December 19th Day 1

Lexington Christian Academy  63  Lincoln County 49 - LCA trailed 46-45 in the fourth quarter but went on a 15-0 run to take control of the game.  LCA was led by Courtney Clifton, Anna Martin, and Sarah Beth Barnette with 22, 19, and 13 points respectively.  Barnette also pulled down 9 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.  Lincoln County was led by Keira Henderson with 15 points and 9 rebounds.  Jessica Upchurch and Nikki Bustle added 11 and 10 points respectively.

Montgomery County 57 Newport Central Catholic 35 - Annie Garland and Elizabeth Prewitt led the victors with 15 and 12 points respectively.  Mariah Tabor and Courtney Sandfoss led NCC with 12 and 10 points respectively.  Tabor also pulled down 11 rebounds.

Christian Academy of Louisville 48 Clay County 30 - Clair Buchanan led CAL with 18 points and 6 rebounds.  Whitney Belle Jackson led Clay County with 12 points and 7 rebounds.  Danielle Fox added 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Conner 56  Elliott County 46 - Allison Long, Payton Malone, and Ellory Kring led Conner with 12, 10, and 9 points respectively.  Lakin Griffith led Elliott County with 19 points and 8 rebounds.  Kelsey Ferguson added 11 points and 8 rebounds.  Shae Ferguson recorded 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.

Highlands 50  Huntington WV 47 - Highlands was led by Samantha Messmer, Bekah Towles, and Katie Allen with 10, 10, and 9 points respectively.  Erin Bailes led Huntington with 15 points.  Whitney Bays added 14 points and 18 rebounds.

Breathitt County 52  Ohio County 37 - Brianna Deaton led the victors with 20 points including 6 three point baskets.  Kendall Noble added 13 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocked shots, and 6 steals.  Arielle Keown and Mariah Robinson led Ohio County with 11 and 9 points respectively.

Regular season basketball is always puctuated by key matchups and this one was no exception.  This early season game pitted two of the very best teams in the state and was played December 14th as part of the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Holiday Classic at the Bank of Kentucky Center on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.

Holmes utilized an excellent defensive effort and the torrid outside shooting of JaMel Riley to lead the Bulldogs to defeat Scott County 70-65.  Holmes raced out to a 34-17 lead in the second quarter and held off a late rally by Scott County to earn the victory.  Scott County's 6-8 Sr. Richie Phares got in early foul trouble and only played 17:20 minutes and scored three points before fouling out.

Holmes shot 50% from the field including nine of 19 from beyond the arc.  The Bulldogs connected on 13  of 21 free throws, pulled down 34 rebounds and scored 18 points off 17 Scott County turnovers.  Scott County shot 41.4% from the field including three of 16 from beyond the arc.  The Cardinals connected on 14 of 19 free throws, grabbed 32 rebounds and scored 25 points off 22 Holmes turnovers.

JaMel Riley led Holmes with 20 points including five of six from beyond the arc.  Elijah Pittman added 15 points and 10 rebounds.  Jeremiah Johnson chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds.  Ricardo Johnson recorded 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

Ge-Lawn Guyn led Scott County with 29 points and kept Scott County in the game.  Guyn was 13 of 19 from the field including three of five from beyond the arc.  6-3 Fr. Tamron Manning added 12 points.  Chad Jackson chipped in with 10 points and Dakotah Euton recorded nine points and 11 rebounds.

Scott County  12 17 16 20 - 65

Holmes           24 17 12 17 - 70

Scott County (65)  Euton 9, Phares 3, Guyn 29, Jackson 10, 

                              Flannery 2, Manning 12.

Holmes          (70)  R. Johnson 10, Jeremiah 12, Pittman 15, 

                              D. Johnson 6, Riley 20, Housley 5, Arnold 2.

A special thanks to the Scott County Stats Crew for providing the statistics for this game.

