LEXINGTON — Ashland took advantage of a poor shooting effort from Knott Central in the first half of first round action of Thursday’s Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16, and cruised to a 46-34 victory.
The Kittens jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first quarter while building a 21-3 lead before the Lady Patriots connected with their first field with 30 seconds remaining in the first half.
Knott Central put together a rally in the second half, cutting its deficit to 41-32 with 2:35 remaining in the game, but dug itself too big of a hole.
Ken Leigh Woods led Ashland with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting while finishing with six rebounds, and two assists. Ella Sellars added 12 points, and four rebounds.
The Kittens shot 17-of-48, including a 0-of-12 shooting effort from 3-point range. Jaidyn Gulley added six points, and 11 rebounds.
After starting the game misfiring on their first 17 shots, the Lady Patriots finished 12–of-38 from the floor, including a 5-of-20 effort from behind the arc.
Kaylee Gibson led Knott Central with nine points while Kylie Gayheart added six points.
Ashland took control of the game from the onset, building an 11-0 lead in the first quarter, and never looking back.
The Kittens (26-7) took advantage of Knott Central misfiring on all eight shot attempts in the first quarter while hitting 5-of-18 from the floor.
Woods scored six points during the period while Gulley added three points.
The Lady Patriots’ (23-10) struggles carried over into the second quarter. They misfired on their first 17 shot attempts, and finally hit their first field goal with 30 seconds remaining in the first half, ending their struggles of hitting a shot at 15:30 thanks to a 3-pointer by Gayheart.
Knott Central shot 1-of-18 from the floor in the first half, and was outrebounded, 25-15, while trailing, 21-6.
Ashland hit 9-of-27 shot attempts as Sellars, and Woods each scored eight points apiece in the first half.
The Lady Patriots began to heat up in the third quarter, outscoring Ashland, 16-12, to cut its deficit to 33-22 heading into the fourth quarter thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Akasia Bentley.
Knott Central connected on 7-of-9 shot attempts during the period.
The Lady Patriots continued for ally in the fourth quarter, cutting their deficit to 41-32 with 2:35 left in the game but couldn’t get any closer.
