Taylor County High School, Campbellsville, Kentucky 01-29-08
By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent
Folks, we live in the best basketball state in America. Kentucky is the home of basketball. Sure we have a lot of other things in Kentucky of which we're proud, but when someone talks basketball, we hold our head high, our chest outward, and we are proud. I love it when you go to high school games and thousands of people are there. I love old gyms where it can be 5 degrees outside but 105 inside. I love it when it's packed and most of the crowd has to stand up most of the game and you're elbow-to-elbow with the person next to you. This is high school basketball in Kentucky, where kids play for the love of the game and the name on their jerseys. They leave it all on the floor.
Editor's Note: I could've sworn I heard a chorus humming My Old Kentucky Home as I read that.
Over the last couple of weeks I have seen some of the most exciting ballgames in recent memory. Tonight, when I pulled up in Campbellsville, I had a feeling I would not be disappointed. I ran into the Taylor County gym because it was pouring down rain, and I had to park somewhere near Green River Lake. I stayed wet the first two quarters, but it didn't dampen my spirits. Fans of old gyms would love this one; Taylor County has a gem of a gym. It's old and has bleachers all the way around the floor. I call it "The Clem Gym" in honor of Taylor County native Clem "The Gem" Haskins, who still holds the single game scoring record (55 points) at WKU.
As soon as the JV game ended, the student sections for both schools started their chants. The atmosphere was electric, just as it has been everywhere I've gone to in the past two weeks. I don't think you could have fit another person in that gym. I thought the fire marshal was going to come any second and make someone leave (like that was going to happen).
Both teams came out of the locker room to a chorus of booing from the opposition's fans. Taylor County has flown under the radar in the Fifth Region. They have lost some games they shouldn't have but, make no mistake, this is a very good ball club. Most recently, they have acquired a transfer from Danville High School named Leonard Macon. He has caused a stir in the 20th District and around the region. He is about 6'6", strong and plays to the crowd. He didn't start but made an impact early in the second quarter.
I've watched Adair many times this year. Once again, I found myself sitting beside Adair's #1 fan, T.P. Scott. As soon as I got there, I asked my new friend from Columbia how he felt about this game. He just shook his head and said, "I don't know. This one is always tough."
I soon found out he was right.
Adair controlled the tap, and the Cardinals played them man-to-man. The Indians came out hot but soon cooled off. They hung in the game because Taylor wasn't hot, either. Chase Cox, the Cardinals' three-point specialist put up a "goose egg" in the first quarter. People tell me that he looks to shoot the ball as soon as he gets off the bus. On Tuesday night, Adair's Kalen Kimberland rattled him. He's their senior leader on defense. The quarter ended with a low score: 10-9, advantage Adair.
Leonard Macon came off the bench in the second. Apparently, he didn't start because of a technical foul he got against Marion County on Friday. The kid is raw and strong. He doesn't shoot very good from the floor, but down load he is hard to handle. Both teams struggled to find their mark and still had a low scoring output in the second. The score was tied at 18 at the half. Mr. Scott reported that Adair only shot 33% from the field in the half.
To make Adair's shooting night even worse, Taylor opened up the third quarter in a 1-3-1 zone, and the Indian squad looked to Coach Mark Fudge for answers. I must give credit where credit is due. The Indians never got worried or rattled. They are so patient on offense, making the extra pass and playing under control. That's what makes a championship team.
Still having a little trouble with the zone, Adair called their first timeout of the night in the third quarter. They came out of the timeout looking to penetrate, which was what another fan and I had just been talking about. I met this guy soon after the game started. I'm sorry I never got his name, but he was real nice and said he had once coached the Adair players in little league (I gave him the web address so he can read up on our season).
Taylor was making progress with the zone and had a small lead at the end of the third, 29-26. That was the Cardinals' biggest lead of the game to that point. The crowd was still into the game.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, I finally had dried off from the rain and the excitement ran a chill up my back. About a minute and a half into the quarter, Corey Helm fed Adair's Darrin Ballou on the post, and he turned and dunked the ball straight up into Macon's face (welcome to the Fifth Region Mr. Macon!). It's the most emotion I've ever seen out of Ballou, who is normally quiet and goes about his job. He was in Macon's ear all the way down the court. Wow!! That's Kentucky high school basketball!
Not to be outdone, Taylor answered by feed their new big man, who traded for Ballou's bucket. Taylor had the lead with 5:13 left and had things going their way. They got into the bonus at 4:15 with a 35-32 lead.
The gym was getting louder and louder. Josh Gumm, Taylor's other three-point threat, hit a big three to make it 38-32. The zone had worked for the Cardinals all night, but Coach Troy Young made a move that we in the stands could not believe: he went back to the man-to-man, which let Adair back in the game.
Adair got a big bucket, cutting it to 38-34. Then, the Indians' Corey Helm finally woke up from his basketball coma and hit a huge three with 2:40 to go. This was the big swing in my opinion. The teams continued to trade baskets, and Ballou picked up his fourth foul. I thought, "well, this might burst the bubble for the Indians," but I forgot that this is a very smart team. Taylor remained in the man-to-man "D" and Adair spread the floor. Kalen Kimberland slashed into the lane and missed a shot, but he never gave up. He got his own rebound, put it in, and gave Adair a 43-42 lead. I could not believe what I was watching. Three out of the last four games I have been to have ended like this.
It was 44-43, and the Cardinals lead with 12.3 seconds to go. Adair spread the floor again, and Kimberland ran into the lane again. This time he was fouled and went to the line with 7.2 seconds remaining. He made the first of two shots, and Taylor tried to freeze him with a time out. You can't ice this kid. He made the second shot, making it 45-44. Taylor had a chance, getting the ball to Chase Cox, but Kimberland had him in check. Cox pushed off badly, but there was no call. he got the shot away, but the shot did not fall. He had been off his mark all night.
Adair won a great on in Campbellsville, and their fans rushed the floor. Hey, guys, don't forget that the district tournament is in Taylor's gym, and I'm sure they won't forget that.
OBSERVATIONS
King Cox: Before the game, Taylor County honored Chase Cox. He scored his 1,000th point on December 21st, and they went on to say that he now has over 1,200 career points. If my math is right, that's 200 points in a little over a month. Did I hear that right? Cox was off his mark on Tuesday, but it's still a great accomplishment for this young man. Oh, yeah, did I mention that he's only a junior? Look for him possibly to become the all time leading scorer in Taylor County history.
Gem of a Gym: My hat's off to Taylor County. They have a great gym. In this day and age with counties building new and bigger schools, Taylor has kept it real. Their gym is a fan's gym. If you ever have a chance to see it, don't pass it up. I love the way the bleachers are arranged because you're right on the floor, and you can see the action from anywhere.
Rodney Dangerfield?: I don't think so. With all the veteran coaches in the Fifth Region -- Tim Davis, James Haire, and Ron Bevars -- Coach Mark Fudge has earned my respect. He has talent, and he knows how to coach it. He has his team ready to play, and it shows. They are always under control, and I noticed that they are always looking to him for their next move. This means the players have confidence in their coach. He is a great leader, and coaches around the region better respect coach Fudge.
Editor's Note: I apologize to Adair County and Taylor County fans for being so slow posting Chris's report. My house had no power for a long time last night, and I had to leave for Henderson very early this morning. Thank you for reading.
Showing posts with label Kentucky High School Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kentucky High School Basketball. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
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?
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?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Bowling Green 65 - Grayson County 55
Grayson County High School, Leitchfield, Kentucky, 01-22-08
I was going to lay off tonight, but when WBGN play-by-play man, Scott Thompson, told me I could ride along with him, it brought the eternal moocher in me springing to life. Tonight I was Thompson's broadcast engineer. When we set up in the press box at Grayson County's gym, he had me check power sources for the radio equipment. He had me stand by a light switch and turn it on and off. It was tough duty, but I got through it. I told him that I expected union wages.
A few weeks ago, Chris Gregory, the Pick and Rolls fearless Fifth Region Correspondent, stated that KY 84 was as curvy as Jessica Simpson. I'm going to one up him. KY 185 between Richardsville and Caneyville is as curvy as a sorority pledge party.
Tuesday's game was a match up between two team trying to make a move toward the top of their regions. Bowling Green is near the top in the Fourth, and Grayson is near the top in the Third. Both had 13-6 records going into the contest.
The similarities stop there. Grayson County is strong and plays patient, ball control basketball. Bowling Green is long and lanky and likes to open up the game and play all 94 feet of the court. Both teams are good and well coached.
I was surprised when the Cougars opened with a man-to-man defense against the visitors. That allowed the Purples to play their game, and they controlled the boards and the paint. Bowling Green played superb defense in the first quarter. It was one of the best defensive efforts I've seen this season, and it says a lot that Grayson County scored 13 points against the Purples' full court pressure. D.G. Sherrill has his team pressing after turnovers and missed baskets, and they did it well in the first quarter. Bowling Green had an eight point lead at the end of the first, 21-13.
Grayson County's sophomore sensation hurt his hand just a minute into the second quarter, and he sat out until the four minute mark. The Cougars played well without him on the court and cut into the lead. The score was 27-26 after Johnston hit a running jump shot with under two minutes left in the half, but Tevis Barksdale answered with one of his three first half three point shots.
Bowling Green's defense was going to determine the outcome of the game. When the Purples applied pressure and played active, tough defense, they controlled the game. They had a couple of lapses in the second quarter, but they took a 30-26 lead into the break.
At halftime, D.L. Moore, Bowling Green's 6'6" center, who is headed to the University of South Carolina to play football, only had four points. Travis Johnston had nine, a very quiet nine.
Grayson County surprised the Purples to open the third quarter. Johnston nailed a three just a few seconds into the half, and teammate Tyler Saltsman hit another one after a Bowling Green turnover. Just 43 seconds into the quarter, the game changed complexion. The Cougars had a 32-30 lead on the visitors. Coach Sherrill called a timeout, and it was much needed. The Purps were a Led Zepplin song: Dazed and Confused.
The Purples made the mistake of letting Travis Johnston get loose in close to the basket. The Cougars kept hitting easy baskets, and Johnston scored 9 points in three and a half minutes. It looked like Bowling Green was in trouble, but they re-asserted their defensive pressure late in the third. They forced Johnston and the rest of the Cougars to take contested outside shots.
Bowling Green also started working the ball down low to D.L. Moore, who used his long arms to catch the ball and put it in the basket. He made several text book put-ins off the glass using both hands and never bringing the ball below his head. Pick and Roll loves to see fundamental basketball, and Moore put on a clinic on several plays.
The Purples struggled a little in the third quarter, but they took a one point, 45-44, lead into the fourth quarter.
Grayson County continued to play man-to-man with Bowling Green, and the Cougar squad looked tired early in the fourth. They finally played some 2-3 zone, but Bowling Green hit a huge three point shot to make it 52-48 heading down the stretch.
The Purples switched to a zone defense in the fourth. They played a 1-3-1 with D.L. Moore at the head of the zone. Sherrill was careful not to let Moore move to far from one side to the other, and he kept his arms up and out, frustrating the Grayson County shooters. Moore showed great skill coming off of the top of that zone and getting into position to grab rebounds. I haven't seen Bowling Green play much zone this season, but they played it very well on Tuesday night.
Bowling Green forced Grayson's offense further and further away from the basket, and they controlled things down the stretch. They won 65-55.
Both teams are good teams. Top ranked Muhlenberg North rolls into Cougar Country on Friday night, and Stars unblemished Third Region record could fall. Bowling Green travels across town to arch-rival Warren Central that night.
OBSERVATIONS
Canine or Feline?: If Bowling Green High won't call their hot dogs "D.G. Dogs," then maybe I can convince the fine Grayson County folks to call theirs "Cat Dogs." It wasn't the best hot dog I've ever eaten, but he popcorn at Grayson's concession stand is fantastic. It gets a Pick and Roll "Three Thumbs Up" rating.
