UK signee Duvall returns from injury, hits game-winner for Bullitt East - Junior also reached 2,000 points for her career

Lindsey Duvall’s first game of the season was one for the ages.

The Bullitt East junior scored 20 points, reached the 2,000-point milestone and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining to lift the host Lady Chargers to a 60-57 victory over North Bullitt Friday night.

Just before the season began, doctors found a benign tumor behind Duvall’s knee, and at the time, it was considered a season-ending injury for one of the top players in the state. But the University of Kentucky commit began practicing last week, and came off the bench against the Lady Eagles.

She came into the game at the 5:54 mark of the first quarter, and minutes later, her first basket, a drive down the lane, gave the 5-10 guard 2,001 points for her career.

WATCH: Duvall’s game-winner

“I was a little nervous, but I was real excited because I’ve been waiting all year” to get back on the court, she said.

However, the Lady Chargers looked out of sync at times in the first half, and with North Bullitt hitting well from the perimeter, they trailed by as many as 12 late in the period. A 9-2 run at the end of the half helped Bullitt East get within five points at the break.

With Bullitt East (17-4), the No. 18 team in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, trailing 55-53 and less than a minute remaining, Duvall had a 3-point shot hit off the back of the rim. However, North Bullitt committed a turnover after grabbing the rebound, giving Duvall another chance.

Alyssa Peak received the inbounds pass, finding Duvall alone on the left wing for a 22-footer that hit nothing but net. She then made all four free throws in the final 16.8 seconds to maintain the lead.

The Lady Eagles (19-6) had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but Lauren Deel’s shot was off the mark.

Duvall’s return likely adds an intriguing storyline for the upcoming Sixth Region tournament. Butler won the Louisville Invitational Tournament. Mercy holds wins over the top two teams in the state. Bullitt East just got one of the top players in the state back.

“I just think getting her back was big for us because it just gives us a lot more energy in practice going down the stretch,” Bullitt East coach Chris Stallings said. “And I think it’ll give us more energy” in games, too.

North Bullitt coach David Marion thinks his team shouldn’t be overlooked as well.

“We thought we were in the conversation from the beginning,” he said. “We came out here and we kind of proved that tonight against one of the teams they thought was ahead of us.”

Deel finished with 23 points, and Katie Downey added 15 for the Lady Eagles. Kathleen Scott added 14 for the Lady Chargers.