Late shot lifts Indiana girls over Kentucky

Jun. 11—The Kentucky All-Stars rallied from a seven-point deficit within the final 1:24, but Indiana's Alyssa Crockett put in a layup with 2.2 seconds remaining to lift her team to a 67-66 victory in the first of a two-game doubleheader Friday night at the Sportscenter.

After falling behind 64-57, the Kentucky girls outscored Indiana 9-1 and took a one-point lead on Jaileyah Cotton's turnaround jump shot in the post with 16.2 seconds remaining. Consecutive turnovers by both teams gave the ball back to Indiana, setting up the game-winning shot for Michigan-bound Crockett.

"I thought we competed," said Kentucky head coach Judie Mason, also Danville's girls coach. "We were down six with a minute to go, got the lead back and just didn't get the breaks there at the end.

"We played hard and we fought until the end. Nobody really gave us a chance to play with this team — usually, Indiana comes in and just sweeps the floor with us — so I was pleased. I thought every kid that played competed and played hard. It was an exciting game to coach."

Neither team could create much separation in the first quarter, with Kentucky leading 10-9 at the first break. It then pulled ahead for a 16-9 advantage with 7:30 left in the second frame before Indiana answered with a 13-4 scoring run. The contest was tied at 25 at halftime.

It took some time for Kentucky's players to get their feet underneath them, coaches said.

"This is the first time we've had our whole team together because of commitments for college and graduations and this and that," Mason said. "As the game went on, we got more comfortable with it. The girls don't see the excitement of the all-star game game until they get here because it's been so far off. Now we're here, and then at about halftime, we realized, 'Oh, this is something big.'

"I think they were wide-eyed at the beginning — I thought probably both teams were — but I was pleased. I think now it's hit them and I think now it means more to them."

UK signee Amiya Jenkins, who scored a game-high 19 points, made back-to-back buckets for a 40-38 Kentucky lead before Indiana surged ahead for a 47-45 advantage at the end of the third quarter.

An 8-0 run pushed Indiana to its largest lead of the contest at 60-52 with 3:02 remaining, setting the stage for the game's final flourish.

WKU signee Josie Gilvin and Bellarmine-bound Gracie Merkle scored 14 points apiece for Kentucky, with Merkle also grabbing 12 rebounds and swatting four shots.

Kentucky made 24-of-73 shots from the field (32.8%), 4-of-22 from 3-point range (18.2%) and 14-of-19 free throws (73.6%) with 23 turnovers leading to 15 Indiana points. Kentucky also claimed a 50-46 rebounding advantage and a 15-13 mark in second-chance scoring.

Tanyuel Welch scored 13 points for Indiana, while Jessica Carrothers and Ashlyn Traylor posted 12 points apiece.

Indiana made 27-of-65 shots from the floor (41.5%), only 1-of-13 from long range (7.7%) and 12-of-26 foul shots (46.2%) with 23 turnovers leading to 19 Kentucky points. Indiana also claimed the edge in paint scoring (32-30), fastbreak production (6-5) and bench scoring (20-6).

Though she played sparingly Friday night, Apollo High School product Amaya Curry has impressed the Kentucky coaches as well.

"Just a great kid," Mason said. "We practiced in Harrodsburg and she was there on time every time. She just had a hard mismatch tonight. Hopefully tomorrow, we get her in more. Bellarmine's going to get a steal.

"Curry is a great kid, does whatever we ask her to do. I think tomorrow she'll make a difference."

The second game of the series will be held Saturday at Southport High School in Indianapolis.

INDIANA 9 16 22 20 — 67

KENTUCKY 10 15 20 21 — 66

Indiana (67) — Welch 13, Carrothers 12, Traylor 12, Madden 7, Stoddard 7, Crockett 6, Stewart 4, Smith 4, Fox 2.

Kentucky (66) — Jenkins 16, Gilvin 14, Merkle 14, Cotton 8, Rowe 8, Lindsey 6.