14th District Semifinal, Warren Central High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky 02-26-08
It was one for the ages. A person could throw every basketball cliche' at this game, and it would stick. A barn burner, a jim-dandy, a battle, a war. I don't even know where to begin.
Warren Central has dominated the Fourth Region for so long, that my children hardly realize that anyone else has ever won the championship. My little boy thought that Tim Riley was the president of the United States. The Dragons had not lost on the Diddle Arena floor in this millennium, and WKU Coach Darrin Horn would love to have a winning streak at Diddle as impressive at Tim Riley's.
THE RUN IS DONE!
The Purples sent the "Monsters of Morgantown Road" out the exits early this season, and for the first time in six years, a new team will carry the Fourth Region banner into Rupp Arena.
It didn't come easy for the Purples. They struggled in the first half with bad shot selection and constant defensive pressure from the Dragons. They were down 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, and Warren Central exploded for 23 second quarter points to take a commanding lead on Bowling Green. Central hit some big shots in the quarter, and Pete Winn hit some long range jumpers. Winn didn't start tonight's game, but wasn't on the bench for long. I don't know why he didn't start.
The Dragons had a 37-26 lead at halftime, and once again post season play in the Fourth Region seemed like the movie "Groundhog Day." All the coaches in the region probably identified with Phil Connors and wanted to punch Ned Ryerson in the nose during each replay.
I don't know what Bowling Green Coach D.G. Sherrill said to his Purple warriors at halftime, but they came out and played the third quarter like they had a barn on fire with a season's worth of hay in it. They moved the ball up the court against Central's press better than any team I've seen move the ball this season. They could get the ball up the full length of the court without it touching hardwood once. Central's players buckled in the face of the ball crossing the court so many times.
Bowling Green exposed Central's Achilles heel. George Fant, who is a fantastic player for a freshman, is not good at defending the post, especially in a transition game.
The Purples emerged on the other side of the third frame with a 47-45 lead, outscoring the Dragons 21-8.
Bowling Green almost coughed this one up in the fourth quarter by missing way too many free throws.
Also, I nearly witnessed one of the great travesties of the basketball season. Central was desperate to hit shots beyond the arc to catch Bowling Green. Pete Winn, who was hot in the second half, looked for a three point shot late in the game, and on one possession he dribbled along the arc and lunged for the basket and hit a shot. One of his feet was about two feet inside of the stripe, but the referee called it a three point basket. If I remember right, that would've tied the ballgame.
The refs finally changed their call. I'm not sure, but I think Coach Riley signaled three from the sideline, and the officials followed suit. I don't know what made them change their minds, but the Bowling Green fans petitioned in the most fervent manner to get them to change it. I might have even heard some swear words from the Purple faithful.
Bowling Green won, 61-57, putting the Warren Central Dragons in a very unfamiliar position for the Fourth Region Tournament at Diddle Arena. They'll be watching it from the stands.
OBSERVATIONS
The Run is Done: Yep! Fourth Region coaches will be checking to see if the legs of the witch really are sticking out from under the house. Maybe D.G. Sherrill and his Purps slip on the ruby slippers and start down the Yellow Brick Road, which runs through Diddle Arena to Rupp Arena.
Don't Live Here No More: D.G. Sherrill took his Purples to Warren Central's gym for a shoot around the other day. He showed him the photographs of Central's state championship team and their runner-up team, and the teams that dominated the Fourth Region. He told them, "Boys, none of those guys play here anymore." I'm willing to bet that what he told them at halftime of Tuesday's semi-final was a lot less subtle.
Upward and Onward: Fans at Tuesday's game at Warren Central were treated to an exhibition by two teams from a Bowling Green Upward league. For a minute or two I thought it maybe was one of the first round games of the Sunbelt Tournament, but I realized that these kids were too good for that. That game was nearly as exciting as the feature.
Snowy Night in Bowling Green: Snow started falling when I went to the game. Things were icy when I came out. I could barely stand up on the asphalt to scrape the ice off my truck's windows.
The Place To Be: There was a huge crowd at Warren Central tonight, and the atmosphere was electric. It may have been icy outside, but it was about 90 degrees in the gym. I was near the top of the gym, and I was ready to start coming out of some clothes. Finally, people opened the windows at the top of the gym. The cool air felt good.
Two Funny Things: During the fourth quarter of the Bowling Green-Warren Central girls game, a school janitor walked up the sidelines with a big nasty plunger. He got about three quarters of the way up the court, and the referee ran over him. Both guys were alright, but it definitely should have been a charging call.
Also, my group of family and friends had a big pile of coats on the floor in front of one of the bleachers. A little boy sitting beside me starting digging through our coats, which were mixed with his family's. I asked him, "did you lose something." He said that he did, so I started pulling coats back for him. Finally, he found an end of a hot dog lying on top of my parka. "Oh, here it is," the kid exclaimed. Then, he popped it in his mouth. You know, a hot dog tastes a lot better after it has been grunged into some stranger's coat and rolled around on the floor of a bleacher.
Happy Hoopsmas!
Showing posts with label Bowling Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bowling Green. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Bowling Green 73 - Warren East 62
Warren East High School, Bristow, Kentucky 02-01-08
Friday night's game at Warren East High School could've featured players wearing tight shorts and skin tight uniform tops because it was a throw-back atmosphere. There were actually people in the stands. I thought I was going to have to park in downtown Bristow and walk to the high school because the crowd was so large. It was like the old days. I checked to see if I had a mullet, a Members Only jacket, Vans, and a Swatch with the goofy guards that made it impossible to tell what time it was.
My daughter and I walked into a battle between the Lady Raiders and the Lady Purples. East had Bowling Green down, but the Purples fought back and made it a game. East prevailed, but the ladies set the mood for the boys game.
While the teams warmed-up, the Warren East pep band started playing Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." It fit the mood, but I wondered if that's a good song for a high school band.
"I've listened to preachers
I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts
Who make their own rules."
Somebody phone Tipper Gore!
I figured with the pressing and high flying offenses of the Purples and the Raiders that we might be "going off the rails on a crazy train."
