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The Matchups
(Underlined teams will be the home team. All games are EST)
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Official Hotel of the
"Blue-Chip" Shootout is Executive West Hotel.
Call 1-800-626-2708 or 502-367-2251 and
mention the "Blue-Chip" Shootout for special room rates. ($55-tax not
included)
Ticket prices will be $5.00 in advance at the participating
schools or $6.00 at the door.
This is the third year for this event and the first two years featured some excellent basketball. Rick Bolus, one of the top talent evaluators and camp directors in the business, along with legendary high school coach Stan Hardin, decided to attempt this venture and hopefully it will remain an annual event. The 2001 feature game was a match-up between Indiana power New Albany and Glasgow Kentucky. New Albany won this battle 76-68 and was led by 6-2 Sr. guard Marcus Flynn with 24 points. 5-11 Sr. Brandon Stockton, who was named Kentucky’s “Mr. Basketball” for the 2001-2002 season, led Glasgow with 31 points. Other results from the 2001 inaugural event were: North Hardin 56 Louisville Seneca 43, Elizabeth South Central (Indiana) 81 Meade County 38, and Russellville 58 Louisville Holy Cross 52.
The 2002 event featured a shootout between Highlands and Louisville Eastern, a game in which Highlands won 82-79. 6-8 Sr. Ross Neltner, who was named Kentucky’s “Mr. Basketball” for the 2002-2003 season, led Highlands with 34 points and seven rebounds. 6-1 Jr. Rajon Rondo led Eastern with 32 points, nine assists, and four steals. Warren Central defeated Scott County 80-77 in overtime in another marquee match-up. Warren Central was led by 6-5 Sr. Leroy Wilson with 27 points and nine rebounds. 6-1 Jr. Tyler Hicks and 6-10 Sr. Justin Lee led Scott County with 18 and 17 points respectively. Other results from the 2002 event were: Louisville Holy Cross 76 Clarksville (IN) 64, and Louisville DeSales 76 West Jessamine 65.
The Louisville Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader released their pre-season high school basketball previews on November 27th and 28th respectively. Five of the eight teams entered in the Third Annual “Blue Chip” Basketball Shootout are listed in the top 25 teams in the state by both newspapers. Lexington Catholic (C-J #2, H-L #2), Warren Central (C-J #3, H-L #4), North Hardin (C-J #9, H-L #13), Scott County (C-J #12, H-L #12), and Louisville Trinity (C-J #24, H-L #23) are all entered in the event.
Seven players scheduled to perform in the event are listed in either the Courier-Journal’s or Herald-Leader’s top 25 players in the state. Demetrius Green (Lexington Catholic, C-J #2, H-L #2), Lonnell DeWalt (Warren Central C-J #3, H-L #4), William Graham (Lexington Catholic, C-J #6, H-L #7), Demetrius Guions (North Hardin C-J #8, H-L #8), Harrison Morton (Lexington Catholic, C-J #10, H-L #9), Tyler Hicks (Scott County C-J #15, H-L #13), and Matt Maresca (Warren Central C-J #18) are all scheduled to perform.
2003 Participating Teams
Louisville Beth Haven – The Bearcats, coached by Joe Bailey, finished 11-16 last season and return a small but hardworking group of players. They should be led by 5-7 Sr. Steven Berger (11.6 ppg), and 5-9 So. Brent Lamkin (8.0 ppg). Other players expected to contribute include 6-2 Jr. Joseph Maddox, 5-7 Jr. Eric Voelker, 5-9 Jr. Mike King, 5-7 Sr. Jason Gordon, 5-0 Fr. Cory Lacefield, and 5-8 Sr. Rob Beahl.
