The Anderson County girls’ basketball team shot its way to a program first Wednesday night.

The Region 8 champion Lady Bearcats (33-1) finished 72.2 percent from the field in the first half against Henderson County and never trailed in a 65-54 win in the first round of the Houchens Industries/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The win was Anderson County’s first state tournament victory in four appearances.

“It’s a huge stepping stone for our program,” ACHS coach Tony Kays said. “We were fortunate to get here three years ago, and we were a very young team. That was kind of one of those deals where you’re just happy to be back here after a 35-year drought.

“But with this team coming back experienced and stronger, we felt like we had a good chance. To get that and clear that hurdle is huge for us.”

ACHS advances to face Shelby Valley in the quarterfinals at 1:30 p.m. Friday. The team has won 25 straight games since suffering its lone loss to Bryan Station on Dec. 22.

The Lady Bearcats had to work for their latest win in the second half, as Henderson County (26-3) – the Region 2 champion – pulled within one in the fourth quarter with a strong push by sophomore guard Maci Brown.

Brown made four 3-pointers in the second half and finished with six 3s, which ties for the second-most by a player in the girls’ state tournament. She had a team-high 18 points.

“My teammates set me really good screens,” Brown said. “They were a big reason I hit my 3s.”

Anderson County did its own damage from 3-point range by netting 9 of 14 attempts – the nine makes are tied for the third-most in a girls’ state tourney game.

The Lady Bearcats made 7 of 9 3-pointers in the first half and knocked down their first five, opening a 20-6 lead at the 3:45 mark of the first quarter.

Anderson County led by many as 16 points in the second quarter, but Henderson County senior forward Ellie Fruit’s floater just before the buzzer made it 36-24 at the break.

The Lady Colonels shot 61.1 percent in the first half, and the teams combined to make 24 of 36 shots.

“We shot the ball extremely well in the first half,” Kays said. “It was a little bit of fool’s gold. We knew they’d make a run. As any well-coached team does, they had a lot of pride and chipped away to make a couple runs at us.”

Henderson County got within nine by the end of the third quarter, and Fruit’s layup with 4:44 to play cut ACHS’ lead to 50-49.

Her two free throws with 3:15 left brought the Lady Colonels within 56-54, but they never scored again.

Anderson County shot 30 percent in the second half but made 15 of 21 free throws after the break, including seven makes by junior forward Eriel McKee during the final 9-0 run.

“I was a little nervous, but it kind of just faded away,” McKee said.

McKee scored a game-high 27 points with eight rebounds, while junior guard Makenzie Cann added 17 points and six assists.

Fruit and sophomore forward DeAsia Outlaw had 14 and 13 points, respectively, for Henderson County, which shot six free throws to Anderson’s 25.

HCHS 12 12 15 15 — 54

ACHS 24 12 12 17 — 65

HCHS — Brown 18, Fruit 14, Outlaw 13, Wallace 4, Francis 3, Carter 2.

ACHS — McKee 27, Cann 17, Whiteside 9, Stewart 6, Averitt 3, Robinson 3.

Shelby Valley 45, Corbin 38

The Lady Cats (29-4) made six unanswered free throws after Corbin closed within one in the fourth quarter, securing their first state tournament win in their second trip.

“We’re still a very young ball team, but these girls have never ceased to amaze me,” Shelby Valley coach Rodney Rowe said. “We basically started from scratch, and what we’ve done is just amazing.”

Corbin (27-9), which was making its first state appearance since 1982, cut its deficit to 39-38 with 1:57 left with two free throws by junior guard Kayla Wilson.

But Shelby Valley, the Region 15 champion, made 18 of 24 free throws in the game and had three players step up to make free throws in the final two minutes.

SVHS freshman forward Lakyn Mullins scored 15 points – making 9 of 10 free throws – with nine rebounds.

“Everyone stepped up,” Mullins said. “I’m not a very good free-throw shooter, but I think I did pretty good tonight. I was nervous. We were all nervous but we’re excited to play Friday.”

Senior guard Brianna Fraley added 15 points and five boards. The Lady Cats scored 19 points off 18 Corbin turnovers.

Junior forward Sarah Ashley led Corbin, the Region 13 champion, with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Lady Redhounds shot 31 percent from the field, while Shelby Valley shot 37.1 percent.

SVHS 12 10 9 14 — 45

CHS 9 5 11 13 — 38

SVHS — Mullins 15, Fraley 15, Smith 7, Rowe 4, Honaker 2, Smallwood 2.

CHS — Ashley 10, K. Wilson 8, M. Wilson 6, Disney 4, Fothergill 4, Ashurst 2, Jewell 2, Wilson 2.