Fourth Region Roundup

I feel like I should post the audio of ABC's horse race announcer, Dave Johnson, saying, "And down the stretch they come!" Only his voice -- with that sense of excitement -- can summarize how the basketball season and the hunt for the championship is shaping up in the Fourth Region this season. It's a horse race with no clear favorite and only a couple or three 99 to 1 shots breezing at the back of the field.

It's February, and this is the point during the season when the games mean a lot more, the crowds are bigger and louder, and the intensity level is ratcheted up to a very high level. Teams have played in the holiday tournaments, and they have faced several regional opponents and, in most cases, all their district rivals.

I just don't see anyone challenging Franklin-Simpson in the 13th District. Other coaches in the district probably go to bed hearing "Catch Us If You Can" because no one's going to catch this "Dave Clark Five." They had an eight game winning streak going until they ran into Warren Central's buzz saw press on a stormy night in Bowling Green. With players like "Sir" Rayco Bryant, Courtney Dalcourt (a player so nice they called him "Court" twice), and Colby Clark, the Wildcats can make a serious challenge for the regional title. They attack the basket better than any team I've seen this year. I'm considering the game at Central a hiccup for the Wildcats.

The 14th District is one of the toughest ones in the state. Bowling Green, Warren Central, Warren East, and Greenwood make up this one, and each of those teams have the talent to make a run at and win the region.

Greenwood has the guard combo of Thing 1 and Thing 2 with Mark Lacy and Austin Reed, who drive opponents crazy. They also have Dee Anderson who can drive around nearly any player and slash into any zone to score. He may be the best in the region at creating shots, and he has regained most or all of his mobility after a serious knee injury in the summer. Throw in players like Bret Barrick and J.J. Smith, and that's a recipe for a regional championship.

Warren East has a fast paced attack laced with deadly perimeter shooting. Jordan Ellis and DeAngelo "Captain" Kirk make this Raider squad a tough match up for their 14th District foes. Ellis is an excellent perimeter shooter and most people fail to recognize his athletic ability. DeAngelo Kirk can drive holes through any type of defense like a high speed drill punches holes in cheap plywood. East is not a two man team. They have a balanced attack and like to play a full court game.

Bowling Green is a team with a high flying offensive team and an in-your-face man-to-man full court defense. The Purples, when they commit to playing their tough nosed defense can take anyone down on any night. They have great offensive threats with Jerron Nixon and D.L. Moore, but I've watched them several times this season and have decided that they create victories on the defensive end of the floor.

Lookout for the Warren Central Dragons! Teams from the 14th District and the Fourth Region have chased the dragon so much over the past six years that law enforcement agencies are going to start checking their arms for track marks. The Dragons have played a tough schedule, and like a something out of the Nevada Skunk Works they are flying under the radar of everyone in the region. They are as lethal as anything Lockheed or Grumman has produced for the U.S. military, too. At the right time of the season, Tim Riley, has everything clicking for his team. Just ask the Purples and the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats about their recent losses at the Dragon's lair on Morgantown Road. The district tournament is at Central. Fear the Dragons!

The 15th District is another tough one. The two entries in the regional from this district have the capability of playing multiple nights on the Diddle Arena court.

Barren County is the favorite and could be the favorite to win the region. Steve "The Other" Riley has a balanced attack on the court every night, and the Trojans have better ball movement than anyone in the region. They force teams to play defense or fail. Lee Hubbard is a superb basketball player, who could very well lead his team out of the district and to the regional championship. Matt "Yet Another" Riley handles full court pressure well and finds his teammates when they are open.

Allen County-Scottsville, Glasgow, and Monroe County are chasing the Trojans, but those teams can't seem to put together a serious run at Barren County. The young Scotties are led by Charlie Mudd, a tough-nosed ballplayer who knows how to score in tough situations. The Patriots have one of the best guards in the state with Jay Starks. He breaks down defenses like they were used Yugos.

Metcalfe County is the team to beat in the 16th District. That's even with their star shooting guard Trey Shirley sidelined with a spinal cord infection. Will Warf has taken over as the capable leader of this swarm of Hornets. They dropped back-to-back games to Warren East and Franklin-Simpson right after losing Shirley, but they responded by playing their way into the All-Classic in Richmond, where Eighth Region contender Gallatin County swatted them by 16 points. The big question with Metcalfe County is, will Shirley make it back?

Cumberland County and Russell County could challenge the Hornets. I've seen Cumberland County play, but I just don't see knocking Metcalfe County out of the district. Russell County? Who knows? I've not seen them play, and their schedules make it seem they are wanting to lean out of the Fourth Region. Last season, Coach Willie Feldhaus guided the Lakers to the regional semi-finals after -- if I remember right -- a sub .500 regular season record. I have no idea what to expect from these guys.

There's just a handful of games left before the district tournaments start, and there is still no clear favorite to win the Fourth Region Derby. It's anybody's horse race. I have no pick to win this one. It's exciting, though, and I encourage everyone to grab up the kids, call the neighbors, and go enjoy some of the great basketball around this area.

Happy Hoops!

Adair County 45 - Taylor County 44

Taylor County High School, Campbellsville, Kentucky 01-29-08

By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent

Folks, we live in the best basketball state in America. Kentucky is the home of basketball. Sure we have a lot of other things in Kentucky of which we're proud, but when someone talks basketball, we hold our head high, our chest outward, and we are proud. I love it when you go to high school games and thousands of people are there. I love old gyms where it can be 5 degrees outside but 105 inside. I love it when it's packed and most of the crowd has to stand up most of the game and you're elbow-to-elbow with the person next to you. This is high school basketball in Kentucky, where kids play for the love of the game and the name on their jerseys. They leave it all on the floor.

Editor's Note: I could've sworn I heard a chorus humming My Old Kentucky Home as I read that.

Over the last couple of weeks I have seen some of the most exciting ballgames in recent memory. Tonight, when I pulled up in Campbellsville, I had a feeling I would not be disappointed. I ran into the Taylor County gym because it was pouring down rain, and I had to park somewhere near Green River Lake. I stayed wet the first two quarters, but it didn't dampen my spirits. Fans of old gyms would love this one; Taylor County has a gem of a gym. It's old and has bleachers all the way around the floor. I call it "The Clem Gym" in honor of Taylor County native Clem "The Gem" Haskins, who still holds the single game scoring record (55 points) at WKU.

As soon as the JV game ended, the student sections for both schools started their chants. The atmosphere was electric, just as it has been everywhere I've gone to in the past two weeks. I don't think you could have fit another person in that gym. I thought the fire marshal was going to come any second and make someone leave (like that was going to happen).

Both teams came out of the locker room to a chorus of booing from the opposition's fans. Taylor County has flown under the radar in the Fifth Region. They have lost some games they shouldn't have but, make no mistake, this is a very good ball club. Most recently, they have acquired a transfer from Danville High School named Leonard Macon. He has caused a stir in the 20th District and around the region. He is about 6'6", strong and plays to the crowd. He didn't start but made an impact early in the second quarter.

I've watched Adair many times this year. Once again, I found myself sitting beside Adair's #1 fan, T.P. Scott. As soon as I got there, I asked my new friend from Columbia how he felt about this game. He just shook his head and said, "I don't know. This one is always tough."

I soon found out he was right.

Adair controlled the tap, and the Cardinals played them man-to-man. The Indians came out hot but soon cooled off. They hung in the game because Taylor wasn't hot, either. Chase Cox, the Cardinals' three-point specialist put up a "goose egg" in the first quarter. People tell me that he looks to shoot the ball as soon as he gets off the bus. On Tuesday night, Adair's Kalen Kimberland rattled him. He's their senior leader on defense. The quarter ended with a low score: 10-9, advantage Adair.

Leonard Macon came off the bench in the second. Apparently, he didn't start because of a technical foul he got against Marion County on Friday. The kid is raw and strong. He doesn't shoot very good from the floor, but down load he is hard to handle. Both teams struggled to find their mark and still had a low scoring output in the second. The score was tied at 18 at the half. Mr. Scott reported that Adair only shot 33% from the field in the half.

To make Adair's shooting night even worse, Taylor opened up the third quarter in a 1-3-1 zone, and the Indian squad looked to Coach Mark Fudge for answers. I must give credit where credit is due. The Indians never got worried or rattled. They are so patient on offense, making the extra pass and playing under control. That's what makes a championship team.

Still having a little trouble with the zone, Adair called their first timeout of the night in the third quarter. They came out of the timeout looking to penetrate, which was what another fan and I had just been talking about. I met this guy soon after the game started. I'm sorry I never got his name, but he was real nice and said he had once coached the Adair players in little league (I gave him the web address so he can read up on our season).

Taylor was making progress with the zone and had a small lead at the end of the third, 29-26. That was the Cardinals' biggest lead of the game to that point. The crowd was still into the game.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, I finally had dried off from the rain and the excitement ran a chill up my back. About a minute and a half into the quarter, Corey Helm fed Adair's Darrin Ballou on the post, and he turned and dunked the ball straight up into Macon's face (welcome to the Fifth Region Mr. Macon!). It's the most emotion I've ever seen out of Ballou, who is normally quiet and goes about his job. He was in Macon's ear all the way down the court. Wow!! That's Kentucky high school basketball!

