Third District Semi-finals, Graves County High School, Mayfield, Kentucky 02-25-08
They call Ballard Memorial "The Bombers," which is one of my favorite nicknames in high school basketball. They often use a B-17 in their log, although the forces of political correctness have probably made them use it less and less. I was once told that they picked up the name "Bombers" because so many people in Ballard County worked at the Kentucky Munitions Plant where they made trinitrotolune (TNT) for bombs used in World War II.
On Tuesday night Ballard Memorial were bombers more in the sense of the movie "Ishtar." They weren't bombers. They weren't "da bomb." They were just a bomb.
During warmups, Mayfield went through drills and excercises like they were on a mission. Ballard Memorial's players stood around and chatted and took short shots right around the rim. They reminded me of my cronies and me when we were shooting around at the goal in Lyndon Baptist Church's parking lot. Fans would've never known that their season had the chance to end with this game. The players may have looked upon it as a mercy killing. They last tasted victory on January 5th when they flogged Community Christian (Paducah) 53-42.
Bombers playing Christians. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something humorous about that.
I saw Mayfield play on January 15th when they lost a tight one to Carlisle County, 67-65.
Ballard Memorial opened the game with a 2-3 zone, which appeared to be designed to contain Mayfield's Tony Hockett. Hockett could get around anyone on the Bombers squad, and he is very good around the basket. At first, Mayfield seemed reluctant to attack the zone, and it worked at containing Hockett.
Mayfield, however, started pressing Ballard Memorial and forced some turnovers. The Cardinals woke up after Xavier Shelton, a 6'1" sophomore made the nastiest block I've seen this season. A Bomber moved toward the basket and tried to put up a weak running jumper. Shelton reared back and swatted the ball way out-of-bounds. He sent that Bomber down in flames.
Mayfield had a small lead, 13-9, at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Mayfield got frustrated with Ballard Memorial's persistent zone, and the Cardinals started playing sloppy. Hockett had trouble finding his way into the zone, and at one point the Bombers had pulled within two. That's when Mayfield's Colby Sanderson, a 5'11" junior, decided to bomb the bombers. He nailed back-to-back three pointers, and in a flash, the Cardinals had a 23-15 lead. Sanderson tried to connect with a third long shot, but the ball rimmed off the basket. The Mayfield fans were chanting his name.
Mayfield had a 25-19 lead at halftime.
At halftime Mayfield's Coach Chris Guhy kept the Cardinals in the lockeroom for nearly the entire half. They didn't come back out onto the court until there was 50 seconds left on the clock.
They played the third quarter like Coach Guhy blistered them during the half. I suspect they might have to re-paint one of the lockerooms at Graves County High School this week. Hockett started finding his way into the paint, and the Cardinal's press forced the Bombers to turn the ball over. They also trapped effectively when Ballard tried to set-up their half court offense.
Mayfield outscored Ballard 21-11 in the third quarter to take a commanding 46-30 lead.
I thought the game was over, and in the fourth Mayfield pushed the lead out to 19 points two different times. Ballard Memorial -- this seemingly lowly team with only two victories on the season -- were not going to let Mayfield shoot them down so easily. They made a run at the Cardinals, led by Will "I-40" Mallory, who likes to go coast-to-coast and Brandon Bellamy. Late in the game, the Bombers cut the lead to seven points, but Mayfield was able to hold on to win, 62-55.
Mayfield will take on the winner of the Graves County vs. St. Mary's game on the 26th.
OBSERVATIONS
The Eagles' Nest: Graves County gym is a fantastic facility. I don't know how many fans it seats, but it has a lot seating, including good, steep wooden bleachers in the end zones. I had a second row chair back seat for which I paid $6.00. They had pennants for every team in the First Region hanging from railing at one end of the gym. It's well lighted and looks like a good court. That means that two of the best gyms I've been in this year are in Graves County (the best gym in the state is Mayfield's dome). Who says that the Jackson Purchase is all about football?
Proud Mary: "I left a good job in the city." Mayfield's band flat out rocks, and they are tied with Allen County-Scottsville's band for the best of the season. They whipped out the Ike and Tina Turner version of Proud Mary during warmups. The funniest headline I've seen recently was "Ike beats Tina Turner to Death." Ike Turner died in 2007. Anyway, the Cardinal band is large, loud, and good. There was no canned music piped in tonight, just the Mayfield band. At halftime they played The Commodores' "Brick.....House."
Flash Gordon: Hardly. Greg Gordon, the Ballard Memorial Bombers' 5'9" junior guard has the slowest three point shot in my life. It takes him forever to set up, cock, and fire. He hit one maybe two tonight. I could time him with a sun dial.
Gimme, Oh, Gimme a Redneck Girl: I wonder if Ballard's Brandon Bellamy has a brother and if they prefer girls with their names on the backs of their belts? He's too young to be an "Old Hippie" and probably not a bird on the wing.
Flighty District: The 3rd District features the Graves County Eagles, the Mayfield Cardinals, and the Ballard Memorial Bombers (B-17) variety. St. Mary is the "Vikings." They're the only thing flightless in this district.
Showing posts with label Mayfield Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mayfield Basketball. Show all posts
Monday, February 25, 2008
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.
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