Thursday, March 20, 2014

Day Two of the State Tournament

Here are the results from yesterday:

(1) Hopkinsville 83, S. Oldham 62
(6) Lou. Trinity 55, Owensboro 41
(3) Scott Co. 77, Fleming Co. 66
Johnson Cent. 58, Campbell Co. 56

So the winners from the 2d, the 7th, the 11th, and the 15th regions all march on to the quarter-finals.

Here are today's games (all times Central):

11 A.M.:  McCracken Co. (24-8) v. (10) Wayne Co. (31-1)
12:30 P.M.:  Knott Co. Cent. (25-6) v. Bowling Green (27-6)
5:30 P.M.:  Bardstown (26-6) v. (8) Lou. Pleasure Ridge Park (26-7)
7 P.M.:  Clay Co. (23-8) v. (4) Cov. Catholic (29-2)

Since the regionals started,  only one team that was ranked in the AP's top 10 at the end of the regular season has lost to a team that was not ranked.  Here's what has happened so far:

1.  Hopkinsville -- still playing
2.  Lou. Ballard -- beaten in 7th Region final by Lou. Trinity
3.  Scott Co. -- still playing
4.  Cov. Catholic -- still playing
5.  Newport Cent. Catholic -- beaten in 9th Region Semi-Final by Cov. Catholic
6.  Lou. Trinity -- still playing
7.  Cov. Holmes -- beaten in 9th Region Final by Cov. Catholic
8.  Lou. Pleasure Ridge Park -- still playing
9.  Montgomery Co. -- beaten in 10th Region Final by Campbell Co.
10.  Wayne Co. -- still playing

91 comments:

  1. The photograph linked behind this sentence is so ripe with happiness that it gives me chills. What a joy it is to get on a vehicle in a big group of friends and go somewhere terrific together.

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    1. And to have two or more of those vehicles chained together along a highway ... are you kidding me? That's off-the-charts happy.

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  2. GO, MCCRACKEN COUNTY! Mustangs got out to a 10-2 lead on Wayne County in the Day 2 opener and now hold a 22-18 advantage after one quarter in Lexington.

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    1. Wayne County closed with what Paducah's WPAD 1510 AM said was a 30-foot jumpshot to close to within four.

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  3. The Mustangs expand their lead to as many as 11 points but yield the last five points of the half, and McCracken County's advantage over Wayne County is 34-28.

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  4. The Lone Oak Road McDonald's is now the only non-24-hours McDonald's around Paducah, per an ad just now on WPAD.

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  5. 52-46, McCracken County, through three quarters ...

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  6. Jason Frakes ‏@kyhighs 51s
    Nice tribute here to former Paducah Sun sportswriter Joey Fosko, who passed away last summer. #BSW16
    12:20 PM - 20 Mar 2014

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  7. BOOM!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

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  8. In case you can't tell from Eric's comments, the McCracken County Mustangs upset Wayne County 81-74. Here was the score by quarters:

    1st: McCHS: 22, WCHS 18
    2d: McCHS 12, WCHS 10 (Mustangs led 34-28 at the half)
    3d: McCHS 18, WCHS 18 (Mustangs led 52-46 after 3)
    4th: McCHS 29, WCHS 28 (Mustangs won 81-74)

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  9. McCracken County won a bunch of low-scoring games in the regional tournament, but today they shot the lights out against a high-flying Wayne County team. Look at these numbers:

    The Mustangs were 16-30 from 2-point range (53.3 percent)
    They were 5-11 from 3-point range (45.5 percent)
    They were 34-43 from the line (79.1 percent)

    On the other side, Wayne County went 19-44 from 2-point range (43.2 percent) and 6-26 (23.1 percent) from 3-point range.

    McCracken County also out-rebounded Wayne County 41-32.

    So just an excellent performance across the board from the Mustangs, who will now await the winner of the upcoming game between Knott Co. Cent. and Bowling Green.

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  10. Several commentators had rated McCracken County as the weakest team in the Sweet 16, and Wayne County had been highly ranked all year, so this was regarded as a major upset. It should be noted, however, that the Mustangs jumped out to an early lead and never trailed.

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  11. There were 72 possessions in this game. McCracken County had an offensive efficiency of 112.5, and defensive efficiency of 102.8.

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  12. Well, OK, time to get on with my life ... Bowling Green is up, 9-4, on Knott County Central after one quarter in the second game today, and here's the Purples Nation coverage.

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  13. Knott County Central is still hanging around. With 2:51 left in the first half, Bowling Green leads by only 23-22.

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  14. Are you serious?!? ... Are you serious?!? ... That call was terrrrrrrrr-uhhhhhhh-blllllllllllllllllllllle. ...

    The Purples Nation coverage is pretty darned Purple.

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  15. Knott County Central trailed 32-24 at the half, but they have now tied the game at 44 with 8 minutes to go.