Not to be outdone, Taylor answered by feed their new big man, who traded for Ballou's bucket. Taylor had the lead with 5:13 left and had things going their way. They got into the bonus at 4:15 with a 35-32 lead.

The gym was getting louder and louder. Josh Gumm, Taylor's other three-point threat, hit a big three to make it 38-32. The zone had worked for the Cardinals all night, but Coach Troy Young made a move that we in the stands could not believe: he went back to the man-to-man, which let Adair back in the game.

Adair got a big bucket, cutting it to 38-34. Then, the Indians' Corey Helm finally woke up from his basketball coma and hit a huge three with 2:40 to go. This was the big swing in my opinion. The teams continued to trade baskets, and Ballou picked up his fourth foul. I thought, "well, this might burst the bubble for the Indians," but I forgot that this is a very smart team. Taylor remained in the man-to-man "D" and Adair spread the floor. Kalen Kimberland slashed into the lane and missed a shot, but he never gave up. He got his own rebound, put it in, and gave Adair a 43-42 lead. I could not believe what I was watching. Three out of the last four games I have been to have ended like this.

It was 44-43, and the Cardinals lead with 12.3 seconds to go. Adair spread the floor again, and Kimberland ran into the lane again. This time he was fouled and went to the line with 7.2 seconds remaining. He made the first of two shots, and Taylor tried to freeze him with a time out. You can't ice this kid. He made the second shot, making it 45-44. Taylor had a chance, getting the ball to Chase Cox, but Kimberland had him in check. Cox pushed off badly, but there was no call. he got the shot away, but the shot did not fall. He had been off his mark all night.

Adair won a great on in Campbellsville, and their fans rushed the floor. Hey, guys, don't forget that the district tournament is in Taylor's gym, and I'm sure they won't forget that.

OBSERVATIONS

King Cox: Before the game, Taylor County honored Chase Cox. He scored his 1,000th point on December 21st, and they went on to say that he now has over 1,200 career points. If my math is right, that's 200 points in a little over a month. Did I hear that right? Cox was off his mark on Tuesday, but it's still a great accomplishment for this young man. Oh, yeah, did I mention that he's only a junior? Look for him possibly to become the all time leading scorer in Taylor County history.

Gem of a Gym: My hat's off to Taylor County. They have a great gym. In this day and age with counties building new and bigger schools, Taylor has kept it real. Their gym is a fan's gym. If you ever have a chance to see it, don't pass it up. I love the way the bleachers are arranged because you're right on the floor, and you can see the action from anywhere.

Rodney Dangerfield?: I don't think so. With all the veteran coaches in the Fifth Region -- Tim Davis, James Haire, and Ron Bevars -- Coach Mark Fudge has earned my respect. He has talent, and he knows how to coach it. He has his team ready to play, and it shows. They are always under control, and I noticed that they are always looking to him for their next move. This means the players have confidence in their coach. He is a great leader, and coaches around the region better respect coach Fudge.

Editor's Note: I apologize to Adair County and Taylor County fans for being so slow posting Chris's report. My house had no power for a long time last night, and I had to leave for Henderson very early this morning. Thank you for reading.

Warren Central 85 - Franklin-Simpson 58

Warren Central High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky - 01-29-08

Something was trying to keep me from seeing Tuesday’s game between Franklin-Simpson and Warren Central. I had to work in Frankfort today, and one pesky problem after another cropped up during the weekday. On the trip home, I got caught up for over an hour on I-65 when some truck driver decided to turn a section of guardrail into modern art. That made me late getting back to the Rockfield Metropolitan Area.

After eating supper with my family, I was going to dash out the door and head for the Dragon’s lair on Morgantown Road. We were clearing the table when a line of thunderstorms sped through Warren County knocking out power to our house and apparently most of the southern end of the county. The wind blew a big hickory tree over on my garage. Somehow, it didn’t damage the building, but there is tree all over the backyard. There wasn’t anything I could do about the tree tonight.

I get a little antsy when there’s high winds because my property has 45 oak, hickory, and sassafras trees on it. One oak tree towers over the house. The thing is huge. It makes me nervous.

From our hill, which overlooks Bowling Green, I could see that the lights were still on in the city. So, I jumped in my truck and headed for Warren Central High School’s gym.

I got there at the end of the first quarter, and Franklin-Simpson had a 13-11 lead on the Dragons. I was sure I was in for a classic high school tilt between two very proud basketball programs.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats ran into a squall line that had the same ferocity as the one that rumbled through Bowling Green just an hour or so prior to the game. Franklin-Simpson failed to defend the perimeter, and the Warren Central storm starting raining treys on the Wildcats like an out-of-control super cell. I expected to see storm chasers flying into the gym with Doppler radars, IMAX cameras, and crazy electronic gadgets to measure what kind of storm could produce a thunderclap of three pointers like few have seen in these parts since the big hail storm in 1998.

Hail stones the size of basketballs and every one of them went through the net on Warren Centrals first half goal.

Warren Central hit five three pointers in-a-row, a lay-up, and another three-point shot. The furious run left Franklin-Simpson absolutely punch drunk.

That’s the cumulative effect of Warren Central’s press. They never stop pressing, and they never stop being aggressive. They are the most aggressive basketball team I've seen this season. Franklin-Simpson likes to attack the basket, but Central attacks everything. Central Coach Tim Riley uses the press the way it's supposed to be used: he uses it continuously. It's not a gimmick with Riley and not intended to spring a few steals or motivate his team. He uses the press the way the U.S. Air Force uses "shock and awe." The press is designed to wear down an opponent and to frustrate them. Warren Central does it masterfully.

The second quarter was a disaster for Franklin-Simpson. County Judge/Executive Jim Townsend should consider writing a letter to Governor Steve Beshear declaring the second quarter of Tuesday's game a disaster area. The governor's office would respond with one saying, "quit playing zone when Warren Central's shooters could throw a BB into a soda straw."

Warren Central outscored the Wildcats 31-12 in the second and took a commanding 42-25 lead to the break.

Franklin-Simpson continued to take atrocious shots in the second half, and the Dragons continued to grind them with a 2-2-1, no frills, press. Franklin-Simpson pressed the Dragons, as well. Any team that decides to play that type of defense against Warren Central better be prepared to play it with great intensity. They also make danged sure that they get back on defense because Central is going to attack the basket with the intensity of a west Kentucky thunderstorm.

The Dragons led 61-41 at the end of the third.

I don't have much to say about the fourth quarter. It was played because the rules say that it must be played. Late in the quarter, Coach Riley cleared his bench, and the reserves came out shooting and attacking the baskets. He has those kids programmed to play one way: all out.

Final: Warren Central wins by 27, 85-58.

OBSERVATIONS

Not Fair: An official called a charge on Rayco Bryant tonight that was clearly a blocking call. Bryant is a big player, and the ref might have taken that into account when he knocked the Central player to the court. "Sir Rayco" is going to have that happen to him. It reminds me of when Clarence Martin played at WKU. Referees whistled him for a lot of fouls that he didn't commit. Players sometimes ran into Martin and fell down. Then, an official would call "Big C" for the foul. Baby Bark...I mean Baby Shaq better get used to that.

What's That Sound: Warren Central has the best P.A. system Pick and Roll has ever heard. It is clear and crisp, and the announcer does an excellent job, too. He'll even comment on the action, but he is not overbearing. When Al Thompson shot a free throw that rounded the rim, he said, "made it around the turn and down the chute." I like that. It gets a "Three Thumbs Up" from Pick and Roll.

Shoot Out for Pizza: At halftime of Warren Central's games fans can pay a buck and take three point shot to win a free pizza. I love it.

In the Dark: I had to write this post in the dark. No names. No stats. It's all from memory. It's starting to get cold in the house, too. Battery powered laptops are great things.

A Post to Explain Some Things

Some friends of mine nudged me into starting this blog. Last season, I had the opportunity to attend every game of the Fourth Region Tournament at Diddle Arena in Bowling Green. Because I was helping a neighbor -- a good friend -- with some things at the tournament, I was able to sit at the scorer's table. During the games, I would grab a piece of paper and a pen and take notes about some of the better plays and interesting players. When I got home, I wrote e-mails to friends of mine scattered across the state. All of them are high school basketball fans. Several of them live out of state, too.

When the tournament was over one of them told me, "you should start a blog next season." I didn't give it much thought over the summer. I hardly even knew what a "blog" was, but a friend and a colleague showed me the ropes and landed me on "eblogger."

I had the concept, but I couldn't come up with a name. I sent an e-mail out to my friends, and my long time friend Spencer Brister, a basketball enthusiast in Owensboro, suggested "Pennyrile Pick and Roll." It sounded good. I liked it. Then, I launched it with the Bowling Green-Marshall County football game, and some wag suggested it should be the Pennyrile Hook and Ladder.

I'm pleased with the number of people who read Pick and Roll, and I wish I could thank each and every one of you. I've had a blast going to the games and writing about them.

I have a great passion for basketball, and, in particular, high school basketball. For years I've told people that high school athletes compete for the name on the front of their jerseys and not the one on the back. Pick and Roll has been my effort to give a little -- a very little -- back to the sport and the level of sport that I love so much.

The beauty is that the passion and the love is shared by so many. I've met a lot of truly dedicated basketball fans along the way this season, and I'm sure to meet more as the season trucks into district and regional tournaments. I wish there was a way to go to all the tournaments, but I'm just one person.

