Game director Ira D. Combs has brought together another nice one day event.:  Teams participating today are:  Lexington Catholic, West Carter, Shelby County, Harlan, Perry County Central, Newport Central Catholic, Franklin County, Knott County Central, Elizabethtown, and Paducah Tilghman.  Three of the top Junior guards in the state will be on display.  6-3 Ben Bowling (Perry County Central), 6-1 Ronny Dawn (Newport Central Catholic), and 6-4 Brett Jones (Paducah Tilghman) should make this an exciting day for prep basketball fans.

Game No. 1  West Carter (10-10) vs. Lexington Catholic (17-4)

West Carter coach Grady Lowe started the following lineup:  6-3 So. Justin Lewis, 6-0 Sr. Eric Berry, 6-3 So. Daniel Williams, 6-3 Sr. Casey Lowe, and 6-0 Sr. Brandon Boggs.  Lexington Catholic coach Danny Haney countered with 6-2 Sr. Kip Wellman, 6-4 Sr. Matt Heissenbuttel, 6-3 Sr. Ben Wilson, 5-11 Sr. David Hewitt, and 6-5 Sr. Will Harris.

Lexington Catholic used their pressure defense to force 35 turnovers and coast to a 78-47 win over West Carter.  Catholic was led in scoring by Ben Wilson with 23 points.  West Carter was led by Casey Lowe with 23.
 

West Carter	13	11	8	15	-	47
Lexington Catholic	18	23	27	10	-	78

West Carter	(47) -	Lowe 23, Lewis 6, Berry 6, Williams 5, Boggs 5, Dickison 2.
Lexington Catholic	(78) -	Wilson 23, Woody 12, Rose 9, Harris 8, Wolford 7, Morton 6, J. Heissenbuttel 5, Hewitt 3, Smith 3, Wellman 2.

Game No. 2  Harlan (16-4) vs. Shelby County (11-7)

Harlan coach Don Harville started the following lineup:  6-0 Sr. William "Boo" Fields, 6-0 So. Jamie Jacobs, 5-11 So. Domiano Delaney, 5-10 Fr. Von Fields, and 6-1 Sr. Gary Greer.  Shelby County coach Champ Ligon Jr. countered with 6-6 Sr. Tony Green, 6-2 Sr. Daniel Clark, 6-1 Sr. Jordan Haydon, 6-3 So. Robert Daniels, and 5-6 Sr. Brandon Brown.

Harlan was playing today without 6-4 Sr.'s Adam Brock and Matt Anderson.  Shelby County won by a score of 79-63.  They were led by 6-6 Sr. Tony Green with 20 points.  Green, 6-4 Sr. Rynell Bailey, and 6-2 Sr. Daniel Clark entertained with some crowd pleasing dunks.  Harlan was led by William Fields with 19 and Von Fields with 14.
 

Harlan	14	8	16	25	-	63
Shelby County	23	15	21	20	-	79

Harlan	(63) -	W. Fields 19,  V. Fields 14, Greer 11, Delaney 8, J. Jacobs 6, A. Jacobs 5.
Shelby County	(79) -	Green 20, Brown 11, Daniels 11, Bailey 10, Clark 8, Silverhorn 7, Haydon 4, Miller 3, Popp 2, Williams 2, Gensheimer 1.

Game No. 3  Newport Central Catholic (19-5) vs. Perry Co. Central (15-5)

Newport Central Catholic coach Ron Dawn started the following lineup:  5-9 Jr. Vince Bonhaus, 6-1 Jr. Ronny Dawn, 6-5 Jr. Corey Myers, 6-0 Sr. Tony Bacigalupo, and 6-2 Jr. Seth Lynn.  Perry Co. Central head man Allan Holland started  6-0 Fr. Tewayne Willis, 6-3 Jr. Brian Neace, 6-3 Sr. Tim Neace, 6-3 Sr. Donnie Paul Fugate, and 6-3 Jr. Ben Bowling.

This game matched top guards Ben Bowling against Ronny Dawn.  Newport Central Catholic pulled away from a 51-46  third quarter lead to win 76-65.   Ronny Dawn led Newport Central Catholic with 27 points on 7 for 10 field goal shooting including three three-pointers.  Perry Co. Central was led by Fugate with 21.  Bowling's shot was not falling tonight and he finished with 12 points on 3 of 20 field goal shooting.
 

Newport Central Catholic	18	15	18	25	-	76
Perry Co. Central	13	8	25	19	-	65

Newport Central Catholic	(76) -	Dawn 27,  Bacigalupo 15, Lynn 11, Meyer 9, Myers 8, Bonhaus 4, Mayer 2.
Perry Co. Central	(65) -	Fugate 21, T. Neace 13, Bowling 12, B. Neace 10, Willis 3, Adams 2, Smith 2, Harris 2.

