Warren Central 85 - Franklin-Simpson 58

Warren Central High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky - 01-29-08

Something was trying to keep me from seeing Tuesday’s game between Franklin-Simpson and Warren Central. I had to work in Frankfort today, and one pesky problem after another cropped up during the weekday. On the trip home, I got caught up for over an hour on I-65 when some truck driver decided to turn a section of guardrail into modern art. That made me late getting back to the Rockfield Metropolitan Area.

After eating supper with my family, I was going to dash out the door and head for the Dragon’s lair on Morgantown Road. We were clearing the table when a line of thunderstorms sped through Warren County knocking out power to our house and apparently most of the southern end of the county. The wind blew a big hickory tree over on my garage. Somehow, it didn’t damage the building, but there is tree all over the backyard. There wasn’t anything I could do about the tree tonight.

I get a little antsy when there’s high winds because my property has 45 oak, hickory, and sassafras trees on it. One oak tree towers over the house. The thing is huge. It makes me nervous.

From our hill, which overlooks Bowling Green, I could see that the lights were still on in the city. So, I jumped in my truck and headed for Warren Central High School’s gym.

I got there at the end of the first quarter, and Franklin-Simpson had a 13-11 lead on the Dragons. I was sure I was in for a classic high school tilt between two very proud basketball programs.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats ran into a squall line that had the same ferocity as the one that rumbled through Bowling Green just an hour or so prior to the game. Franklin-Simpson failed to defend the perimeter, and the Warren Central storm starting raining treys on the Wildcats like an out-of-control super cell. I expected to see storm chasers flying into the gym with Doppler radars, IMAX cameras, and crazy electronic gadgets to measure what kind of storm could produce a thunderclap of three pointers like few have seen in these parts since the big hail storm in 1998.

Hail stones the size of basketballs and every one of them went through the net on Warren Centrals first half goal.

Warren Central hit five three pointers in-a-row, a lay-up, and another three-point shot. The furious run left Franklin-Simpson absolutely punch drunk.

That’s the cumulative effect of Warren Central’s press. They never stop pressing, and they never stop being aggressive. They are the most aggressive basketball team I've seen this season. Franklin-Simpson likes to attack the basket, but Central attacks everything. Central Coach Tim Riley uses the press the way it's supposed to be used: he uses it continuously. It's not a gimmick with Riley and not intended to spring a few steals or motivate his team. He uses the press the way the U.S. Air Force uses "shock and awe." The press is designed to wear down an opponent and to frustrate them. Warren Central does it masterfully.

The second quarter was a disaster for Franklin-Simpson. County Judge/Executive Jim Townsend should consider writing a letter to Governor Steve Beshear declaring the second quarter of Tuesday's game a disaster area. The governor's office would respond with one saying, "quit playing zone when Warren Central's shooters could throw a BB into a soda straw."

Warren Central outscored the Wildcats 31-12 in the second and took a commanding 42-25 lead to the break.

Franklin-Simpson continued to take atrocious shots in the second half, and the Dragons continued to grind them with a 2-2-1, no frills, press. Franklin-Simpson pressed the Dragons, as well. Any team that decides to play that type of defense against Warren Central better be prepared to play it with great intensity. They also make danged sure that they get back on defense because Central is going to attack the basket with the intensity of a west Kentucky thunderstorm.

The Dragons led 61-41 at the end of the third.

I don't have much to say about the fourth quarter. It was played because the rules say that it must be played. Late in the quarter, Coach Riley cleared his bench, and the reserves came out shooting and attacking the baskets. He has those kids programmed to play one way: all out.

Final: Warren Central wins by 27, 85-58.

OBSERVATIONS

Not Fair: An official called a charge on Rayco Bryant tonight that was clearly a blocking call. Bryant is a big player, and the ref might have taken that into account when he knocked the Central player to the court. "Sir Rayco" is going to have that happen to him. It reminds me of when Clarence Martin played at WKU. Referees whistled him for a lot of fouls that he didn't commit. Players sometimes ran into Martin and fell down. Then, an official would call "Big C" for the foul. Baby Bark...I mean Baby Shaq better get used to that.

What's That Sound: Warren Central has the best P.A. system Pick and Roll has ever heard. It is clear and crisp, and the announcer does an excellent job, too. He'll even comment on the action, but he is not overbearing. When Al Thompson shot a free throw that rounded the rim, he said, "made it around the turn and down the chute." I like that. It gets a "Three Thumbs Up" from Pick and Roll.

Shoot Out for Pizza: At halftime of Warren Central's games fans can pay a buck and take three point shot to win a free pizza. I love it.

In the Dark: I had to write this post in the dark. No names. No stats. It's all from memory. It's starting to get cold in the house, too. Battery powered laptops are great things.

Franklin-Simpson 70 - Logan County 37

Logan County High School, Russellville, Kentucky, 01-25-08

In horse racing sometimes one horse will be the only one to go to post. Even though it is a guarantee that the horse is going to win, they break him from the gate and walk the animal around the race track. Horsemen call it "a walkover."

That is an apt description of Friday night's match up between the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats and the Logan County Cougars.