There's no love lost between these two teams and these two schools. Bowling Green is a city school and populated with city kids. Warren East is a rural school with an interesting mix of suburban kids and farm kids. I'm good friends with a Warren East alumnus who calls Purples backers, "those snotty Bowling Green fans." I know Bowling Green alumni who call East grads "hayseed plow boys."
Don't kill the messenger, folks. I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm fascinated, however, by the differences that make up good high school rivalries, and the East-Bowling Green one is among the best. I remember from the Male-Manual rivalry that we were blessed with superior intellect, better looks, and greater athletic ability while the folks from Manual had none of these attributes.
The two teams went at each other like this game had major implications in the district and the region. Wait, it did. After dropping a game at Warren Central, the Purples needed a district win, but it's a tall order to try to sneak into the Raiders' roost and wrestle a victory from them.
Each team tested the other in the first quarter. The two teams sort of mirror each other. Both like to play man-to-man, pressing defense, and they both balance the offensive end with great penetration and perimeter shooting. At the end of one, the score was tied at 14. Within my mind I could hear the ghostly voice of Joe Dean, Sr., saying, "we've got ourselves a barn burner, Tom (Hammond). It might be 25 outside but in here we've got a barn burner."
The Purples picked up their defensive pressure in the second quarter and forced Warren East to take tough shots. The Raiders couldn't find the basket in the second quarter. Both teams had trouble hanging onto the ball, but Bowling Green seemed to be more prone to turnovers. My good friend Eddie Dillard swore that the ball was over inflated, but he wouldn't go out there and test it between quarters.
With 3:29 left in the half, Bowling Green had a 29-15 lead on East and seemed like they were going to take command of the game. However, the Raiders answered with a 7-2 run to end the half to pull with in nine, 31-22. Shenard Holton led the Raiders with 10 points at halftime, while Jordan Ellis added seven. Eric Smith for Bowling Green led the way with nine points, and D.L. Moore and Jared Carpenter each had five.
If it was a barn burner, then Bowling Green opened the third quarter like they were going to burn the thing down to the foundation. Jeb Richardson hit three three pointers to open the half, one of which was from about 22 feet. Joe Dean would've erupted with "Sttttrrraaaaaahng Muuusic in Bristow kay-wye, Tom!" Richardson was nailing treys, but, as always, the Purples' defense is what created the offense. When they decide to play active defense, this Bowling Green squad is tough to beat.
By the 4:41 mark, Bowling Green had a commanding 45-27 lead on their rival. Warren East Coach Russell Malone called a time and met his players on the court and delivered a lip whipping on his players that we could hear in the stands. I don't think he was wishing them Groundhog's Day greetings and likely telling them that their six more weeks of winter would be spent running "suicides" on the gym floor.
After the Purples built a 22 point lead on them, Warren East responded to Coach Russell and closed the third with a furious 9-1 run that cut the lead to 52-39.
No one thought that East was out of the game. They are too good of a team to roll over and die, especially for an arch-rival.
In the fourth quarter, East threw a 2-2-1 trapping press on the Purps, and they had a tough time moving the ball up the court. D.L. Moore was on the bench with foul trouble, but Coach D.G. Sherrill put him back in the game because he is a press buster. Moore is signed to play wide receiver at South Carolina next year, and he knows how to use his 6'6" frame to snag passes going over a press.
Also, Jordan Ellis fouled out early the fourth quarter. I've seen East play three times this season, and all three times Ellis has fouled out with plenty of time left in the game. Ellis is a very good athlete, but he gets behind on defense and swats too much. Jordan! Move your feet and avoid the seat!
East managed to cut the lead to 10, but they could never get over the hump in this one. Bowling Green won 73-62.
If I have everything right, that means every team in the 14th District is .500 in district games. Bowling Green, East, and Greenwood are all 3-3 and Central is 2-2. One must ask, does seeding really matter in this district? Two very good basketball teams will end their seasons on the first night of the district tournament.
Shenard Holton for Warren East led all scorers with 19. Jordan Ellis and DeAngelo Kirk each had 13. Bowling Green had a balanced scoring sheet with D.L. Moore and Jared Carpenter scoring 10, while Jeb Richardson had 10.
OBSERVATIONS
Warren East Career Day: After a referee called a foul on Warren East in the third quarter, the East student section chanted, "I'm blind. I'm deaf. I wanna be a ref." They even had the Bowling Green fans chuckling. That gets a Pick and Roll "Three Thumbs Up" Award.
Killing Me Softly: After what seemed like a bad call, Coach Russell Malone kept yelling, "You're killin me. You're killing me!" at one of the officials. The Bowling Green fans started calling him Bobby Knight.
He Does Wear #22: Jerron Nixon did a great Curly Neal impersonation in Friday's ballgame at Warren East. The floor was dusty and players kept losing their footing. Nixon slipped down to one knee, slid several feet, and popped back up without ever breaking his dribble. The great Harlem Globetrotter, Curly Neal, wowed crowds with a trick that looked like Nixon's move.
Donuts on Dunks: It had been since Scotty Hopson threw a couple down on the Purples in December that I had seen someone in a high school game dunk the ball. On Friday night, East's Jordan Ellis and Bowling Green's D.L. Moore each had a dunk. Ellis has great leaping ability and threw down a one handed jam on a fast break amongst two Purples.
Friday night's game at Warren East High School could've featured players wearing tight shorts and skin tight uniform tops because it was a throw-back atmosphere. There were actually people in the stands. I thought I was going to have to park in downtown Bristow and walk to the high school because the crowd was so large. It was like the old days. I checked to see if I had a mullet, a Members Only jacket, Vans, and a Swatch with the goofy guards that made it impossible to tell what time it was.
My daughter and I walked into a battle between the Lady Raiders and the Lady Purples. East had Bowling Green down, but the Purples fought back and made it a game. East prevailed, but the ladies set the mood for the boys game.
While the teams warmed-up, the Warren East pep band started playing Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." It fit the mood, but I wondered if that's a good song for a high school band.
"I've listened to preachers
I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts
Who make their own rules."
Somebody phone Tipper Gore!
I figured with the pressing and high flying offenses of the Purples and the Raiders that we might be "going off the rails on a crazy train."
