Greenwood 54 - Russell County 51

Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

I made a terrible assumption at the start of the season. I assumed that Greenwood would be down this year and not a contender for the Fourth Region crown. All season I've said that teams like Bowling Green, Warren Central, Russellville, and Franklin-Simpson would control the region and that maybe a team like Glasgow could surprise those teams.

I'm starting to think that Greenwood is a contender. I'm just starting to, but I'm still kind of a skeptic.

There's a certainty about Greenwood every season: fans know what they're going to get with a Blane Embry basketball team. They are going to play good defense and make few mistakes on the offensive end. They never give up, either. Under Embry's tenure, that's what anyone can expect from the Gators from year-to-year.

The same thing can be said about the Willie Feldhaus's Russell County Lakers. Good defense? Yep! Protect the ball? Yep! Never give up? You betcha!

I always like these two teams because they are tough, so when I saw that they were hooking up in Gator Alley tonight I couldn't miss the opportunity to see them play, although the night was more suited for a polar bear instead of a Kentucky hayseed such as myself.

Coach Feldhaus had his team ready to play. Greenwood seemed flat in the first quarter. At first both teams couldn't have thrown a stone and hit the ground, but Russell County inched out to a narrow first quarter lead. Veteran players like Robbie Bell and Zach Carney led the way for the Lakers, and they did a good job of shutting down Greenwood's two key players, Dee Anderson and Austin Disney.

At the half, Russell County had a 30-21 lead and seemed to be in control of the game.

Greenwood outplayed Russell County throughout most of the second half, although the Lakers moved out to a nine point lead early in the fourth quarter. Greenwood outscored them by three points in the third quarter, narrowing the score to 38-31. Again, Anderson, who is one of the best players in the region, was instrumental in the Gators' gradual comeback in the second half. He is superb at getting to the basket on the dribble. He's good at putting the ball up in traffic and at drawing fouls.

Anderson has been one of my favorite players in the region since I first noticed him playing as a freshman. I wish he didn't mess with football because an injury cost him his sophomore year. I look at him as sort of a three year senior because of that lost year. I know he played, but he didn't play much and didn't play to his potential for a long time.

Greenwood played flat for a large portion of the game, but they finally made some big baskets down the stretch. I think Russell County started playing not to lose. I call it the prevent offense. They tried to stall the ball and run out the clock, but I think it backfired on them. They made some bad turnovers and didn't get many good looks at the basket down the stretch.

Greenwood pulled it out in the end and won 54-51.

OBSERVATIONS

Dee and Disney: Greenwood has to good players, Dee Anderson and Austin Disney. I don't see how they've picked up 13 victories. Disney is a good perimeter shooter, and as I've already stated, Anderson is a good slash and drive player (possibly the best in the Fourth). From there, though the Gators really drop off. Two of their guards are never shoot the ball. The Gators have always made me eat crow, so I might be up for a big steaming portion of it in March, but I don't see how they can contend with their lineup. I could be wrong.

Hack-a-Shag: Dee Anderson is sporting a new doo. He's always had close cropped hair, but now he's got a sort of dread-lock look. Anderson sort of struggles at the free throw line, so Russell County fouled him when they could catch him. Instead of "Hack-a-Shaq" it was Hack-a-Shag, referring to Anderson's hair. He looks good and plays better.

Lookout for the Lakers: Russell County has a lot of veteran players, and their loss tonight was just their second of the season. It's tough to play on the road in the region, so I still think they're pretty good. They always pop up at the end of the season and shock teams in March. Just ask Tim Riley and his Warren Central Dragons. They'll be at Diddle. Coach Feldhaus, I'm sure would like to have tonight's game back. It kind of got away from them.

