Franklin-Simpson, Simon Kenton move onto Quarterfinals in Girls' Sweet 16

The first round of the 2026 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 continued on Thursday. KSR has what all went down in the first session as some of the Bluegrass’ premier teams duked it out for a chance to keep playing for a state championship.

Franklin-Simpson pulls away late for 66-47 victory over Bullitt East

Bullitt East struck first in the 11 a.m. game, getting out to an 11-6 lead with 2:08 to go in the first quarter. However, Franklin-Simpson returned the favor by going on a 7-0 run to claim a 13-11 lead going into the second quarter. Both teams were getting good looks, just having a hard time finding the bottom of the net.

In the second quarter, the two teams would exchange the lead back and forth. One time would go on a two-minute stretch without scoring, then the other. The Wildcats of Franklin-Simpson led 24-23 at the break.

Despite having the advantage, Franklin-Simpson was shooting just 8-31 (26%) from the field. However, they were finding some success from the three-point line having hit four of their 10 shots from beyond the arc through the first two quarters.

The Chargers were in a similar boat, shooting 8-21 (38%) from the field, but they weren’t having the same level of success from deep, only going 2-7 (29%) from three in the first half. They also turned the ball over nine times in the first half to just one by the Wildcats.

Franklin-Simpson used their lead-changing momentum to propel themselves to a 10-point, 47-37 lead at the conclusion of the third quarter. Senior Tiffaney Harrigan erupted for 12 points in the quarter, cashing in on all six of her shot attempts.

Harrigan finished the game with 20 points while shooting 9-14 from the field as Franklin-Simpson won 66-47. Junior Allye Pennington recorded a team-best 28 points in the victory, going 7-18 (6-9 3PT) from the field. Pennington also had 10 rebounds to secure the double-double.

The Wildcats will take on the winner of North Laurel and George Rogers Clark on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Simon Kenton squeezes by with 70-61 win over Ashland Blazer

At the end of the first quarter, Simon Kenton led 13-10. The Lady Pioneers made their last four shots of the period and were shooting 6-11 (55%) from the field overall. As for Ashland Blazer, they had made just four of their 14 shot attempts to start the game. That being said, it was still a one-score game heading into the second frame.

The Kittens shooting woes continued, but to their credit, Ashland Blazer did a solid job of not letting the game get away from them. Simon Kenton’s shooting cooled off just a bit, it was their ability to force turnovers that kept them in it for the most part. They also had nine offensive rebounds at the break too.

Through 16 minutes of play, the Lady Pioneers led 27-24. It was still anyone’s game at that point.

Simon Kenton went on a 14-0 run to get out to a 41-27 lead with 3:26 to go in the third quarter, but Ashland Blazer, when they could have faltered and fallen flat to end the game, continued to chip away at the Lady Pioneers’ lead. With 5:31 left to go in the game, it was knotted at 51 apiece.

The Kittens went on a 9-0 run to get themselves tied with Simon Kenton. Of course, with much of the final quarter left to play, it still came down to who would make the winning plays down the wire. In the end, Simon Kenton got the 70-61 victory to advance in the Sweet 16.

Eighth grader Angel Kabeya had a remarkable game for Simon Kenton, recording 29 points and five rebounds while shooting 11-18 (4-6 3PT) from the field. The win didn’t come easy for the Lady Pioneers, and without Kabeya, they probably would have saw an early exit from the state tournament.

Two Kittens played exceptionally well in their loss — senior Gabby Karle and junior Brookelyn Duckwyler. Karle talied 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes of play, while Duckwyler had 20 points and three steals.

Simon Kenton will take on the winner of Letcher County Central and Owensboro Catholic on Friday at 6 p.m. ET with a trip to the Semifinals on the line.