I'll get to a few more games this season. I'll probably go to the 14th District Tournament because it will be played just up the highway from my house. Then, I will be at all of the Fourth Region Tournament at Diddle Arena. I watched so much of that tournament last season that when I'd go to bed at night I could see the after image of the giant Red Towel on Diddle's court in my head.

I've got to hype this, though. I'm on a quest to attend all 15 games of the Sweet Sixteen in Lexington. That will be 15 games in about 60 hours. That will be a basketball crack house for a hoops junkie like me. I'll probably have to enter a 12 step program after those four days in Lexington.

If any Pick and Roll readers want to contact me, they can do so at trace.kirkwood@gmail.com. I will respond to any and all e-mails, and I hope readers will start leaving comments on the posts. If you want to take me task on something, do so. I will never take offense, and I will never rip into anyone commenting. I'm not that type of person. I try to keep everything on Pick and Roll positive, humorous, and somewhat informative.

Again, I want to thank everyone who reads PPR, and I want to thank Chris Gregory for the fine pieces he submits.

Franklin-Simpson 70 - Logan County 37

Logan County High School, Russellville, Kentucky, 01-25-08

In horse racing sometimes one horse will be the only one to go to post. Even though it is a guarantee that the horse is going to win, they break him from the gate and walk the animal around the race track. Horsemen call it "a walkover."

That is an apt description of Friday night's match up between the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats and the Logan County Cougars.

Franklin-Simpson rolled into the contest with a Fourth Region leading 10-1 record with their only loss coming at the hands of Bowling Green on December 14th, and they were undefeated in the 13th District. Logan County, on the other hand, has not won a game in the region and they've come up Krispy-Kreme (doughnuts) in the 13th.

It was first versus worst.

The other day I was scrolling through some of the old posts on Pick and Roll and realized that I had not seen Franklin-Simpson play this season. I wanted to see them play Bowling Green in December, but an out-of-state trip thwarted that plan. I just haven't been able to cross paths with these cats, so, instead of taking in the Bowling Green-Warren Central tilt or the Warren East vs. Greenwood game, I decided to head out the broad four lanes of U.S. 68 and catch a cat fight in the suburbs of Russellville.

Yep it was a walkover. At first, I thought the Cougars were going to make it a game. Logan packed back in a shifty little zone and closed down Franklin's passing lanes. After falling behind 5-0, the Cougars answered with a 6-0 run of their own to take a lead late in the first. The Wildcats, however, took a one point lead into the first break, 12-11.

Logan County's Andrew Bunton, who wears #23, hit a big basket to put Logan County ahead in the second quarter. This kid has more spin moves than the Tilt-A-Whirl at Beech Bend, but shortly after spinning through Franklin's defense with a whirl that should've been measured with the Fujita Scale, he disappeared. I don't know if Bunton hurt himself or landed in Coach Brandon Fisher's dog house, but I didn't see him on the court the rest of the game.

Logan County had 17 points when he came out of the game in the second quarter, and that was their point total at halftime. The Wildcats exploded for 20 second quarter points and controlled the game 23-17 at the half. Courtney Dalcourt and Cedrick Adams led the way for Franklin-Simpson in the first half with superb ball movement and shooting.

I had heard a lot about Rayco "Baby Shaq" Bryant. He is a big guy -- 6'5" and a very large frame. The Franklin-Simpson fans call him "Baby Shaq," but he reminds me more of Charles Barkley. Pick and Roll is going to call him "Baby Bark" or "Sir Rayco." Bryant didn't have a great game tonight, but it's probably because Logan County did everything they could to keep the ball out of his hands. He's a good rebounder and gives up no ground on defense.

The second half belonged to Franklin-Simpson. Logan County played scared, and later they played as if they had pianos strapped to their backs. The Wildcats kept the score doubled-up on them throughout most of the third and fourth quarters.

My mind wandered over to Morgantown Road in Bowling Green thinking about how the Purples and Dragons were probably slugging it out in a track meet.

The real drama at Logan County on Friday night came in the fourth quarter. I'm not sure what happened, but I think the Cougars' Reuben Rawlings threw a punch at a Franklin player and received a technical foul. When he went to the bench, the F-S fans behind the bench started taunting him, and I think someone threw something at him. A Logan County coach started jawing with the fans and walked across the gym and dispatched two Logan County deputy sheriffs into the stands. They made the fan leave, and they took up a post right beside the fans.

Pick and Roll Pet Peeve: I can't stand when fans throw things onto the playing floor or at a player. It is dangerous and stupid. I will always alert law enforcement to that type of behavior; there is no place for it in sports.

Franklin Coach David Clark cleared his bench early and gave some bench players time in the game. Jerron Patterson, a 6'4" freshman caught my eye down the stretch. He played nearly six minutes and scored five points and grabbed four rebounds. Coach Clark has to be excited about this kid.

Franklin-Simpson won effortlessly 70-37. Logan County's quarter-by-quarter scoring went 11, 6, 9, and 11. Ouch!

Courtney Dalcourt led the way for the Wildcats with 20 points and Colby Clark added 13. Brett Sowell scored 16 for Logan, and Andrew Bunton scored seven, despite only playing 12 minutes.

OBSERVATIONS

Hey, Mr. Talley Man: Pick and Roll gives a tip of the hat to Aaron Talley, Franklin-Simpson's stat man. He supplied me with rosters for both teams and statistics for the entire game. He's also very knowledgeable about Fourth Region basketball. I think it's great that a statistician is named "Talley." I love it. Somebody cue up the Harry Belafonte eight tracks.

Peaking at the Right Time: Logan County's Brett Sowell's jump shot has no arch to it whatsoever. It peaks at 10 feet, but he hit his mark several times Friday night. He has nearly perfect form on his jump shots, too. If he squares his feet and shoulders to the basket, he's money.

Oyez! Oyez!: I have to point out that Franklin-Simpson's COURTney DalCOURT has "court" twice in his name. He was either going to be a basketball player or a lawyer or maybe both.

No Parking in the Red Zone: Pick and Roll is a traveler. I've been in a lot of airports, and once thought I was going to grow old and die in Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport. Logan County has a young lady doing the public address. All night I had flashbacks to my nightmarish day at Hartsfield, where p.a. announcements were always done with a woman's voice. I kept waiting for Logan's p.a. to announce that Southwest Flight 507 was boarding at Gate 22.

The Franklin Favorite: Gee, there's a good reason why the Wildcats are 11-1 in the Fourth Region. It's because they are a good basketball team. Could they be, should they be the favorite to win the region?

Bowling Green 65 - Grayson County 55

Grayson County High School, Leitchfield, Kentucky, 01-22-08

I was going to lay off tonight, but when WBGN play-by-play man, Scott Thompson, told me I could ride along with him, it brought the eternal moocher in me springing to life. Tonight I was Thompson's broadcast engineer. When we set up in the press box at Grayson County's gym, he had me check power sources for the radio equipment. He had me stand by a light switch and turn it on and off. It was tough duty, but I got through it. I told him that I expected union wages.

A few weeks ago, Chris Gregory, the Pick and Rolls fearless Fifth Region Correspondent, stated that KY 84 was as curvy as Jessica Simpson. I'm going to one up him. KY 185 between Richardsville and Caneyville is as curvy as a sorority pledge party.

Tuesday's game was a match up between two team trying to make a move toward the top of their regions. Bowling Green is near the top in the Fourth, and Grayson is near the top in the Third. Both had 13-6 records going into the contest.

The similarities stop there. Grayson County is strong and plays patient, ball control basketball. Bowling Green is long and lanky and likes to open up the game and play all 94 feet of the court. Both teams are good and well coached.

I was surprised when the Cougars opened with a man-to-man defense against the visitors. That allowed the Purples to play their game, and they controlled the boards and the paint. Bowling Green played superb defense in the first quarter. It was one of the best defensive efforts I've seen this season, and it says a lot that Grayson County scored 13 points against the Purples' full court pressure. D.G. Sherrill has his team pressing after turnovers and missed baskets, and they did it well in the first quarter. Bowling Green had an eight point lead at the end of the first, 21-13.

Grayson County's sophomore sensation hurt his hand just a minute into the second quarter, and he sat out until the four minute mark. The Cougars played well without him on the court and cut into the lead. The score was 27-26 after Johnston hit a running jump shot with under two minutes left in the half, but Tevis Barksdale answered with one of his three first half three point shots.

Bowling Green's defense was going to determine the outcome of the game. When the Purples applied pressure and played active, tough defense, they controlled the game. They had a couple of lapses in the second quarter, but they took a 30-26 lead into the break.

At halftime, D.L. Moore, Bowling Green's 6'6" center, who is headed to the University of South Carolina to play football, only had four points. Travis Johnston had nine, a very quiet nine.

Grayson County surprised the Purples to open the third quarter. Johnston nailed a three just a few seconds into the half, and teammate Tyler Saltsman hit another one after a Bowling Green turnover. Just 43 seconds into the quarter, the game changed complexion. The Cougars had a 32-30 lead on the visitors. Coach Sherrill called a timeout, and it was much needed. The Purps were a Led Zepplin song: Dazed and Confused.

