This tournament is in its fifth year and a good field has been assembled to play for the championship.  This year's field will consist of the following teams:  Adair County, George Rogers Clark, Grant County, Harrison County, Muhlenberg North, Osceola (FL), Santa Fe (FL) and Scott County.  There will also be a special Toyota Community Invitational game matching Buffalo (WV) against Wood Memorial (Oakland City, IN).

January 26th - Day 1

Game No. 1  Adair County (7-6) vs. Harrison County (7-6)

Adair County coach John Shelley started a lineup of 6-2 Sr. Darren Adams, 5-10 Sr. Josh Myers, 6-8 Sr. Wesley Irvan, 5-10 So. Stephen Burris, and 5-10 Sr. Nic Genakos.  Harrison County coach Mike Reitz countered with 5-11 Jr. Billy Custard, 6-3 Sr. Nathan Courtney, 6-2 Sr. Mike Marsh, 5-9 Sr. J. B. Schmidt, and 5-9 Sr. Jake Fowler.

Adair County pulled to within one point 53-52 late in the game but Harrison County scored six straight points to win by a score of 59-52.  Harrison County was  led by their 5-9 Sr. guards Jake Fowler and J. B. Schmidt with 19 and 16 points respectively.  Adair County was led by 6-8 Sr. Wesley Irvan  with 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Adair County	14	11	15	12	-	52
Harrison County	16	15	11	17	-	59

Adair County	(52) -	Irvan 15, Genakos 12, Adams 9, Corbin 8, Myers 6, Burris 2.
Harrison County	(59) -	Fowler 19, Schmidt 16, Courtney 8, Custard 8, Fryman 4, Marsh 2, Talbott 2.

Game No. 2  George Rogers Clark (Clark Co.) (10-4) vs. Grant County (11-5)

Clark County coach Guy Strong started the following lineup:  6-2 Sr. Robbie Baldwin, 6-2 Sr. Jason Mason, 6-4 Jr. Chris Frazier, 5-10 Sr. Jason Neely, and 5-11 Sr. Brandon Clay.  Grant County coach Ron Kinmon countered with 6-4 Sr. Eric Meade, 6-3 Jr. Jeff Colson, 6-2 Sr. Travis Jones, 5-11 Sr. Austin Ryan, and 5-9 Jr. Allen Shafer.

Clark County broke open a close game midway through the fourth quarter and cruised to a 66-51 win.  Clark County was led by  Chris Frazier with 16 points.  Jason Mason and Brandon Clay added 14 and 13 points respectively.  Grant County was led by Allen Shafer with 25.
 

Clark County	17	15	9	25	-	66
Grant County	7	17	6	21	-	51

Clark County	(66) -	Frazier 16, Mason 14, Clay 13, R. Baldwin 9, Neely 6, Wood 4, McCaffery 2, Shackleford 2.
Grant County	(51) -	Shafer 25, Ryan 9, E. Meade 6, Maddox 6, Tr. Jones 3, Colson 2.

January 27th - Day 2

Game No. 3  Consolation Round  Grant County (11-6) vs. Adair County (7-7)

Grant County coach Ron Kinmon started the following lineup:   6-4 Sr. Eric Meade, 5-9 Jr. Mark Coleman, 6-2 Sr. Travis Jones, 5-11 Sr. Austin Ryan, and 5-9 Jr. Allen Shafer.  Adair County coach John Shelley countered with 6-2 Sr. Darren Adams, 5-10 Sr. Josh Myers, 6-8 Sr. Wesley Irvan, 5-9 Sr. Freddie Corbin, and 5-10 Sr. Nic Genakos.

Adair County erased a Grant County 34-25 lead at halftime to gain a narrow 55-53 win.  Adair County was led by Wesley Irvan with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Grant County was led by Allen Shafer with 20 points.
 

Grant County	11	23	13	6	-	53
Adair County	11	14	22	8	-	55

Grant County	(53) -	Shafer 20, E. Meade 12, Tr. Jones 8, Ryan 7,  Maddox 4, Colson 2.
Adair County	(55) -	Irvan 20, Adams 9, Corbin 8, Myers 8, Genakos 7, Bryant 3.

Game No. 4  Santa Fe (FL) (13-6) vs. Scott County (13-3)

Santa Fe coach Rick Swain started  6-5 Sr. Josef McNeal, 6-5 Sr. Leroy Williams, 6-4 So. James Shuler, 6-2 Sr. D. J. Smith, and 6-0 Jr. Al Peterson.  Scott County coach Billy Hicks countered with  6-0 Sr. Kenneth Chisley, 6-5 Sr. Scott Hundley, 6-8 Jr. Nate Austin, 5-10 So. C-3 Brown, and 5-11 Sr. Casey Alsop.

