The Belfry Lady Pirates punched their tickets to the 15th Region tournament semifinals following a quarterfinal round win at the Appalachian Wireless Arena on Wednesday night.
The Lady Pirates, who saw a 15-point lead vanish quickly in the second half, rallied in the closing minute to edge Floyd Central, 57-54.
Kyera Thornsbury hit two clutch free throws late to give Belfry the lead back and the win.
The Lady Jaguars, who saw their season end at 17-6, had a chance in the closing seconds to tie but missed a three-point shot with the clock running out.
Cushi Fletcher added 18 for Belfry, now 21-7.
Katie Jo Moore led the Floyd Central with 19 points in her final game. Kennedy Harvel tossed in 11.
At Pikeville
(15th Region tournament)
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
FC (17-6)……7 15 13 19 – 54
BF (21-7)…..18 9 18 12 – 57
Scoring:
Floyd Central (54) – Kennedy Harvel 1(3) 0-0 11; Jada Johnson 2 0-0 4; Katie Jo Moore 6(2) 1-3 19; Kamryn Shannon 0(3) 0-0 9; Grace Martin 3 0-0 6; and Natalie Holle 1 3-3 5. Totals: 13(8) 4-6 54.
Belfry (57) – Kyra Justice 2 0-1 4; Alyssa Varney0(1) 0-0 3; Cushi Fletcher 4(1) 7-10 18; Kyera Thornsbury 9 3-7 21; and Jenna Sparks 4 3-4 11. Totals: 19(2) 13-22 57.
Next up: Belfry (21-7) vs. Pikeville (23-5), 15th Region semifinals, 2 pm, Mar. 27; Floyd Central’s season ends.
Pikeville………50
Paintsville…..30
The Pikeville Lady Panthers rolled past Paintsville, 50-30, to reach the 15th Region semifinals in a matchup played at the Appalachian Wireless Arena on Wednesday night.
Pikeville, now 22-5, dominated from the outset. Kenzie Maynard had 11 points and Emma Ratliff net 10.
Belfry and Pikeville will meet at 2 pm on Saturday. The winner will move onto the championship game on Monday night.
Chloe Hannah and Emilea Preece scored 10 each for the Tigers, who ended the year at 14-11.
At Pikeville
(15th Region tournament)
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
PV (14-11)…..6 6 8 10 – 30
PK (23-5)……14 11 19 6 – 50
Scoring:
Paintsville (30) – Camryn Helton 0 4-4 4; Chloe Hannah 1(2) 2-3 10; Leandre Curnutte 0(1) 0-0 3; Emilea Preece 3 4-4 10; and Abby Maynard 0(1) 0-2 3. Totals: 4(4) 10-13 30.
Pikeville (50) – Emma Ratliff 1(2) 2-2 10; Trinity Rowe 2(1) 1-1 8; Kristen Whited 1(2) 0-0 8; Kenzie Maynard 4(1) 0-0 11; Kylie Hall 4 1-2 9; Leighan Jackson 0 2-2 2; and Rylee Theiss 1 0-0 2. Totals:13(6) 6-7 50.
Next up: Pikeville (23-5) vs. Belfry (21-7), 15th Region semifinals, 2 pm, Mar. 27; Paintsville’s season ends.