Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky 02-08-08
Welcome to the Jungle? Prior to tapping the ball, Greenwood sound man cued up some Firearms and Flowers welcoming everyone to the jungle. But, I thought it was "The Swamp." Jungle? Swamp? No matter the venue it was still a big lizard fight on Scottsville Road in Bowling Green tonight. That's right, Dragons and Gators are just big danged lizards when you think about it. One's a toothy swamp lurker that death rolls its prey under water, and the other is a mythological fire breathing creature. Both are dangerous.
Coming into tonight's game Warren Central had beaten Greenwood 24 times in a row. The last Gator victory over the Dragons came in 2001. The latest defeat came on January 4th, when Central sent the Gators packing with a 53-44 defeat at the Dragons' lair on Morgantown Road.
Would the streak ever end?
In the first quarter, it looked like Steve Riley's latest version of Dragons would run the streak into another Clinton administration. At first, it seemed that Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Mark Lacy and Austin Reed) were busting the Central press, and the Dragons couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with their jumpshots to start the game. The clawed back and had a narrow 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
No matter how poorly Central plays on the offensive end in a ballgame they always have their press, and the play it so well. Then, they are good at converting off of the turnovers the press creates.
Things changed in the second quarter, however. Lacy started picking off Central's passes as they tried to move the ball around the perimeter, and he got a couple of easy baskets. He's very good at anticipating the pass, and thrives on other team's bad offensive spacing. Teams cannot make that mistake against Greenwood.
For the first time since in a long time I watched Warren Central lose their composure. They did not handle Greenwood's half-court pressure and continued to turn the ball over. Greenwood took a 29-23 lead into the break, and I felt that the ground below us would tremble and split open because Central's streak was about to be broken. The Gators were controlling this contest.
In the third quarter, Greenwood put some beatdown on Central that I've not seen in a long time. Dee Anderson, Mark Lacy, and other Gators circled the wounded Dragons like they were a team of saints ready to slay another fiery beast.
The Gators outscored their visitors 22-7 in the third frame and took a commanding 51-30 into the break.
Greenwood controlled the fourth quarter, even though Central made a small run at them. I'm sure Coach Blane Embry didn't want to give Warren Central anything to smart about on the eve of district play and backed off the gas. Greenwood broke the streak on Friday night with a 61-44 victory over the Dragons.
OBSERVATIONS
The Ballard Effect: This is not so much an observation as a reminiscence. When I was in high school in Louisville Ballard High School seem to always get preferential treatment from the officials. Ballard was an east end school, and their students drove new cars. Male High was perceived as an inner-city school, so everyone thought we were thugs. When Ballard students did something mischievous it was called "school spirit." When we did something it was called "misdemeanor." Well, that was the Louisville Police Department's description of it. The preferential treatment seemed to find its way onto the basketball court, too. I called it "The Ballard Effect." For the life of me, I can't imagine why I just thought of this.
Fourth Quarter Fracas: I don't know what happened or who was involved, but a couple of Central players got into a dust-up with a couple of Greenwood players in the fourth quarter. It didn't seem like a big deal to me, except that players ended up in the stands. It's interesting to me that when baseball teams clear benches and throw punches, people think its funny and have cutesy names for it like "rhubarb." When basketball players start throwing haymakers then it is treated like a criminal act. It happens. The kids are competitors.
Migraine Maker: Before the game, Greenwood's band was playing something terribly out of key while the sound system was blaring "We Will Rock You." I thought my head was going to explode. One thing at a time, please. Hey, Gators! The next time Warren Central visits try "Dragon Attack" by Queen and let the band practice in the hallway.
District Stuff: Bowling Green will take the one seed, and I guess with the loss tonight Central will be the four seed. I think Greenwood and East are split, so they'll flip a coin to see who wears white in the first round. In the 14th District none of it really matters. It's played at Central, so there's three teams that better beware.
Showing posts with label Greenwood High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greenwood High School. Show all posts
Friday, February 8, 2008
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
Owensboro vs. Greenwood 12-19-07
Blane Embry's Greenwood Gators lack size this season. His rising star player has a leg brace that looks like someone stole a strut off of a Hummer brought back from Iraq. Those things don't matter when his teams are clicking and they follow their game plan. I'm always impressed at how well his teams move the ball, and they always know where they should be on the court. The player with the ball knows that a teammate is going to be where he should be. The result is that they pass with confidence, and they force an opponent to stay moving on defense.
