Marshall County’s Lady Marshals, one of the most storied programs in the state, returned to the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years. Their tournament run began against a familiar foe—Region 2 champion Henderson County, a state quarterfinalist last season.
The Lady Marshals advanced to the championship game of the state tournament four years ago, falling in the title game by two points (49-47) to Sacred Heart. En route, they beat Henderson County 50-33 in the semifinals.
Henderson County, a powerhouse in its own right, has now advanced to the Sweet 16 six consecutive years. The Lady Colonels fell to McCracken County (57-40) in the 2023 semifinals and were eliminated by Cooper (47-37) in last year’s quarterfinals. However, they entered this tournament with their entire roster returning from a strong 26-8 campaign.
Thursday’s opening-round matchup marked the fourth time these two programs have met in the state tournament, with both teams boasting 25 wins entering the game.
Henderson County ultimately prevailed, defeating the Lady Marshals 45-30. They advance to Friday’s quarterfinals, where they will face Danville Christian, who advanced with a 53-40 win over Daviess County.
Trailing 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, Skylar Waller gave the Lady Marshals a lift to open the second with a 3-pointer. It was the first of three from beyond the arc for Marshall County, as Rylee Teague and Kenzlee Terry each followed with one of their own, trimming the deficit to five. Addi Wall cut it to four at 19-14, and a late bucket by Laken Schroader kept the Lady Marshals within striking distance, trailing 21-17 at halftime.
Henderson County had a big third quarter, outscoring the Lady Marshals 16-4 which proved to be too much to overcome.
Marshall County didn’t reach the free-throw line until the fourth quarter, where Waller knocked down 3-of-4 attempts. The Lady Colonels extended their lead to 45-25 before a final three-pointer from sophomore Charleigh Duncan cut the margin to 15.
Waller, playing in her final game for the Lady Marshals, led the team with eight points, while Henderson County junior Brooklyn Gibson led the Lady Colonels with 15.
With the loss, the Lady Marshals closed out an impressive season with a 25-7 record.
“Memories they will have for a lifetime…no matter what the outcome is of tonight’s game”, Head Coach Aaron Beth said in a pregame interview with WCBL’s Jeff Waters.
Marshall County 4 17 21 30
Henderson County 12 21 37 45
Marshall County (25-7): Skylar Waller 8, Kenzlee Terry 7, Addi Wall 6, Rylee Teague 3, Charleigh Duncan 3, Laken Schroader 2, Eden Sandlin 1
Marshall County: FG 11/32 (34%), 3PT 4/15, FT 4/5, TO 20, REB 21, AST 8
Henderson County (26-7): Brooklyn Gibson 15, ATylia Green 11, Allyson Rideout 9, Anna Kemp 5, Adalyn Gish 3, Rashia Cansler 2
Henderson County: FG 18/37 (49%), 3PT 2/12, FT 7/10, TO 13, REB 20, AST 11
