Lawrence County players celebrated after beating Pikeville to win the 15th Region.
As special as Lawrence County’s first appearance in the state tournament is going to be today, coach Melinda Feltner is not naïve about the challenge her 30-win team faces.
“We know the task is very hard. Sacred Heart, we know they are the best,” said Feltner.
Two-time defending state champion Sacred Heart (32-3) faces Lawrence (30=5) today at 1:30 p.m. in Rupp Arena.
“There is no pressure on us. No one thinks we can beat them,” Feltner said. “My message to my kids is play as hard as you can and leave on the floor and have no regrets.
“Everybody has tried different game plans on them. Those girls are great. But we have nothing to lose.”
Lawrence senior guard Kensley Feltner, Melinda’s daughter, is the state’s leading scorer at 29 points per game and one of only four girls in state history to score over 4,000 points. She has 4,146 points, including 1,025 this year, along with 411 steals, 810 assists and 1,524 rebounds.
“I am pumped to just be there and have the opportunity to play in Rupp,” Kensley Feltner said. “It is 0-0 when it starts. I want to show people we are legitimately a good team that just got a bad draw and not some fluke team that somehow got to Rupp. We have no pressure on us at all.”
Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir has seen Kensley Feltner, a Belmont signee, play and was impressed with her “overall” game.
“Her demeanor on the floor, her composure … she has scored over 4,000 points. I was impressed with her floor demeanor. She does not get too up or too low,” Moir said.
Frederick Douglass coach Daryl Moberly played Sacred Heart and Lawrence County both this season. He knows Kensley Feltner is a “great” player going against a great team.
“Probably one of the best players we played this year. Great shooter, great finisher around the rim, plays smart. Nothing speeds her up and she does not take bad shots,” Moberly said.
Melinda Feltner hopes her team can amp up its defense like it did in the fourth quarter in the 15th Region comeback win over Pikeville, a team it lost to earlier this season as well as in last year’s regional final.
The coach noted that Sophie Adkins, the team’s second leading scorer and terrific defender, will need a “big game” and that Kaison Ward will need to keep being a “warrior” inside.
“We’ll just make a plan and do what we can do,” Melinda Feltner said.
