Final from Florence.

Closer than I thought. Any details?

Closer than I thought. Any details?

 

First half was pretty even. Boone got off to a fast start to start the 3rd. Boone got up by about 9. Conner battled back by hitting 3s. Lang shot well. Both teams missed FTs late. Conner got off a last second heave from inside halfcourt that was online but a little short.

In the opening minutes, Hodges looked like he was going to dominate the boards. He then got into some foul trouble which limited his playing time. Conner sure knows how to battle though. They have a ton of heart.

In the opening minutes, Hodges looked like he was going to dominate the boards. He then got into some foul trouble which limited his playing time. Conner sure knows how to battle though. They have a ton of heart.

 

The bigs started of well. After that....

 

They have a chance to a strong inside combo next year. They need to work on their off hand when shooting near the rim. Robinson showed a strong move putting the ball on the floor from the FT line and going to the rim. Needs to more of that. Hodges did well on the offensive board and getting stickbacks. They can be strong next year.

I really like watching Trevan Brown play. He is not going to outjump anyone and he doesn't have a lot of shots in his arsenal. However, he's very good at getting position and he has nice footwork in the post. Plus he never seems to take a play off. Enjoyable to watch.

 

Add in that he doesn't give any attitude coming off the floor. A breath of fresh air.

I continue to be impressed with Conner's style of play and hustle. Their big guys are maturing and getting better every game........as a team they play very determined. I really think they are a darkhorse team to watch out for............

Sounds like this was a good game.

 

So with this win, Does Boone wrap up the #1 seed?

Boone County 61, Conner 59

 

Conner (11-9) - Lang 4 0 12, Stephens 3 2 10, Liechty 2 9 13, Flesch 5 2 12, Robinson 2 0 4, Hodges 4 0 8. Totals: 20 13 59.

 

Boone County (14-6) - Popp 1 1 3, Gabbard 2 4 9, Montgomery 4 3 11, Cotton 2 2 6, Earls 3 1 7, Lay 3 2 8, Brown 6 5 17. Totals: 21 18 61.

 

Conner 13 14 10 22 - 59

Boone County 14 15 16 16 - 61

 

3-pointers: C 6 (Lang 4, Stephens 2); B (Gabbard).

This game was a battle. Just when it looked like Boone was going to seal the deal, Conner reeled it back in with some huge 3's from Lang. Gabbard and Flesch went at it all night. It was a fun game to watch. The deal breaker in this one was the play of Trevan Brown. This kid gets it done.

Brown and Lay continue to play big for the Rebels offensively and defensively. The team chemistry seems to be picking up at the right time and hopefully coach Mcreary is starting to see which groups are performing well together on the floor.

Brown played great on offense especially.

 

Lays and Brown stay on the blocks where they can be very efficient. Nothing spectacular but getting the job done. 99.9% of their points come from 2-3 feet away from the basket, but hey, if it is working and the other team's bigs can't stop it, no need to take as many outside shots!

 

Brown has very soft hands and once he gets his hands on the ball, it's hard to get it away from his grip. I think he catches entry passes much better than Earls does for Boone, and he rebounds his own misses pretty well.

 

Popp played some pretty good D on the perimeter.

 

Lays and Gabbard had most of their points in the first half, and Brown was the scorer in the second half. Montgomery also played pretty well.

 

I thought that Boone's inside players were more physical than Conner's last night. Brown's wide, strong body is a definite asset that he uses to make up for his height disadvantage against taller post players. He is probably Boone's best scorer. When he catches it, he goes up with it.

 

Overall, it was a good team effort by Boone. Boone went 7-8 deep in this game, and I thought all contributed well.

 

One of the refs told me that there was a lot of hand checking. They called more fouls in the first half and let it go more in the second.

Yes, Popp did provide a good spark on defense and a great offensive move to the basket. Cotton rebounded, shot well, and played good defense also. It's really good to see Gabbard-the floor leader-start to take control of his game and scoring on drives. IMO one ref controlled the game with some very questionable calls mainly in the second half. It got to the point where the players no longer complained (which is good), they just laughed it off. Having three refs can be a benefit until one gets the "Napoleon Complex" and makes calls that aren't in his assigned area. Although, two good apples out of three is a pretty good pick.

Edited January 29, 201016 yr by LoveTheGame33

Boone Freshman and JV also won their games against Conner in the Triple header. JV game counted as first round of jv tourney. The JV team will play Holmes Wed. night, Feb. 3rd at BCHS, 6pm for round 2 of the JV tourney. Should be a good game with all the better teams on one side of the jv tourney bracket.

Boone's depth is impressive. I'd rank the players in importance as

 

Gabbard

Cotton

TMontgomery

Brown

Earls

Lay/Popp

 

That's a solid lineup.