Louisville Holy Cross – Coach Jody Thornsberry’s Cougars finished 12-12 last season and despite losing eight seniors from last season Coach Thornsberry is optimistic entering the season. 6-1 Sr. Jeff Wachtel (15.5 ppg) missed several games last season due to injuries but is expected to have a banner senior campaign. 6-6 Jr. Kyle Killebrew, who transferred from St. Xavier, is expected to provide help in the paint. 6-1 Sr. Kevin Markham, who transferred from Atherton, is eligible to play this season. Other key players include 6-2 Jr. Aaron Troutman, 6-0 Fr. Donte Francis, 5-11 Sr. Shane Settles, 6-0 Jr. Justin Renck, and 6-5 Sr. Kevin Sims.
North Hardin – The Trojans finished 25-8 last season and are coached by Ron Bevars. Coach Bevars has 11 regional championships and his teams have a record of 622-230 over a 28 year period. The Trojans will be led by 6-5 Sr. Demetrius Guions, who averaged 15 ppg and is an athletic slasher who is difficult to defend. 6-6 Sr. Reggie Soileau is another athletic frontliner who showed marked improvement over the summer and should have an excellent senior campaign. North Hardin graduated their senior backcourt but are expecting help from young talent moving up from the JV that went 20-0 last season. The Trojans should have another good squad but the Fifth Region will be strong this season. (Note: Reggie Soileau is no longer a member of the North Hardin basketball team)
Georgetown Scott County – The Cardinals finished 17-9 last season and sat home during the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year. Expect Coach Billy Hicks to return to his trademark up-tempo game and pressure defense. Hicks has three starters returning, a deep bench, and a group of talented youngsters nipping at the heels of the veterans for playing time. Scott County has a dandy guard combination in 6-0 Sr. Tyler Hicks (18 ppg) and 6-1 Sr. Troy Harris (14 ppg). Hicks is an excellent floor general and Harris has a nice shooting stroke. 6-8 Sr. Zach Van Guilder possesses a nice outside shot but is hard to handle when he goes down on the blocks. 6-4 Sr. Alex Cassady is a strong inside player and the Cardinals will also get a lot of help from 6-5 Jr. Anthony Coote, 7-0 Jr. Jarrod Carter, 6-3 Jr. Cody Courtney, 6-1 Sr. Matt Jarvis, 5-10 So. Jesse Thompson, etc. The future looks extremely bright with some talented newcomers including 6-2 Fr. Matt Walls, 6-1 Fr. Rodney Haddix, and 6-5 8th grader Jordan Lee.
Caverna – The Colonels are
coached by Paul Childress. They finished 10-20 last season, but look out for
the Colonels this year. Caverna has
good size, athleticism, and several guys capable of scoring in double
figures. Boris Siakam is a 6-7
Sr. foreign exchange student from Cameroon who runs the floor well and can
score in the paint or with the outside jumper.
6-5 Sr. Jordy Maxey is a wing forward who can penetrate as well
as nail the jump shot. Maxey is
also an excellent defender. 6-2 Fr. William
Bradley is an athletic two guard who has excellent range on his jump shot
as well as being able to slash to the basket.
Bradley has excellent skills with a lot of potential. 5-10 Jr. Brandon Adams is a quick
point guard who is an excellent ballhandler and passer. Adams is an excellent penetrator and
a good defender. Other players expected
to contribute this season include 5-6 So. Carrington Maxey, 6-0 Jr. Durand
Wilson, 6-6 So. Kendall Igwe, and 5-11 Sr. Charley Orr.
Louisville Trinity – The Shamrocks finished 17-13 last season and coach Mike Szabo should put an excellent team on the floor this season. The Shamrocks have an excellent floor general returning in 6-0 Jr. Zach Berry (7.4 ppg). Twins 6-3 Jr. Kyle (8.9 ppg) and 6-3 Jr. Bret (6.5 ppg) Saxton can score and are also tenacious defenders. 6-3 Sr. Blake Nix (6.6 ppg) can score in the paint as well as stroke the outside shot. 6-4 Sr. star footballer Brian Brohm added 8.1 ppg and 6.4 rpg last season. The Shamrocks expect contributions from other players including 6-6 Sr. Nick Hope and 6-8 Jr. Charlie Gonzalez.