There's no love lost between these two teams and these two schools. Bowling Green is a city school and populated with city kids. Warren East is a rural school with an interesting mix of suburban kids and farm kids. I'm good friends with a Warren East alumnus who calls Purples backers, "those snotty Bowling Green fans." I know Bowling Green alumni who call East grads "hayseed plow boys."
Don't kill the messenger, folks. I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm fascinated, however, by the differences that make up good high school rivalries, and the East-Bowling Green one is among the best. I remember from the Male-Manual rivalry that we were blessed with superior intellect, better looks, and greater athletic ability while the folks from Manual had none of these attributes.
The two teams went at each other like this game had major implications in the district and the region. Wait, it did. After dropping a game at Warren Central, the Purples needed a district win, but it's a tall order to try to sneak into the Raiders' roost and wrestle a victory from them.
Each team tested the other in the first quarter. The two teams sort of mirror each other. Both like to play man-to-man, pressing defense, and they both balance the offensive end with great penetration and perimeter shooting. At the end of one, the score was tied at 14. Within my mind I could hear the ghostly voice of Joe Dean, Sr., saying, "we've got ourselves a barn burner, Tom (Hammond). It might be 25 outside but in here we've got a barn burner."
The Purples picked up their defensive pressure in the second quarter and forced Warren East to take tough shots. The Raiders couldn't find the basket in the second quarter. Both teams had trouble hanging onto the ball, but Bowling Green seemed to be more prone to turnovers. My good friend Eddie Dillard swore that the ball was over inflated, but he wouldn't go out there and test it between quarters.
With 3:29 left in the half, Bowling Green had a 29-15 lead on East and seemed like they were going to take command of the game. However, the Raiders answered with a 7-2 run to end the half to pull with in nine, 31-22. Shenard Holton led the Raiders with 10 points at halftime, while Jordan Ellis added seven. Eric Smith for Bowling Green led the way with nine points, and D.L. Moore and Jared Carpenter each had five.
If it was a barn burner, then Bowling Green opened the third quarter like they were going to burn the thing down to the foundation. Jeb Richardson hit three three pointers to open the half, one of which was from about 22 feet. Joe Dean would've erupted with "Sttttrrraaaaaahng Muuusic in Bristow kay-wye, Tom!" Richardson was nailing treys, but, as always, the Purples' defense is what created the offense. When they decide to play active defense, this Bowling Green squad is tough to beat.
By the 4:41 mark, Bowling Green had a commanding 45-27 lead on their rival. Warren East Coach Russell Malone called a time and met his players on the court and delivered a lip whipping on his players that we could hear in the stands. I don't think he was wishing them Groundhog's Day greetings and likely telling them that their six more weeks of winter would be spent running "suicides" on the gym floor.
After the Purples built a 22 point lead on them, Warren East responded to Coach Russell and closed the third with a furious 9-1 run that cut the lead to 52-39.
No one thought that East was out of the game. They are too good of a team to roll over and die, especially for an arch-rival.
In the fourth quarter, East threw a 2-2-1 trapping press on the Purps, and they had a tough time moving the ball up the court. D.L. Moore was on the bench with foul trouble, but Coach D.G. Sherrill put him back in the game because he is a press buster. Moore is signed to play wide receiver at South Carolina next year, and he knows how to use his 6'6" frame to snag passes going over a press.
Also, Jordan Ellis fouled out early the fourth quarter. I've seen East play three times this season, and all three times Ellis has fouled out with plenty of time left in the game. Ellis is a very good athlete, but he gets behind on defense and swats too much. Jordan! Move your feet and avoid the seat!
East managed to cut the lead to 10, but they could never get over the hump in this one. Bowling Green won 73-62.
If I have everything right, that means every team in the 14th District is .500 in district games. Bowling Green, East, and Greenwood are all 3-3 and Central is 2-2. One must ask, does seeding really matter in this district? Two very good basketball teams will end their seasons on the first night of the district tournament.
Shenard Holton for Warren East led all scorers with 19. Jordan Ellis and DeAngelo Kirk each had 13. Bowling Green had a balanced scoring sheet with D.L. Moore and Jared Carpenter scoring 10, while Jeb Richardson had 10.
OBSERVATIONS
Warren East Career Day: After a referee called a foul on Warren East in the third quarter, the East student section chanted, "I'm blind. I'm deaf. I wanna be a ref." They even had the Bowling Green fans chuckling. That gets a Pick and Roll "Three Thumbs Up" Award.
Killing Me Softly: After what seemed like a bad call, Coach Russell Malone kept yelling, "You're killin me. You're killing me!" at one of the officials. The Bowling Green fans started calling him Bobby Knight.
He Does Wear #22: Jerron Nixon did a great Curly Neal impersonation in Friday's ballgame at Warren East. The floor was dusty and players kept losing their footing. Nixon slipped down to one knee, slid several feet, and popped back up without ever breaking his dribble. The great Harlem Globetrotter, Curly Neal, wowed crowds with a trick that looked like Nixon's move.
Donuts on Dunks: It had been since Scotty Hopson threw a couple down on the Purples in December that I had seen someone in a high school game dunk the ball. On Friday night, East's Jordan Ellis and Bowling Green's D.L. Moore each had a dunk. Ellis has great leaping ability and threw down a one handed jam on a fast break amongst two Purples.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
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.
Friday, January 18, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Citizens First Holiday Classic @ Bowling Green High School
Central Hardin vs. Bowling Green 12-20-07
Nothing says Christmas in Kentucky like 45 degrees, gray skies, and rain coming down like someone was pouring it from a boot. Yes, I feel the yule tide ache in my stiff fingers and throbbing knees. Also, nothing says Christmas like ditching work for an afternoon of at the local holiday basketball tournament. I'd much rather hear the bounce of basketball and the squeak of sneakers than the Christmas music and the electronic beeping of a cash register at a department store.
I missed the early games of the day, and I almost missed the afternoon games. When I got to Bowling Green's arena, I discovered that I didn't have my wallet, but a good friend of mine bailed me out and paid my way into the games. With a Pick and Roll budget numbering in the tens of dollars, a handout from a friend is always appreciated. His wife even bought me a "D.G. Dog" from the concession stand. Man! I was flying first class this afternoon.