The Purples made the mistake of letting Travis Johnston get loose in close to the basket. The Cougars kept hitting easy baskets, and Johnston scored 9 points in three and a half minutes. It looked like Bowling Green was in trouble, but they re-asserted their defensive pressure late in the third. They forced Johnston and the rest of the Cougars to take contested outside shots.

Bowling Green also started working the ball down low to D.L. Moore, who used his long arms to catch the ball and put it in the basket. He made several text book put-ins off the glass using both hands and never bringing the ball below his head. Pick and Roll loves to see fundamental basketball, and Moore put on a clinic on several plays.

The Purples struggled a little in the third quarter, but they took a one point, 45-44, lead into the fourth quarter.

Grayson County continued to play man-to-man with Bowling Green, and the Cougar squad looked tired early in the fourth. They finally played some 2-3 zone, but Bowling Green hit a huge three point shot to make it 52-48 heading down the stretch.

The Purples switched to a zone defense in the fourth. They played a 1-3-1 with D.L. Moore at the head of the zone. Sherrill was careful not to let Moore move to far from one side to the other, and he kept his arms up and out, frustrating the Grayson County shooters. Moore showed great skill coming off of the top of that zone and getting into position to grab rebounds. I haven't seen Bowling Green play much zone this season, but they played it very well on Tuesday night.

Bowling Green forced Grayson's offense further and further away from the basket, and they controlled things down the stretch. They won 65-55.

Both teams are good teams. Top ranked Muhlenberg North rolls into Cougar Country on Friday night, and Stars unblemished Third Region record could fall. Bowling Green travels across town to arch-rival Warren Central that night.

OBSERVATIONS

Canine or Feline?: If Bowling Green High won't call their hot dogs "D.G. Dogs," then maybe I can convince the fine Grayson County folks to call theirs "Cat Dogs." It wasn't the best hot dog I've ever eaten, but he popcorn at Grayson's concession stand is fantastic. It gets a Pick and Roll "Three Thumbs Up" rating.

Bird Was a Player: I know what the readers are thinking: Larry Bird. When a person says "Bird" in Grayson County, they think Brittany. She left the Lady Cougars after scoring 2,376 points. That makes me say, "gosh." Gosh!

Must Put Face On: Earlier in the week when some girls were trying to catch a glimpse of Bowling Green assistant coach Anthony Winchester, they told Coach D.G. Sherrill they wanted to see his "cute" coaching staff. Sherrill responded, "girls, I don't wake up looking this good."

Can't Get There From Here: I challenge Pick and Roll readers to find a good route from Bowling Green to Leitchfield. It's worse going to Hardinsburg. I spent two years running those routes for my job, and I never could settle on a good combination of roads to get to those places. In order to get from BG to Leitchfield, you've got to go somewhere else. Scott Thompson and I debated our route the whole way up there.

Elizabethtown 62 - Breckinridge County 54

Breckinridge County High School, Harned, Kentucky 01-19-08
By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent

I first started playing basketball when I was in the fourth grade. It was in Homer Gray's Saturday Morning League. From that point on I knew I loved this game. It wasn't until a few years later, when my Aunt Kathy took me to my first Breck County game, I realized I wanted to be a Fighting Tiger.

Saturday night was Homecoming in Harned, and I wanted to see the Tigers and the Panthers scratch it out on the hardwood. Both teams are a little down this year (reflected by their records). E-town lost Kentucky's Mr. Basketball, Steffphon Pettigrew, who is playing for WKU this season, and I had yet to see the Panthers play. I reported on the Tigers over the holidays. Both schools have tons of tradition and some state tournament rings to flash.

Elizabethtown's James Haire is a veteran coach, but this year's team has really challenged him. Prior to Saturday's game, they sported an 8-7 record, having lost to Owensboro the night before. They have good size at every position, but I didn't know what to expect from them because they have won games over some worthy opponents. Plus, Breck has lost some tough games in the last couple of weeks.

E-town was already on the floor going through pre-game warm-ups when Breck took the floor. That's when the pep band struck up "Eye of the Tiger." To this day, and I guess forever, if a person was ever a Breckinridge County Fighting Tiger -- like I was -- that song just gets your blood a pumpin. I'm glad to see that the new band director hasn't shied away from tradition.

I'm really at a loss for words for this game. My buddy, Justin, who made the trip from Hodgenville with me, said that this game was "just blah." I admit that I was expecting a little better game. Maybe it's because I had witnessed two of the best games I've seen this year in the past seven days (I reported on them).

I told my buddy that maybe I should pass on this game, and he said, "well since you're here you should write something." Don't get me wrong; this game had some good moments.

Elizabethtown showed no effects from playing tough game on Friday night and ran off a few buckets. Breck missed some easy shots down low early in the first quarter. The thing that impressed me most in the first was how well Breck plays their man-to-man full court press. They have quick guards, and they get their hands on a lot of balls.

E-town was in control early, leading 17-12 after one period of play.

Breck is a young and players have had to grow up quick. They weren't going to back down to a team from the big city. To Coach Critchelow's dismay his Tigers looked a bit lost on offense, and E-town threw a tough 1-2-2 match up zone at them. I'm still a tiger at heart, but Breck made it easy for the Panthers in the first half. It bothers me to see a team that doesn't penetrate the zone and work for the three. These days teams are living and dying by the three point shot. Breck seemed to pass it around with no ball movement, letting E-town get set after every pass.

Heck, me, Pick and Roll, and three guys from Tules Creek could guard them. E-town outscored Breck in the second 13-7 to take the halftime lead 30-19.

Editor's Note: You and the three guys from Tules Creek would be working your butts off to pick up my slack. Plus, you'd need these things on the sidelines: a defibrillator, an emergency room doctor, an oxygen tank, a box of Girl Scout Tagalong cookies, and an ice cold Dr. Pepper before I'd even set foot on a basketball court. I'd have trouble keeping a fence post from going around me.

E-town started the third in a hurry to get this one over with and head back Highway 86. They ran an offensive play that would make Pick and Roll proud. They used the pick and roll. I had to look down at the E-town bench to see if Gene Hackman or James Haire was calling plays. I kept looking for the old "picket fence." E-town was too much for them in the third. They lead 44-30.

I guess the Panthers thought they had this game wrapped up because they seemed too laid back to start the last frame. Like I said, Breck was not intimidated. They were still playing hard and Coach Critchelow had made his point about moving the ball. E-town was up by 16 at this point. Breck had fought back to cut the lead to seven at one point but just couldn't get over the hump. E-town turned up pressure once again, and Breck was forced to foul and pray that the Panthers would miss from the charity stripe. E-town made the shots down the stretch and dodged a late bullet from the Tigers. They won 62-54.

OBSERVATIONS

No Stranger to the Mic: Breckinridge County's Huston DeHaven has been calling Tiger basketball since 1970, and his sidekick and stat man, Scotty Willoughby, has been with him since 1992. These voices of Breckenridge County have seen it all, and they won't shy away from telling listeners exactly what they think about officials, the crowd, and let people know if a player got away with a dirty play. By no means would they bash a player but tell listeners, "Well, he got away with that one.

I asked Mr. DeHaven what games stuck out in his mind other than Breck's state run in '95. He said, "well, a lot of them." He remembered every regional final that Breck was involved in: 1986 against Apollo and Rex Chapman; '93 against Grayson County where the Tigers had a seven point lead with 30 seconds to go and Grayson came back to win. Mr. DeHaven went on to tell me that he had once interviewed the legendary Cawood Ledford, Joe B. Hall, and Denny Crum. He is a fixture in Breck County sports, and I hope he has many more years behind the microphone.

He also had a day job for many years. He was the superintendent of Breck County Schools.

I Love Tradition: Regular readers of the Pick and Roll know that we love high school bands. Well, Breck has had good bands over the years, and Saturday night I was glad to see they still keep up with traditions. Like many games we all stand to honor our country with the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner," but Breck takes it a step further with playing "My Old Kentucky Home." During time outs and half time they play "Eye of the Tiger," which features a cow bell. You can never have enough COW BELL!!

A Hero There Made: Elizabethtown's Sean Bouthilette (pronounce booth-uh-let) was in the right places at the right times Saturday night. He led the Panthers with 19 points. He was a mismatch for Breck and E-town took full advantage of it. He is much quicker than he looked and is wide and strong. He grabbed a lot of loose balls and muscled his way to the basket. Somehow, I think the Panthers will be around come regional tournament time (just a gut feeling). They went nine deep tonight, and that means a lot playing night in and night out come tournament time. You can never count out a James Haire coached team.

Edmonson County 43 - Grayson County 41

Edmonson County High School, Brownsville, Kentucky 01-18-08

By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent reporting from Kentucky's "One Flashing Light Town."

I looked up the word "rival" in my Webster Dictionary, and it says, "someone who competes against you." But, if you asked Grayson County Edmonson County fans, they'd give you many other definitions, most of which I can't write about. In other words, these two teams hate each other. Friday was the second of two meeting between them. Edmonson won the first in Leitchfield, so Grayson was looking to take a victory from them at their place.

This rivalry goes back decades. Edmonson always played the Purple Flash of Caneyville, the Redhawks of Clarkson, and even the Bulldogs of Leitchfield, but when Grayson County schools consolidated in 1974-75, it heated up a bitter rivalry. They have played this match up -- boys and girls -- ever since, and every year it's a dog fight. Maybe I should say "cat fight" (Wildcats and Cougars).