So, what does this really mean, especially this early in the season?  It just shows that there are some worthy contenders for the state title this year which should make for an interesting season.  Some thought that it would be a cakewalk  to the title for Scott County.  However many including veteran Scott County  coach Billy Hicks knows it is not that simple in the state of Kentucky and that there are several teams capable of beating you on a given night. Scott County jumps back in the fire tonight as they face Clark County at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington in a televised game.

Back to Holmes, this team is long, athletic,  can play defense and when they shoot like tonight are extremely difficult to defeat.  There is no reason to believe that this team will not have a great year and it is quite possible all title considerations must go through Northern Kentucky.

Scott County Coach Billy Hicks does not duck tough competition and he had his hands full tonight with Duncanville who was ranked the number one team in Texas and the country in some preseason polls.  6-7 Sr. Shawn Williams  has signed with Texas and both 6-5 Sr Roger Franklin and 6-1 Sr. Reger Dowell have inked with Oklahoma State.  The Panthers also have several talented underclassmen on their roster.

Scott County is a perennial power in the state of Kentucky and should have a lofty national ranking this season.  6-8 Jr. Dakotah Euton has given a verbal commitment to the University of Kentucky.  Other players expected to be highly recruited include 6-8 Sr. Richie Phares, 6-4 Jr. Chad Jackson, 6-2 Jr. Ge-Lawn Guyn, and 6-3 Fr. Tamron Manning.

Duncanville rallied from a 53-44 deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat ScottCounty 77-71 in overtime.  The Panthers took a late 64-62 lead but Scott County's Chad Jackson scored a basket in the closing seconds to send the game to overtime.  Duncanville held a 26-7 advantage in turnover points and a 25-11 advantage in second chance points.

Duncanville shot 37.2% from the field, connected on 17 of 26 free throws and pulled down 52 rebounds.  Scott County shot 31.3%, connected on 27 of 35 free throws and grabbed 48 rebounds.

6-7 Jr. Julian Washburn led the victors with 18 points and nine rebounds.  Roger Franklin added 15 points and 11 rebounds.  Shawn Williams recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Shawn Williams and 6-11 Jr. Perry Jones both fouled out. Chad Jackson led Scott County with 23 points including 15 of 18 free throws.  Jackson also pulled down six rebounds.  Ge-Lawn Guyn added 17 points.  Dakotah Euton chipped in with 15 point, 15 rebounds, and five steals.  Ge-Lawn Guyn, Tamron Manning, and Richie Phares all fouled out.

Duncanville   11 15 12 26 13 - 77

Scott County 10 15 17 22  7 - 71

Duncanville (77) - Williams 12, Washburn 18, Jones 6, Dowell 14, 

                             Franklin 15, Sterns 3, Lenzy 9.

Scott County (71) - Euton 15, Guyn 17, Phares 8, Aaron Ford 6,

                               Jackson 23, Manning 2.

Wow!! What a way to kick off a season.  Kudos to Tates Creek athletic director Joe Ruddell and Coach Wayne Breeden for bringing together these two fine teams for the opening game of the Commodore Classic. Holmes has been highly hyped all summer deservedly so and Bryan Station is always tough despite graduating Shelvim Mack among others.

Bryan Station was very impressive tonight with an 86-72 victory over Holmes.  This game was truly a game of runs as Bryan Station held a 33-22 lead in the second quarter before Holmes went on a 14-0 run to take a 36-33 lead and the score was tied 38-38 at halftime.  Bryan Station's Montell Morones was fouled on a three point attempt at the buzzer in the third quarter and connected on all three free throws to pull Bryan Station to within one; 58-57 entering the final quarter.  Holmes held a 67-65 lead in the final period but Bryan Station closed out the game with a 21-5 run.

Bryan Steation's shooting was the key tonight as they oushot Holmes 50.9%-43.9% and was 11 of 16 from the three point line.  They were 19 of 23 from the free throw line while Holmes was 30 of 39.

