The Tigers got off to a speedy start, opening the game with a 25-6 run and never letting the Eagles back in it. Defense was the key, as Bardstown forced 11 first-half turnovers and converting that to an 11-0 advantage in points.

 

Devonte Grundy (25), Dee Yocum (16) and Marcus Cosby (14) all had big scoring games for Bardstown, who also got key contributions from several others, including 4 points, 10 boards, two assists and a block by Seivon Schooling.

 

For Bethlehem, Jordan Cooper-Livers had a magnificent game, going for 31 points and five boards, but he didn't get much help from his teammates.

 

Tigers get the Region 1 winner at 8:30 Thursday morning in Frankfort.

The kid from Bethlehem had 31 of the team's 48?

The kid from Bethlehem had 31 of the team's 48?

 

Had he not been so assertive, there was no one who would have been able to make up the difference. One kid had 8 and another had 5. Everybody else was a no-show. The one excuse they could have is that they were handcuffed by the Tuesday ice pushing their SF game back to Thursday, but it's not a 24-point excuse when you consider the game opened the same way the first time.

I do expect the Eagles to play the Tigers two more times this year, so that will give Artie Braden a chance to come up with plan to spring the upset. Three more, if a lot of local folks here had their way.