I know every team has a rival on their schedule, but this one has a lot of strong ties to go along with it. For example, Bill Lee, who coached at Grayson has to son-in-laws from Edmonson, and Grayson County's first coach left after one year to go to Edmonson. The next year he led the Wildcats to the State Championship. He's kind of Grayson County's Rick Pitino, except Pitino hasn't won the championship at Louisville.

I could go on and on; there's a lot that ties these two together.

As I pulled up the hill towards Edmonson County High School, all I could see was vehicle after vehicle. For a minute I thought I was late for the game. It was, by far, the biggest crowd I've seen this year at a high school game. Of course, both student sections were filled to capacity. Wildcat Alley, the Edmonson County student section, was wild because they knew what was riding on this game.

What was riding on this game you ask? Only the number one seed in the 12th District Tournament.

The atmosphere was unreal. Heck, I even had goose bumps, and I was the only one in the building that didn't have a cat in the fight.

The atmosphere carried over to the players as the game got started, and both teams came out pumped up and a little wild. They were in each other's grill from the opening tap. I was there to see Travis Johnston, the super sophomore from Grayson County. Pick and Roll had a chance to see him earlier in the season and was quite impressed. Not to be outdone, Edmonson has a sophomore who they are proud of as well. Cody rich is about to make a name for himself, and folks around the Third Region better give this kid their respect. His dad, Phil, starred on the 1976 championship team, so the kid has genetics on his side.

As I stated above, both teams had a wild first quarter. Being that pumped up cause them to make some turnovers and silly fouls. After it was said and done, Edmonson had a one point lead, 10-9, after one.

To start the second, both teams amped up their intensity but played under control. They seemed ready to settle in for a battle. That changed in an instant. When Grayson's Bennett Skaggs dove after a loose ball he got tied up with a Wildcat player. Skaggs kicked the player fight in front of the referee, who promptly assessed a technical foul. The place went nuts, and the Wildcats made the technical shots to take a small lead.

Grayson was not going to let that stop them. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Travis Johnston was ready to take over, or so I thought. He couldn't find his mark. He did run off a couple of baskets along with Cougar teammate Wes Smith. With the score tied at 21 with three minutes left in the half, the Cougars turned up their defense with a man-to-man, full court press. It was the first time they used it all night. Edmonson made several turnovers, and Grayson was quick to capitalize. They built a five point lead, which was the biggest either team had in the game.

It looked like Grayson had the momentum going in their favor until Wes Smith made the "Charlie Brown Blockhead" play-of-the-game. He fouled Drew Cassady on a three point shot, and he made two of the three to cut the lead to three at the half.

When the second half started, a fan pointed out the crowd had lost its intensity, and the players looked as if they were settled, as well. The teams traded buckets in the third. With the score 32-20 and 3.4 seconds left in the third, Edmonson County's Josh Webb ran the length of the floor and hit a shot in the lane right before the buzzer. Once again, the place went nuts. The intensity had returned.

In the fourth, both teams had to earn every bucket. With Johnston off his mark, who was going to step up for Grayson? Bennett Skaggs and Wes Smith helped with the load, but on the other end Cody Rich started knocking down some big shots. He got into foul trouble because he was helping out in the lane. With 3:00 minutes to go it was tied at 41. I thought we were headed for an overtime.

Edmonson had the ball, and they were going to hold it for a while. They had great ball movement, and Grayson was a step behind. The Cougars hoped for a turnover and were turning up the "D" once again. Still tied at 41 with 1:05 to go the Wildcats still had the ball. They ran it down to 18.2 seconds then called a timeout.

I thought Rich would get the ball, but you never know in these situations. After the timeout, they ran a set play. Rich had the ball and saw an opening and drove into the lane. He hit the "Bertie's Ice Cream Shot-of-the-Game.

Grayson called a quick timeout, and they met with the refs to determine how much time was on the clock when the Cougars called it. I have to credit the officials because they called a great game, considering the intensity of this match up. It was a veteran crew. With 6.2 seconds left, Grayson had a lot of time. That amount of time didn't go over good with the Edmonson faithful. They moved the ball down the court and got a great look. Jordan Mudd -- Grayson's only senior (I think) -- took the last shot from the corner. It didn't fall.

Edmonson County won and gets the number one seed in the district. Players and fans celebrated. The Cougars turned and went to the locker room without shaking hands with Edmonson, something the Wildcats will remember in the district tourney.

OBSERVATIONS

He's No Cartoon: Edmonson County's coach, Darryl Travis, is as animated as any coach I've seen in high school basketball. It is fun to watch him. He runs up and down the sideline, and I thought for a second he was going to get out on the floor himself. He really worked for this win, and I noticed that after the game, most fans congratulated their coach. Good luck Coach Travis because you will probably meet this Grayson County team again in the district finals.

Super Sophomores: I knew how good Travis Johnston was going into Friday's game, but he couldn't find his mark against the Wildcats. Josh Webb for Edmonson County did a fine defensive job against him. Johnston still managed 13 points, which is well off his season average. The battle of the sophomores goes to Cody Rich. He is about 6'3" and a great rebounder. He finished with a game high of 18 points and hit the game winner. Third Region coaches will be sick and tired of these two before they graduate.

Faces in the Crowd: Red McGee from Grayson County was there. He was a long time coach, teacher, and administrator. I learned a lot from him on Friday night. He told me some history about this rivalry. He is now in his seventies, and he said he still goes to every home game in Leitchfield but only makes a few away games. He said he would not miss this game for nothing. I enjoyed the fellowship with Mr. McGee. He is a true fan and gives credit where credit is due. "We just got outplayed tonight," he said as he was leaving.

Grayson County Big Wig: A fan told me that a few years ago, Mr. McGee got all dressed up in orange and white -- face paint and all -- with a big orange wig, the whole nine yards, just to show support for his beloved Cougars. All that and in his seventies.

Editor's Note: When I was a little boy, my father and I were on our way to Mayfield to visit his family when we had a flat tire out on the West Kentucky Parkway. Dad limped his big Oldsmobile down the shoulder of the parkway and took the exit at Caneyville. We pulled off in the parking lot of "The Purple Flash Grill." A crowd of folks in the grill watched us change the tire. No one helped. When we left we discovered an un-manned toll booth that required a dime to get back on the parkway. Dad gunned that Oldsmobile and flew right through the toll. Bells rang, and we were probably doing 90 by the time we hit the parkway. Dad said, "I ain't payin Caneyville a gotdanged cent!"

Bowling Green 59 - Greenwood 56

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky 01-18-08

Bowling Green Coach D.G. Sherrill whipped out a secret weapon tonight in his Purples' game against 14th District rival Greenwood. The secret weapon was not a play or a player. It came in the form of the 6'4" former Hilltopper three point assassin named Anthony Winchester. Topper Nation always called him "A-Dub," and he was the bane of Sunbelt teams for four years while he was on The Hill. I'm sure that Coach Sherrill thinks Winchester looks as good in purple as he did in red.

Leading up to tonight's game I had mental images of Blane Embry dressed up like a 1980s pop star and lip syncing the Tommy Tutone song 867-5309/Jenny to the Bowling Green faithful. He'd sing "Purples, I got your number; I'm gonna make you mine." The Greenwood Gators have held some sort of spell over the Purples for the past two or three years. They've got their number, and Embry's squads have had a good time with it.

Friday night, D.G. Sherrill may have changed that number to an unlisted one.

Both Bowling Green and Greenwood are good defensive ball clubs. Greenwood likes to play a tight man-to-man defense, and the Purples like to press and play man-to-man. It took over two minutes for either team to draw first blood, and Bowling Green's D.L. Moore did the honors with 5:50 left in the first quarter. The first quarter was pretty typical of a match up between these two squads: low scoring, and instead of trading buckets they trade surges. The Purples led 13-11 at the end of the first, but Tevin Barksdale had two fouls on him.

The second quarter didn't get better for Barksdale. He picked up his third foul when a Greenwood player turned in an Academy Award performance with a flop to the floor as Barksdale went around him. Ouch! It was a crummy way for him to pick up his third.

It hit me tonight that Greenwood's guards Mark Lacy and Austin Reed are Thing 1 and Thing 2. They wear those uniform numbers, and to opponents they are pesky like the creations in Dr. Seuss's "Cat in the Hat."

Other teams must feel like Coach Embry carries a big wood box into their gyms and undoes the hook when he releases #1 Lacy and #2 Reed on them.

"Those Things should not be in this house! Make them go!" Was that said by Dr. Seuss or D.G. Sherrill?

They do seem to be everywhere on the court, and they are both heady ballplayers. All they need are big, wild blue wigs. Their defense made Bowling Green look a little sloppy, but the Purples held on to their two point lead, 21-19. Both teams scored only 8 points in the second quarter.

I noticed that Greenwood's Dee Anderson was quiet in the first half.

In the third quarter Bowling Green was able to do what they've always had trouble doing against the Gators. They utilized their size and athletic ability against them. D.L. Moore asserted himself in the paint (he scored 19 on Friday), and the Purples went to the boards after any missed shots. The Purples did a great job of setting up their press after misses, too.

If they master the art of pressing after missed shots, they will be a tough team to beat as the season drifts into post season play.

