Another tough match up with the loser not making it into the Regional.

Does the three seed Trimble County have what it takes to beat the two seed South Oldham or does their season come to an end?

District 29 is up for grabs, with three teams having realistic hopes of cutting down the nets. Oldham has not been successful of late, Trimble has shown symptoms of still being haunted by past losses to Oldham and South, while South seems to enter into the post-season on the up-tick. Tradition and recent play leads me to predict that the District 29 throne will remain perched in Crestwood for another year. Sorry, but again a chance for district victory it is not in the cards for the Lady Mustangs of North Oldham.

For the first time in a while, the 29th seems truly up for grabs - not just for two teams, but for at least three.

 

Oldham County (13-9) - the Lady Colonels are the hottest team in the district right now. OC went 3-0 in seeding play, and - after opening 2014 with a loss to Simon Kenton - the Lady Colonels have won 10 of 13 since. Included were wins at South Oldham, vs. 6th Region all-A champ Holy Cross (Louisville), and an impressive 19 point victory over a 17-8 Shelby County squad. Senior Ashley McMurtrey (23.5 ppg) crossed the 2,000 point threshold earlier this year and is the "go-to" player, but the Lady Colonels have are no longer a one-player team....the two six foot interior players have really made a difference for OC; Jenna Kirk is a threat to get a double-double every night and is averaging 9.4 ppg / 8.4 rebounds. Abigail Stewart is on pace to set a new school record for blocked shots and averages 7 rebounds a game.

 

South Oldham (8-14) South has been up-and-down all year against a brutal schedule, and has yet to win more than three in a row. Second-year coach Christy Higdon, though, did a sterling job of getting her team on a roll late last season, and the Lady Dragons take pride in the fact that the district has been owned by the girls in Crestwood for the past five years. South has struggled a bit of late, going 4-3 over the last seven games, and ending the season with a puzzling loss to Presentation, a team Oldham defeated twice by double figures. Emma Sedoris is a serious matchup problem on the inside for most teams; if she stays out of foul trouble, she can single-handedly keep South in games. Erin Wilson may be the most improved player in the district over last year; she's quick, aggressive, and has a nose for the basket. Last year's district hero, junior point guard Abby VanZant, returns for her third year leading the offense. As always, to beat South, someone will have to defeat their defensive pressure - no small task.

 

Trimble County At 17-8, the Lady Raiders have the shiniest record of the bunch. Longtime Lady Raider coach Kerrie Stewart has her best shot in a while at bringing the trophy to Bedford, and don't be surprised at all if they do. Trimble lost at Oldham in December by just one point when the Lady Raiders unwisely fouled one of the state's premier free throw shooters - Ashley McMurtrey - at midcourt in the final 2 seconds of a tie game that should have headed to OT. They lost to South Oldham this month only after a potentially tying three pointer went awry. And they won easily over North Oldham by 23. The Lady Raiders are led by three veteran seniors - Paige Black, Erin Gonterman, and Jesse Dunlap. Black is an all-around performer who seems to have been part of the Lady Raider varsity for forever....she can pretty much do it all and is one of the most complete players in the region. Trimble has been a little up-and-down of late, going 4-3 over their past seven games; including a surprising loss to Western Hills and a really nice win over a strong 5th region team, John Hardin. Trimble County school superintendent Marcia Haney, a former star for the Lady Raiders when they were a state power in the 70s, has to be excited about the potential for this bunch to not only win the 29th, but make noise in the region.

 

North Oldham (10-13) Dan Pfaff's crew couldn't seem to catch a break this year, yet made remarkable progress as the year went on. At one time in December, the Lady Mustangs were down to just 6 healthy bodies, and North had to cancel / re-schedule several games. Despite the adversity, North opened the year 3-0, and - after a mid-year slump - rebounded to win 4 of their final 6 to finish the regular season with 10 wins, tied for third-most in the school's relatively short history. Playing on their home court, a North first-round upset win over Oldham County, which defeated the Lady Mustangs by 35 during the season, would be a huge step forward for the program, and would propel the Lady Mustangs to their first-ever regional tournament. Sophomore guard Cat Fiorito leads the team in scoring at 13.9 ppg and in rebounds with 5.2. Amazingly, she averages more offensive rebounds than defensive (2.8 vs. 2.4). Fiorito also leads the team in steals with nearly 3 a contest. Rachel Williams is vastly improved on offensive, and chips in 6.6 ppg...Maggie Mollak is the key interior player, averaging 7.2 ppg and about 4 boards.

 

The girls' 29th district tournament schedule at North Oldham HS in Goshen, KY:

 

Tue 2/25/14 6 pm #1 seed Oldham County vs. #4 North Oldham

Wed 2/26/14 6 pm #2 seed South Oldham vs. #3 seed Trimble County

 

Fri 2/28/14 6 pm championship

 

All games will be broadcast LIVE and ARCHIVED on the Pegasus Sports Network: The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN

 

Pregame each night begins at 5:30 pm.

 

The Tuesday and Wednesday games will be internet RADIO; the championship game will be internet TV. In addition, the video of the final game will be broadcast over Oldham cable channel 25 / digital channel 8.5 on a recurring basis over the course of the week following the game.