Members of the Ryle girls' basketball team took turns Thursday night climbing a ladder and cutting down the nets in the Conner High School gym after defeating rival Boone County for the 33rd District championship.
It was a new experience for the players, and the program.
"I was up on the ladder and I didn't even know how to cut down the nets," Ryle senior forward Jenna Crittendon said. "I've never felt this feeling before. We're always runner-up. We just didn't give up this year. It's indescribable."
The 54-51 victory snapped the Raiders' streak of three consecutive losses against Boone County in the district championship game.
Crittendon missed her first nine shots from the field Thursday but settled down and finished with 17 points to earn Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament. Senior guard Ashley Cheesman also contributed 17 points for Ryle, which improved to 26-5 this season.
Both teams advance to the 9th Region Tournament next week at The Bank of Kentucky Center.
"It was a great team victory," Ryle head coach Patti Oliverio said. "But like I told the girls, we can't look ahead to the regional finals. We've got to think Monday, Tuesday, whoever we're playing. It's always good to go in on a high note, a winning note, a positive note."
Boone County (27-3) beat the Raiders by three during the regular season and looked as if it might run away with a victory on Thursday. After falling behind 5-0, the Rebels went on an 18-1 run to lead by 12 with more than six minutes remaining in the first half.
Ryle trailed by five at halftime. The second half became the kind of tightly-contested game one would expect from two of the state’s top-rated teams. Boone County is ranked No. 5 in The Courier Journal's statewide Litkenhous Ratings while Ryle is No. 7.
The game was tied as late as 3:42 remaining and wasn't decided until the final 30 seconds.
"They're very disappointed," Boone County head coach Nell Fookes said of about her players. "But at the same time they've got to understand it's not the end of the world. We've been in this situation before. It just happens. It's part of it. And Ryle's got a heck of a basketball team.
"We were in a position to win the game and that's all you can say. The kids have got to bounce back from this. That's part of it. You're going to get knocked down. You've got to bounce back. That's the measure of your greatness is how well you bounce back."
Crittendon pushed Ryle ahead 49-47 by making a shot over Boone County star forward Sydney Moss with 2:52 left in the game.
One of the state's leading scorers, Moss provided the bulk of Boone County's offense down the stretch. The University of Florida signee scored 10 of her team-leading 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Senior forward Zuri Hill made it a one-point game on a put-back with 25.6 seconds left and Boone County immediately called timeout.
Shortly after the ball was inbounded, and with Boone County in a full-court press, Ryle called a timeout with 20.8 seconds to go. Moss was called for a foul on the inbounds play and that sent Cheesman to the free throw line.
Boone County rebounded Cheesman's miss, but Hill was called for fouling Ryle junior forward McKell Oliverio as they went for a rebound after a miss by Moss. Oliverio made both free throws, extending the Raiders' advantage to three with 8.4 seconds remaining.
Boone County had two final chances to tie the game before play ended.
“It adds to our confidence so much,” said Cheesman, who made four 3-pointers in the game. “We just want to keep the momentum going. We love this feeling now that we finally have it. So we want to just keep pushing and pushing and pushing on with it.”
Ryle junior guard Dawn Johnson, who finished with 10 points, and Oliverio, who also contributed 10 points, were named to the All-Tournament Team with Crittendon. Hill and Moss were selected from Boone County. Cooper sophomore guard Paige Ross and Conner senior guard Chelsea Castleberry rounded out the All-Tournament Team.
Ryle defeats rival Boone County in girls' 33rd District championship
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