Last night, Owensboro learned about Greenwood the hard way. I was told that Owensboro had benched two starters last night, and I have no idea why. I don't know if they were injured or if the coach was trying to send a message to them. I must remind anyone reading the Pick and Roll that I am just a fan and not always privvy to the same things reporters are. I'm not trying to be a reporter. I write from the fan's perspective.
Owensboro played in an absolute funk in the first three quarters of the game. They shuffled their feet on defense, and they just went through the motions on offense. I was late getting to the game, but the Red Devils had the lead when I walked in the gym, but Greenwood attacked in the second quarter and took the lead. Owensboro never sniffed the lead again. The Gators took a 23-19 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Greenwood continued to make the plays, breakdown Owensboro's half-hearted defense, and force the Red Devils into making mistakes on the offensive end.
Who knows what gets into the heads of a high school basketball team? I was anxious to see this matchup because Greenwood is versatile and tough and Owensboro is always good.
Reminiscence Warning!
The last time I saw Owensboro play was in 1983 in the championship game of the Louisville Invitational Tournament. This was back in the days before the proliferation of holiday tournaments and before Kentucky teams disappeared to Florida for the big, sun-filled ones down there. The LIT usually had 16 of the best teams from around the state playing a 15 game tournament that mirrored the Sweet Sixteen.
In 1983, Male High and Owensboro met in the championship, which was played in Freedom Hall. I can't remember much from that year's Red Devil squad, but they were good. Plus, they had won the state championship just three years prior. Male High hadn't tasted the state tournament since Darryl Griffith and Company took them there in 1975. It was a match up of two basketball powers, and Male High was armed with Winston Bennett.
Late in the game, Owensboro's pesky defense angered Bennett, and he took a basketball and bounced it off of the top of a Red Devil's head. I thought a bench clearing rhubarb might erupt right there in Freedom Hall. Maurice Payne benched Bennett until things cooled off, and Male High won the LIT.
Oh yeah, back to the game. The 2007 brand of Red Devil seemed unable to make a decision or play or set up a defense without instructions yelled from the bench. It was distressing. I don't if the players were all worried about what to get their coach for Christmas or they didn't like being away from home on the run-up to the holiday, but they responded to nothing.
Greenwood swarmed like a cloud of mosquitoes -- another swamp dwelling creature that can cause pain -- and Owensboro seemed to be in a haze in the purple walls of BGHS's auxiliary gym. Purple? Haze? They weren't kissing the sky last night on Owensboro's bench.
Greenwood won the game 60-50. They controlled the tempo. They controlled the game, and I think maybe the real Owensboro team stopped at the Denny's cafe' in Beaver Dam and stayed there. Stay away from the patty melt there; those things will kill you.
OBSERVATIONS
Impressive Goal Tend: Owensboro's C.J. Holman chased a Greenwood player down the court on a break away. Holman is 6'2" but he "climbed the ladder" and tipped the ball while after it had come off the box on the backboard. It was incredibly athletic, but it was also goal tending. I saw Dantae Smith do the same thing for Oldham County in the Eighth Region Tournament several years ago. Only, Smith didn't goal tend; he blocked the shot. Still one of the most impressive plays I've seen on a basketball court.
Dee Dee Dee: Dee Anderson is a lot more mobile than when I saw him play at Allen County a few weeks ago. He still has the Terminator knee brace on, but he was flying up and down the court against Owensboro. He still has trouble going east and west, though. He's one of my favorite players in the Fourth Region.
Time Out on Time Outs: Oh my gosh! Basketball is killing itself with the proliferation of time outs. First of all, they should do away with 30 second time outs. There is only one reason for these timeouts, and that is to get your teams butt out of a crack. Yeah, I know, coaches are there to teach the game to the kids, but wouldn't also help them to teach them how to think on the court and stay out of traps and not dribble the ball in pressure for more than five seconds. I liked the game when timeouts were precious. Coaches should only be able to call a timeout during a dead ball, and player should only be able to call one if they have both feet on the floor and control of the ball. The timeout in basketball is not fan friendly. It's one of the reasons why I've cut back on going to college basketball games. Between media timeouts and coaching ego timeouts the college game has no flow. Terrible!
Blane Embry's Greenwood Gators lack size this season. His rising star player has a leg brace that looks like someone stole a strut off of a Hummer brought back from Iraq. Those things don't matter when his teams are clicking and they follow their game plan. I'm always impressed at how well his teams move the ball, and they always know where they should be on the court. The player with the ball knows that a teammate is going to be where he should be. The result is that they pass with confidence, and they force an opponent to stay moving on defense.