Scott County trailed at the first three quarter breaks 15-10, 39-31, and 58-56 before rallying late in the game to win by a score of 89-76.  Scott County was led by Scott Hundley with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists.  Casey Alsop chipped in with 24 points.  Santa Fe was led by James Shuler with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Josef McNeal added 16 points and 8 rebounds.
 

Santa Fe	15	24	19	18	-	76
Scott County	10	21	25	33	-	89

Santa Fe	(76) -	Shuler 27, McNeal 16, Smith 14, Peterson 12, L. Williams 3, Swain 3, Jones 1.
Scott County	(89) -	Hundley 29, Alsop 24,  Brown 16, Chisley 8,, Zerhusen 6, Christman 3, M. Reed 3.

Game No. 5  Osceola (FL) (13-6) vs. Muhlenberg North (11-4)

Osceola coach Steve Mason started  6-6 So. Jimmy McCrimon, 6-2 Jr. Sean McCrimon, 6-3 Sr. Chad Mascoe, 6-0 Sr. Kiki Picard, and 6-4 Sr. J. D. Bracy.   Muhlenberg North coach Steve Sparks countered with 6-2 Sr. B. J. McCoy, 6-4 Sr. Nathan Brothers, 6-2 Sr. Davey Mills, 6-1 Sr. Nick Ray, and 6-2 Jr. Patrick Sparks.

Muhlenberg North erased a 64-61 deficit early in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 91-80 victory.  The story of this game was Patrick Sparks.   He tallied 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. B. J. McCoy added 19 points.  Osceola  was led by J. D. Bracy with 24 points.   Jimmy McCrimon added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
 

Osceola	22	13	24	21	-	80
Muhlenberg North	21	17	23	30	-	91

Osceola	(80) -	Bracy 24, J. McCrimon 18,  Mascoe 15, Picard 12, Crooks 5, Cento 3, Gray 3.
Muhlenberg North	(91) -	Sparks 27, McCoy 19, Ray 15, Brothers 14, Casebier 11, Mills 5.

January 28th - Day 3

Game No. 6  Consolation Round  Osceola (FL) (13-7) vs. Santa Fe (FL) (13-7)

Osceola coach Steve Mason started the following lineup:  6-6 So. Jimmy McCrimon, 6-2 Jr. Sean McCrimon, 6-3 Sr. Chad Mascoe, 6-0 Sr. Kiki Picard, and 6-4 Sr. J. D. Bracy.  Santa Fe coach Rick Swain countered with 6-5 Sr. Josef McNeal, 6-5 Sr. Leroy Williams, 6-4 So. James Shuler, 6-2 Sr. D. J. Smith, and 6-0 Jr. Al Peterson.

Santa Fe erased a 59-55 deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat  Osceola by a score of 70-64.  Josef McNeal and Leroy Williams led Santa Fe with 15 points each, and Al Peterson added 14. McNeal also pulled down 10 rebounds.   J. D. Bracy led Osceola with 22 points and 8 rebounds.
 

Osceola	16	10	24	14	-	64
Santa Fe	19	17	12	22	-	70

Osceola	(64) -	Bracy 22, J. McCrimon 14, Crooks 13,  Mascoe 10, Picard 3, Cento 2.
Santa Fe	(70) -	McNeal 15,  L. Williams 15,  Peterson 14, Shuler 11, Smith 7, Swain 5, Jones 2, G. Williams 1.

Game No. 7  Semifinal No. 1  Harrison County (8-6) vs. Scott County (14-3)

Harrison County coach Mike Reitz started 5-11 Jr. Billy Custard, 6-3 Sr. Nathan Courtney, 6-2 Sr. Mike Marsh, 5-9 Sr. J. B. Schmidt, and 5-9 Sr. Jake Fowler.  Scott County coach Billy Hicks countered with  6-0 Sr. Kenneth Chisley, 6-5 Sr. Scott Hundley, 6-3 So. Coy Zerhusen, 5-10 So. C-3 Brown, and 5-11 Sr. Casey Alsop.

Scott County was too much for Harrison County tonight and won by a score of 92-60. 6-8 Sr. Nate Austin, who normally starts for Scott County, came off the bench tonight to score 21 points for the game.  Scott Hundley added 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Casey Alsop tallied 16 points for the game.  Jake Fowler led Harrison County with 20 points on 7-10 field goal shooting including four three-pointers.
 

Harrison County	17	13	23	7	-	60
Scott County	28	21	21	22	-	92

Harrison County	(60) -	Fowler 20, Custard 9, Courtney 8, Schmidt 5, Martin 4, Talbott 4, Marsh 3, Thornton 2, Turley 2, Faulkner 2, Fryman 1.
Scott County	(92) -	Austin 21, Hundley 19, Alsop 16, Oser 11,  Brown 9, Chisley 7, Harden 3, Zerhusen 2, Christman 2, M. Reed 2.

