REH5

Katelyn Smith transferred to Perry County Central.

I have been covering girls' basketball for several years and I know how privileged I felt to see Crystal Kelly (Sacred Heart Academy), Jade Perry (Muhlenburg North), and Sarah Elliott (Jackson County) play during the same years. I also get the same enjoyment of watching Sydney Moss and Jenna Crittendon play now. All special players.

Sara Hammonds talent was obvious but what impressed me was her court awareness and how she plays the game even without the ball. Angie Lawrence had a great tourney and the supporting players executed flawlessly and there appeared to be almost perfect team chemistry. I give a lot of credit to Coach Noble who I have followed for years back to the early years of Tara Rowe, Johnna Abney, and Heather Hammond.

Colby - No April Wilson did not play in the tourney and anytime you lose a player of her caliber it is a big loss. However that is all part of basketball. Even the old Sacred Heart Academy powerhouses with Crystal Kelly, Carly Ormerod, and the Kopple sisters had their share of injuries throughout the seasons.

Manual will be strong next season with several players returning including 5-8 PG April Wilson who has already committed to Purdue. Wilson set out the state tournament this year with a hand injury suffered during practice during the week of the regional tournament. Marion County returns Bre Elder, Makayla Epps, and Kyvin Goodin-Rogers. Sydney Moss returns at Boone County. Hopefully Kendall Noble will fully recover from ACL injury which will make Perry County Central a contender. There will be several contenders for the title next year. Congratulations to Rockcastle County for a fantastic year and a well deserved championship.

My view may be rather simplistic but I don't think there are any losers in the state tourney. You have proved yourself by getting there. Congratulations to all.

Perry County Central star Kendal Noble went down with knee injury in first quarter and went to the bench. She attempted to return to the game in the third quarter but could not continue and was helped to the bench. A big loss for the Lady Commodores.

Manual has the talent to win the tournament but they will be without the services of 5-8 Jr. PG April Wilson who has verballed to Purdue but suffered a hand injury in practice last week. Manual still has a lot of weapons in their arsenal. I have seen all the contenders play this season and Rockcastle County, Manual, Marion County, and Bowling Green all bring a lot to the table. Newport Central Catholic beat Boone County to get to the big show and several other teams have solid squads. I believe it will be a very interesting week but I can't find a lock or absolute favorite in this field.

Ballard led 76-74 late in the game and outscored Lexington Catholic 13-2 down the stretch for the victory. Ballard hit their free throws down the stretch.

It was reported that Miss Moss was sick but would be available for the next game. Since Boone County won the game it would be on Monday.

Tates Creek 7 15 6 24 - 52

Henry Clay 7 22 28 28 - 85

Vinny Miller 21 carries 159 yards 4 touchdowns 9 of 15 passes 145 yards 2 touchdowns 86 yard kickoff return touchdown

Jerry Williams 2 carries 15 yards 1 touchdown 1 reception 1 yard 51 yard interception return for a TD

Blake Green 5 receptions 51 yards 1 touchdown

GRC has a lot of talent and definitely should challenge for the top spot. I believe it will come down to their press offense and the ability to handle defensive pressure from baseline to baseline. Mason County always looms large in the region and will always pose a challenge at crunch time.

Lexington Catholic had 500 total yards on offense, 246 rushing and 254 yards passing. Soph QB Kyle Bolin completed 10 of 18 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Bolin carried the ball three times for 67 yards including a 70 yard TD run.

Papabear, I have been following basketball since the late 1950's and covered high school and AAU basketball on my website as well as posting here for several years. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly behavior. Your post is an excellent "feel good" story about a group of well adjusted parents, coaches, and your daughter. Best of luck in the future and thanks for a very well written and thoughtful post.

While memories (especially mine) can get cloudy over time I thought Lofton did most of his damage coming off hard screens and picks. I remember him being a good ball handler but what I remember best he could get the shot off in a hurry and had unlimited range. He had a great career at Tennessee but I always wondered what kind of legend he would have built under the old Bobby Knight system at Indiana that made Steve Alford so great coming off a series of hard picks and screens. Either way he was one of the most enjoyable players I have ever watched and that goes back to the late 1950's.

11th Region Tournament - Chelsea Craig led Franklin County with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Andrea Howard added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Lacinda Hack chipped in with 11 points. Alesha Prince led Bryan Station with 20 points and six rebounds. Serena Sandusky added 10 points.

Final

7th Region Tourney CAL led by Antonita Slaughter with 25 points and eight rebounds. Allison Karst added 21 points. China Dow and Casey Marshall chipped in with 11 points each. Mechael Guess led Manual with 21 points and 11 rebounds. LeAsia Wright added 11 points.

Final

Ryan Fucci had a big night for Tates Creek with 25 points and eight rebounds.

There are a lot of talented 8th graders in Lexington this season. It would appear that nearby Scott county could greatly benefit from this rule or perhaps a lot of parents may keep their sons and daughters at their present schools. It is always interesting to see what the summer months bring.

There is a big advantage at Scott County. They actually sell season tickets (reserved seats) on one side of the court. They have a very loud, enthusiastic fan following that is the envy of most schools because of their support. Very few teams will beat Scott County there because obviously they are very talented and they have great fan support. It srprised me that LexCath pulled out a win last week. LexCath has a very good team but a road win at Scott County is still an accomplishment.

Lafayette did the same thing last night on their senior night by presenting flowers and a gift to the visiting Bourbon County seniors-very classy.

The good referee does need to have a thick skin and concentrate on the game but many fans tend to believe because they paid to get in they have the right to abuse the refs. The refs also have the right to have the fan removed and send their butt to the parking lot. I have actually seen the crowd applaud when some clown is escorted out of the building. Thankfully this is rare and most of the time everything works out.