I looked forward to the game between Central Hardin and Bowling Green because I felt like the two teams were evenly matched. The Purples cruised to a 19 point victory over Cumberland County the previous evening, and the Bruins beat the same Cumberland County squad in the nightcap by 30 points. I figured Bowling Green took something out of the Panthers in the first game.
In the first quarter, both teams played tight defense and were kind of like a couple of bantam weight boxers jabbing and poking at one another, trying to see what punches they could land. Central Hardin opened in a 3-2 zone that moved right with the ball and clogged up the middle while Bowling Green pressed and played man-to-man. The Purples didn't like the zone, and they seemed reluctant to attack it. They stood around and were content with just passing the ball on the perimeter.
At the end of the first quarter the score was 11-9 in favor of Central Hardin.
The Purples came to life in the second quarter and went on a 20-8 run powered by good defensive play by Jared Carpenter and Billy "D" Williams, Jeb Richardson's shooting, and Jarren Nixon's ability to slash to the basket through the zone.
Central Hardin's coach, J.C. Wright, has done a masterful job at teaching his team how to switch defenses and to keep opponents guessing at what kind of defense they're going to throw at them. They showed a lot of zone in the first half, but they could switch right into a man-to-man. Their defense got things going for them late in the second quarter. Bowling Green had a 29-19 lead after their run, but Bruins fought back and pulled within two of the Purples at halftime, 34-32.
The Bruins have a solid starting five. Each player can play superb defense and each can score in multiple ways. I was most impressed with Chris Nichols. He a 6'3" senior and plays as a guard. The kid has a quick first step to the basket and wreaked havoc on Bowling Green when he got onto the baseline. Forward Tony Harding is a 6'2" senior with fantastic leaping ability and a nose for getting rebounds.
Central Hardin opened the third quarter with a man-to-man defense, and Bowling Green continued to press and to pressure who ever had the ball.
There were an extraordinary number of charging/blocking calls in this game. Ordinarily, I'd gripe about the officiating at this point, but both of these teams like to attack the basket. Both teams are good at stopping teams from attacking the basket, so there were a lot of whistles for blocking, charging, and player control. The officials probably missed a couple, but they did a good job at calling that part of the game.
When two teams attack the basket like the Bruins and the Purples, I get a little nervous watching the game. I'm always afraid that a player is going to get hurt. I have to remind myself that young athletes can take a tremendous amount of abuse.
Third quarter score? I wish I knew. I didn't right the danged score down, and I can't recall it. I even asked a friend about it, and he didn't know. The important thing is that the game was close, and heading into the final quarter it was still anybody's ballgame.
In the fourth quarter, Central Hardin just couldn't get over the hump. They'd run at Bowling Green, but the Purples countered with their own big basket. Tony Harding made a great play in the fourth that probably went unnoticed by most people. I hope Coach Wright saw it. On a missed shot, Harding came off of his man and jumped way up in the air and grabbed rebound with both hands and went straight back up with the ball and made a basket. He made no fakes. He didn't hesitate. He did what a basketball player is supposed to do in that situation: use athletic ability to outplay everybody and go up strong with the ball.
It was a very good basketball game for fans. Bowling Green prevailed 70-66.
OBSERVATIONS
Shorts and T: This call gets my Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Award. In the second half, D.L. Moore was standing near the Bowling Green bench talking to his coach. One of the referees comes over to Moore and signals a technical foul. Everyone in the gym was completely confused. At that moment, the Purples had a nine point lead and the basketball. Central Hardin got three points on the free throws and possession, cutting the lead to six. That's a big turn around in a tight basketball game.
The infraction? The referee gave the technical to Moore for pulling his shorts up too high. I later heard that the ref thought Moore was trying to show him up. What? Most likely D.L. Moore is going to be playing wide receiver for South Carolina next fall, and he couldn't care less about showing up some high school basketball official. I hate to tell that official, but he doesn't hit Moore's radar screen. Steve Spurrier will in a few months.
Watch Out Nancy Kerrigan!: I pointed out to some Bowling Green students that Tony Harding's name was dangerously close to being "Tonya Harding." Thank goodness there's no Jeff Gillooly on Central Hardin's team or a Shane Stant. Tony! I sympathize. My name is dangerously close to Captain Kirk's.
Gotta Get a Gorman: It's nice having Doug Gorman, the voice of Hilltopper Basketball at Diddle Arena, doing the public address at Citizens First Holiday Classic. He's a true professional, and I'm sure his paycheck has the same amount as my Pick and Roll paycheck.
Nothing says Christmas in Kentucky like 45 degrees, gray skies, and rain coming down like someone was pouring it from a boot. Yes, I feel the yule tide ache in my stiff fingers and throbbing knees. Also, nothing says Christmas like ditching work for an afternoon of at the local holiday basketball tournament. I'd much rather hear the bounce of basketball and the squeak of sneakers than the Christmas music and the electronic beeping of a cash register at a department store.
I missed the early games of the day, and I almost missed the afternoon games. When I got to Bowling Green's arena, I discovered that I didn't have my wallet, but a good friend of mine bailed me out and paid my way into the games. With a Pick and Roll budget numbering in the tens of dollars, a handout from a friend is always appreciated. His wife even bought me a "D.G. Dog" from the concession stand. Man! I was flying first class this afternoon.
I looked forward to the game between Central Hardin and Bowling Green because I felt like the two teams were evenly matched. The Purples cruised to a 19 point victory over Cumberland County the previous evening, and the Bruins beat the same Cumberland County squad in the nightcap by 30 points. I figured Bowling Green took something out of the Panthers in the first game.
In the first quarter, both teams played tight defense and were kind of like a couple of bantam weight boxers jabbing and poking at one another, trying to see what punches they could land. Central Hardin opened in a 3-2 zone that moved right with the ball and clogged up the middle while Bowling Green pressed and played man-to-man. The Purples didn't like the zone, and they seemed reluctant to attack it. They stood around and were content with just passing the ball on the perimeter.
At the end of the first quarter the score was 11-9 in favor of Central Hardin.
The Purples came to life in the second quarter and went on a 20-8 run powered by good defensive play by Jared Carpenter and Billy "D" Williams, Jeb Richardson's shooting, and Jarren Nixon's ability to slash to the basket through the zone.