Game No. 8  Semifinal No. 2  Muhlenberg North (12-4) vs. George Rogers Clark (Clark Co.) (11-4)

Muhlenberg North coach Steve Sparks started the following lineup:  6-2 Sr. B. J. McCoy, 6-4 Sr. Nathan Brothers, 6-2 Sr. Davey Mills, 6-1 Sr. Nick Ray, and 6-2 Jr. Patrick Sparks.  Clark County coach Guy Strong started  6-2 Sr. Robbie Baldwin, 6-2 Sr. Jason Mason, 6-4 Jr. Chris Frazier, 5-10 Sr. Jason Neely, and 5-11 Sr. Brandon Clay.

Muhlenberg North proved to be the better team tonight and registered a 77-55 victory in a game that was expected to be much closer.  Patrick Sparks led the way for the victors with 30 points and 6 assists. Brandon Clay led Clark County with 16 points.  Muhlenberg North shot 61.2% from the field for the game.
 

Muhlenberg North	20	16	21	20	-	77
Clark County	10	14	21	10	-	55

Muhlenberg North	(77) -	Sparks 30, Ray 14, Brothers 12, McCoy 11, Casebier 6, Mills 2, Mercer 2
Clark County	(55) -	Clay 16, Frazier 12, Mason 12, Neely 5, Shackleford 5, R. Baldwin 2, Embry 2, McCaffery 1.

January 29th - Day 4

The story of the day was the icy weather which made many roads in Kentucky slick and hazardous.  The Grant County vs. Osceola (FL) game was canceled.  The third place game between Harrison County and Clark County was also canceled due to weather conditions.

Game No. 9  Grant County vs. Osceola (FL)

Canceled.
 

Game No. 10   Fifth Place Game   Santa Fe (FL) (14-7) vs. Adair County (8-7)

Santa Fe coach Rick Swain started the following lineup:  6-5 Sr. Josef McNeal, 6-5 Sr. Leroy Williams, 6-4 So. James Shuler, 6-2 Sr. D. J. Smith, and 6-1 Sr. Rick Swain.  Adair County coach John Shelley countered with 6-2 Sr. Darren Adams, 5-10 Sr. Josh Myers, 6-8 Sr. Wesley Irvan, 5-9 Sr. Freddie Corbin, and 5-10 Sr. Nic Genakos.

Santa Fe erased a 49-46 deficit late in the game to tie the score 49-49. Leroy Williams then scored to give Santa Fe a 51-49 lead which proved to be the final score.  Williams then blocked a three-point field goal attempt with seconds remaining to help preserve the victory.  Santa Fe was led by Josef McNeal with 21 points and 11 rebounds.  Adair County was led by  Nic Genakos with 14.
 

Santa Fe	10	16	5	20	-	51
Adair County	12	12	6	19	-	49

Santa Fe	(51) -	McNeal 21, Swain 8,  L. Williams 7, Shuler 7, Peterson 4, Smith 2, Ludwig 2.
Adair County	(49) -	Genakos 14, Irvan 10, Corbin 10, Adams 9, Myers 6.

Game No. 11  Third Place Game  Harrison County vs. George Rogers Clark (Clark Co.)

Canceled.
 

Game No. 12  Toyota Community Invitational  Wood Memorial (Oakland City, IN) vs. Buffalo (WV)

Wood Memorial coach Matt Malin started 6-2 Jr. Ryan Meece, 6-2 Sr. Aaron Reynolds, 6-6 Sr. Zac Ewin, 5-9 Sr. Jariah Besing, and 6-2 Jr. Steve Rhoden..  Buffalo coach Chuck Elkins countered with 5-10 Sr. Michael Smith, 5-11 Jr. Luke Hull, 6-4 Sr. Matt Mynes, 5-10 Jr. Justin Withrow, and 5-6 Sr. Zach Crouch.

Wood Memorial was too much for Buffalo and recorded a 64-46 win.  They won the battle of the boards 49-27.  Wood Memorial was led by Zac Ewin who tallied 26 points and 9 rebounds.  Ewin was named the outstanding player of the game for Wood Memorial.  Buffalo was led by Justin Withrow with 17 points and he was named outstanding player of the game for Buffalo (WV).
 

Wood Memorial	18	19	18	9	-	64
Buffalo.	12	6	18	10	-	46

Wood Memorial	(64) -	Ewin 26, Meece 18, Reynolds 6, Hunt 5, Besing 3, Rhoden 2, Glover 2, Brinkley 2.
Buffalo	(46) -	Withrow 17, Gritt 10, Crouch 6, Smith 5, Medley 3, Hull 2, Clendenin 1.

