Amirah Reed goes up for a shot against the Pendleton County Lady Cats in the first round of the 10th Region girls basketball tournament.
Savannah Rarrieck works her way toward the goal in the first round of the 10th Region girls basketball tournament.
The Mason County Lady Royals tipped off against the Pendleton County Lady Cats in the first round of the 10th Region girls basketball tournament on Monday, March 3.
After earning a first-round home game by defeating Bracken County 62-28 in the 39th District championship game last Thursday, the Lady Royals returned to the Fieldhouse on Monday to face off against the Lady Cats, hoping to advance to the 10th Region semifinals for the first time since 2024.
As the game began, Pendleton County quickly picked up a slim lead over the Lady Royals; however, strong 3-point shooting from Kyliegh Kirk put Mason County back in the game and out ahead of the Lady Cats.
Kirk put up three 3-pointers and one free throw in the first quarter for 10 of the Lady Royals’ 16 points.
“That’s just what we continue to tell the kids: keep the basketball moving, it’s gonna find the right places,” said the Lady Royals’ head coach, Jay Fite. “We’re just happy that they’re doing that. The ball’s got to move, first and foremost; they’ve got to trust each other, secondly; and then they’ve got to make the shots. We’ll try to put them there, we’ll try to keep them moving the way they need to do, and the kids will step up, perform and make big baskets. That’s what they did tonight.”
Up 16-8 heading into the second quarter, the Lady Royals looked to extend their lead into halftime and continue blocking the Lady Cats’ offense.
Pendleton County outscored Mason County 15-13 in the second quarter to cut the Lady Royals’ lead down to six points at the half. Laci Tackett scored 10 of the Lady Cats’ points this quarter, with two 3-pointers, a field goal and two free throws.
“I know that Ashcraft is their leading scorer, averaging about 15, 16 a game. Adrienne Downs-Perry did a great job on her, sticking to her, making things difficult and playing without fouling,” said Coach Fite. “I know they had two kids at half that were in double figures: Tackett and Spaulding. We obviously made that a point of emphasis coming into the second half, and I believe they had five and two, respectively, in the second half.”
Mason County regained control of the game in the third quarter, putting up 19 points to the Lady Cats’ 16, to lead 48-39 heading into the final eight minutes of play.
The Lady Royals’ defense allowed Pendleton County just three points in the fourth quarter — a pair of free throws from Tackett and one from Kylie Dunn. Two field goals and a pair of free throws from Downs-Perry made up six of Mason County’s 11 points this quarter, with a pair of goals and one free throw from Amirah Reed rounding out the Lady Royals’ total.
Mason County ultimately earned the victory with a score of 59-42 over the Lady Cats. They will now gear up to face the reigning 10th Region girls basketball champions, the George Rogers Clark Lady Cardinals, at Harrison County on Friday.
“First day’s gonna be an off day. Let them prep, rest their bodies, that way we can come back on Wednesday, Thursday, get a good physical work out in. Plan and prep just like we have been for these last few games, make sure we’re mentally prepared and physically prepared,” said Coach Fite. “We’re gonna come in and throw everything that we can at them. We’ve got some tough kids on this team, too. Don’t expect them to come in and lay down.”
The Lady Cardinals defeated Bishop Brossart 77-23 in their quarterfinal match.
LADY CATS: 42
LADY ROYALS: 59
PENDLETON COUNTY
8-15-16-3 – 42
MASON COUNTY
16-13-19-11 – 59
Scoring
Pendleton: Tackett 15, Spaulding 13, Ashcraft 6, Dunn 3, Rarrieck 3, Kelly 2
Mason: Kirk 15, Reed 15, Downs-Perry 11, Buttery 5, Hughes 5, Tye 5, Fox 3
Game Stats
Field Goals: Pendleton 6, Mason 10
3-Pointers: Pendleton 5, Mason 10
Free Throws: Pendleton 15/20, Mason 9/17
Fouls: Pendleton 14, Mason 15
Records: Pendleton 18-8, Mason 18-9
