Final from Lawrenceburg.

 

Close game throughout; poor free throw shooting and clock management by North in the final four minutes cost them this game.

 

North Oldham 14 18 18 17 - 67

Anderson Co. 13 18 15 23 - 69

 

See-saw battle throughout the first half. Anderson finally edged ahead by five - their biggest lead of the night - at 29-24. Allen Warford on the bench early in the 2Q with two fouls was a huge handicap for Anderson County, as he was their best ballhandler against North's press and their best defender. With him on the bench, Anderson committed five 2Q turnovers. North outscored the Bearcats, 8-2, to end the half, and re-took the lead at 32-31 when Chris Menefee hit his second three of the first half at the buzzer.

 

North hit their first five shots of the second half to start building a modest lead, and they had a four point advantage at 50-46 after 3Q.

 

The Mustangs still had the momentum going their way the first 2-3 minutes of the final frame, outscoring the Bearcats, 9-3, to take their biggest lead of the night at 59-49. (Anderson's biggest lead was 5 or 7 points early in the first half)

 

But then it was as if the Mustangs forgot what got them there. Ahead 66-60 with two minutes to play, the Mustangs rushed shots instead of using some clock and suddenly started missing FTs (North hit just 4 of 12 FTs in the fourth period.) Tyler St. Julien - who had bedeviled Anderson County with his penetration all night - fouled out with 20 points at the 1:26 mark, which further hurt the Mustangs' cause.

 

Anthony Watson's three point try at the buzzer was just off, preserving the victory for the Bearcats.

 

C.J. Penny was a shooting machine tonight, hitting 10 of 18 shots and 10 of 14 FTs, for 30 points to lead all scorers. He also had 8 rebounds.

 

North Oldham's Kyle Feuquay - the team's backup center - led all rebounders with 13. Feuquay finished with a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards.

 

Thoughts:

 

The difference between these two teams is razor-thin. If they play 10 times, neither team probably wins more than 6. Anderson's front line did a great job as Penny, Jacob Russell, and backup center Nick Humphries combined for 51 points and 21 rebounds. But North Oldham's speedy outside sharpshooters made life rough for Anderson, as Alex Foley, Tyler St. Julien, and Chris Menefee combined for 50 points.

 

The two teams battled to a near standstill on the glass, with Anderson gaining a slight edge, 31-27. Anderson averages +17 on the glass on the season.

 

North played 10 players; Anderson just 7.

 

Scoring:

North Oldham - Foley 20, St. Julien 20, Menefee 10, Feuquay 10, Watson 4, Tingle 2, Rowan 1

Anderson County - Penny 30, Russell 12, Ruggles 10, Humphries 9, Warford 3, Jenkins 3

 

Shooting:

Overall: North Oldham 25 / 62 40.3% Anderson: 21/44 47.7%

threes: North Oldham 7 / 22 31.8% Anderson: 1 / 8 12%

FTs: North Oldham 10 / 20 50% Anderson: 23 / 34 67.6%

 

Other:

Rebounding: North Oldham 27; Anderson County 31

Turnovers: North Oldham 13; Anderson County 14

 

Quite possibly a preview of the 8th Region final? A lot of basketball to be played, but as of now, these are the two best teams I've seen in the boys' 8th Region.

Great job ColonelMike - I agree, North Oldham was impressive until the final minutes. It was a great game to watch.

Quite possibly a preview of the 8th Region final? A lot of basketball to be played, but as of now, these are the two best teams I've seen in the boys' 8th Region.

 

As long as both of these teams are not in the same bracket. :ylsuper:

Quite possibly a preview of the 8th Region final? A lot of basketball to be played, but as of now, these are the two best teams I've seen in the boys' 8th Region.

 

As long as both of these teams are not in the same bracket. :ylsuper:

 

Quite true! :thumb: The region draw has given us some interesting matchups over the years...

 

I stated that these are the two best teams I've seen in the boys' 8th region so far this season - and I stand firmly behind that statement - but there's a lot of ball to be played, good (and bad) luck to be had, and teams that will grow/improve. The post-season tournaments have surprises for us every year. That's why we charge admission! :popcorn: