Final from the Farmer's National Bank Showcase at Mercer County.

 

Carson Williams led all scorers with 39 points. He also added 20 rebounds and the game tying FTs with 5 seconds left in regulation but it was not enough for Owen County as Russell Sims and Will Hager carried Mercer County to an overtime victory over Owen County.

 

Russell Sims had 20 points for Mercer County scoring 17 of those 20 in the second half and in OT and he provided many clutch free throws down the stretch.

 

Will Hager had 26 points for Mercer and Owen County did not have an answer for Hager much like Mercer didn't have an answer for Williams.

 

Mercer's full court press caused lots of problems for Owen County. The game changed once Mercer began pressing.

This just in...Carson is real good.

Of note....I was told Carson went 2-15 from the FT line in his previous game. I think he missed less than 5 against Mercer County and I am guessing he went to the line 15+ times.

I will get to see him Tuesday in Owenton when Gallatin County visits for a key district game...

OWEN (3-1) - Tucker Trevary 2, Jarrod Ball 8, Hunter Trevary 13, Blaine Forsee 1, Carson Williams 39, Chad McDonald 3.

 

MERCER (4-1) - Trevon Faulkner 12, Alijah Mink 1, Marcus Warren 6, Russell Sims 20, Will Hager 26, Tommy Craig 6.

 

Mercer beat a previously undefeated Owen County team. Strong showing from two sophomores in Williams and Hager. Hager (listed at 6'4") plays PG but found himself posting up some and even guarding Williams at times. Williams (listed at 6'6") plays PF but aided in getting the ball up the floor against the press and even guarded Hager at times. Guard Trevon Faulkner, an 8th grader for Mercer, stood out as a very nice, well-rounded player as well. Very high ceiling.

 

With the Williams kid, this team is going to be a handful for a lot of teams, especially in a half court game. Very, very strong and a good leaper. When you consider the amount of looks he gets each game paired with the way the game is being called this year, he's bound to average in the 30's - if he makes a decent percentage from the line. Even with the previously mentioned 2-15 performance from the line in his prior game, he still had around 27. And they do have some 3 point shooters that can open up a zone, but don't really have the ball handlers(s) necessary to be successful against full court pressure.

Of note....I was told Carson went 2-15 from the FT line in his previous game. I think he missed less than 5 against Mercer County and I am guessing he went to the line 15+ times.

 

You got some bad info. Carson was 5 for 9 from the line the previous game and 15 of 18 in this game. One detail of this game that has yet to be mentioned is the fact Owen had every starter foul out except for Williams who had 4 and another sub had 4 fouls. Mercer had no one foul out and were whistled for 10 less fouls than Owen. This had a big impact on the game. Congrats to Mercer on the win.They are a good team and played a great game.

39 & 20 is decent.

You got some bad info. Carson was 5 for 9 from the line the previous game and 15 of 18 in this game. One detail of this game that has yet to be mentioned is the fact Owen had every starter foul out except for Williams who had 4 and another sub had 4 fouls. Mercer had no one foul out and were whistled for 10 less fouls than Owen. This had a big impact on the game.

 

Good deal. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

Williams did did a great job of controlling himself while playing with 4 fouls.

39 & 20 is decent.

 

Yeah. Not too shabby.

Yo Mama's comment that Mercer is a good team that played a great game is being very generous. They have potential but have a long, long way to go. It was Sims' first full game back and he was Mercer's second leading scorer last year. Faulkner is starting for them as an 8th grader and is only going to get better with varsity minutes. Other than those two and Hager, it appears Coach Britt is still trying to determine who plays and where. The parts are there, but it may take Coach Britt a while to piece them together.

I feel like Trevon needs to work on his jumper more to utilize Mercer's need for him. He's always been more of a slasher/scorer and has never had what I would call a decent jumper. In this offense he's going to get a lot of open looks from deep. The sooner his jumper develops the sooner his game elevates at the varsity level. He's definitely proven that he belongs out there. I'm ready to see him take off and prove the haters wrong.