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3rdregion
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Who to Watch at the KHSAA State Tournament
3rdregion replied to Doppler Don's topic in KY Boys Basketball (High School)
I would say Meade County is a bit of a surprise for most fans outside of the 3rd region. The reason their record is the worst in Sweet 16 history (I believe) is due to the injury of their star, James Baker. He is not a world beater but he is 6-7, athletic, and can be a streaky shooter. So as far as who to watch for Meade County it's James Baker. Its no doubt that the rest of the team had to help him win region but I can assure you it's all about Baker, perhaps best understood by the fact that he didn't even attend Meade County Schools until he started high school and the student section and fan base now refer to Meade County High School as "James Baker High School." -
Although I am not surprised by the end result of this game I am little surprised by the low sow score put up by Muhlenburg and the double digit victory for DC. Muhlenburg was perhaps the most offensively talented team in the region, and maybe most talented overall. DC was a dark horse favorite to win the region from the beginning of the tournament and last night they definitely displayed why. They play so well as a team and just seem to have a good understanding of the game and, almost as importantly, their game. Thanks to the Butler County upset last night I would say that DC is as close to a guarantee to make the finals as there could be in this third region tournament. Then again, Butler County fans are used to hearing that and we saw how much they agreed with that last night.
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In a game that almost nobody thought Butler County could win they did exactly that. They took a page out of the Hancock County playbook and turned this into a possession by possession dog fight. The refs were basically non-existent and let both teams play. This was a true knock down drag out in which Hancock County played about as bad as they could have (missing free throws, throwing bad passes, shooting bad shots, and missing layups) and Butler County played to their potential. Butler County's record can be misleading as they are a very talented team. Even with Butler playing one of their better games and Hancock playing very sub-par it took a Wil Moore 35ft 3 pointer in the closing seconds to force OT. From there Butler did not miss a single free throw and escaped with a huge 3 point win. They will face Daviess County in the semis. For Hancock County I think this was a classic case of an overachieving team playing tense and trying too hard to live up to their expectations. Although any 3rd region fan knows this tournament is wide open I would say few saw this coming.
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Final from the Sportscenter. In a region that most considered a virtual toss-up with many close games, it looked like a blow out early. Catholic jumped out to a 22-7 lead by getting a hand on seemingly every pass, often leading to open layups. Ohio County had trouble with spacing and getting the ball into Tichenor. He was pretty effective when he did get touches. He was blocked several times by the stellar Catholic D but, as big and skilled as he is, was still able to finish several. Decker brought them back with some big time 3s in the second quarter as Ohio County closed it to 25-20 before giving up 5 points to end the half, trailing 30-20. I believe the deciding factor in the game was Catholic scoring and playing as a team with big shots from everybody, including several from Mulcahy, who is starting to show a tendency to hit those kind of shots. On the converse, it was pretty much the Connor Wilson show for Ohio County in the second half. He willed them to keep this game winnable in one of the better halves from a 3rd region player I have seen in person this year. Catholic will face Meade in the semis in what should be another good game. Catholic plays so fundamentally well and as a team. They looked like they were in postseason form last night. Meade plays with toughness and athleticism, primarily through Baker.
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Final from the Sportscenter. Meade was comfortably ahead most of the second half until Edmonson got a few steals late to cut the lead to 2 points in the 4th quarter. Edmonson missed the front end of a 1 and 1 that could have tied it up at 40. From there Meade County went on a 13-0 run, mostly off of (James Baker) free throws. Very good effort by the Edmonson County Wildcats against a very solid Meade County team. Meade County will play defending region champ Owensboro Catholic in the semis in what should be an intense clash between two good but very different teams.