fanofall

I agree fully. I honestly expected the same poor sportsmanship that usually is displayed when the public schools and JBS collide there in Knott County, but it didn't happen this time and in my opinion that is the true victory for both of these teams. As for the game, JBS winning did not shock me. As I said in earlier threads, I think JBS is the best team in the District and possibly will win the region. Their schedule concerned me and losing Collins really concerned me. What did shock me was the score. I was at the game. KCC struggled from the start. Missed shots, turn overs and not rebounding was what beat this team. Not to take anything from JBS, I called them as the winner even if KCC showed up with their game on, but the score would have been a different story if KCC had not had an off night. Good luck to the Crusaders!

They may have changed their minds because it has been several weeks since I last talked to any of the KCC folks, but the last word I got from them on this issue was that they were leaning toward opting out of the tournament. Not an enrollment numbers issue, but a scheduling issue. They are planning some big things for their team next year and need this time for regular season games. Just what I was told!

You made my point for me! If this has gone on since Clark Stepp was a peewee player and the situation has only worsened every year, then why should the two teams play each other if they don't have to? In my opinion, they are both good teams and I think tomorrow nights game will be a toss up. Either team could win the game. It will be a great game that I would love to see. What I don't want to see is how the fans for both teams will act and the horrible things they will "all" say about each other tomorrow night and apparently, based on your own post, for years to come . No good comes from that regardless of where it happens, but especially not in a small county like Knott. That's all I tried to say!

I am going to assume that you are just a student at JBS, because all of the adults are very aware of what is going on between the two schools. First of all, the stuff you are saying about JBS winning the grade school tournament must be in reference to three years ago because that is the last time that they won. Last year Carr Creek won and this year Hindman did. Second, you are also way off on saying that the lady who was escorted out started all the problems between the schools. Three years ago, there was a lady escorted out of the championship game between JBS and Carr Creek, but the ref made a mistake and didn't even throw the one who made the comment out, and the two schools had huge problems way before that night. Everyone has a problem with JBS. I believe that during the JBS/Hindman game this year, the game had to be stopped and everyone was sent home without finishing it. That could not be blamed on the lady at Carr Creek now can it. The adult fans for both JBS and the public schools in Knott County contribute to the problem. Third, are you really saying that there is only one player at JBS who left the public school system to play ball at JBS? That isn't true even of even the high school program, and you definitely are not going to try to say that it is true of the grade school program now are you?

I don't think JBS and KCC have ever played during regular season. I would guess that this has developed from the fact that until recent years this would have been the equivelant of JBS playing Riverside. Since JBS's team has improved, they have continued to not play. They were not scheduled to play this year. Again I am just guessing, but I would say that it is due to all the conflict between the two schools. This isn't your routine inter-county rivalry. When you throw the same public/private issues that we are having across the state in the mix with accusations of recruitement extending all the way down to the grade school program, the fact that Knott County is so small, and the fact that the KCC folks have all the same complaints that everyone on this board has pointed out as far as the staff at JBS goes, it makes for a very bad situation there in Knott County. And, the conflicts between these two schools extend much further than the basketball court. The adults at both JBS and KCC have made personal attacks upon each other that are just unreal. There are people over there who will hate each other for life over issues that have come up between those two schools. The sad thing is that they both seem to be passing alot of that on to their children. I don't think they should play each other at all if they can keep from it. Absolutely nothing good can come from a meeting between the two teams because it will never be just a basketball game to any of them.

I predict a win for JBS, unless their schedule of late comes back to bite them. Sometimes when really good teams play other teams that are not on the same level as they are on a regular basis like JBS has done lately, they develope bad habits. If this has happened, JBS may let this slide through their fingers. But then again it is played at Pippa Passes, isn't it?!?!

I missed the game, but LCC by 10 was my guess to. A buddy of mine was there, and he said that it hurt to watch. They just let it get away from them and then just couldn't pull themselves together enough to make a showing. He said they must have felt like the people on the Titanic. They knew they were going down and were fighting desperately, but they just kept sinking.

Anyone up for some interesting reading? Pick up todays Troublesome Creek Times (the local paper in Knott County)!!!!! There is a nice little article which was reprinted from the Lexington paper about JBS's ONLY player. It gives an update on the young man's stats and also points out that JBS has the best win-loss record in the 14th Region. What it doesn't mention is the cupcake schedule that they played to get him his stats (if they're even accurate) and them their record. I believe that this article is a slap in the face of every player on every team in the 14th Region who actually had to work to get his points whether he averages 2 or 20 points a game. The sad thing is that they honest do have one of the best teams in the Region, but because of their schedule they took away their own right to brag. No reasonable person can compare JBS stats and record to any other top contender in the 14th Region because their numbers are inflated by the difference in the callibur of their competition. I just wonder if the Troublesome Creek Times will give the Patriots front page honors when they beat them Monday night.

Because both teams struggled on the boards, and both teams played good defense.

JBS has proven that their team is for real, but is their schedule for real? It's not their fault that they are beating these teams so badly, but it is their fault that they scheduled them in the first place. I have watched them play a couple of times this year. They are good, and there is no excuse for them to being playing the schedule they are. Hopefully, next year, their schedule will be more challenging. It just seems a waste to have that much talent and spend it beating these little teams by thirty or more every night.

It's been my observation that with the major of the teams, almost all of the freshman team players also play JV and some of them even play Varsity. I would think that even with freshman players who do not make the JV and V teams their freshman year, the goal is to work with them and prepare them to move up.

Nope, you didn't dream it. I was at the PCC/Leslie game (which by the way was one of the best games I've watched this season, a good win for Leslie), but I have talked to some friends who watched the KCC/Breathitt game. They said the Pike kid played a great game and Stamper got hot in OT. KCC did win the game, but neither team put forth a dominating performance, at least not until OT.

Oh, I know it's not an easy job. Nothing could make me ref. But no one is making them do it. If they are are going to choose to do the job, they should do it right. If the job is too hard, or not worth the money to them, they should step aside and let someone else have the whistle.

What's up with you? Are you one of the coaches that they have gotten rid of in the last six years?

I don't have a child on any team, and while my heart may be with one team, I travel around the mountains watching as many games as I can between all the teams just because I love basketball. I've done this for years. Noone can tell me that the officials do not affect the outcome of the games a lot of the time. I think instead of worry about butting more and more officials on the floor, the KHSAA needs to build an accountability factor for the existing officials. At every game I go to, there are numerous fans, televisions stations, etc. sitting around the gym with cameras. We may not be able to stop the game for an instant replay, but the KHSAA could review these tapes to determine if those "loud mouth fans" just might have a reason to be blowing off steam. Like I've said, I've watched a lot of basketball over the years, and I've seen the battle lines form. With quite a bit of accuracy, I could walk into most of the gyms in the mountains, look at the ref, and tell the KHSAA whether or not they should review the tapes before the first ball is thrown into the air. There are certain refs who will favor certain teams regardless of who they play, and there are other refs who will go against certain teams regardless of who they play. Not to say that all the refs fall into this category. In fact four of the last five games I have watched the officiating has been alright. But, even the one game out of five should not be tolerated. These kids work hard, and to have a game taken by the very officials who are supposed to be making sure they get a fair shot is just not acceptable.