Charles Ashford, Montell Morones, and Cameron Richardson led the Defenders with 35, 26, and 16 points respectively.  Morones nailed six three point baskets.  Ricardo Johnson, Elijah Pittman, Jeremiah Johnson, and Brandon Housley led Holmes with 26, 18, 10, and 10 points respectively.

Holmes    17 21 20 14 - 72

Bryan St.  20 18 19 29 - 86

Holmes (72) - R. Johnson 26, J. Johnson 10, Pittman 18, Housley 10,

                      Riley 5, Arnold 3.

Bryan St. (86) - Richardson 16, Adams 2, Ashford 35, Morones 26,

                         Fain 4, Blackburn 2, Ball1.

So, what does all this mean?  It basically proves that Bran Station is always a tough opponent especially when their outside shot is falling which they were tonight.  Morones, Ashford, and Richardson were very impressive tonight.  Holmes is absolutely loaded and while there has to be some improvements over tonight I would not be jumping off any bridges if I was a Bulldog fan.  This is a very, very good team and Ricardo Johnson, Jeremiah Johnson, and Elijah Pittman can get to the rim against anyone.  Brandon Housley is another nice addition adding more scoring and rebounding.

While Scott County has got a lot of deserved publicity and is favored by many to roll through the state there are several worthy contenders and any contender for the crown will have to deal with the Bulldogs.

This six game schedule will be played at Southport High School on December 13th.  The schedule is as follows:

12:00 Heritage Christian vs. Hamilton Southeastern (Girls)

1:45   Indianapolis Southport vs. Hope Hauser

3:30   Indianapolis Howe vs. Marion

5:15   Brownsburg High vs. Indianapolis Perry Meridian

7:00   Indianapolis North Central vs. Lafayette Jefferson

8:45   Indianapolis Lawrence North vs. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers 

Some of the top players expected to participate include 6-8 Jr. Jordan Manuel, 5-9 So. Alvin Boutte, Kenny Enoch, and Kevin Rose (Indianapolis Howe), 5-7 Jovan Freshwater, 6-5 Scott Wood-NC State, and 6-0 JaRob McCallum (Marion), J.D. Cosby and Austin Fish (Brownburg High), 6-1 Evan Gordon, 6-2 Jr. Terone Johnson, 6-3 Damon Ellison, and 6-9 Justin Reid (Indianapolis North Central), 5-10 Brandon Williams, 6-1 Jr. Jesse Berry, Roddy Richardson, and Shane Wyatt (Lafayette Jefferson).

The highlight game today will pit Indianapolis Lawrence North vs. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers.  Some of the key players expected to play include 6-9 Stephen Van Treese-Louisville, 6-9 Jr. Dominique Ferguson -Kentucky, 6-9 Jeff Robinson-Purdue, 6-7 Chris Read, 6-10 So. Michael Borum, 7-0 Jr. Jay Maehlen, 6-5 So. Ryan Taylor, 6-4 Larry Smith, 6-1 Kyree Jones, and 6-7 Jr. Justin Martin- Louisville ( Indianapolis Lawrence North), 6-7 Jr. Deshaun Thomas-Ohio State, 6-1 So. Evan Blackmon, 5-11 Lawrence Barnett, Sean Day, and 6-4 Troy Amos (Fort Wayne Bishop Luers).

A special thanks to Rick Bolus for the above info about this marquee event.

This event is being held December 13, 2008 at Warren Central High School in Bowling Green Kentucky.  The schedule is as follows:

5:00 PM - Raleigh-Egypt (Memphis TN) vs. Christian County (Hopkinsville KY)

7:00 PM - Centennial (Franklin TN) vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins KY

9:00 PM - Christ Presbyterian Academy of Nashville TN vs. Warren Central (Bowling Green KY)

This tournament started with 32 teams at the Kentucky Basketball Academy on November 8-9, 2008.  The championship was played November 28th at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.  The championship game features Lebanon Middle vs. Crosby (Louisville) Middle.