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  16. Knott County Central now ahead, 46-44 ... but, no, Bowling Green gets a three-pointer with six minutes to play ... 47-46, Purples ...

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  17. It's all up for grabs: Knott County Central and BGHS are tied at 48 with 4:53 left in the game.

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  18. KCC surges ahead, 50-48, on a drive and layup. "He took eight steps," reports the Purples Nation radio team.

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  19. Bowling Green now leads 53-51 with 2:59 left.

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  20. The 14th Region hasn't won the title since 1956, and they won't win it this year either. BGHS rolls on, 65-58.

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  21. Time to go back to the hotel and start watching tape on the Purps.

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    1. BGHS won 65-58 in 66 possessions. Their offensive efficiency was 98.5, and their defensive efficiency was 87.9.

      It is striking to see that the pace of these high school games is significantly quicker than what we see in most college games today. For most of the year, UK has been playing games of about 66 possessions -- but they are playing 40 minutes, while BGHS and KCC got there in only 32.

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  22. Joseph-Beth Books ‏@JosephBethLex
    J. B. Book is excited to welcome Coach John Calipari back to Joseph-Beth April 17th! Vouchers are on sale now.... http://fb.me/2jrY3PnXj
    3:41 PM - 20 Mar 2014

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  23. Bardstown has a 15-6 lead with 2:43 to go in the first quarter.

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  24. PRP is playing for real now. They lead 18-15 with 7:12 left in the 2d quarter.

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  25. If Hoptown wins tomorrow, two of the four semi-finalists will come from the four western-most regions. That hasn't happened since 2005, when University Heights made the semi-final and Warren Central made the final.

    The last time Regions 1 and 2 both made the semi-finals was in 1999, when Tilghman and Henderson County both made it.

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  26. I went to get something to eat, and while I was away Bardstown jumped all over PRP. Bardstown is up 67-50 with 3:51 to go in the game. Jason Frakes is getting tweets from folks who hate the Litratings.

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  27. Hold the phone. There was a mistake before; Bardstown was only up 65-50. And now they are only up 65-57 with 3:05 left in the game.

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  28. The purple-and-old-gold Tigers of Bardstown High advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 1932 (and they lost to Danville), 1935 (they lost to Calvert City), 1949 (Madisonville), 1969 (Ohio County), 1971 (Laurel County), 2008 (Holmes) and 2011 (Bullitt East). That's 0-7 all time, before today.

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  29. PRP continues to fight back. Bardstown now leads 68-63 with 1:04 left.

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  30. But Bardstown scores on a run-out to take a 70-63 lead with less than a minute to go.

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  31. Bardstown leads 72-66 with 33 seconds left. Bardstown ball.

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  32. Bardstown misses two free throws. PRP makes two. Bardstown leads 72-68 with 20 seconds left. Bardstown going to the line.

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  33. Bardstown goes 1-2 from the line. Tigers lead 73-68.

    PRP scores on a quick layup. The score is now 73-70 with 14 seconds to go. The Panthers have scored 27 points in the fourth quarter.

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  34. Bardstown makes two more free throws and hangs on for the win! Another top 10 team goes down:

    Bardstown 75, PRP 70

    The Tigers get their first state tournament win in school history.

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  35. Next up we have the last game of the first round: Clay County v. Covington Catholic.

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  36. Cov Cath opens the game with a barrage of three-pointers. With 2:30 left in the first quarter, Cov Cath has hit 5-6 three's, and they lead 18-10.

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  37. Meanwhile, Twitter is filling up with comments about what a great pep section Covington Catholic has.

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  38. Covington Catholic hit 6 of 8 three pointers in the first quarter, but their lead is only 21-17.

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  39. Apparently the Covington Catholic student section just had pizzas delivered at the game.

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  40. Cov Cath continues to blister the nets. They have made 8-11 three-pointers so far, and they lead 31-24 with 4:38 before halftime.

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  41. Now Clay County is making a run. The Tigers are attacking the goal over and over against the shorter Cov Cath players, and they lead 33-31 with 2:12 to go in the first half.

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    1. Wow. That was quite a spurt in just over two minutes.

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  42. Clay County just killed Cov Cath in that quarter, outscoring them 23-12. The Tigers from Manchester now lead 40-33 -- even though Cov Cath went 8-12 from three point range.

    Halftime.

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    1. Wow! That was quite another spurt in just over two minutes.

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  43. Clay County ended the first half with a 19-2 run.

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  44. OK, here's the deal with the Cov Cath student section. They're all boys, and they're all wearing blue, and there are hundreds of them. They stand together in the end zone, where they do a whole series of organized chants, stomps, jumps, and other routines. It sounds kind of like the Duke student section, but it has a much tougher and cooler vibe when you see it.