Lexington Catholic – Coach Bart Flener’s Knights finished 24-8 last season and this team should challenge for the Sweet 16 crown this season. The Knights will be led by 6-4 Sr. swingman Demetrius Green who averaged 19.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg last season. 6-3 Sr. Harrison Morton averaged 17.6 ppg and 6.7 rpg last season. 6-3 Sr. William Graham (10 ppg) is jet quick in the open court and an excellent finisher off the Knights’ press. 6-4 Sr. Mark Balthrop (6.1 ppg) also return for his final campaign. 6-2 Sr. Jason Azubuike transferred from Dunbar and is expected to help on both ends of the court, provided he is ruled eligible by the KHSAA. 5-10 Sr. Drew Morton (4.6 ppg) will probably man the point for Lexington Catholic this season. Other players expected to contribute include 6-4 Sr. Joe Tunde, 6-0 Jr. Joe Boneau, 6-5 Jr. Rob Riddell, 6-2 Jr. Kevin Vogelsang, 6-0 Jr. P. J. Wilson, and 5-10 Jr. Chad Buchignani. The Knights also have several other players that could contribute to this deep and talented squad this season.
Bowling Green Warren Central – Coach Tim Riley’s Dragons finished 26-4 last season and should be ranked near the top in pre-season rankings this season. Warren Central will be led by 6-6 Sr. Lonnell DeWalt, an athletic forward who plays above the rim and averaged double figures in both scoring and rebounding last season. DeWalt is also an excellent football player who is being heavily recruited. 6-8 Sr. Matt Maresca is a late bloomer who possesses a nice shooting touch for a big man. 6-0 Sr. Ryan Anderson is a true point guard and handles, passes, and sees the floor well. 6-3 Sr. Brock Whitney and 5-10 Jr. Troy McFarland are expected to be key contributors. The Dragons also have some excellent young talent moving up led by 6-2 Fr. Jeremy Anderson and 5-10 Fr. Nick Britt. The Dragons have a tough schedule this year but it should only prepare them for a long tourney run in March.
The Third Annual “Blue-Chip” Basketball Shootout
Results
Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
December 12, 2003
© 2003 Ron Harrison
Game
No. 1 Beth Haven Christian (3-1) vs.
Louisville Holy Cross (1-1)
Beth Haven coach Joe Bailey started the following lineup: 6-2 Jr. Joseph Maddox, 5-9 So. Brent Lamkin, 5-8 So. Spencer Shull, 5-6 Sr. Steven Berger, and 5-7 Jr. Eric Voelker. Louisville Holy Cross coach Jody Thornsberry countered with 6-5 Sr. Kevin Sims, 6-6 Jr. Kyle Killebrew, 6-1 Sr. Jeff Wachtel, 6-1 Sr. Kevin Markham, and 5-11 Sr. Shane Settles.
Kelvin Markham scored 11 first quarter points to lead Holy Cross to a 21-10 first quarter lead on their way to an 80-47 victory over Beth Haven. The Cougars proved to be too big and experienced as they held a 55%-32.6% field goal advantage and a 42-21 rebound margin over the scrappy Beth Haven team. Holy Cross also scored 32 points off 21 Beth Haven turnovers. Holy Cross committed 19 turnovers but Beth Haven could only capitalize for 11 points.
