Inside the 11th – Weeks 1&2:

 

 

Preliminaries:

This is the first in BluegrassPreps’ 2013-2014 installment of the 11th Region Notebook. Because of cancellations and my final exams, I’m going to be putting two weeks worth of material in this one, but from now on, we’ll be doing this on a weekly basis.

 

If any coaches, parents, or fans would like to e-mail me action pictures, updates on their teams, or nominations for awards like player of the week, please send me a private message using our BGP Inbox feature and I’ll get in touch with you to see what we can do. (Please use my inbox on BGP, as the spam filter on the e-mail associated with my BGP account might block messages otherwise; if this is a problem, contact Guru and we’ll try to work around it).

 

 

 

 

WEEKLY HONORS:

 

Players of the Week:

Trent Gilbert, Scott County:

Wow. We knew the kid could stroke, but he’s stepped up the rest of his game in a big way. Dropping 40 on Ballard is impressive, but even more impressive may be the variety of ways he found to do it. He’s averaging 33 points per game through four games this season.

 

Jackson Davis, Lafayette:

In a season opening win against Dunbar, the senior began his campaign for Mr. Basketball. It’s off to a great start, as he posted 32 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 rejections. He then followed it up with a 24 point, 14 rebound, 5 block effort against perennial prep power Gonzaga (D.C.).

 

Cameron Thomas, Madison Central:

One of the biggest reasons for Madison Central’s hot start could be the role that the sophomore point has played. The Indians had the chance to make a statement when Montgomery County came to town, and Thomas finished with 16 points and 7 dimes. Forwards Demarcus George and Sam Jones were the most known quantities returning, with the backcourt production being one of the biggest questions. Particularly, some thought the point guard position would be a work in progress. If this was Thomas’ breakout game and he builds on it, this probably won’t be the last time he’s mentioned in this category by the time his career is through.

 

 

Team of the Week:

Madison Central Indians:

 

To begin the season, we all had our questions about the Indians. I ranked them as the 11th best team in the region coming into the year.

 

You lose a kid like Dominque Hawkins to UK and you are expected to take a step back. You lose 95% of your scoring from a State Championship team and only return two players who played much at all from that same team. Naturally, it would be expected that you wouldn’t have high expectations for the next year, at least early on.

 

In this year’s preview, one of the questions I posed was whether or not we were underrating a team coached by Allen Feldhaus, and whether or not that was dangerous. I think we now have our answer to that question, as the Indians now stand at 4-1 with a convincing win over Madison Southern, a victory over John Hardin in Elizabethtown, and a double OT win over rival George Rogers Clark. Most impressive, however, may be the fact that they only lost to 10th Region favorite Montgomery County by a 64-62 margin after netting a long 3 at the buzzer.

 

The effort against Montgomery County was a total team one, as the scoring was balanced between Madison Central’s top 7. Cameron Thomas, mentioned above, scoring 16 and showing flashes of potential. Demarcus George had 11 and Sam Jones had 13. Coty Alexander (7), Isaiah Johnson (6), Kirk Humphrey (5), and Ross Ramsey (4) rounded out the scoring.

 

Madison Central has already easily disposed of district foe Madison Southern early, and again figure to be the team to beat in the 44th District. Getting a favorable draw in the regional tournament in the rough 11th is paramount. If the Indians keep improving on performances like this, who knows how far they end up going. The Indians get their next test when Collins, who is undefeated on the season, visits Richmond on Tuesday, December 17.

 

 

 

 

 

AROUND THE 11TH:

 

LAFAYETTE IS OFF TO A HOT-START:

Lafayette 77, Gonzaga College (D.C.) 71 (12/13):

Gonzaga (D.C.) is a nationally renowned prep power. Their alumnus includes Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson III and current UNC point guard Nate Britt. ESPN ranks point guard Bryant Crawford, who holds offers from UConn, Georgetown, Indiana, and Texas, as the 3rd best PG and 47th overall player in the Class of 2015. Gonzaga also features 6’7 forward Jordan Abdur-Ra-oof, who has committed to Cornell. They hosted in the 25th iteration of their own Gonzaga DC Classic. Link: Gonzaga DC Classic Basketball Tournament

 

While star PG Bryant Crawford did not play for Gonzaga due to a broken finger, Lafayette, still came away with an impressive win. The Generals held Abdur-Ra-oof, the Cornell commit to 4 points on 2 made FG’s.