Last night, Owensboro learned about Greenwood the hard way. I was told that Owensboro had benched two starters last night, and I have no idea why. I don't know if they were injured or if the coach was trying to send a message to them. I must remind anyone reading the Pick and Roll that I am just a fan and not always privvy to the same things reporters are. I'm not trying to be a reporter. I write from the fan's perspective.
Owensboro played in an absolute funk in the first three quarters of the game. They shuffled their feet on defense, and they just went through the motions on offense. I was late getting to the game, but the Red Devils had the lead when I walked in the gym, but Greenwood attacked in the second quarter and took the lead. Owensboro never sniffed the lead again. The Gators took a 23-19 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Greenwood continued to make the plays, breakdown Owensboro's half-hearted defense, and force the Red Devils into making mistakes on the offensive end.
Who knows what gets into the heads of a high school basketball team? I was anxious to see this matchup because Greenwood is versatile and tough and Owensboro is always good.
Reminiscence Warning!
The last time I saw Owensboro play was in 1983 in the championship game of the Louisville Invitational Tournament. This was back in the days before the proliferation of holiday tournaments and before Kentucky teams disappeared to Florida for the big, sun-filled ones down there. The LIT usually had 16 of the best teams from around the state playing a 15 game tournament that mirrored the Sweet Sixteen.
In 1983, Male High and Owensboro met in the championship, which was played in Freedom Hall. I can't remember much from that year's Red Devil squad, but they were good. Plus, they had won the state championship just three years prior. Male High hadn't tasted the state tournament since Darryl Griffith and Company took them there in 1975. It was a match up of two basketball powers, and Male High was armed with Winston Bennett.
Late in the game, Owensboro's pesky defense angered Bennett, and he took a basketball and bounced it off of the top of a Red Devil's head. I thought a bench clearing rhubarb might erupt right there in Freedom Hall. Maurice Payne benched Bennett until things cooled off, and Male High won the LIT.
Oh yeah, back to the game. The 2007 brand of Red Devil seemed unable to make a decision or play or set up a defense without instructions yelled from the bench. It was distressing. I don't if the players were all worried about what to get their coach for Christmas or they didn't like being away from home on the run-up to the holiday, but they responded to nothing.
Greenwood swarmed like a cloud of mosquitoes -- another swamp dwelling creature that can cause pain -- and Owensboro seemed to be in a haze in the purple walls of BGHS's auxiliary gym. Purple? Haze? They weren't kissing the sky last night on Owensboro's bench.
Greenwood won the game 60-50. They controlled the tempo. They controlled the game, and I think maybe the real Owensboro team stopped at the Denny's cafe' in Beaver Dam and stayed there. Stay away from the patty melt there; those things will kill you.
OBSERVATIONS
Impressive Goal Tend: Owensboro's C.J. Holman chased a Greenwood player down the court on a break away. Holman is 6'2" but he "climbed the ladder" and tipped the ball while after it had come off the box on the backboard. It was incredibly athletic, but it was also goal tending. I saw Dantae Smith do the same thing for Oldham County in the Eighth Region Tournament several years ago. Only, Smith didn't goal tend; he blocked the shot. Still one of the most impressive plays I've seen on a basketball court.
Dee Dee Dee: Dee Anderson is a lot more mobile than when I saw him play at Allen County a few weeks ago. He still has the Terminator knee brace on, but he was flying up and down the court against Owensboro. He still has trouble going east and west, though. He's one of my favorite players in the Fourth Region.
Time Out on Time Outs: Oh my gosh! Basketball is killing itself with the proliferation of time outs. First of all, they should do away with 30 second time outs. There is only one reason for these timeouts, and that is to get your teams butt out of a crack. Yeah, I know, coaches are there to teach the game to the kids, but wouldn't also help them to teach them how to think on the court and stay out of traps and not dribble the ball in pressure for more than five seconds. I liked the game when timeouts were precious. Coaches should only be able to call a timeout during a dead ball, and player should only be able to call one if they have both feet on the floor and control of the ball. The timeout in basketball is not fan friendly. It's one of the reasons why I've cut back on going to college basketball games. Between media timeouts and coaching ego timeouts the college game has no flow. Terrible!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Greenwood @ Allen County Scottsville 11-27-07
When Southern women see an ugly baby, they cannot bring themselves to lie about the child's looks. Nothing could ever make them say that a baby was ugly. Instead, they say, "bless its little heart."
