a day ago
'We gave the crowd a game.' Indiana All-Stars, Kentucky set girls single-game scoring record in 2OT nail-biter
INDIANAPOLIS – After the marathon double-overtime battle between the girls Indiana All-Stars and Kentucky ended Saturday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Hamilton Southeastern's Maya Makalusky sat near the scorer's table to decompress.
Exhausted after Indiana's 106-103 loss to rival Kentucky in the finale of the two-game series' 49th running, Makalusky didn't absorb her team's sweeping defeat as much as the overall experience.
On Friday night at Lexington Catholic High School, the Indiana All-Stars girls lost 84-73 to Kentucky by the series' largest single-game margin since 2022.
The next evening back in the Hoosier State, Indiana attempted to stave off Kentucky's first series sweep since 2012 and 10th all-time since 1977.
Following a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Laila Abdurraqib (Lawrence Central/New Mexico) at the end of regulation to tie the score 76-76, it seemed Indiana had the momentum on its side.
Indiana's 11-4 run to deadlock the game countered Kentucky's 17-5 run that erased an earlier five-point deficit.
However, two five-minute bonus quarters proved enough time for Kentucky Miss Basketball's ZaKiyah Johnson (Louisville Sacred Heart/Louisiana State) to secure the sweep.
Johnson tied the score in overtime by sinking 3-of-3 free throws in the final seven seconds after drawing contact on a desperation 3-point heave at the top of the key, and she dropped in eight of her game-high 34 points in the double overtime to lock down the win.
Johnson set a new single-game series record for points scored by besting both Kentucky's Amiya Jenkins (31 in 2022) and Indiana's Tiffany Gooden (1994) while establishing a two-game record with 62 points to again beat Gooden's mark of 55.
Makalusky, the 2025 IndyStar Indiana Miss Basketball honoree, had a team-high 29 points. The Indiana University commit finished with 47 points for both games before fouling out with 27.4 seconds remaining in the final bonus period. She was named the Hoosier Shooting Academy MVP.
'Obviously, we have nothing to hang our heads about,' said Makalusky, who posted a team-high 14 rebounds with two assists and three steals. 'I mean, we got double overtime. We played hard, and we should be proud of what we gave.'
What the Indiana and Kentucky All-Stars gave the downtown Indianapolis crowd was a historic show.
Marking the series' first double-overtime game and third overtime contest in history.
Saturday's game set a new single-game record for combined points scored at 209, while adding new standards for most combined field goals (72) that broke the record of 68 in 1994. Kentucky's 106 points were the most scored by the neighboring All-Stars in a single game. The previous high was 101 in 2008 and 2022.
'We gave the crowd a game, and it's all you could ask for,' Makalusky said. 'It's super exciting, and it's great to see girls sports having their moment and the amount of support. Obviously, we want to go out winning, but at the end of the day, we have nothing to hand our heads about. The energy was up, and we were ready.'
Indiana led 16-15 after the first quarter and carried a 35-32 lead into halftime. Indiana took a 45-42 advantage in the third quarter on an and-1 layup by Makalusky and were up 53-48 entering the fourth.
In the game's final five minutes of regulation Kentucky's run created a whirlwind 15 minutes of tug-of-war with 13 ties and 13 lead changes.
Peyton Bradley (Meade County/Louisville) had 26 points, eight assists, five steals and seven rebounds for Kentucky as one of four players in double figures.
Abdurraqib finished with 11 points, four assists and eight rebounds. Indiana had five players with 10 or more points, including Jaylah Lampley (Lawrence Central/Mississippi State) and Addison Baxter (Columbia City/Butler) with 17 each. Monique Mitchell (South Bend Washington/Akron) had 10, while Brooke Winchester (Warsaw/Ball State) had 11 rebounds and eight points.
Kya Hurt (Lawrence North/Illinois State) dished out a team-high seven assists with eight points and three steals.
'I'm just glad I finally got to play on this team with everybody and enjoy this moment,' Hurt said. 'We wanted this one really bad, especially because it went to double overtime. I was excited because we got a chance to play again and try to win the game.'