D.L. Moore tried to dunk a ball tonight, and he looked good in the attempt. He was fouled and hit the ball off of the rim. He really got way up over the rim. I like when Moore uses his athletic ability and size to outplay his opponents. He's got the talent, but sometime I think his mind is already in Columbia and running slants for Steve Spurrier.

The third quarter of Friday's game was one of the best quarters of basketball I've seen this season. Both teams played hard and played well. Bowling Green led 38-33, but I sensed that this game had a lot more excitement left in it.

Here's some advice for fans, players and coaches that might just read the Pennyrile Pick and Roll: you must know where Dee Anderson is at all times, and you must have someone guarding him. If Coach Embry puts him on the bench, an opposing coach should send a player over to sit down next to him.

Dee Anderson finished Friday's game with 15 points, 14 of which came in the second half. I don't know how many he scored in each quarter, but I'm willing to bet that most of those points came in the fourth. He kept getting loose in Bowling Green's defense and made them pay. They left him open way too many times, and if they pressured him, Anderson made perfect passes for buckets.

Greenwood outplayed Bowling Green in the fourth quarter, but the Purples clung to a lead throughout the final 8 minutes of regulation. They also missed some critical free throws down the stretch.

The Gators had the final possession of the game trailing 50-48. After getting some ball movement around the Purples defense, Thing 1...excuse me, Mark Lacy, launched a light little floater from near the free throw line. The ball bounced around on the rim and dropped through the net at 0:00.

"Then those Things ran about
With big bumps, jumps and kicks
And with hops and big thumps
And all kinds of bad tricks.
And I (D.G. Sherrill) said,
'I do NOT like the way that they play!"

At the same time, I was expecting to see Coach Embry singing "I got it, I got it. I got your number from the wall...for a good time, a good time call."

When the overtime started, it seemed like Greenwood was going to send the Purples packing again. They jumped out to a three point lead. Bowling Green responded with some pressure basket and free throws.

The Purples finally won this critical 14th District game in overtime, 59-56.

In my minds eye, I could see D.G. Sherrill looking like a member of the old 80s band "Wall of Voodoo" and singing, "I wish I was in Tijuana eating barbecued iquana." Hey, Gators are big lizards, too.

OBSERVATIONS

Something in the Air: the atmosphere was electric at Bowling Green's gym tonight. There was a definite post season feel at Friday's game. Both teams played well and neither was going to back down. I figured out that Bowling Green and Greenwood could play five times this season. They've played three times already, and they could play in the district and then the region.

Marketing Opportunities: I wish I could convince the Bowling Green people to have a little fun with their concessions. First of all, their hotdogs should be called "D.G. Dogs." No one should ever call popcorn "popcorn" around BGHS. It should be "Purpcorn." Some pieces should be purple and some should be gold or a buttery yellow. Then, they should sell nothing but grape Nehi colas. Nothing says "winter Friday night" like a hot D.G. Dog, a bag of Purpcorn, a grape Nehi, and high school hoops.

Lee Brick and Block Award: Possibly every player on the court deserved this award for throwing up brick after brick after brick from the free throw line. Stefan Iverson for Greenwood gets the individual award, however. In the fourth quarter he shot the most hideous brick I've seen in a long time. It hit the backboard just left of the rim and hit with such force that I thought it was some Underwriters' Laboratory test on the strength of the glass.

Pick and Roll looks forward to receiving a sponsorship check from the fine folks at Lee Brick and Block. They can contact me by e-mail, and I'll send them my mailing address.

Larue County 59 - Spencer County 56

Larue County High School, Hodgenville, Kentucky, 01-15-08

By Chris Gregory

It's been a week and a half since I have been to a game, (dang work schedule). So tonight I got back to it. I didn't have to travel far for the contest (about three miles)between Spencer Co. Bears and the Larue Co. Hawks. Both teams were on a six game winning streak. The Hawks won last Friday against district foe Green Co. which to date is probably the best overall game played by Larue. Spencer from the 8th region, has had some good wins against John Hardin, North Bullitt, and Louisville Western.

Larue is quietly making a name for themselves in the fifth region this year. Nobody is giving them a shot to win the region, but I feel like they can play with the top three or four temas in the region. This is a team that is loaded with blue collar players, they have no Scotty Hopson's or Darius Miller's or Jon Hood's on their team, just hard nosed kids that love to play the game. Spencer Co. is about the same way. This is the first time I ever watched any Spencer Co. team. They play hard and sometimes dirty.

A decent sized crowd was on hand, and Spencer Co. brought a rowdy bunch. I had a quick chat with Coach Paul Childress before the game and he said that he was a little worried about this game. After coming off a big district win he didn't know how his team would respond against a non regional opponent. He also said that this was a very good Spencer Co. team, better than there 8-8 record.

The game got under way and Larue controlled the tip, Spencer backed into a 1-2-2 zone. It seemed to confuse Larue at first but they had great ball movement and got a bucket and the Hawks looked like they were going to pick up right where they left off on Friday. Spencer looked a little tight and made some silly turnovers. The quarter was a good one for the Hawks, they were up 16-8 when Spencer Co. got a time-out with 2:19 to go in the quarter. The Bears came out of the time-out and that's when the fans showed up as well. They were on the refs as soon as they put the ball back in play. I have been all over the fifth region this year and I haven't seen these refs before, I'm sure they were legal, but they were not that consistent. The first quarter ended with a Larue Co. lead 19-10.

With the Spencer Co. fans still rowdy the second quarter began and Larue was still hot, with the help of Tyler Hornback, Larue Co's all purpose player, they started to stretch their lead. But the Bears started to claw back into this one. They were taking it to the Hawks and getting them into big time foul trouble. Hornback, who had been all over the court picked up his second foul with 5:58 to go in the half. they were forced to sit him and that's when Spencer Co's Craig Edwards took over. Edwards is a wide body and he had been frustrated the whole game, he was kind of a dirty player but I guess his frustration made him act a little dirty. He would complain about not getting any calls, but he never did anything wrong. With Larue Co. in foul trouble, (three starters with two fouls) the sub's was able to hold the lead and go in at the half up 31-23.

Both teams of course, headed to their locker rooms and we got to enjoy the Larue Co. cheerleaders do their floor routine, I guess they have some kind of competition coming up, oh well good luck to them. Now I don't know what Coach Jacob Barmore said to his team, but they were in and out of the locker room in no time. I guess they wanted to catch the cheerleaders as well. Whatever he said must have worked cause they came out looking like a different team. They ran off a flury of buckets and cut the lead to two points. Larue got a timeout, Coach Childress had to settle his team.

The third was a wild one both teams were very intense and it got a little ugly. The refs were still catching it from the fans as they were still inconsistent, the fans from Spencer were really upset, they saw there team get back into this game, but now they thought the refs were going to take them out of it. That's when they had seen enough from one particular fan, they stopped the game and escorted a fan out of the gym. Now my back was to the Spencer Co. crowd but I had heard them all night and I wasn't about to turn around to see who was getting tossed. It was ugly. Good thing they had a sherriff's deputy on hand. Funny thing is that fans across the gym said the ref tossed the wrong guy. After it was all said and done Spencer Co. had there first lead 40-39 to end the third.

This game was a rough one for both teams, I had to keep looking down at the Larue bench to see if football Coach Rodney Armes was passing out helmets and shoulder pads. It was really heating up. Both teams made silly fouls and some mistakes in the fourth, I don't know if that was from being tired or just frustrated from all the banging. It must have been frustration, a Spencer Co. player picked up a technical foul, and it kinda took the steam out of his team. Now Larue Co. struggled all night from the free throw line (11 for 25). but after the technical, they started to fall and that was the turning point IMO. That put Larue up 51-46. The Bears still had fight in them, after trading buckets and some Larue made FT's the lead was 55-50 with 38.5 tics on the clock. Spencer was forced to foul, which probably wasn't a bad idea cause Larue had shot so poorly through-out the game. But they made them down the stretch and Larue won a wild one in Hodgenville, 59-56 .

OBSERVATIONS

Comedians or Players?: This Larue Co. team should nickname this season "The Blue Collar Players Tour", they will not win any Mr. Basketball awards or probably not sign any Division 1 scholarships in basketball, but they work hard and listen to their coach and right now they are gettin er done, with their balanced attack. I hope they can keep up their good play when they get back into district play on Friday at Hart Co.

Brothers in Arms: Senior Shawn and Junior Christian Seymour, both smart on and off the ball court, tonight they made 4 of 6 free throws with less than forty seconds to go in the game. On a night that the free trows were not falling, they stepped it up and knocked some important shots down. That builds confidence for tournament time.

I Know You Are, But What Am I?: Craig Edwards for Spencer Co. is a bully, I mean that in a good way. He is wide and very strong kid and he gives opposing players fits. He's a good offensive player as well, he single handly brought Spencer Co. back in this game scoring 19 points and many rebounds. He fouled out with about 40 seconds to go, after that they had no one to go to. Hats off to the bully!

Silent but Deadly: Coach Paul Childress, for people that know him, knows that he pretty much is quiet most of the time, well until game time that is. Tonight you could tell he really wanted this game, not that he don't want every game, but he really worked the sidelines tonight, working the refs, getting after players, only to get the most out of them and that is why people like him, he gets the most out of what he has got. At times I thought he was going to blow a gasket but he just turned away and kept his cool.