An Early Welcome: The Pennyrile Pick and Roll looks forward to seeing games at South Warren High School next season. The Trojans? I know that "Warhawks" was one their choices for mascot, and it was the one I was pulling for as a nod to the old Westport Warhawks in Louisville when I was a kid. I was supposed to go to Westport but went to Male High instead. Also, I figured that the new high school would choose colors that were at least somewhat different from Warren Central's. Blue and silver? I thought they'd go with orange in their colors somewhere and be different from all the other schools in the region. I wonder which district they'll end up in. South Warren Warhawks would've been cool. Trojans? Not so much.

Bowling Green 65 - University Heights Academy 56

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

I never learn. No matter how many high school basketball games I attend I still step into the gym with a lot of preconceived notions about the two teams taking the court. At last night's University Heights visit to Bowling Green, a game Coach Randy "Real" McCoy schedules every other year so he can make Christmas returns at the Greenwood Mall, I figured that it would be a track meet game with a lot of possessions and a lot of fast break points. It's sort of the same thing that the Kentucky basketball universe expected out of Kentucky and Louisville yesterday.

Nearly the same thing happened. It was ugly. Bowling Green jumped out to a quick lead and seemed as if they might pound the Blazers, but UHA got hot late in the first quarter and made a run on the Purples that put them right back in the game.

Thankfully, these high school players didn't resort to the foolishness that the Cats and the Cards did yesterday. There were no technicals. No forearm shivvers.

I don't have a count on the turnovers that Bowling Green and UHA committed last night, but I could've filled a tally sheet very quickly. Both theams are quick and explosive, but neither of them could take care of the ball last night. I kept waiting for my friend Eddie to insist that the ball was over-inflated, but I think I've made too much fun of him for saying that before. Maybe officials filled the ball with helium.

I'm still searching for something positive to say about this game, but I keep going back to it being just plane, mudfence u-g-l-y. It was almost as ugly as these Pennyrile Pick and Roll staffers.

University Heights did a good job at neutralizing Chane Behanan in the first half. I don't have any stats on the game, but he couldn't have had more than five or six points in the first two quarters. He was out-of-synch and never established an inside game on a much smaller Blazer front line. Behanan finished the game with 15 points. He had two fouls early in the half and spent a long time on the bench.

UHA made a good run at Bowling Green in the second half by using their guards to break from the basket all along the perimeter. Blazer guard Matt McGowan broke down the Purple defense with quick moves into the lane (he got away with two obvious walks, though), and he either scored or dished the ball to someone in better position. [James] Tiberius [Kirk] Smith and David Vance were able to put in 14 and 12 points apiece in the game.

UHA is a good team but young. They don't have the size that they usually have, but they have some good athletes. They are 7-7 right now, and I don't see them being a threat to win the second region this season.

Bowling Green has some problems but not enough to make other Fourth Region teams to think that the Purples won't compete for the championship. Last night they had trouble with guards penetrating their the top of their defense, which resulted in Behanan getting into foul trouble during the first half as their last line of defense. The Purples have got to move their feet on defense or they can expect Dee Anderson to speed past them on his way to lay-ins and about 20 points later in the week. They cannot be matadors.

The Purples also have trouble handling the ball. Behanan and DJ Ray both dribble right into trouble. It seems like they pick the biggest pack of defenders on the court and dribble the ball right into the middle of them. They have no patience. They need to pass the ball more instead of thinking about going coast-to-coast so much.

Bowling Green took control in the fourth quarter and won 65-56.

OBSERVATIONS

One Man Band?: Here's something that Fourth Region teams need to think about. Bowling Green is still a good team when Behanan is on the bench. They are a lot smaller, but the Purples exhibit great speed when the big guy is on the bench. BG played well when Behanan was pine riding with foul trouble.

Now It's Getting Serious: Now, teams settle into playing teams within the region and the season starts to count. Every game is big. Every game is important. For the 14th District, the top seed is golden this season. No offense to the fine folks at Warren East, but the Raiders aren't going to put up much of a fight this year. The team that pulls the top seed will have an almost automatic spot in the regional tournament. The two-three seeds are perilous. No one wants those two spots. I love it.