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    1. At WKU, I became friends with a bunch of boys from Trinity, and they had a level of cohesiveness and creative mischief that was very, very impressive. And now those guys are all 45-year-old men, and those things are still in evidence. When we were at Heath, I sort of knew a few kids from Tilghman, Lone Oak and Reidland, but I think I knew literally no one from Saint Mary's. That world intrigues me.

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    2. I know a lot of guys who went to all-male Catholic schools, which are very common in this part of the world. It is a unique culture.

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  45. Now they're interviewing Bobby Keith, the legendary former coach at Clay County, who was there for years and years. He gets to talking about how Clay County (and Richie Farmer) beat Louisville Ballard (and Allen Houston) in the final of the 1987 tournament, but lost to Ballard (and Houston) in the 1988 final. He remembers that in the 1988 tournament, Clay County beat PRP 92-90 in the semi-finals, and says that was the best high school game he ever saw.

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  46. Keith says his 1988 team was his best team, even better than the 1987 team that one it all. But that semi-final game against PRP wore them out before they had to play Ballard that night in the final.

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  47. Meanwhile, the Cov Cath student section has convinced everyone at Rupp Arena -- including the Clay County fans -- to do a slow motion wave.

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  48. Cov Cath is 8-12 from three-point range, but only 3-16 from two-point range.

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  49. A lot of history in these two schools. Covington still looks like the little German-American village it was when the Cincinnati region was settled by German Catholics in the early 19th century. Sure enough, Cov Cath's starting line up features a lot of German-sounding last names:

    Schuh
    Schult
    Vonhandorf
    Ruthsatz
    Heppler

    Meanwhile, Clay County, like the rest of Appalachia, was filling up with folks whose ancestry goes back to rural Britain. Check out the last names of Clay County's starters:

    Wolfe
    Farmer
    Allen
    Smith
    McDaniel

    So each school is representing a tradition that runs through Kentucky history, and so far each is doing a pretty good job.

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    1. GO HEATH, REPRESENT! This comment might be my favorite thing ever posted at the HP.

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  50. This is a bang-up game. Clay County leads 52-49 with 1:52 to go.

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  51. Covington Catholic greatly improved its defense, and continued its hot shooting from three point range. The Colonels are now 11-16 from three-point range, and they lead Clay County 54-52 with 8 minutes to go.

    By common consent, this has been the best game of the tournament so far.

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  52. The most three-pointers ever made by a team in a state tournament is 14. Mason County did that in 2003. So far, Cov Cath has 11.

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    1. McCracken County was so great at the free-throw line Thursday. If I had played high-school basketball, I would've missed every free throw I ever attempted in any game in which my team was within 10 points either side of the opponent.

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  53. Cov Cath still leads 56-53 with 6:23 left in the game.

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  54. This is an amazing game.

    Clay County is 4-9 from three-point range (44.4 percent)
    Covington Catholic is 12-18 from three-point range (66.7 percent).

    With 3:40 to go, Covington Catholic leads 63-62.

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  55. When the other team shoots free throws, the Covington Catholic student section chants:

    "He's scared, he's shakin'
    He ain't gonna make it."

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    1. I would've thrown the ball 18 inches short of the rim or 18 inches over the backboard.

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  56. Cov Cath leads 65-62 with 2:55 to go. Cov Cath headed to the line for free throws.

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  57. Unless something extraordinary happens, Cov Cath and its fans will be back tomorrow night. They are up 74-69 with only 1:05 left.

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  58. Cov Cath keeps knocking down free throws, and the Colonels lead 77-72 with 29 seconds left.

    I feel bad for Clay County, because they played well enough to win most of the time. You will rarely see any team go 12-18 from three-point range, but that's what Cov Cath did tonight.

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  59. Trey Farmer, the son of Richie Farmer, is the real deal. He has 19 points in this game, and his jumper makes the score 77-74 with 19 seconds to go.

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  60. Cov Cath misses two free throws, and Clay County has the ball. The Tigers are down 3 with 14 seconds to go.

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  61. Clay County desperately tried to get the ball to Tyler McDaniel, who has 25 points and is their best three-point shooter. But Cov Cath stole the ball. After making one of two free throws, Cov Cath leads 78-74.

    8 seconds to go.

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  62. With 5 seconds to go, McDaniel is fouled trying a three-pointer. He gets three free throws.

    He misses the first one.
    He makes the second.
    He misses the third one on purpose, but commits a lane violation going for the ball.

    Cov Cath leads 78-75 with 5 seconds to go.

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  63. Tyler McDaniel, who is the best player on Clay County's team (at least he was tonight), is better known as "Chip" McDaniel. Last summer, he became the youngest player ever to win the Kentucky State Amateur golf championship. According to the broadcasters, he is going to skip his senior year of high school and take a golf scholarship at UK.

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  64. Cov Cath hangs on and wins the game, 80-78. What a game!

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