 

As mentioned in the player of the week section, Jackson Davis turned in an impressive performance. Davis shot 10 of 16 from the floor and 5 of 8 from the line on his way to 24 points, plus added 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Fellow seniors Lance Blakely and Dequise Robinson added 10 points.

 

The sophomore class for Lafayette also stepped up in this one. Harrison Lane added 14 points by connecting on four 3’s and two free throws. The emergence of sophomore Dontavion “Lucky” Jackson, who is listed in the 6’2, 145 range and is a fine wide receiver on the gridiron, has also been a pleasant surprise so far. Jackson added 9 points in this one, and has had a few impressive performances already. If the sophomore class at Lafayette is able to mesh and play up to the level of their seniors, we may be looking at the best team in the 11th.

 

Lafayette now faces off with Cesar Chavez High School (D.C.), and that game is in progress as of my writing this.

 

 

 

Road Trip! Lexington Catholic:

I won’t sugarcoat it. Teams don’t like scheduling Lexington Catholic. The Knights sometimes struggle to find games, and it ends up making for some long road trips. In an 8 day span, Lexington Catholic twice travelled into the heart of the 14th Region, playing Cordia and Knott County Central. Sandwiched in between those games was an away contest with North Hardin, which was the night before they travelled to Knott Central.

 

Cordia 74, Lexington Catholic 71, Dec. 7, 2013;

Lexington Catholic 69, North Hardin 52, Dec. 13;

Knott County Central 65, Lexington Catholic 53, Dec. 14;

 

Above are the results. The trip from Lexington to each of the 14th’s contenders is over 125 miles and takes in excess of two and a half hours, and that’s just one way.

 

It’s about 100 miles and a one and a half hour drive from Lexington to Radcliffe (assuming the Knights went home after their game with North Hardin... as we will for Scenario A).

 

It’s a 200+ mile trip and over 4-hour drive from Radcliffe to Hindman (assuming the Knights didn’t go home after that game and instead got a hotel room somewhere in between... as we will for Scenario B).

 

Scenario A:

Round trips to the three schools from Lexington would mean approximately 700 miles over 13 hours.

 

Scenario B:

Round trips, except for a direct transit from North Hardin to Knott Central & from Knott Central back home, means approximately 675 miles over 13 hours.

 

 

Under either of those scenarios, you’d have around the same amount of mileage and time consumed as you would if you started driving in Lexington and didn’t stop until you reached Gainesville, Florida. We’ll give the Knights a pass if their legs were weary at the end of this stretch.

 

Thankfully for the Knights, their next trip will be to Mercer County for the Farmer’s National Bank Fort Harrod Classic. After that, they’ll play host in the Republic Bank Classic, which is always one of the highlights of the Christmas season for area hoops fans. In these two events, we’ll be able to see if all of the travel time allowed the Knights to bond.

 

 

 

Lexington Catholic vs. The 14th’s Finest:

Along with Hazard and Perry County Central, Cordia and Knott County Central are the favorites in the 14th Region. As mentioned above, Lexington Catholic took on the latter two on their home turf. Let’s break down each game.

 

 

Cordia 74, Lexington Catholic 71 – Overtime (12/7):

Last year, Lexington Catholic opened the season by thumping Cordia at home, 80-45. The Lions were without Ohio State commit Malik Hines (and others) who are still awaiting an eligibility ruling from the KHSAA, but still found a way to avenge their previous blowout.

 

Lexington Catholic lead by six in the final minute, but Cordia came back to force an extra period. Cordia did not gain the lead at any point during regulation, as their first lead of the game actually came in overtime. The game was tied at 71 when Fritz Lucien dropped a 3 that provided the final margin. Former Henry Clay standout Christen Cunningham led Cordia with 23 points.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42090[/ATTACH]

Lexington Catholic’s Reese Ryan looks to pass out of a trap against Cordia.

Report Credit:

Cordia downs Lexington Catholic 74-71 in OT - hazard-herald.com

 

Photo Credit:

Hazard-Herald

http://loweb.htl.dc.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/LO/20131207/news/312079993/EP/1/3/EP-312079993.jpg

 

 

 

Knott County Central 65, Lexington Catholic 53 (12/14):

On the road, the Knights came out and put the host Patriots on the ropes early, leading 18-12 after one. A disastrous second quarter saw KCC storm back, as they outscored the Knights 20-12. Going into the half with a two point advantage, Knott wouldn’t look back. They outscored the Knights 15-11 in the 3rd frame and 18-12 in the 4th. For those of us who like math, this means they outscored the Knights 33-23, or almost 3:2, in the second half.

