Adrienne Downs-Perry (11) shoots a layup past a falling Nicholas County defender.
PARIS, Ky — Mason County doesn’t have a junior or senior on the roster, yet veteran coach Paula Buser’s young sophomores were able to tally win number 21 in the first round of the 10th Region Tournament by defeating Nicholas County 56-52.
“This is a great win. This is 21 wins for us with a very competitive basketball schedule. Coming into this season, a lot of people thought we weren’t going to do this, let alone win the 2A Sectional. This is big for us moving forward,” said veteran coach Paula Buser.
All of the Lady Royals’ points came from a quintet of sophomores. Amirah Reed led the team with 24 points off five threes. She made all five threes in the first half and was already up to 17 points.
“She’s a good point guard for us. She shoots the three well, and she’s a floor leader. I thought she did a great job tonight.”
Mason led Nicholas 29-25 going into the locker room.
Maggie Simons, a Nicholas County freshman, came in with a region-leading average of 22.3 points per game. She had 10 points in the first half and finished with 24.
Coach Buser said their plan was just to try to contain her. “She did a nice job tonight anyway, but she’s a good player and a good athlete.”
The Lady Royals came in a little short-handed due to illness and injury. They only had 14 minutes coming off the bench with 0 points.
Being short-handed and in foul trouble forced Mason to play zone. However, they outmatched Nicholas in speed and athleticism, forcing 18 turnovers with 6 steals.
“Our main thing was staying out of foul trouble so we could use our speed and quickness.”
Nicholas County could never get in a rhythm against the Mason County defense, with their longest run being just 6 points. Mason County led almost the entire game. The two teams traded the lead a few times in the third quarter. The Lady Royals pulled away but didn’t put away the Ladyjackets. The lead was in the single digits the entire second half.
With under a minute left, Nicholas had a chance to tie the game, down 55-52. The Lady Royal’s defense would force a miss. Lexi Young would make a free throw to make it a four-point lead with a few seconds left.
Lexi Young scored 15 points and grabbed a whopping 19 rebounds, and Carlee Buttery added 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Mason County moves to 21-11 and will face George Rogers Clark in Friday night’s semifinals at 6:00 p.m. GRC is the heavy favorite to win the region with a record of 28-4 and is ranked number three in the state in the latest Lexington-Herald Cantrell Ratings. They defeated Scott 61-33 in the 6:00 p.m. game.
“We play a powerhouse,” said Buser. “They had some players come in over the summer, and all those players are quick, athletic, and can score. I think, on average, they’ve beaten teams in this region by 30 points or better. We’ve just got to come in and play. We’re in the final four of the region, which is awesome, and whatever happens, happens.”
Nicholas County’s season ends at 22-11.
Box Score:
M: 13-16-10-17–56
N: 10-15-13-14–52
Points: Mason: Reed 24, Young 15 (19 reb), Buttery 12 (6 reb), Hughes 3, Downs-Perry 2. Nicholas: Simons 24 (8 reb), Humphries 15, Banks 7, Davis 6.
Threes – Mason: 8/20, Nicholas: 5/19. Field Goals – Mason: 19/45, Nicholas: 20/55. Free Throws – Mason: 10/21, Nicholas: 7/14. Rebounds – Mason 38 (10), Nicholas 34 (12). Turnovers: Mason 20. Nicholas 18.