If any magnolia blossoms were at Tuesday night's Greenwood vs. Allen County-Scottsville basketball game, they left the gym saying "bless its little heart." It was an ugly game. U-G-L-Y. If the gaggle of Fourth Region coaches in attendance threw a DVD of the game into an Allen County farm pond, they could skim ugly off of it for a week. No one would ask this game to the prom.
Greenwood played the first half as if it had no game plan beyond players putting their heads down and driving for the hoop. They spread the defense out, and a player took off for the basket and the others followed right behind him. It was reminiscent of film footage from the old American Gladiators show, and I was expecting everyone to start calling the players "Storm" and "Ice" and "Tower."
Allen County-Scottsville's players had one thing in mind in the first half: get the ball in the hands of Jay Starks. He's the Patriot's go-to-guy this season, and one of the few on the squad that has much experience. He's good, too, possibly one of the best players in the Fourth Region this year. He's a big guard with quick hands and a quicker first step to the basket. He will be a thorn in the side of Fourth Region teams all year. Tuesday night, however, the Patriot squad seemed desperate to get the ball into his hands. On more than one occasion I saw one of his teammate's pass the ball to him instead of passing it to a player in a better position or at a better angle on the court.
I sensed that the other Fourth Region coaches in the stands were frustrated at not really seeing any kind of plays or set offense from either team. I just kind of sensed it from them. I think I even saw them swapping notes.
Despite the daredevil offense by the Gators, they went in the locker room at halftime with a 35-26 lead on ACS.
Allen County was a different team after the break. Scott Shelton must have gotten after his players, and they responded. They played better defense and seemed to frustrate the Gators. Greenwood, inexplicably, quit pressing Allen County in the second half, and the Patriots took advantage of the half court defense. Plus, they started distributing the ball better, and Anthony Graves responding with some key baskets, which took some of the pressure off of Starks, who finished the game with 18. I thought he had about 28, but that's because he must've scored most of their first half points. Graves finished with 16 points.
Greenwood looked like they wore down during the second half. I think their point totals in each quarter backs this up: 19, 16, 10, 9. They seemed to be out of gas at the end of the contest.
Allen County found the momentum in the second half, outscoring the tiring Gators 31-19 in the second frame. The game was tight in the fourth quarter, and with about six minutes left in the game Starks went down under the Greenwood goal with a massive muscle cramp in his leg. I heard that they made him down a bunch of pickle juice to keep him from cramping again. He came back in the game and made some big plays. I'm sure the Greenwood players loved getting in his face after drinking pickle juice.
That could be a good nickname for him: Jay "Pickle Juice" Starks.
Allen County won the ugly contest 56-54. Bless their little hearts.
Dee Anderson, the smooth playing guard for the Gators, severely injured his knee this summer and missed the entire football season. He started last night, but sported a huge brace that looked like it went from the top of his thigh to his ankle. It looked like they took a leg off of a Terminator and put it on Anderson. He had no lateral movement and seemed to be in pain through most of the game. He scored five points last night. He's not the same player right now. I'm sure that he will be back, but I'm wondering if he'll reach 100% this season. It's a shame. From all accounts, I hear that he is a good kid, and I know he's a good basketball player.
OBSERVATIONS
HORSHOES ANYONE?
I love Allen County-Scottsville's gym. It is a horseshoe with roll-out seats down low and concrete stands above them. Steel girders cross the ceiling above the court, and the home side has chairback seats. A bank of wooden bleachers are at the open end of horseshoe, and ACS students fill them. It reminded me of when I lived in Shelby County and was a regular at the Eight Region Tournament at Henry County High School, whose gym is also a horseshoe.
STROKE!!
Allen County's band rocks. They led off with "The Stroke" by Billy Squier. I don't think I've ever heard a band play that song, especially not a high school one. They played some other rock classics, and they played them well, too. They do a good job with their fight song, which is Notre Dame's. I love that song. "Shake all the thunder down from the sky" are probably the best lyrics in the entire library of fight songs.
WHITNEY HOUSTON?
Every time Mark Lacey shot free throws in the second half the ACS students chanted "WHITNEY CHEATED! WHITNEY CHEATED! WHITNEY CHEATED!" I always thought it was Bobby Brown that cheated, and I still can't figure out what Mark Lacey has to do with it.
LIFE AFTER THE GRAVES
Allen County has another kid named Graves, but he's no relation to the hot shooting Luc Graves, who graduated last season. The latest version of Graves should give the Patriots life after the departure of Luc variety of Graves.
