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.
Showing posts with label Citizens First Holiday Classic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Citizens First Holiday Classic. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2007
Citizens First Holiday Classic @ Bowling Green High School
Madisonville North Hopkins vs. Grayson County 12-21-07
Life is full of tough decisions, and my basketball life has tough decisions, too. This afternoon I had to decide between watching Owensboro play Central Hardin in the arena at Bowling Green High or Madisonville-North Hopkins play Grayson County in the auxiliary gym at BGHS. I chose to watch the latter. I had seen Owensboro and Central Hardin play the day before.
Plus, I wanted to see the Maroons' 6'7" junior, Jon Hood, play I had seen WKU's assistant coach, Cypheus Bunton, talking to Hood a lot, and I heard that other coaches were in to see him. I wanted to see what the kid had. However, in an earlier game, he knocked his head on the floor and got a concussion. He sat out of the game against Grayson County. I was a little disappointed, and I almost walked back to the main gym to watch Central Hardin play again.
I'm glad I didn't. I've become a big fan of Grayson County. I really like to watch these kids play basketball. In an earlier post I speculated that Travis Johnston was the son of Cougar head coach Todd Johnston. I was wrong, but I was almost right, too. One of the Pick and Roll's readers commented in that post that Travis is the coach's nephew. Well, I certainly appreciate being straightened out on that fact.
Madisonville's team was taller than Grayson County but not as strong. The Cougars are a deceiving team because everyone looks at their height -- or lack of it -- and thinks they are a push over. They couldn't be any more wrong. Grayson County is well coached, well conditioned, and very strong. Throughout Friday afternoon's game, they pushed and out-muscled the Maroons on very nearly every possession.
Madisonville is everything Grayson County isn't. They are tall, thin, impatient, and disorganized on the offensive end of the floor. They share one similarity with Grayson County; they play good defense.
I don't need to belabor any points about the first half of the game. Grayson County controlled it by playing very good 2-3 and match up zone. They are good at showing one defense and playing the other. The Cougars are very well coached. They led 19-9 at the end of the first quarter and led 36-26 at the end of the half.
I've also become a big fan of Travis Johnston. He's a player's player. He's the guy a coach wants on his team. Teams need players like Johnston. Travis Johnston is the kid who gets overlooked when choosing up sides when playing pickup ball, and he makes the team who didn't pick him first wish they did. If he's your opponent, he's the guy you want to hate but can't.
Johnston has a great game sense. In the second half one of his teammates dribbled into a trap deep in the Cougars' corner. Johnston darted through the traffic on the floor and went right to the one spot where he could receive a pass out of the trap. A fellow fan sitting with me said, "you just can't coach that stuff."
Someone pointed out to me that Johnston is just a sophomore. Holy smoke! Third Region opponents will be sick of him by the time he graduates from GCHS. I'd have to say that Johnston and Greenwood's Dee Anderson are the best sophomores in this year's Holiday Classic. Both made the All-Tournament Team.
North Hopkins has some very good athletes. I thought that Darnell Moore, a 6'7" senior post player would be the one to step up in the absence of Jon Hood, who, I was told, scores about 40 percent of the Maroons' points. He played a good game, but he was not a force on the basketball court like he should have been playing a team whose tallest player was 6'3". It seemed to me that the kid lacked vertical leap.
The Maroons got a lift from a senior guard named Shane Davis. He hit some big shots for them down the stretch, and he kept Grayson County off balance with good jump-stop shooting and drives to the basket. Caleb Nelson, another senior, stepped up for the team from "The Best Town on Earth." During the first half I said, "he's the best player they've got." A lady sitting next to me said, "he's already passed his career high." She should've known, too, because she was the his mother.
Nelson played a very good game. I don't now how many points he had, but he played the post in North Hopkins' 2-3, and he knew what to do with the ball on the offensive end. He's also plays in their defensive backfield during the football season. He fouled out in impressive fashion when he put a wicked football style hit on one of Grayson County's guards. Even his parents laughed at the hit and said that he was playing the wrong sport for a moment.
The Maroons made a run at Grayson County in the fourth quarter, but they never could get over the hump. They play way too selfish to win a game against a patient, ball control squad like Grayson County. The Cougars prevailed 69-62.
