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Undeterred: Owensboro American Legion Finishes Third
8/3/2010It’d be nice to have a home game. But first, they have to find a home.
The Owensboro Post 9 American Legion baseball team has been a road wonder this summer. With no field to call home, the team has played where it could find a field, usually away from Owensboro.
“Every game we’ve played has been on the road, it’s been tough and that’s a whole ‘nother article in itself,” coach Greg Vincent said. “We kinda feel like we were abandoned by some people in Owensboro, but we’ve put that behind us. We’ve just gone out and played.”
A team rich in American Legion state championships has still found a way to make things happen when it does take the field. Made up of many of the top talents in region three, the chemistry came together to get out to a 22-7 record.
“The main thing is, they’ve become a team,” Vincent said. “When you take kids from different high schools, you’ve got a lot of individuals trying to do individual things. As we’ve developed as a team, they’ve learned that when you lay down that sacrifice bunt, it’s ok. You get out of that dugout and say you’ve done a good job.”
It’s been a chance for the junior legion team to prepare for next season with their high schools.
“It’s been going really good,” Owensboro Catholic sophomore catcher Kevin Dorris said. “I’m getting a lot of experience, a lot of different arms and styles of pitching. I’m just getting ready for the oncoming high school years.”
But it didn’t come without an adjustment period.
“The competition is a lot different,” Ohio County senior catcher Jake Taylor said. “You have a lot of rivalries in high school, playing the same teams. Out here, you’re having more fun because you’re playing with new people, making new friends and experiences.”
The benefits though have outweighed the drawbacks. For one, because of only 24 legion teams in Kentucky, Post 9 has played older competition. At a tournament in Morehead, one opponent was Paintsville Post 117, comprised of players entering college.
With Vincent’s guidance, Owensboro has stacked up against all the competition it’s played.
“I told the kids when we started out, all I ask of you is hustle all the time, have a good attitude and stay mentally in the game,” he said. “I will teach you the game of baseball. We’ve got a lot of 13 and 14-year olds. A lot of them think it’s just like Babe Ruth baseball or league baseball and it’s not.”
Vincent’s role however, has extended beyond just developing players.
“It really makes me proud because especially with what Greg’s doing, he is developing these young men into outstanding citizens,” post commander Ross Jewell said. “If you watch them, he makes sure they follow a certain standard and they understand why they’re following that standard. It really shows that he’s developing their character and integrity.”
But Vincent acknowledges he’s had plenty of help along the way as well to get the team going in the right direction.
“When you play all these games and you’re not only on the road, it’s a wear on not only all these kids but the parents,” he said. “We have a tremendous group of parents that are dedicated to this. What I like is the passion our kids have for the game of baseball, the excitement they have and they’re always ready to play. They know they’re learning and they’re younger than every team they’re gonna play, but they always come with great attitudes.”
And hopefully next year, they’ll come to a home field. It’s been a struggle securing a field, but Jewell has been among those making an effort to change that.
“Our biggest problem this year has been field,” he said.” That’s something we’re gonna start working on right now because this is not gonna happen again. Owensboro also needs to help the American Legion and the veteran-sponsored teams.”
And maybe next year, Post 9 can get used to somewhere besides the visitor’s dugout.
Roberts Charges For Runner-Up
6/29/2010BOWLING GREEN--- Making the turn into the final nine holes, Andy Roberts was four shots off the lead in the Pickens Amateur Championship on June 27. But with a fury on his next few holes, he came back to tie leader Josh Matney and force a playoff hole.
After Roberts’ drive on the par-three hole was to the right and short of the green, while Matney’s went left. Roberts chipped to within 12 feet, while Matney chipped to about 30 feet of the hole.
Matney drained the long birdie putt, forcing Roberts to make his next shot to force another playoff. But Roberts’ shot missed right, giving Matney, a former Campbellsville and Metcalfe County golfer the win.
“That’s a bummer,” Roberts said. “You go from thinking he’s gonna be lucky to make par or he’s gonna have a tough par, a tough two-putt and then he makes it, but that’s golf. It didn’t surprise me when it went in. You see all the time where someone makes a long putt.”
Roberts, 30, a former Daviess County and Brescia golfer, got rolling on his final nine holes with some deft play as both he and Matney completed their first 18 holes at six-under-par. But he couldn’t muster his best on the playoff hole, keeping what he said was some inconsistency, going.
“My short game’s good enough to help me recover and I just got on a roll there,” Roberts said. “I birdied one, two’s an easy hole and five was playing tough. Three and four, I had good chances to make birdie, on five I hit great drive and a three-wood in there real good. The problem is I can’t seem to hit that swing every time.”
This was the second time Roberts has finished second at the event, having also been runner-up in 2008. But this time was more of a surprise, having started the final round at two-under-par.
It wasn’t quite the finish Roberts was looking for, but better considering where he started.
“The last hole, you see that you have a chance to win, you go to a playoff and you lose again,” he said. “You definitely go up and down, but it would be better than shooting terrible and not having any emotion. Better second than 50th.”
Sloshing Through To Akron
6/21/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
She didn’t hit the cones this time.
At the end of the Soap Box derby track at Phil Moore Park, three layers of cones had been set up. They hadn’t been used all day on the second day of the All-American Soap Box Derby on May 21, but now, they were frequently coming in handy.
Just before the semi-finals of both the stock and superstock divisions, a steady shower of rain delayed the races for 13 minutes. It wasn’t a significant shower, but it was enough to puddle the track. As the soap box cars came down the hill, the wheels treaded through the water. And with the water, there was less friction for the tiny hand brakes to stop, making the cones a necessity as the cars came to a stop after hitting the cones.
By the time Rich Pond Elementary 10-year old Bailee Collins came down the track, the late afternoon sun had dried the track somewhat. Collins was mobbed by friends and family after she crossed the finish line and got out of her car. She’d just won the stock division on the second run of the finals, defeating Chaz Blair. Collins took in the celebration but quickly tried to find Blair, who’d left the finishing area.
“Where’s Chaz?” Collins asked. “Tell him I said, ‘Good job!’
Auburn 14-year old Caleb Williams had a little more water to tread, having finished the day about 20 minutes earlier. He lost the firs trace of the finals by .536 seconds to Natcher Elementary 11-year old Rileigh Stivers, but came back to win the second race and claim the superstock title.
“Last year, as I got to the steeper part of the hill, I’d push forward a little bit,” Williams said, “I didn’t really do that this year though. I don’t really know what I did.”
Williams joins Collins as participants in this summer’s national derby races in Akron, OH as winners of their divisions. Williams made the trip last year not to race, but to watch his older sister, Caitlyn, who won the superstock division.
Stivers came close to getting her chance to go. She won the first race over Williams, but lost ground on the second as he made up the difference and won by .016 seconds.
“I ran into the cones a bunch,” Stivers joked. “I had to change a little bit. I didn’t push the brake as hard as I normally would.”
Caitlyn tried her luck in the masters division this year. She lost in the preliminary rounds, as LaRue County middle school 13-year old Miranda Hickman would later claim the title, holding off Josh Cummings.
“It was tiring,” Hickman said. “He’s a good racer though. You’ve gotta give him that. I just pray (each time). There’s ways you can practice, figure out the waves in the road. You just make friends too.”
Collins couldn’t find her opponent afterward, but was certainly pleased about her victory.
“It’s just getting my butt all the way back and my head down,” she said. “I knew I won. I heard my family screaming.”
And she didn’t need any help from any orange cones this time.
Sticks In The Air: Greenwood Wins State Lacrosse Title
6/9/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
He can still remember that first state championship he saw. That was four years ago. He played lacrosse, but he figured he was a long way from actually being on that field himself.
Kevin Donley tried for months to get a lacrosse team started at Greenwood during his junior year. First, they organized a club. Then, they spent months presenting their plan to start a team to the school’s Site-Based Council. Finally that spring, the go-ahead was given to start the team. It was a learning process to say the least. But in helping that learning curve, Donley helped get the then 14 members of the lacrosse team to Louisville to watch the state championship between St. Xavier and Trinity, which St. Xavier won.
“I saw them all throw their sticks in the air and run on the field,” Donley said. “That’s the one thing I really wanted to do some day with Greenwood.”
That moment came on May 21. After defeating Woodford County, 11-2 in the Division III state semi-finals at home on May 17, the Gators defeated Oldham County 9-6 at St. Xavier.
“Just being the state champion, no teams are better than you,” senior defender Will Porter said. “It’s just awesome and probably he best feeling I’ve ever had. Just being state champions, just the excitement you get and the rush, it’s awesome.”
Donley was there to celebrate as well.
“A lot of people have asked me if I’m jealous or anything, that I didn’t get to play but I haven’t really felt any of that,” he said. “To me, it’s been amazing because I knew in our first two years that we weren’t gonna even make it close to the playoffs or anything. It’s been really cool to see us grow so fast. To me, it’s just as rewarding as anybody else that actually played.”
It also helped that Donley’s younger brother Conner, a senior striker, is perhaps the heart and soul of the team. In the semi-final win over Woodford County, he scored eight of the 11 goals. In the state championship, he scored three goals, while senior midfielder Trent Norris added three goals as well.
Modestly, Conner said he hopes the success this season, in which Greenwood finished 9-2, leads to more success for the program.
“I hope this helps spread the sport around here,” he said. “I wish when I came to high school that it was very popular. I hope now it continues to grow, especially in this area.”
There’s already been a steady influx of interest and support since the elder Donley helped start the program four years ago. After that first season there were 20 players on the team. Last year there were 23. This year, there’s 26. Greenwood also made history when Norris became the program’s first college signee, when he signed with Hanover (Ind.) in May.
“I’ve already heard 10-12 kids say they wanna play next year,” coach Michael Timmer said. “That’d be a vast improvement from this year. I think the incoming class this year was two kids that hadn’t played the previous year. I hope it means leaps and bounds where our program is gonna go. You throw ‘state champs’ on anything and people are gonna come flocking no matter what.”
After Kevin and the Gators became a team, they received interest from a man named David Bruns, who was moving to Bowling Green from Boise, ID. He’d had experience coaching and playing lacrosse and asked the new team if he could coach them. A year later, Timmer, who teaches at Drakes Creek Middle School, was interested enough to join the staff. Now, he’s the one leading the way as coach.
“I didn’t have any background until about three years ago,” Timmer said. “I just showed up at practice one day, put a stick in my hand and I loved it. For the past two years, I’ve done all kinds of camps and coaches’ camps and stuff like that. I’ve done my homework and I guess it’s paying off.”
Timmer has spent time trying to recruit players at the middle school that will be heading to high school. Interest has also spread by word of mouth. Because the team is a club team and not sanctioned by KHSAA, it’s open to student-athletes not just at Greenwood. Porter is from Bowling Green, while 12 of the players are from South Warren, many formerly from Greenwood.
Porter was friends with the Donleys and asked to join the team shortly after its inception. As a Purple, it’s a little different donning the green and gold, but it’s something Porter said he’s glad he’s done. He still gets an occasional ribbing though from his classmates.
“None of them really say anything to me, because…well, I have said something back to them,” Porter said. “(His Gators teammates) are all really a bunch of nice guys. None of them are big-headed at all. They’re really humble and they accepted me just like I was one of them. It was really cool. I can’t believe it was that easy. But they all liked me, knew who I was and everything.”
The sport in which Timmer describes as a mix between soccer and hockey still has a way to go. Senior defender Hank Glenn even throws another sport in to describe lacrosse.
“It’s unlike any other sport you’ve probably played before,” he said. “It combines speed, quickness, agility, just hand-eye coordination for sure, that’s probably the main focus. The play is like basketball. If you’re a fan of basketball, you can come watch the game and it’s like that. It’s a sport that if you really wanna try something new, it’s definitely your sport to do.”
It’s a sport that’s come with ease to Donley, or at least he’s made it look that way at times. He’s made good use of what he considers the primary fiundamentals: hand-eye coordination and stick-handling.
“I guess I’ve had the skill for lacrosse, so I assume it came natural,” he said. “I don’t know, maybe I just picked up on it good.”
The rest of Donley’s teammates came through in the state tournament as well. Junior goalie Teddie Rose had nine saves in the final to go with Conner Donley’s heroics.
“I knew we’d have a chance if we could transition to offense from the defensive side of the field well,” Timmer said. “We did that extremely well in both games, the best I’d ever seen us catch and pass the ball and getting down the field. It was like a totally different team. We peaked on our clears at the perfect time.”