Bird Was a Player: I know what the readers are thinking: Larry Bird. When a person says "Bird" in Grayson County, they think Brittany. She left the Lady Cougars after scoring 2,376 points. That makes me say, "gosh." Gosh!
Must Put Face On: Earlier in the week when some girls were trying to catch a glimpse of Bowling Green assistant coach Anthony Winchester, they told Coach D.G. Sherrill they wanted to see his "cute" coaching staff. Sherrill responded, "girls, I don't wake up looking this good."
Can't Get There From Here: I challenge Pick and Roll readers to find a good route from Bowling Green to Leitchfield. It's worse going to Hardinsburg. I spent two years running those routes for my job, and I never could settle on a good combination of roads to get to those places. In order to get from BG to Leitchfield, you've got to go somewhere else. Scott Thompson and I debated our route the whole way up there.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Elizabethtown 62 - Breckinridge County 54
Breckinridge County High School, Harned, Kentucky 01-19-08
By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent
I first started playing basketball when I was in the fourth grade. It was in Homer Gray's Saturday Morning League. From that point on I knew I loved this game. It wasn't until a few years later, when my Aunt Kathy took me to my first Breck County game, I realized I wanted to be a Fighting Tiger.
Saturday night was Homecoming in Harned, and I wanted to see the Tigers and the Panthers scratch it out on the hardwood. Both teams are a little down this year (reflected by their records). E-town lost Kentucky's Mr. Basketball, Steffphon Pettigrew, who is playing for WKU this season, and I had yet to see the Panthers play. I reported on the Tigers over the holidays. Both schools have tons of tradition and some state tournament rings to flash.
Elizabethtown's James Haire is a veteran coach, but this year's team has really challenged him. Prior to Saturday's game, they sported an 8-7 record, having lost to Owensboro the night before. They have good size at every position, but I didn't know what to expect from them because they have won games over some worthy opponents. Plus, Breck has lost some tough games in the last couple of weeks.
E-town was already on the floor going through pre-game warm-ups when Breck took the floor. That's when the pep band struck up "Eye of the Tiger." To this day, and I guess forever, if a person was ever a Breckinridge County Fighting Tiger -- like I was -- that song just gets your blood a pumpin. I'm glad to see that the new band director hasn't shied away from tradition.
I'm really at a loss for words for this game. My buddy, Justin, who made the trip from Hodgenville with me, said that this game was "just blah." I admit that I was expecting a little better game. Maybe it's because I had witnessed two of the best games I've seen this year in the past seven days (I reported on them).
I told my buddy that maybe I should pass on this game, and he said, "well since you're here you should write something." Don't get me wrong; this game had some good moments.
Elizabethtown showed no effects from playing tough game on Friday night and ran off a few buckets. Breck missed some easy shots down low early in the first quarter. The thing that impressed me most in the first was how well Breck plays their man-to-man full court press. They have quick guards, and they get their hands on a lot of balls.
E-town was in control early, leading 17-12 after one period of play.
Breck is a young and players have had to grow up quick. They weren't going to back down to a team from the big city. To Coach Critchelow's dismay his Tigers looked a bit lost on offense, and E-town threw a tough 1-2-2 match up zone at them. I'm still a tiger at heart, but Breck made it easy for the Panthers in the first half. It bothers me to see a team that doesn't penetrate the zone and work for the three. These days teams are living and dying by the three point shot. Breck seemed to pass it around with no ball movement, letting E-town get set after every pass.
Heck, me, Pick and Roll, and three guys from Tules Creek could guard them. E-town outscored Breck in the second 13-7 to take the halftime lead 30-19.
Editor's Note: You and the three guys from Tules Creek would be working your butts off to pick up my slack. Plus, you'd need these things on the sidelines: a defibrillator, an emergency room doctor, an oxygen tank, a box of Girl Scout Tagalong cookies, and an ice cold Dr. Pepper before I'd even set foot on a basketball court. I'd have trouble keeping a fence post from going around me.
E-town started the third in a hurry to get this one over with and head back Highway 86. They ran an offensive play that would make Pick and Roll proud. They used the pick and roll. I had to look down at the E-town bench to see if Gene Hackman or James Haire was calling plays. I kept looking for the old "picket fence." E-town was too much for them in the third. They lead 44-30.
I guess the Panthers thought they had this game wrapped up because they seemed too laid back to start the last frame. Like I said, Breck was not intimidated. They were still playing hard and Coach Critchelow had made his point about moving the ball. E-town was up by 16 at this point. Breck had fought back to cut the lead to seven at one point but just couldn't get over the hump. E-town turned up pressure once again, and Breck was forced to foul and pray that the Panthers would miss from the charity stripe. E-town made the shots down the stretch and dodged a late bullet from the Tigers. They won 62-54.
OBSERVATIONS
No Stranger to the Mic: Breckinridge County's Huston DeHaven has been calling Tiger basketball since 1970, and his sidekick and stat man, Scotty Willoughby, has been with him since 1992. These voices of Breckenridge County have seen it all, and they won't shy away from telling listeners exactly what they think about officials, the crowd, and let people know if a player got away with a dirty play. By no means would they bash a player but tell listeners, "Well, he got away with that one.
I asked Mr. DeHaven what games stuck out in his mind other than Breck's state run in '95. He said, "well, a lot of them." He remembered every regional final that Breck was involved in: 1986 against Apollo and Rex Chapman; '93 against Grayson County where the Tigers had a seven point lead with 30 seconds to go and Grayson came back to win. Mr. DeHaven went on to tell me that he had once interviewed the legendary Cawood Ledford, Joe B. Hall, and Denny Crum. He is a fixture in Breck County sports, and I hope he has many more years behind the microphone.
He also had a day job for many years. He was the superintendent of Breck County Schools.
I Love Tradition: Regular readers of the Pick and Roll know that we love high school bands. Well, Breck has had good bands over the years, and Saturday night I was glad to see they still keep up with traditions. Like many games we all stand to honor our country with the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner," but Breck takes it a step further with playing "My Old Kentucky Home." During time outs and half time they play "Eye of the Tiger," which features a cow bell. You can never have enough COW BELL!!
A Hero There Made: Elizabethtown's Sean Bouthilette (pronounce booth-uh-let) was in the right places at the right times Saturday night. He led the Panthers with 19 points. He was a mismatch for Breck and E-town took full advantage of it. He is much quicker than he looked and is wide and strong. He grabbed a lot of loose balls and muscled his way to the basket. Somehow, I think the Panthers will be around come regional tournament time (just a gut feeling). They went nine deep tonight, and that means a lot playing night in and night out come tournament time. You can never count out a James Haire coached team.
By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent
I first started playing basketball when I was in the fourth grade. It was in Homer Gray's Saturday Morning League. From that point on I knew I loved this game. It wasn't until a few years later, when my Aunt Kathy took me to my first Breck County game, I realized I wanted to be a Fighting Tiger.
Saturday night was Homecoming in Harned, and I wanted to see the Tigers and the Panthers scratch it out on the hardwood. Both teams are a little down this year (reflected by their records). E-town lost Kentucky's Mr. Basketball, Steffphon Pettigrew, who is playing for WKU this season, and I had yet to see the Panthers play. I reported on the Tigers over the holidays. Both schools have tons of tradition and some state tournament rings to flash.
Elizabethtown's James Haire is a veteran coach, but this year's team has really challenged him. Prior to Saturday's game, they sported an 8-7 record, having lost to Owensboro the night before. They have good size at every position, but I didn't know what to expect from them because they have won games over some worthy opponents. Plus, Breck has lost some tough games in the last couple of weeks.
E-town was already on the floor going through pre-game warm-ups when Breck took the floor. That's when the pep band struck up "Eye of the Tiger." To this day, and I guess forever, if a person was ever a Breckinridge County Fighting Tiger -- like I was -- that song just gets your blood a pumpin. I'm glad to see that the new band director hasn't shied away from tradition.
I'm really at a loss for words for this game. My buddy, Justin, who made the trip from Hodgenville with me, said that this game was "just blah." I admit that I was expecting a little better game. Maybe it's because I had witnessed two of the best games I've seen this year in the past seven days (I reported on them).
I told my buddy that maybe I should pass on this game, and he said, "well since you're here you should write something." Don't get me wrong; this game had some good moments.
Elizabethtown showed no effects from playing tough game on Friday night and ran off a few buckets. Breck missed some easy shots down low early in the first quarter. The thing that impressed me most in the first was how well Breck plays their man-to-man full court press. They have quick guards, and they get their hands on a lot of balls.
E-town was in control early, leading 17-12 after one period of play.
Breck is a young and players have had to grow up quick. They weren't going to back down to a team from the big city. To Coach Critchelow's dismay his Tigers looked a bit lost on offense, and E-town threw a tough 1-2-2 match up zone at them. I'm still a tiger at heart, but Breck made it easy for the Panthers in the first half. It bothers me to see a team that doesn't penetrate the zone and work for the three. These days teams are living and dying by the three point shot. Breck seemed to pass it around with no ball movement, letting E-town get set after every pass.
Heck, me, Pick and Roll, and three guys from Tules Creek could guard them. E-town outscored Breck in the second 13-7 to take the halftime lead 30-19.
Editor's Note: You and the three guys from Tules Creek would be working your butts off to pick up my slack. Plus, you'd need these things on the sidelines: a defibrillator, an emergency room doctor, an oxygen tank, a box of Girl Scout Tagalong cookies, and an ice cold Dr. Pepper before I'd even set foot on a basketball court. I'd have trouble keeping a fence post from going around me.
E-town started the third in a hurry to get this one over with and head back Highway 86. They ran an offensive play that would make Pick and Roll proud. They used the pick and roll. I had to look down at the E-town bench to see if Gene Hackman or James Haire was calling plays. I kept looking for the old "picket fence." E-town was too much for them in the third. They lead 44-30.
I guess the Panthers thought they had this game wrapped up because they seemed too laid back to start the last frame. Like I said, Breck was not intimidated. They were still playing hard and Coach Critchelow had made his point about moving the ball. E-town was up by 16 at this point. Breck had fought back to cut the lead to seven at one point but just couldn't get over the hump. E-town turned up pressure once again, and Breck was forced to foul and pray that the Panthers would miss from the charity stripe. E-town made the shots down the stretch and dodged a late bullet from the Tigers. They won 62-54.
OBSERVATIONS
No Stranger to the Mic: Breckinridge County's Huston DeHaven has been calling Tiger basketball since 1970, and his sidekick and stat man, Scotty Willoughby, has been with him since 1992. These voices of Breckenridge County have seen it all, and they won't shy away from telling listeners exactly what they think about officials, the crowd, and let people know if a player got away with a dirty play. By no means would they bash a player but tell listeners, "Well, he got away with that one.
I asked Mr. DeHaven what games stuck out in his mind other than Breck's state run in '95. He said, "well, a lot of them." He remembered every regional final that Breck was involved in: 1986 against Apollo and Rex Chapman; '93 against Grayson County where the Tigers had a seven point lead with 30 seconds to go and Grayson came back to win. Mr. DeHaven went on to tell me that he had once interviewed the legendary Cawood Ledford, Joe B. Hall, and Denny Crum. He is a fixture in Breck County sports, and I hope he has many more years behind the microphone.
He also had a day job for many years. He was the superintendent of Breck County Schools.
I Love Tradition: Regular readers of the Pick and Roll know that we love high school bands. Well, Breck has had good bands over the years, and Saturday night I was glad to see they still keep up with traditions. Like many games we all stand to honor our country with the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner," but Breck takes it a step further with playing "My Old Kentucky Home." During time outs and half time they play "Eye of the Tiger," which features a cow bell. You can never have enough COW BELL!!