OBSERVATIONS
That's What I Call Home Cookin: After Darnell Moore sank the front end of a one-and-one the lady sitting next to me shouted "if you hit this one, I'll cook you supper." He missed. Too bad, Darnell. I guess you'll just have to hit the Ferrell's on Main Street.
Is That A Dozen Or Just A Couple?: Travis Johnston wears #12 for the Cougars. North Hopkins' guard inadvertently hit Johnston in the nose with his arm or elbow, and it gave Johnston a bloody nose. His coach (and uncle) took him out of the game to patch him up. He came back in, but a referee noticed blood on his uniform. They had to take him out of the game. A trainer trotted him back to the locker room, and a minute later one of their reserve players ran back there, too. In a flash, Johnston came out wearing #2 and the reserve was wearing #12. I wasn't sure if that was allowed, but no one said anything about it. No matter how Grayson County packages Travis Johnston, he's still good.
Offense Oh-ffense: I never saw MNH run an offense. They have no cohesiveness on that end of the court. It was almost painful to watch, especially because Grayson County is good at disrupting offenses.
Life is full of tough decisions, and my basketball life has tough decisions, too. This afternoon I had to decide between watching Owensboro play Central Hardin in the arena at Bowling Green High or Madisonville-North Hopkins play Grayson County in the auxiliary gym at BGHS. I chose to watch the latter. I had seen Owensboro and Central Hardin play the day before.
Plus, I wanted to see the Maroons' 6'7" junior, Jon Hood, play I had seen WKU's assistant coach, Cypheus Bunton, talking to Hood a lot, and I heard that other coaches were in to see him. I wanted to see what the kid had. However, in an earlier game, he knocked his head on the floor and got a concussion. He sat out of the game against Grayson County. I was a little disappointed, and I almost walked back to the main gym to watch Central Hardin play again.
I'm glad I didn't. I've become a big fan of Grayson County. I really like to watch these kids play basketball. In an earlier post I speculated that Travis Johnston was the son of Cougar head coach Todd Johnston. I was wrong, but I was almost right, too. One of the Pick and Roll's readers commented in that post that Travis is the coach's nephew. Well, I certainly appreciate being straightened out on that fact.
Madisonville's team was taller than Grayson County but not as strong. The Cougars are a deceiving team because everyone looks at their height -- or lack of it -- and thinks they are a push over. They couldn't be any more wrong. Grayson County is well coached, well conditioned, and very strong. Throughout Friday afternoon's game, they pushed and out-muscled the Maroons on very nearly every possession.
Madisonville is everything Grayson County isn't. They are tall, thin, impatient, and disorganized on the offensive end of the floor. They share one similarity with Grayson County; they play good defense.
I don't need to belabor any points about the first half of the game. Grayson County controlled it by playing very good 2-3 and match up zone. They are good at showing one defense and playing the other. The Cougars are very well coached. They led 19-9 at the end of the first quarter and led 36-26 at the end of the half.
I've also become a big fan of Travis Johnston. He's a player's player. He's the guy a coach wants on his team. Teams need players like Johnston. Travis Johnston is the kid who gets overlooked when choosing up sides when playing pickup ball, and he makes the team who didn't pick him first wish they did. If he's your opponent, he's the guy you want to hate but can't.
Johnston has a great game sense. In the second half one of his teammates dribbled into a trap deep in the Cougars' corner. Johnston darted through the traffic on the floor and went right to the one spot where he could receive a pass out of the trap. A fellow fan sitting with me said, "you just can't coach that stuff."
Someone pointed out to me that Johnston is just a sophomore. Holy smoke! Third Region opponents will be sick of him by the time he graduates from GCHS. I'd have to say that Johnston and Greenwood's Dee Anderson are the best sophomores in this year's Holiday Classic. Both made the All-Tournament Team.
North Hopkins has some very good athletes. I thought that Darnell Moore, a 6'7" senior post player would be the one to step up in the absence of Jon Hood, who, I was told, scores about 40 percent of the Maroons' points. He played a good game, but he was not a force on the basketball court like he should have been playing a team whose tallest player was 6'3". It seemed to me that the kid lacked vertical leap.