Blinding Ray: DJ Ray is one of the best in the region at getting to the basket. He is deceptive. He doesn't look quick, but no one seems capable of getting in front of him. I enjoy watching him play.

Tis the Season: Starry nights. Frigid air. Those things can only mean one thing: It's basketball season. Until college football can put together a tournament to choose a champ, I have little respect for it (I am a life long Crimson Tide fan). I still think that Kentucky high school basketball has the perfect format for choosing a champ. I love it.

Bowling Green 64 - Christian Brothers (TN) 59

Auxillary Gym, Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

I'm getting too old to sit on bleachers for consecutive games. My back is aching tonight. I had another tough decision in the night cap at the Citizens First Bank Classic. Franklin-Simpson took on Mason County in the big gym while Bowling Green took on Christian Brothers High School from Memphis, Tennessee.

Everybody made some really bad assumptions about this team from Memphis. Because they are named Christian Brothers, everyone assumed that they were a religious academy with a weak team. Nothing could be farther from the truth. These guys had some good size and several good basketball players, and they gave the Purples everything they had.

Christian Brothers took an early lead on Bowling Green, and finished the first quarter with an 11-9 lead. The Purples fought back and had a 30-24 lead at halftime.

These two teams were a lot of fun to watch tonight because both like to push the ball up the court and attack the basket. A kid named Booher for Christian Brothers really caught my eye. I apologize for not having his first name because I never bought a program, and I couldn't hear his name when he went to the foul stripe. The kid is a good player and is unafraid to take the ball to the hoop. He had an impressive driving dunk in the second half with a couple of Purples in hot pursuit.

Bowling Green played sloppy during long stretches of the game. I find it amazing how some teams that press a lot hate to face pressure. You'd think they'd be used to it from practice, but sometimes it doesn't translate. The Purples don't like to be pressed, and they start playing frantically to get the ball up the court. They make bad passes compounded by bad decisions. I think they spend too much time looking for Behanan, and they need to relax and push the ball up the court and not worry where their star is.

DJ Ray does a good job with this, and he handles the ball well for a lanky guy. Ray has a quick move to the basket and has learned to take advantage of defenses sagging on Behanan. He's a good, smart ballplayer. Plus, Bowling Green is a young team this year. Ray along with Tommy Boyce and Joey "Gotta Getta" Gorman are the only seniors. They lost seven from last year's team.

I don't have the stats, but Chane Behanan was effective tonight. I understand he had a miserable game against Franklin-Simpson last week. What impressed me is that Behanan had a lot of blocked shots against Christian Brothers tonight. That's good defense.

Bowling Green grew a 13 point lead in the second half, but Christian Brothers came back and made it a game late, led by the Booher kid. He's a tough ballplayer, and I think he caught everyone's attention tonight. Late in the game, Brothers' point guard let DJ Ray get around him, which resulted in them picking up a foul in the paint. Booher didn't hesitate to let the point guard know that it was his job to keep players from slashing into the paint. That's good stuff.

Bowling Green hung on to win 64-59. The Purples are now 5-1 with a loss to Franklin-Simpson.

OBSERVATIONS

Fant-ing Spell: I saw George Fant at the Bowling Green game. He sat with the Kindred brothers from Metcalfe County. That's a lot of big fellows sitting in the bleachers. I can't wait for him and Behanan to go head-to-head this season...and next season.

Royals and Wildcats: I missed a good game between Mason County and Franklin-Simpson. The final was 52-50 with Mason County prevailing. That's a tough loss for the Wildcats. I think it's great that Bowling Green has two gyms and can have simultaneous games, but I always sense that I'm missing something big in whatever gym I'm not in. I was hoping for a Fourth Region sweep tonight.

Metcalfe County 50 - Adair County 47

Auxillary Gym, Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

The Citizens First Bank Classic at the Purple Palace in Bowling Green always leaves me having to make tough decisions. When I got there tonight Greenwood was taking on Louisville DeSales in the main gym while Metcalfe and Adair tangled in the purple and gold box that is known as the auxillary gym.

