Lady Purples outlast Bishop Brossart in KHSAA Sweet 16 first round double-OT thriller
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BVM) — Kentucky high school basketball fans got a little bit of free viewing time when the Bowling Green Lady Purples took on the Bishop Brossart Lady ‘Stangs in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Girls Basketball Sweet 16 first round on April 7 at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Four quarters wasn’t enough for the two teams battling to advance to the state’s final eight as the squads played to a nail-biting double-overtime finish which saw the Lady Purples come out on top 50-48.
It was a close contest throughout the game, with neither team gaining a significant edge over the other. The first quarter ended with the Lady ‘Stangs taking a 7-5 lead after three lead changes, but the Purples would come out fast in the second, jumping to their biggest lead of the game 15-7 after a 10-0 run. Bishop wouldn’t go away, though, and would use an 8-2 run to cut the Bowling Green lead to two as the teams went into halftime with the Lady Purples up 17-15.
In the third, the Lady ‘Stangs came out trying to regain the lead and would do so with a strong end of the quarter when Lauren Macht hit a 3-point shot to give Bishop a 25-23 lead with 2:33 left. After a pair of made free throws by Bowling Green’s Meadow Tisdale tied the game at 25, the Lady ‘Stangs finished the third on a 4-0 run to take a 29-25 lead into the final frame.
The teams would continuously trade blows during the final quarter of regulation, with two lead changes and two ties in the period. After Bishop took a 35-30 lead on a Rosie Jump made 3-pointer with 5:46 left in the game, the Lady Purples would use the free throw line to their advantage as they’d go on a 7-2 run before Tanaya Bailey would steal the ball with two seconds left to force overtime with the teams tied at 37 apiece.
In the first four–minute overtime period, neither team would budge as each responded to the other’s strong offensive play. A 3-point shot by Macht would give the Lady ‘Stangs a 43-41 lead with just over a minute to play, but a layup by Lady Purples forward Lynkahlah James would tie the game up with 45 seconds left. Macht would miss a 3-point attempt near the end of the period to send the two teams to double-overtime tied at 43.
In double-overtime, the Lady Purples jumped out to a lead when Emma Huskey hit a 3-point shot with 3:26 left in the game. Three Bishop free throws would tie the game at 46 with 1:46 left in the game before Tisdale and Macht traded layups to tie the game at 48 with 60 seconds left. A foul would send Bailey to the line where she would sink both free throws to give the Lady Purples the 50-48 lead and after a couple of missed Lady ‘Stang 3-pointers, Bowling Green came away with the thrilling victory.
Leading the way for the Lady Purples was James who had a double-double in the effort scoring a team-high 15 points while grabbing a game-high 19 rebounds. Tisdale was also critical for Bowling Green as she scored 14 points while adding four rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Bailey, who made a pair of clutch plays for the Lady Purples, scored nine points while also adding three steals and a block.
The Lady Purples will now face a Sacred Heart team coming off of an impressive 64-32 victory over Knott County Central in its opening round game. The two will tip-off at 11 a.m. EST at Rupp Arena on April 9.