The Maroons got a lift from a senior guard named Shane Davis. He hit some big shots for them down the stretch, and he kept Grayson County off balance with good jump-stop shooting and drives to the basket. Caleb Nelson, another senior, stepped up for the team from "The Best Town on Earth." During the first half I said, "he's the best player they've got." A lady sitting next to me said, "he's already passed his career high." She should've known, too, because she was the his mother.
Nelson played a very good game. I don't now how many points he had, but he played the post in North Hopkins' 2-3, and he knew what to do with the ball on the offensive end. He's also plays in their defensive backfield during the football season. He fouled out in impressive fashion when he put a wicked football style hit on one of Grayson County's guards. Even his parents laughed at the hit and said that he was playing the wrong sport for a moment.
The Maroons made a run at Grayson County in the fourth quarter, but they never could get over the hump. They play way too selfish to win a game against a patient, ball control squad like Grayson County. The Cougars prevailed 69-62.
OBSERVATIONS
That's What I Call Home Cookin: After Darnell Moore sank the front end of a one-and-one the lady sitting next to me shouted "if you hit this one, I'll cook you supper." He missed. Too bad, Darnell. I guess you'll just have to hit the Ferrell's on Main Street.
Is That A Dozen Or Just A Couple?: Travis Johnston wears #12 for the Cougars. North Hopkins' guard inadvertently hit Johnston in the nose with his arm or elbow, and it gave Johnston a bloody nose. His coach (and uncle) took him out of the game to patch him up. He came back in, but a referee noticed blood on his uniform. They had to take him out of the game. A trainer trotted him back to the locker room, and a minute later one of their reserve players ran back there, too. In a flash, Johnston came out wearing #2 and the reserve was wearing #12. I wasn't sure if that was allowed, but no one said anything about it. No matter how Grayson County packages Travis Johnston, he's still good.
Offense Oh-ffense: I never saw MNH run an offense. They have no cohesiveness on that end of the court. It was almost painful to watch, especially because Grayson County is good at disrupting offenses.
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.
Citizens First Holiday Classic @ Bowling Green High School
Grayson County vs. Pineville
They came from the east. They followed no star. They rode no camels. They did not bring gold, frankincense, or myrrh. What the Pineville Mountain Lions brought was an old school style of basketball that I love to watch. They move the ball around the perimeter with precise passing and great patience. They pick. They roll. Players get open and they get the pass for the good shot. Everyone on the team can sizzle the nets from anywhere on the court.
I guess Grayson County assumed the role of King Herod in Wednesday's nightcap game of the Citizens First Holiday Classic in Bowling Green. They weren't going to let these basketball kings from the east trick them and get away.
I was anxious to see Pineville play. I don't get to see teams from the east, and I love their hustling brand of basketball.
Grayson County opened the game in a 2-3 zone, and having talked to some Pineville fans, I thought they were suicidal. The Mountain Lions attacked the zone with precision. They launched beautiful jump shots that were both quick and accurate. They moved the ball around the perimeter and found every niche and every napping Cougar player for easy baskets.
James David Strange plays guard for Pineville. It's no coincidence that the coach's name is J.D. Strange. The kid is the epitome of a coach's son and shows all the characteristics of a gym rat who probably dribbled a basketball before his mother quit putting a blanket over his head to feed him in public. He hustles. He executes well on defense. He has a textbook jump shot, and he gets mad at himself for making mistakes.
Strange nailed a near mid-court three point shot as time ran out of the first quarter, and the Mountain Lions had a 18-10 lead on the other brand of cats from Grayson County.
Different cats and different kinds of schools. I've always noticed this difference, too. County schools have the luxury of drawing from all parts of the county, and they have a large pool of basketball talent from which to draw. City schools, like Pineville, are smaller districts, and they have a limited number of kids from which to build a team. The advantage that a Pineville has over a Grayson County is that they are usually fed by just one junior high school and one elementary. Grayson County has one junior high (I think) but several different elementaries.
Pineville's players, according a parent of one of the players, have been playing together for a very long time. It showed in the first half, too. They played with the kind of precision that only a group of kids completely familiar with one another can play. Those teams seem to have a bond that goes further and deeper than just being a team.
