GLASGOW—With two ties and eight lead changes in the first quarter alone, it looked like the first semifinal game of the 15th District Tournament between top seed Barren County and four-seed Monroe County was going to be a real battle.
But the Trojanettes would quickly take control of the game and validate their positioning on top of the district.
Barren County made the necessary adjustments to go on a 20-3 run to end the first half and take a 29-15 lead into the locker room, and the Trojanettes were able to cruise to a 63-43 victory over the Lady Falcons at Glasgow High School on Monday night.
“I thought the girls bought in and made those adjustments and changes,” Barren County coach Piper Lindsey said. “We were able to have a much better second and third quarter.”
The Trojanettes (24-6) trailed 12-9 late in the first quarter before ending the frame on a 6-0 run that was capped off by senior Hadleigh Hammer’s 3-pointer from the right wing at the buzzer.
“Sometimes you need a big shot like that from a big-time player to step up and hit that,” Lindsey said. “The girls feed off of that, and that was a big shot for her.”
Barren County continued the positive momentum off Hammer’s shot at the beginning of the second quarter as the Trojanettes opened up the frame on a 7-1 run to take a 22-13 lead—forcing Monroe County coach Clifton Hamilton to call a timeout with 5:38 to go before halftime. Barren outpaced the Lady Falcons 7-2 the remainder of the half to take a 29-15 advantage into the locker room.
Barren kept up its strong performance in the third quarter, and the Trojanettes built their lead all the way up to 48-25 after a driving layup on the left side by Mallory Pedigo just seconds before the end of the period.
But Monroe County was not finished just yet.
The Lady Falcons (14-13) opened up the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, and Monroe County narrowed the deficit to 48-32 with 6:01 left in regulation after a basket by Mahala Rich.
Barren County sophomore Elizabeth Bertram—who played in her first game in over two months after coming back from her injury—was fouled on the ensuing Trojanettes’ possession. She netted two free throws to push the lead back out to 18, and Monroe County was unable to surmount another serious rally the rest of the way.
Bailey Pedigo led the Trojanettes in the win with 19 points and nine rebounds while McKenzie England and Betram each had nine points. Mallory Pedigo finished with eight points for Barren County—who shot 44 percent from the field by converting 22-of-50 attempts.
“We don’t have one standout kid that’s going to go out and get 30 for us every night, and I think that makes us hard to guard,” Lindsey said. “It was definitely a combined effort.”
Ashley Gearlds led Monroe County in the loss with 14 points while Paisley Ford added 10. The defending region runner-up Lady Falcons end the 2017-18 campaign with a mark of 14-13.
Barren County will now play archrvial Glasgow for the 15th District title on Thursday night at 6 p.m. The Lady Scotties advanced with a 49-41 victory over Allen County-Scottsville in their first-round game.
“It’s pretty exciting knowing that we’re going to region,” England said. “It’s pretty exciting knowing that we’re playing good team ball, and we’re hitting our peak at the right time.”