Much of the work has also been a result of Timmer’s aggressive style. He said he feels like his team succeeds more when the issue is pushed on defense, leading to fast break opportunities.
“If we can get aggressive and make them drop the ball on the defensive end, that’s where I tell my guys to be aggressive,” he said. “It’s to get the possession. Time of possession in any sport wins games. Once we got that done and we were running down the field, you might as well not stop and just try to score.”
Four years ago, Kevin was simply trying to get a team in place. He said he can still remember the Gators’ first ever game, against a junior varsity team at Father Ryan (Tenn.).
“What I remember most is being nervous that whole bus ride down there,” he said. “We get off the bus and we’re just a bunch of Kentucky boys who have no idea what they’re doing. We pull up to this huge catholic school in Nashville with like eight private sports fields and everybody running around playing different sports. It was pretty intimidating.”
Now, Kevin is finally part of a state championship team. A soon to be junior at Penn State, he plays on the club team, but still returns to Greenwood when he can during the spring season and helps with camps. It meant even more that Conner, who used to be the one tagging along with Kevin and his friends playing lacrosse, was the one leading the way.
“I take a little bit of pride in it, but it’s been really cool, especially since he’s been one of the best players in the state and led the team to a state championship,” Kevin said. “That’s been really cool to watch. That was always the big dream of us four people that put the team together. Our dream was to someday see that team win a state championship. None of us could believe it came so soon.”
Greenwood’s still looking to hoist more sticks.
The G-Squad Wins
6/9/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
As the leader of the ‘G-Squad’ it was up to Greenwood junior Beck Pennington to delegate the team names. There’s ‘Tayler Gang,’ ‘Z-Diddy,’ ‘Beezy,’ ‘’J-Money’ and ‘Lil B.’ Even the parents are in on it, with a ‘Don The Man’ spotted courtside at the Region Four tennis finals at Kerieakas Park on May 19.
Pennington, or ‘Big B,’ tried to push the attention off him.
“I don’t even like this nickname,” he said. “My mom put it on there and was like, ‘you have to wear this when you play.’”
But Z-Diddy or senior Zach Howard, called him out on it.
“It all came from that guy over there, Big B,” Howard said.
Pennington’s shirt could’ve easily read: ‘Big Beast’ after his 6-0, 6-1 win over Bowling Green freshman Will True, his second straight title. Using a serve that’s been clocked as high as 115-miles per hour, Pennington breezed through, getting ahead early in each point.
“That’s the biggest point in the match,” Pennington said. “If you get on top of the kid fast, you have him mentally and physically. If you get down the first few games, it’s a whole different match. If I lost two games in that match, you never know. It’s important to just get on top of him quick.”
Pennington’s sister, freshman Cassie Pennington had to work a little more before claiming the singles’ title. Her teammate, Greenwood senior Jacqueline Otis, pushed her before Cassie prevailed 6-2, 6-2 a rematch and same result as last year.
“I usually have a plan to come to the net because that’s probably one of my favorite things to do in tennis,” Cassie said. “I don’t know I like attacking the ball. But yeah, I do that a lot.”
Two courts over, Greenwood claimed the boys doubles championship as well, as Howard and Tayler Lindsey took down the Barren County tandem of T.A. Wells and Matthew Bunnell, 6-3, 6-1.
“Winning, actually,” Howard said of the gameplan. “We just kinda developed a strategy as we went along and just played our game all the way through.”
But the Bowling Green doubles team of senior Beth Henry and sophomore Elizabeth Penn made sure it wasn’t a clean sweep by the Gators. The Lady Purples tandem made it a three-peat of region championships with a 6-4, 6-3 hard-fought win over the Greenwood team of seniors Ashley Edwards and Jessica Adams.
“I felt like they were winning off our mistakes,” Henry said. “It was just mental for us. We had to kinda shake it off and get over it. The crowd kinda bothered us too. We don’t like to be watched.”
It still wasn’t enough to keep Greenwood and the G-Squad from another region title for both the boys and girls teams. None of the Lady Gators donned matching shirts, though Cassie Pennington said she’d go by ‘C-Weezy’ and planned to don pinks shirts at the state tournament.
Big B gave praise to True for his steady improvement, but also grinned when asked about another team title.
“Greenwood’s been playing really good this year,” he said. “We’ve worked hard and it just feels good to be region champs for both boys and girls.”
Big Beast continues on.
Streaks Continue ACS Baseball & Softball Claim Districts
6/9/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
It’s become almost a standard around Allen County-Scottsville. The district tournament is almost just a stepping stone.
For the 14th season in a row, the Lady Patriots are the 15th district champions, after a 3-1 win over Barren County on May 25. For the players, the streak is something to note, but not to dwell on.
“There’s signs up in the school,” junior pitcher Kelsi Pardue said. “We look at that as a goal and we wanna keep the tradition going. That’s a whole lot of it. You don’t wanna be that one in history to lose it in 14 years.”
Pardue allowed a run in the first inning on a pair of doubles. She then settled down to strike out eight on the night.
Offensively, the hero was sophomore shortstop Brittany Rippy, the No. 9 hitter. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second, Rippy drove in two runs on a single up the middle. Senior first baseman Catie Yates then picked up an RBI-single in the inning as well.
“I’m a pretty confident person,” Rippy said. “I just got up there and thought, ‘this has to be me, right now.’ If it wasn’t me, it was nobody because there were two outs. I had to do it and I got it done.”
Two nights later on ACS’ baseball field, the Patriots claimed their third straight district title with a 7-2 win over a surprising Barren County team that got by Glasgow in the first round. After senior pitcher Eli Weaver threw a one-hitter in a 17-0 win over Monroe County in the first round, pitchers Logan Stovall, Chris Ogles and Matt Hobdy combined for a solid title game.
“We wanted to try to make it three in a row,” coach Kerry Harwood said. “No baseball team at our school has done that. That was big for us to accomplish that goal and be playing good going into the regional tournament.”
A streak like 14 is big, but it isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds.
“We don’t just think we’re gonna walk through,” coach Rick Roberts said. “But we’ve been good for several years, the girls make it a point to keep that district record going and tonight they didn’t get rattled in that first inning.”
New Breakthroughs Lady Purples, Raiders Win Districts
6/9/2011
As far back as the records show, Greenwood softball has dominated the 14th district winning eleven straight championships. The Lady Gators over the past eleven seasons have seven championship shutouts and in the other four games, only gave up seven runs. Throw in several region championships and back to back state titles and the Lady Gators were the heavy favorites again for 2011.
Greenwood lost an early 3-0 lead with Bowling Green shortstop and co-MVP, sophomore shortstop Brittney Vaughn led off the 13th inning with a single to right field. She’s later score the Lady Purples’ winnign run, for a 4-3 win.
Defensively, third baseman Tori Dillard and Vaughn extended the game several times for the Purples with unbelievable snags, diving catches and throws that had not been made could have changed the outcome of the game.
“We keep each other up in the field, Tori will make a good play to back me up and I will make a good play to back Tori up,” Vaughn said. “We just have that mentality.”
Dillard had the confidence to come up big.
“I am more ready for the ball when it comes off the bat then I used to be,” Dillard said. “With Brittany and my other teammates backing me up I can do a lot more than I used to”
On the baseball side, Warren East got by Greenwood, then Bowling Green in claiming its first 14th district title since 2006. Senior pitcher Mark Biggs hit two, two-run home runs in a 4-2 win over the Gators, then sophomore pitcher Hunter Green struck out ten in a 9-2 win over the Purples.
“We definitely are playing our best baseball right now,” Biggs said. “A lot of people said we peaked early, but as far as our team goes, we know we’re playing good baseball at the right time and we’re going out, playing together.”
Lady Purples Head Coach Lisa Correa said having Dillard and Vaughn in the infield is like having an iron curtain, with nothing get through.
“It’s like the Steelers defense,” Correa said. “They made great plays for us tonight and were part of the reason we won. Brittany has had the ranges all season long and Tori is one of the best defenders in the fourth region.”
Pitcher Mackenzie Brumit shut down the Lady Gators for five innings and retiring the last nine batters of the game.
ACS' Mission: A State Championship
5/24/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
It’s tough to really describe what it is that sets her apart, that makes her dominant and others at her position not as much.
Allen County-Scottsville junior pitcher Kelsi Pardue has a way about her in the pitcher’s circle. She has the same fluid motion every time of cocking herself, firing and hitting nearly the same place each and every time. No wonder then why she’s arguably the most overpowering pitcher in the region and among the best in not only the state, but the country.
Pardue doesn’t like to go into too much detail. She prefers to keep as low key as possible, or at least as humble as possible. With the ridiculously high rate at which she strikes opposing batters out, it’s tough for her to stay too low key. On April 14, she also made a verbal commitment to play at WKU.
“I just try to focus on one pitch at a time,” Pardue said. “You can’t think about the past pitch or the past inning or the past batter. That’ll just mess you up. I just try to stay focused and not get too worried about my surroundings.”
Pardue might be a big reason, but she’s certainly not the only reason why the Lady Patriots are back on their ascent towards another post-season run. And this time, they’d like to better last season’s third place finish at the state tournament.
“I think we’ve just got a lot more experience under our belt,” senior first baseman Catie Yates said. “We can go into this year and we’ve been everywhere you can be. We’ve been to state twice and we know what to expect and know what it takes to win. We’ve been playing together for a long time and we’re a close group of girls and we just know what it takes.”
Yates is the table-setter, the lead-off hitter who’s done her job this season in leading the team in hits.
“I just try to focus on being a good lead-off,” Yates said. “It’s kinda my job or responsibility to set the tone for the rest of the lineup. I try to see what the pitcher has to offer so when I go back to the dugout, I can tell the other girls what to expect and do what I can to get on and help us score our first runs.”
Behind Yates is a bevy of more than capable hitters. Seven Lady Patriots are seniors this season, lending themselves to a very experienced group.
“We’ve just played together since we were like five,” senior third baseman Amanda Wood said. “We’ve all played together, a lot of travel ball, a lot of good competition. We’ve all been training well, but what helps us out more than anything is that we’re all so close. We all get along on and off the field.”
It might start and end with Pardue’s mighty right arm. For one, she could be the biggest reason her coach, Rick Roberts, was coaxed back onto the softball field. Roberts kick-started the program and rode it through state tournament runs in 2000 and 2004, but retired following the latter. After all, he’d coached his daughters and their friends through their high school careers.
Pardue’s uncle, Billy Ray, an ACS custodian, would occasionally barb Roberts about getting back into coaching. He’d also consistently remind him of his young phenom niece who was becoming well known in youth league circles.
“He’d come down once or twice a week and say KP’s coming up and ‘if you could get back into coaching, I’d really appreciate it,’” Roberts said. “He did that for like two years. Then Mike Marr, who helps me coach, had a couple of nieces that were on the team. I really felt like he wanted to be part of their careers. He’s a real good friend of mine and he helped me out way back when, when I was needing coaches and I felt obligated to come back for a while and see if I could still help the program.”
In 2008, with Pardue as an eighth grader, Roberts was back at the ACS helm. In watching Pardue grow and develop, he’s noticed a few attributes that contribute to her results, beginning with her work ethic.
“Even in the off-season, she’ll throw five times a week, which is probably more than most people throw,” Roberts said. “The second thing she does is I have rarely met a girl that hates to lose more than that girl. She might not show it and that’s one good thing. Her demeanor on the mound is the same whether we’re up ten or down ten.”
It also helps to have a steady hand to throw to. Senior catcher Taylor Borders has caught nearly every pitch Pardue has made in her high school career. But their bond hasn’t ended there.
“During the summer, I throw with Taylor,” Pardue said. “We’re on the same summer team and that relationship has just grown and she’s a big help behind the plate. It just helps knowing she’s back there. We do have that trust and we know what’s going on.”
Borders also provides some needed pop in the heart of the order. A WKU signee, she can hit the ball for power or spray it to all areas of the field.
Behind the plate, Borders has gotten the best vantage point of anyone to see Pardue’s victims. She’s heard plenty of groans and seen plenty of looks of disappointment. She’s also seen an occasional nervous shaking by opposing batters.
“As a hitter, you have to have confidence when you go in the box,” Borders said. “You have to know you’re better than her. But I feel like most people that face her are intimidated by her so she’s got ‘em beat before she even starts.”
