Simon Kenton reclaimed its former dominance of the Eighth Region with a 66-55 win over Grant County in the regional championship game Sunday afternoon at Gallatin County.
SK, 19-14 overall, won its first regional title since 2018 and sixth in the past 16 seasons. SK (19-14) will play Second Region champion Henderson County (26-4) 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Rupp Arena in the first round of the KHSAA Girls Sweet 16.
Grant County, looking for its first ever regional title, finished 20-11.
Head coach Brenden Stowers won his first regional title in his first year as head coach after replacing his father, Jeff, who retired after last season.
“I’m just so proud of the girls,” Stowers said. “We have so many inexperienced girls, even the juniors and the seniors. The whole season has been getting them to learn and grow, have success. It’s been an up and down season, which comes through youth and experience. The whole year has been about putting them in tough situations. It’s something special.”
3 keys to SK's win
- The Pioneers forced 16 turnovers, 11 in the first half.
- The Pioneers put Grant County starters into foul trouble and hit 27-of-35 from the foul line, 77.1 percent.
- Senior Emilee Eggleston hit two big 3-pointers in the second quarter to put SK ahead to stay, giving the Pioneers a 30-22 lead in the second quarter. She had 10 points in the frame. Eighth-grader Brynli Pernell scored six points early in the third quarter to extend SK’s lead to 10 points.
The Pioneers had lost twice by a total of five points to the Braves this season, including in last week’s 32nd District championship.
“The main reason is we hit shots,” Stowers said. “Grant is a great team. Well-coached, experienced, tough. We missed 11 layups in the first game and nine in the second. Both games, we had a chance to extend the lead late in the game and didn’t do it. We didn’t want to get in that situation again. I didn’t have to do much coaching tonight because they were ready to go.”
Top performers
Brynli Pernell: Simon Kenton’s precocious eighth-grade guard led the Pioneers with 20 points.
Anna Kelch: She had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Emilee Eggleston: The only senior starter for SK had 10 points in the second quarter and 12 overall.
Haylie Webb: She had 11 points and seven rebounds and was tournament most valuable player.
Megan Gadzala: The freshman was also an all-tourney pick.
Emily Naranjo: The Grant County senior had 15 points and seven rebounds.
“Brynli is a dangerous player. That’s who teams scout for,” Stowers said. “Our seniors have done a great job of leadership. Megan is normally known for her defense, she’s just starting to figure out what she can do offensively. Kelch is a good offensive player. Haylie Webb does a lot of the stuff that people don’t see on the state sheet.”
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