A Hero There Made: Elizabethtown's Sean Bouthilette (pronounce booth-uh-let) was in the right places at the right times Saturday night. He led the Panthers with 19 points. He was a mismatch for Breck and E-town took full advantage of it. He is much quicker than he looked and is wide and strong. He grabbed a lot of loose balls and muscled his way to the basket. Somehow, I think the Panthers will be around come regional tournament time (just a gut feeling). They went nine deep tonight, and that means a lot playing night in and night out come tournament time. You can never count out a James Haire coached team.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
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!"
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!"
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.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Carlisle County 67 - Mayfield 65
Mayfield High School, Mayfield, Kentucky, 01-15-08
Several years ago, someone came into my office and asked about a place called "Carlizzle County." I had them point to it on the map, and they pointed to Carlisle County. By no stretch of the imagination am I proficient in "Snoop-speak," but I now call it "Carlizzle sizzle fo-shizzle." The Comets sizzled fo-shizzle in the "Pearl of the Purchase" on Tuesday night. Well, sizzling is a bit of stretch, but they did snatch a victory from the Cardinals in this First Region match up.
Mayfield entered the game with a 6-5 record in the First Region, but a 7-9 record overall. The Cardinals needed a victory to stay above .500 in the First, but Carlisle County came in with a 6-4 record in the region and 9-6 overall.
The Carlisle County team looked thin, and I only counted 8 or 9 players on the entire squad, so I was surprised to see them open up a three-quarter court, trapping press. Once in the half-court, they dropped back to no-frills 2-3 zone. Mayfield had a lot of trouble shooting over the zone in the first quarter, and they generally had trouble getting the ball in the basket. The Comets seemed to dare Mayfield to take outside jump shots, and it worked for them for awhile. Mayfield made a late charge in the quarter, but the Comets took a 17-14 lead to the break.
Mayfield picked up their defensive intensity, and it created some baskets for them. They needed to play transition basketball to keep Carlisle from setting up their 2-3 zone, which they kept packed tightly in the lane. Mayfield got the lead, but the Comets kept it close with the fantastic outside shooting. Carlisle's Ty Owens was a deadly shot along with teammate Rob Moran (I hope I have that right).
Kudos from the Pick and Roll for the pick and roll. Carlisle County ran a beautiful pick and roll play with the "roller" receiving a pass in the lane from the wing. They ran it several times and scored every time. I love to see that play, and if players execute it right, it works almost every time. They ran one that looked almost like the old "picket fence" play, and Mayfield got caught watching the paint dry.
Mayfield took a 29-28 lead to the locker room at the half.
I thought that Carlisle County was finished. Their players looked wheezy late in the second quarter, and Mayfield's pressure frustrated them.
In the third quarter Carlisle went back to the perimeter and Owens and Moran along with Luke Nichol punished Mayfield with some long three pointers. Mayfield could not get their transition game going again in the third and found themselves playing catch around the perimeter of the Comets' 2-3 zone.
There was some drama at the end of the third quarter. After a Mayfield basket, a Carlisle player step over the in-bounds line as he threw the ball in and turned it over to the Cardinals. Coach Chris Guhy for Mayfield pointed out that there should be more than 0.1 second left on the clock, so they put 0.7 on it. Mayfield threw the ball in, time ran out, and the horn sounded. The teams went to their benches, and the scorekeeper put 8:00 on the clock. The officials had a big confab out on the court with a lot pointing and talking, and, finally, they called both coaches onto the court.
The solution? They put 0.5 on the clock and let Mayfield run another inbounds play. The Carlisle County fans went crazy, screaming at the official. Mayfield missed the shot...again...and we went on with the fourth quarter with Carlisle leading 42-41.
I still thought Carlisle was going to run out of gas down the stretch, but they didn't. The game went back-and-forth throughout the quarter, and except for the Warren Central-Warren East game I attended in December, this was the most exciting game I've seen this season.
Mayfield let this one get away from them. They had plenty of opportunities to win.
First of all, Carlisle County couldn't hit a foul shot to save their lives through most of the game. I had been in Bardwell earlier in the day and snatched a couple of bricks as souvenirs from the wreckage of their courthouse, which was burned on December 26th. I should've brought the bricks with me and let the Comets use them to shoot freethrows. Heck, they shot enough bricks from the line to build their county a new courthouse.
At the very end of the game, when Mayfield had to foul to get possessions, the Carlisle County players sank every one of their free throws. Crazy. The Comets streaked into Mayfield and stole one from the Cardinals, 67-65.
OBSERVATIONS
I'm No Michael Vick: Or am I? I went to this game thinking I had no dog in the fight. The truth is that my father is a Mayfield alumnus, and my family has a long association with that school. I felt myself cheering for Mayfield throughout the game. I've been to several Mayfield football games, including their classic with Danville in the 1985 state championship game. I hadn't been to a Mayfield basketball game since they played in the Louisville Invitational Tournament in 1977 or 1978.
Up to Their Necks in Hock-ett: Mayfield's Tony Hockett is a heck of a ball player. He's got a good shot and can slash to the basket. I enjoyed watching him play. He hit a huge three point shot to keep Mayfield in the game at the very end. They should run more sets for that kid.
TWA?: Carlisle County has a player named Tony Wilson. The Hilltoppers had Tony "TWA" Wilson back in the 1980s. I can assure you, that the Comets' Tony Wilson will not threaten the former Topper as "Tony Wilson Airlines." Trust me.
What's That I Hear: Mayfield's cheerleaders actually cheer. They lead cheers, and I could hear them throughout the game. They didn't do any routines during the game or at halftime. Heck, if they had pom-poms, I would've thought I had entered a time warp.
The Dome: If anyone has seen Mayfield High School, they'd never forget the dome over the gymnasium. It is big and white and looks like a miniature Houston Astrodome. I remember when they were building it because my aunt lived on South First Street, which ended in the school's parking lot. I was a little kid, and the thing was a marvel to me.
They call it the Mayfield Sports Arena, and it really is an arena. I have to say that it is the best high school basketball facility I've been in. The court is well lighted, and the home team's side has comfortable chairback seats about halfway up the stands. Wooden bleachers fill the rest of the arena. They are close to the court and nothing obscures fans view of the court. It's fantastic. It's too bad. I give it the Pick and Roll "Three Thumbs Up Award." Former UofL forward Wiley Brown -- as always -- sponsors this award.
If any readers have an opportunity to see a game in this great facility, do not pass it up.
Toe-the-Line: Carlisle County's free throw shooters stepped over the foul stripe twice in Tuesday's game. I haven't seen that happen in years, and I saw it twice in the first half.
Several years ago, someone came into my office and asked about a place called "Carlizzle County." I had them point to it on the map, and they pointed to Carlisle County. By no stretch of the imagination am I proficient in "Snoop-speak," but I now call it "Carlizzle sizzle fo-shizzle." The Comets sizzled fo-shizzle in the "Pearl of the Purchase" on Tuesday night. Well, sizzling is a bit of stretch, but they did snatch a victory from the Cardinals in this First Region match up.
Mayfield entered the game with a 6-5 record in the First Region, but a 7-9 record overall. The Cardinals needed a victory to stay above .500 in the First, but Carlisle County came in with a 6-4 record in the region and 9-6 overall.
The Carlisle County team looked thin, and I only counted 8 or 9 players on the entire squad, so I was surprised to see them open up a three-quarter court, trapping press. Once in the half-court, they dropped back to no-frills 2-3 zone. Mayfield had a lot of trouble shooting over the zone in the first quarter, and they generally had trouble getting the ball in the basket. The Comets seemed to dare Mayfield to take outside jump shots, and it worked for them for awhile. Mayfield made a late charge in the quarter, but the Comets took a 17-14 lead to the break.
Mayfield picked up their defensive intensity, and it created some baskets for them. They needed to play transition basketball to keep Carlisle from setting up their 2-3 zone, which they kept packed tightly in the lane. Mayfield got the lead, but the Comets kept it close with the fantastic outside shooting. Carlisle's Ty Owens was a deadly shot along with teammate Rob Moran (I hope I have that right).
Kudos from the Pick and Roll for the pick and roll. Carlisle County ran a beautiful pick and roll play with the "roller" receiving a pass in the lane from the wing. They ran it several times and scored every time. I love to see that play, and if players execute it right, it works almost every time. They ran one that looked almost like the old "picket fence" play, and Mayfield got caught watching the paint dry.
Mayfield took a 29-28 lead to the locker room at the half.
I thought that Carlisle County was finished. Their players looked wheezy late in the second quarter, and Mayfield's pressure frustrated them.
In the third quarter Carlisle went back to the perimeter and Owens and Moran along with Luke Nichol punished Mayfield with some long three pointers. Mayfield could not get their transition game going again in the third and found themselves playing catch around the perimeter of the Comets' 2-3 zone.
There was some drama at the end of the third quarter. After a Mayfield basket, a Carlisle player step over the in-bounds line as he threw the ball in and turned it over to the Cardinals. Coach Chris Guhy for Mayfield pointed out that there should be more than 0.1 second left on the clock, so they put 0.7 on it. Mayfield threw the ball in, time ran out, and the horn sounded. The teams went to their benches, and the scorekeeper put 8:00 on the clock. The officials had a big confab out on the court with a lot pointing and talking, and, finally, they called both coaches onto the court.
The solution? They put 0.5 on the clock and let Mayfield run another inbounds play. The Carlisle County fans went crazy, screaming at the official. Mayfield missed the shot...again...and we went on with the fourth quarter with Carlisle leading 42-41.
I still thought Carlisle was going to run out of gas down the stretch, but they didn't. The game went back-and-forth throughout the quarter, and except for the Warren Central-Warren East game I attended in December, this was the most exciting game I've seen this season.
Mayfield let this one get away from them. They had plenty of opportunities to win.
First of all, Carlisle County couldn't hit a foul shot to save their lives through most of the game. I had been in Bardwell earlier in the day and snatched a couple of bricks as souvenirs from the wreckage of their courthouse, which was burned on December 26th. I should've brought the bricks with me and let the Comets use them to shoot freethrows. Heck, they shot enough bricks from the line to build their county a new courthouse.
At the very end of the game, when Mayfield had to foul to get possessions, the Carlisle County players sank every one of their free throws. Crazy. The Comets streaked into Mayfield and stole one from the Cardinals, 67-65.
OBSERVATIONS
I'm No Michael Vick: Or am I? I went to this game thinking I had no dog in the fight. The truth is that my father is a Mayfield alumnus, and my family has a long association with that school. I felt myself cheering for Mayfield throughout the game. I've been to several Mayfield football games, including their classic with Danville in the 1985 state championship game. I hadn't been to a Mayfield basketball game since they played in the Louisville Invitational Tournament in 1977 or 1978.
Up to Their Necks in Hock-ett: Mayfield's Tony Hockett is a heck of a ball player. He's got a good shot and can slash to the basket. I enjoyed watching him play. He hit a huge three point shot to keep Mayfield in the game at the very end. They should run more sets for that kid.
TWA?: Carlisle County has a player named Tony Wilson. The Hilltoppers had Tony "TWA" Wilson back in the 1980s. I can assure you, that the Comets' Tony Wilson will not threaten the former Topper as "Tony Wilson Airlines." Trust me.
What's That I Hear: Mayfield's cheerleaders actually cheer. They lead cheers, and I could hear them throughout the game. They didn't do any routines during the game or at halftime. Heck, if they had pom-poms, I would've thought I had entered a time warp.
The Dome: If anyone has seen Mayfield High School, they'd never forget the dome over the gymnasium. It is big and white and looks like a miniature Houston Astrodome. I remember when they were building it because my aunt lived on South First Street, which ended in the school's parking lot. I was a little kid, and the thing was a marvel to me.