Lebanon Middle captured the championship in a thrilling 40-33 overtime victory over Crosby.  Lebanon trailed 10-3 after the first quarter.  Lebanon chipped away at the lead and the score was tied 24-24 after three quarters.  Crosby led for most of the fourth quarter but Lebanon's Makayla Epps hit a basket at 2.5 seconds on the clock to tie the score 30-30.  Lebanon dominated the overtime period outscoring Crosby 10-3.

Tourney MVP Makayla Epps led the victors with 19 points.  Kyvin Goodin-Rogers added 16 points.  China Dow and Katie Long led Crosby with 17 and nine points respectively.

Lebanon   03 15 06 06 10 - 40

Crosby      10 10 04 06 03 - 33

Lebanon (40) - Smith 2, Goodin-Rogers 16, Epps 19, Burton 3.

Crosby    (33) - Dow 17, Dye 1, Hawkins 4, Long 9, Colbert 2.

I attended this pre-season event at the Basketball Academy in Louisville on November 22nd and I will have complete coverage on my website.  However I just wanted to give a few personal observations on the teams and players.

BULLITT EAST - The Lady Chargers were missing several players but were still quite impressive.  5-9 Jr. Kayla Thacker showed the ability to get to the basket as well as nail the three-point jump shot.  5-10 Jr. Shelby Romine and 5-8 Jr. Jackie Stevens were effective in the paint.  6-2 So. Lindey Young also displayed a lot of potential.

PARIS - 5-8 Sr. Emily Hinkson can score inside and out and is a ferocious rebounder for her size.  She pulled down 19 rebounds against a much larger frontline of Lexington Christian Academy in a game last year.

IROQUOIS - They were missing Adia Mathies, Asia Mathies, and Kayla Hickman today but will contend for the state championship when at full strength.

HIGHLANDS - I like this team.  Coach Richey's  squad is still relatively young but has the talent to be very dangerous down the road.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY of LOUISVILLE - Coach Rice has some  shooters on this team.  6-2 Jr. Antonita Slaughter, 5-10 Sr. Clair Buchanan, and 5-11 Sr. Hannah Bowman can all put points on the scoreboard.

OWENSBORO CATHOLIC - There is some good veteran talent on this team including 5-8 Sr. Rachel Greenwell and 5-8 Sr. Hannah Gerteisen plus a 5-10 8th grader Becca Greenwell who is on a collision course with stardom.  Watch this player in the future.

DUPONT MANUAL - Coach Stacy Pendleton has a deep talented squad including three girls in the 6-1 to 6-2 range who can play (6-2 Jr. Zhakiyah Martin, 6-2 Jr. Brittney Turner, and 6-1 Sr. Avery Jones).  The Lady Crimsons also has an extremely strong freshmen class led by 5-10 Kara Wright and 5-7 April Wilson.

HART COUNTY - 5-9 Sr. Lindsay Highbaugh is an excellent long range shooter and 5-11 Fr. Lindsey Burd is a vastly improved forward/center with a bright future.

BUTLER - Coach Eddy Wilson gets scoring from several players and 5-11 Sr. Tiara Hopper creates match-up problems in the paint with her athleticism.  5-7 Jr. Whitney Reed displays good all-around skills and always seems to find the open player.

SACRED HEART ACADEMY - 5-6 Jr. Autumn Miller could always shoot but has improved other areas of her game.  5-11 So. Morgan Clemons is a young post player who tends to collect double-doubles (points and rebounds).

NELSON COUNTY - 6-3 Jr. Samantha Drake played well tonight-scoring, rebounding, and ran the floor extremely well.  5-8 Jr. Lacy Hagan shot the ball well tonight connecting on six three point baskets.

MERCY ACADEMY - Coach Evans' squad could be extremely good if they can get healthy and stay healthy.  5-9 Jr. Therese Montano is coming off an injury from last season. Miss Montano is "old school" preferring substance over flash and makes everyone around her better.  If 5-10 Jr. center Madison Hardy returns 100% healthy the Lady Jaguars will be hard to handle.