Leader of the Pack: Larue Co's Tyler Hornback has put together back to back performances that Larue fans have been waiting for. He is starting to turn the corner and at a good time in the season. He started off the season a little slow, but now he may be ready to carry this team on his back. But then again there are many players on this team who can step it up on any given night. Region teams know about Hornback, he was a starter last year as a Soph. and he made some noise then, so he may get some heavy attention come tournament time. So look for Corey Salsman, The Seymour Bro's. or Byran Bault to step up and help out and lead a balanced team.

Carlisle County 67 - Mayfield 65

Mayfield High School, Mayfield, Kentucky, 01-15-08

Several years ago, someone came into my office and asked about a place called "Carlizzle County." I had them point to it on the map, and they pointed to Carlisle County. By no stretch of the imagination am I proficient in "Snoop-speak," but I now call it "Carlizzle sizzle fo-shizzle." The Comets sizzled fo-shizzle in the "Pearl of the Purchase" on Tuesday night. Well, sizzling is a bit of stretch, but they did snatch a victory from the Cardinals in this First Region match up.

Mayfield entered the game with a 6-5 record in the First Region, but a 7-9 record overall. The Cardinals needed a victory to stay above .500 in the First, but Carlisle County came in with a 6-4 record in the region and 9-6 overall.

The Carlisle County team looked thin, and I only counted 8 or 9 players on the entire squad, so I was surprised to see them open up a three-quarter court, trapping press. Once in the half-court, they dropped back to no-frills 2-3 zone. Mayfield had a lot of trouble shooting over the zone in the first quarter, and they generally had trouble getting the ball in the basket. The Comets seemed to dare Mayfield to take outside jump shots, and it worked for them for awhile. Mayfield made a late charge in the quarter, but the Comets took a 17-14 lead to the break.

Mayfield picked up their defensive intensity, and it created some baskets for them. They needed to play transition basketball to keep Carlisle from setting up their 2-3 zone, which they kept packed tightly in the lane. Mayfield got the lead, but the Comets kept it close with the fantastic outside shooting. Carlisle's Ty Owens was a deadly shot along with teammate Rob Moran (I hope I have that right).

Kudos from the Pick and Roll for the pick and roll. Carlisle County ran a beautiful pick and roll play with the "roller" receiving a pass in the lane from the wing. They ran it several times and scored every time. I love to see that play, and if players execute it right, it works almost every time. They ran one that looked almost like the old "picket fence" play, and Mayfield got caught watching the paint dry.

Mayfield took a 29-28 lead to the locker room at the half.

I thought that Carlisle County was finished. Their players looked wheezy late in the second quarter, and Mayfield's pressure frustrated them.

In the third quarter Carlisle went back to the perimeter and Owens and Moran along with Luke Nichol punished Mayfield with some long three pointers. Mayfield could not get their transition game going again in the third and found themselves playing catch around the perimeter of the Comets' 2-3 zone.

There was some drama at the end of the third quarter. After a Mayfield basket, a Carlisle player step over the in-bounds line as he threw the ball in and turned it over to the Cardinals. Coach Chris Guhy for Mayfield pointed out that there should be more than 0.1 second left on the clock, so they put 0.7 on it. Mayfield threw the ball in, time ran out, and the horn sounded. The teams went to their benches, and the scorekeeper put 8:00 on the clock. The officials had a big confab out on the court with a lot pointing and talking, and, finally, they called both coaches onto the court.

The solution? They put 0.5 on the clock and let Mayfield run another inbounds play. The Carlisle County fans went crazy, screaming at the official. Mayfield missed the shot...again...and we went on with the fourth quarter with Carlisle leading 42-41.

I still thought Carlisle was going to run out of gas down the stretch, but they didn't. The game went back-and-forth throughout the quarter, and except for the Warren Central-Warren East game I attended in December, this was the most exciting game I've seen this season.

Mayfield let this one get away from them. They had plenty of opportunities to win.

First of all, Carlisle County couldn't hit a foul shot to save their lives through most of the game. I had been in Bardwell earlier in the day and snatched a couple of bricks as souvenirs from the wreckage of their courthouse, which was burned on December 26th. I should've brought the bricks with me and let the Comets use them to shoot freethrows. Heck, they shot enough bricks from the line to build their county a new courthouse.

At the very end of the game, when Mayfield had to foul to get possessions, the Carlisle County players sank every one of their free throws. Crazy. The Comets streaked into Mayfield and stole one from the Cardinals, 67-65.

OBSERVATIONS

I'm No Michael Vick: Or am I? I went to this game thinking I had no dog in the fight. The truth is that my father is a Mayfield alumnus, and my family has a long association with that school. I felt myself cheering for Mayfield throughout the game. I've been to several Mayfield football games, including their classic with Danville in the 1985 state championship game. I hadn't been to a Mayfield basketball game since they played in the Louisville Invitational Tournament in 1977 or 1978.

Up to Their Necks in Hock-ett: Mayfield's Tony Hockett is a heck of a ball player. He's got a good shot and can slash to the basket. I enjoyed watching him play. He hit a huge three point shot to keep Mayfield in the game at the very end. They should run more sets for that kid.

TWA?: Carlisle County has a player named Tony Wilson. The Hilltoppers had Tony "TWA" Wilson back in the 1980s. I can assure you, that the Comets' Tony Wilson will not threaten the former Topper as "Tony Wilson Airlines." Trust me.

What's That I Hear: Mayfield's cheerleaders actually cheer. They lead cheers, and I could hear them throughout the game. They didn't do any routines during the game or at halftime. Heck, if they had pom-poms, I would've thought I had entered a time warp.

The Dome: If anyone has seen Mayfield High School, they'd never forget the dome over the gymnasium. It is big and white and looks like a miniature Houston Astrodome. I remember when they were building it because my aunt lived on South First Street, which ended in the school's parking lot. I was a little kid, and the thing was a marvel to me.

They call it the Mayfield Sports Arena, and it really is an arena. I have to say that it is the best high school basketball facility I've been in. The court is well lighted, and the home team's side has comfortable chairback seats about halfway up the stands. Wooden bleachers fill the rest of the arena. They are close to the court and nothing obscures fans view of the court. It's fantastic. It's too bad. I give it the Pick and Roll "Three Thumbs Up Award." Former UofL forward Wiley Brown -- as always -- sponsors this award.

If any readers have an opportunity to see a game in this great facility, do not pass it up.

Toe-the-Line: Carlisle County's free throw shooters stepped over the foul stripe twice in Tuesday's game. I haven't seen that happen in years, and I saw it twice in the first half.

Warren East 85 - Metcalfe County 70

Warren East High School, Bristow, Kentucky 01-12-08

It's a wonder that a Star Trek convention didn't break out at Saturday's game at Warren East. The Raiders featured DeAngelo Kirk, and the Metcalfe County Hornets had a center named Will Warf. Kirk and Warf? I started looking for geeky people wearing Star Trek uniforms walking around talking about how they spent last summer at Klingon Language Camp.

The real story from Metcalfe County's game against Warren East is that their star player, Trey Shirley, missed the game due to an illness. No one seems to know what is wrong with the kid, but a couple of Hornets fans told me that they had to run a CAT scan on him last night. All the Metcalfe fans seemed worried about the Shirley and less concerned that their team would be short a player who averages over 20 points a game.

I'm sure that Edmonton has a good hospital. I know that in some small towns if someone needed a CAT scan it might just involve a cat.

Pennyrile Pick and Roll looks forward to seeing Trey Shirley back on the hardwood and wishes him and his family all the best.

There was a large contingent of Metcalfe County fans at the ballgame. I heard one alumnus say, "you can't hide that Hornet pride." They have every reason to be proud, too, because they rolled into Friday's game with an impressive 13-1 record, with their only loss coming to a school from Washington, D.C. They were undefeated in the region, too.

The Metcalfe County fans were quiet. The only buzz coming from that swarm of maroon clad hornets was about their star player not being with the team. In fact, it is possibly the quietest basketball crowd of which I've been a part. Both sets of fans sat in the stands almost as if they were in church. When the teams started playing, the players didn't even chatter.

In the first quarter Metcalfe and East went at each other like good basketball teams do in a big game. I won't say that they swapped buckets, but one team would surge, and the other would respond. Both teams like to press and will press even after missed baskets. Metcalfe County even pressed after a turnover. They do it well, too.

At the end of the first quarter, the Raiders had a precarious 18-16 lead.

In the second quarter, Metcalfe County's guards kept challenging Warren East's interior defense, and the Raiders kept blocking their shots. I thought maybe they should try to spread Warren East's defense out a little with some perimeter shooting, and maybe that's what the Hornets lack without Trey Shirley in the lineup.

I would later discover something about Metcalfe County that I have missed all season. I think it is something that everyone has missed. They aren't just Trey Shirley. They are a good basketball team, and Will Warf -- the very un-Klingon like post player for the Hornets -- is probably the guy that holds Metcalfe together. I should note that he is Metcalfe's starting quarterback on the gridiron and won back-to-back Region Three Player-of-the-Year awards.

In the second quarter, however, Shenard Holton and Jordan Ellis made some big plays for the Raiders. I like the athletic ability of Ellis, but he's got to learn to move his feet on defense and quit slapping at defenders. He had his third foul with 5:22 left in the half. Ouch! He can't serve his team while doing a Bill Keightly impersonation in the first half.

