WHEN:  Friday 2/25/22

WHERE:   South Oldham HS, Crestwood, KY

WHAT:  Girls' 29th District Finals    #1 Seed North Oldham (12-17) vs. #2 seed South Oldham (19-7)

BROADCAST:   free live hi-def video coverage starts at 5:30 pm ET on www.pegasussportsky.com

South Oldham (19-7) is shooting for its 4th consecutive 29th District title.    The Lady Dragons have dominated the 29th district over the last two decades plus, winning 15 of the last 24 titles.    South is led by senior Sierra Kemelgor, who scored her 1,000th career point this year.     An amazingly versatile player, Kemelgor can literally play every position on the court.    A talented ballhandler, she may be the best point guard on the team, but she's even more effective off-ball, and she averages 20.6 ppg (#1 on the team) while also connecting on 36 threes, tops on the squad.    Despite her size - she's about 5'6"-5'7" - Kemelgor is #2 on the team in rebounding, with an impressive 7.3 rebounds per game average.   She also hits 78.1% at the line.

Kemelgor had 27 points and 9 rebounds in the 72-38 victory over Oldham County in the district semis.

Kemelgor has a good supporting cast, and it's a young one.   Sophomore Ella Morrison is a 3-year starter, and #2 in scoring (16 ppg) and #1 in rebounding (8/game).   Morrison was a defensive nightmare for Oldham in round 1, with repeated steals.   Morrison is the team's top free throw shooter at a whopping 79.7%.

8th grade nightmare Maddie Young is an up-and-coming monster.    The middle schooler began the year on the bench, but when the Lady Dragons got to the second half of the season, head coach Gene Heffington could keep her in reserve no longer.    The 8th grader is an athletic, powerful player who is third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.9 ppg; she's also third in rebounding at 4.1.

North Oldham (12-17) is headed to the 8th Region tournament for the first time in school history, and it's a good thing.   Whether it's a one-game stay or three, the region deserves a chance to see star power forward Riley Neal on the big stage.    Neal, a 5'11"-6'0" senior, is the school's all-time leading scorer with over 2,000 points.   She's averaging 25.2 ppg (third best in KY) and 9.2 rebounds.     A mobile big, Neal has a strong move to the basket, can use either hand, and has added some range to her game this year, hitting 33% from beyond the arc.    Neal handle the ball like a guard, and is a nightmare mismatch for any defense trying to play her straight up in man:  She's far too mobile for most interior players, and too tall for perimeter players to guard.    She hits 51.1% from the floor and 71% from the line.

North has been a school since 2003, but the Lady Mustangs have never made it this far before.    A miracle defensive play in the final seconds of last year's district semi-finals propelled Oldham County past North, but the Lady Mustangs ensured no such miracle could happen this year by sweepting Oldham County (63-22) and South Oldham (62-56) during the regular season, earning the #1 seed in the three-team district, and thereby getting a bye to the district finals and a berth in the region tourney.

North, coached by first-year coach Mac McIntosh, is like South in one key way - both teams flourish off their press and transition game.    Live ball turnovers could well be the key to this ballgame.

HISTORY:   North beat the Lady Dragons in the regular season in 2020, only to fall to the Lady Dragons in a revenge match in the first round of the district....

North has split the last four matchups with South, but the Lady Dragons still have a huge all-time advantage in the series, leading 24-3 all-time.

 

 

South Oldham has won 10 of their last 11 games - but that one loss was a 62-56 loss to North Oldham.

end of one

South 20-9

North's Katie Smith with a 25 footer at the buzzer

South 4 of 5 from three in the first quarter

6:35 to play in half

South 25-12

HALF

South Oldham 37

North Oldham 16

Alaina Leber hits a 3 right at the buzzer for North.

The Lady Mustangs have hit a three at the buzzer to end both quarters, but they have only 10 points in the other 15:55.

Junior forward Katelyn Vize (8 ppg / 8 rebounds) has not played for North.

5:35 to play third

South Oldham 47

North Oldham 19

end of three

South Oldham 64

North Oldham 37

Katelyn Vize has never come into the game for North

South may wind up with 3 players with double-doubles

FINAL 

South Oldham 83

North Oldham 48