Central Hardin's coach, J.C. Wright, has done a masterful job at teaching his team how to switch defenses and to keep opponents guessing at what kind of defense they're going to throw at them. They showed a lot of zone in the first half, but they could switch right into a man-to-man. Their defense got things going for them late in the second quarter. Bowling Green had a 29-19 lead after their run, but Bruins fought back and pulled within two of the Purples at halftime, 34-32.
The Bruins have a solid starting five. Each player can play superb defense and each can score in multiple ways. I was most impressed with Chris Nichols. He a 6'3" senior and plays as a guard. The kid has a quick first step to the basket and wreaked havoc on Bowling Green when he got onto the baseline. Forward Tony Harding is a 6'2" senior with fantastic leaping ability and a nose for getting rebounds.
Central Hardin opened the third quarter with a man-to-man defense, and Bowling Green continued to press and to pressure who ever had the ball.
There were an extraordinary number of charging/blocking calls in this game. Ordinarily, I'd gripe about the officiating at this point, but both of these teams like to attack the basket. Both teams are good at stopping teams from attacking the basket, so there were a lot of whistles for blocking, charging, and player control. The officials probably missed a couple, but they did a good job at calling that part of the game.
When two teams attack the basket like the Bruins and the Purples, I get a little nervous watching the game. I'm always afraid that a player is going to get hurt. I have to remind myself that young athletes can take a tremendous amount of abuse.
Third quarter score? I wish I knew. I didn't right the danged score down, and I can't recall it. I even asked a friend about it, and he didn't know. The important thing is that the game was close, and heading into the final quarter it was still anybody's ballgame.
In the fourth quarter, Central Hardin just couldn't get over the hump. They'd run at Bowling Green, but the Purples countered with their own big basket. Tony Harding made a great play in the fourth that probably went unnoticed by most people. I hope Coach Wright saw it. On a missed shot, Harding came off of his man and jumped way up in the air and grabbed rebound with both hands and went straight back up with the ball and made a basket. He made no fakes. He didn't hesitate. He did what a basketball player is supposed to do in that situation: use athletic ability to outplay everybody and go up strong with the ball.
It was a very good basketball game for fans. Bowling Green prevailed 70-66.
OBSERVATIONS
Shorts and T: This call gets my Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Award. In the second half, D.L. Moore was standing near the Bowling Green bench talking to his coach. One of the referees comes over to Moore and signals a technical foul. Everyone in the gym was completely confused. At that moment, the Purples had a nine point lead and the basketball. Central Hardin got three points on the free throws and possession, cutting the lead to six. That's a big turn around in a tight basketball game.
The infraction? The referee gave the technical to Moore for pulling his shorts up too high. I later heard that the ref thought Moore was trying to show him up. What? Most likely D.L. Moore is going to be playing wide receiver for South Carolina next fall, and he couldn't care less about showing up some high school basketball official. I hate to tell that official, but he doesn't hit Moore's radar screen. Steve Spurrier will in a few months.
Watch Out Nancy Kerrigan!: I pointed out to some Bowling Green students that Tony Harding's name was dangerously close to being "Tonya Harding." Thank goodness there's no Jeff Gillooly on Central Hardin's team or a Shane Stant. Tony! I sympathize. My name is dangerously close to Captain Kirk's.
Gotta Get a Gorman: It's nice having Doug Gorman, the voice of Hilltopper Basketball at Diddle Arena, doing the public address at Citizens First Holiday Classic. He's a true professional, and I'm sure his paycheck has the same amount as my Pick and Roll paycheck.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Citizens First Holiday Classic @ Bowling Green High School
Cumberland County vs. Bowling Green 12-19-07
Bowling Green head coach D.G. Sherrill and Citizens First Bank have done a great job putting together a very nice tournament. The Holiday Classic has the potential of being one of the state's finest holiday tournaments if the community supports it. Bowling Green High certainly has a great facility for hosting such a tournament with two gyms and ready access to the city's best hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas. I can't forget to mention D.C. Clements, who is a local State Farm Agent, Booth Fire and Safety, and Martin Automotive Group for their support the tournament.
I didn't know what to expect out of this game. I've never seen Cumberland County play basketball, and I hadn't seen Bowling Green play since it got its core of players back from the Bills...oops, I mean their football team. Both are Fourth Region teams, so they have some degree of familiarity.
Bowling Green head coach D.G. Sherrill and Citizens First Bank have done a great job putting together a very nice tournament. The Holiday Classic has the potential of being one of the state's finest holiday tournaments if the community supports it. Bowling Green High certainly has a great facility for hosting such a tournament with two gyms and ready access to the city's best hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas. I can't forget to mention D.C. Clements, who is a local State Farm Agent, Booth Fire and Safety, and Martin Automotive Group for their support the tournament.
I didn't know what to expect out of this game. I've never seen Cumberland County play basketball, and I hadn't seen Bowling Green play since it got its core of players back from the Bills...oops, I mean their football team. Both are Fourth Region teams, so they have some degree of familiarity.
When Bowling Green's starters took the court, I noticed that D.L. Moore was on the bench. Wait a second. Coach Sherrill finally has one of his best starters back in uniform -- one of the best players in the region -- and he was sitting on the bench looking like a long and tall equipment manager. I know Moore doesn't take long to make the transition from the gridiron to the hardwood, so I assumed that the coach was sending a message to his best player.
Cumberland County jumped on the Purples early in the game. Casey Richardson, the Panthers' lanky 6'5" forward, took advantage of D.L. Moore imitating Bill Keightly and got some good baskets. Shaun Wheat, a thickly built center, manhandled Bowling Green's thin inside players. I kept looking for Coach Sherrill to pull the trigger and send Moore into the game, but the coach left Moore sitting on the bench.
I'm always impressed when a coach delivers an attitude adjustment to a key player by benching him. I'm more impressed when they stick to it.
At the end of the first quarter the Panthers had a 21-18 lead over the Purples.
In the second quarter, Bowling Green punched the accelerator and came back at Cumberland County. Jarren Nixon made some big plays with several quick slashes to the basket. He's got an impressive first step on his move and handles the ball well in traffic. Jared Carpenter provided some solid shooting from the perimeter. Plus, Coach Sherrill opened the dog house's door and let D.L. Moore into the game.
