Elizabethtown 56 - Graves County 43

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

By J. Trace Kirkwood

Oh, let's see. Christmas shopping is done. The temperature was equivalent to the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR). I had tickets to WKU's ballgame and passes to the Citizens First Classic. Tough decision here. What should I do with a Sunday afternoon? BASKETBALL!

After church I spent part of the afternoon wrapping Christmas gifts. I wrapped my wife's gifts: thigh master, vacuum cleaner, frying pan, work boots, a framed photograph of me and the Hooters girls at Talladega (I had such a nice smile), and some new dish rags. Boy! She's going to be surprised when she rips into those presents. Anyway, we made our way to Diddle Arena to watch a game at 4 p.m. After the Hilltoppers woke up in the second half and put Alabama A&M away, we headed over to Bowling Green High to watch some more basketball. One game is just never enough.

I caught parts of two games, but I'll get to those later. I caught the complete game between Elizabethtown and Graves County. Now, I had to make a tough decision -- sort of like deciding between getting my wife the work boots or diamond earrings for Christmas -- because Allen County Scottsville played Madison Central in the auxillary gym at the same time. I didn't want to short change the fine folks in the Fifth Region, who are loyal readers, so I stuck with Elizabethtown.

I was stunned to see that James Haire's 2008-09 edition of the Panthers had a 1-5 record heading into this tournament and their game with the Graves County Eagles. When I looked over their schedule I noticed that they Male High, Greenwood (their only win), Adair County, Taylor County, and Grayson County. That's a pretty tough opening to a season, especially when you only have three seniors on your squad.

Coach Haire has a new player this year, a big kid named Curtis Washington, who transferred from John Hardin. I don't have any rosters or programs, so I'm taking a stab at this: He looks like he's about 6'8" with a B-52 style wingspan.

On the other hand, Graves County rolled into the game with five seniors, led by Cassidy McAlpin, and a 5-1 record. Their only loss was to Massac, Illinois, at the Marshall County Hoopfest earlier in December.

Both teams opened the game cold, and the small crowd only added to the lethargic nature of the play. I sat and wondered what was going on between the two unbeaten teams playing in the other gym. Graves County had a 10-8 lead on E-town at the end of the first quarter.

The Panthers picked up their defense in the second quarter and held Graves County to just five points. E-town threw a tricky little 2-1-2 zone defense with Washington in the middle at the Eagles, but Coach Haire never settles on just one defense. It seemed like they switched defenses on every possession. Graves County sleepwalked through the second frame. I was impressed with Cassidy McAlpin for the Eagles. He has good post moves and was the only guy for Graves County who played like he wanted to win a ballgame.

In the second quarter, Curtis Washington took a 14 foot jumpshot. Play stopped and the gym was quiet. Coach Haire got the attention of his big man and shouted, "Don't do it again!" The admonished young man shook his head with an unspoken "Yes, sir." I got a laugh out of that.

E-town took a 22-15 lead to the locker room.

The third quarter was nearly all Elizabethtown. The entire team played better defense, and point guard Jack Goblirsh picked up his game. I liked his tenacity, but the officials were not happy with him for some reason. I suspect his mouth had him in trouble. I don't mean anything bad by that because if I were choosing-up sides off that squad, Jack would be the first kid I'd take.

The Panthers held a 39-26 lead heading into the final frame.

Graves County finally picked up their game late in the fourth quarter. Senior guard, Tevin Hill found his game and started attacking Elizabethtown's defense. Late in the game, Hill hit the front end of a pair of free throws but missed the second attempt. He got his own rebound, put the ball up and in, and was also fouled. He hit the free throw and had his Eagles to within eight points, 49-41. Graves County could only muster two more points, while the Panthers scored seven more.

The Panthers notched their second victory on the season, and Terry Birdsong's squad left the court wondering what the heck happened out there. Graves County should figure into the mix in the First Region. They have a good team, but they have to find some inner intensity to beat teams like Elizabethtown, which has played at a very high level for the entire early season.

OTHER GAMES:

Bowling Green 92 - North Hardin Christian 52: I walked into this game at halftime and saw that the Purples were up by 37 points. I looked at the other team's uniforms, and all I could see was "North Hardin." I thought, "Man alive. The Purples are putting this kind of beatdown on a Ron Bevars squad?" I looked for Coach Bevars, who I figured would have peeled the purple paint from Bowling Green's auxillary gym. Then, I realized it was North Hardin CHRISTIAN. I don't have much to say about this game except that I shared a bag of Purpcorn with my little boy.

Allen County-Scottsville 74 - Madison Central 72 (OT): This is the game I DIDN'T attend to see Elizabethtown play. I figured that I'll see Allen County play several times this season, blah, blah, blah. O.K. I was kicking myself for missing this ballgame. These two teams are for real and both were undefeated prior to Sunday night. I wish I had more to say about it. I saw the end of regulation and the overtime. All of it was exciting, and I'm glad to see that the Fourth Region team walked away with the victory.

In the preseason, all the local sports pundits were asked to rank the best teams in the Fourth Region. I don't remember anyone, including myself, mentioning Allen County-Scottsville. Now, that I've seen the Patriots, I want to revise any predictions I made. They are good, athletic, and play with serious intensity. They are now 8-0 and have dispatched, Franklin-Simpson, Greenwood, Warren East, Barren County, and now Madison Central on their way to an undefeated record.

OBSERVATIONS:

Purples Going Green?: I guess to conserve energy, Bowling Green High School is not using several lights in the auxillary gym. With the lacking lighting and the Purple walls I felt like Ronnie Milsap walking into that place. Hey, Coach Sherrill! I know you are a proponent of energy independence, but this is taking it to extreme.

Grew in Da'House!: It was good to see Steffphon Pettigrew cheering on his alma mater on Sunday night. He had fellow Hilltoppers Orlando Mendez-Valdez and Mike Walker in his posse.

Children of Kentucky: My wife puts out a toy Nativity scene on a table beside our Christmas tree every year. Earlier in the day I found my daughter and son playing with the figures from that set. I asked them what they were playing, expecting a religious themed game, and they answered, "Basketball." So, I looked at the table, and I think they had the wise men and shepherds in a 2-2-1 full court press. It looked like they had the baby Jesus playing the post on offense, so I suggested that they move him to point guard. I figured he would know where everyone was on the court. They also had an old dry erase board from my office (I work at home) and were drawing up plays. One looked like an impossible five man weave. I put it on paper and faxed it to Darrin Horn down in South Carolina.