Highlands Earns Huge Win in Lexington

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Zoie Barth (10) drives in for a score in a recent game. Barth had 19 points, seven steals and two blocked shots as the Bluebirds beat Hazard, 51-35 to conclude the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (7-4 overall) came away from the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic with perhaps its biggest win of the season.

The Hazard Lady Bulldogs (7-3) came into the event on a five-game winning streak including a huge win over 9-2 Clay County. Hazard beat Scott, 66-65 in double overtime before losing 69-48 to Scott County in the first two games of the classic. The Lady Bulldogs then exploded for an 88-59 win over Cooper on Friday. Cooper eliminated Highlands from the 9th Region Tournament last year.

But Highlands put together a strong showing to beat the Lady Bulldogs, 51-35 to conclude the classic with a 2-2 record. Hazard has not been to the 14th Region Tournament since 2005, but does have three region championships to its credit and a state championship in 1997.

"We told the girls when we drove back down that we wanted to end the tournament with a win," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "It was a possibility that we should win this game. They came out, defended well and executed offensively."