6-2 Jr. Aaron Troutman, who was named team MVP, led Holy Cross with 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Kevin Markham, Kevin Sims, and Shane Settles added 15, 13, and 12 points respectively. Markham also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Jeff Wachtel was given the team’s “Best Hustler Award” and added 10 points and five rebounds. Steven Berger was named the team MVP for Beth Haven and scored nine points. Brent Lamkin was named the team’s “Best Hustler” and scored nine points and pulled down six rebounds. Spencer Shull also tallied nine points for Beth Haven.
|
Beth Haven Christian |
10 |
11 |
9 |
17 |
- |
47 |
|
Louisville Holy Cross |
21 |
17 |
22 |
20 |
- |
80 |
|
Beth Haven Christian |
(47) |
- |
Maddox 0, Lamkin 9, Shull 9, Berger 9, Voelker 6, Gordon 5, Lacefield 2, Beahl 3, Dillman 4. |
|
Louisville Holy Cross |
(80) |
- |
Sims 13, Killebrew 7, Wachtel 10, Markham 15, Settles 12, Floyd 2, Troutman 17, Renck 2, McGee 2. |
Game
No. 2 North Hardin (2-1) vs. Scott County (3-0)
North Hardin coach Ron Bevars started the following lineup: 6-5 Sr. Demetrius Guions, 6-2 Jr. Freddie Jackson, 6-2 Sr. Cornelius Horne, 5-10 Sr. Bryan Bradford, and 5-10 Sr. Bryce Bradford. Scott County coach Billy Hicks countered with 6-8 Sr. Zach Van Guilder, 6-5 Jr. Anthony Coote, 6-4 Sr. Alex Cassady, 6-0 Sr. Tyler Hicks, and 6-1 Sr. Troy Harris.
Scott County raced out to a 28-12 lead after the first quarter on their way to a 71-52 victory over North Hardin. Scott County scored 34 points off 24 North Hardin turnovers. The rest of the statistics were fairly even as Scott County shot 45.8% from the field and pulled down 31 rebounds while North Hardin shot 46.2% from the field and pulled down 29 rebounds.
Tyler Hicks, who was named team MVP, led Scott County with 20 points, four assists, and three steals. Alex Cassady and Troy Harris added 13 and 12 points respectively. Anthony Coote chipped in with 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Zach Van Guilder was given the team’s “Best Hustler Award” and scored seven points, pulled down four rebounds, added four assists and four steals, and played good defense. North Hardin’s Demetrius Guions was named team MVP and scored 14 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished out seven assists. Cornelius Horne was given the team’s “Best Hustler Award” as he added 12 points and eight rebounds. Bryce Bradford also chipped in with 12 points.
|
North Hardin |
12 |
11 |
18 |
11 |
- |
52 |
|
Scott County |
28 |
17 |
14 |
12 |
- |
71 |
|
North Hardin |
(52) |
- |
Guions 14, Jackson 4, Horne 12, Bryan Bradford 9, Bryce Bradford 12, Miller 1. |
|
Scott County |
(71) |
- |
Van Guilder 7, Coote 11, Cassady 13, Hicks 20, Harris 12, Walls 2, Jarvis 2, Durr 4. |
Game
No. 3 Caverna (3-0) vs.
Trinity (1-2)
Caverna coach Paul Childress started the following lineup: 6-5 Sr. Jordy Maxey, 6-2 Fr. William Bradley, 6-7 Sr. Boris Siakam, 5-6 So. Carrington Maxey, and 5-10 Jr. Brandon Adams. Trinity coach Mike Szabo countered with 6-3 Jr. Matt Tierney, 6-3 Jr. Bret Saxton, 6-6 Sr. Nick Hope, 5-11 So. Chad Byron, and 6-3 Jr. Kyle Saxton.
Boris Siakam scored 14 points in the final period including six of seven free throws to lead Caverna to a 49-43 victory over Trinity. Neither team shot well from the field as Caverna shot 38% and Trinity could only manage 29.3%. Caverna scored 15 points off 15 Trinity turnovers.