They call it the Mayfield Sports Arena, and it really is an arena. I have to say that it is the best high school basketball facility I've been in. The court is well lighted, and the home team's side has comfortable chairback seats about halfway up the stands. Wooden bleachers fill the rest of the arena. They are close to the court and nothing obscures fans view of the court. It's fantastic. It's too bad. I give it the Pick and Roll "Three Thumbs Up Award." Former UofL forward Wiley Brown -- as always -- sponsors this award.
If any readers have an opportunity to see a game in this great facility, do not pass it up.
Toe-the-Line: Carlisle County's free throw shooters stepped over the foul stripe twice in Tuesday's game. I haven't seen that happen in years, and I saw it twice in the first half.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Warren East 85 - Metcalfe County 70
Warren East High School, Bristow, Kentucky 01-12-08
It's a wonder that a Star Trek convention didn't break out at Saturday's game at Warren East. The Raiders featured DeAngelo Kirk, and the Metcalfe County Hornets had a center named Will Warf. Kirk and Warf? I started looking for geeky people wearing Star Trek uniforms walking around talking about how they spent last summer at Klingon Language Camp.
The real story from Metcalfe County's game against Warren East is that their star player, Trey Shirley, missed the game due to an illness. No one seems to know what is wrong with the kid, but a couple of Hornets fans told me that they had to run a CAT scan on him last night. All the Metcalfe fans seemed worried about the Shirley and less concerned that their team would be short a player who averages over 20 points a game.
I'm sure that Edmonton has a good hospital. I know that in some small towns if someone needed a CAT scan it might just involve a cat.
Pennyrile Pick and Roll looks forward to seeing Trey Shirley back on the hardwood and wishes him and his family all the best.
There was a large contingent of Metcalfe County fans at the ballgame. I heard one alumnus say, "you can't hide that Hornet pride." They have every reason to be proud, too, because they rolled into Friday's game with an impressive 13-1 record, with their only loss coming to a school from Washington, D.C. They were undefeated in the region, too.
The Metcalfe County fans were quiet. The only buzz coming from that swarm of maroon clad hornets was about their star player not being with the team. In fact, it is possibly the quietest basketball crowd of which I've been a part. Both sets of fans sat in the stands almost as if they were in church. When the teams started playing, the players didn't even chatter.
In the first quarter Metcalfe and East went at each other like good basketball teams do in a big game. I won't say that they swapped buckets, but one team would surge, and the other would respond. Both teams like to press and will press even after missed baskets. Metcalfe County even pressed after a turnover. They do it well, too.
At the end of the first quarter, the Raiders had a precarious 18-16 lead.
In the second quarter, Metcalfe County's guards kept challenging Warren East's interior defense, and the Raiders kept blocking their shots. I thought maybe they should try to spread Warren East's defense out a little with some perimeter shooting, and maybe that's what the Hornets lack without Trey Shirley in the lineup.
I would later discover something about Metcalfe County that I have missed all season. I think it is something that everyone has missed. They aren't just Trey Shirley. They are a good basketball team, and Will Warf -- the very un-Klingon like post player for the Hornets -- is probably the guy that holds Metcalfe together. I should note that he is Metcalfe's starting quarterback on the gridiron and won back-to-back Region Three Player-of-the-Year awards.
In the second quarter, however, Shenard Holton and Jordan Ellis made some big plays for the Raiders. I like the athletic ability of Ellis, but he's got to learn to move his feet on defense and quit slapping at defenders. He had his third foul with 5:22 left in the half. Ouch! He can't serve his team while doing a Bill Keightly impersonation in the first half.
Warren East expanded their lead to 35-31.
In the third quarter, Metcalfe opened with a tricky match up 3-2 zone. It was a good defense, but they couldn't close the gap between the guards and the baseline players. East's Shenard Holton kept finding a way into the middle of the zone and kept finding ways to score. He finished the game with 15 points.
The Hornets, however, outscored Warren East 18-17 in the quarter and stayed within striking distance of the Raiders.
The fourth quarter didn't turn out too well for Metcalfe. Holton kept getting loose in their zone, and DeAngelo Kirk bombed a couple of three pointers from the wing and hit a couple of nice looking pull-up jump shots -- a lost or dying art in all of basketball. The Hornets' defense seemed to be unable to find Kirk on the wing, and he made them pay for it.
Will Warf kept them in the game. How can someone with a Klingon name counter a team with a player named Kirk? Warf made some impressive moves around the basket in the final frame, and that's when I realized that he's a heck of a basketball player. He's gritty, hard-nosed, and he would not surrender to Kirk and his Raiders. Warf finished the game with 27 points and 13 boards. He also made himself one of my favorite players in the region. I look forward to seeing him play in Diddle Arena in March.
Warren East won the game 85-70. That score does not give a good perspective on what type of ballgame Saturday's game was. The game got away from Metcalfe County in the final minutes. The Hornets played Clinton County the night before in Edmonton, so they looked a little tired. However, Warren East played Allen County-Scottsville the night before and looked fine.
I almost gave my "Charlie Brown Blockhead Award" to Winston Harbison for Metcalfe County. Late in the game, he was whistled for a foul, and he mouthed off to the official, who promptly gave him a technical. I could see the frustration on Harbison's face, so I forgave him. I saw a competitor who doesn't like to lose when he came over to the bench.
The technical foul had no effect on the game except to change the margin of victory. It gave the Raiders a bunch of points near the end of the game, and it took any life left in the Hornets.
Even though the lost, I'm still high on this Metcalfe County squad. The Hornet seniors played on their team that made it to the regional final two years ago (that's off the top of my head, so I hope I'm right), and they play very well together. In the wide open Fourth, several teams have a shot at going to the Sweet Sixteen, but I think Metcalfe has the best chance.
OBSERVATIONS
Yecccch!: Hey, Warren East! Clean your dang bleachers. I started to think that they purposely poured Coca-Cola all over the visitor's bleachers. It reminded me of going to the 99 cent movies at the old Bowling Green Mall when I was in college. I left my shoes in the garage when I got home last night. I've stepped in less nasty stuff at the Kentucky State Fair.
Twin Towers: Forget Bowie and Turpin or Robinson and Duncan. Metcalfe County has Grant and Russell Kindred. I don't know their heights, but they are actually twins. I list their heights at "tall" and be done with it.
Brothers in Arms?: I noticed that the Metcalfe County Roster features three kids with the last name "Shirley." I saw Patrick and Latrel Shirley on Saturday night, and I'm going to take a wild guess that they are not brothers by relation. I'm also going to guess that one of them may be the brother of missing Trey Shirley.
A Proud Tradition: Warren East has a great basketball tradition. They've won 9 Fourth Region championships, and they made it to the state semi-finals in 1997. With guys like DeAngelo Kirk, Jordan Ellis, and Shenard Holton on their squad, they have a real good chance of winning "one for the other thumb." If Russell Malone can get them to play defense without fouling, they could make it past the first week of March.
Chattering Players: I've noticed it in both baseball and basketball in recent years. Players no longer chatter. They don't even squawk to let a teammate know that they're open. Everyone gripes about trash-talking players these days, but I see it exactly opposite. When I was in high school players chattered all the time on the field and on the court. I remember Central High School's players like they were an entire team of Meadowlark Lemons. None of it was mean and a lot of it was funny. Metcalfe County's players walk on and off the court like they're filing into a Sunday School class.
It's a wonder that a Star Trek convention didn't break out at Saturday's game at Warren East. The Raiders featured DeAngelo Kirk, and the Metcalfe County Hornets had a center named Will Warf. Kirk and Warf? I started looking for geeky people wearing Star Trek uniforms walking around talking about how they spent last summer at Klingon Language Camp.
The real story from Metcalfe County's game against Warren East is that their star player, Trey Shirley, missed the game due to an illness. No one seems to know what is wrong with the kid, but a couple of Hornets fans told me that they had to run a CAT scan on him last night. All the Metcalfe fans seemed worried about the Shirley and less concerned that their team would be short a player who averages over 20 points a game.
I'm sure that Edmonton has a good hospital. I know that in some small towns if someone needed a CAT scan it might just involve a cat.
Pennyrile Pick and Roll looks forward to seeing Trey Shirley back on the hardwood and wishes him and his family all the best.
There was a large contingent of Metcalfe County fans at the ballgame. I heard one alumnus say, "you can't hide that Hornet pride." They have every reason to be proud, too, because they rolled into Friday's game with an impressive 13-1 record, with their only loss coming to a school from Washington, D.C. They were undefeated in the region, too.
The Metcalfe County fans were quiet. The only buzz coming from that swarm of maroon clad hornets was about their star player not being with the team. In fact, it is possibly the quietest basketball crowd of which I've been a part. Both sets of fans sat in the stands almost as if they were in church. When the teams started playing, the players didn't even chatter.
In the first quarter Metcalfe and East went at each other like good basketball teams do in a big game. I won't say that they swapped buckets, but one team would surge, and the other would respond. Both teams like to press and will press even after missed baskets. Metcalfe County even pressed after a turnover. They do it well, too.
At the end of the first quarter, the Raiders had a precarious 18-16 lead.
In the second quarter, Metcalfe County's guards kept challenging Warren East's interior defense, and the Raiders kept blocking their shots. I thought maybe they should try to spread Warren East's defense out a little with some perimeter shooting, and maybe that's what the Hornets lack without Trey Shirley in the lineup.
I would later discover something about Metcalfe County that I have missed all season. I think it is something that everyone has missed. They aren't just Trey Shirley. They are a good basketball team, and Will Warf -- the very un-Klingon like post player for the Hornets -- is probably the guy that holds Metcalfe together. I should note that he is Metcalfe's starting quarterback on the gridiron and won back-to-back Region Three Player-of-the-Year awards.
In the second quarter, however, Shenard Holton and Jordan Ellis made some big plays for the Raiders. I like the athletic ability of Ellis, but he's got to learn to move his feet on defense and quit slapping at defenders. He had his third foul with 5:22 left in the half. Ouch! He can't serve his team while doing a Bill Keightly impersonation in the first half.
Warren East expanded their lead to 35-31.
In the third quarter, Metcalfe opened with a tricky match up 3-2 zone. It was a good defense, but they couldn't close the gap between the guards and the baseline players. East's Shenard Holton kept finding a way into the middle of the zone and kept finding ways to score. He finished the game with 15 points.
The Hornets, however, outscored Warren East 18-17 in the quarter and stayed within striking distance of the Raiders.
The fourth quarter didn't turn out too well for Metcalfe. Holton kept getting loose in their zone, and DeAngelo Kirk bombed a couple of three pointers from the wing and hit a couple of nice looking pull-up jump shots -- a lost or dying art in all of basketball. The Hornets' defense seemed to be unable to find Kirk on the wing, and he made them pay for it.
Will Warf kept them in the game. How can someone with a Klingon name counter a team with a player named Kirk? Warf made some impressive moves around the basket in the final frame, and that's when I realized that he's a heck of a basketball player. He's gritty, hard-nosed, and he would not surrender to Kirk and his Raiders. Warf finished the game with 27 points and 13 boards. He also made himself one of my favorite players in the region. I look forward to seeing him play in Diddle Arena in March.
Warren East won the game 85-70. That score does not give a good perspective on what type of ballgame Saturday's game was. The game got away from Metcalfe County in the final minutes. The Hornets played Clinton County the night before in Edmonton, so they looked a little tired. However, Warren East played Allen County-Scottsville the night before and looked fine.
I almost gave my "Charlie Brown Blockhead Award" to Winston Harbison for Metcalfe County. Late in the game, he was whistled for a foul, and he mouthed off to the official, who promptly gave him a technical. I could see the frustration on Harbison's face, so I forgave him. I saw a competitor who doesn't like to lose when he came over to the bench.
