Bowling Green 63 - Allen County Scottsville 62

Citizens First Classic, Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

There's no love lost between Bowling Green and Allen County-Scottsville. Current Bowling Green coach, D.G. Sherrill, used to coach the Patriots and some in Allen County feel like the Purples stole him away them. Maybe some were glad to see him pack up his office and head north on U.S. 231. I don't know. The rivalry of these two teams date back to the days when Jim McDaniels swooped up and down the hardwood for Allen County-Scottsville. I was glad to see the two teams tangling for the championship of the Citizens First Classic.

Bowling Green entered the game with only one loss, a one point heartbreaker against the Glasgow Scotties. Allen County rolled into the game with an undefeated record and a hard fought, double overtime victory over Madison Central on the first night of the tournament. I could sense that these two teams were going to go toe-to-toe for 32 or more minutes to haul home the tournament trophy.

The Allen County faithful really turned out for the ballgame, and they were in full voice from beginning to end. They made it fun. There's a female Patriot fan who can whistle nearly as loudly as I can (I've developed a New York taxi cab hailing whistle that can be heard up to a mile away). An old farmer once told me, "A whistling woman and a crowing hen often meet the same fate." I always loved how well Donna Douglas, who portrayed Elly May Clampett, could whistle.

The first quarter set the tone for the entire ballgame. Bowling Green's full court pressure worked well, and the Purples, once again, had everything clicking on their transition game. The Patriots regrouped and charged back at Bowling Green. Both teams played kind of sloppy, but that's because neither teams' defense backed down. They played physical basketball and, at times, rough. The officials called 11 fouls in the first quarter, and it wasn't a case of over-officiating, either.

I was real impressed with ACS's center, Phillip Hayes. He's big, strong, and surprisingly mobile for his size. He's not a stand around center on defense or when it comes to rebounding. He has a hand in a lot of plays, and he can move away from the basket on defense, too. He has a soft touch around the basket and good hands. Bowling Green had a narrow 16-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was just as physical as the first. The Purples pushed the lead to eight at one point, but Allen County responded and cut the lead to three on one of the best plays I've seen in a high school basketball game in a long time. The Patriots' Kevin Bunton received an alley-oop pass from the corner and jammed it through the basket to make the score 35-32 late in the quarter.

Bunton is one of those last names that stirs the soul of longtime high school basketball fans in this state. It is one of Louisville's basketball dynasty names like Unseld, Eaves, and Macklin. Bill Bunton played for Male High School and later another school on Brook Street called the University of Louisville. If I remember right, he had a brother named Bob, who also played for Male High. Granville Bunton played high school ball in Louisville and later was a rebounding wizard at WKU. Cypheus Bunton played at Western High School and became a fan favorite at Western like his Uncle Granville. As a Louisvillian when I see "Bunton" I think, "athletic, quick, smart, and good."

Kevin Bunton didn't have a real good game, but I believe he has the attributes of his namesakes. I wonder if he is related somehow. He certainly has the elevation because earlier in the quarter he went up to block a shot, and looked like his hand was near the top of the box. If I had to guess, I'd say Bunton is 6'3".

The Purples got another bucket at the close of the first half and took a 37-32 lead to the locker room.

Allen County came opened the third quarter by breaking the Bowling Green press with good ball handling and crisp passes. They frustrated the Purples with their own brand of pressure defense and exposed some of the ballhandling weaknesses of this year's Purples. Charlie Williams is Bowling Green's best ball handler, but he dribbles into to trouble too often.

Bowling Green held on, though, with good perimeter play and tenacious play on the boards, despite Hayes' size and presence in the paint.

The third quarter featured another funny incident involving a referee absolutely blowing a call. Three Purples tussled for a rebound and bounced the ball out-of-bounds right in front of one of the officials. He blew his whistle and shouted, "WHITE BALL!" It was the wrong call. I guess the other official didn't see the play. The Allen County fans were unhinged because it happened right in front of them. The official came over to talk to Patriot Coach Scott Shelton, and the Bowling Green fans encouraged him that he made the right call.

That's not the funny part. James Brandenburg from WBKO Channel 13 was shooting video at the end of the court where the questionable call was made. When the crowd quieted down some wag on the Allen County side yelled, "We'll watch it on Channel 13 tonight!" while pointing at Mr. Brandenburg. Everyone got a good laugh out of it.

Bowling Green held their five point lead at the end of three, 55-50.

The game had the feel of a district or regional tournament game. It had an air of March Madness to it. It was great.

Allen County-Scottsville has earned a reputation in this early season as being a "fourth quarter team." They opened the quarter earning their reputation. Hayes slashed the lane for a nice tomahawk dunk. Kevin Bunton followed that play up with a basket and a foul. He drained the free throw, and the game was knotted at 55 with 6:42 left.

The fourth quarter was a defensive struggle. Both teams played hard. Allen County played like a team determined to keep its undefeated season. Bowling Green played like a team determined to knock an undefeated rival. Ordinarily if a game featured just 15 points scored over a 6:42 span, I'd say it was ugly. The two defense locked down their defenses and played to win the game.

Allen County took a 62-61 lead late in the game, but Bowling Green scored late to take a one point lead. The Patriots had a chance to win the game with just a few second left, but as they brought the ball up Tevin Barksdale picked the guard's pocket. Time ran out as he made his way back up the court.

Bowling Green grabbed the win and the championship with a 63-62 victory. I'm anxious to see the welcome the Purples get when they play in Scottsville on January 12th.

OBSERVATIONS

Another Donkey Chasm: Folks, if you're going to drop the verbal "A-Bomb" on a coach, make sure you know who is sitting nearby. Try to refrain from it if their are children present. Try to figure out if the lady sitting behind you is the coach's wife. If your the parent of a player and not satisfied with the coach try talking to the coach, the athletic director, or the even the principal about your complaint. Coaches are big and tough and emotionally equipped for the name calling. Wives and daughters are not. Another piece of advice: pay attention to Southwest Airlines ads.

All Tournament Team:

D.J. Ray -- Bowling Green
Cameron "Big Man" Clemmons -- Louisville Doss
Kevin Bunton -- Allen County-Scottsville
Lamont Graham -- Louisville Doss
Phil "Not Purple" Hayes -- Allen County-Scottsville
Curtis "Boom Boom" Washington -- Elizabethtown
Chris Ulis -- Elizabethtown
Vic Smith -- Bowling Green
Charlie Williams -- Bowling Green

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Mele Kalikimaka!and Happy Hanukkah: You won't find any "happy holidays" stuff on the Pick and Roll. I'll leave everyone with one of my favorite Christmas songs from Robert Earl Keene.