Boris Siakam was named team MVP and led Caverna with 20 points and six rebounds. William Bradley added 12 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Brandon Adams was given the team’s “Best Hustler Award” and added eight points, five rebounds, and dished out four assists. Kyle Saxton was named Trinity team MVP and scored 15 points and pulled down six rebounds. Nick Hope added 11 points for the Shamrocks. Blake Nix was given the team’s “Best Hustler Award” and scored five points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
|
Caverna |
8 |
10 |
14 |
17 |
- |
49 |
|
Trinity |
7 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
- |
43 |
|
Caverna |
(49) |
- |
J. Maxey 6, Bradley 12, Siakam 20, C. Maxey 2, Adams 8, Igwe 1. |
|
Trinity |
(43) |
- |
Tierney 2, B. Saxton 0, Hope 11, Byron 0, K. Saxton 15, Berry 3, Nix 5, Dockter 5, Gonzalez 2. |
Game
No. 4 Lexington Catholic (1-1) vs.
Warren Central (2-1)
Lexington Catholic coach Bart Flener started the following lineup: 6-4 Sr. Demetrius Green, 6-3 Sr. Harrison Morton, 6-4 Sr. Mark Balthrop, 6-0 Jr. P. J. Wilson, and 6-3 Sr. William Graham. Warren Central coach Tim Riley countered with 6-6 Sr. Lonnell DeWalt, 6-3 Sr. Brock Whitney, 6-8 Sr. Matt Maresca, 6-0 Sr. Ryan Anderson, and 5-10 Jr. Troy McFarland.
Lexington Catholic outscored Warren Central 32-17 in the third quarter on their way to an 83-55 victory over Warren Central. Lexington Catholic held a 46.6%-28.8% advantage from the field and was 23-31 from the free throw line while Warren Central visited the charity stripe 30 times, connecting on 14 shots.
The victors were led tonight by team MVP Demetrius Green with 15 points. 6-0 So. Brian Hewitt and William Graham added 12 and 11 points respectively. 6-5 Jr. Rob Riddell added two points but pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. 5-10 Jr. Chad Buchignani was given the team’s “Best Hustler Award” and added eight points. Warren Central was led by team MVP Ryan Anderson with 14 points. Troy McFarland, Brock Whitney, and Matt Maresca added 11, 11, and 10 points respectively. Brock Whitney was given the team’s “Best Hustler Award”. Lonnell DeWalt was held scoreless tonight and only attempted two shots from the field before fouling out late in the third quarter.
|
Lexington Catholic |
17 |
18 |
32 |
16 |
- |
83 |
|
Warren Central |
14 |
9 |
17 |
15 |
- |
55 |
|
Lexington Catholic |
(83) |
- |
Green 15, H. Morton 9, Balthrop 5, Wilson 8, Graham 11, Burbage 4, D. Morton 3, Buchignani 8, Hewitt 12, Demus 2, Riddell 2, Healy 2, Rompf 2. |
|
Warren Central |
(55) |
- |
DeWalt 0, Whitney 11, Maresca 10, R. Anderson 14, McFarland 11, Britt 6, Hall 1, Smith 2. |
Conclusion
Congratulations to the sponsors and organizers for putting on this event. Stan Hardin and Rick Bolus know high school basketball from A to Z. Bolus, one of the top talent evaluators in the business, decided to try this event three years ago and hopefully it will enjoy a long run as a prestigious event. Scott County established itself as a serious contender with an impressive win over a North Hardin. The Cardinals have a bevy of impressive performers including an unsung hero in 6-4 Sr. Alex Cassady. Cassady is a blue collar player who bangs inside the paint and gets the job done. Tonight Cassady scored 13 points on 5-5 from the field and 3-3 from the free throw line.
Caverna is for real—they have an impressive group of players who play well together. Boris Siakam is a very athletic inside player but the talent on this team certainly doesn’t stop with just him. Lexington Catholic was very impressive tonight and would appear to be a major threat to Mason County for state supremacy this season.
Also, a special thanks to WL Stats for providing the statistics for tonight’s games and a special thanks to Rick Bolus for the hospitality extended during my visit.
Please note that player heights vary from source to source.
Please direct your comments to Ron Harrison at prephoops@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other basketball events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky/prephoops.