The technical foul had no effect on the game except to change the margin of victory. It gave the Raiders a bunch of points near the end of the game, and it took any life left in the Hornets.
Even though the lost, I'm still high on this Metcalfe County squad. The Hornet seniors played on their team that made it to the regional final two years ago (that's off the top of my head, so I hope I'm right), and they play very well together. In the wide open Fourth, several teams have a shot at going to the Sweet Sixteen, but I think Metcalfe has the best chance.
OBSERVATIONS
Yecccch!: Hey, Warren East! Clean your dang bleachers. I started to think that they purposely poured Coca-Cola all over the visitor's bleachers. It reminded me of going to the 99 cent movies at the old Bowling Green Mall when I was in college. I left my shoes in the garage when I got home last night. I've stepped in less nasty stuff at the Kentucky State Fair.
Twin Towers: Forget Bowie and Turpin or Robinson and Duncan. Metcalfe County has Grant and Russell Kindred. I don't know their heights, but they are actually twins. I list their heights at "tall" and be done with it.
Brothers in Arms?: I noticed that the Metcalfe County Roster features three kids with the last name "Shirley." I saw Patrick and Latrel Shirley on Saturday night, and I'm going to take a wild guess that they are not brothers by relation. I'm also going to guess that one of them may be the brother of missing Trey Shirley.
A Proud Tradition: Warren East has a great basketball tradition. They've won 9 Fourth Region championships, and they made it to the state semi-finals in 1997. With guys like DeAngelo Kirk, Jordan Ellis, and Shenard Holton on their squad, they have a real good chance of winning "one for the other thumb." If Russell Malone can get them to play defense without fouling, they could make it past the first week of March.
Chattering Players: I've noticed it in both baseball and basketball in recent years. Players no longer chatter. They don't even squawk to let a teammate know that they're open. Everyone gripes about trash-talking players these days, but I see it exactly opposite. When I was in high school players chattered all the time on the field and on the court. I remember Central High School's players like they were an entire team of Meadowlark Lemons. None of it was mean and a lot of it was funny. Metcalfe County's players walk on and off the court like they're filing into a Sunday School class.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Muhlenberg North 54 - Muhlenberg South 50
Muhlenberg South High School, Greenville, Kentucky, 01-08-08
I decided to step out of the Fourth Region again tonight and attend a sweet rivalry game between to cross-county rivals up in the land of thumb-picking guitar players. Ah, yes, Eddie Pennington playing "Cannonball Rag" is almost a soundtrack for traveling through Muhlenberg towns and communities like Greenville, Powderly, South Carrollton, and -- my favorite -- Browder. I know a man who lives about a mile down the road from Browder, and he calls it "Outer Browder."
My wife had a meeting tonight, so when I decided to go to this game it was with the understanding that I would have our four year old and eight year old in tow with me. Traveling with these two is like a tour of bathrooms where ever we go. Whatever they drink goes right through them. It's kind of like me putting motor oil through the engine of my 14 year old pickup truck. It goes in the top of the engine and drains through seals at the bottom. As we were trucking between Rochester and Browder, my eight year old informed me that she had to use the bathroom. She fidgeted as I negotiated the twists and turns of KY 70 through a pitch black night and a driving rainstorm.
She sighed relief when we swung into the parking lot of Muhlenberg South's parking lot. I did too.
There was a big crowd on hand, and the gymnasium was nearly full when we got our tickets and inched our way to the bathroom and eventually to our seats. We were ready for the Suns and the Stars, even though rain clouds sped over Muhlenberg County Tuesday night.
The Suns jumped out to a quick 13-4 lead over their favored rivals. The Stars twinkled into this contest with a 12-2 season record and an unblemished record of 4-0 in the Third Region. Their only losses were against a ranked Louisville Eastern club and Siegel in Tennessee. South, on the other hand, was 6-8 overall and 3-4 in the Third. I was a little surprised at the early run the Suns put on North.
Neither team was shy about launching long range jump shots from nearly anywhere on the court. They launched so many scuds I started looking for Iraqi air force uniforms and national news correspondents wearing gas masks. I'm willing to bet that they caused air raid sirens to sound in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the first quarter of the game. They were almost as accurate as Iraqis in the Persian Gulf War, too.
I feared for the rims and backboards at South's gym. At the end of the first quarter, the home team had a 17-13 lead.
For the South Suns, a freshman named Michael Civils ran the offense. He was cool and collected on the court, and I would've never guessed him to be a frosh until I found a crumpled up program after the game. He handled the ball well, and he had a good first step to the basket.
A couple of players for the North Stars caught my eye in the first half. Their center, Tommy Oates and a forward/guard named Erin Morris. I'm not sure about his name because I couldn't hear the public address very well, but I know his last name is Morris. He wear #12. Oates, knows how to use his body when he receives the ball on the post, and Morris is a good shooter and drives the lane well. Morris needs to learn to follow his shot instead of posing at the end of his follow-through.
The Suns took a 27-24 lead into halftime, but I knew they would have a tough time holding on to the lead after the break.
After the half, Muhlenberg North opened with a different approach on the offensive end. Instead, of launching scuds and waiting to see if Stone Phillips had to scurry for cover, they attacked the basket. They had a big size advantage on the South, and they decided to use it in the third. Oates got some buckets down low, and Morris, who looks to be about 6'3" took the shorter defenders into the paint.
The Stars outdid the Suns 16-8 in the third quarter and took 40-35 lead.
I thought that South might be done at this point in the game. They had no inside game and depended on the Iraqi air force -- Logan Diedrich and Matt Wolfe -- to try and save their upset bid. Diedrich, who has a quick move into the lane, gave up on that in the second half and only tried to shoot over North's defenders. When he shoots, he launches rainmakers that hit an apex about 10 feet above the rim and zip through the nets.
In fact, one of Diedrich's rainbow shots pulled south within four points, but North hit their free throws and continued to execute their inside game in the fourth quarter. Despite outscoring North 15-14 in the final frame, it wasn't enough to win. It should be noted that South outscored North in three of the four quarters, but the third quarter was what did them in on Tuesday.
North prevailed 54-50.
OBSERVATIONS
Scaramouche: Muhlenberg South's band rocks. I didn't follow their play list in the pre-game because I was worried about getting kids to the bathroom and getting to our seats. In the second half, though, they played "Back in Black" by AC/DC, which no doubt was done to emphasize that black is one of the school colors along with red and yellow. They also played Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." I've never heard a high school band tackle that one until Tuesday night. They did a good job. Can they do the fandango? Galileo magnifico! Bismillah!
Zebra Sparking: I've heard Third Region fans complain that the officials are too nice to Steve Sparks. I'll have to admit that they seemed to be rather chummy on Tuesday night. Maybe Sparks can mouth off to Billy Packer during an important game. Wait! Wrong Sparks. At times I thought I was watching an "eharmony" commercial when one official kept yucking it up with Coach Sparks.
What The Heck?: I noticed Muhlenberg North's students wearing camouflage t-shirts that read "Gitcha Sum..." I just can't even take a guess. I'm afraid to.
Lake Muhlenberg: If anyone attends a game at Muhlenberg South on a rainy night, beware of the part of their parking lot that doubles as a lake. It rained a lot Tuesday night. If it weren't for the parking lot holding water, Drakesboro would be flooded tonight. I thought I was going to have to put red and green outboard lights on my vehicle.
I decided to step out of the Fourth Region again tonight and attend a sweet rivalry game between to cross-county rivals up in the land of thumb-picking guitar players. Ah, yes, Eddie Pennington playing "Cannonball Rag" is almost a soundtrack for traveling through Muhlenberg towns and communities like Greenville, Powderly, South Carrollton, and -- my favorite -- Browder. I know a man who lives about a mile down the road from Browder, and he calls it "Outer Browder."
My wife had a meeting tonight, so when I decided to go to this game it was with the understanding that I would have our four year old and eight year old in tow with me. Traveling with these two is like a tour of bathrooms where ever we go. Whatever they drink goes right through them. It's kind of like me putting motor oil through the engine of my 14 year old pickup truck. It goes in the top of the engine and drains through seals at the bottom. As we were trucking between Rochester and Browder, my eight year old informed me that she had to use the bathroom. She fidgeted as I negotiated the twists and turns of KY 70 through a pitch black night and a driving rainstorm.
She sighed relief when we swung into the parking lot of Muhlenberg South's parking lot. I did too.
There was a big crowd on hand, and the gymnasium was nearly full when we got our tickets and inched our way to the bathroom and eventually to our seats. We were ready for the Suns and the Stars, even though rain clouds sped over Muhlenberg County Tuesday night.
The Suns jumped out to a quick 13-4 lead over their favored rivals. The Stars twinkled into this contest with a 12-2 season record and an unblemished record of 4-0 in the Third Region. Their only losses were against a ranked Louisville Eastern club and Siegel in Tennessee. South, on the other hand, was 6-8 overall and 3-4 in the Third. I was a little surprised at the early run the Suns put on North.
Neither team was shy about launching long range jump shots from nearly anywhere on the court. They launched so many scuds I started looking for Iraqi air force uniforms and national news correspondents wearing gas masks. I'm willing to bet that they caused air raid sirens to sound in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the first quarter of the game. They were almost as accurate as Iraqis in the Persian Gulf War, too.
I feared for the rims and backboards at South's gym. At the end of the first quarter, the home team had a 17-13 lead.
For the South Suns, a freshman named Michael Civils ran the offense. He was cool and collected on the court, and I would've never guessed him to be a frosh until I found a crumpled up program after the game. He handled the ball well, and he had a good first step to the basket.
A couple of players for the North Stars caught my eye in the first half. Their center, Tommy Oates and a forward/guard named Erin Morris. I'm not sure about his name because I couldn't hear the public address very well, but I know his last name is Morris. He wear #12. Oates, knows how to use his body when he receives the ball on the post, and Morris is a good shooter and drives the lane well. Morris needs to learn to follow his shot instead of posing at the end of his follow-through.
The Suns took a 27-24 lead into halftime, but I knew they would have a tough time holding on to the lead after the break.
After the half, Muhlenberg North opened with a different approach on the offensive end. Instead, of launching scuds and waiting to see if Stone Phillips had to scurry for cover, they attacked the basket. They had a big size advantage on the South, and they decided to use it in the third. Oates got some buckets down low, and Morris, who looks to be about 6'3" took the shorter defenders into the paint.
The Stars outdid the Suns 16-8 in the third quarter and took 40-35 lead.
I thought that South might be done at this point in the game. They had no inside game and depended on the Iraqi air force -- Logan Diedrich and Matt Wolfe -- to try and save their upset bid. Diedrich, who has a quick move into the lane, gave up on that in the second half and only tried to shoot over North's defenders. When he shoots, he launches rainmakers that hit an apex about 10 feet above the rim and zip through the nets.
In fact, one of Diedrich's rainbow shots pulled south within four points, but North hit their free throws and continued to execute their inside game in the fourth quarter. Despite outscoring North 15-14 in the final frame, it wasn't enough to win. It should be noted that South outscored North in three of the four quarters, but the third quarter was what did them in on Tuesday.
North prevailed 54-50.
OBSERVATIONS
Scaramouche: Muhlenberg South's band rocks. I didn't follow their play list in the pre-game because I was worried about getting kids to the bathroom and getting to our seats. In the second half, though, they played "Back in Black" by AC/DC, which no doubt was done to emphasize that black is one of the school colors along with red and yellow. They also played Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." I've never heard a high school band tackle that one until Tuesday night. They did a good job. Can they do the fandango? Galileo magnifico! Bismillah!
Zebra Sparking: I've heard Third Region fans complain that the officials are too nice to Steve Sparks. I'll have to admit that they seemed to be rather chummy on Tuesday night. Maybe Sparks can mouth off to Billy Packer during an important game. Wait! Wrong Sparks. At times I thought I was watching an "eharmony" commercial when one official kept yucking it up with Coach Sparks.
