Barren County 66 - Glasgow 53

Barren County High School, Glasgow, Kentucky
January 4, 2008

I had a tough decision to make tonight. All week I planned on going to the Warren East at Bowling Green game, but this afternoon I realized that Glasgow would tip it up against their crosstown rivals at Barren County High School. I finally decided to head up to Glasgow to catch this important 15th District ballgame.

When I was in high school in Louisville in the 1980s, teams played in front of big crowds. On the night Male High played Moore -- Winston Bennett vs. Manuel Forrest -- about five thousand people attended the old Male High gym. Tonight, when I pulled up to Barren County High School, the parking lot was almost full. My heart started pounding, and I thought about the "old days" before ESPN and network sports convinced everyone that they had to watch professional basketball or big time college basketball before they could enjoy themselves. It reminded me of a time when people went to high school games because it was the most accessible basketball. Too often, these days, I find gyms nearly empty.

That wasn't the case in Glasgow tonight. The gym wasn't full, but a lot of people were there and electricity coursed around the place. I loved Barren County's gymnasium the second I walked into it. It's too bad I forgot my camera tonight because a good photograph would go a long way in conveying the flavor of the place. A Glasgow fan told me that it was built in 1977, and that they put a new court down in 2007. Seats go all the way around the court, and roll-out bleachers are at the top of the gym. Except, one end featured glass windows looking in on a first rate weight room and training facility. It's a very nice venue. If I had one complaint, it would be that the bleachers are not steep enough to allow fans to see the court very well. It's a very minor complaint and one easily ignored.

In the ballgame, Barren County came to play and Glasgow must have left their game on the other side of town. From the opening tip it was as if the Trojans took a rolled-up newspaper and smacked the Scottie dogs right on their cold, wet noses. Steve Riley's cagers scolded, "BAD DOGS," and the Scotties cowered in fear.

The Trojans opened with a sticky man-to-man defense, and Glasgow, which is a relatively young team, could not withstand the pressure. They made turnovers, and if they worked the ball inside, they could not finish the play. By the end of the first quarter I was ready to award them the week's "Bare Wood Award": NO FINISH. The Scotties really did play scared or at best they were tight through most of the game.

Every team has a bad night. Maybe it was Glasgow's night in which nothing worked. They seemed to be sleepwalking through the first quarter and found themselves down 15-5.

The Scotties continued to play scared through most of the second quarter. The Trojans stretched out to a 26-9 lead, and it was looking bleak for the Scotties. The "Dawg Pound," several of whom were decked out in togas, was real quiet. I sat with some Glasgow fans, and they had their heads in their hands throughout most of the second quarter.

But, Glasgow made a small run late in the half that kept the game from getting out of control. They cut the lead down to 26-16. I'm going to give a "Charlie Brown Blockhead Award" to Glasgow's Kerrington Bradley for fouling Blake Crabtree with just 0.8 seconds on the clock. Crabtree hit one of two, which let Barren County take a 27-16 lead into the break.

Fouling with 0.8 seconds is the kind of thing that makes a coach age almost instantaneously. Glasgow Coach John Tinsley probably aged a few months in the last eight-tenths of a second of the second quarter.

At the half, I felt like Glasgow saved themselves from disaster and gave themselves a chance to get back into the game. Still, they let Barren County control the tempo, something they are very good at doing, and the Trojans seemed to control the game.

In the third quarter, Glasgow tried to force the ball down the court and keep Barren County from setting up their half court defense, which stymied the Scotties. Glasgow, however, could not finish their plays. Their players don't help each other out, and a fan pointed out that they never move to the ball when a pass is thrown. They stand and wait for the ball to get to them.

With 1:40 left in the third, Barren County had a 49-23 lead on their rival. I'm not completely sure, but I thought I heard the Barren County public address announce where the Scotties' bus was parked. That was funny. I don't know if it was meant to be funny, but it was.

Barren County had a commanding 51-25 lead. Glasgow managed only 9 points in the third.

I started to wonder what I was missing down in Bowling Green, where the Purples were tangling with the Raiders from Warren East.

Early in the fourth frame, Barren County doubled the score up on Glasgow, 56-28. Ouch!

Glasgow wasn't going to roll over and play dead, though. Behind the leadership of senior Charlie Mudd, the Scotties mounted a late game rally. Mudd made a layup and then hit two quick three pointers, and it was as if he breathed life into his beaten team. I think he had 17 points on the night, 11 of which, I think, came in the fourth quarter. Barren County started playing just to finish the game, and they let Glasgow back into the contest. Coach Steve Riley had rested most of his starters late in the game, but he had to put them back on the floor to stop the little spurt Glasgow was putting on them.

It was too little too late from the Scotties. No one would que up any Led Zepplin "Black Dog" in Glasgow on this night. Barren County pulled out the victory 66-53. The game wasn't as close as the score indicates.

OBSERVATIONS

Life of Riley: It's been since 2000 that a coach not named "Riley" took a Fourth Region team to the Sweet Sixteen. I'm starting to think that a Riley coached team might be in Rupp this spring only it might be Steve Riley's ball team. I've joked for the past three years that they should name the Fourth Region Tournament at Diddle Arena "The Riley Invitational."

