hurley each had 14 points. Hurley's last name was in the scorebook but his name was not on the roster on the KHSAA website. Eli Johnson dropped in 12.

RUSSELL 17 13 6 12 — 48

G. WASHINGTON 14 3 15 15 — 47

Russell (48)—Steele 15, Quinn 3, Sanders 13, Darnell 9, Fitzpatrick 4, Oborne 2, Allen, Fleming 2. 3-pt Fgs: 5 (Steele 2, Quinn, Sanders, Darnell) FT: 6-9. Fouls: 5

George Washington (47)—Breckenridge 8, Pryor 4, Lohan 11, Smith 11, Zellous 13, Bannon. 3-pt Fgs: 9 (Breckenridge 2, Pryor, Lohan 3, Smith 3) FT: 2-3. Fouls: 9.

LETCHER CC 11 8 8 7 — 34

BOYD CO. 27 17 20 2 — 66

Letcher County Central (34)—Holcomb, Couch 14, Damron 6, Whitt 5, A. Bailey 6, Hatton, Wright 3, Baker, Caudill, Kea. Anderson, Ken. Anderson, S. Bailey. 3-pt Fgs: None FT: 1-2. Fouls: 4.

Boyd County (66)—J. Ray 11, Bartrum 8, Opell 3, Jordan 17, Biggs 13, Stevens 2, Moore 12, Hamilton, Stephens, A. Ray, Gilbert. 3-pt Fgs: 8 (J. Ray, Bartrum 2, Opell, Biggs, Moore 3) FT: 4-10. Fouls: 5.

RUSSELL 19 18 11 11 — 59

PIKEVILLE 11 15 19 17 — 62

Russell (59)—Quinn 2, Fleming 7, Neel 20, Pridemore 7, Rimmer 17, Kaczmarczyk 2, Cordial 4, Hankins. 3-Pt Fgs: 4 (Neel 3, Fleming) FT: 15-24. Fouls: 16.

Pikeville (62)—Hughes 14, Fitzer 16, Johnson 12, Hurley 14, Onkst 7, Belcher, Stone, Little. 3-pt Fgs: 6 (Hughes 2, Johnson, Hurley 2, Onkst) FT: 11-18. Fouls: 17.