HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — The Second Region title drought finally ended for Webster County on Saturday night as the Lady Trojans held Christian County without a single point in the second quarter on the way to a 45-32 victory—marking the first regional title in 20 years.
But the Lady Trojans will look to end another streak on Thursday night when they take on 16th Region champion Boyd County at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena.
Webster County (28-6) has lost in the first round in the last three state tournaments it has played in, and the Lady Trojans have not won a game at the state tournament since a 58-45 victory over Sheldon Clark in the first round of the tournament in 1981.
But beating Boyd County will not be an easy task on Thursday night.
The Lady Lions (27-4) have now won the 16th Region title two seasons in a row, and they posted a 18-0 record in regional play this season—including four victories over mountain powerhouse and 64th District rival Ashland Paul Blazer. Boyd County has not lost to a team from its region since Feb. 4, 2017.
Boyd County is led by junior point guard Savannah Wheeler, who is ranked eighth in the state in scoring with 25 points per game. Wheeler is committed to continue her basketball career at Marshall University—a decision that she already made two years ago as a freshman.
Wheeler is best known for her shooting abilities. She is currently ranked second in the state in 3-pointers by making 101-of-272 attempts from downtown this season, and the junior standout is the 12th-best free-throw shooter in the state by netting 81.9 percent of her attempts.
Behind Wheeler Boyd County is ranked third in the state in offensive efficiency by pouring in an average of 72.5 points per night, and the Lady Lions have eclipsed the 90-point mark three times this season while reaching the century mark once.
But Webster County is no stranger to stifling potent offenses.
The Lady Trojans are the sixth-best defensive team in the state by yielding just 39.2 points per game, and that ability was certainly on display in the region title game when Webster held Christian scoreless for an 11-minute period. The Lady Colonels entered the game against the Lady Trojans as the 12th-most explosive offense in Kentucky with an average of 65.5 points per outing.
The core of Webster County’s team is the senior duo of Jessica Winders and Jamie Winstead. Winders averages 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while Winstead pours in 8.3 points and hauls down 6.0 rebounds per night.
The guardplay of sophomore Marissa Austin and junior Karlie Keeney nicely complements Winders and Winstead, the pair scoring 10.2 and 11.1 points, respectively, per game.
Webster County has also seen great production from its bench as of late as the freshman trio of Mariah Austin, Sadie Wurth and Adeline McDyer have provided very valuable minutes off the pine for the Lady Trojans.
Tip-off between Webster County and Boyd County is slated for 6:30 p.m. EST at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena. Tickets at the gate are $14 and $19 while parking will cost $5.