Pardue’s fierceness does more than fire her teammates up. That confidence is evident both in the field and at the plate.
“When Kelsi’s out there, you just wanna support her and work as hard as you can for her,” said senior outfielder Allison Pedigo, a College of Charleston pledge. “You know she’s working as hard as she can and she’s a great player.”
With his fireballer in the pitcher’s circle, Roberts has taken an aggressive approach during the regular season to get his team ready for when it really counts. This season, ACS played Siegel, Tenn. before tripping to Enterprise, Ala. during spring break to take on some of the nation’s top teams.
“We’ve seen the best of the teams he could line us up with and that’s gonna help us in the long run,” Borders said. “Getting beat was a good thing while we were down there because a lot of us had the mentality that we weren’t gonna get beat. Everybody is beatable any given day.”
The Lady Patriots fell to Northview, Ala. and Enterprise, the only blemishes in an 18-2 start that had them ranked No. 1 in Kentucky by the Kentucky Softball Coaches Association. And that hasn’t been something that’s been ignored.
“You get it out and you talk about it, you talk about why you’re the number one team in the state and you talk about the other teams that are competing for that spot and you talk about what you need to do to maintain that,” Roberts said. “I’m really glad that we made it to that spot early in the season. If we had played through the season and came in the last two or three weeks of the season and then had been the number one team, there would have been significantly more pressure then.”
The work for this season began not too long after last season’s run ended. Many of ACS’ players play nearly year-round, training when they’re not playing. Now, there’s been more added to what needs to be done, even with the loss of senior shortstop Macey Cornwell. After a car accident, it’s still unclear of when or if she’ll return.
“Last year, we got so close and we never expected to get that far,” Wood said. “Then it kinda hit us and we were like, ‘we could win.’ Then it was pulled away so fast. This year, that’s the only thing we’ve looked at, ever since the first game, the first practice.”
Individually, Pardue has worked on refining her repertoire on the mound. She hasn’t made any unnecessary changes, but rather refined a few areas.
“In the off-season this year, I tried really hard to work on my changeup,” Pardue said. “It just hasn’t been the best in the last couple of years. I worked hard and I’m getting it where it needs to be. I do throw a lot. In pitching, you have to pitch every day to get better. It just makes you stronger.”
And with that, the Lady Patriots’ run back to the state tournament is strong as well.
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Still Pushing On
5/24/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
She’s the perfect example of an old saying: It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.
You’d better believe there’s plenty of fight in this dog. Warren East junior Cassidy Dubree might not be more than 80 pounds, but she’s found a way to battle through and make it through each day.
At the age of four, Dubree was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the inherited and chronic disease affects the lungs and digestive system.
She’s had good days and bad. This past season, she still managed to play soccer for the Lady Raiders. And because of her ability to press on, with everyday situations, in soccer or whatever she comes across, Dubree was selected to the inaugural Tom Leach all-resilient team. She’s one of only 18 student-athletes selected in Kentucky, with Warren East honoring her on April 26.
“It’s a really big honor,” Dubree said. “This is like the biggest award I’ve ever gotten. It’s a pretty big deal.”
Earlier in her childhood, Dubree played basketball, softball and ran cross country. But in middle school and into her freshman year, her condition worsened and she wasn’t physically able to play sports. Dubree spent much of her time at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Still, she found other ways to cure her sports itch.
“Even when she was sick, she did soap box derby,” her mother, Tammy Elliott said. “She’s the type that even though she’s down and physically, couldn’t do as much, she’s still gonna compete in something and be out there pushing herself. She adjusted herself and said, ‘I can’t get out there physically and do everything, but I can do soap box derby.’ She loved that and she’s always gonna push forward. That’s the kind of young lady she is.”
Last fall, Dubree wanted to try her luck at soccer, much to her mother’s chagrin. But Dubree was steadfast on her desire to play.
“I was a little nervous because she still has some issues that, she has to wear some extra protection and everything,” Elliott said. “I thought, ‘Oh, are we really gonna do this?’ I’ve gotta call the doctors, I’ve gotta do a lot of things. Are we sure? ‘Yes, yes,’ (Cassidy said). There was no gray area. It was, this is what I’m doing mom. I knew, I’m not gonna stop her because I don’t have a chance there.”
Dubree wasn’t able to play at all times, but she nearly reached her goal. She was agonizingly close to getting the ball past the goalkeeper for a score.
“It was a home game and I’m not sure who it was against but it was about an inch away from the goal,” Dubree said. “As soon as I missed it, I got so mad and coach had to pull me out and calm me down. I was very frustrated, but that is my goal, to get a goal now.”
Warren East athletics director Jonathan Vincent quietly nominated Dubree when he became aware of the award months ago. He found out a few weeks ago about Dubree’s inclusion and proceeded to tell principal Damon Tabor and others in the school, everyone it seemed, except Dubree and her mom.
“It renews your faith,” Elliott said. “We all get down, especially with what we go through. It renews your faith in people; it just makes me feel good all over. When Mr. Vincent called and told me, I just, I lost it. I thought, this is so awesome. I see it, he sees it and I don’t realize everyone else sees how amazing she is.”
Dubree and the other members of the all-resilient team were also honored April 28 at the Kentucky High School Atheltic Director’s conference at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.
At Warren East’s ceremony in her honor, Vincent, Elliott, Tabor and others all spoke of how inspirational she is. Dubree knows it. She does acknowledge it, but it doesn’t do anything to change her ongoing fight.
“I don’t have to, but they say I do,” Dubree said. “They say I make them happy just seeing my smile and I like to do that. Sometimes I do try to pick my mom up whenever she’s down. Sometimes, it just comes naturally.”
Braving The Elements
5/24/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
Athletes don’t ever want to let the outside elements get to them. Control what you can control, don’t let the weather affect your ability to push through.
It was hard not to be at least acknowledgeable of the cold, windy and rainy conditions at the Great Gator track meet April 16 at WKU. With temperatures hovering in the 30s, there were adjustments being made throughout the day.
“You’re very tight and you can’t do anything,” Warren Central junior Donovan Halsell said. “It’s hard to jump and it’s on your mind, thinking, ‘I’m so cold and stuff.’ You don’t wanna do anything but go home and lay down. It’s boring out here when it’s cold because you can’t do anything and you’re tight.”
Halsell still won the high jump, with his jump of 6-06, a foot higher than the runner-up. He won the long jump as well, with a jump of 19-08 and placed second in triple jump. Halsell was a big reason Warren Central claimed the boys and girls championship at the high school portion of the meet. Bowling Green’s boys and girls won the middle school portion of the meet.
The Purples got a boost at the high school level as well, getting a boost from such events as shot putt, where Bowling Green took first and second behind junior Chyna Clement and senior Deadra Costa.
“I just try not to overanalyze what I’m doing, try not to think about it too much,” Costa said. “I just go in, do what I’ve learned, do what I’ve trained to do and let it fly.”
South Warren also had a strong outing. Runners like junior Clayton Hall, who finished third in the 1600m run, gave the Spartans a big boost in finishing second in the high school portion.
“I think I maybe just went out there a little too fast,” Hall said. “Instead of falling behind someone and trying to stay behind them, I just went out and was pressing before everyone else. If I’d gone out slower and drafted behind people, I could’ve been about five seconds faster.”
South Warren coach Rick Winquest said he was still plenty proud of Hall, who’s run was still a personal best. His biggest goal was to get his athletes to learn from the conditions.
“When you run in bad weather, you’ve gotta run smart,” Winquest said. “When you’re in multi-lap races, you wanna let somebody else do the work and tuck in behind them. I’m looking for kids running on the inside lanes on the turns, momentum in handoffs.”
The Dragons came out on top in no small part to another huge meet from senior blazer Cortez Barber, who finished first in the 200m dash, first in the 4x100m relay and second in the 100m dash.
“I’ve just always been fast,” Barber said. “Weight lifting, getting stronger, that helps with your lower body and then your upper body. Running is mostly about your arms, really. Good form helps too, but that’s what the track coaches are for.”
Below are the key finishes, provided by former Greenwood coach and legend, Art Sciubba:
Bowling Green Girls placed 1st in 4x800, 100M Hurdles (Paige Hiltner and ), 2nd in 100M Hurdles (Ann-Lundy Games), Sarah-Emily Woodward (2nd – 1600M), Ciara Scott (3rd 1600M Run), Van Games (2nd – 800M), Brittney Hansen (3rd – 800M), Chyna Cement (1st – Shot Put), and Trevor Prieskorn (1st – Pole Vault). Warren Central won the meet on dominating performances in 100M and 200M Dash (Nitaya Walker (1st) and TiaVion Patterson (2nd – 100M and 200M dash), 4x200 Relay (1st), 4x100 Relay (1st), Angel Hill (400M Dash – 1st), 4x400 Relay (1st), and Angel Hill (1st – High Jump). Warren Central’s boys were also victorious in quest for the 1st place team finish in the following performances: LaJustin Scgers (2nd 110 Hurdles and 1st – 300M Hurdles), Cortez Barber (2nd – 100M and 1st – 200M Dash), 4x200 Relay (2nd), 4x100 Relay (1st), 4x400 Relay (2nd), Jason Schwab (3rd – 3200M), Donavan Halsel (1st – high jump and long jump), Andreaus Robinson (shot put – 1st) and Adam Wilkey (Javelin-1st). The Dragons total of 174 points was 68 better than their nearest competitor – Logan County. Although one might not ever know it by the Cougar performances. 4x800 relay (1st), Avery Collier (110 Hurdles – 1st and 3rd in the 100M Dash), 4x200 relay (1st), Colton Spencer and Maurice Pheal (1st and 2nd) in the 400M Dash, Barrett Rogers (2nd) and Sye Head (3rd) in the 800M Run, and 4x400 relay (1st). Several note worthy performances were Paige Huzyak of South Warren - double first place finish in the triple jump and 300M Hurdles; Greenwood, the host school, displayed quality performances in the Girls 4x800 Relay (2nd), Boys 4x800 Relay (3rd), Tanner Thompson (4th – 100M, 3rd – 200M, 2nd – Long Jump), Lauren Weitlauf (3rd – 400M), Elizabeth Cole (2nd – 3200M), Keith Prive (4th 3200M and 6th – 1600M), Connor Sikor (1st – discus and 5th – shot put), and Isaiah Thomas-Turner (2nd – shot put).
WKU's New 'Brain'
5/19/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
There’s a certain approach he takes out on the golf course. The wheels are always turning as Warren East’s Brandon Beckham calculates the situation in front of him.
On April 18, he calculated the place he’ll do that next, signing his letter of intent to WKU. He chose the Toppers over University Of The Cumberlands, Union and Lindsey Wilson.
“It’s a D-I school, it’s close to home, the coach is a real great guy and I feel like I can come up and really help this team out,” Beckham said. “It’s also partly because it’s the school I’ve grown up wanting to go to.”
Warren East coach Jonathan Decker has seen the situations unfold for Beckham on the course. And more often than not, he’s still amazed at the outcome.
“He gets into a zone and he doesn’t talk much,” Decker said. “But he’s so focused and he thinks. He’s not a grip and rip guy. He doesn’t get out there and just sees what happens. He tries to play out what he’s gonna do and he knows the course. He knows how the greens are gonna roll and that’s why he puts himself in position to win all the time. He knows and he thinks. He’s got the brain for golf.”
It hasn’t always been that way for Beckham, who also excels in baseball. But through more experience and patience, he’s seen it pay off.
“Over the years, as I got in situations, I got better with my confidence level,” Beckham said. “Being in pressure situations, I can handle it a lot better now. And of course, my game has just continued to improve and I can put down lower scores.”
Now, it’s paying off for both he and WKU.
Family Ties
5/19/2011By Doug Thompson
There was already a connection between she and her new school before she even made her decision.
Warren East’s Makayla Cardwell signed her letter of intent April 22 to play at Sewanee University of the South. Her uncle though had already begun a trail there years ago.
“Sewanee is actually where my uncle went too college and I always knew it was a great school and somewhere I wanted to be,” Cardwell said. “They also have a golf program that they were interested in me participating in. They’re just a great school. Although it was a hard choice, Sewanee had golf for me and that’s what I wanted to do.”
Cardwell chose Sewanee over Georgetown. But the chance to play both golf and go to a top school were key factors.
“It’s actually really exhilarating. I never thought I’d get this opportunity, especially from the beginning of the first time I played,” Cardwell said. “It was just, not good. Now, through his tremendous efforts and efforts by my teammates, my family and everyone including the administration staff here, I’ve grown to be a better person and a great golfer.”
