The field is set for the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Girls Sweet 16 Basketball Tournament that begins Wednesday at Northern Kentucky University.
At noon Wednesday, Johnson Central (20-12) will play Third Region champion Owensboro Catholic. Johnson Central is making their 10th appearance in the Sweet 16 and first in three years. They upset 15th Region favorite Shelby Valley in the semifinals. Owensboro Catholic (25-7) is making their sixth trip to the Sweet 16 and first in two years. The Lady Aces carry a seven-game winning streak into their first round game.
Elizabethtown (33-2) and Bowling Green meet Wednesday at 1:30. E-town is one of several schools in the field that have won a state title in their history and will be making their 10th appearance in the Sweet 16. They avenged one of their two losses by defeating Bardstown for the region title. Bowling Green (20-12) is making their fifth appearance and is the only district runner-up in the field. The Lady Purples are coached by former Todd County Central boys’ coach Calvin Head.
The first game of the night session is a rematch of last year’s semifinal that saw Mercer County beat Murray 67-60. Murray (32-2) is making their third straight Sweet 16 appearance, having advanced to the semifinals the previous two. The Lady Tigers won the All-A Classic state title and carry a 23-game winning streak into the state tournament. Mercer County (32-3), the defending state champion, is back for the fifth time. Their only loss to a Kentucky school came against Sacred Heart in the championship of the Louisville Invitational Tournament.
At 8pm, Harlan County plays George Rogers Clark. Harlan (28-2) joins Ryle as teams in the field making their first appearance in the Sweet 16. They have won 18 straight games. GRC (26-7) is making their 11th trip and first since 2014. They upset 10th Region favorite Campbell County 51-48 in the region semifinals.
On Thursday at noon, Mercy meets Knott County Central. Mercy (22-9) is making their first trip to the Sweet 16 in three years and 10th overall. They upset defending Sixth Region champion Butler in the region semifinals. Knott County Central (24-9) is making their fifth state tournament appearance and will be looking for their first win since 1980.
The 1:30 game features two of the top teams in the state in Scott County and Manual. Scott County (31-2) is making their sixth appearance in the Sweet 16 and first since 2010, while Manual (21-8) has made 10 previous trips to the state tournament. Scott County beat Manual 76-53 on Jan. 11. Scott County’s only loss to a Kentucky school came against South Warren. Manual avenged two earlier season losses to Sacred Heart to knock them off 55-52 in the Seventh Region championship.
Second Region champion Webster County takes the floor Thursday at 6:30 against 16th Region champion Boyd County. Webster County (28-6) is making their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1998 and sixth overall. Their only win in the state tournament came in 1981. Boyd County (27-4) is 0-6 in their previous trips to the Sweet 16.
The final game of the first round has Ryle playing Simon Kenton. Ryle (27-6) is making their first trip to the state tournament, while Simon Kenton (20-10) is making their fifth appearance. Ryle beat Simon Kenton twice during the regular season, 71-54 on Nov. 30 and 58-53 in the Toyota Classic Jan. 19 at Scott County.