 

While Lexington Catholic is usually the team trading 3’s for 2’s, Knott Central’s Cameron Justice would make plenty of his own, leading all scorers with 26 points. Lanky big man Evan Hall added 20. The Knights did do a good job of keeping all-region type forward Simon Christon in check, holding him to only 4. For the Knights, Michael Talbott led the way with 19. All-Region performer Tanner Johnson was largely kept in check, dropping only 10 points.

 

 

 

 

 

Scott County Drops Opener To Ballard, Rebounds:

 

Ballard 96, Scott County 85 (12/2):

In what is always one of the most appetizing early season match-ups in the state, Scott County made the trek to Louisville to face Ballard in a heavyweight clash. Trent Gilbert dropped 40, finding a number of ways to score. Ballard by 17 points at intermission, and led one by as many as 21 points, so the fact that Scott County was able to narrow the gap to 11 before the final horn sounded is a testament to their effort.

 

Some of our own BGP correspondents who were at the game remarked on the number of times that the Bruins seemed to be ready to put the game away but didn’t, which speaks to the Cardinals’ resilience. They also noted the number of open looks Scott County got from three point range, which, true to form, they converted. Most of these were from (surprise!) Gilbert, or his backcourt mate Teddy Ware, who finished with 20. Rounding out Scott County’s scoring was Austin Kindred, who had 12, Martini with 8, Long with 4, and Murray with 1.

 

Raekwon Long, the 7’0 transfer from North Carolina, was largely ineffective. His development is certainly going to take some time. In this contest, he was plagued by foul trouble. However, even when he was in the midst of the action, Bruins big and Butler commit Kelan Martin had his way with him, finishing with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals. Quentin Snider, the Ballard PG who committed to Louisiville, finished with 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 steals.

 

The development of Raekwon Long, especially if the Cardinals still seem to be arguably playing better without him late in the year, will be interesting to watch. However, I think it’s fairly obvious that we’ve yet to see Long start to scratch the surface of his potential, which he will only begin to realize once he’s able to stay out of foul trouble, participating in the action instead of watching from the bench.

 

 

After losing to Ballard, Scott County got back on track. They scored a road win over Ryle, 73-64 on Dec. 15, a 93-63 home win over Lexington Christian on Dec. 12, and a 92-70 home win over Jackson County on Dec. 14.

 

In this upcoming week, the Cardinals have an intriguing match-up with Louisville Eastern on tap. The Eagles are coached by David Henley, who won a state title while at Holmes and appeared in the finals on multiple occasions. There’ll be plenty of experience on the sidelines when these two square off on December 20th at Woodford County.

 

 

 

 

 

Henry Clay Takes Care Of Business In The City, Not The State:

We’ve covered it ad nauseam, but let’s do it one more time. Henry Clay had a terrible offseason, losing Trey Grundy, Christen Cunningham, and Teddy Ware. They were at one time, along with Ballard, considered to be the team to beat if you wanted to raise a banner. Now, they aren’t favored to win their own district.

 

The Blue Devils dispatched of city foes Tates Creek and Bryan Station early on. Then they lost a 2 point decision to Henderson County (at Bourbon County), 67-65 in a game where Green and Tisdale tallied 19 each. The next day, they had to turn around and go toe-to-toe with Louisville Trinity in the Capital City Rumble at the Frankfort Civic Center. While they lost 58-50, the story of the game might be what they learned about themselves in the process.

 

The Shamrocks led 18-7 after one quarter and won the 2nd quarter 12-8, taking a 30-15 lead into the half. While it would have been easy for the Devils to fold, they scratched back, outscoring Trinity 16-12 in the 3rd frame to cut the lead to 42-31 going into the 4th. There, they regained four more points, outscoring the ‘Rocks 19-15.

 

Henry Clay’s all-everything player Jordan Green finished the game with 27, which led all scorers. Jeremiah Tisdale added 13. However, Henry Clay would only get a combined 10 from the rest of their line-up.