Cardwell will be doing something her uncle, who played football, didn’t do. She plans to go into pre-med, with a major in biology and minor in business. Eventually, she wants to be an anesthesiologist.
“As far as school goes, they are a Division III school but they are a very prestigious school, so it’s always school first,” Cardwell said. “You play golf and they work around your schedule. They do a lot of one-on-ones with you when you have time because school is more important and if you don’t keep your grades up, you won’t be able to play.”
Finding The Love
5/19/2011By Doug Thompson
As teammates at Franklin-Simpson, forwards J.T. Curtis and Ryan Randolph found the family atmosphere like many student-athletes, with their high school team. But they also found it at the next level as well.
On April 26, both signed their letters of intent to play basketball, Randolph with Mid-Continent and Curtis at Campbellsville.
“They just showed me the most love,” Randolph said. “I love the way it’s a Christian college surrounded by a bunch of Christians. Coach (Winston) Bennett, he seems like a really good coach.”
In watching Randolph workout with his players a few weeks before the signing, Bennett said he picked up on some quality traits with Randolph.
“He really showed no emotion whatsoever when he came up and worked with our guys,” Bennett said. “He wasn’t intimidated, he played he hard, he played aggressive and it reminded me a little of myself when I played, just going out there and playing hard. That really stuck out about him and eh can do a multiplicity of things, from going inside, posting up, to stepping out and hitting the medium-range shot.”
Randolph chose Mid-Continent over Campbellsville, Union and Transylvania. Curtis made his selection of the Tigers over other options at Mid-Continent. Transylvania and Lindsey Wilson.
“It’s a great feeling to know that all the hard work’s paid off and I get to realize my dream,” Curtis said. “When I went there, just the atmosphere felt right to me. I love the coaches and their political science, which is what I’m majoring in, is really good.”
Curtis also said he realizes he has more work to do to prepare himself for his future team.
“I’m trying to put on about 15 pounds of muscle before I go,” he said. “Then, I just need to continue to work on my shot. Coach C’s gonna work on me with that, so we’ll get better.”
Randolph said he has more work to put in as well. But he said it also helps knowing just how much he was wanted by Bennett and Mid-Continent.
“I’ve still go a lot of work to do every day,” Randolph said. “But I’m just gonna keep working before and after school. At college, I’ve just gotta keep working hard.”
Biggest Benefits At Home
5/19/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
With his talent, he could’ve talked about his plans for himself. And in an individual sport like golf, that’s easy to do.
But when Greenwood’s Cameron Beal signed his letter of intent to play at WKU on May 15, that wasn’t the route he chose. It wasn’t just about him.
“A lot of factors came into play, but I went on my visit to Western and I really loved the campus,” Beal said. “I loved the coach and the team and the atmosphere around everything. I wanted to find a place where I felt I could impact the team and they could help me.”
Beal chose his hometown Toppers over Louisville and Murray State, with WKU affording him also the familiarities his used to.
“It’s nice to stay around the people I know and friends and family,” he said. “That was definitely a huge factor, but it came down to what I wanted in a golf team. Hopefully they can help me and I can help them.”
Beal played in numerous individual events year-round during his high school career. But it was his play and his personality that resonated with Greenwood coach Mike Newton.
“He’s done so much more for our golf team than just play golf,” Newton said. “He’s been humble, hard-working, helpful and a true leader for the golf team.”
There are individual goals for Beal. But they don’t get in the way of the other goals.
“I have plenty of goals and I don’t know all those goals, but from an individual standpoint, you just wanna be successful and play the best golf you can play,” Beal said. “As a team, I just wanna help the team out and help them improve every day.”
A 'Hog' Joins Centre
5/19/2011By Doug Thompson
It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen a pretty campus before, but this one was different. It was different even than his hometown WKU.
The landscape at Centre wasn’t the only reason, but it was a big reason why Greenwood’s Colin Ciochetty signed his letter of intent to play football there on April 22. He also considered DePauw in Illinois.
“Living here in Bowling Green, WKU’s naturally a beautiful campus,” Ciochetty said. “But Centre is actually breathtaking. It’s much smaller, but it’s very open, there’s a lot of green, a lot of trees. Then, all the coaches were awesome. I immediately connected with the players. The system they run, it just fits me as a defensive tackle.”
Ciochetty was one of the stable pieces of the offensive and defensive lines. He’s still fighting back from a broken leg suffered last fall though.
“Because I broke my leg in my senior season, I’m just trying to get back, get more explosive, get faster,” Ciochetty said. “They have some weight records, which I fully intend on breaking and I just wanna make a big impact on the D-III level.”
Coach Greg Cavanah saw plenty before the injury to know Ciochetty is in good hands.
“I’m proud of Colin and I was able to coach him for all four years he was here,” he said. “That’s one of my pleasures, to see a big ‘hog’ sign a scholarship and especially at a school such as Centre.”
The ‘hog’ still isn’t used to donning anything different than Gators green. But he’s getting there.
“This season, I’ve really come to terms with graduation, definitely come to terms with moving on,” Ciochetty said. “It just feels good to get another jersey on.”
Showin' Out In Louisville
5/7/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
LOUISVILLE-- They both made it their mission to make a statement. By the end of the night, it was a good argument that they did.
Neither St. Patrick (NJ) guard Derrick Gordon or Warren Central (Ky.) forward George Fant were the high scorers in the Derby Festival Basketball Classic at Louisville's KFC Yum! Center. Gordon finished with 16 points, while Fant had six points. Neither was the White team MVP, the honor going to Notre Dame (Mass.) and Louisville signee Angel Nunez. But by the end of the Gold team’s 126-122 win, both Gordon and Fant accomplished what they set out to do.
“Even though we had a lot of people on our team that could score the ball, I still ended up with (16 points),” Gordon said. “I’m happy for that. It’s not all about scoring points. It’s about coming out here and having fun.”
The future teammates also got the experience of playing with each other for the first time. The first assist for Gordon also came on a pass to Fant in the first quarter.
“I’d played against him before, but playing with him is great,” Fant said. “He’s a great player. Everybody knows what I’m capable of and him on top of that, I’m just gonna tell all of y’all to watch out.”
They started off with a statement as well, both donning gray WKU warm-up shirts. No other player donned the schools they're heading to. And no surprise, the idea originated with ‘Mr. Hilltopper.’
“Gotta support WKU and let everybody know that I’m going there,” Gordon said. “Just spreading the Red, like they say down there. It’s good to do stuff like this, to let people know who you are and where you're going.”
WKU itself made a statement, with president Gary Ransdell and athletics director Ross Bjork both in attendance to show their support of both players. Both future Toppers said they knew of both Ransdell and Bjork's presence.
“The support that the school's given, I wish I could’ve ran up there and given them a hug,” Gordon said. “But they were too far up there. For them to come out and show support for me and George, it’s just incredible.”
The WKU administrators’ presence wasn’t lost on Fant either.
“It was a great, a good thing,” Fant said. “Anytime those guys come up here to watch, it’s a good thing. They have trust and they believe in us.”
Fant also had support from his coach, Warren Central’s Tim Riley, who was chosen as a coach for the White team.
“I’m just really proud of George and really proud to be part of his life,” Riley said. “He’s gonna have a great career at Western Kentucky and it’s gonna be fun to be able to be right there to watch him. Now, I’m gonna become more like a parent. I want George to do well as much as I want Western to do well and that’s my university, so I become more like a parent now.”
The Gold team jumped out to a 70-59 halftime lead. At the intermission, Seton Hall three-star signee Aaron Cosby claimed the three-point shootout, while Alabama four-star signee Levi Randolph won the dunk contest.
Christian County (Ky.) three-star guard Anthony Hickey, also Mr. Basketball and a WKU target, started for the Gold team and finished with five points. He also participated in the three-point shootout finals at halftime.
“Hopefully, I made a name either way,” Hickey said after the game. “It’s just great coming out here and playing against these guys knowing that I’m gonna play against ‘em again in college. It was just real exciting.”
Bowling Green’s Chane Behanan, a Louisville signee, was voted the fan favorite of the event. He finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but Behanan also had some big moments, including a rebound and coast to coast move for a fast break dunk in the third quarter.
“I just told Coach Riley, we played them in the season and I think I did that a couple of times,” Behanan said. “I’m used to doing it and I was kinda excited and surprised I had that wide open lane for a dunk.”
The biggest thing for Behanan though was getting to play in his future arena and in front of his future fans. Louisville plays its home games in the KFC Yum! Center.
“At the King of the Bluegrass, it was all mostly UL fans,” Behanan said. “I tried to put on another show. I just went out there and had fun and worked hard and showed the fans what to expect next year. We get started up on June 1.”
The game of fun and show became somewhat serious towards the end. The White team regained the lead and was holding on to it, before Indiana five-star signee Cody Zeller drew a charging foul on the White team with under a minute to play.
“We coached a little bit the whole game but it’s just hard because it’s a great, glorified pick-up game,” Riley said. “You only have a few hours with ‘em to practice. They’re all stars and all used to being out there on the floor at the end of a ball game. It was kinda frustrating for ‘em. They all wanted to be out there making a difference to the very end of the game.”
Gordon wasn’t on the floor at the end of the game, but he’d done plenty in his 19 minutes of action. He also four rebounds and a team-high three steals.
Now, Gordon said his sights are on the Toppers, where he reports June 5. But he still cherished the time getting a peak of the attention he’ll receive at WKU, with many Toppers fans making the trip to Louisville.
“Even though I’m not in Bowling Green, I’m still in Kentucky,” Gordon said. “A lot of fans came out and supported me and George. That’s family right there.”
Rallying Around The Rain
5/7/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
Because of some inclement weather, there were a few adjustments made. The soap box derby rally race, held at Phil Moore Park April 30 and May 1 still ran smoothly, but darkness on the first night led to a coin flip for that night’s winners.
One of the recipients on the winning end was South Warren Middle School’s John Carter, age 12. Carter also won another superstock division on the second day as well.
“It feels amazing but there’s not winners and losers,” he said. “It’s all about having fun. It’s actually my superstock win. I haven’t won since my stock division at Akron.”
Briarwood Elementary’s Chaz Zickus, age nine, claimed one of the stock division’s first place trophies. His younger sister Ivy finished second right behind him. The two even raced head to head to determine the winner.
“I think it’s kinda great because this is my first time racing this year,” Chaz said. “It was exciting really for the whole thing. I try to have fun and I try to win.”
The weather might have dampened the environment, but not the racers themselves.
“It affected us a little bit this morning,” Carter said. “Because of the rain, yesterday we had a race that we didn’t finish. So we flipped coins in the gym and it turned out that I won first place last night because of the coin flip.”
There won’t be a coin flip for the next big race though. The All-American Soap Box Derby takes place at Phil Moore Park May 20 & 21. The winners advance to the nationals in Akron, OH.
Mr. Biggs-Stuff
4/16/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
Unlike flashbulbs going off from fans taking pictures, it’s a little more subtle.
But over 30 radar guns all being raised up in unison with every pitch can certainly still be a distraction. If it bothers Warren East senior Mark Biggs, he does a good job of not showing it.
Over 35 professional baseball scouts were in attendance at the Raiders’ season-opener against Elizabethtown. And with every pitch Biggs threw, the radar guns were raised.
“He carries himself well and he’s not cocky,” coach Wes Sanford said. “These scouts, he’s been talking to these guys and he’s actually helping other guys on our team get some exposure. He hasn’t let any of that stuff affect him, as far as his play. He’s gonna have to get used to it and try not to worry who’s in the stands.”
Biggs has been a draw for the past few years now. Though he signed his letter of intent to play at Louisville next spring, scouts have still flocked to see Biggs’ 93 mile per hour fastball, as well as his sweet, compact swing at the plate.
Which one he does better, hit or pitch, is still up for debate.
“If he goes to Louisville or whatever he does, they’re gonna finally realize that he’s got way too many tools offensively to be wasted,” Sanford said. “His arm, there’s several guys in this country or outside of the United States that throw 92, 93. I’m not knocking Biggs because he’s great to have and I wouldn’t trade him for the world, but I just think offensively, he’s more valuable to somebody than his arm would be.”
Either place would be fine by Biggs. Normally a third baseman or corner infielder, Biggs has and will play shortstop some this season, the position preferred by the Cardinals.