Rick Bolus and Chris Stallings did an excellent job with this event and the staff at the Basketball Academy does a great job.  As usual I was impressed with all the coaches and the way they approach these scrimmages as a teaching tool to make their teams better.

Last year at this time LCA was coming off a 34-3 season and the defending state champions.  The lady Eagles returned four starters and many expected them to make another title run.  However they finished 22-7 and were knocked out in district play.  They suffered another loss this year when 6-1 center Clara Mitchell transferred back to East Jessamine for her senior season.

Coach Jason Seamands returns a lot of firepower this season and will be expected to capture the 11th region title and will be considered on of the best teams in the state.  5-9 Sr. Anna Martin is a smooth guard with the stregth to get to the basket and has great touch and range on her jump shot.  5-10 Sr. Courtney Clifton is an aggressive scorer who can put up points in bunches.  6-1 Jr. Sarah Beth Barnette is a versatile performer with an excellent outside shooting touch.

Other players expected to contribute include 5-4 Fr. Kelli Mitchuson, 5-10 Sr. Caitlin Dorton, 5-5 So. Rachel Cox, 5-11 Fr. Olivia Eastham, 5-9 Sr. Mimi Purdy, 5-5 Sr. Caitlin Panter, and 6-0 Fr. Kristin Jacob.  The Lady Eagles will miss the inside presence of Clara Mitchell and will have to develop a player rotation and achieve team chemistry.  The upside is that not many teams in the state can match the offensive firepower of Martin, Clifton, an Barnette.

Last year at this time Scott County was coming off a 34-2 season and the defending state champions. However the Cardinals had a brutal schedule and 6-4 Sr. Bud Mackey was unable to play due to off court problems and the Cardinals finished with a 20-12 record.  Scott County also graduated severa talented seniors from last year's team.

Coach Billy Hicks has some excellent talent returning and the roster was bolstered by some high profile transfers over the summer.  Chad Jackson, Dakotah Euton, and Robbie Barber transferred from Rose Hill and Austin Flannery transferred from Boone County.  6-5 So. Tanner Shotwell transferred back to Scott County from Lexington Christian Academy but may be inelgible this season.

6-7 Sr. Richie Phares scores well in the paint and can step out to nail the jump shot.  6-2 Jr. Ge-Lawn Guyn excels in the open court and can score in a variety of ways.  6-2 Sr. Aaron Ford is a solid guard who will earn a lot of minutes.  6-8 Jr. Dakotah Euton will not be outworked, rebounds well, and has three point range on his shot.  6-4 Jr. Chad Jackson is athletic, hard to defend off the dribble and is a lock-down defender.  6-3 Fr. Tamron Manning is one of the top freshmen in the state and logged quality varsity minutes last season.

Opponents don't get much of a break when Coach Hicks goes to the bench.  6-2 Jr. Austin Flannery is a deadly outside marksman and 6-2 Fr. Isaiah Ivey could be another special player down the road.  Other players expected to contribute include 6-2 Sr. Ryan Walker, 6-0 Jr. Hayden Willoughby, 6-0 Fr. Avery Ford, 6-3 So. Robbie Barber, and 6-6 Jr. Will Schu.  Scott County will also have receive the services of promising 5-11 Fr. point guard Josh Walls who has starred  on the gridiron this fall.

The 11th region is brutal and the Cardinals will have some worthy contenders in Paul Dunbar, Franklin County, Bryan Station, and Lexington Catholic.  However Scott County is talented, deep, have the advantage of an excellent tradition and facilities, a loyal fan base, and an experienced coach who knows how to win. Scott County received a lot of publicity because of the number of transfers, plus nobody loves the favorite and unfortunately will be expected by many fans to win every game by 20+ points.

While this team has a giant target on their back it will take a great effort to beat them on the court and they will be battle-tested for the 11th region wars because of a very tough schedule.