If any magnolia blossoms were at Tuesday night's Greenwood vs. Allen County-Scottsville basketball game, they left the gym saying "bless its little heart." It was an ugly game. U-G-L-Y. If the gaggle of Fourth Region coaches in attendance threw a DVD of the game into an Allen County farm pond, they could skim ugly off of it for a week. No one would ask this game to the prom.
Greenwood played the first half as if it had no game plan beyond players putting their heads down and driving for the hoop. They spread the defense out, and a player took off for the basket and the others followed right behind him. It was reminiscent of film footage from the old American Gladiators show, and I was expecting everyone to start calling the players "Storm" and "Ice" and "Tower."
Allen County-Scottsville's players had one thing in mind in the first half: get the ball in the hands of Jay Starks. He's the Patriot's go-to-guy this season, and one of the few on the squad that has much experience. He's good, too, possibly one of the best players in the Fourth Region this year. He's a big guard with quick hands and a quicker first step to the basket. He will be a thorn in the side of Fourth Region teams all year. Tuesday night, however, the Patriot squad seemed desperate to get the ball into his hands. On more than one occasion I saw one of his teammate's pass the ball to him instead of passing it to a player in a better position or at a better angle on the court.
I sensed that the other Fourth Region coaches in the stands were frustrated at not really seeing any kind of plays or set offense from either team. I just kind of sensed it from them. I think I even saw them swapping notes.
Despite the daredevil offense by the Gators, they went in the locker room at halftime with a 35-26 lead on ACS.
Allen County was a different team after the break. Scott Shelton must have gotten after his players, and they responded. They played better defense and seemed to frustrate the Gators. Greenwood, inexplicably, quit pressing Allen County in the second half, and the Patriots took advantage of the half court defense. Plus, they started distributing the ball better, and Anthony Graves responding with some key baskets, which took some of the pressure off of Starks, who finished the game with 18. I thought he had about 28, but that's because he must've scored most of their first half points. Graves finished with 16 points.
Greenwood looked like they wore down during the second half. I think their point totals in each quarter backs this up: 19, 16, 10, 9. They seemed to be out of gas at the end of the contest.
Allen County found the momentum in the second half, outscoring the tiring Gators 31-19 in the second frame. The game was tight in the fourth quarter, and with about six minutes left in the game Starks went down under the Greenwood goal with a massive muscle cramp in his leg. I heard that they made him down a bunch of pickle juice to keep him from cramping again. He came back in the game and made some big plays. I'm sure the Greenwood players loved getting in his face after drinking pickle juice.
That could be a good nickname for him: Jay "Pickle Juice" Starks.
Allen County won the ugly contest 56-54. Bless their little hearts.
Dee Anderson, the smooth playing guard for the Gators, severely injured his knee this summer and missed the entire football season. He started last night, but sported a huge brace that looked like it went from the top of his thigh to his ankle. It looked like they took a leg off of a Terminator and put it on Anderson. He had no lateral movement and seemed to be in pain through most of the game. He scored five points last night. He's not the same player right now. I'm sure that he will be back, but I'm wondering if he'll reach 100% this season. It's a shame. From all accounts, I hear that he is a good kid, and I know he's a good basketball player.
OBSERVATIONS
HORSHOES ANYONE?
I love Allen County-Scottsville's gym. It is a horseshoe with roll-out seats down low and concrete stands above them. Steel girders cross the ceiling above the court, and the home side has chairback seats. A bank of wooden bleachers are at the open end of horseshoe, and ACS students fill them. It reminded me of when I lived in Shelby County and was a regular at the Eight Region Tournament at Henry County High School, whose gym is also a horseshoe.
STROKE!!
Allen County's band rocks. They led off with "The Stroke" by Billy Squier. I don't think I've ever heard a band play that song, especially not a high school one. They played some other rock classics, and they played them well, too. They do a good job with their fight song, which is Notre Dame's. I love that song. "Shake all the thunder down from the sky" are probably the best lyrics in the entire library of fight songs.
WHITNEY HOUSTON?
Every time Mark Lacey shot free throws in the second half the ACS students chanted "WHITNEY CHEATED! WHITNEY CHEATED! WHITNEY CHEATED!" I always thought it was Bobby Brown that cheated, and I still can't figure out what Mark Lacey has to do with it.
LIFE AFTER THE GRAVES
Allen County has another kid named Graves, but he's no relation to the hot shooting Luc Graves, who graduated last season. The latest version of Graves should give the Patriots life after the departure of Luc variety of Graves.
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