Magical Run Ends at Rupp
By: Jak Lindsey
After capturing the 3rd Region Championship this past Sunday, the Lady Devils of OHS fell just short to a solid Henderson County squad in the first round of the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen on Thursday, losing by a final score of 43-39. The Lady Devils finished the season 21-12.
It’s always sad to see a season come to an end, but this was a historic one for the Owensboro Lady Red Devils Basketball program. This team fought through adversity and reached the state tournament, a feat that has not been accomplished since 1992. The entire school and community is extremely proud of this team and wish seniors Tavyonna Greer, Trinity Hogg, A’Lyrica Hughes, Lizy Phillips, Gizelle Whitlock, Emma Wilkins, and Olivia Wilkins nothing but the best.
Despite coming up just short, the Lady Devils fought until the very end and represented Owensboro High School well at Rupp Arena. Sophomore guard Unique Carter-Swanagan played exceptionally, helping keep the Lady Devils alive in the second half. At the final buzzer, Carter-Swanagan had 15 points with three assists to boot. Accompanying her was junior forward Heleina John, who finished with 13 points in 31 minutes of play. Despite struggling to find open looks in the second half, Owensboro managed to go 10-for-10 from the free throw line throughout the entire game.
For the Lady Colonels, sophomore guard A’Tlyia Green led the way with 17 points, including two three pointers. Another big contributor for Henderson was junior guard Allyson Rideout, who had 11 points and dished out eight assists. Junior forward Anna Kemp kept the Colonels alive defensively, with 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. The win moved Henderson’s record up to 26-7 on the season, as they are set to play Cooper High School at 8:30 PM on Friday.
A huge shoutout to head coach Jansen Locher. Since taking over the reins in 2017, Locher has done a great job leading this Lady Devils team. In the past two seasons, OHS has gone 42-23, playing in the 3rd Region Final each year, an amazing accomplishment. Well done, Coach Locher.
As always, it’s a great day to be a Red Devil.