Game No. 13  Championship Game  Muhlenberg North (13-4) vs. Scott County (15-3)

Muhlenberg North coach Steve Sparks started the following lineup:  6-2 Sr. B. J. McCoy, 6-4 Sr. Nathan Brothers, 6-2 Sr. Davey Mills, 6-1 Sr. Nick Ray, and 6-2 Jr. Patrick Sparks.  Scott County Billy Hicks countered with  6-0 Sr. Kenneth Chisley, 6-5 Sr. Scott Hundley, 6-3 So. Coy Zerhusen, 5-10 So. C-3 Brown, and 5-11 Sr. Casey Alsop.

Scott County build an early lead and pulled away from Muhlenberg North to win by a score of 81-60.  Kenneth Chisley and  C-3 Brown guarded Patrick Sparks at various stages of the game. Sparks led North with 19 points but was held to 3-14 from the field. Nick Ray added 18 points for Muhlenberg North.  Scott County  was led by Scott Hundley with 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 assists. Casey Alsop added 23 points.

There was one scary incident late in the game.  During a collision under the basket, Nate Austin, the 6-8 Scott County center, was knocked unconscious and also lost two teeth.  C-3 Brown received a nasty gash on the head and was taken to the hospital for stitches. Austin returned to the bench was taken from the gym on a stretcher.  The game was completed but the crowd was quiet the rest of the evening.  Later reports indicated Brown received over 60 stitches and Austin needed some dental repair but both should be back in action soon.
 

Muhlenberg North	13	16	10	21	-	60
Scott County	26	15	20	20	-	81

Muhlenberg North	(60) -	Sparks 19, Ray 18, Brothers 11, McCoy 6, Mayes 4, Casebier 2.
Scott County	(81) -	Hundley 25, Alsop 23, Austin 12, Brown 6, Zerhusen 5, Christman 2, Oser 2, Chisley 2, Harden 2, Nettles 2.

All Tournament Team
 

Josh Myers	5-10	Sr .	Adair County	3 games	6.7 ppg
Josef McNeal	6-5	Sr.	Santa Fe (FL)	3 games	17.3 ppg	9.7 rpg
J. D. Bracy	6-4	Sr.	Osceola (FL)	2 games	23.0 ppg
Allen Shafer	5-9	Jr.	Grant County	2 games	22.5 ppg
Jake Fowler	5-9	Sr.	Harrison County	2 games	19.5 ppg
Brandon Clay	5-11	Sr.	Clark County	2 games	14.5 ppg
B. J. McCoy	6-2	Sr.	Muhlenberg North	3 games	12.0 ppg
Nick Ray	6-1	Sr.	Muhlenberg North	3 games	15.7 ppg
Patrick Sparks	6-2	Jr.	Muhlenberg North	3 games	25.3 ppg	6.7 rpg	4.7 apg
Nate Austin	6-8	Sr.	Scott County	3 games	11.0 ppg
Casey Alsop	5-11	Sr.	Scott County	3 games	21.0 ppg
Scott Hundley	6-5	Sr.	Scott County	3 games	24.3 ppg	13.3 rpg	5.0 apg

Conclusion

Scott County appears to be peaking at the right time.  They have rebounded form a 3-3 start to a current record of 16-3.  They beat a very tough Muhlenberg North team by 21 and survived a real gut-check in the opening round with a tough Santa Fe (FL) team.

There were several fine players in the tournament but I can only mention a few here.

Scott Hundley - 6-5 Sr. Scott County - What else is there to say about Scott?  It is true that Alsop, Austin, Brown, and the rest of the Cardinals take come of the pressure off Scott, but he comes to play every night.  His stats and accomplishments speak for themselves.

Patrick Sparks - 6-2 Jr. Muhlenberg North - "Mr. Intensity" comes ready to play.  He can beat you with the long jump shot, take you to the basket, or find an open teammate with a dazzling pass.

J. D. Bracy - 6-4 Sr. Osceola (FL) - Good outside shot and excellent cross-over dribble.  He signed with Florida State earlier this year.

Wesley Irvan - 6-8 Sr. Adair County - Wesley went through a growth spurt and is still improving,  He averaged 15 ppg and 8 rpg in the tournament.  Wesley also has the ability to step outside and shoot the "3".

James Shuler - 6-4 So. Santa Fe (FL) - Shuler lit up Scott County with 27 points and 10 rebounds.  He has excellent inside moves and could be a good one.

There were several other fine players in the tournament and several good underclassmen that will be fun to watch in the future.
 

Acknowledgments

Congratulations to the Toyota Classic Committee and all the volunteers who make this tournament such a success.  I would also like to express appreciation to the "stats crew" and to Ken Farley who make my job a real "piece of cake".  The Toyota Classic recognizes and gives award plaques to all participants with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better.  This award was received by 81 of the 150 athletes participating in this event.  While we all enjoy athletics, these young men are students first and athletes second.

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