I figured that I'll have many opportunities to see Greenwood, who is playing better than any team in the Fourth Region at the time, so I opted to see the Hornets and the Indians play. Plus, I wanted to see Grant and Russell Kindred play for Metcalfe.

I was a little shocked when I went into the gym because the Hornets were tricked out in blue and white uniforms. I've always seen them wear the maroon ones, and for a second I thought I had stumbled into the wrong game.

There's no love lost between these two programs. Although they are in different regions, they are geographic neighbors, and in Kentucky basketball proximity usually results in animosity. It's a good matchup to see in December.

I got to the game a little late because I couldn't pull away from watching Greenwood. When I got there Adair County had a three point lead and Metcalfe picked up their game a bit and wrestled the lead away from the Indians. The two teams sort of swapped baskets throughout the first half.

I really like the Kindred brothers. These two juniors have beefed up a little and have learned well from Coach Tim McMurtrey how to patrol the paint and how to open themselves up for passes to the lane. They know how to use their bodies and both have good hands and good sense on the court. They run the high-low post real well, and Adair County had no one who could keep them from getting the ball on either post. They keep the ball high and throw the ball high. It's really fun to watch them.

The Fourth Region is loaded with a lot of good players this season, and most of them are big fellows, too. There's exceptions like Cameron Hall at Glasgow and Dee Anderson at Greenwood, but Chane Behanan, George Fant, and Kindred brothers. There's too many good teams to catch this season, and I expect whatever team prevails in the Fourth to do some damage in Lexington in March. Everyone in the Fourth needs to watch out for the Hornets this season. They are well coached, have good interior size and play, and guards who can handle the ball well.

Metcalfe County pushed their lead out to nine points a couple of different times in the second half but couldn't hold the Indians off. Adair closed late in the game, and Metcalfe gave them every opportunity to win it. Adair couldn't hit their shots as time ran out and lost 50-47. Their record drops to 3-4, while Metcalfe moves to 5-2 on the season.

OBSERVATIONS

Tim McMurtrey Flexibility Excercises: I don't know how old Coach McMurtrey is, but he is good at crouching down as low to the court as anyone could expect to. I don't know how he does it. If I crouched down as low as he does, my knees would snap. It's impessive.

Twin Towers?: Is it still o.k. to reference the Twin Towers when talking about two tall players on the same team? I thought about that tonight watching the Kindreds play ball. I started thinking about the World Trade Center and that awful day and became reluctant to refer to the two players by that nickname. I finally decided that the term would honor both the World Trade Center and the Kindreds. I think we can be proud of both...or is that all four?

Fudge at Christmas: Considering what an effective coach Mark Fudge is, opponents don't want that Fudge at the Holidays.

Bowling Green 72 - Glasgow 67

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

If it wasn't so cold outside tonight, I'd swear it was March. The game at the Purple Palace in Bowling Green had a post season feel to it because two of the best teams and two of the best players in the Fourth Region went head-to-head. After the ballgame I went home and watched the Hilltoppers down the 24th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores, a game that also had a March Madness air to it.

I love it. It's like Christmas in December. Wait. Christmas IS in December. My co-hort, Chris Gregory, and I always say that the Sweet Sixteen is like our Christmas.

Glasgow is good. I just want to get that out of the way because everybody keeps talking about Warren Central and Bowling Green and Russellville and Franklin-Simpson being the best teams in the region, but a good discussion has to include the Scotties. They have a lot of tools at their disposal, including Cameron Hall, who is one of the best dead-eye shooters I've seen in awhile. The Purples learned early that token defense on this kid is not going to get the job done. A hand in his face is not enough to distract him from sending the ball straight through the net. I'm not sure any defense can stop him. He can shoot square to the basket, and he can shoot off balance. I believe that Hall could shoot the ball while he was strapped to the floor and blind-folded.