Jarren Nixon gave the Purples the lead with 5:35 to go in the second quarter, but Cumberland County wasn't going to roll over and die. They battled back, and they took a one point lead, 36-35 into halftime.
Bowling Green plays good defense this season. They have a nice full court press, and they even will press a team after a missed basket. It really catches teams off guard, and it takes an athletic and smart team to be able to find a man and pressure him after a miss. They do it well. Then, they settle into a sticky half-court defense with their arms up and always disrupting the passing lanes. Teams will find it difficult to make passes to the post against the Purples unless they are playing poorly.
Bowling Green's pressure got to Cumberland County in the third quarter, even though D.L. Moore was back in the Keightly chair on the Purples' bench. Jeb Richardson and Jarren Nixon, two totally different style of players, decimated the Panthers on the offensive end. Moore got back into the game and got some key rebounds on both ends of the court. Cumberland County was only able to score 13 points in the third frame, while the Purples scored 29. Bowling Green had a commanding 15 point lead, 64-49, and was in control of the game.
In the fourth quarter, Cumberland County only scored 11 points, while the tournament's host team scored 15 more.
I think we'll see a lot of this from Bowling Green this season. Teams will not be able to withstand their constant pressure and their basket attacking offense, and they will wither. Cumberland County's by-quarter scoring went 21, 15, 13, and 11. A coach who likes to use pressure defense has to be pleased when he sees his opponent unable to match the previous quarter's scoring total.
OBSERVATIONS
Prison Tat: I still don't know the kid's name, but Cumberland County had a guy wearing uniform #44, who had an impressive pair of tattoos. He checked into the game late, and I joked that he may be their team's "enforcer." Every team needs a kid who is good for five fouls and no amount of jeering from fans, jawing from coaches, and whining from opposing players will keep him from leveling at hot shooter a couple of times. Since the kid wasn't on the roster, I thought he might be in there make Jerron Nixon think hard about his next slash to the basket. I was completely wrong, though. He was a good defensive player and was in there to let someone try to get their legs back. I still don't know his name. The tattoo on his arm is a large Christian Cross.
Wolf Creek, Dam!: The dam at Wolf Creek, which impounds Lake Cumberland, is leaking. The Corps is worried that it will fail and flood the Cumberland Valley. I have a vision of a thousand houseboats full of people from Ohio flowing through downtown Nashville. Anyway, the Panthers must feel like the dam broke and flooded them last night. Bowling Green beat them by 19 points, and Central Hardin beat them by 30, 71-41 in the nightcap game.
Maybe It Was Memphis: D.G. Sherrill's defense looks a lot like John Calipari's down in Memphis. Someone needs to check Coach Sherrill's knickknack shelf for souvenirs from Sun Records and Beal Street. We might find him in his office jamming to Pam Tillis or Tom T. Hall. "That's how I got to Memphis..."
Friday, December 7, 2007
University Heights Academy @ Bowling Green 12-06-07
No one will ever say that Bowling Green's Coach D.G. Sherrill backs down from a challenge. When he put the University Heights Academy Blazers on his schedule for early December, he had to think that the Purples football team had a good shot at another trip to the KHSAA State Football Championship Game. Yes, Bowling Green's gridders are back in Louisville this week to take on Highlands, which leaves the school's basketball team with a thin roster. Most of Coach Sherrill's starters were sitting in the stands with their football teammates watching their basketball teammates take on UHA.
Coach Sherrill could have backed out of the game or postponed it until another part of the season. Instead, he took a "play 'em as ya schedule 'em" attitude and kept his date with the Blazers from Hopkinsville.
University Heights is a formidable opponent, too. They feature one of the state's best players, shooting forward Scotty Hopson. Hopson is a muscular 6'5" kid who glides up and down the court and has explosive moves to the rim. He put on a show for the Bowling Green crowd during warm-ups with a crazy looking 360 dunk. It was impressive, and I sort of felt a buzz in the small but interested crowd. Tyshawn Edmondson also did some razzle-dazzle moves during the warm-ups. I thought it might be a long night for the depleted Purples squad, especially when I saw D.L. Moore in street clothes hanging out with his football teammates.
When they tipped the ball up, though, I could tell that Bowling Green wasn't going to let the Blazers cruise into their gym and let them walk away with an easy victory. The Purples went after the ball on the defensive end, and they attacked the basket on the other. They challenged the visiting Mr. Basketball candidate, even frustrating him to the point of knocking a Bowling Green player down after a turnover. In the first quarter, an errant elbow split the eyebrow of a UHA player, which sent him to the locker room. No, no. The Purples were not going to back down to this Second Region powerhouse.
At the end of the first quarter UHA was up 11 to 9.
In the second quarter, UHA found their game, but the pesky Purples hung within striking distance. Their defense continued to force the Blazers into mistakes and made them force their shots. Scotty Hopson had a couple of nice moves to the basket and one very authoritative dunk.
Hopson, however, lacks intensity. Prior to the game there was some discussion about whether or not he was going to sign with Mississippi State University. In college recruiting, nothing is certain until the ink dries on a letter of intent, and Hopson hasn't signed a thing, as far as I know. Some say he wants to attract the attention of the state powerhouses of Louisville and Kentucky, but Hopson is going to have to show those programs that he can turn it up to 11 and play the college game.
Throughout the game with Bowling Green he seemed out of sorts, almost lolly-gagging around the court. Perhaps Coach Randy McCoy told him to dial it back a few notches out of respect for Coach Sherrill's thin roster, but he exerted as little defensive pressure as possible. Hopson's attitude did not impress me.
Tyshaun Edmondson impressed me the most. He's a good guard, and has excellent moves to the rim. He also has a good sense for the court. I lost track of how many points Edmondson had. Hopson had 23.
In the third quarter, Bowling Green made a respectable run at the Blazers. They went in the locker room at halftime down 30-22, but with 3:51 left in the third frame, Bowling Green got a one point lead, 33-32, on a free throw.
University Heights was frustrated. Coach McCoy had his "seat belt" on after a first half technical foul. Scotty Hopson mouthed an official after a foul call, and he got a technical. Unfortunately, for the Purples, they could connect on only one of four free throws after the technical. I thought the Bowling Green players were trying for jobs at Lee Brick and Block. Heck, they laid so many bricks I thought about checking to see if they had their International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers union cards.