“I’ve always seen myself as an offensive-minded person, so I think of myself more as a hitter,” Biggs said. “But I feel comfortable on the mound that I can go out and compete with anybody if I’m on. At the next level, it doesn’t matter to me, whichever one gets me on the field and playing.”
As a pitcher, Biggs has developed a three-pitch repertoire of fastball, changeup and curveball. Though he hasn’t made any drastic changes, he has done some tinkering.
“My changeup has always been my better off-speed pitch, just because I’ve thrown it longer,” Biggs said. “But my curveball’s coming along and it’s really gonna help me having that third pitch I can go to. It’s just getting a feel for it.”
Though it’s early, there has been some noticeable difference in his two breaking-ball pitches.
“If we can get his changeup to drop more, get some more movement out of it, he does a good job disguising all his pitches well,” Sanford said. “If we can just him to get his changeup fixed, he’s gonna have three pitches that are really gonna make people take into account, not just sit on a fastball and try to hit that.”
Biggs has also made a few adjustments at the plate. He experimented with a leg kick in his swing last season. Though he hit .384 with ten home runs and 37 RBIs, Biggs dropped the kick this season.
“It was hard to time guys with the leg kick because you had to adjust with every different wind-up and stuff like that,” he said. “Taking out the leg kick has helped a lot because it allows me to use my hands and my lower half and be explosive.”
Biggs acknowledges that he has some unique abilities, such as being able to read the ball out of the opposing pitcher’s hand. But he’s also maintained a solid work ethic that had has gained respect from his coaches and teammates.
“Over the winter, he put on 20-30 pounds of just muscle,” senior second baseman Zach Gross said. “Then after practice and before practice, he tries to get three days of lifting in, which is hard because of practice. He and I both usually stay after practice and hit more, take more ground balls.”
But none of his attributes may add up to the way he’s been able to remain grounded. Even with the ongoing parade of scouts and professionals that have flocked to see him, Biggs has kept the same attitude. He’s also used to some of the attention, having played in the East Coast Pro Showcase last August in Lakeland, Fla. According to the event’s website, it’s a ‘non-profit event run by MLB scouts.’
“I’ve always had a good base from my parents raising me right and stuff like that,” Biggs said. “I’ve always had a level head on my shoulders. It’s still baseball, no matter who’s watching. You still have to go out and play and relax and have fun. I just try my best to do that.”
He’s also trying his best not to look ahead to the future. If Biggs plays college baseball, he’ll play for Louisville, but he’s also been forecasted as a medium-high draft pick in the upcoming Major League Baseball amateur draft in June.
“I really won’t be able to say much until it actually happens and see if I’m selected, where I’m selected and stuff like that and negotiations,” he said. “Once the season started, we just tried to put that aside and just play. Right now, I’m trying not to worry about it too much.”
For now, Biggs is leading an experienced Warren East group, while also bringing some recognition to teammates who otherwise might not have gotten it from college and professional scouts.
A supporting cast that includes Gross, senior shortstop Brandon Beckham and sophomore outfielder Hunter Green, who hit a walk-off home run against Elizabethtown, should make for a potent lineup. Scouts looking at Biggs might have a few others to watch.
“We try to use it as fuel,” Gross said. “We know that they’re there to look at him, but if we play good, they can tell somebody else, ‘hey, this kid’s playing good too.’ We use it for our advantage too.”
The work’s not over for Biggs, though.
“I felt like I could achieve it, but I’ve always known I had to do the hard work to get there because I knew it wouldn’t be easy,” he said. “Nothing in this game comes free so I’ve always worked as hard as I possibly could for it.”
Radar guns get ready.
Flair For The Dramatic: Warren Central Falls Short At Buzzer
4/16/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
LEXINGTON--- For the second year in a row, one shot at the buzzer was the difference between Warren Central moving on in the PNC/KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 and going home. This time though, the Dragons at least got the final shot.
With 7.9 seconds left and Warren Central trailing 54-51, senior guard Jordan Shanklin dribbled to the top of the key, spun to his left and fired a contested three-pointer. But the ball went in and out of the basket.
For the second year in a row, the Dragons’ season ended to a Louisville team in the state tournament. This time, it was Eastern, rated as the top team in the state by the Associated Press. Last season, Ballard picked up a win over the fourth region champs in the quarterfinals on a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
“I’m very proud of my kids,” coach Tim Riley said. “I thought they played really well. We did what we tried to do against them, we outrebounded them, which was something we wanted to do. They shot a better percentage in the second half.”
Shanklin got the look he wanted on the final shot, which he explained felt no different than any other shot he’s ever taken.
“All shots feel good to me, so I definitely thought it felt good,” he said. “It just didn’t fall. That’s all I can say about it. It was in and out.”
Both teams traded baskets throughout the game, the largest lead coming from Eastern, which led by six early in the third quarter. Warren Central also did its best to change things up against the Eagles, normally a fast-paced team, which averaged 72.2 points per game going into the Sweet 16.
“We wanted to push it and if we got a good shot, take it, but if we didn’t, let them stay down there and guard for a little bit,” Riley said. “We thought we could move the ball, keep hold of the ball and do that to ‘em. We thought we could.”
Riley also wanted to change things up to get his two stars, Shanklin and senior forward George Fant, some rest. Fant played with a virus that had left him sick the day of and a couple of days leading up to the game. Still he managed to play 28 minutes, finishing with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Shanklin had 18 points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes.
“George played today sick as a dog,” Riley said. “He’s been sick, got a shot this week and he’s got more to give. He gave us everything he’s got, but he has more that he could give us. He’s a sick kid. Shank was so big in the second half, so smart. He made so many smart plays. I’m just proud of both of them, proud to be a part of their lives.”
For the huge effort Fant had, he had one costly decision at the end of the third quarter. With Warren Central leading 40-39 and with the ball with 37 seconds left, Riley yelled for his team to hold for one shot. But Fant got the ball inside the top of the key, drove inside and lost the ball driving to the basket. Eastern senior forward Kameron Woods answered with a tip-in on the other end, to give the Eagles the lead and momentum at the end of the third quarter.
But Fant made up for it with a layup to cut the Eagles’ lead to 52-51 with ten seconds left. On the ensuing play, Shanklin deflected the in-bounded ball, which appeared to go off Eastern senior guard Remy Abell’s face with 7.9 seconds left. But Shanklin was called for a foul, where Abell responded with two free throws.
“Uh…I was trying to get open and he kinda held me a little bit,” Abell coyly said after the game. “But luckily, we kept the ball. Knocking down the free throws, I just wanted to come up big for my teammates. I know I needed to knock them down to help us win.”
Eastern coach Jason Couch thought something needed to be called in that situation and was happy with the decision.
“It was a good no call,” he said. “I thought he got fouled and if it went out of bounds on him, you know how sometimes officials will say, ‘we won’t call a foul but we’ll give it back to them.’ That’s what I thought. Of course, that’s what I wanted to think too.”
Warren Central was no slouch, finishing 26-8, including three defeats of Bowling Green and defending its fourth region title. But the Dragons didn’t have much hoopla made about it going up to Lexington.
“We didn’t come up here to play a good game, we came up here to win,” Riley said. “We felt like we could win. This is no chock to us what happened out here. I’m kinda mad at you guys for not talking about Warren Central a little bit.”
That was fine by Warren Central, which proved it more than belonged with a top-rated team like Eastern.
“Coming into this, we didn’t hear too much about Warren Central,” Fant said. “We just heard about Eastern and Clark County. We came up here to make a name for ourselves even more. But as it got closer and closer to the end, we were right there hanging around. We didn’t play as good as we can, but we were right there for the last shot.”
A Tale of Two Halves: BG Gets First State Win, Then Falls To Manual
4/16/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
They had them where they wanted them.
Only one team from Kentucky had defeated Manual all season. And that was Mercy, a private school. Bowling Green was certainly no private school. But the Lady Purples came out in a fury.
Bowling Green arguably played its best half of basketball all season, leading by as much as six before taking a four-point lead into halftime of the Houchens/KHSAA Girls Sweet 16 quarterfinals. The second half was a polar opposite.
All that had gone right for the Lady Purples in the first half turned the other direction in the second half. Manual ended Bowling Green’s stay in Diddle Arena for the Sweet 16 at two games with a 48-36 turn of fortune win.
“I was a little bit disappointed in my team’s performance the third and fourth quarter,” coach Lavonda Johnson said. “I thought we kinda gave up. I thought we didn’t do what we do as a team. But I guess you can give credit to Manual because they are ranked the number one team and that’s what great teams do. But I was disappointed in how we finished the third and fourth quarter. If we would’ve done like we did the first and second quarters, I don’t know what this game would’ve come to.”
In the first half, the Lady Purples came up with big shot after big shot. They connected on five of nine three-pointers and shot 52.4 percent from the field. Bowling Green made just two field goals in the second half.
“I think in the first half, we came out with more energy,” senior guard Alexis Lawrence said. “In the second half, we cooled, weren’t cooperating and that brought us down a little bit. Next time, I guess we just have to go a lot harder.”
Tarrence made both of the second half baskets. Her first came with 5:22 left in the third quarter and Bowling Green clinging to a 29-25 lead. The second didn’t come until her layup with 55 seconds left made for the final score.
Fouls also plagued Tarrence and her teammates. Lawrence fouled out with under two minutes left and Tarrence played with four fouls the entire fourth quarter.
“Since I was in the paint trying to play defense, it was really hard when they’d get it down there,” Tarrence said. “I didn’t wanna get my final foul and be out of the game. You had to pick and choose.”
There’s a reason why Manual was ranked atop the final Associated Press poll. Though they would fall to Rockcastle County in the championship game, the Lady Crimsons used a ball-hawking, full-court pressure to stymie the Lady Purples.
“They say defense wins championships, well it beat Bowling Green in the second half,” Manual coach Stacy Pendleton said. “I was amazed the way these kids just gutted it out in the second half. I left the locker room with about seven or eight minutes to go. I looked at Mechael (Guess) and Raven (Hester) and said, ‘Y’all got ‘em.’ When I went back in, they looked like a different team.”
Bowling Green had little trouble in its first round game, in front of nearly the entire Bowling Green school district. Nearly every student in the school system packed Diddle Arena and helped set a new session attendance record.
In front of that support, the Lady Purples rolled by Walton-Verona 58-32.
“It was a little bit intense,” Tarrence said after the game. “I don’t know that we’ve had that many people at a game ever. It was a little overwhelming at first, but we appreciate all the support.”
Lawrence though, was the one on fire. She finished with 23 points, including 4-7 on three-pointers. But other than Lawrence, the barrage from hometown Bowling Green took a bit to get going full-speed.
“I think we were all a little nervous, especially with a lot of people there,” Lawrence said. “I think we just overcame that and played our game.”
Last season had been the Lady Purples’ first trip to the Sweet 16. But they’d run into a road block in forward Sydney Moss and Boone County. That was plenty to draw from not only for this trip but all season in getting to this point.
“I think it motivated us more losing last year,” Tarrence said. “We wanted to get back here and try to win the first game and make history for our school.”
Bowling Green was on its way to making history again, against Manual except for the last half. The Lady Purples scored just nine second-half points against the Lady Crimsons. Sophomore Brittany Vaughn had 11 points to lead the way, nine coming in the first half.
“Obviously, they made adjustments at halftime,” she said. “It was just hard. They were denying A.T. and it was just hard to get the screens set and get those open threes that we had in the first half, as well as the open jump shots from the first half as well.”
As Johnson said afterward, her players, particularly her seniors, had nothing to be ashamed of. They’d had the top team on the ropes for a bit and had already picked up a monumental win.
“It’s been amazing,” Tarrence said. “It was very memorable and probably my favorite year was this year. All my teammates are awesome and I have nothing but respect for everyone. I’m glad we made it this far and got our first state win.”
Bowling Green was just another half away.
Coach's Corner: Lavonda Johnson, Bowling Green girls basketball coach
4/16/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
Sure, her players had been in this situation before. But so too had Bowling Green coach Lavonda Johnson.
In the fourth region semi-finals, Johnson saw her top scorers, seniors Zoe Sibalich and Alexis Lawrence, go scoreless in a 47-41 win over Glasgow. That couldn’t happen again if the Lady Purples were to win the region title or even advance further on.