Glasgow also has Dean Glass, who is a deadly outside shooter, and Kerrington and Michael Bradley. Kerrington has a good soft mid-range baseline jump shot that is difficult to defend.

The Scotties jumped out to an early lead on Bowling Green, but never led by more than six or eight points at any point in the ballgame. They made it through the first quarter with a 16-15 lead on the Purples, but D.G. Sherrill's squad was making a run at them late in the quarter.

These two teams like to push the ball up the court. Bowling Green uses a cast of characters to push the ball, led by Tommy Boyce, Darius Clement, and D.J. Ray. Glasgow depends heavily on Hall, who has great skill at moving the basketball against any amount of pressure. He's a heady ballplayer, a trait he has inherited or absorbed from his father Jeff Hall, who was a crowd favorite during his days playing for Denny Crum at UofL. Jeff Hall is also the Scotties' coach, and he has Glasgow playing championship contender quality basketball.

Bowling Green has Chane Behanan. He's a 6'7" 225 pound junior who is blessed with multiple skills on the basketball court. The term gets useda lot, so I'm reluctant to write it, but Behanan is a man among boys on the high school court. He's big and quick and strong and smart and is going to be a major force in the Fourth Region. He's got good moves around the basket, and when he learns how to use his strength to his advantage, there's not many players in the region or the state, for that matter, who will be able to stop him.

I apologize for not having any stats on the game, and I'd hate to guess how many points Behanan had in the first half, but he got into the flow of the game and made a lot of big baskets in the second quarter.

Bowling Green took a 36-35 lead to the break.

It was a real treat to watch this game because both teams are good and have good players. Hall and Behanan are going to get a lot of press, but these are complete teams in many ways. Bowling Green is a little thin on experience, with only three seniors this season.

Both teams played a fantastic third quarter. They had big plays and big shots, and the Purples still clung to a one point lead, 56-55 at the end of the quarter.

I don't usually complain about officiating, but the officiating crew at Bowling Green tonight needs to learn that teams like Bowling Green and Glasgow are going to get physical. They're going to play in a big danged hurry, too. At the start of the third quarter, one official started calling a foul on every bit of contact he saw between the players. It was awful. In three minutes, he whistled five fouls. That's one referee. He should've been escorted off the court for committing such an abomination in such a intense, wonderful basketball game.

I don't pay money to see referees.

In the fourth quarter, the Scotties looked like they were running out of gas. Heck, both teams looked a little spent. These two teams seemed capable of mixing a fast paced game with a physical one. Play got a little sloppy, but D.G. Sherrill can go deep down his bench and still get good minutes out of reserves.

Bowling Green outlasted the Scotties, 72-67. It was a hard fought game for early December. I believe it was a preview for a March matchup at Diddle Arena.

I get giddy thinking about how good the Fourth Region is this season.

OBSERVATIONS

Fourth Region Banner: Before the game the Purples hoisted a new banner proclaiming their 2009 Fourth Region Championship. It was good to see some of the players from last year's team on the court because those guys played hard every game last season. It's too bad the officials screwed them out of beating Lex. Cath in the first round. Tevin had his feet planted...

Do Not Taunt: This should be a warning to Fourth Region basketball fans -- do not taunt Chane Behanan. It doesn't do any good. The Glasgow students chanted "OVERRATED" as Behanan shot free throws in the first quarter. He missed them, but then he went on a tear and made several baskets while grabbing some huge rebounds. He's not "OVERRATED." Trust me. Guys like Behanan don't even hear that stuff. If they do, they find a way to make the other team pay for it.

Big Doins at the Dragon Den: Warren Central hosts a big shootout on Saturday December 12th. Lots a of good teams. Hopefully, Christmas shopping won't get in the way and I can catch a couple of games.

Glad to be Back

I survived the partial destruction of my house and an "exile" that lasted for nearly two and a half months last winter and spring. It's been a tough year, but my wife and I have put our house and our lives back together in time for basketball season.

