Frederick Douglass, Assumption advance to tip off Girls' Sweet 16

The 2026 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 began on Wednesday, with two of the better teams in the state getting the day started by cruising their way to a second-round matchup.

Frederick Douglass blows by Henderson County in 44-23 rout

Frederick Douglass was off and running early, getting out to a 12-2 lead before Henderson County held the Broncos scoreless the rest of the first quarter, trailing 12-6 after one. The Lady Colonels had done a good job of withstanding Douglass’ punch, but they weren’t ready for the 8-0 run that the Broncos would put on them to make it 24-8 at the half.

Additionally, Henderson County went mighty cold, failing to score in the last 5:01 of the period — a really unfortunate time for the Lady Colonels to fall apart. Against a dangerous Broncos team, that kind of cold streak could be a killer.

Douglass’ momentum carried over into the second half as they got out to a 33-17 lead over Henderson County to end the third quarter. Of course, the Broncos would finish the job, beating the Lady Colonels 44-23.

It was an uphill battle the entire way for the Lady Colonels, and without senior A’Tylia Green, the beatdown would have been worse. Green, a Kentucky State signee and 2026 McDonald’s All American nominee, put up 11 points while also grabbing eight rebounds along the way.

Two Broncos reached double figures in their win — Jaelee Knowles and Tamia Waide. Knowles, who holds an offer from WKU, recorded 15 points on 6-10 (3-7 3PT) shooting as well as eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Waide shot 4-9 from beyond the arc, putting up 12 points to help lead Douglass to a first round victory.

Assumption stays hot with 72-35 win over Calloway County

Assumption jumped out to an early 18-9 lead over Calloway County to end the first quarter. The Rockets were forcing turnovers on the defensive end of the floor and getting to the charity stripe on offense. They haven’t lost since Jan. 18 when they fell to Sacred Heart, who they just took down in the 7th Region Championship 69-51.

There’s certainly an argument to be made that Assumption is the hottest team in the state right now.

At the break, it was 35-17 Assumption, and big part of them breaking the game open was the fact that Calloway County didn’t score for the last 2:03 of the first half. As we saw in the first game of the day, those scoreless droughts can bury a team. The Lakers needed a big, big second half to have a shot at getting the comeback victory.

Unfortunately for Calloway County, that big second half didn’t happen. The Lakers were on the bad end of a 17-4 run that last the entire period, meaning it was 52-21 with just eight minutes left to go in the game. From there, the Rockets maintained control and came away with the 72-35 win.

Ashlinn James, a four-star Indiana signee, had 22 points on 8-15 (2-4 3PT) shooting for Assumption. Sophomore Se’Rae Bundrent-Palmer added to that with 18 points of her own on 7-14 (2-5 3PT) shooting from the field.

Assumption will take on Frederick Douglass on March 13 at 11 a.m. ET in the Quarterfinals. The two teams met earlier in the season on Dec. 9 as Assumption came away with the 67-35 victory at home. However, considering Friday’s matchup will be on a neutral court (and certainly closer to Douglass), perhaps we could see a more competitive bout this time around.