Mercer County vs. Franklin County for girls’ state title
PrintBY MIKE FIELDS (March 11, 2017)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — Mercer County will play Franklin County in the championship game of the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen in BB&T Arena Sunday at 2 p.m.
Mercer County (30-6) earned a spot in the finals for the first time by beating Murray 67-60 in Saturday’s semifinals.
Franklin County (33-5) advanced to the title game by beating Holmes 51-36 in Saturday’s nightcap. The Flyers have twice been state runners-up, both times to Butler, in 1980 and last year.
Mercer County Coach Chris Souder said his program has come a long way in recent years. He remembers his Titans getting demolished by Elizabethtown 79-38 in the first round of the Sweet Sixteen in 2015.
They made a better showing last year, making it to the semifinals before losing to Franklin County 55-51.
“It’s just incredible the way this program’s evolved over the last several years,” Souder said. “From when these girls were eighth-graders and getting beat by about 150 by E-town in the first round, to where we are right now.
“I’ve been a head coach a long time and this is special. You only dream of playing in the state championship game.”
Mercer County won its 12th game in a row thanks to stellar free-throw shooting. It hit 29 of 38 from the line, led by Seygan Robins (13 of 17) and Emma Souder (9 of 10).
Franklin County bolted to a 26-13 halftime lead over Holmes on the way to its 18th consecutive victory. Princess Stewart’s 15 points and 7 rebounds led the Flyers. Brooklyn Miles had 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Joey Thacker’s Flyers get a chance to erase the memory of last year’s finals when they lost to Butler 62-36.
They also get a chance to avenge a home-court 72-63 loss to Mercer County in January.
“We want to try and control the tempo and get the ball in right people’s hands at the right time,” Thacker said.
PrintABOUT MIKE FIELDS
After working as a sports writer for 41 years, I needed a break from the daily demands and deadlines of the newspaper business. So last June I retired from the Lexington Herald-Leader after covering approximately 4,000 high school sports events in my career. Now, eight months later, I’m rested and ready for a part-time return to the game. To reintroduce myself: I was born in Pikeville, grew up in Bardstown, graduated from the University of Kentucky, worked at newspapers in Eustis, Fla., Lake City, Fla., Henderson, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before coming to Lexington in 1980. Email me at mfields@khsaa.org
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