Caveland Classic @ Edmonson County High School

Allen County-Scottsville vs. Breckinridge County
By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent

I'm off work for eight days, and I'm excited about some holiday tournaments. The only problem is that there is so many good games I didn't know where to start. On Thursday, I decided to go to the Caveland Classic at Edmonson County High School. The tourney started on Tuesday with a field of eight teams mainly from the Third and Fourth regions. John Hardin was in the field representing the Fifth Region.

As I made my way down I-65, I couldn't wait to get to Brownsville and get some Berties Ice Cream. I was afraid of going too fast through Mammoth Cave for fear of the swarm of deer in the National Park. Of course, my first stop in Brownsville was Berties, where I filled my belly, and then I was off to the game.

I got there just after Ohio County and a team from Canada called London Christian finished playing. Breck County, my alma mater, and Allen County was next.

ACS came into the game with a 6-3 and Breck County was 4-5. When I looked at their rosters I noticed they both were a little young. Both had only three seniors.

Breckinridge County controlled the opening tip, and Jerimah Stinnett stroked a smooth three from the left wing about five seconds into the game. The Patriots raced back down the floor and hit their own basket. The two teams traded baskets, and Stinnett led the way for the Tigers by scoring 11 of Breck County's 16 first quarter points. They led by two at the quarter break.

Stinnett continued with a hot hand in the second quarter, and his Tigers starting expanding the lead.

Allen County had some rowdy fans at the game, and they did not like the way the game was being called. I've been around basketball for awhile now, and I'm an old ref myself. I normally don't say much about the officiating, but these guys missed a few calls. The fans didn't take a likin' to it. At the half Breck County led 37-22, and Stinnett had 16 points.

The Patriots made some adjustments at the half and were able to cool off Stinnett. Well, the whole team cooled off because they went about four minutes without a basket.

Led by junior, Brandon Lovett, ACS shot there way back into the game. They also fed the ball to 6'9" Phillip Hayes. It seems to me that if you've got a 6'9" guy on your team, and he has a sizable height advantage, he shuold get the ball every time down the floor. Breck County was still cold and let Allen County back in the game.

Patrick Critchelow, first year head coach at Breck County, called a time out and unleashed a tongue lashing on his team. I was quick to notice that the players respect their young coach and did not back talk. They are willing to learn the game.

ACS kept pushing back trying to make a game out of it. Lovett hit a three and made it a 12-3 run for the Pats. By the end of the third, they had closed the gap to 40-34. Breck County only scored three points in the third quarter.

Coach Critchelow had calmed down by the start of the fourth quarter. When I go to a game, I like to sit right behind a team's bench and observe a coach's technique. I really like the approach that Critchelow took with his team. He was always positive. He told them to just go out and play hard, and they did. They looked relaxed.

I'm not taking anything away from ACS because they are a good team, and it might have been different if their best player was on the court. He was sidelined by a groin injury. Breck County pulled away and won 58-47.

OBSERVATIONS

Win It with Stinnett: Jerimah Stinnett is a baller, or at least he was on Thursday night. He finished the game with 23 points. He looks like the type of player that lets the game come to him, and he never did rush anything or make any poor decisions.

You Can Go Home Again: I wanted to reiterate how much I like Patrick Critchelow's approach he took inside the huddle. I'm a former player, and I know what works with kids and what doesn't. His approach should work. I've known him for a long time, and you can't beat him as a person. He is in his first year as head coach, and I assume he has the support of the whole county behind him. He came back to Breck after leading them to a State Championship in 1995 and leading Kentucky Wesleyan to a National Championship.

Editor's Note: It's more a question. I was wondering if the best player for Allen County out with a groin injury was Jay "Pickle Juice" Starks. When I saw Allen County tangle with Greenwood a few weeks ago, Starks played and was nursing a groin injury that night. If it was Starks, he'd make a big difference. That's based on what I saw in Scottsville back around Thanksgiving.