In the second quarter, Grayson County started to come to life. The cougars were starting to stir and prowl. They held their mountain counterparts to just seven second quarter points, while they scored 13.
Wait a second! Cougars and Mountain Lions are the same danged animal. I saw the Panthers play in the first game of the day. They are all the same kind of cat. Maybe they should call Bowling Green's gym "The Litter Pan" this week.
Grayson County started the second half with a well played, tight man-to-man defense. I guess they were tired of Pineville's deadly shooting, so they stepped it up and got into their faces. It worked, too. Pineville couldn't find the open shot, and they got frustrated. The Cougars smelled blood and found the confidence they lacked in the first half. They held the Mountain Lions to just two third quarter points and took a commanding 40-27 lead going into the final frame.
Coach J.D. Strange benched their big center, Dustin Day, late in the third quarter and started busting his chops for lackadaisical play. He stalked back-and-forth in front of the kid and said, "you're 6'6" and your letting them push you around. Let me know when you're ready to play."
I don't know a lot about Grayson County, so I'm just taking a guess. I'm guessing that Travis Johnston is head coach Todd Johnston's son. Another coach's kid? He showed all the signs of being a coach's kid, just like James David Strange from Pineville. Johnston play stick-tight defense and made some big shots down the stretch of the game.
Bennett Skaggs for the Cougars also impressed me. He's a gritty ballplayer. He disrupted Pineville's guards on one play and tapped the ball into the backcourt. He dived after the ball three different times and I could hear his skin screeching across the hardwood each time. He eventually knocked the ball out of bounds on the baseline. I called him the "Floor Burn King." I love players who will do stuff like that. I bet he has some raspberries for breakfast this morning, but they're not the ones anyone wants.
Pineville outplayed Grayson County in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late. They could not overcome their terrible performance in the third.
Grayson County won 57-46.
I got to talk to a couple of Pineville fans, one of whom was Will Lambdin's father. I used to travel to Pineville a lot, and it is one of my favorite places in the state. If you've never been to Chained Rock, go. It is one of the most impressive vistas in the Commonwealth, and you'll realize that the chain will never keep that rock from tumbling down on Pineville.
OBSERVATIONS
D-Day: Pineville's Dustin Day applied one of the nastiests picks I've seen for a long time on Grayson County's Bennett "Floor Burn" Skaggs. He knocked the crap out of the kid and turned and looked at his coach for a scolding. He got called for the foul, and Skaggs was a bit rattled. He laid on the court for a long time looking like he'd gone a round with Mike Tyson. No, Day didn't bit his ear off.
People Are Strange: Is J.D. Strange the same one who coached at Allen County-Scottsville several years ago? I haven't had time to check it out. I may be completely mistaken about this. He never loses his cool in timeouts, but Coach Strange will absolutely bust his players' chops while the game is going on. He's not mean, but he knows how to needle them into playing better or tougher. I say behind Pineville's bench, and I really like his coaching style.
Disparity?: Late in the fourth quarter the officials had called 11 fouls on Pineville and only one on Grayson County. Coach Strange wasn't upset about it, so I wasn't either. I really didn't think the Mountain Lions were getting "jobbed" until I looked at the scoreboard. I just wonder, though.
They came from the east. They followed no star. They rode no camels. They did not bring gold, frankincense, or myrrh. What the Pineville Mountain Lions brought was an old school style of basketball that I love to watch. They move the ball around the perimeter with precise passing and great patience. They pick. They roll. Players get open and they get the pass for the good shot. Everyone on the team can sizzle the nets from anywhere on the court.
I guess Grayson County assumed the role of King Herod in Wednesday's nightcap game of the Citizens First Holiday Classic in Bowling Green. They weren't going to let these basketball kings from the east trick them and get away.
I was anxious to see Pineville play. I don't get to see teams from the east, and I love their hustling brand of basketball.
Grayson County opened the game in a 2-3 zone, and having talked to some Pineville fans, I thought they were suicidal. The Mountain Lions attacked the zone with precision. They launched beautiful jump shots that were both quick and accurate. They moved the ball around the perimeter and found every niche and every napping Cougar player for easy baskets.
