The University Heights Academy girls’ basketball team punched its ticket to the All-A Classic state tournament with a 60-43 victory over hosts Crittenden County on Saturday. The Lady Blazers will meet Walton-Verona (15-5), the champions of the 8th Region, on Wednesday at McBrayer Arena on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.
The Lady Blazers (12-6) got off to a slow start and trailed by a point before Meghan Adams scored off an assist from Lily Hendricks to give UHA its first lead at 6-5 with 2:45 left in the first quarter. They closed on a 5-2 run, with two free throws by Alex Juckett giving them an 11-7 advantage.
Adams and Hendricks carried UHA in the second, accounting for 16 of the Lady Blazers’ 19 second-quarter points, but Shelby Summers scored 7 and the Lady Rockets only trailed 17-14 with 3:55 left in the half. UHA took control with a 13-4 spurt over the remainder of the half, leading 30-18 at the break.
Neither team could muster much offense in the third quarter, with both scoring 8 for a 38-26 score with one quarter to play.
Hendricks scored 7 of her 11 fourth-quarter points in the first three minutes to stretch the margin to 16 at 46-30, putting the Lady Blazers in control the rest of the way. Crittenden’s Natalie Boone scored 7 and Nahla Woodward added 5, but the Lady Rockets could never get back within single digits.
Hendricks’ 28 led all scorers, followed by Adams with 17 for UHA.
Summers finished with 13 for Crittenden, with Boone scoring 9, and Woodward with 7.