PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WMDJ) – Lady Blackcat sophomore Allison Howard’s go-ahead 3-point basket with 6:26 remaining in the fourth quarter pushed Prestonsburg past Belfry 43-32 in the quarterfinals of the girls’ 15th Region Tournament at Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville Monday night.
Howard’s three started a 15-0 run to seal the victory as the Lady Blackcats advance to the region semifinals for the first time since 2016.
The victory also snapped a 15-game losing streak to Belfry.
Prestonsburg led 12-6 at the end of the first quarter and maintained a 3-point lead 19-16 at the half. Both teams were plagued by poor shooting in the first half with Belfry shooting 7-for-29 for 24%, while Prestonsburg didn’t fare much better, shooting 7-for-27 and 26% from the field.
Lady Blackcat sophomore Jade Fitzpatrick connected on the first field goal of the third quarter with a 3-point basket to give Prestonsburg a 22-16 advantage at the 5:24 mark. Belfry would answer with a pair of 3-pointers by senior Jaaliyah Warren to tie the game at 22-22, followed by one free throw from senior Clara McNamee to give the Lady Pirates the lead back at 23-22.
After a Prestonsburg turnover, 7th-grader Lexi Mapes sank Belfry’s third 3-pointer of the quarter, giving the Lady Pirates a 26-22 advantage. Later, senior Jenna Sparks hit a short jumper to push Belfry’s lead to 28-22, their largest of the evening.
Prestonsburg freshman Amelia Newsome hit one-of-two free throws and Jade Fitzpatrick closed the quarter with a basket cutting the Belfry lead to 28-25.
Howard would complete the rally with her go-ahead 3-pointer and Prestonsburg outscored Belfry 18-4 over the final period.
Howard finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Fitzpatrick tossed in 14 points and grabbed 4 boards. Audrey Prater scored 6 points and led the Lady Blackcats with 10 rebounds.
Sparks was a force on defense for Belfry, blocking 12 shots in the loss while grabbing 6 rebounds and scoring 6 points. Warren led Belfry scoring with 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
Prestonsburg (17-13) will face Pikeville in Friday’s first semifinal game at 6:45 p.m.
PRESTONSBURG (43) Prater 1 (1) 3-8 6. Lafferty 1 (1) 3. Tackett 2 4. Fitzpatrick 6 (2) 14. Howard 5 (3) 2-4 15. Newsome 1-2 1. Brewer 0. K. Stephens 0.
FG Pct.: 26.8. FT Pct.: 42.9. 3-PT 7-17 (Prater 1-4, Lafferty 1-5, Fitzpatrick 2-4, Howard 3-4). PF 14. Fouled Out: none. Turnovers 17. Assists 13.
BELFRY (32) – Sparks 3 6. Warren 4 (3) 11. Deboard 0-4 0. McNamee 3 2-4 8. Belcher 1-4 1. Mapes 2 (2) 6.
FG Pct.: 21.8. FT Pct.: 25.0 3-PT: 5-18 (Warren 3-10, Deboard 0-4, McNamee 0-1, Mapes 2-3). PF 14. Fouled Out: none. Turnovers 22. Assists 9.
BELFRY 9 10 12 4 – 32
PRESTONSBURG 12 7 6 18 – 43
(Photo used with permission from Dennis Walker).
