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.

Edmonson County 43 - Grayson County 41

Edmonson County High School, Brownsville, Kentucky 01-18-08

By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent reporting from Kentucky's "One Flashing Light Town."

I looked up the word "rival" in my Webster Dictionary, and it says, "someone who competes against you." But, if you asked Grayson County Edmonson County fans, they'd give you many other definitions, most of which I can't write about. In other words, these two teams hate each other. Friday was the second of two meeting between them. Edmonson won the first in Leitchfield, so Grayson was looking to take a victory from them at their place.

This rivalry goes back decades. Edmonson always played the Purple Flash of Caneyville, the Redhawks of Clarkson, and even the Bulldogs of Leitchfield, but when Grayson County schools consolidated in 1974-75, it heated up a bitter rivalry. They have played this match up -- boys and girls -- ever since, and every year it's a dog fight. Maybe I should say "cat fight" (Wildcats and Cougars).

I know every team has a rival on their schedule, but this one has a lot of strong ties to go along with it. For example, Bill Lee, who coached at Grayson has to son-in-laws from Edmonson, and Grayson County's first coach left after one year to go to Edmonson. The next year he led the Wildcats to the State Championship. He's kind of Grayson County's Rick Pitino, except Pitino hasn't won the championship at Louisville.

I could go on and on; there's a lot that ties these two together.

As I pulled up the hill towards Edmonson County High School, all I could see was vehicle after vehicle. For a minute I thought I was late for the game. It was, by far, the biggest crowd I've seen this year at a high school game. Of course, both student sections were filled to capacity. Wildcat Alley, the Edmonson County student section, was wild because they knew what was riding on this game.

What was riding on this game you ask? Only the number one seed in the 12th District Tournament.

The atmosphere was unreal. Heck, I even had goose bumps, and I was the only one in the building that didn't have a cat in the fight.

The atmosphere carried over to the players as the game got started, and both teams came out pumped up and a little wild. They were in each other's grill from the opening tap. I was there to see Travis Johnston, the super sophomore from Grayson County. Pick and Roll had a chance to see him earlier in the season and was quite impressed. Not to be outdone, Edmonson has a sophomore who they are proud of as well. Cody rich is about to make a name for himself, and folks around the Third Region better give this kid their respect. His dad, Phil, starred on the 1976 championship team, so the kid has genetics on his side.

As I stated above, both teams had a wild first quarter. Being that pumped up cause them to make some turnovers and silly fouls. After it was said and done, Edmonson had a one point lead, 10-9, after one.

To start the second, both teams amped up their intensity but played under control. They seemed ready to settle in for a battle. That changed in an instant. When Grayson's Bennett Skaggs dove after a loose ball he got tied up with a Wildcat player. Skaggs kicked the player fight in front of the referee, who promptly assessed a technical foul. The place went nuts, and the Wildcats made the technical shots to take a small lead.

Grayson was not going to let that stop them. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Travis Johnston was ready to take over, or so I thought. He couldn't find his mark. He did run off a couple of baskets along with Cougar teammate Wes Smith. With the score tied at 21 with three minutes left in the half, the Cougars turned up their defense with a man-to-man, full court press. It was the first time they used it all night. Edmonson made several turnovers, and Grayson was quick to capitalize. They built a five point lead, which was the biggest either team had in the game.

It looked like Grayson had the momentum going in their favor until Wes Smith made the "Charlie Brown Blockhead" play-of-the-game. He fouled Drew Cassady on a three point shot, and he made two of the three to cut the lead to three at the half.

When the second half started, a fan pointed out the crowd had lost its intensity, and the players looked as if they were settled, as well. The teams traded buckets in the third. With the score 32-20 and 3.4 seconds left in the third, Edmonson County's Josh Webb ran the length of the floor and hit a shot in the lane right before the buzzer. Once again, the place went nuts. The intensity had returned.

In the fourth, both teams had to earn every bucket. With Johnston off his mark, who was going to step up for Grayson? Bennett Skaggs and Wes Smith helped with the load, but on the other end Cody Rich started knocking down some big shots. He got into foul trouble because he was helping out in the lane. With 3:00 minutes to go it was tied at 41. I thought we were headed for an overtime.

Edmonson had the ball, and they were going to hold it for a while. They had great ball movement, and Grayson was a step behind. The Cougars hoped for a turnover and were turning up the "D" once again. Still tied at 41 with 1:05 to go the Wildcats still had the ball. They ran it down to 18.2 seconds then called a timeout.

I thought Rich would get the ball, but you never know in these situations. After the timeout, they ran a set play. Rich had the ball and saw an opening and drove into the lane. He hit the "Bertie's Ice Cream Shot-of-the-Game.

Grayson called a quick timeout, and they met with the refs to determine how much time was on the clock when the Cougars called it. I have to credit the officials because they called a great game, considering the intensity of this match up. It was a veteran crew. With 6.2 seconds left, Grayson had a lot of time. That amount of time didn't go over good with the Edmonson faithful. They moved the ball down the court and got a great look. Jordan Mudd -- Grayson's only senior (I think) -- took the last shot from the corner. It didn't fall.

Edmonson County won and gets the number one seed in the district. Players and fans celebrated. The Cougars turned and went to the locker room without shaking hands with Edmonson, something the Wildcats will remember in the district tourney.

OBSERVATIONS

He's No Cartoon: Edmonson County's coach, Darryl Travis, is as animated as any coach I've seen in high school basketball. It is fun to watch him. He runs up and down the sideline, and I thought for a second he was going to get out on the floor himself. He really worked for this win, and I noticed that after the game, most fans congratulated their coach. Good luck Coach Travis because you will probably meet this Grayson County team again in the district finals.

Super Sophomores: I knew how good Travis Johnston was going into Friday's game, but he couldn't find his mark against the Wildcats. Josh Webb for Edmonson County did a fine defensive job against him. Johnston still managed 13 points, which is well off his season average. The battle of the sophomores goes to Cody Rich. He is about 6'3" and a great rebounder. He finished with a game high of 18 points and hit the game winner. Third Region coaches will be sick and tired of these two before they graduate.

Faces in the Crowd: Red McGee from Grayson County was there. He was a long time coach, teacher, and administrator. I learned a lot from him on Friday night. He told me some history about this rivalry. He is now in his seventies, and he said he still goes to every home game in Leitchfield but only makes a few away games. He said he would not miss this game for nothing. I enjoyed the fellowship with Mr. McGee. He is a true fan and gives credit where credit is due. "We just got outplayed tonight," he said as he was leaving.

Grayson County Big Wig: A fan told me that a few years ago, Mr. McGee got all dressed up in orange and white -- face paint and all -- with a big orange wig, the whole nine yards, just to show support for his beloved Cougars. All that and in his seventies.

Editor's Note: When I was a little boy, my father and I were on our way to Mayfield to visit his family when we had a flat tire out on the West Kentucky Parkway. Dad limped his big Oldsmobile down the shoulder of the parkway and took the exit at Caneyville. We pulled off in the parking lot of "The Purple Flash Grill." A crowd of folks in the grill watched us change the tire. No one helped. When we left we discovered an un-manned toll booth that required a dime to get back on the parkway. Dad gunned that Oldsmobile and flew right through the toll. Bells rang, and we were probably doing 90 by the time we hit the parkway. Dad said, "I ain't payin Caneyville a gotdanged cent!"

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.

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.