What The Heck?: I noticed Muhlenberg North's students wearing camouflage t-shirts that read "Gitcha Sum..." I just can't even take a guess. I'm afraid to.
Lake Muhlenberg: If anyone attends a game at Muhlenberg South on a rainy night, beware of the part of their parking lot that doubles as a lake. It rained a lot Tuesday night. If it weren't for the parking lot holding water, Drakesboro would be flooded tonight. I thought I was going to have to put red and green outboard lights on my vehicle.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Barren County 66 - Glasgow 53
Barren County High School, Glasgow, Kentucky
January 4, 2008
I had a tough decision to make tonight. All week I planned on going to the Warren East at Bowling Green game, but this afternoon I realized that Glasgow would tip it up against their crosstown rivals at Barren County High School. I finally decided to head up to Glasgow to catch this important 15th District ballgame.
When I was in high school in Louisville in the 1980s, teams played in front of big crowds. On the night Male High played Moore -- Winston Bennett vs. Manuel Forrest -- about five thousand people attended the old Male High gym. Tonight, when I pulled up to Barren County High School, the parking lot was almost full. My heart started pounding, and I thought about the "old days" before ESPN and network sports convinced everyone that they had to watch professional basketball or big time college basketball before they could enjoy themselves. It reminded me of a time when people went to high school games because it was the most accessible basketball. Too often, these days, I find gyms nearly empty.
That wasn't the case in Glasgow tonight. The gym wasn't full, but a lot of people were there and electricity coursed around the place. I loved Barren County's gymnasium the second I walked into it. It's too bad I forgot my camera tonight because a good photograph would go a long way in conveying the flavor of the place. A Glasgow fan told me that it was built in 1977, and that they put a new court down in 2007. Seats go all the way around the court, and roll-out bleachers are at the top of the gym. Except, one end featured glass windows looking in on a first rate weight room and training facility. It's a very nice venue. If I had one complaint, it would be that the bleachers are not steep enough to allow fans to see the court very well. It's a very minor complaint and one easily ignored.
In the ballgame, Barren County came to play and Glasgow must have left their game on the other side of town. From the opening tip it was as if the Trojans took a rolled-up newspaper and smacked the Scottie dogs right on their cold, wet noses. Steve Riley's cagers scolded, "BAD DOGS," and the Scotties cowered in fear.
The Trojans opened with a sticky man-to-man defense, and Glasgow, which is a relatively young team, could not withstand the pressure. They made turnovers, and if they worked the ball inside, they could not finish the play. By the end of the first quarter I was ready to award them the week's "Bare Wood Award": NO FINISH. The Scotties really did play scared or at best they were tight through most of the game.
Every team has a bad night. Maybe it was Glasgow's night in which nothing worked. They seemed to be sleepwalking through the first quarter and found themselves down 15-5.
The Scotties continued to play scared through most of the second quarter. The Trojans stretched out to a 26-9 lead, and it was looking bleak for the Scotties. The "Dawg Pound," several of whom were decked out in togas, was real quiet. I sat with some Glasgow fans, and they had their heads in their hands throughout most of the second quarter.
But, Glasgow made a small run late in the half that kept the game from getting out of control. They cut the lead down to 26-16. I'm going to give a "Charlie Brown Blockhead Award" to Glasgow's Kerrington Bradley for fouling Blake Crabtree with just 0.8 seconds on the clock. Crabtree hit one of two, which let Barren County take a 27-16 lead into the break.
Fouling with 0.8 seconds is the kind of thing that makes a coach age almost instantaneously. Glasgow Coach John Tinsley probably aged a few months in the last eight-tenths of a second of the second quarter.
At the half, I felt like Glasgow saved themselves from disaster and gave themselves a chance to get back into the game. Still, they let Barren County control the tempo, something they are very good at doing, and the Trojans seemed to control the game.
In the third quarter, Glasgow tried to force the ball down the court and keep Barren County from setting up their half court defense, which stymied the Scotties. Glasgow, however, could not finish their plays. Their players don't help each other out, and a fan pointed out that they never move to the ball when a pass is thrown. They stand and wait for the ball to get to them.
With 1:40 left in the third, Barren County had a 49-23 lead on their rival. I'm not completely sure, but I thought I heard the Barren County public address announce where the Scotties' bus was parked. That was funny. I don't know if it was meant to be funny, but it was.
Barren County had a commanding 51-25 lead. Glasgow managed only 9 points in the third.
I started to wonder what I was missing down in Bowling Green, where the Purples were tangling with the Raiders from Warren East.
Early in the fourth frame, Barren County doubled the score up on Glasgow, 56-28. Ouch!
Glasgow wasn't going to roll over and play dead, though. Behind the leadership of senior Charlie Mudd, the Scotties mounted a late game rally. Mudd made a layup and then hit two quick three pointers, and it was as if he breathed life into his beaten team. I think he had 17 points on the night, 11 of which, I think, came in the fourth quarter. Barren County started playing just to finish the game, and they let Glasgow back into the contest. Coach Steve Riley had rested most of his starters late in the game, but he had to put them back on the floor to stop the little spurt Glasgow was putting on them.
It was too little too late from the Scotties. No one would que up any Led Zepplin "Black Dog" in Glasgow on this night. Barren County pulled out the victory 66-53. The game wasn't as close as the score indicates.
OBSERVATIONS
Life of Riley: It's been since 2000 that a coach not named "Riley" took a Fourth Region team to the Sweet Sixteen. I'm starting to think that a Riley coached team might be in Rupp this spring only it might be Steve Riley's ball team. I've joked for the past three years that they should name the Fourth Region Tournament at Diddle Arena "The Riley Invitational."
February 19th: The Barren County student section started chanting that date during the third quarter of tonight's ballgame. I couldn't figure it out until someone pointed out that several of Metcalfe County's ball players were in attendance. Barren County lost to Metcalfe in Edmonton the other night, and the return game is on Feb. 19th in Glasgow. I wouldn't be so anxious if I were a Barren County fan. Metcalfe has one loss and has yet to lose to a team from Kentucky.
Mother Hubbard: Barren County's Lee Hubbard has "got game." In the second quarter he got a rebound down on the blocks at the right side of the lane. He made a drop step, pivoted and went straight up with the ball without dribbling and without hesitation. I remember listening to Bobby Knight beef about fundamental basketball not getting any attention in sports highlights. Hubbard would've made The General proud tonight. That move was nearly perfect but not flashy. He still got his team a rebound and two points. a Glasgow fan told me that Hubbard is a real good kid. That's pretty good when a player is getting an endorsement from the fans of an arch-rival.
Break Out the Carl Perkins: Glasgow is sporting some flashy blue Adidas this season. I kept hearing Carl Perkins or Elvis singing "Blue Suede Shoes" every time I looked at their feet.
District Implications: Barren County stays right behind Metcalfe, which is 3-0 in the 15th District. The Trojans are 2-1, while Glasgow is even with one loss and one win. Allen County-Scottsville has played just one district game, and they are 1-0. Just like in the neighboring 14th District, a couple of good teams will end their season early, so seeding is incredibly important.
His Name is Mudd: I really like Charlie Mudd for the Scotties. He is the team's leader and a gritty ballplayer.
January 4, 2008
I had a tough decision to make tonight. All week I planned on going to the Warren East at Bowling Green game, but this afternoon I realized that Glasgow would tip it up against their crosstown rivals at Barren County High School. I finally decided to head up to Glasgow to catch this important 15th District ballgame.
When I was in high school in Louisville in the 1980s, teams played in front of big crowds. On the night Male High played Moore -- Winston Bennett vs. Manuel Forrest -- about five thousand people attended the old Male High gym. Tonight, when I pulled up to Barren County High School, the parking lot was almost full. My heart started pounding, and I thought about the "old days" before ESPN and network sports convinced everyone that they had to watch professional basketball or big time college basketball before they could enjoy themselves. It reminded me of a time when people went to high school games because it was the most accessible basketball. Too often, these days, I find gyms nearly empty.
That wasn't the case in Glasgow tonight. The gym wasn't full, but a lot of people were there and electricity coursed around the place. I loved Barren County's gymnasium the second I walked into it. It's too bad I forgot my camera tonight because a good photograph would go a long way in conveying the flavor of the place. A Glasgow fan told me that it was built in 1977, and that they put a new court down in 2007. Seats go all the way around the court, and roll-out bleachers are at the top of the gym. Except, one end featured glass windows looking in on a first rate weight room and training facility. It's a very nice venue. If I had one complaint, it would be that the bleachers are not steep enough to allow fans to see the court very well. It's a very minor complaint and one easily ignored.
In the ballgame, Barren County came to play and Glasgow must have left their game on the other side of town. From the opening tip it was as if the Trojans took a rolled-up newspaper and smacked the Scottie dogs right on their cold, wet noses. Steve Riley's cagers scolded, "BAD DOGS," and the Scotties cowered in fear.
The Trojans opened with a sticky man-to-man defense, and Glasgow, which is a relatively young team, could not withstand the pressure. They made turnovers, and if they worked the ball inside, they could not finish the play. By the end of the first quarter I was ready to award them the week's "Bare Wood Award": NO FINISH. The Scotties really did play scared or at best they were tight through most of the game.
Every team has a bad night. Maybe it was Glasgow's night in which nothing worked. They seemed to be sleepwalking through the first quarter and found themselves down 15-5.
The Scotties continued to play scared through most of the second quarter. The Trojans stretched out to a 26-9 lead, and it was looking bleak for the Scotties. The "Dawg Pound," several of whom were decked out in togas, was real quiet. I sat with some Glasgow fans, and they had their heads in their hands throughout most of the second quarter.
But, Glasgow made a small run late in the half that kept the game from getting out of control. They cut the lead down to 26-16. I'm going to give a "Charlie Brown Blockhead Award" to Glasgow's Kerrington Bradley for fouling Blake Crabtree with just 0.8 seconds on the clock. Crabtree hit one of two, which let Barren County take a 27-16 lead into the break.
Fouling with 0.8 seconds is the kind of thing that makes a coach age almost instantaneously. Glasgow Coach John Tinsley probably aged a few months in the last eight-tenths of a second of the second quarter.
At the half, I felt like Glasgow saved themselves from disaster and gave themselves a chance to get back into the game. Still, they let Barren County control the tempo, something they are very good at doing, and the Trojans seemed to control the game.
In the third quarter, Glasgow tried to force the ball down the court and keep Barren County from setting up their half court defense, which stymied the Scotties. Glasgow, however, could not finish their plays. Their players don't help each other out, and a fan pointed out that they never move to the ball when a pass is thrown. They stand and wait for the ball to get to them.
With 1:40 left in the third, Barren County had a 49-23 lead on their rival. I'm not completely sure, but I thought I heard the Barren County public address announce where the Scotties' bus was parked. That was funny. I don't know if it was meant to be funny, but it was.
Barren County had a commanding 51-25 lead. Glasgow managed only 9 points in the third.
I started to wonder what I was missing down in Bowling Green, where the Purples were tangling with the Raiders from Warren East.
Early in the fourth frame, Barren County doubled the score up on Glasgow, 56-28. Ouch!
Glasgow wasn't going to roll over and play dead, though. Behind the leadership of senior Charlie Mudd, the Scotties mounted a late game rally. Mudd made a layup and then hit two quick three pointers, and it was as if he breathed life into his beaten team. I think he had 17 points on the night, 11 of which, I think, came in the fourth quarter. Barren County started playing just to finish the game, and they let Glasgow back into the contest. Coach Steve Riley had rested most of his starters late in the game, but he had to put them back on the floor to stop the little spurt Glasgow was putting on them.