 

True to the form of Szabo-at-his-best, Trinity rode one or two stars and a very balanced attack to dismantle the opposition by grinding. Overall, 9 players were in the scoring column for Trinity. Super-prospect Raymond Spalding really killed Henry Clay, as he had 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 blocks. For those who don’t know, Spalding is a 6’10 kid with a slender build and tries to model his game after other skinny bigs who like to face-up, so it’s understandable that he’d potentially give the Blue Devils some match-up problems, especially when flanked with the 8 other players who scored in this one.

 

 

 

Lexington-Fayette Public Intra-City Games:

 

Bryan Station 68, Tates Creek 41 (12/12):

The Defenders travelled to Tates Creek and blew it open in the 2nd half, outscoring the Commondores 13-4 & 24-15 in the third and fourth. Here’s to guessing that Bryan Station was able to force the tempo, create turnovers, and swarm the Creeker’s star big man Jordan Fucci, holding him to only 6 points. Bryan Station’s Marcellous Washington led all scorers with 13 points, while Jordan Henry added 9.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42091[/ATTACH]

Station’s Jordan Henry posts Creek’s Jordan Fucci.

Photo Credit:

20131212 Bryan Station @ Tates Creek, Varsity boys | Vescio Sports Shots Boys' Basketball Photos | iHigh.com

 

 

 

Lafayette 85, Dunbar 62; (12/10):

In Lafayette’s opener, Jackson Davis did not disappoint. His stat line is listed in the player of the week column. Davis was solid from the line in this one, shooting 12/18. He is currently shooting around 66% from the line on the year (17/26), though the sample has a small frame of reference.

 

Lafayette had jumped out to a 22-15 advantage after one, but the Bulldogs would fight back, as the Generals went to half leading only 36-34.

 

For the Generals, Robinson finished with 18, Jackson 15, & Blakley 13. For Dunbar, sophomore stud Darius Williams had 19 points.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42092[/ATTACH]

Jackson Davis with a 2-hand flush in Lafayette’s opener against Dunbar.

Photo Credit:

Lexington Herald Leader

High school boys' basketball: History inspires Lafayette in 85-62 romp of Dunbar | High school basketball | Kentucky.com

 

 

 

Henry Clay 78, Bryan Station 55 (12/10):

Jumping out to a 29-6 lead after 1, Henry Clay took off and the hosts didn’t look back until Bryan Station was completely dismantled. The Devils were led by Tisdale’s 22 and Green’s 21. For the Blue Devils, Houston added 11, and Wilson 7. Marcellous Washington, the star guard for the Defenders, was held to only 10 points, and counterpart Jordan Henry added 16.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42093[/ATTACH]

Points like this came easy for Jordan Green on Dec. 12.

 

Photo Credit:

20131210 - Bryan Station @ Henry Clay, Varsity boys | Vescio Sports Shots Boys' Basketball Photos | iHigh.com

 

 

Henry Clay 52, Tates Creek 36 (12/3):

Trailing only 9-6 after 1, the host Creekers had a disastrous 2nd quarter that saw the Devils go on a 15-7 run. For Henry Clay, Green had 14, Tisdale 9, Wilson 11, and Houston 7. The Commodores were led by junior forward Jordan Fucci’s 10. Senior guard Tanner Hart added 8, while junior guard Desmond Duke chipped in 6.

 

 

 

 

Inter-11th Region Games:

 

Shelby Valley 76, Lexington Christian Academy 65 (12/14):

Shelby Valley, one of the 15th Region favorites, travelled to Scott County to take on LCA. The Eagles took a 31-30 advantage into the half. However, the 3rd Quarter doomed them as they were outscored 20-12. For LCA, Matt Rose finished with 22, while 6’7 junior Drew Trimble added 13. For Shelby Valley, Tyler Carr led all scorers with 30, while 6’10 big man Cody Belter was held to 6.

 

 

 

Woodford County 70, Franklin County 62 (12/13):

The Flyers took an 8-point lead into the half and came away with a 6-point victory in this 41st District match-up. But the story of this one might be what’s not in the box score. Lorenzo McCaskell, nursing an injury from football season, has been absent from the Flyer’s lineup so far. Look for them to get a huge boost once he’s healthy.

 

It was a balanced effort for Franklin County. Rylan Rowe, a consensus all-region type performer, had 15. Seniors Sam Mackey and Demetrius Wiley had 12 and 8, respectively. Junior guard Ryan Schneider had 12, and sophomore Demarcus Kennedy had 18.