Ouch! That moment deflated the Purples.
Bowling Green made a run at UHA and cut the lead to seven, 57-50, about halfway through the fourth quarter. The Blazers came alive and pused the lead out to 13. The home team lost their momentum, and UHA cruised to victory 74-59.
OBSERVATIONS
Jeran Nixon led the Purples with 17 points. He made baskets when Bowling Green needed them.
D.G. Sherrill said that he was going to buy the football coaches Buffalo Bills hats if they did not win in Louisville on Friday.
Lando Calrissian? #20 for Bowling Green's name is Billy Williams. I only hope he proves to be a good defensive player, so he can earn the nickname "D."
Bowling Green Traffic: Randy McCoy and his UHA Blazers need to learn to allow a lot of time to get into Bowling Green on a Thursday night. They were late for the JV game that preceded the headline event. Coach McCoy needs to know that all those WKU students are headed to night class on Thursday night at The Deuce and Good Tymze 2. It's their extracurricular studies. Coach McCoy! This ain't Hoptown, baby.
Coach Sherrill could have backed out of the game or postponed it until another part of the season. Instead, he took a "play 'em as ya schedule 'em" attitude and kept his date with the Blazers from Hopkinsville.
University Heights is a formidable opponent, too. They feature one of the state's best players, shooting forward Scotty Hopson. Hopson is a muscular 6'5" kid who glides up and down the court and has explosive moves to the rim. He put on a show for the Bowling Green crowd during warm-ups with a crazy looking 360 dunk. It was impressive, and I sort of felt a buzz in the small but interested crowd. Tyshawn Edmondson also did some razzle-dazzle moves during the warm-ups. I thought it might be a long night for the depleted Purples squad, especially when I saw D.L. Moore in street clothes hanging out with his football teammates.
When they tipped the ball up, though, I could tell that Bowling Green wasn't going to let the Blazers cruise into their gym and let them walk away with an easy victory. The Purples went after the ball on the defensive end, and they attacked the basket on the other. They challenged the visiting Mr. Basketball candidate, even frustrating him to the point of knocking a Bowling Green player down after a turnover. In the first quarter, an errant elbow split the eyebrow of a UHA player, which sent him to the locker room. No, no. The Purples were not going to back down to this Second Region powerhouse.
At the end of the first quarter UHA was up 11 to 9.
In the second quarter, UHA found their game, but the pesky Purples hung within striking distance. Their defense continued to force the Blazers into mistakes and made them force their shots. Scotty Hopson had a couple of nice moves to the basket and one very authoritative dunk.
Hopson, however, lacks intensity. Prior to the game there was some discussion about whether or not he was going to sign with Mississippi State University. In college recruiting, nothing is certain until the ink dries on a letter of intent, and Hopson hasn't signed a thing, as far as I know. Some say he wants to attract the attention of the state powerhouses of Louisville and Kentucky, but Hopson is going to have to show those programs that he can turn it up to 11 and play the college game.
Throughout the game with Bowling Green he seemed out of sorts, almost lolly-gagging around the court. Perhaps Coach Randy McCoy told him to dial it back a few notches out of respect for Coach Sherrill's thin roster, but he exerted as little defensive pressure as possible. Hopson's attitude did not impress me.
Tyshaun Edmondson impressed me the most. He's a good guard, and has excellent moves to the rim. He also has a good sense for the court. I lost track of how many points Edmondson had. Hopson had 23.
In the third quarter, Bowling Green made a respectable run at the Blazers. They went in the locker room at halftime down 30-22, but with 3:51 left in the third frame, Bowling Green got a one point lead, 33-32, on a free throw.
University Heights was frustrated. Coach McCoy had his "seat belt" on after a first half technical foul. Scotty Hopson mouthed an official after a foul call, and he got a technical. Unfortunately, for the Purples, they could connect on only one of four free throws after the technical. I thought the Bowling Green players were trying for jobs at Lee Brick and Block. Heck, they laid so many bricks I thought about checking to see if they had their International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers union cards.
Ouch! That moment deflated the Purples.
Bowling Green made a run at UHA and cut the lead to seven, 57-50, about halfway through the fourth quarter. The Blazers came alive and pused the lead out to 13. The home team lost their momentum, and UHA cruised to victory 74-59.
OBSERVATIONS
Jeran Nixon led the Purples with 17 points. He made baskets when Bowling Green needed them.
D.G. Sherrill said that he was going to buy the football coaches Buffalo Bills hats if they did not win in Louisville on Friday.
Lando Calrissian? #20 for Bowling Green's name is Billy Williams. I only hope he proves to be a good defensive player, so he can earn the nickname "D."
Bowling Green Traffic: Randy McCoy and his UHA Blazers need to learn to allow a lot of time to get into Bowling Green on a Thursday night. They were late for the JV game that preceded the headline event. Coach McCoy needs to know that all those WKU students are headed to night class on Thursday night at The Deuce and Good Tymze 2. It's their extracurricular studies. Coach McCoy! This ain't Hoptown, baby.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Bowling Green @ Owensboro 11-30-07
As I watched the two teams warm up for Friday night's semifinal football game, I started thinking about west Kentucky's two principal cities and their differences. Owensboro is a river town while Bowling Green is a college town. Owensboro is flat, and Bowling Green is hilly. Owensboro's streets are in a logical well planned grid, and Bowling Green's streets are narrow, don't line up and intersect at odd angles. Owensboro is Catholic. Bowling Green is Protestant. Old timers in Owensboro talk about Gabe's, and old timers in Bowling Green talk about Pauline's. Owensboro's barbecue is wet and Bowling Green's is dry. After decades of talking about getting one, Owensboro has an Olive Garden restaurant. Bowling Green had an Olive Garden but lost it several years ago. The most important event in Owensboro's history was when Cliff Hagan signed with the University of Kentucky to play basketball. Bowling Green's most important event was when Western Kentucky University went to the Final Four.
Yes, the two cities are different, and the differences may be reflected in their football teams. The Bowling Green Purples like to open the game up with a passing attack and sweeping pitch outs to their running backs. The Owensboro Red Devils focus on defense and play smash mouth, run-up-the-middle, ball control offense.
