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For 19 straight games, nobody could figure out a way to beat No. 4 Lincoln County.

Saturday night in the girls 12th Region Tournament championships, Rockcastle County finally did.

After a closely-contested battle between the top two teams in the region, the No. 5 Lady Rockets surged ahead in the final 3-1/2 minutes of play, outscoring the host Lady Patriots 15-3 to claim a 48-40 victory in a packed gymnasium at LCHS.

“They wanted it so bad,” said Lincoln coach Don Story of the Lady Patriots. “This is something they’ve been wanting for so long and they had a great chance at getting to end their season at Diddle Arena. But these were two very good teams and somebody had to lose – and it was us tonight.”

Lincoln, which was loaded with seniors who had played together since elementary school, seemed poised to win the school’s first 12th Region title since 2001, coming into the title game with a 24-4 record and its string of 19 straight wins.

It was those Lady Pat seniors – Kendra Brown, Nikki Bustle, Alissa Patterson, Shelby Smith and Jessica Upchurch – who broke down in tears as the final buzzer sounded on the game. The tears continued to fall through the trophy presentations and as the team left the locker room one last time.

“This was a dream I’ve had since I was little,” Upchurch said, choking back tears. “I always wanted to win a regional title, and we were so close. We played our hearts out, and I’m so proud of my teammates and coaching staff. They (Lady Rockets) just got that last run.”

Junior guard Angie Lawrence led the late Rocket run, scoring nine of her 11 points in the game-deciding surge. Lawrence nailed a 3-pointer to edge Rockcastle ahead of Lincoln 38-37 then sank 6 of 6 free throws in the final 22.2 seconds to help the Lady Rockets punch their ticket to this week’s KHSAA Sweet Sixteen State Tournament in Bowling Green.

Strong defensive play by each team resulted in a number of runs in the game.

Lincoln’s defense held Rockcastle scoreless for a span of 3:47 over the third and fourth quarters. Lincoln (24-5) took advantage of the Rocket scoring slump, tallying seven unanswered points to build a six-point lead. Upchurch collected a layup and two foul shots as the third quarter ended to put the Lady Pats up 32-29 and Emily Fox drained a 3-pointer with 6:20 left in the game to make it 35-29.

Sara Hammond, who led Rockcastle with 13 points, finally snapped the scoring drought by the Lady Rockets with a goal at the 5:53 mark. She added two foul shots to narrow the Lady Pat lead to two before Patterson drove the lane for a bucket and a 37-33 margin with 4:56 to go.

Rockcastle (27-4) nosed ahead 38-37 after a Jackie Alexander shot in the paint and Lawrence’s trey, but an Upchurch bucket put the Lady Pats back in front with 2:25 showing. The Lady Rockets went on top to stay with 1:58 to play when Michaela Hunter nailed a 3-pointer to make it 41-39.

With a 42-40 lead and just under 51 seconds to play, Rockcastle went into a stall. The Lady Patriots tried to foul to regain possession, but it proved to be their undoing as Lawrence iced the win with her six foul shots.

“We made a good run in the third and got up on them by six. Then it seemed like the tide turned,” said Story. “They started making a few shots and we missed some.”

Story said that the final score did not indicate the closeness of the game.

“It was more of a three or four-point game, but then we had to do something to try and get the ball back,” he said. “They are a good team and we knew they make their foul shots. But we had to try.”

Lincoln’s defense did hold Rockcastle below its scoring average.

“We held them under 15 points of what they’ve been getting,” said Story. “They’re a good team and they know how to score. Hammond is a good inside player. Alexander is good outside. Their point guard handles the ball well plus they’ve got scrappy kids around that. And 31 (Hunter) hit some big shots for them tonight.”

“It was a good basketball game as far as competition-wise. It was pretty high-level defensively and offensively,” he said.

There were 10 lead changes in the title tilt, including four in the first quarter. Kendra Brown, who led Lincoln with 11 points and seven blocked shots, was in on two first-quarter lead changes, hitting a jumper early to give the Lady Pats a 4-2 lead then hitting from 3-point land midway of the period for a 7-6 edge.

Hunter closed the first with a 3-pointer to put the Lady Rockets on top 12-10. Rockcastle maintained its lead throughout the second quarter, breaking on a 6-0 run the final 4:01 of the period to take a 20-14 halftime lead.

After going 2-for-10 from the field in the second quarter, Lincoln’s offense was back on track early in the third as the Lady Pats used a 5-for-7 effort to put together a 12-2 run. Fox opened the run with a layup off a Nikki Bustle assist, and Bustle followed with a trey. Brown had four points in the run, hitting a 15-footer with 3:02 on the clock to give Lincoln a 26-22 lead.

The Lady Rockets answered the Lincoln run with a 7-2 surge. Alexander tallied five of the seven points to make it 29-28, Rockets, only to have Upchurch to score on a layup late in the third to set up Lincoln’s final run.

Lincoln outscored Rockcastle from the field 36-34, going 16-for-46 overall while Rockcastle was 15-for-46. The Lady Rockets got the edge on Lincoln at the foul line, converting on 14 of 18 free throws while the Lady Pats were just 4 of 6.

Rockcastle, which has won three of the last five regional tournaments (all at Lincoln), had four players in double figures in the final game. Backing up Hammond’s 13-point effort were Lawrence, Alexander and Hunter each with 11 points.

The Lady Rockets play Murray, the champions of the 1st Region, tonight (Thursday) at 6:30 p.m. in Bowling Green.

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