Franklin-Simpson rolled into the contest with a Fourth Region leading 10-1 record with their only loss coming at the hands of Bowling Green on December 14th, and they were undefeated in the 13th District. Logan County, on the other hand, has not won a game in the region and they've come up Krispy-Kreme (doughnuts) in the 13th.

It was first versus worst.

The other day I was scrolling through some of the old posts on Pick and Roll and realized that I had not seen Franklin-Simpson play this season. I wanted to see them play Bowling Green in December, but an out-of-state trip thwarted that plan. I just haven't been able to cross paths with these cats, so, instead of taking in the Bowling Green-Warren Central tilt or the Warren East vs. Greenwood game, I decided to head out the broad four lanes of U.S. 68 and catch a cat fight in the suburbs of Russellville.

Yep it was a walkover. At first, I thought the Cougars were going to make it a game. Logan packed back in a shifty little zone and closed down Franklin's passing lanes. After falling behind 5-0, the Cougars answered with a 6-0 run of their own to take a lead late in the first. The Wildcats, however, took a one point lead into the first break, 12-11.

Logan County's Andrew Bunton, who wears #23, hit a big basket to put Logan County ahead in the second quarter. This kid has more spin moves than the Tilt-A-Whirl at Beech Bend, but shortly after spinning through Franklin's defense with a whirl that should've been measured with the Fujita Scale, he disappeared. I don't know if Bunton hurt himself or landed in Coach Brandon Fisher's dog house, but I didn't see him on the court the rest of the game.

Logan County had 17 points when he came out of the game in the second quarter, and that was their point total at halftime. The Wildcats exploded for 20 second quarter points and controlled the game 23-17 at the half. Courtney Dalcourt and Cedrick Adams led the way for Franklin-Simpson in the first half with superb ball movement and shooting.

I had heard a lot about Rayco "Baby Shaq" Bryant. He is a big guy -- 6'5" and a very large frame. The Franklin-Simpson fans call him "Baby Shaq," but he reminds me more of Charles Barkley. Pick and Roll is going to call him "Baby Bark" or "Sir Rayco." Bryant didn't have a great game tonight, but it's probably because Logan County did everything they could to keep the ball out of his hands. He's a good rebounder and gives up no ground on defense.

The second half belonged to Franklin-Simpson. Logan County played scared, and later they played as if they had pianos strapped to their backs. The Wildcats kept the score doubled-up on them throughout most of the third and fourth quarters.

My mind wandered over to Morgantown Road in Bowling Green thinking about how the Purples and Dragons were probably slugging it out in a track meet.

The real drama at Logan County on Friday night came in the fourth quarter. I'm not sure what happened, but I think the Cougars' Reuben Rawlings threw a punch at a Franklin player and received a technical foul. When he went to the bench, the F-S fans behind the bench started taunting him, and I think someone threw something at him. A Logan County coach started jawing with the fans and walked across the gym and dispatched two Logan County deputy sheriffs into the stands. They made the fan leave, and they took up a post right beside the fans.

Pick and Roll Pet Peeve: I can't stand when fans throw things onto the playing floor or at a player. It is dangerous and stupid. I will always alert law enforcement to that type of behavior; there is no place for it in sports.

Franklin Coach David Clark cleared his bench early and gave some bench players time in the game. Jerron Patterson, a 6'4" freshman caught my eye down the stretch. He played nearly six minutes and scored five points and grabbed four rebounds. Coach Clark has to be excited about this kid.

Franklin-Simpson won effortlessly 70-37. Logan County's quarter-by-quarter scoring went 11, 6, 9, and 11. Ouch!

Courtney Dalcourt led the way for the Wildcats with 20 points and Colby Clark added 13. Brett Sowell scored 16 for Logan, and Andrew Bunton scored seven, despite only playing 12 minutes.

OBSERVATIONS

Hey, Mr. Talley Man: Pick and Roll gives a tip of the hat to Aaron Talley, Franklin-Simpson's stat man. He supplied me with rosters for both teams and statistics for the entire game. He's also very knowledgeable about Fourth Region basketball. I think it's great that a statistician is named "Talley." I love it. Somebody cue up the Harry Belafonte eight tracks.

Peaking at the Right Time: Logan County's Brett Sowell's jump shot has no arch to it whatsoever. It peaks at 10 feet, but he hit his mark several times Friday night. He has nearly perfect form on his jump shots, too. If he squares his feet and shoulders to the basket, he's money.

Oyez! Oyez!: I have to point out that Franklin-Simpson's COURTney DalCOURT has "court" twice in his name. He was either going to be a basketball player or a lawyer or maybe both.

No Parking in the Red Zone: Pick and Roll is a traveler. I've been in a lot of airports, and once thought I was going to grow old and die in Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport. Logan County has a young lady doing the public address. All night I had flashbacks to my nightmarish day at Hartsfield, where p.a. announcements were always done with a woman's voice. I kept waiting for Logan's p.a. to announce that Southwest Flight 507 was boarding at Gate 22.

The Franklin Favorite: Gee, there's a good reason why the Wildcats are 11-1 in the Fourth Region. It's because they are a good basketball team. Could they be, should they be the favorite to win the region?