On Saturday, March 12, the duPont Manual Lady Crimsons lost to Rockcastle County in the Girls’ Sweet 16 State Championship game held in Western Kentucky University’s Diddle Arena.

At the end of the fourth quarter, the Ladies and RC were tied at 47, resulting in overtime game play. With an additional two minutes and an even chance for both teams, the Lady Crimsons lost to two buzzer-beating free throw shots made by Rockcastle County’s Sarah Hammond, making the final score 62-60.

Dionna Cleveland (11), who had been tweeting updates about the game, said, “Everybody played their hearts out. There wasn’t a single moment where I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. [The Lady Crimsons] played like a family … they are family!  And that’s all that matters.”

On Monday morning, Coach Stacy Pendleton sent an email to faculty in which he noted that the championship game was played without Purdue signee April Wilson. “In overtime, we were without senior leaders Raven Hester and played most of it without Mechael Guess,” he wrote. “Furthermore, [Rockcastle County] had to throw in a miracle shot to win. My team didn’t lose — just ran out of time.”