The Mason County Lady Royals have secured a trip to Owensboro after defeating the Fleming County Lady Panthers in the Kentucky 2A section 6 championship.
In their championship game against Fleming County in the Panther Den, the Lady Panthers led over Mason County throughout the first half, ending the first quarter up 16-15. The young Lady Royals roster hung close with Fleming County, heading into halftime down two, Fleming County leading 24-22.
The Lady Royals went to work when they returned to the court however, taking the lead by the end of the third, up 40-39. Although still a close game, Mason County retained control of the contest for a three point win over the Lady Panthers, ahead 53-50 at the end of the fourth quarter. Lexi Young and Amirah Reed were tied for first in scoring this game, both putting up 15 points each for Mason County, as they helped push their team over the Lady Panthers for the victory.
This win improved Mason County’s record to 10-5 on the season.
Heading into the Kentucky 2A state championship, the Lady Royals will take on the Taylor County Lady Cardinals this Friday, January 12 at the Owensboro Sportscenter.
Taylor County currently sits with a 12-5 record on the season, and defeated LaRue County, Washington County and Russell County in the 2A section 4 tournament. The Lady Cards currently average 51.5 points per game, and are led by Kayley Benningfield and Kennedy Deener, averaging 9.9 and 7.9 points per game respectively.
While the Lady Royals are a slightly younger team heading into the contest, with Taylor County having four juniors and two seniors leading the team, Mason County currently averages 3.1 more points per game, with leading scorers Lexi Young and Amirah Reed putting up 13.9 and 13.2 points per game.
Both teams enter the contest hungry to advance to the semifinal round of the 2A state tournament, with very similar records and averages.
Advancing to the 2A state tournament, made history for the Mason County girls basketball program. The Lady Royals’ success so far this year is a testament to the young Mason County roster’s commitment and dedication to the game. Mason County is eager to see what the rest of the season brings, as well as the next few seasons, as the team continues to grow, improve and gel together.
The Lady Royals and Lady Cardinals game will tip off this Friday at the Owensboro Sportscenter at 4:00 p.m. central time, and will be live streamed on www.prepspin.com. The winners of this contest will take on the winners of the Franklin Simpson/ Cal game at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, with the championship round taking place at noon on Sunday.
