The Bethlehem Banshees had just won their Fourth Straight 5th Region Championship last Saturday night at Hart County high school. It was the fourth meeting between the two 19th District Teams and the third straight win for the Banshees over the Lady Tigers.
Bethlehem’s coach Jason Clark understood the value of playing a team four times during the season and the problems it presents. After losing to Bardstown in early December (this of course was nearly two weeks after Leah Macy was injured in the McCracken County game) and allowing both Kadence Livers and Ella Buckman to score over 20-points each while as a team the Lady Tigers hit 9-of-14 threes, the Banshees adjusted after Macy’s return by returning the favor on January 30th winning 66-40 with Macy (20-points) and Ashlyn Miles (16-points) having big games. In the District Championship game on February 29th, Bethlehem came out on top in a wild game which saw the two teams score a combined 157-points. Although both Macy (32-points) and Carlie Thurmond (25-points) had big games for the Banshees, the Lady Tigers shot 51% from the field with Rowan Walls (20-points) and Buckman (20-points) scoring at will. When the two teams saw the bracket in the Region tourney, they had to either be extremely happy or a bit worried as each had to be careful if they were to reach Saturday’s Final.
The Banshees had a rather easy time beating Marion County 77-34 in Round One on Sunday, but their next opponent would be a bigger challenge. North Hardin, which had won 27-games (setting a team record) would give them all they could handle. They had an offense which could score quickly as both Bethlehem and North Hardin were the only two teams in the 5th Region with over 2,000-points. Convinced they couldn’t get away with a sparse defensive effort and the Lady Trojans Twin Towers (Destiny Scott and Casey McKinney) which would match up well with Macy.
Instead, the Banshees came out firing. Thurmond hit four threes in the first half (she finished with seven), Macy had 33-points on a variety of spins and jumpers. Both Ashlyn and Tessa Miles finished with 18 and 17 points respectably as Bethlehem raced out to leads of 31-12 and 47-30 at the half while holding North Hardin and their firecracker offense to 62-points and outrebounded them 39-to-19. It was the best performance by the Banshees and perhaps their most complete game thanks to the girls and the coaching staff (assistants Jaime Hodges and David Simpson), who game planned for this such occasion.
Meanwhile, Bardstown had a similar route despite being quite a surprise to everyone. After struggling through the shambles of a 14-win season last year and coach Amber Courtney moving on to Elizabethtown, the Lady Tigers were much the surprise under Ashley Buckman and their 23-wins coming into the Region Tourney were proof. Also, the Lady Tigers were consistent and dangerous as their scoring came from several players like Buckman, Livers, Walls and Addison Riley. But after their close loss to Bethlehem in the District Final, Bardstown drew Green County in the first round and nearly had their season ended, but a last-minute comeback and a three point shot which rimmed out allowed them to survive a 52-49 nailbiter. Taylor County would be their next opponent and it was another rough and tumble battle, but Bardstown again proved the doubters wrong with a 56-51 win thanks to Buckman’s 30-points and the Lady Tigers hitting 17-of-21 free throws.
Which set up another classic 19th District matchup. For the second time (Bethlehem and Nelson County played in the 2022 Region Final at North Hardin), there would be a rematch of area foes at Hart County high school. For the Lady Tigers, it would be their second appearance in the Region championship game (the last was 2018 against Elizabethtown) and a chance to atone for previous sins. For the Banshees, another opportunity to add to their lustrous history and a 4th straight Region Title and another chance to play at the Big House at Rupp.
For many, it seemed easy. Too easy. However, nothing has been very easy for Bethlehem this season.
With the addition of Macy to the fold, many experts saw the Banshees as an easy pick to repeat as Region champions and after outscoring their first two opponents 131-72, that seemed like a safe bet, but Macy’s was injured during the McCracken County game, the entire team held their collective breath until an MRI showed no major damage, so rest was the diagnosis, but while Macy sat, the Banshees struggled.
First there was the Bardstown loss (the first by the district foe since 2021). Then they went 1-3 at the Queen of the Commonwealth losing to Covington Holy Cross, DuPont Manuel and Barren County allowing over 70-points on all three losses. The Banshees went 5-5, but when Macy returned it appeared things seem to calm down as the team went a collective 14-2 with wins over Bowling Green, CAL and Owensboro in back-to-back-to-back wins to end the season.
