Rowan County

 

The Vikings were almost state champions last season, falling to Christian County on a last-second shot in overtime in the state finals.

 

Hot-shooting Adam Wing was almost the talk of Rupp Arena, draining 10 consecutive 3-pointers in a three-game span, overshadowed in the end only by the spectacular play of Sweet 16 MVP and eventual Mr. Basketball Anthony Hickey, who led Christian to its first state title.

 

What can Rowan do for an encore?

 

"We've got four guys with some (state tournament) experience," said Rowan coach Shawn Thacker, "and we've played out fair share of top-10 teams around the state. These kids are confident that they can play with anybody.

 

"There is no question that the experience factor is big. These kids knew what we were playing for and what it would take to get there. As we got closer to tournament time, you could see they wanted it."

 

Indeed, the Vikings (25-7) have been battled-tested this season, competing in the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic and playing eight games against teams ranked in the BGP Top 20 at one point or another this season.

 

And Wing, a 6-5 wing player and star quarterback who turned down some Division I football offers to sign with Evansville, is still bombing away as part of Rowan's three-pronged perimeter attack. Wing averages just under 15 points per game and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, as is guard Jason Egan as part of his 14-poitn average.

 

Point guard D.J. Townsend, who Thacker said is attracting some interest by Indiana State and Western Kentucky as a walk-on, is shooting 37 percent from long range and carries the ignition switch.

 

"He got overshadowed a little last year, but if we don't have him getting in the lane and setting things up for everyone else, we're not very good," Thacker said of Townsend, who leads the team in scoring at an 18-point clip.

 

Matt Brown, a 6-11, 240-pound junior and classmate Josh Barnard (6-5, 230) rotate inside, and guards Trevor Newsome and Tyler Thacker, the coach's son, give the Vikings the versatility to go smaller and more perimeter-oriented.

 

North Laurel, their first-round opponent, brings a friendly face. Jaguars coach Brad Sizemore was playing at South Laurel when Thacker was an assistant coach there in the 1990s. Thacker later became the head coach at Somerset, leading the Briar Jumpers to to three runner-up finishes in the All A Classic state tournament.

 

"Brad played for me when I was working for (Southwestern coach) Steve Wright, so we'll have a lot of familiar faces running around the back hallways at Rupp," Thacker said. "I don't mind facing him, as long as he doesn't beat me."

 

 

 

North Laurel

 

Don't look for fancy, run-and-gun from basketball from first-time state tournament entry North Laurel.

 

"Our biggest strengths are defense and rebounding," said coach Brad Sizemore, who also earned his first Sweet 16 appearance in his first season with the Jaguars after coming over from Garrard County. "That's what has carried us to this point.

 

"Offensively, we've gotten better. Our decision-making has gotten better and we cut down the turnovers for our three wins in the regional tournament, but the biggest reason we're here is that we've been guarding and rebonding as well as anyone in the area."

 

The Jaguars (21-14) start out big, with 6-6, 240-pound center Jake Allen joined by 6-4 forward Austin Rush on the front line. Allen averages 14 points and 11 rebounds per game, with 6-1 Ryan Shears providing a rugged rebounder.

 

Point guard Marcus Carson averages 14 points per game and "is really quick and has a good first step," Sizemore said. "Jake is able to score on the inside. It's been those guys for most of the year, but some other guys have stepped up later on in the season."

 

Resevre guard Kendrick Henson filled that role in the regional final, coming off the bech to score 15 points as the Jaguars knocked off Clay County. Guard Austin Thompson went down with a knee injury in February, but recently returned to practice and could see some time at Rupp.

 

"We didn't use him in the regional, but he's practicing with us and might be able to help us," Sizemore said.

 

Everything about North Laurel's state tournament appearance is new, with everyone enjoying the new experience. That isn't the case for the Jaguars' first-round opponent, Rowan County, which was beaten in the state championship game last season.

 

Rowan coach Shawn Thacker was on the South Laurel coaching staff for part of Sizemore's playing career there, and the two talk often about their coaching careers, exchanging advice and encouragement.

 

"We called each othef the next day, after we had won our regionals," Sizemore said. "It will be neat to play somebody I played for at one time."

Great preview. Think this game will be closer than most think.

Good preview! Starting guard Ethan Eversole isn't in the story for North Laurel, but he's one of the key shooters for the team. If he hits from the outside, North could pull off the win.

Nice preview! I look for Rowan County to advance in this one.