By J. Trace Kirkwood
College basketball has it's Bracket Buster, an ESPN engineered conglomeration that hides behind the cloak of teams that might cause trouble in the post season. If the Fourth Region has Bracket Buster matchups, one of them would be Greenwood and Russellville. These are two teams that might not be on people's postseason radar but should be. They will be. Greenwood has to be after tonight's victory at the Panthers' lair in Russellville.
Greenwood frustrates other teams, and they did that well against Russellville tonight. The Gators are patient on the offensive end, and they lull teams into complacency with each possession. They look for the right moment to strike, and they do it with lightning quick efficiency. That lightning strike usually involves Dee Anderson slashing to the basket in perfect control of himself and laying the ball up on the perfect spot of the backboard for a bucket.
Everybody is talking about Chane Behanan, George Fant, and Jordan Shanklin, but I believe that Dee Anderson is the best player in the Fourth Region. That's saying a lot, too, because the Fourth is loaded this season. If Anderson had a deadly shot from the perimeter, college coaches would bum rush each other to get to a Greenwood game this season.
Tonight, Greenwood opened up a narrow lead in the first quarter. Russellville, which is an athletic basketball team, could not rebound on either end of the court, and they could not get their shots to fall. The Gators put up a nice 2-3 zone on them and still could beat Russellville to the boards.
Greenwood clung to a 17-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Russellville was down by more than that late in the quarter, but their defensive pressure forced the Gators to cough up the ball on three consecutive possessions.
Russellville outplayed Greenwood in the second quarter. The Panthers made some great passes and worked their way to the basket on the Gators while knocking down a couple of key three pointers. Readers will have to forgive me for not using any of Russellville's players names. I couldn't find a program tonight, and my programs from last season are long lost after living away from my house for most of last season. The J.J. Elam(?) hit some big shots for the Panthers, and they went to halftime with a 34-32 lead.
I've seen Greenwood enough this season to know that they are never out of a game. It doesn't matter if it is on the road or at home, they will not give up on a game. Cody Stumbo took over for the Gators in the third quarter. He hit two three pointers and scored several points in the paint. Austin Disney also hit a couple of nice jump shots. When the Gators can hit from the perimeter, they become a lethal team because it opens things up for Dee Anderson to work his magic in the paint.
Both teams battled hard in the third quarter, and they went to the break tied at 51.
This is the first time I've seen Russellville play this season, and I know that they played a tough game against rival Logan County on Monday night. So, I don't know if it is a season long thing or just one night, but the Panthers had a lot of trouble shooting the ball tonight. The ball just wouldn't drop for them. They even had some good looks at the basket.
Greenwood took control of the game, and Russellville had to play catch-up ball late in the fourth quarter. Blane Embry's teams are very good at making it difficult for teams to take the lead away from them late in a game. Russellville didn't help themselves because they waited a long time before they started fouling Gator players. When they did foul them, Greenwood hit their foul shots. Daniel Turner made some big free throws down the stretch and had one very nice move to the basket that resulted in a lay-in.
Greenwood crawls out of the Panthers' den with a 68-63 win. Oh yeah, the final really should've been 68-60. A Russellville player threw up a last second shot. The ball was still in his hand when the buzzer sounded, but the official counted the bucket, which was a three pointer.
Greenwood runs its record out to 14-4 and 4-3 in the region. They're in second place right behind the Bowling Green Purples. Russellville drops to 10-4 and 3-2 in the Fourth.
OBSERVATIONS
Man of Steel?: George Kennedy has returned to Kentucky. The star of the great movie Steel, which was filmed in Lexington and, I think, features scenes in Rupp Arena, is now playing for the Russellville Panthers. I think that's what the PA guy said.
No Kige in the House: I looked for Kige Ramsey at the game, figuring he'd prime up his camera for another installment of YouTube Sports. Wait! What am I thinking? Kige couldn't pull away from watching the Cats. Hmm. UofK played the Gators and his beloved Panthers also played the Gators. I don't want Blane Embry, D.G. Sherrill, Tim Riley or any other Fourth Region coach stealing plays from Kige.
Finally!: I finally got to hear a pep band tonight. Russellville's band played some Journey, Ozzy Osborne, and even some J. Geils Band. Loved it. Those snooty schools in Warren County should learn from them.
No Roys for the Pick and Roll: I got back from Frankfort too late to catch the bandwagon Greenwood fans I know heading for Roy's Barbecue in Russellville. That will give me an excuse to head back to R-ville for a game.
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