BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— Jackie Alexander scored seven of her 20 points in a game-opening 17-0 run as Rockcastle County beat Murray 69-36 in the first round of the girls' state high school tournament Thursday.
"It feels good to be smiling," Rockcastle County head coach Chrysti Noble said. "We got that first win under our belts, I'm happy with the way we played tonight, and the girls came out focused and ready to play."
The Lady Rockets (28-4), the 12th Region champions, were never challenged by the First Region champion Lady Tigers (30-5), who didn't score a basket until the 1:55 mark of the first quarter. Rockcastle County led 40-15 at halftime.
The athleticism of the Lady Rockets was evident the entire contest, as they used the strong midrange and post game of Sara Hammond and the inside-outside game of Alexander to shoot 51.9 percent (27-for-52) for the game.
Janssen Starks paced the Lady Tigers with 16 points. Hammond recorded a double-double for Rockcastle County with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the first state tournament victory for Rockcastle County in six tries. The team faces the winner of Thursday's Ohio County-George Rogers Clark contest in Friday's quarterfinals.