February 19th: The Barren County student section started chanting that date during the third quarter of tonight's ballgame. I couldn't figure it out until someone pointed out that several of Metcalfe County's ball players were in attendance. Barren County lost to Metcalfe in Edmonton the other night, and the return game is on Feb. 19th in Glasgow. I wouldn't be so anxious if I were a Barren County fan. Metcalfe has one loss and has yet to lose to a team from Kentucky.

Mother Hubbard: Barren County's Lee Hubbard has "got game." In the second quarter he got a rebound down on the blocks at the right side of the lane. He made a drop step, pivoted and went straight up with the ball without dribbling and without hesitation. I remember listening to Bobby Knight beef about fundamental basketball not getting any attention in sports highlights. Hubbard would've made The General proud tonight. That move was nearly perfect but not flashy. He still got his team a rebound and two points. a Glasgow fan told me that Hubbard is a real good kid. That's pretty good when a player is getting an endorsement from the fans of an arch-rival.

Break Out the Carl Perkins: Glasgow is sporting some flashy blue Adidas this season. I kept hearing Carl Perkins or Elvis singing "Blue Suede Shoes" every time I looked at their feet.

District Implications: Barren County stays right behind Metcalfe, which is 3-0 in the 15th District. The Trojans are 2-1, while Glasgow is even with one loss and one win. Allen County-Scottsville has played just one district game, and they are 1-0. Just like in the neighboring 14th District, a couple of good teams will end their season early, so seeding is incredibly important.

His Name is Mudd: I really like Charlie Mudd for the Scotties. He is the team's leader and a gritty ballplayer.

Citizens First Holiday Classic @ Bowling Green High School

Hazel Green (Ala.) vs. Barren County 12-21-07

The first quarter of the championship match up between Hazel Green and Barren County was a defensive stalemate. Heck, the entire game was kind of that way. Both teams are very well coached and terribly patient, so they produced one of the fastest basketball games I've been too in a long time. Tournament officials started the consolation game between Greenwood and Bowling Green early so that it would be over before they finished the championship game. That wasn't the case.

Hazel Green's coach, Greg Watson, is young and has a quiet intensity about him. He also commands the respect of his players. After a blown play in the first quarter, he started busting the chops of one his guards. The kid mouthed back to him, and Coach Watson snapped back, "shut up and execute!" I didn't hear the kid say another word the rest of the game. My hunch is that he would've become familiar with the bench if he did.

The score was tied six all at the end of the first quarter and was only 20-18, Hazel Green's advantage, at halftime.

I should point out that Hazel Green is a small town just a few miles south of the Tennessee line in Alabama. I haven't measured it out, but I'm willing to bet that they had fewer miles to travel than the team from our own Pineville.

Hazel Green has a set play for every possession. The coaches call it out to them when they cross the mid-court stripe. They execute plays with precision, and they play a tough 2-3 zone with the guards matching up at the top of it. The players keep their arms up on defense, too, without having to be told.

Barren County is a good team, though. Steve Riley is a good coach. They were not going to let a team from Alabama sneak into Bowling Green and take home a trophy. Barren is very patient on the offensive end, and they started attacking HG's tricky match up zone. They penetrated with passes and penetrated with with the dribble through the top and the base of the zone.

Lee Hubbard, Barren's 6'1" senior forward, started making plays along the baseline against Hazel Green, and he started drawing fouls off of their interior players. Hubbard is a good ballplayer and has a good sense of when to and when not to force the ball into the lane. Matt Riley's heady play and ball handling kept Barren County in the game.

Hazel Green still had the advantage at the end of the third quarter, 31-28. I thought that maybe Barren County didn't have what it took to get over the hump, and that they would stay within striking distance and never overcome the Alabamians' athletic ability.

Barren County took over in the fourth quarter. It looked like Hazel Green didn't have any legs left after playing several games over the course of three days. Barren started the final frame with a quick 5-0 run that gave them the lead, 33-31.

Hazel Green scored only six points in the fourth quarter while Barren County managed 14. Steve Riley's squad prevailed, 42-37.

OBSERVATIONS

Fourth Region March Preview?: Greenwood beat Bowling Green 67-61 in the consolation game of the tournament. That means three of the four trophy winners were from the Fourth Region.

Strange Fan Club: I'm making myself president of the J.D. Strange Fan Club. It's for the Pineville coach. I watched the second half of the Pineville-Todd County Central game. The Mountain Lions had a 27 point lead on TCC, and Coach Strange called a timeout because his team was not playing very well. He sat his players down on the bench, looked out over his half glasses, and asked, "are you boys worried about your Christmas shopping?"

Was I in Troy?: Friday's championship game featured the Barren County Trojans against the Hazel Green Trojans. I was waiting for someone to wheel a wooden horse into Bowling Green's gymnasium.

Great Big Ole Girls: Bowling Green's gymnasium has a banner that puzzles me. It's for a cheerleading championship and it reads "CHAMPIONS: Large Coed Division." I laugh every time I read it. I've always heard girls from Warren East say that Bowling Green girls were cows, but now even the Purples are saying it. Champions? Did they win an eating contest?

All Tournament Team:

J.D. Strange, Pineville
Travis Johnston, Grayson County
Daniel Linder, Central Hardin
Jarren Nixon, Bowling Green
Dee Anderson, Greenwood
Kyle Burwell, Hazel Green
James Humphrey, Hazel Green
Blake Crabtree, Barren County
Matt Riley, Barren County
Lee Hubbard, Barren County

They didn't name an MVP. My vote would've been for Barren County's Lee Hubbard.