It was too little too late from the Scotties. No one would que up any Led Zepplin "Black Dog" in Glasgow on this night. Barren County pulled out the victory 66-53. The game wasn't as close as the score indicates.
OBSERVATIONS
Life of Riley: It's been since 2000 that a coach not named "Riley" took a Fourth Region team to the Sweet Sixteen. I'm starting to think that a Riley coached team might be in Rupp this spring only it might be Steve Riley's ball team. I've joked for the past three years that they should name the Fourth Region Tournament at Diddle Arena "The Riley Invitational."
February 19th: The Barren County student section started chanting that date during the third quarter of tonight's ballgame. I couldn't figure it out until someone pointed out that several of Metcalfe County's ball players were in attendance. Barren County lost to Metcalfe in Edmonton the other night, and the return game is on Feb. 19th in Glasgow. I wouldn't be so anxious if I were a Barren County fan. Metcalfe has one loss and has yet to lose to a team from Kentucky.
Mother Hubbard: Barren County's Lee Hubbard has "got game." In the second quarter he got a rebound down on the blocks at the right side of the lane. He made a drop step, pivoted and went straight up with the ball without dribbling and without hesitation. I remember listening to Bobby Knight beef about fundamental basketball not getting any attention in sports highlights. Hubbard would've made The General proud tonight. That move was nearly perfect but not flashy. He still got his team a rebound and two points. a Glasgow fan told me that Hubbard is a real good kid. That's pretty good when a player is getting an endorsement from the fans of an arch-rival.
Break Out the Carl Perkins: Glasgow is sporting some flashy blue Adidas this season. I kept hearing Carl Perkins or Elvis singing "Blue Suede Shoes" every time I looked at their feet.
District Implications: Barren County stays right behind Metcalfe, which is 3-0 in the 15th District. The Trojans are 2-1, while Glasgow is even with one loss and one win. Allen County-Scottsville has played just one district game, and they are 1-0. Just like in the neighboring 14th District, a couple of good teams will end their season early, so seeding is incredibly important.
His Name is Mudd: I really like Charlie Mudd for the Scotties. He is the team's leader and a gritty ballplayer.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Fifth Region Review
When Pick and Roll told me about his idea to start this blog, I told him that I would love to help him out. He knew that I was a fan of high school basketball. At first, I didn't know what kind of approach to take, but then I told myself to just go to games and see what I could come up with. I hope Pick and Roll readers have enjoyed my views so far.
Like Pick and Roll, I, too, have a job, but mine is a little different than his because I work a night shift in Elizabethtown. How do I get to the game? Well, my schedule allows me some days off during the week, but, in turn, I work a lot Saturdays and Sundays. It's really not that bad.
I thought I would give a Fifth Region review:
Adair County Indians
They're quickly becoming one of my favorite teams. They had a great holiday tournament season, but they suffered their first loss to an 11-2 Boone County squad in the Hoopin It up Classic. Then, they traveled to the King of the Bluegrass, where they had a tough first round draw against a very good University Heights team. They lost in overtime. They've played a very tough non-region schedule, which should prepare them for Fifth Region play. I'm sure that is what Coach Mark Fudge was wanting.
Adiar is ledy by 6'7" Darrin Ballou, who is only a junior, and from what I gathered from the KOB, he is catching the eye of some college coaches. The Indians are not wasting any time getting into regional play. They open up the new year with a game against always tough North Hardin on January 4th. Adair is 11-3.
North Hardin Trojans
I saw North Hardin take on John Hardin on December 13th. The Trojans have a slew athletes, led by point guard Maurice Gosa, who is very quick and loves to take people off the dribble. North Hardin was busy during the holidays as well. They went 3-0 in the Athlete's Choice Classic at Bardstown Bethlehem, and then went 2-2 in the KFC-Taco Bell Classic at Marion County, losing to Lexington Paul Dunbar in double overtime. Opponents better watch out for this team's quickness because they flat get it up an down the floor. They also have a good percentage from the three point line. Like I wrote in an earlier post, they have veteran coach Ron Bevars, who has an impressive regional tournament record, so don't ever count them out.
Larue County Hawks
Okay. I've been taking some flack from people around the Fifth Region over Larue County. I live there, and I'm good friends with their head coach, Paul Childress, so, naturally, I'm not going to let anyone talk smack about them. They have a 9-1 record, but some say they've played a weak schedule. However, if fans go back and look at the start of the season, they had three payers, two of whom were starters from last year's team, out with injuries. One of them is still out, and they're all seniors. Coach Childress was forced to play Junior Bryan Bault, who had never played one minute of high school basketball until this year. He must be pretty pleased with his team's early run. Bryan Bault? He's leading the team in points and rebounds.
I also like that Larue's coaching staff consistently teaches their young players. They give them a chance to play and make them learn from their mistakes.
Editor's query: Is the Wonder Woman of Kentucky County Clerks still in office? I always enjoyed working with her and got a kick out of telling people that I was going to meet Linda Carter in Hodgenville.
Bardstown Tigers
The Tigers may be as quick and athletic as North Hardin. I watched them dismantle Green County over the holidays. They are led by Demarco Phillips, who is a smooth, lanky wing player. They started the season with a seven game winning streak, but they ran into a good Allen County-Scottsville team ledy by Pick and Roll's favorite player, Jay "Pickle Juice" Starks. Look for Bardstown to go into regional play wide open and ready to kick into high gear.
Elizabethtown Panthers
I haven't been able to watch the Panthers, normally a Fifth Region power. Lately, they have been on fire, winning five games in a row after dropping four of their first five. Never county out a James Haire coached team. I hope to report on them later.
Taylor County Cardinals
Again, I haven't had a chance to see them play, but they've caught my attention. They beat Elizabethtown in the second game of the season, but they gave the win back to E-town in the championship game of the Coca-Cola Classic. The Cardinals also had a good game against Adair County, losing by only four in Columbia. Loaded with another Gumm as a three point threat, look for Taylor to maybe surprise some teams.
Like Pick and Roll, I, too, have a job, but mine is a little different than his because I work a night shift in Elizabethtown. How do I get to the game? Well, my schedule allows me some days off during the week, but, in turn, I work a lot Saturdays and Sundays. It's really not that bad.
I thought I would give a Fifth Region review:
Adair County Indians
They're quickly becoming one of my favorite teams. They had a great holiday tournament season, but they suffered their first loss to an 11-2 Boone County squad in the Hoopin It up Classic. Then, they traveled to the King of the Bluegrass, where they had a tough first round draw against a very good University Heights team. They lost in overtime. They've played a very tough non-region schedule, which should prepare them for Fifth Region play. I'm sure that is what Coach Mark Fudge was wanting.
Adiar is ledy by 6'7" Darrin Ballou, who is only a junior, and from what I gathered from the KOB, he is catching the eye of some college coaches. The Indians are not wasting any time getting into regional play. They open up the new year with a game against always tough North Hardin on January 4th. Adair is 11-3.
North Hardin Trojans
I saw North Hardin take on John Hardin on December 13th. The Trojans have a slew athletes, led by point guard Maurice Gosa, who is very quick and loves to take people off the dribble. North Hardin was busy during the holidays as well. They went 3-0 in the Athlete's Choice Classic at Bardstown Bethlehem, and then went 2-2 in the KFC-Taco Bell Classic at Marion County, losing to Lexington Paul Dunbar in double overtime. Opponents better watch out for this team's quickness because they flat get it up an down the floor. They also have a good percentage from the three point line. Like I wrote in an earlier post, they have veteran coach Ron Bevars, who has an impressive regional tournament record, so don't ever count them out.
Larue County Hawks
Okay. I've been taking some flack from people around the Fifth Region over Larue County. I live there, and I'm good friends with their head coach, Paul Childress, so, naturally, I'm not going to let anyone talk smack about them. They have a 9-1 record, but some say they've played a weak schedule. However, if fans go back and look at the start of the season, they had three payers, two of whom were starters from last year's team, out with injuries. One of them is still out, and they're all seniors. Coach Childress was forced to play Junior Bryan Bault, who had never played one minute of high school basketball until this year. He must be pretty pleased with his team's early run. Bryan Bault? He's leading the team in points and rebounds.
I also like that Larue's coaching staff consistently teaches their young players. They give them a chance to play and make them learn from their mistakes.
Editor's query: Is the Wonder Woman of Kentucky County Clerks still in office? I always enjoyed working with her and got a kick out of telling people that I was going to meet Linda Carter in Hodgenville.
Bardstown Tigers
The Tigers may be as quick and athletic as North Hardin. I watched them dismantle Green County over the holidays. They are led by Demarco Phillips, who is a smooth, lanky wing player. They started the season with a seven game winning streak, but they ran into a good Allen County-Scottsville team ledy by Pick and Roll's favorite player, Jay "Pickle Juice" Starks. Look for Bardstown to go into regional play wide open and ready to kick into high gear.
Elizabethtown Panthers
I haven't been able to watch the Panthers, normally a Fifth Region power. Lately, they have been on fire, winning five games in a row after dropping four of their first five. Never county out a James Haire coached team. I hope to report on them later.
Taylor County Cardinals
Again, I haven't had a chance to see them play, but they've caught my attention. They beat Elizabethtown in the second game of the season, but they gave the win back to E-town in the championship game of the Coca-Cola Classic. The Cardinals also had a good game against Adair County, losing by only four in Columbia. Loaded with another Gumm as a three point threat, look for Taylor to maybe surprise some teams.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Fourth Region Review 12-31-07
I wish I was armed with a bunch of statistics, but one of the shortcomings of writing from a fan's perspective is that high school sports fans have trouble coming up with statistics. Plus, I have this thing called a "job" that eats up so much of the time I'd like to following high school hoops and searching for statistics.
I'd quit my job and do nothing but watch and write about sports, but my wife always lays a guilt trip on me: "The kids need to be fed" or "We need to pay the mortgage, electric bill, and gas bill." What's more important? Seeing that the kids are not malnourished or catching a match up between Logan County and Monroe County?
However, I can draw upon schools' records, opponents, and the games I have seen since Thanksgiving. Since the start of the season, I've seen seven of the sixteen Fourth Region teams play. I've seen Bowling Green, Greenwood, Cumberland County and Barren County play multiple times, and six of the seven teams have a good shot at winning the Fourth Region Tournament in March.
Barren County Trojans
Barren County played very well and won the Citizens First Classic in Bowling Green. They are well coached and execute their plays with precision. They are led by 6'1" senior forward Lee Hubbard and point guard Matt Riley. All five of Barren's starters are seniors, and they have seniors coming in off the bench. I always tend to favor experienced ball clubs when crunch time comes in March. When I start thinking about post season play in the Fourth, Barren County always jumps into my mind. They are 10-3 overall and 3-2 in the region, which doesn't really make my case very well.
Warren East Raiders
Unfortunately, the only chance I've had to see Warren East play was in the ugly, whistle fest they played against Warren Central on December 7th. Jordan Ellis spent most of that game on the bench in foul trouble, but Deangelo Kirk's shooting kept them in that game. East is 9-1 overall and undefeated in the region after four games. After the game against Central, I compared the Raiders to Rodney Dangerfield: "they don't get no respect." That still may be the case with fans, but I think Fourth Region coaches are giving them respect. I think they'll be jamming to some Aretha Franklin by the end of the regular season. They won the Murray Bank Classic and fared well in the Campbellsville University Classic. I'd watch out for them in March.
Metcalfe County Hornets
I haven't seen Metcalfe County play, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Hornets take to the Hardwood. They are 10-1 and undefeated after four games against Fourth Region opponents. They got fat on teams like Cumberland County, Monroe County, and Clinton County, but they beat Barren County in Edmonton on December 14th. Their only loss came in the Arby's/KFC Classic in Marion, Kentucky, at the hands of Ballou High School out of Washington, D.C.
