Barren County continues to come up clutch in crunch time.
The Trojanettes – who used a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from McKenzie England to defeat Allen County-Scottsville in overtime last week in the District 15 Tournament – added another exhilarating finish to their resume on Tuesday night, using a late and-one from Elizabeth Bertram to beat South Warren in the Girls’ Region 4 Tournament quarterfinals at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The win marked Barren County’s first in the regional tournament since 2009.
“The full 30 minutes was really great basketball,” Barren County coach Piper Lindsey said. “It was back-and-forth and neck-and-neck. I think the most they got up was five, and we just kept battling and kept fighting. I just can’t say enough about this team. They don’t give up — and I just think that says a lot about the team.”
BCHS, which is now 29-4 on the season, exchanged leads three different times with South Warren in the final 30 seconds. England scored first on a jumper to put the Trojanettes up 57-56, but the Spartans sprinted down the court and Natalie Pierce hit a tough layup to make it 58-57 South Warren with just eight seconds left.
Trailing by a single point, Bertram received the inbounds pass and rushed down the middle of the hardwood, made a layup off the left side of the glass and was fouled. Bertram’s free throw – which was nothing but net – gave Barren County a 60-58 lead and helped it come out on top and keep its season alive.
“She’s relentless. She’s going to continue to drive and continue to attack,” Lindsey said of Bertram. “She wasn’t making shots, but she’s got that confidence to continue to get to the basket.”
England finished with 20 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting from the field, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Bailey Pedigo scored 19 points for the Trojanettes, while Mallory Pedigo registered a 7-point, 10-assist performance.
Barren County shot 55.6 percent (25-of-45) from the field, racked up 22 assists in comparison to just seven turnovers and went 8-of-11 from the free-throw line.
With the Trojanettes’ victory, they’ll now meet Logan County in Monday’s 6 p.m. semifinal.
“We’ll take off tomorrow and rest a little bit and get back at it Thursday, Friday, Sunday and be ready to go on Monday,” said Lindsey. “We’ve gotta play hard no matter what. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing. We’ve gotta be ready to go.”
Six points from Brooke Stevenson helped South Warren jump out to an early 6-2 lead, but Barren County answered with a 6-0 run to jump in front 8-6 at the 5:05 mark of the first quarter. The two sides traded baskets throughout the remainder of the period, and the scoreboard was knotted at 14-all after one.
The Spartans (17-13) built an 18-14 lead early into the second before the Trojanettes fired back with a 7-0 run to go up 21-18 at the 4:05 mark. Things kept tight in that four-minute stretch, and a pair of Pierce free throws tied the game at 27-all at halftime.
Hallie Parrish’s bucket midway through the third put South Warren up 36-33 before back-to-back scores from Pierce and Parrish made it 40-35 at the 2:13 mark. Pierce’s free throws gave the Spartans a 42-37 lead late in the quarter, but Bailey Pedigo closed it with a basket to get the Trojanettes within 42-39 entering the fourth.
“Emotions went up and down, but I knew we were gonna pull it out the whole time,” England said. “I did. I had faith in my girls and I believed in ’em. Our fans and our bench mean a lot to us and they really helped us out this game. They gave us the faith.”
Barren County outscored South Warren 21-16 in the final quarter, but the Spartans didn’t go away.
Three straight points from Bailey Pedigo tied it at 47-all before a jumper from England soon after put the Trojanettes up 53-49 at the 3:58 mark. South Warren answered with a 5-0 run – highlighted by Parrish’s 3 – to take a 54-53 lead with 2:49 remaining, and it was 56-55 Spartans with 48.2 seconds left.
England’s big jumper from the left elbow put Barren up 57-56, but Pierce’s bucket on the opposite end gave South a 58-57 advantage with just eight seconds to tick. That’s when Bertram capped the wild finish with her explosive and-one to send the Trojanettes out on top and end the Spartan’s campaign.
Pierce finished with a game-high 30 points in her final game as a Spartan.
“I think there’s something to be said for playing probably the best game of the season in the most important one,” South Warren coach Lane Embry said. “Our kids really stepped up. We had people just really step up where they needed to. We just couldn’t get over the top with that last one. It’s heartbreaking … I hate it for these girls.”
SWHS – 14 13 15 16 — 58
BCHS – 14 13 12 21 — 60
SW – Pierce 30, Stevenson 10, Button 8, Parrish 8, Enlow 2.
BC – England 20, B. Pedigo 19, Bertram 7, M. Pedigo 7, Delk 3, Bush 2, Ennis 2.
