LEXINGTON — Bethlehem played with poise and confidence down the stretch in Thursday’s Sweet 16 first round, turning back Bullitt East 70-65 to capture the school’s first-ever state tournament victory.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Bethlehem coach Jason Clark said. “I kept telling the girls in the time outs it was going to come down to who wanted it the most, and who made the plays down the stretch, and we’re grateful we made the right plays when we had to.”
That put Bethlehem (26-4) into Friday’s quarterfinal round, where the Banshees will get a rematch at 5 p.m. at Rupp Arena with 1st Region champion Marshall County (23-2). The Banshees handed the Marshals one of their two losses on the season, a 67-60 decision on Bethlehem’s home court during the first week of the regular season, on Jan. 8. Marshall County took down Pikeville 56-52 in Thursday’s early game. Bethlehem’s victory was the first for a team from the 19th District since Washington County in 2005.
“It’s indescribable,” senior guard Amelia Hodges said. “We were here two years ago, and we were a lot more nervous back then. But now, this is our last ride, so we’re giving it our all.”
Ella Thompson, the Banshees’ senior Miss Basketball finalist, wrapped up the historic win with a huge defensive rebound after the Chargers (22-3) missed a potential game-tying three with 11 seconds left. Then, with 6.6 seconds remaining, Thompson nailed a pair of free throws to push the Bethlehem lead out to five, icing the game. Thompson’s performance was award-winning, as she hit 9-of-14 shots, including both three-pointers she attempted, during a 25-point, eight-rebound, four-assists, three-steal effort.
“We don’t want to end our high school careers and feel like we had unfinished business,” Thompson said.
While poised play could be expected from the Banshees’ senior leaders, only four players on the roster were with the team in its first state tournament appearance in 2019, but their confidence was infectious.
Carlie Thurmond wasn’t with the team then, but the bright lights of Rupp Arena didn’t seem to bother the freshman Thursday as she scored eight of her 18 points in the fourth quarter to help Bethlehem turn back Bullitt East’s late charge. Lexi Starr and 6-6 center Gracie Merkle keyed a 12-2 Charger run spanning the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter that had the Banshees staring at a 50-46 deficit, but Bethlehem was able to outscore Bullitt East 24-15 over the final seven minutes of the game.
Hodges — who battled through a stomach bug during the game — put Bethlehem back on top for good with a jumper in the lane with just under five minutes to play. On the next possession, she fed Thompson for a three, and minutes later she came up with a defensive rebound, passed to Thompson, and she found Thurmond streaking on the fast break for a layup to make it 60-56 with 2:51 to play. In the final two minutes, Bethlehem went 11-for-12 at the free throw line — six of those by Thurmond — to close it out.
“I would say that I was nervous, but I was confident in my shot and I knew we had to make every point count,” Thurmond said. “I love playing with this team and I’m so happy I get to be a part of all our accomplishments.”
Merkle, a junior, was hard to handle for the Banshees, who generally have a height advantage against most teams they face. Merkle piled up game-highs in points (27), rebounds (18) and blocked shots (4).
“She’s just good down there when she catches it in the post,” said Clark, who noted the team tried a few different strategies to make it difficult on the Chargers’ mammoth center. “The main thing is we wanted to get up and down the court and make her play 90 feet, and I think we did a pretty good job of that.”
Thompson said Merkle “was definitely a defensive threat and an offensive threat, so we just had to adjust.”
Bullitt East led after one period, 14-13, with Emma Egan scoring eight early. But Bethlehem overcame a shaky 4-for-16 shooting start and pushed into the lead with an 8-0 spurt in the final four minutes of the first half, with Thompson scoring five points and capping the run with an assist to Emma Filiatreau, whose three-pointer made it 26-23. Thompson’s bucket with five seconds left in the half made it 28-25 at intermission.
Hodges didn’t have her typical hot shooting night, going just 3-for-11 from the field, but she found plenty of ways to contribute, scoring nine and tallying three rebounds and five assists, as well as a highlight play when she was able to sneak behind Merkle and block her shot early in the third period.
Filiatreau, a sophomore playing in her first state tournament game, delivered 11 points — including a pair of threes — to go with seven rebounds and three blocks. Xavi Smalley, also a sophomore, had four points, three blocks, two steals and a team-high 10 rebounds.
If Bethlehem can get past Marshall County in Friday’s quarterfinals, the Banshees would earn a berth in Saturday’s 2 p.m. semifinals.
“We kind of know them from when we played them earlier in the season, but I’m sure they’ve gotten better since then,” Clark said.
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