We'll check back with them at the end of January and see how they did against teams like Warren East, Franklin Simpson, and Allen County-Scottsville. They play the Raiders at Warren East on January 12th, and I'm going to try my best to make that game.
Bowling Green Purples
The Purps are 5-1 against Fourth Region foes, with their only loss coming in the consolation game of the Citizens First Holiday Classic to crosstown rival Greenwood. Overall, D.G. Sherrill's squad is 9-3 with losses at the hands of Hazel Green out of Alabama and University Heights Academy. UHA is led by the tough tandem of Tyshawn Edmonson and Blue Chipper Scotty Hopson, and they played Bowling Green when most of the Purples' team was still playing football. After Christmas BG traveled to Morton's Gap and won the Hopkins Central Holiday Classic.
Warren Central Dragons
Is this the year that Tim Riley's reign over the Fourth Region ends. The Dragons are listed 11th in the region in overall wins, and they are 0-1 in the Fourth with a loss to Warren East. They dropped six games in a row, but the string included losses to Pleasure Ridge Park, Apollo, Hopkinsville, and the overtime loss to Warren East. St. Xavier (OH) wiped up the court with the Dragons in the Monticello Bank Classic, but Warren Central hosts the Greenwood Gators on January 4th for only their second Fourth Region match up. I just get the feeling that the Dragons are smoldering and will be breathing fire by the time district play starts. It would be foolish to count them out.
Greenwood Gators
I guess I've seen them play more than any team on the region. I even caught part of their game with Central Hardin in Murray on December 27th. They lost that game, but they beat Bowling Green in the Purples' auxiliary gym in the consolation game of the Citizens First Classic. The Gators are 9-6 overall and 2-4 in the region. They puzzle me. Sometimes they look great and other times they seem incapable. I saw them loose a heart breaker to Allen County-Scottsville on the opening night of the season. The Gators have no size, so they must execute with precision to beat larger teams. This is another team that I would not count out in March.
I'd love to write about other teams, but there's several teams in the region that have a shot at making some noise and Diddle on their way to Rupp Arena. The Fourth Region is absolutely wide open at this point, and I think there are several very competitive teams in it. January and February should prove to be exciting.
If any of my readers think I gave short shrift to their favorite team or overlooked any team, please comment and tell me so. I'm no expert, just a fan.
I'd quit my job and do nothing but watch and write about sports, but my wife always lays a guilt trip on me: "The kids need to be fed" or "We need to pay the mortgage, electric bill, and gas bill." What's more important? Seeing that the kids are not malnourished or catching a match up between Logan County and Monroe County?
However, I can draw upon schools' records, opponents, and the games I have seen since Thanksgiving. Since the start of the season, I've seen seven of the sixteen Fourth Region teams play. I've seen Bowling Green, Greenwood, Cumberland County and Barren County play multiple times, and six of the seven teams have a good shot at winning the Fourth Region Tournament in March.
Barren County Trojans
Barren County played very well and won the Citizens First Classic in Bowling Green. They are well coached and execute their plays with precision. They are led by 6'1" senior forward Lee Hubbard and point guard Matt Riley. All five of Barren's starters are seniors, and they have seniors coming in off the bench. I always tend to favor experienced ball clubs when crunch time comes in March. When I start thinking about post season play in the Fourth, Barren County always jumps into my mind. They are 10-3 overall and 3-2 in the region, which doesn't really make my case very well.
Warren East Raiders
Unfortunately, the only chance I've had to see Warren East play was in the ugly, whistle fest they played against Warren Central on December 7th. Jordan Ellis spent most of that game on the bench in foul trouble, but Deangelo Kirk's shooting kept them in that game. East is 9-1 overall and undefeated in the region after four games. After the game against Central, I compared the Raiders to Rodney Dangerfield: "they don't get no respect." That still may be the case with fans, but I think Fourth Region coaches are giving them respect. I think they'll be jamming to some Aretha Franklin by the end of the regular season. They won the Murray Bank Classic and fared well in the Campbellsville University Classic. I'd watch out for them in March.
Metcalfe County Hornets
I haven't seen Metcalfe County play, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Hornets take to the Hardwood. They are 10-1 and undefeated after four games against Fourth Region opponents. They got fat on teams like Cumberland County, Monroe County, and Clinton County, but they beat Barren County in Edmonton on December 14th. Their only loss came in the Arby's/KFC Classic in Marion, Kentucky, at the hands of Ballou High School out of Washington, D.C.
We'll check back with them at the end of January and see how they did against teams like Warren East, Franklin Simpson, and Allen County-Scottsville. They play the Raiders at Warren East on January 12th, and I'm going to try my best to make that game.
Bowling Green Purples
The Purps are 5-1 against Fourth Region foes, with their only loss coming in the consolation game of the Citizens First Holiday Classic to crosstown rival Greenwood. Overall, D.G. Sherrill's squad is 9-3 with losses at the hands of Hazel Green out of Alabama and University Heights Academy. UHA is led by the tough tandem of Tyshawn Edmonson and Blue Chipper Scotty Hopson, and they played Bowling Green when most of the Purples' team was still playing football. After Christmas BG traveled to Morton's Gap and won the Hopkins Central Holiday Classic.
Warren Central Dragons
Is this the year that Tim Riley's reign over the Fourth Region ends. The Dragons are listed 11th in the region in overall wins, and they are 0-1 in the Fourth with a loss to Warren East. They dropped six games in a row, but the string included losses to Pleasure Ridge Park, Apollo, Hopkinsville, and the overtime loss to Warren East. St. Xavier (OH) wiped up the court with the Dragons in the Monticello Bank Classic, but Warren Central hosts the Greenwood Gators on January 4th for only their second Fourth Region match up. I just get the feeling that the Dragons are smoldering and will be breathing fire by the time district play starts. It would be foolish to count them out.
Greenwood Gators
I guess I've seen them play more than any team on the region. I even caught part of their game with Central Hardin in Murray on December 27th. They lost that game, but they beat Bowling Green in the Purples' auxiliary gym in the consolation game of the Citizens First Classic. The Gators are 9-6 overall and 2-4 in the region. They puzzle me. Sometimes they look great and other times they seem incapable. I saw them loose a heart breaker to Allen County-Scottsville on the opening night of the season. The Gators have no size, so they must execute with precision to beat larger teams. This is another team that I would not count out in March.
I'd love to write about other teams, but there's several teams in the region that have a shot at making some noise and Diddle on their way to Rupp Arena. The Fourth Region is absolutely wide open at this point, and I think there are several very competitive teams in it. January and February should prove to be exciting.
If any of my readers think I gave short shrift to their favorite team or overlooked any team, please comment and tell me so. I'm no expert, just a fan.
Friday, December 28, 2007
King of the Bluegrass Tournament
Madison Central vs. Louisville Trinity 12-26-07
By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent
I just didn't see myself sitting in Lebanon all day, so I jumped in my truck and headed to Louisvlle to watch the King of the Bluegrass. By the time I ventured through Springfield and Bardstown to I-65, my belly was growling. I kept telling myself to make it to Shepherdsville so I could get some of that Boot Leg Bar-B-Q. That hit the spot. I needed a nap, but I knew I had to get to Fairdale High School to see some hoops.
Barbecue and basketball! There's no better combination except maybe a well executed give-and-go.
I got there for the 2:30 p.m. game that featured Madison Central against Trinity, Louisville's perennial football powerhouse.
Madison Central is powered by 6'7" Aaron Morris, but I though he looked a little lazy on defense. Although Trinity is not know for their basketball, they started out by taking it right to the Indians. The place was packed and most fans were there to watch Morris, but Trinity held him scoreless in the first quarter. They held a 16-11 lead after one quarter.
Trinity kept the momentum at the beginning of the second, but it didn't last long. Morris could not be silent, and his team showed a lot of patience on offense. They pounded it down low to Morris, and he used his height to a sizable advantage. Trinity had no answer. He's also good out away from the basket. He scored 12 points in the second, and the Indians took a 32-30 lead into halftime.
Trinity has a lot of heart. they hustle up and down the court, and they were determined not to be blown out by MC. Trinity is well coached, and a gutsy guard named Matt Chambless led them on the court. The Shamrocks kept it close and were getting under Madison's skin. At the end of the third, the Indians still had just a two point lead, 43-41.
Both teams entered the game with a 5-3 record, which surprised me because they both played better than 5-3 ballclubs.
It was a really good game. Madison Central had the lead most of the way, but they never had a big lead. Trinity stayed after them, and with five minutes to go they MC had a five point lead. The Shamrocks were not finished, however. Led by Chambless, they tied it up with three minutes left in the game.
The Indians hit their free throws down the stretch, and it made the difference in the game. They got lucky and won 60-57.
OBSERVATIONS
He Ain't Catfood: I'm sure Aaron Morris is on someone's recruiting list. He is a senior and will be a steal for some team. He does need some polishing (not much), and he had a quiet 23 points against Trinity. He is silky smooth.
Fear the Rocks: Trinity has no fear. They had a balanced scoring attack and a sticky man-to-man defense. They just got into a situation where they had to foul and Madison made their free throws. If they play like they did today, they may surprise some people, too.
Editor's Note: I noticed that Allen Feldhaus, Jr., is Madison Central's coach.
By Chris Gregory, Fifth Region Correspondent
I just didn't see myself sitting in Lebanon all day, so I jumped in my truck and headed to Louisvlle to watch the King of the Bluegrass. By the time I ventured through Springfield and Bardstown to I-65, my belly was growling. I kept telling myself to make it to Shepherdsville so I could get some of that Boot Leg Bar-B-Q. That hit the spot. I needed a nap, but I knew I had to get to Fairdale High School to see some hoops.
Barbecue and basketball! There's no better combination except maybe a well executed give-and-go.
I got there for the 2:30 p.m. game that featured Madison Central against Trinity, Louisville's perennial football powerhouse.
Madison Central is powered by 6'7" Aaron Morris, but I though he looked a little lazy on defense. Although Trinity is not know for their basketball, they started out by taking it right to the Indians. The place was packed and most fans were there to watch Morris, but Trinity held him scoreless in the first quarter. They held a 16-11 lead after one quarter.
Trinity kept the momentum at the beginning of the second, but it didn't last long. Morris could not be silent, and his team showed a lot of patience on offense. They pounded it down low to Morris, and he used his height to a sizable advantage. Trinity had no answer. He's also good out away from the basket. He scored 12 points in the second, and the Indians took a 32-30 lead into halftime.
Trinity has a lot of heart. they hustle up and down the court, and they were determined not to be blown out by MC. Trinity is well coached, and a gutsy guard named Matt Chambless led them on the court. The Shamrocks kept it close and were getting under Madison's skin. At the end of the third, the Indians still had just a two point lead, 43-41.
Both teams entered the game with a 5-3 record, which surprised me because they both played better than 5-3 ballclubs.
It was a really good game. Madison Central had the lead most of the way, but they never had a big lead. Trinity stayed after them, and with five minutes to go they MC had a five point lead. The Shamrocks were not finished, however. Led by Chambless, they tied it up with three minutes left in the game.
The Indians hit their free throws down the stretch, and it made the difference in the game. They got lucky and won 60-57.
OBSERVATIONS
He Ain't Catfood: I'm sure Aaron Morris is on someone's recruiting list. He is a senior and will be a steal for some team. He does need some polishing (not much), and he had a quiet 23 points against Trinity. He is silky smooth.
Fear the Rocks: Trinity has no fear. They had a balanced scoring attack and a sticky man-to-man defense. They just got into a situation where they had to foul and Madison made their free throws. If they play like they did today, they may surprise some people, too.
Editor's Note: I noticed that Allen Feldhaus, Jr., is Madison Central's coach.
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