James David Strange plays guard for Pineville. It's no coincidence that the coach's name is J.D. Strange. The kid is the epitome of a coach's son and shows all the characteristics of a gym rat who probably dribbled a basketball before his mother quit putting a blanket over his head to feed him in public. He hustles. He executes well on defense. He has a textbook jump shot, and he gets mad at himself for making mistakes.
Strange nailed a near mid-court three point shot as time ran out of the first quarter, and the Mountain Lions had a 18-10 lead on the other brand of cats from Grayson County.
Different cats and different kinds of schools. I've always noticed this difference, too. County schools have the luxury of drawing from all parts of the county, and they have a large pool of basketball talent from which to draw. City schools, like Pineville, are smaller districts, and they have a limited number of kids from which to build a team. The advantage that a Pineville has over a Grayson County is that they are usually fed by just one junior high school and one elementary. Grayson County has one junior high (I think) but several different elementaries.
Pineville's players, according a parent of one of the players, have been playing together for a very long time. It showed in the first half, too. They played with the kind of precision that only a group of kids completely familiar with one another can play. Those teams seem to have a bond that goes further and deeper than just being a team.
In the second quarter, Grayson County started to come to life. The cougars were starting to stir and prowl. They held their mountain counterparts to just seven second quarter points, while they scored 13.
Wait a second! Cougars and Mountain Lions are the same danged animal. I saw the Panthers play in the first game of the day. They are all the same kind of cat. Maybe they should call Bowling Green's gym "The Litter Pan" this week.
Grayson County started the second half with a well played, tight man-to-man defense. I guess they were tired of Pineville's deadly shooting, so they stepped it up and got into their faces. It worked, too. Pineville couldn't find the open shot, and they got frustrated. The Cougars smelled blood and found the confidence they lacked in the first half. They held the Mountain Lions to just two third quarter points and took a commanding 40-27 lead going into the final frame.
Coach J.D. Strange benched their big center, Dustin Day, late in the third quarter and started busting his chops for lackadaisical play. He stalked back-and-forth in front of the kid and said, "you're 6'6" and your letting them push you around. Let me know when you're ready to play."
I don't know a lot about Grayson County, so I'm just taking a guess. I'm guessing that Travis Johnston is head coach Todd Johnston's son. Another coach's kid? He showed all the signs of being a coach's kid, just like James David Strange from Pineville. Johnston play stick-tight defense and made some big shots down the stretch of the game.
Bennett Skaggs for the Cougars also impressed me. He's a gritty ballplayer. He disrupted Pineville's guards on one play and tapped the ball into the backcourt. He dived after the ball three different times and I could hear his skin screeching across the hardwood each time. He eventually knocked the ball out of bounds on the baseline. I called him the "Floor Burn King." I love players who will do stuff like that. I bet he has some raspberries for breakfast this morning, but they're not the ones anyone wants.
Pineville outplayed Grayson County in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late. They could not overcome their terrible performance in the third.
Grayson County won 57-46.
I got to talk to a couple of Pineville fans, one of whom was Will Lambdin's father. I used to travel to Pineville a lot, and it is one of my favorite places in the state. If you've never been to Chained Rock, go. It is one of the most impressive vistas in the Commonwealth, and you'll realize that the chain will never keep that rock from tumbling down on Pineville.
OBSERVATIONS
D-Day: Pineville's Dustin Day applied one of the nastiests picks I've seen for a long time on Grayson County's Bennett "Floor Burn" Skaggs. He knocked the crap out of the kid and turned and looked at his coach for a scolding. He got called for the foul, and Skaggs was a bit rattled. He laid on the court for a long time looking like he'd gone a round with Mike Tyson. No, Day didn't bit his ear off.
People Are Strange: Is J.D. Strange the same one who coached at Allen County-Scottsville several years ago? I haven't had time to check it out. I may be completely mistaken about this. He never loses his cool in timeouts, but Coach Strange will absolutely bust his players' chops while the game is going on. He's not mean, but he knows how to needle them into playing better or tougher. I say behind Pineville's bench, and I really like his coaching style.
Disparity?: Late in the fourth quarter the officials had called 11 fouls on Pineville and only one on Grayson County. Coach Strange wasn't upset about it, so I wasn't either. I really didn't think the Mountain Lions were getting "jobbed" until I looked at the scoreboard. I just wonder, though.
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..."
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