Coming into the Region Final, Bethlehem had allowed over 70-points in seven games this season and other than the District final scoring fest, had lost all of them. Also, the Banshees, although they have won four of the past five Region finals they have played in, the past two (against Nelson County and Taylor County) were far from blowouts, which is what usually happens when you have the two best teams standing in a field of eight.
Macy scored the first basket, then after Ashlyn Miles’ free throws and Thurmond hit her only three pointer of the game, Bardstown retaliated with two threes to cut into the lead. Macy hit a jumper and the Banshees led 17-8 with 2:00 left in the first quarter. Bethlehem continued their surge as Kensey Clayton, who only scored 6-points, all on three’s, hit her second and the lead went to 12 at 32-20 with 2:24 remaining in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Banshee defense continued to be smothering as the Lady Tigers had to fight for any and all progress under and around the basket with Clayton, Macy and Miles sisters were like Windex as they kept cleaning the glass when the ball went up near the goal.
The Banshees outrebounded the Lady Tigers 48-20 with Macy pulling down 20 (mostly on the defensive (18) side) and Ashlyn Miles, who had 14 and scored about half of her 14-points on putbacks.
After trailing 41-22 at the half, the Lady Tigers tried to make a comeback as Rowan Walls fought to the basket for a layup. Walls would lead Bardstown with 12-points and would fight for every point until she fouled out late in the game. Still, her 6-of-9 shooting made the game a little respectable. However, she was one of the few bright spots as the Clayton and the Banshees did a number on Bardstown shooter with Buckman held to just 5-points (2-10 shooting), Livers finished with 14 (4-12 shooting) and Riley was held to 5-points (2-16 shooting).
Meanwhile, the Banshees kept building on the score as Macy, who would finish with a game high 31-points on 10-13 shooting (not counting her one made three) hit another medium range jumper to make it 63-42 at the 5:45 mark of the fourth quarter. Tessa Miles, who turned her ankle late in the first quarter still finished with 12-points, 4-assists and 2-steals. Carlie Thurmond (7-points) struggled as the Lady Tigers tried to take her out of the game, but she still had 6-rebounds and 2-steals.
With the score 76-43 and a 23-point difference, coach Clark took the starters out of the game and put in the reserves. After a long an emotional season, Clayton took her spot on the bench and began to become to tear up. Maybe it was the realization of another successful season. Maybe it was the fact that it was her senior season and it was swiftly coming to an end. Then again, it may have been something else. After a long and emotional month of January, she and the Banshees have endured and survived just like the past several seasons when they were suddenly dealing with the target on their backs ever since the 2019 team started it all winning their first (and the team’s first) Region Championship when nobody thought they could. Now, everyone wants to come after them.
Carlie Thurmond remembers well the first Region Title and the next season when they lost to that same Elizabethtown team after being favored and then the excitement as she moved into the staring lineup along with Amelia Hodges and Ella Thompson as they reclaimed their Region hardware. She also doesn’t have to be reminded about her first trip to Rupp Arena and the team’s first win at Rupp against a tough Bullitt East team and Gracie Merkle. She and teammate Ashlyn Miles have been a big part of the past three seasons as they went from the hunter to the hunted.
It was actually Miles, who was thrust into a starting role in 2022 at midseason and stepped to the free throw line against LaRue County in a Region Tourney game being asked to finish off the Lady Hawks and then the following year this time at Taylor County in the game of the ages being asked to do the same thing in the wildest Region final that anyone can remember.
Those three have grown up fast and suddenly after winning their fourth straight Region final are about to hand over the reins to the next group coming along.
It’s funny. Last season, this team won 28-games and with only one senior leaving, but still leaving a pretty big hole to fill, then Macy joins the team despite an injury came through and helped solidify an already talented lineup of kids that understand their roles.
After the awards ceremony, Macy’s mom Stephanie was trying to recreate a photo taken of the five starters when they played many years ago as grade-schoolers on a travel team and the ironic thing was that they had played together before during their early years as kids. It’s funny that no matter how much things change, they are also sometimes the same.
Seeing Macy posing with former Banshee legends Hodges and Thompson, who always show up during tournament time to support the team made me realize how much fun these kids have during the games and how much they miss it when it’s gone. Now with the Banshees about to make another trip to Rupp Arena, I’m sure that Carlie, Ashlyn and Kensey will take this seriously, but also try to enjoy the ride because as any team which won the Region Title four straight times will tell you, 4-Peating isn’t easy.