I kicked the basketball season off (is that a mixed metaphor?) by going to a scrimmage between Bowling Green and Apollo. What does one write about a scrimmage? A basketball scrimmage is the equivalent of watching a stock car racer take a handful of laps on the track and then pulling into the garage and tweaking various components of the car. Coaches are tinkering with lineups and plays and finding the tolerances of their teams. I don't try to read a lot into the games or the play.

Right now, I don't even know the names of a lot of the players, which is really the case for Apollo.

Fourth Region newcomer, Chane Behanan, will be a man among boys this season. Chane's family moved to Bowling Green from Cincinnati, and he is a highly sought blue chip basketball players with courters coming from all points of the map to sell their college program to him. I can't wait to see Behanan and George Fant go head-to-head during the season. Like most season, fans will get to see them play one another three or four times in the next few months. It will be one of the great match-ups in the state.

Behanan is well muscled and has superb moves around the basket. Coach D.G. Sherrill can't slow his game down for this kid, though, because the Purps love to run-and-gun, which is the kind of basketball I love to watch. Again, it was a scrimmage, but I'd like to see the big guy hoofing it up-and-down the hardwood. I felt like Bowling Green let up on the full court game to accommodate Behanan.

I don't want to sound like I'm criticizing the kid because he is a great basketball player. I apologize to the readers, as always, because I harken back to my Male High days, too often. Behanan reminds me of Winston Bennett, who played at Male before heading to UK. Many of the descriptions I apply to Behanan applied to Bennett: big, well muscled, good hands, good moves inside, etc. Bennett, however, was an absolute warrior on the court every minute of the game. He was even intense playing "21" with friends. I know. He smashed my nose one afternoon with his elbow.

Maybe it's because it was a scrimmage. I'm anxious to see this guy in action in a real game. I know this. He'll be a major force in the region this year.

It's an easy summary from a scrimmage: Bowling Green is a contender and has a good shot at winning back-to-back regional championships. Also, the 14th District will be tough, as always.

For Apollo, I liked a kid named Trey Ewing. I hope I have that right. He wore #32 last night, and I told my friend Eddie "Frost Free" Dillard that of all the kids on the court he'd be the first I'd choose for a pick-up game. He was everywhere with never being out of position. At one point, the kid blocked a shot, fell to the court, got up and sped down the court to take a pass and hit a lay-up. Beautiful! He's a good defender and played full throttle for the entire scrimmage.

Yep. I'd take him over Behanan, and I don't mean that as an insult.

I like watching Tommy Royce run the point for Bowling Green. He can push the ball up the court, and Coach Sherrill needs to give him the green light more often.

I'm anxious to see all the Fourth Region teams play this season. I can't wait.

OBSERVATIONS

Take It Easy: My wife started jawing the referees last night. I reminded her that it was a scrimmage. That's O.K. We all have fever for some hoops. She needs to mellow out to The Eagles for the next contest.

D.G.'s Deflection: Coach Sherrill tapped the ball while it was in play last night. He apologized to Apollo's coach and their players. That's Sherrill's first defensive deflection since he finished his career at Caldwell County High School. I wonder if he played defense that tight at CCHS.

New Paint Job: Bowling Green put a new paint scheme on the hardwood at the Purple Palace. It looks good. I still wonder why they Male High's letter on their court? The Bulldogs will feel like they have a home game when they play there on January 30th, a game derailed by the Great Ice Storm of '09.

Greenwood 54 - Bowling Green 49

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

Someone once told me that Coach Blane Embry could suit up an Upward team in Greenwood uniforms and the Bowling Green Purples would freeze at the sight of them. That's nice hyperbole, but sometime I wonder if it is true. I do know this: Greenwood has got Bowling Green's number. Greenwood's Tommy Tutone and Bowling Green is Jenny.