 

For Woodford County, Eli Boggess had 14, which would have to be considered keeping him in check if you are Franklin County. Senior guards Grayson Graf and Samuel Souers each had 20 for the Yellow Jackets.

 

 

 

Scott County 93, Lexington Christian Academy 65 (12/12):

The host Cardinals rolled in this one, jumping out to a 25-13 lead after one quarter and seeming to put it on cruise from there. They were led by Gilbert’s 30. Ware had 19, Martini 11, Long 10, Kindred 8, Murray 7, Crank 6, and McCoy 2. For the Eagles, Matt Rose scored 21, Trimble had 13, and Trevor Hill, a sophomore transfer from Corbin, added 16.

 

 

 

Tates Creek 71, Lexington Christian Academy 64 (12/10):

Host LCA jumped out to a 17-10 advantage after one, and took a five-point lead into the half. Whatever Commodores Coach Wayne Breeden did at halftime, however, must have had some effect. Tates Creek won the 3rd quarter 21-13, and the 4th 26-22. This was an important game for district seeding purposes, as the 42nd is a 5-team district (with Lexington Catholic, Lafayette, and Dunbar joining these two).

 

On the evening, Duke had 21, Fucci 15, and senior forwards Alex Polus and Ian Davis had 13 and 8, respectively, to lead the Creekers. LCA got another solid outing from Matt Rose, who had 29, but besides Hill, who had 12, no other Eagle reached double figures.

 

 

 

Woodford County 65, Dunbar 63 (12/3):

In the battle of underrated 11th Region stars, Woodford County’s Eli Boggess finished with 32 and Dunbar’s Darius Willliams finished with 17. The host Yellow Jackets edged the Bulldogs thanks to a 20-6 advantage in the third quarter. The secondary scorers for each team fared well in this one as well. Woodford got 19 points from Graf, while Dunbar got 14 from freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Games & Events:

12/17:

Dunbar @ Lexington Christian Academy

Tates Creek @ Lafayette

Collins @ Madison Central

 

12/19:

Tates Creek @ Woodford County

 

12/20:

Scott County v. Eastern (@ Woodford County)

 

King of the Bluegrass Tournament (@Fairdale), begins 12/19:

Lafayette v. Trinity

Henry Clay v. Pleasure Ridge Park

 

Republic Bank Classic (@Lexington Catholic), begins 12/26:

Bryan Station v. Apollo

Henry Clay v. Knott County Central

Lexington Catholic v. TBA

Lafayette v. TBA

 

 

 

 

 

Ranking The Teams (as of 12/16/13):

1. Lafayette

2. Scott County

3. Lexington Catholic

4. Henry Clay

5. Madison Central

6. Franklin County

7. Woodford County

8. Bryan Station

9. Dunbar

10. Tates Creek

Edited December 18, 201312 yr by JokersWild24

Good stuff, Joker!!!

Good stuff, Joker!!!

 

Thanks.

In the King of the Bluegrass, Henry Clay's first round opponent will be Pleasure Ridge Park. Third game of the day, scheduled to start at 7:30 pm on Thursday. Very much looking forward to both that and the Trinity/Lafayette game that will follow.

I'm really interested to see a few things:

 

1. How sophomore guard Cameron Thomas plays. It'll be a big part of what Madison Central ends up being able to do if I were guessing.

 

2. How the sophomore class at Lafayette, namely Harrison Lane and 6'7 Ross Jenkins ends up contributing by tournament time.

 

3. If Henry Clay can find a line-up that puts 5 guys who are threats to score on floor at once when they play top teams.

 

4. How Raekwon Long develops. Just staying on the floor has been the biggest challenge so far.

In the King of the Bluegrass, Henry Clay's first round opponent will be Pleasure Ridge Park. Third game of the day, scheduled to start at 7:30 pm on Thursday. Very much looking forward to both that and the Trinity/Lafayette game that will follow.

 

Appreciate it.

 

Henry Clay only had 4 players score in the Lafayette game, and the "other two scorers" aside from Tisdale and Green, only had 10 (I think it was 3 and 7). That concerns me if I'm the Blue Devils.

Very comprehensive report. Thank you.

Awesome stuff JW24!

Awesome stuff JW24!

 

Thanks.