“I had to suck it up and be a hard-head and call them this morning and tell them, hey, let’s forget about last night, let’s move on,” Johnson said after the region championship. “It wasn’t the greatest performance from them last night but as a coach, you’ve just gotta move on. You’ve just gotta move on because it’s survive and win and go on.”
Sibalich and Lawrence certainly came to play the next night. In a 47-45 win over Monroe County for the region championship, they combined for 26 points.
In the first round of the state tournament, Johnson had to do the talking to senior guard Adrienne Tarrence. In a 58-32 win over Walton-Verona, Tarrence struggled to six points. But even with those struggles, Bowling Green had plenty enough muscle to coast to the win.
“We talk to Adrienne in timeouts about, it’s just gonna come to you,” Johnson said after the game. “I feel like if everyone else made big shots, then it would open up for her. That’s exactly what happened. She’s a player that’s very patient. She can have zero points, but if she has ten assists, she’s happy. That’s like scoring 30 points. That’s where the balance is with our team. They’re very unselfish and that’s how teams advance in tournament time.”
More importantly, the win gave the Lady Purples their first state tournament win in school history. Bowling Green won the fourth region last season, but fell to Boone County in the first round of the Houchens/KHSAA Girls Sweet 16.
“It’s really no surprise with the seniors that I have and also (sophomore guard) Brittany Vaughn in here,” Johnson said. “All four of these players up here work very hard. They work hard in practice but these four stay after every day and work on extra shooting. It’s just no surprise.”
An even bigger surprise was brewing in the state quarterfinals. The Lady Purples led the state’s top ranked team, Manual, by four at halftime, before succumbing to amped up defensive pressure in the second half and falling 48-36.
Afterward, Johnson looked at the positives and negatives. There was a letdown, no question, by her players but there was also something to build on.
“Maybe this is a learning experience for the younger ones,” Johnson said after the Manual loss. “You say the younger ones, but we’ve got some others that are gonna continue to play college basketball. Hopefully, they will continue to learn from those mistakes.”
Those four seniors, including Ali Raymer, that had gained that experience for them and their coach, gave Johnson plenty to be proud of.
“I could go on and on about the accomplishments these ladies have had for Bowling Green,” Johnson said. “They put Bowling Green on the map and my job is to continue. I know next year, we might be a little bit down. I already have a motto for next year: rebuilding and reloading and that’s what we’re gonna do.”
Frantic Finish: Warren Central Defends Region Title
4/4/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
There was plenty of reason for doubt.
With five minutes remaining in the game, Bowling Green had its largest lead of 60-51 over Warren Central in the fourth region championship game. But there was still life in the Dragons.
Everything Warren Central needed to go right, slowly started to happen.
Trailing 64-57 with 1:49 left, the Dragons got a basket from senior guard Jordan Shanklin. After a Bowling Green timeout, he drained a three-pointer off a steal by senior guard Vic Smith. Shanklin then came up with another steal and got it to senior forward George Fant in the paint who went up with his left hand over Bowling Green senior forward Chane Behanan to tie the game. Fant’s rebound and putback on the Dragons’ next possession sealed the deal as Warren Central hung on to a 68-64 win.
“Yeah, we panicked but you’ve just gotta let that go out the window,” Fant said. “Play ball, that’s what we’re here to do. Win or lose, I love my teammates. I love them and all my brothers.”
Smith added a layup at the buzzer off a steal by junior forward Donovan Halsel setting off a frenzy in Diddle Arena that included coach Tim Riley sprinting across the court in celebration. Riley then jumped on Fant, hugging and embracing for a few moments.
“It was just emotion,” Riley said. “I told myself I wasn’t gonna go crazy, but the way that thing ended, you just lose it right there all of a sudden.”
It wasn’t but minutes before that Riley envisioned an entirely different scenario. The Purples had a 42-36 lead at halftime and though the Dragons never let up, Bowling Green might have had the most momentum throughout much of the second half.
“I honestly was already thinking about what I was gonna say to my kids,” Riley said. “That crossed my mind and what I was gonna say about Bowling Green’s kids. They played their hearts out. We just got a couple of turnovers, a couple of baskets and then, boom. It just starts going against you real quick and that can happen.”
Shanklin was a big part of that quick turnaround of fortune, with his defense and clutch shots. But for Shanklin, it was all pretty much a blur.
“Basically, just natural instincts started to kick in,” he said. “It’s like diving on the floor and your whole season just flashes through your head. You don’t want it to be over with. We just started fighting harder, dug deep.”
The Purples were the ones that had to really dig deep to get to this point. They got by a scrappy Franklin-Simpson team in the first round and scraped by Glasgow 85-84 in the semi-final, which included a three-pointer at the buzzer by junior guard Sammy Bradley. Behanan had a huge game, with 31 points and 13 rebounds, but it was 12 points apiece by seniors Darius Clement and Mike Geegan that also pushed Bowling Green through.
“We just kinda needed it because we were lacking a little offense,” Clement said. “I knew I’m a senior, I had to step up big and I knew my team needed me. I just stepped up, did what I needed to do to win this game.”
Warren Central skated by Russellville, then Monroe County to get to the championship game. Against the Dragons, Behanan had another monster effort, with 26 points and 13 rebounds. But Fant’s play loomed larger, especially in crunch time, with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
“I had full trust in my team,” Fant said. “I believed in them the whole game. They produced, I produced and we got it back.
“It feels good. They have a good player, a great player, a McDonald’s All-American on their team. He’s a great player, a great person and I have love for the guy. I wish him the best of luck.”
It also helped Warren Central’s cause for a few timely steals, then timely turnovers by the Purples. Still, Behanan had the ball in his hands in the final seconds, before Halsel came up with the steal.
“I thought we handled their pressure well in the first quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter,” Behanan said. “In crunch time, we thought the game was gonna be over. We eased up and they pressured us, took the ball from us.”
The frenzied finish fit perfectly with the teams’ other battles, including a four-overtime win by Warren Central for the district championship not even two weeks earlier and the Dragons’ double-overtime win in the region tournament last season.
“It’s always great to beat our rivals from across town,” senior guard Cortez Barber said. “Even though this is my last year, next year they’re still gonna have bragging rights all the way through, for all the younger guys. I’m glad we could do it for them too.”
But perhaps more importantly, Warren Central did it for the parting seniors, which includes Fant, Barber, Smith and Shanklin. Shanklin and Fant for one, have played off each other throughout their high school careers.
“To have anybody like that on your team, get all the attention off yourself and you’re able to make plays,” Shanklin said. “On some nights, I’d draw some of the attention, but it’s great to have him on our team. I’m gonna miss him next year.”
After the game, Riley praised his team’s poise in the final minutes. He lauded Shanklin’s ability to make the big play, Smith’s defense and Fant’s use of his left hand on his game-tying lay-in. But Riley also admitted he had a little luck on his side.
“I thought we were beat,” he said. “We scored the last 11 points in the game. Who would’ve ever seen that happening. This one, man, we stole this game. Honest to goodness, sad to say, but we stole this thing. This thing was a loss and we stole it.”
Call it a region topping theft.
Experience Wins Out: Lady Purples Defend Region Title
4/4/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
This Bowling Green group had been in big games before.
Last season, the Lady Purples defeated Greenwood to win their first ever fourth region championship then fell to Boone County and one of the best players in the state, forward Sydney Moss in the Sweet 16. There were some big games this season. Bowling Green routed Franklin-Simpson, touted as the region’s other power in December, before going up against three would-be state tournament teams in Butler, Perry County Central and Manual.
The Lady Purples knew how to stay composed in the biggest situations. That might’ve been the biggest difference between them and Monroe County in the fourth region championship March 5 at Diddle Arena. Bowling Green survived through a frantic finish for a 47-45 win.
“It was tough, but every timeout, Coach (Lavonda Johnson) calmed us down and said, ‘We will not let you all lose this game,’” sophomore guard Brittany Vaughn said. “All the coaches said that. I knew the seniors weren’t gonna let this be their last game.”
The one situation the Lady Purples hadn’t been in much was trailing. Just over three minutes in the game, they found themselves staring at an 11-3 deficit. Bowling Green rallied and retook the lead at 21-19 late in the second quarter on a pair of three-pointers by Vaughn, but the Lady Falcons still took a 24-22 lead into halftime.
“It was a little scary at first,” senior guard Adrienne Tarrence said. “We haven’t been in that position many times. We just had to dig deep, our coach gave us some motivating words at halftime and we came out and got it done.”
Vaughn also had to dig deep. At the 4:43 timeout, Vaughn was seen visibly saying, “I’m gonna throw up,” as she walked to the bench.
“I felt like I was dehydrated and I don’t think I had enough water in my system,” she said. “I went out and I knew that my team needed me, so I just tried to come back as hard as I did in the first half.”
The Lady Purples had come to show and win with balance last season and in those big games this season. But in their nail-biting 47-41 semi-final win over Glasgow, it was only Tarrence who truly showed up. Seniors Zoe Sibalich and Alexis Lawrence, Bowling Green’s two leading scorers through the season, were both held scoreless on a combined 0-14 shooting from the field.
Nevertheless, Tarrence came through with 25 points. Sophomore guard Diamond Marshall was also a pleasant surprise off the bench with 13 points.
“I was a little jittery at the beginning of the game,” Tarrence said after the semi-final win. “I think everyone was because we weren’t knocking down shots like we usually do. Glasgow’s a very good team.”
Monroe County meanwhile, was clicking and showing what had gotten it this far. The inside-outside combination was working to near perfection. Sophomore guard Madison Clements finished with 24 points while junior forward Caylan Bybee finished with 17 points as the Lady Falcons breezed by surprising Todd County Central 62-34. Bybee scored 31 points in Monroe County’s 58-39 first round win over Metcalfe County.
In the championship game, Sibalich and Lawrence were back on track. Lawrence had 14 points, Tarrence 13 and Sibalich 12.
“We just knew that if we didn’t play hard this game, this was the end of our season,” Lawrence said. “We didn’t want that. Neither one of us did. We had to come out strong and prove that we can score. I’m glad that we did it this game.”
But Monroe County still had the advantage for much of the second half. On separate occasions in the third and early fourth quarters, the Lady Falcons built a six-point lead. Johnson looks to one particular instance where the tide shifted.
“It was definitely the timeout, the timeout I called before 3:45,” she said. “As a coach, you sit there and you mentally take photographs throughout the game. My photograph was 37-43 we were down, call a timeout, get my players over and say, ‘it’s do or die. If y’all don’t do it right now, we’re gonna lose.’ So what I’m saying is after that, they have to take control. It’s either win or lose. They took control of the game and that’s what got us through.”
Monroe County, its players having never been in this situation, had a few mistakes creep up. There were a pair of traveling calls in the final 90 seconds, as well as a pass thrown too high in the post for the over six-foot tall Bybee.
The Lady Falcons still managed to get a final look. Tarrence bobbled an in-bounds pass out of bounds with two seconds left, giving Clements a final look at the buzzer that careened off the rim.
“You’ve gotta push back a little bit and we let ‘em push us to the baseline too much in the second half,” Monroe County coach Dwayne Murray said. “We’re playing a lot of young kids, a lot of sophomores and freshmen against seniors and juniors. They’re learning. I’ve got babies out there playing, basically. I’m not calling them babies, they’re just young kids and they’ve done a great job this year.”
Though Tarrence had the error in the final seconds, she also showed the poise and grit that she’d learned and showed in so many big moments for Bowling Green. With under three minutes, she took the ball into the lane, one-on-one over an outstretched Bybee for one of her patented runners. Tarrence did it again with 90 seconds left.
“I can’t even describe it,” Tarrence said. “The whole time, I was just thinking, I don’t wanna lose this game. I wanna two-peat for region. I was just determined to make the shots”
Tarrence and the Lady Purples had all figured out how to get through to make those shots and make them when they most counted.
His Choice: Smith To Georgetown
4/4/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
There’s numerous football players that play on both sides of the ball, by choice or by necessity. For the privileged few that make it to the collegiate level, nearly all specialize at one position.
Warren Central senior Demonte Smith is one of the few who won’t. On Feb. 28, Smith signed his letter of intent to play at Georgetown, which will give him the choice of playing linebacker or running back.
“The coach looked at the film and he was like, ‘Well here, you can play either one,’” Smith said. “Whichever one I wanted to play, he was gonna let me play. I’m gonna look at both sides, play on both sides in practice and see which one fits me best. It doesn’t really matter too much to me.”
Smith said he chose the Tigers over Lindsey Wilson and Centre.