Game No. 4  Knott Co. Central (9-9) vs. Franklin County (13-5)

Knott Co. Central coach David Stamper started the following lineup:  6-6 Sr. Jared Thornsberry, 6-3 Sr. Todd Craft, 5-10 Sr. Justin Pratt, 6-3 Sr. Dustin Mullins, and 6-2 So. Mitch Dyer.  Franklin County coach Gary Moore countered with  6-0 Jr. Justin Durham, 6-1 Jr. Daniel Scott, 6-4 Sr. Drew Tyrer, 6-2 Jr. Brandon McKee, and 5-8 Jr. Gordon Miles.

Knott Co. Central pulled off the upset by defeating Franklin County 63-61.  Knott Co. Central secured the victory by hitting their free throws in the clutch.  The winners were led by Thornsberry with 19. Craft and Pratt added 15 and 14 points respectively.  Franklin County was led by Tyrer with 14 points.  McKee and Miles added 12 and 11 points respectively.
 

Knott Co. Central	15	10	19	19	-	63
Franklin County	5	20	14	22	-	61

Knott Co. Central	(63) -	Thornsberry 19, Craft 15, Pratt 14, Mullins 9, Dyer 4, Eversole 2.
Franklin County	(61) -	Tyrer 14, McKee 12, Miles 11, Scott 8, Durham 7, Hayden 7, Harris 2.

Game No. 5  Paducah Tilghman (15-5) vs. Elizabethtown (17-3)

Paducah Tilghman coach Bill Chumbler started  the following lineup:  5-10 Sr. Luke Adams, 6-4 Jr. Brett Jones, 6-4 So. Orlandus Hill, 6-5 Jr. Kyle Miller, and 6-5 Sr. Bobby Holt.   Elizabethtown coach James Haire countered with 6-7 Sr.  Nathan Sexton, 6-5 Sr. Antwain Barbour, 6-2 Sr. Chris Williams, 6-1 Jr. Josh Pedigo, and 5-8 Sr. Jason Johnston.

Brett Jones got Paducah Tilghman off to a good start with 13 first quarter points to give Paducah Tilghman a 19-14 lead a the end of the first quarter.  Elizabethtown tied the score at 46 in the fourth quarter. Jones then hit two "3's" to push the lead to 52-46 and Paducah Tilghman held on to win 60-53.  Jones led the victors with 23.  Bobby Holt scored 19 and 6-4 Sr. Jerrick Carruthers added 14.  Elizabethtown was led by Sexton with 16 points and 11 rebounds.   Williams and Barbour added 15 and 13 points respectively.
 

Paducah Tilghman	19	19	8	14	-	60
Elizabethtown	14	14	12	13	-	53

Paducah Tilghman	(60) -	Jones 23,  Holt 19,  Carruthers 14, Hill 2, Miller 2.
Elizabethtown	(53) -	Sexton 16, Williams 15, Barbour 13, Bramblett 4, Robinson 3, Pedigo 2.

Conclusion

This was an enjoyable day of basketball with several excellent players on display.  There were several certified basketball junkies in attendance including myself, Dave Zuberer, Vic Malone, and Nathan McCauley.  6-3 Sr. Ben Wilson (Lexington Catholic) had a nice game scoring 23 points including three three-pointers and shot the ball well.  Shelby County's athletic 6-6 Sr. Tony Green tallied 20 points on 10-13 (unofficial) field goal attempts.

6-1 Jr. Ronny Dawn (Newport Central Catholic) won his battle with 6-3 Jr. Ben Bowling (Perry Co. Central) by outscoring him 27-12.  Dawn seems to rise to the challenge and he can shoot the ball (7-11 field goal attempts).  Bowling was more effective when he penetrated and passed off to a teammate.  Dawn had difficulties checking him inside, but he gives away 2-3 inches in height.

The Tilghman-Elizabethtown game produced some nice individual efforts.  Tilghman's Brett Jones, a 6-4 Jr., solidified his reputation as a great shooter.  6-4 Sr. Jerrick Carruthers and 6-5 Sr. Bobby Holt are excellent athletes and 6-4 So. Orlandus Hill is a very promising inside player.   Elizabethtown's 6-7 Sr. Nathan Sexton displayed a nice tough around the basket.  6-5 Sr. Antwain Barbour is very athletic and 6-2 Sr. Chris Williams will find a way to get to the basket.
 

Acknowledgments

A special thanks to game director Ira Combs who put together a nice lineup for the enjoyment of the fans.  Mr. Combs is a true basketball fan and one of the most accommodating gentlemen in the game.

Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the tournament, teams, or players to me at  prephoops@yahoo.com .