I knew the game had the makings of a classic, and it was appropriate that the game was being played at Rash Stadium behind old "Senior High" along Owensboro's Frederica Street. It's a classic venue. The stadium is two concrete grandstands that sit incredibly close to the playing field. There's very little room for the two teams to stand on the sidelines, so spectators really get a sense of the action on the field. Last season the school and the boosters coughed up a horse choking wad of money to replace the old playing field at Rash with one of those second generation artificial turf fields that feel like a natural surface.
Bowling Green had a stout assignment to try to upend the Red Devils in one heck of a tough place to play. The atmosphere around the old stadium was electric, and every player, coach, and fan sensed that two very good football teams were squaring off for a spot in next week's 5-A state championship game.
The two teams opened up the game with a bad case of the jitters. Bowling Green had the first possession, and Trent Steelman threw an interception on the opening play. Owensboro promptly turned the ball back over to the Purples. I can't remember all the entire scenario, but after some sloppy football, Owensboro tried to punch the ball in the end zone on short yardage but failed. They settled for a field goal.
Bowling Green just couldn't find a groove and continued to turn the ball over, and the Red Devils took a commanding 13-0 lead over the #2 ranked Purples. The Owensboro fans were going nuts, and the visitors from the other end of the Natcher Parkway were very quiet, despite having a large crowd in attendance.
Owensboro's fans were armed with cowbells and plastic milk jugs filled with bb's. They clanked those bells and shook those milk jugs making an awful racket. I was sitting with a friend from Owensboro, and we could hardly talk over the rattling and clanking. I was afraid that I would be deaf by the end of the contest (my ears still rang the morning after).
A well-dressed, middle-aged lady sat in front of me. She had on a heavy overcoat and layers of clothes on underneath. When the Red Devils kicked a field goal, she took off her coat. When they scored a touchdown, she took off a light jacket. I started to wonder if she lost an article of clothing with each Red Devil score. I thought things could get very interesting if they started running up the score, especially on such a cold night.
Down by a touchdown bracketed by two field goals, the Bowling Green squad could have given up, folded tent, and waited for the yellow dog school buses to truck them back down the parkway. Instead, they engineered a drive that put them right on Owensboro's goal line. Bowling Green got the touchdown and made the score 14-7. Tension spread through the stands, and the Purples' crowd started to make some noise.
Owensboro had the ball late in the second quarter. Their drive fizzled, and they had to punt. It turned out to be the key possession of the game. If Owensboro scored or even just ran the clock out, Bowling Green would've been down at the half with the Red Devils getting the first possession of the second half. Instead, the Purples got the ball with just over two minutes remaining.
They drove back down to Owensboro's goal line and were threatening to take the lead. The lady who had been taking off her warm clothes started putting them back on. Oh well. I'll try to sit next to her when the Red Devils take on Breckinridge County in a future season.
Trent Steelman and running back Lavance Anderson put together the best fake hand-off play I have ever seen to score the Purple's second touchdown. Steelman faked and Anderson plunged into the line of scrimmage running over the left tackle. Owensboro brought him down short of the goal line, and the referees blew their whistles thinking Anderson had the ball. Meanwhile, Steelman rolled out to the left and trotted into the end zone with the ball.
I've never seen a more convincing fake hand-off. I knew who had the ball, but I think I was the only other person in the stadium who knew it besides Trent Steelman and Tavance Anderson. Owensboro's players were confused. The officials were baffled. The Owensboro fans were irate. The line judge marked where Anderson was tackled, and he held his mark. But, Anderson never had the danged ball. The other officials conferred at the five yard line, and I thought for a minute they were going to disallow the touchdown. The scoreboard operator even took the six points off Bowling Green's total.
I feared I was going to witness one of the worst officiating calls in the history of high school sports. I thought the officials were going to disallow the touchdown because Steelman and Anderson fooled everyone so well. Deceit with the ball is one of the principles of football.
Finally, the referee trotted toward the side of the field and raised his hands signaling a touchdown. I was relieved, but the Owensboro fans around me were angry. They seemed to know nothing about inadvertent whistles, which are a part of the game of football.
I had been marked as a Bowling Green fan (I'm not), and I worried that I might not make it out of Rash Stadium with my skin. Skin? Rash? Yuk!
The important thing was that Bowling Green had the lead, and the momentum shifted to the visitor's side of the field.
The Purples controlled the second half. They moved the ball and scored three more touchdowns, and their defense kept the Red Devils out of the end zone. In the third quarter, Bowling Green used six minutes of game clock to drive for a touchdown. Owensboro had two possession and used about six minutes of clock but did not score. That killed the Red Devils. It finished off what Bowling Green started in the second quarter. Owensboro had a great defense, but they were on the field way too much in the second half. They had nothing left late in the game.
Owensboro is a good football team, but they needed more dimensions to their offensive attack to beat a very good team. Bowling Green is a very good team, perhaps even a great one. They can prove their great by knocking of Highlands in the championship game at Papa John's-Cardinal Stadium in Louisville next Friday. They've got to quit turning the ball over and quit getting stupid penalties. If they turn the ball over five times to Highlands in the first half, they will be dead.
OBSERVATIONS
Hard Nosed Player
I loved Owensboro's #42, Blake Roberts. He's a linebacker who has the nose for the ball and delivers bone crushing hits on ball carriers. He can shake off blockers, and despite being 5'10" he can disrupt passes. He seemed to be everywhere on the field, and I believe he played every down on both sides of the ball. Owensboro listed him as a tight end on their roster, but I saw him coming out of the backfield as a fullback. He did everything right on offense and defense. He's intense, smart, and competitive. He seems to be a crowd favorite in the "Big O." It's too bad a kid like that doesn't get to play next week in Louisville. Fans told me he was their district's defensive player of the year. A good choice, no doubt.
The Name Game
Gotta Give Him Credit or Credits: Owensboro had a player named T.J. Carbon. He wore jersey #11. I thought he should wear #6.
Learning to Fly: Owensboro's Adrian Cessna. Maybe his jersey number should read NC13250.
Where's Captain Kirk When You Need Him? Owensboro's Jordan Khan would surely raise the ire of the Starship Enterprise's charismatic commander. KHAN!
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