By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer
Thayer and Gainesville could each very well be in the Class 2 Final Four this year, so the two matching up this late in the season was an absolute treat. Thayer came into Thursday night with a 17-1 record, only having lost to Bay, Ark. Gainesville? They were 17-0. The cool part about these two is that before the season neither team was really expected to be in this position right now. They were under-the-radar. Overlooked. Yet here they are, two of the best in Class 2 putting on one of the best shows of the season.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME
The Bulldogs led 16-5 after a quarter and 23-16 at halftime. But with Thayer’s boys team (ranked No. 2 in Class 2 themselves) leading a massive student section, the girls battled back. Thayer trailed by 11 after a quarter, seven after two quarters and two after three. Then, with a late 44-43 lead, this happened:
HOW GREAT IS THAT CELEBRATION? I mean, if the team celebration alone didn’t do it for you, WHY NOT? But if it didn’t, the reaction by the student section and the Thayer boys must have. It’s all just fantastic. And deserved! This team is now 18-1, is ranked No. 5 in the MBCA Class 2 rankings, is undefeated against in-state opponents and just upset MBCA C2 No. 3 Gainesville (17-1). This was a very important win, too. Why? Well, Thayer had wins over once-ranked teams in Class 4 Salem, Class 2 Hartville and Class 2 Van Buren, but none of those programs have stayed in the Top 10. Gainesville has. And Gainesville will. Beating the Bulldogs means everything.
While Thursday night was a team effort for Thayer, it was again Julie Stone that stepped up offensively in the second half of a big game, much like she did against Salem. Stone, a sophomore, scored 10 of her 17 in the second half and seven of her team’s 14 fourth-quarter points. Behind Stone, Caity Jones and Angela Sorrell finished with eight.
For Gainesville, all this means is there’s a team out there that is their equal. (And right now on paper, their superior, if just ever so slightly). The Bulldogs led most of Thursday, in part thanks to 11 first-quarter points by Michia Jenkins, who finished with 22. This loss has to hurt right now. Gainesville had a real chance at a perfect regular season (just ask Annie Noah), and nearly moved a step closer to that in a hostile environment tonight. But they’ll be fine. And as impressive as this win is for Thayer, it confirms a lot about about Gainesville’s potential as well.
If these two win their districts, they’ll meet again in sectional action. Please meet again in sectional action because I WANT MORE.
