By Sam King
jconline.com
LOUISVILLE – Florida recruit Lily Svete was comfortable sitting on the bench and rooting for her Indiana All-Star team to come back.
But Svete certainly didn’t shy away from being the hero June 14. The Penn graduate hit two crucial 3-pointers midway through the second half to help Indiana rally from an 11-point halftime deficit and defeat Kentucky, 85-75, at Bellarmine University’s Knights Hall.
“It was the spark that we needed,” Connecticut recruit Kelly Faris said. “Our confidence as a whole boosted right there.”
The critical baskets came after Miss Basketball Skylar Diggins was forced to the bench with four fouls. Benton Central grad Skyler Gick replaced Diggins and helped set up Svete’s heroics.
“Gick is a great player, and she has great court vision,” Svete said. “She isn’t the biggest, fastest, or strongest girl out there, but she knows what she does best and she is very good at it.
“She finds people you don’t think are open.”
Gick finished with two points, one rebound, and one steal in 11 minutes of action in helping the Indiana All-Stars sweep their Kentucky counterparts for the third time in four years. Kentucky won both girls games a year ago.
“I think this game tested us, and I think we proved ourselves,” Gick said. “They were very physical, and that is something we had to deal with.”
Indiana trailed 43-32 at halftime before Diggins took over.
The national high school player of the year scored 25 of her 29 in the second 20 minutes, adding five rebounds and four steals as Indiana outscored Kentucky 53-32. Diggins had six points and assisted on an Alex Bentley basket during a 15-3 run to begin the second half.
DeAirra Goss scored on a spin move in the lane with 14:29 remaining to give the visitors a 47-46 lead.
Indiana used a full-court press to perfection to limit Kentucky’s offense. Indiana forced 22 turnovers, 19 of which were steals.
“We came out and played with some more intensity (in the second half),” Indiana coach Stan Benge said.
After a free throw tied the game at 47, Svete hit a deep three and another from the wing in a 54-second span. Kentucky took a 66-65 lead, but a Diggins’ 3-pointer put Indiana ahead for good.
Diggins’ 54 points in the two-game series ties her with Kentucky’s Geri Grigsby (1977) for second most in history. Indiana’s Tiffany Gooden had 55 in the 1994 series.
Penn State recruit Bentley was the only other Indiana player in double figures, scoring 12. Faris tied Diggins with a game-high four rebounds.
Ashley Rainey had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the hosts, and Kentucky Miss Basketball Adia Mathies had 19 points.
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