Warren East expanded their lead to 35-31.

In the third quarter, Metcalfe opened with a tricky match up 3-2 zone. It was a good defense, but they couldn't close the gap between the guards and the baseline players. East's Shenard Holton kept finding a way into the middle of the zone and kept finding ways to score. He finished the game with 15 points.

The Hornets, however, outscored Warren East 18-17 in the quarter and stayed within striking distance of the Raiders.

The fourth quarter didn't turn out too well for Metcalfe. Holton kept getting loose in their zone, and DeAngelo Kirk bombed a couple of three pointers from the wing and hit a couple of nice looking pull-up jump shots -- a lost or dying art in all of basketball. The Hornets' defense seemed to be unable to find Kirk on the wing, and he made them pay for it.

Will Warf kept them in the game. How can someone with a Klingon name counter a team with a player named Kirk? Warf made some impressive moves around the basket in the final frame, and that's when I realized that he's a heck of a basketball player. He's gritty, hard-nosed, and he would not surrender to Kirk and his Raiders. Warf finished the game with 27 points and 13 boards. He also made himself one of my favorite players in the region. I look forward to seeing him play in Diddle Arena in March.

Warren East won the game 85-70. That score does not give a good perspective on what type of ballgame Saturday's game was. The game got away from Metcalfe County in the final minutes. The Hornets played Clinton County the night before in Edmonton, so they looked a little tired. However, Warren East played Allen County-Scottsville the night before and looked fine.

I almost gave my "Charlie Brown Blockhead Award" to Winston Harbison for Metcalfe County. Late in the game, he was whistled for a foul, and he mouthed off to the official, who promptly gave him a technical. I could see the frustration on Harbison's face, so I forgave him. I saw a competitor who doesn't like to lose when he came over to the bench.

The technical foul had no effect on the game except to change the margin of victory. It gave the Raiders a bunch of points near the end of the game, and it took any life left in the Hornets.

Even though the lost, I'm still high on this Metcalfe County squad. The Hornet seniors played on their team that made it to the regional final two years ago (that's off the top of my head, so I hope I'm right), and they play very well together. In the wide open Fourth, several teams have a shot at going to the Sweet Sixteen, but I think Metcalfe has the best chance.

OBSERVATIONS

Yecccch!: Hey, Warren East! Clean your dang bleachers. I started to think that they purposely poured Coca-Cola all over the visitor's bleachers. It reminded me of going to the 99 cent movies at the old Bowling Green Mall when I was in college. I left my shoes in the garage when I got home last night. I've stepped in less nasty stuff at the Kentucky State Fair.

Twin Towers: Forget Bowie and Turpin or Robinson and Duncan. Metcalfe County has Grant and Russell Kindred. I don't know their heights, but they are actually twins. I list their heights at "tall" and be done with it.

Brothers in Arms?: I noticed that the Metcalfe County Roster features three kids with the last name "Shirley." I saw Patrick and Latrel Shirley on Saturday night, and I'm going to take a wild guess that they are not brothers by relation. I'm also going to guess that one of them may be the brother of missing Trey Shirley.

A Proud Tradition: Warren East has a great basketball tradition. They've won 9 Fourth Region championships, and they made it to the state semi-finals in 1997. With guys like DeAngelo Kirk, Jordan Ellis, and Shenard Holton on their squad, they have a real good chance of winning "one for the other thumb." If Russell Malone can get them to play defense without fouling, they could make it past the first week of March.

Chattering Players: I've noticed it in both baseball and basketball in recent years. Players no longer chatter. They don't even squawk to let a teammate know that they're open. Everyone gripes about trash-talking players these days, but I see it exactly opposite. When I was in high school players chattered all the time on the field and on the court. I remember Central High School's players like they were an entire team of Meadowlark Lemons. None of it was mean and a lot of it was funny. Metcalfe County's players walk on and off the court like they're filing into a Sunday School class.

Greenwood 55 - Bowling Green 30

Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 01-11-08

The 14th District is a bear. I've heard people use another word starting with "b" to describe it. With teams like Greenwood, Bowling Green, Warren East, and Warren Central all stacked in one little district it could very well drive fans, coaches, and players to use swear words. Every game played between those four teams is important, and every winter time match up sets the stage for the important games in late February and March. That's when teams live to play another night and other pack up the sneakers, zip-up their gym bags, fold the uniforms and start counting the days until practice starts up in October.

District and Regional tournaments are closer than anyone thinks.

Maybe its good that the Bowling Green Purples got a bad game -- no, an atrocious game -- out of their system in the middle of January. It was awful. I've seen 11 year olds with their first rifle make better shot selections. The Purples made more bad, sloppy passes than a drunk salesman at a Las Vegas showgirl convention. If Coach D.G. Sherrill lined his Bowling Green squad at the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, they couldn't have thrown a basketball into it if they were standing ankle deep in the gulf's emerald waters.

The two teams matched up pretty well in the first quarter. Bowling Green played an active, man-to-man defense and a full court press that frustrated Greenwood. On the offensive end, however, the Purples were tight and played a little scared.

In the first few minutes of the contest, I thought that D.L. Moore had come to play. He seemed to fade throughout the game. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 8 a piece. I thought I was going to be treated to a classic Bowling Green-Greenwood tilt.

Greenwood started attacking the basket in the second quarter. Dee Anderson, Mark Lacy, and Austin Reed sliced through Bowling Green's defense and found ways to get the ball in the basket. I was a little surprised because I thought Blane Embry might rely on perimeter play to shoot over the Purples size advantage. He chose, instead, to attack them.

The Purples' woes started in the second frame. They through up one clunky shot after another. Their interior players couldn't get open, and the perimeter players bounded into the lane with very little control over their shots or even themselves. Bowling Green managed only 4 points in the second quarter, while Greenwood exploded for 19.

Jerron Nixon picked up his second foul with 6:02 left in the second. I noticed that Bowling Green needs Nixon. But they didn't have him to kick the ball around to, and the rest of the squad looked a little lost. Greenwood's tenacious defense got after them and was largely responsible for BG's dismal performance. The score at the half was 27-12.

I don't know what happened near the end of the quarter, but D.G. Sherrill seemed to take issue with something in the scorekeepers' books. The referees must've given Coach Sherrill a technical foul because Greenwood got to shoot four foul shots with just a little bit of time on the clock. Between Nixon getting into trouble (thankfully for the Purples there wasn't an 18 minute gap in his play) and the stealth technical foul, Bowling Green had landed in a deep, deep hole.

This was my first trip to "The Swamp" for a basketball game. I've been in the gym before when the school is shut down for the summer, but I've been there for work and had no time to look around the place. I see why it is a tough place to play ball. There is no room at either end of the court, and there are a lot of bleachers crammed into what is actually a small building. There were a lot of fans at the game, too, and it was loud until every one recognized that the Purples left their game over on Westen Drive.

I have to say, that the gator painted at mid-court is some of the worst basketball court art I've ever seen. The thing looks like a middle-aged Godzilla after he has spent about 20 years downing Pabst Blue Ribbons and eating ham cracklins.

I wish that Greenwood would call their gym "Alligator Alley." I guess a generation, maybe two, of basketball fans have passed since the Florida Gators played in "Alligator Alley" in Gainesville. I remember listening to Joe B. Hall moan and whine about what a dump that place was. It wasn't so much a dump as it was a place where good SEC teams went to die.

The Gator at mid-court was almost as ugly as Bowling Green's second half performance.

When Greenwood's Bret Barrick nailed a three pointer, making the score 32-12 early in the third, I could see the fight leave the Purples. If anyone told me that the score would be 43-21 at the end of the third quarter, I would've sworn that they were talking about a Bowling Green-Greenwood football game with the Purples winning. That wasn't the case. That was the score at the end of three of Friday's basketball game with the Gators on top.

The fourth quarter was a formality. Nothing notable happened, except that the game mercifully ended. Greenwood won 55-30. Bowling Green never scored double digits in any of the four quarters. Their line looked like this: 8, 4, 9, 9. I've seen baseball teams put up better number through four innings.

Bowling Green drops to 1-2 in the district and 6-3 in the region, while Greenwood moves to 2-2 and 3-5. It's going to be a dogfight come the last week of February.

OBSERVATIONS

It Takes A Village People: Despite all the taunts back-and-forth between the Greenwood and Bowling Green students, when they played "YMCA" everyone in the gym stopped what they were doing and made the letters in sync with the song. For a moment, there was peace in Alligator Alley, everyone united by one of the most bizarre gimmick bands of the 1970s.

He Is DEE Man!: Dee Anderson looked good out on the court in Friday's game. He still sports a knee brace, but he's more mobile every time I see him play. He banged his knee in the first half and left the game and the gym. He was back in the second half as if nothing happened. He's still one of the top players in the Fourth Region. I really enjoy watching him play. Remember, he's just a sophomore.

Texas or Florida?: Greenwood has a player named Austin Disney. I guess this kid is kind of torn between listening to Texas style blues, offbeat college students, and wholesome family entertainment and animatronics. Maybe he's an animatron.

Tell Me Your Name, Son: Guess, sir. I wonder how many times Greenwood's Logan Guess has people trying to guess his name. I wonder if he's a fan of the The Guess Who.