“I just fell in love with the campus and when I left, it was like I knew this is where I wanted to go. I love the area, where it’s at, in between three big cities,” he said. “Then, they have a good football tradition and a good academic school, so it’ll be worth something when I get out.”
Smith has long been a staple for the Dragons, but he’s also carried a special meaning to the team.
“Demonte’s a no-brainer, the total deal,” coach Mike Rogers said. “He’s got great grades, great work ethic and he’s a great football player. It was a no-brainer if he was gonna go, it was just where he was gonna go.”
But it still remains to be seen just where on the field he’ll be.
Ready & Focused Now
3/15/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
In hindsight, Warren Central senior Marvin Miles wishes he would’ve done it a little differently. He wasn’t as serious with his conditioning as he needed to be.
“They had been preaching to me, ‘Marvin you’ll go both ways, you need to get in shape,’” Miles said. “I just kinda blew it off to the side. I kinda saw it hen we played Christian County. I still wasn’t in shape. I let my man defeat me by getting to the sideline when I should’ve been able to make the tackle. I guess I relied on my teammates, but everything happens for a reason.”
And it’s all worked out. On Feb. 16, Miles signed his letter of intent to play at Pikeville College, choosing the Bears over Lindsey Wilson and Campbellsville.
“The coaches, they told me if I come up there and work hard, I can get a starting position,” Miles said. “Some of the other colleges I went to, didn’t really seem like they were that interested and wouldn’t let me start even if I did work hard. That’s what pays off, hard work. I prayed about it and he gave me my answer.”
Miles projects as an outside linebacker at Pikeville, but Warren Central coach Mike Rogers said he’d fit wherever.
“When they get there, they’re gonna do what they tell ‘em to do,” Rogers said. “But he’s used to that. When I got here, Marvin thought he was a skill kid. He’s been a defensive end and a tight end and did a great job. He really got more and more about the team and less about him.”
And this time, Miles has a different mindset.
A City Divided: Which Side Are you On?
3/15/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
In June, they were cool. The same went for July or August. September though, might be pushing it. That’s closer to the start of basketball season.
Troy Halcomb remembers the relationship between him and his brother Tyson. Though they lived in the same house, they went to two different schools. Troy, who graduated last year, went to Warren Central. Tyson went to Bowling Green.
In many other situations, it might not be such a big deal. But the brothers both played basketball for their schools. And those schools just happened to be two of the most heated rivals in Kentucky.
“During the season, we’re still brothers, but we kept our distance,” Troy said. “We didn’t really say much to each other. Especially on game days, it was kinda like, ‘you’re my enemy right now.’ I never really thought about it. I knew that when I was at Moss and he was at Bowling Green, the time would come, but I never really thought about it until we actually stepped out on the court against each other and I’m seeing him in purple and me in blue. It was just so different.”
It was by choice that it ended up that way. The brothers live where they could choose either school. Their mother, Regina is a Bowling Green graduate. Their older sister Ladanica is a Warren Central graduate. Troy began playing AAU basketball as a youngster with players like Shamarcus Wells and Jacob King. In large part because of his friendship with those players, Troy chose to attend Moss Middle School, which feeds into Warren Central.
But Tyson chose not to follow his brother’s lead.
“Tyson, I’m pretty sure he could’ve switched over like I did, but he didn’t wanna be in my shadow,” Troy said. “I guess he just stayed over, because he didn’t wanna be ‘Troy’s little brother,’ he wanted to be Tyson. He’s the type that he’ll be out some where and someone will call him Troy and he’ll get mad because we kinda look alike. It really doesn’t bother me.”
Both Troy and Tyson both cemented themselves as key pieces to their teams. It’s fair to say though, that Troy finished his career with the upper hand.
In last season’s regional final at Diddle Arena, it was Troy who wouldn’t let his team lose. The Dragons’ post presence, George Fant, had fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Bowling Green’s own post force, Chane Behanan joined him minutes into the first overtime. From then on, it was Troy Halcomb who hit his free throws and set up his teammates as Warren Central picked up a 63-58 win.
“After George fouled out, he was walking to the bench and I could tell he was down about it,” Troy said. “But I looked at him and I said, ‘George, I got you, man. We’re not gonna go down like this. I got you.’”
Not many high school basketball games are played in front of 5,000-plus fans like this one was. But there’s just something indescribable about when these two teams get together. Fans have routinely shown up as many as three hours or more before tip-off. And good thing too, as fire marshals were forced to turn fans away when both regular season games this season, at Bowling Green and Warren Central, exceeded the capacity limits.
Those who did make it in the gyms were plenty rowdy. The student sections yelled chants back and forth, sometimes overlapping each other, cheering on, but also aimed at ridiculing the other.
“It’s not a love-hate relationship, it’s more like a really hatred relationship,” Bowling Green senior guard Daerius Clement said. “Both teams really don’t like each other, even though most of us are friends outside of the basketball court. It’s been like that forever. It’s just a big rivalry. You can tell that when you come to the games, the games are always sold out. They’ve gotta close the doors.”
There isn’t really a time-frame for when the rivalry between the two schools began. Warren Central was established in 1968 with the merger of Warren County and Alvaton High Schools and Bowling Green High School was established long before that.
Dragons coach Tim Riley first got to experience the rivalry in 1982, when Riley scouted games for then-Warren Central coach Curtis Turley. In 1984, Riley saw the other side as the sophomore coach at Bowling Green. Riley has been Warren Central’s coach since 1997.
“It’s a good rivalry, especially when both teams are really good like we are right now,” he said. “This is probably as balanced as it’s been since I’ve been here because for the first nine games I was at Warren Central, Bowling Green beat us nine in a row. Then, we went through a stretch where we beat them nine or ten in a row.”
The rivalry has been almost defined by such stretches. One side will have a period of advantage, before the tide turns.
Former Kentucky Mr. Basketball Josh Carrier caught Warren Central at an opportune time. Carrier never lost to the Dragons, who were transitioning to Riley, their new coach. Riley’s first year at Warren Central was Carrier’s freshman year at Bowling Green.
“I know my junior and senior year, we had some battles even though we won every game,” Carrier said. “Tim Riley was getting it to the level where they could compete. My senior year, it might’ve been the district tournament and we only won by five or six points. They were closing the gap quick.”
Carrier especially drew the ire of Dragons fans. Carrier played his seventh grade season at Bowling Green Junior High, then transferred to Moss Middle School for eighth grade. With his father and former WKU standout Darel Carrier as Warren Central’s coach, Josh played varsity for the Dragons. But with his father’s departure after the season, Josh transferred back to Bowling Green, where he won Mr. Basketball in 2001.
“You had your basic heckling, like ‘traitor’ and stuff like that,” Josh said. “That’s part of the game and anytime you have a rivalry, you’re gonna have the fans go at the opposing team. It wasn’t anything that I was surprised about.”
Will Unseld had the fortune of playing during a positive stretch for Warren Central. As a 6-foot-8 post player his senior year for the Dragons, Unseld was a force from 1988-92 and saw Warren Central hold the upper hand. Now a Dragons assistant, he doesn’t see too many differences from then to now.
“They’re still the rival,” Unseld said. “It never changes. No matter who’s in the uniform, there’s still the same amount of animosity towards each other, between the lines. A lot of our guys are friends with those guys, but once that ball goes up, it’s intense and that never changes. Every game I’ve ever been to it’s been the same intensity involved.”
But there are some sizable differences from Unseld’s days as a Dragons center. Though Unseld went on to play at Wabash Valley College, there weren’t too many Division I talents that he went up against.
Now, there are three such players. Behanan, a 6-foot-6, 250 pound senior forward is not only a Louisville signee, but a five-star member of the Rivals150, ranked No. 23 in the nation. Last month, he was named a McDonald’s All-American, one of 24 players to earn that honor in the country.
For Warren Central, there’s the 6-foot-6, 225-pound Fant a WKU signee and a three-star player by Rivals.com. His main running mate has been six-foot, 165-pound guard Jordan Shanklin, an IUPUI signee. Bowling Green senior guard Daerius Clement has also signed to play at NAIA Campbellsville.
Fant, originally from Cincinnati, moved to Bowling Green for his seventh grade year. He played varsity as an eighth grader at Warren east before transferring to Warren Central. He’s steadily blossomed each season since. Before choosing WKU he fielded offers from schools like Penn State, Iowa and Arkansas. But though Fant had played in some big games on the AAU summer circuit, it was nothing like this rivalry.
“It’s very intense,” Fant said. “Adrenaline goes up and through the roof. When you get out there, you’re nervous, but as soon as the ball jumps, you just forget everything and go play.”
Behanan transferred to Bowling Green in the summer of 2009 from Cincinnati’s Aiken High School. He was already a top 100 player in the country and had played in his own rivalry games against schools like Taft, Woolworth and Hughes. But this new rivalry was different.
“It’s crazy, for real,” Behanan said. “I ain’t never been in nothin’ like it, in that type of environment, that atmosphere and how many people just come out, from being alumni of Warren Central and Bowling Green, just come out and watch the game. You’ve got older people, younger people, just all the way down to the younger kids, that come out to watch that game. It reminds me of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. That’s the type of rivalry it is.”
While the rivalry was already gaining steam with the rise of Fant and Shanklin, Behanan’s arrival was like throwing a match in a bucket of gasoline.
“What’s happened is you’ve got really good players, then all of a sudden you add a couple of great players,” Bowling Green coach D.G. Sherrill said. “Now, the novice fan or outside fan, maybe fans of other teams, if their team’s not playing that night, they’ll come to watch that matchup. Traditionally, it was Bowling Green and Warren Central fans. Now, you’ll get a few just basketball fans, see kids that they’re gonna see play on TV next year and they wanna see them live, in a high school environment. That’s been healthy and good.”
Fant and Behanan have been a huge draws individually. Together, they’re the biggest reason for the fire marshals denying fans entrance this season.
“You can be nervous because in your head, you don’t wanna mess up in front of all them people,” Behanan said. “Really, all eyes are on you. You just try to do your best and not turn the ball over. You’re gonna have turnovers, but you try to do your best not to turn the ball over and everything just has to be perfect that game.”
Behanan’s play has been cited by Fant as a huge reason for his development last year and this year. Fant has played seven games now against Behanan, each time both players trying to find the edge.
“It made me better just working out and wanting the Mr. Basketball position,” Fant said. “I just imagine in my head, he’s number one and I’ve gotta be number one. It’s what I have to do to be number one. I just got in the gym this summer and worked out, got a lot stronger.”
Though Behanan has muscled against some of the nation’s elite players in AAU and in early season tournaments with the Purples, he also acknowledges the benefits of sparring with Fant. This is a different scenario than the others.
“It made me bring my A-game out,” Behanan said. “You’ve gotta bring everything out that game, because in his mind, he don’t want me to get the best of him. I know I don’t want him to get the best of me. I just try to do what I can for the team, put a body on him.”
Last season, the teams split the regular season matchups, each winning on their home floors. Bowling Green then won the 14th district tournament over Warren Central before the Dragons claimed the regional tournament. This season, the Purples struck first with a 70-59 win at Warren Central. Two weeks later, the Dragons came away with a convincing 85-64 win at Bowling Green.
But the best to date was saved for the teams’ most recent meeting. In the 14th district championship at Bowling Green, the teams went to four overtimes, before Warren Central pulled out an 81-79 thriller. Behanan finished with 27 points, 25 rebounds and five blocks. Fant wasn’t far behind, with 23 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks. But it was Dragons junior guard Norman Johnson who hit two clutch free throws to seal the effort.
“It was tiring,” Shanklin said. “It was extremely tiring and by the end of the game, I wouldn’t say I was glad it was over, but I knew I played a four-overtime game, if that makes any sense. That’s the only word I have for it, is just tiring.”
There’s sure to be plenty of jawing from fans on both sides before the teams meet again, which could come in this season’s regional tournament. But that’s customary for any game.
“I’ve heard everything,” Sherrill said. “In the game, I’ve probably been called everything. When you’re out places, out to eat, people that never talk to you will come up and comment about this game. They’ll know, just because they’ve been to the game or seen you somewhere and they’ll say something about the game. If you win the game, you get a lot of pats on the back. If you lose the game, then you get a lot of, ‘man, what happened to you guys?’ This thing is feast or famine. There’s no middle ground.”
If anyone involved directly in the rivalry has a lapse for whatever reason, there’s usually someone there to remind them. Even if that comes at inopportune times.