The other thing I know about Greenwood is that Coach Embry gets the most out of his players, possibly more than can be reasonably expected. The Gators always play hard. Will Clayton, J.J. Smith, and Dee Anderson leave it all on the court almost every time I see them play. In the first quarter of Friday night's game a kid named Cody Stumbo, who should not be confused with current Kentucky Speaker of the House of Representatives Greg Stumbo, stepped up and peppered the Purples with layups and short jumpers that pushed the Gators to a 19-8 second quarter lead.

It's good strategy to hit Bowling Green early. The best way to beat Bowling Green is to hit them right out of the gate and knock out their confidence. I'd say that Stumbo nearly did that single-handedly.

Bowling Green surged in the second frame, though, outscoring their reptilian visitors 18-9 and cutting the lead to two at the end of the first half. At one point Greenwood was stuck at 21, and Jeb Richardson made some key plays. He hit a big three pointer and then followed up a Greenwood turnover with a layup to give the purples a 22-21 lead. It's the old trey and lay play.

I fogot to mention that J.J. Smith hurt his ankle early in the first half and, I think, he even left the bench for the locker room.

Greenwood came back and got the lead late in teh second quarter and tooka a 28-26 lead to the break.

Dee Anderson is among the best press breakers in the region. If a team presses Greenwood, they've got to keep the ball out of Anderson's hands. He handles the ball pretty good, but his feet are two rockets. Anderson has a sense for getting to the rim, too. He cut through the middle of the Purple press like a hot knife, freezing Purple defenders in their shoes. He missed several layups in the game, but I knew he wouldn't miss many more as the game continued. He figured out how to take something off his layups long before Bowling Green ever figured out how to stop him.

I don't understand. When the Purples played and won at Greenwood, they did a fantastic job of containing Anderson. Friday night, it seemed they forgot he was on the court until he was flying past them. I know that Coach D.G. Sherrill told Vic Smith to pack up his locker this week (justifiably so), but Smith is a good defender on the press and near the basket. Greenwood had far too many easy shots against the Bowling Green press. I'm not chastising Coach Sherrill. Instead, I hope Vic Smith realizes what it means to be part of a team.

J.J. Smith returned to Greenwood's lineup in the fourth quarter. I'm sure his ankle was sore, but he brought his team a fresh set of legs down the stretch. He made some important baskets down in the paint. I still can't figure out how this guy takes players down low and scores against them. He's a good player, I know that, but I think defenders in this region need to stand their ground on him and see how many charges they can draw on him.

Greenwood controlled the fourth quarter, and they did what they always do against Bowling Green. They frustrated them. The Purples played desperate and launched more scuds than Saddam Hussein on a drinking binge. The two teams actually played even -- each scoring 13 points -- in the fourth quarter. It gave the Gators a 54-49 victory.

OBSERVATIONS

Post Season Implications: Friday's loss will most likely knock Bowling Green out of any chance of getting the top seed in the 14th District. It's important because the district tournament is played at Greenwood this season, and if the Purps are the two seed, they'll play the Gators in The Swamp later this month. It could mean an early ouster for one of the better teams in the region. Remember Bowling Green is Jenny and Greenwood is Tommy Tutone. "Jenny, I got your number..."

School Spirit: Is it school spirit to chant and sing on an opponent's home court after a victory? I don't know. I'm just asking. Some people might call it "poor sportsmanship."


What the Heck?: Why don't people go to basketball games. Last week, I figured people would be in the rafters at the Purple Palace for Warren Central. This week, I figured the same thing for the Greenwood game. I'm afraid the cancer of television is now killing high school basketball crowds.

Restoration of Pick and Roll Headquarters: I hope my family will be back in our home by the end of the regular season, but it's not looking hopeful. It's hard to do my usual Pick and Roll stuff from a hotel room because I'm not using my "big computer," which is full of links and bookmarks that allows me to come up with information. Plus, most of my time is consumed with issues surrounding the reconstruction of my house.