From Courier Journal

 

The Manual and Christian Academy girls’ basketball teams won semifinal games this morning to advance to tonight’s 7 o’clock championship game of the Republic Bank Lexington Catholic Holiday Classic.

 

Avery Jones had 21 points and nine rebounds as Manual (8-0) — No. 4 in The Courier-Journal’s preseason poll of coaches — beat No. 9 Lexington Catholic 60-51.

 

April Wilson added 12 points for Manual, which overcame a 20-14 deficit at the end of the first quarter. Danielle Corbett led LexCath (4-4) with 12 points.

 

In the other semifinal, Clair Buchanan hit 6 of 9 three-point tries and scored 23 points as No. 21 Christian Academy knocked off No. 11 Mercy 58-53.

 

Allison Karst (13 points) and Antonita Slaughter (nine points, 10 rebounds) also had big games for CAL (10-0), which overcame a 49-41 deficit early in the fourth quarter. It was the fourth straight victory over a ranked team for CAL, which beat No. 17 Clay County, No. 3 Elizabethtown and No. 7 Montgomery County earlier in the tournament.

 

Malisa Cruz led the Jaguars (6-3) with 18 points.

Manual 56-53