'We're just one step away': Holy Cross advances to All 'A' state championship

Defense wins championships. Defense also travels.

That's what Whitefield Academy, Owsley County and Nicholas County have learned the hard way as they have all lost to Holy Cross in the All "A" state tournament.

The Indians have won three games at Corbin Arena by an average of 32.3 points and will play in their second straight championship game on Sunday, Jan. 28.

Here's how Holy Cross beat Nicholas County, 67-30, to advance to Sunday's title game:

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Three keys to victory

1. Defense: It's first and foremost because it's what the Indians do best. They forced 29 turnovers on Saturday thanks to the speed of Aniyah Carter and Miyah Wimzie, and the length of Julia Hunt and D'Myah Williams. Many of those turnovers were the result of their three-quarter-court pressure.

"Really, we just want to protect middle because usually, when we're longest in the middle of the press, the press is usually broken. So we just wanted to protect the middle and get the traps up top so we can get fast breaks," senior Aaliyah Hayes said.

In the half court, Holy Cross often double-teamed the Lady Jackets and deflected passes that led to turnovers. It was a tone-setter from the outset. Nicholas County threw the ball out of bounds on its first possession of the game, an occurrence that was repeated on its first possession of the second half.

2. Height: The Lady Jackets struggled with Walton-Verona's height in Friday's quarterfinal as forwards Braylin Terrell and Ava Kendall combined for eight points and seven blocks. Hunt and Hayes were an entirely different animal. The seniors totaled 18 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. All five rejections were credited to Hunt, but it seemed like the team total was two or three times that number.

"We were getting our hands on a lot of balls, whether they want to call it a block, a deflection, whatever. Just altering shots in general, we do a really good job of that," head coach Ted Arlinghaus said.

Holy Cross' height didn't force Nicholas County to deviate from their typical shot selection. The Lady Jackets take about 13 3-pointers a game, but only attempted six on Saturday, making one. Even when they drove the ball inside the arc, the Indians forced them into less-than-ideal shots.

3. Depth: A total of 15 players saw the floor for Holy Cross on Saturday. Arlinghaus previously noted how the return of D'Myah Williams has allowed the Indians to go even deeper into their bench. That versatility played a key role as they battled back from an eight-point deficit on Friday.

A 41-15 halftime lead allowed Arlinghaus to go even deeper into his bench, playing seventh-graders Paige Arlinghaus and Lacey Hunt and eighth-grader Avery Sturgeon by game's end. That experience, at this point in the season, is invaluable.

"It's going to make them better to see what the competition out here really is when they come to All 'A', because next year, a lot of us won't be here so they've got to prepare themselves," Hayes said.

Players of the game

Alyssa Arlinghaus, Holy Cross: The freshman led all players with seven assists, scored five points and stole three passes. She played valuable minutes when junior guard Aniyah Carter picked up two fouls in the first quarter.

Tessa Humphries, Nicholas County: The senior led the Lady Jackets with 13 points while grabbing five rebounds and blocking two shots.

Julia Hunt, Holy Cross: She nearly recorded a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Hunt shot an efficient 7-of-12 from the field with almost all her attempts coming from close range. She also had five blocks and two assists.

What's next

Holy Cross, ranked eighth in the latest statewide media poll, will face No. 4 Pikeville at 12 p.m. on Sunday for the All 'A' state championship. The Lady Panthers defeated Owensboro Catholic 59-52 in the second semifinal.

The Indians beat Pikeville 48-32 in the 2023 All 'A' state semifinals.

"We would all be lying if we said this wasn't one of our goals, to run it back and go back-to-back state All 'A' champs," Arlinghaus said. "We're just one step away from completing our mission on this trip, and that's to hopefully cut down some nets tomorrow. I hope we're lucky enough to do it, but the best part is, we've put ourselves in position to give us a chance."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: KHSAA basketball: Holy Cross beats Nicholas County in All 'A' semifinal