Monticello — s The Monticello Lady Trojans met number four ranked Rockcastle County, on

Friday March 5t at Lincoln County High School gym, in the second semifinal

game of the 12th Region Tournament. Monticello entered with an 18-12 mark,

coming off an impressive 67-58 win over Mercer County. The Lady Rockets

owned a 25-4 record and advanced into the match up with a 63-50 win over

Garrad County. The winner would move on to face Lincoln County, a 63-49

winner over Southwestern, in Saturday night's championship game.

Junior All-State candidate Sarah Hammond led five Rockcastle County

players in double figures with a game high 18 points, as the Lady Rockets

opened the game with a 19-0 run, en route to a 78-41 tournament win. Hammond

totaled 9 field goals and helped the winners enjoy a 41-17 rebound

advantage.

"Rockcastle County came out hot, made some big shots from the three

point line, and opened up Hammond on the inside. Give them all the credit,

we tried to take away their inside game, but they had some players step up

and make shots. They opened with that big run and we couldn't make shots,

which put our team in a big hole. We never quit and I'm so proud of our

kids. It was just a bad night to face one of the best teams in the state,

while they were firing on all cylinders, " said Monticello head coach Marla

Kelsch.

Junior guard Angie Lawrence totaled three 3-pointers to get thirteen

points, while Michaela Hunter sparked the reserves with 12 points. Jackie

Alexandar finished with 11 points and Kristin Abny scored 10 points, as ten

different Lady Rockets scored in the win, as the squad improved to a region

best 26-4 , on the season.

"Rockcastle County is one of the best teams in the state for a good

reason. Coach Noble does a very good job preparing her teams and we just

couldn't answer their effort. They moved on to win the region, advance to

the semifinals of the Sweet 16 and were a couple of calls away from possibly

playing for a state title. The final game of the year is always tough, but

to lose to a team of their caliber, certainly doesn't take away form what I

feel was a tremendous season" said Kelsch.

Monticello, which dropped to 18-13, shot just 28 percent from the field

led by guard Courtney Morrow. The junior finished 3 of 7 from the floor and

3 of 4 from the free throw line, to net a team best 11 points, with 3

rebounds and 3 assists, in 30 minutes of play. Senior forward Lacey Alley

finished with 9 points, 4 assists and 3 blocks, while Malesha Hughes added 8

points.

"I'm so proud of this team. Losing the class we did last year and to

come back and make the final four of the region, I really think we may have

even surpassed our own goals. We didn't shoot the ball very well, which made

things a struggle. To pull an upset we needed to have another great shooting

night and hope Rockcastle County was off. That didn't happen, but we were

one of only four teams left in the region, which is something to certainly

be proud of. I hope we can get back there next year, it was a tremendous

experience for our team," said Kelsch.

Mariah Hughes grabbed a team best 6 rebounds with 3 points, while Maggie

Hopper totaled 4 points off the bench. The trio of Autumn Bell, Tiara Duncan

and Miranda Perkins scored 2 points each as eight different Lady Trojans

scored in the contest.

Angie Lawrence totaled 8 points and Sara Hammond netted 6 points, as

Rockcastle opened with a 19-0 run, en route to a 21-4 lead.

"Rockcastle County has all kinds of big game and post season experience,

which allowed them to get off to a great start They made some tough shots

and we just struggled," said Kelsch. Michaela Hunter helped to add to the

lead with 9 points in the second stanza, as the Lady Rockets used a 20-10

surge to push to a 41-14 halftime advantage. Lawrence and Hammond both got

10 points each in the half, while Lacey Alley led the Lady Trojans with 4

points in the half.

Cortney Morrow scored 6 points in the third frame and Alley netted 5

points, as Monticello battled to a 14-15 tilt, which gave the Lady Rockets a

56-28 lead.

Rockcastle County used seven different scorers in the final quarter and

ended the game with a 22-13 flurry, to cruise to a 78-41 win.

The Lady Rockets connected on 32-64 field goal attempts overall for 50

percent, which included a 9 of 15 effort from 3-point range for 60 percent.

The winners converted on 5 of 6 free throws for 83 percent and totaled 17

turnovers, which the Lady Trojans turned into 14 points.

Monticello shot 13 of 47 overall for 28 percent and etched on 4 of 20

3-pointers for 20 percent. The squad made 11 of 17 free throws for 65

percent and totaled 11 assists with 5 steals, against 15 turnovers.

The loss ended the prep careers of the Lady Trojans' four seniors Lacey

Alley, Jackie Anderson, Brittney Crabtree and Maggie Hopper.

"This class has been such a part of our program's turn around. They have

been a big part of three straight winning seasons and 37 wins the past two

years. We'll miss each player for a lot of different reasons, but they are a

very special group. We have a lot of work to do in the off-season to replace

them, but I'm so proud of what this group accomplished," said Kelsch.

Congratulations to the Lady Trojans on a successful and memorable

season.