“I’ve been out and me and Chane have been places, not together, but at the same place,” Fant said. “It’ll be like Bowling Green fans and Central fans. I’ll see him and my fans will say, ‘George is better!’ Someone will say to me, ‘Chane is better! He’s an NBA player’ or something like that. But me and him both, we’re smarter than that and if you look at us and look at them, look where we’re headed, there’s a difference. You can’t let that stuff affect you.”
Some take the wins and losses better or worse than others. Clement can still remember his brother, former Bowling Green guard Shawn Savage, now a Campbellsville senior, taking one loss especially hard.
“I remember one game against Central, he really didn’t play too well,” Clement said. “After the game, he went into the little gym and stayed there for an hour and a half and just shot ball after the game. He was so mad because of his performance. There were other games where he played great, but he just didn’t have enough help to win the game.”
While it varies among eras and players, the two schools have generally been friends off the court. Fant calls some Purples friends, including his cousin, freshman guard Necarius Fant. Carrier called and still calls former Dragon Ryan Cummings a friend. Unseld played at Wabash Valley College with former Purple Mitchell Dunn, who went on to Miami. But he also has some advice that Savage might’ve been able to use.
“It’s a game, have fun,” Unseld said. “Some of them get so riled up that they can’t go out and enjoy it. I tell them to go enjoy it. You’ll look back on this 10-20 years down the road and be able to tell people, I played in front of 6,000 people and it was standing room only. Just enjoy it. Don’t get so caught up in the rivalry and just enjoy the game.”
Riley tries not to get too caught up in the hype that surrounds the rivalry. He certainly doesn’t want his players to and tries to remind them on what matters the most.
“It’s ultimately gonna come down to a basketball game and who plays the best basketball,” Riley said. “It’s not gonna be about who’s amped up the most and who’s keyed up the most and all that kind of stuff. It’s gonna be who makes the most shots and who makes the most good decisions, plays hardest and who does the little things.”
Troy Halcomb has been fortunate enough to prolong his basketball career. He just finished his freshman season at Brescia, but Halcomb still pines for his high school days, most notably the games against his cross-town rival and his brother.
Halcomb still stays in touch. For one, he and his current teammate, former Bowling Green guard D.J. Ray are always in search of bragging rights. Former Dragon forward Brett Jackson also plays for Brescia. But Halcomb keeps tabs on his brother too.
“I told him, ‘This is your senior year,’” Troy said. “’You can’t be pouting out there because you’re a senior and people are looking up to you. It’s your time to let people learn from what you’re doing. Once it’s gone, you’re gonna miss it like crazy.’ I’d give anything to put on a high school uniform again because college is nothing like high school basketball.”
And few other rivalries are anywhere close to the antics, the pageantry, the electric atmospheres and finishes that this one has to offer.
Add another First
3/15/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
This year, it was finally his turn.
It wasn’t that South Warren senior Jared Skrabacz wasn’t a solid runner, he just didn’t have the opportunity to show it. While at Greenwood, Skrabacz ran behind Ryan Eaton, now at Kentucky and Austin Houchens.
Now on his own, Skrabacz has turned a big-time senior season into moving to the Division I cross country level. On Feb. 24, he signed his letter of intent to Loyola of Chicago, choosing the Ramblers over Belmont, Louisville and Butler.
“I really liked the campus a lot,” he said. “It’s really nice in Chicago and I got along with the guys great there. I really like the coaches’ training philosophy. I think it’s just a great fit for me academically and athletically.”
After not winning a race in his high school career, Skrabacz won four times as a senior, including the class 2A state championship, becoming South Warren’s first state champion.
“It was a transformation, but the main thing was he was running with a couple of runners that were D-I caliber runners,” coach Steve Eaton said. “Unfortunately for him, they happened to be on his team. He was biding his time and as soon as they graduated, he was right on their heels most of the time, but I knew he’s be stepping up.”
Now, Skrabacz can add another first to his resume. He’s both the first college athletic signee and Division I signee from South Warren.
“It feels really great,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of sports and a lot of athletes, so to know that I’m the first one is a really good feeling.”
Make it 12: Behanan Named An All-American
3/15/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
Since those closest to Bowling Green senior forward Chane Behanan, including his teammates, all knew the decision, there was only one question they still had.
“Are you entering the dunk contest?” Behanan said his teammates asked. “That’s all I heard.”
On Feb. 10, it was official. Behanan was named a McDonald’s All-American and will play in the game March 30 at Chicago’s United Center. He’s just the 12th player from Kentucky to receive the honor in the 32-year history of the event.
“It’s something I’ve been waiting for, for a long time and just knowing that my name is gonna be mentioned in the history, mentioned with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett, that’s a real big honor,” Behanan said. “I also have little brothers looking up to me and they see the good things I’m doing and hopefully, it’ll rub off on them when they get to this level.”
In his second year at Bowling Green since transferring from Aiken (OH) in 2the summer of 2009, Behanan has long been a top prospect. He’s currently a five-star Rivals.com prospect and No. 23 in the Rivals150. In November, he signed his letter of intent to play at Louisville. But it was his MVP performance at the NBA Top 100 camp that really made his stock jump.
“When the letter came in that I made it, I was excited,” Behanan said. “I’m just continuing to work hard and try to get ready for the game March 30 and try to do the best I can up there. I’m gonna just treat it like I would at NBA camp and go in there with the same mentality, the assassin’s mentality.”
Behanan has had the ability to go toe to toe with anyone in the post for a while now. But his ability to expand his game out has really put him in elite status.
“Athletically, to be that big and that strong, but that explosive, it’s just a really unbelievable package,” coach D.G. Sherrill said. “We feel like since he’s been here, he’s taken some big steps forward on the defensive end. We feel like he’s probably got a more well-rounded offensive game.”
Sherrill has also seen an improvement in just last season to this season.
“If you want him to step outside and run a two or three-guard and shoot threes and attack off the bounce, he can do that,” Sherrill said. “He can guard a point guard through a five-man. There’s really not anything we’ve found that he can’t do. He has to have the desire and want-to to do those things, but physically there’s very few limitations to his game.”
The pressure that comes with being an All-American is nothing new to Behanan. And with his humbleness and level-head, he hopes to be an example for other players.
“It is a lot of pressure,” Behanan said. “Just knowing that everybody now is looking at me to do more in the game and take my team. Last year, we fell by five points in double overtime. Everybody’s looking for me to take them to the state tournament this year. I just need to work every game, come to play every game and don’t slack off.”
Great Expectations
3/8/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
There were a handful of other schools Greenwood senior midfielder Tucker Sago could’ve chosen. The others weren’t bad schools, but they didn’t offer as unique an opportunity.
On Feb. 17, Sago signed his letter of intent to play at Northern Kentucky, which is fresh off a big win in December.
“They just won the Division II national championship and they’re a very competitive soccer program and that’s what I was looking for,” Sago said. “But I also wanna be able to balance my academics.”
Over the past few years, Sago, who led the Gators in assists the last two seasons, has shown a steady improvement and development.
“Tucker embodies a lot those things I want out of players, which is he works hard, he wants the team to succeed and he’s willing to make the sacrifices to do that,” Greenwood coach Scott Gural said. “It’s wonderful that he demonstrates that you can move on and play at the next level from here and at a very strong level.”
Sago said he chose the Norse over Centre, Belmont, Bellarmine and Lipscomb.
“I’m just getting ready to hit the weights, be running, staying in shape,” he said. “When I get up there in July and get in the dorm and get situated and start going to the field, I’ll just go out there every day in two-days, contribute strong so I can start early.”
Gural said he doesn’t see any reason why Sago can’t compete at a high level.
“He wants that challenge and I think he’ll respond really well to it,” Gural said. “He’s gonna work his tail off and try to get out there.”
Lindsey Wilson ‘Bandit’
3/8/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
It’s a name that describes his new position, but it could describe the way he plays as well.
On Feb. 7, Howell made it official he’ll be playing football at Lindsey Wilson. But the new role expected of him is called ‘bandit,’ a roving outside linebacker.
“If you’re a good open-field tackler and they can’t get around the outside and they’re wanting to use him as an outside linebacker, that just adds credit to him,” Greenwood coach Greg Cavanah said. “I think he can vie for a starting position next year if he’ll continue to work hard in the classroom and in the weight room.”
Howell said he also looked at Marion, Franklin College, Campbellsville and Mount Union before settling on Lindsey Wilson.
“I finally made it, man,” he said. “It’s about time. Every athlete’s dream is to try to make it to the next level. To have the chance to do it is just a dream come true.”
Though he’ll play on defense in college, Howell also saw time at running back and on special teams. But it’s all experience he hopes to use.
“That’s what everyone needs,” he said. “Once they get the experience and get comfortable with what they’re doing, then you’re ok.”
He might be a bandit now, but Howell also has the makings of a successful after he graduates.
“He has the tools and he has the ability,” Cavanah said. “It’s like I told him before he signed, ‘the main thing you’ve gotta do is choose that career track, stay focused and continue working.’ Football might not be the rest of his life. But this education will carry him through the rest of his life.”
‘Lil Bit’ Of Similarity
3/8/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
Greenwood senior outfielder Elizabeth Jordan has been on some solid teams. But never was she one of the top players.
Jordan knew she was still good enough to play somewhere at the next level. She’d sent her film to an array of schools. One of those was Wallace State, a community college in Alabama. After some good fortune, Jordan signed her letter of intent to play there on Feb. 4.
“We have recruiters and Wallace State, there was a girl that de-committed,” Jordan said. “That same day, one of the recruiters had my video in his hand and said, ‘Hey, what about this girl?’ It turns out, I look just like the girl that had de-committed, so it worked out good.”
Jordan has always been a good contributor to teams she was on. She even played for the 2010 Kentucky Junior All-Stars. But her nickname might have said it all.
“You look at her, ‘lil bit,’ that’s her nickname,” Greenwood coach Penny Reece said. “We were out there conditioning one day and she said, ‘I don’t think I’m lil bit anymore. They can call me ‘big bit,’ because she’s filled out. She’s so strong. She’s gone through the Jim Nowell conditioning program and she’s just so solid. She has made herself into an athlete.”
Jordan said she also looked at some NAIA schools before deciding on Wallace State.
“Playing with the whole state bunch has really helped me because I have never been the best on a team,” she said. “It was always good to have to strive to be the best. I’ve always had to work hard.”
EKU’s New ‘Head-Hunter’
3/8/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
He played both sides of the ball, but because of Greenwood senior Jeremy James’ presence on defense, coach Greg Cavanah has one way to describe him.
“Jeremy’s a head-hunter and that’s what (colleges) look for,” Cavanah said. “He plays low, he plays aggressive and he plays hard. His grades in the classroom, that makes a big difference. They don’t wanna waste their time recruiting kids who may have a year or two years. Jeremy’s a solid investment.”
On Feb. 3 James made his investment, signing his letter of intent with Eastern Kentucky.
“Really, it was the coaches and the players, the people that make it work,” James said. “I stayed with some of the guys, hung out with them this past weekend and they just made me feel welcome. I like the campus, obviously the football atmosphere’s great and I actually got to sit in on a class. The professors seem like they help you with everything you need. They really just have everything you need up there.”
James chose the Colonels over Centre, Lindsey Wilson and Franklin College. He plans on redshirting this fall, but projects as an outside linebacker.
“It’ll allow me to learn the system a lot better, get in the weight room more, get bigger faster and stronger,” James said. “I can just get more comfortable with everything they’re doing up there.”
But when he’s ready, the ‘head-hunter’ should make an impact.
“Jeremy’s been building on this since he came into high school,” Cavanah said. “We changed our defense because of him and Austin Howell. He’s just a prototype hybrid between an outside linebacker and a strong safety.”
All Together Now: Team Ball Lifting Glasgow
2/18/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
There’s no underestimating how important guard Cameron Hall was for Glasgow last season.
Now a freshman at Campbellsville, Hall possessed an innate ability to shoot from long range, drive to the basket, make deft passes and defend. He was among the highest scorers in the state, averaging 25.8 points per game.
Without Hall, there’s not been a clear-cut do-everything. Instead, it’s been a committee and on different nights. One night, junior guard Parker Cash might have 20 points. The next night, junior guard Quentin Ellis might be the one having a big night. The next night, there could be three players with 15 points.
“It has to be a team effort because we don’t have that one player that can take over the game,” Cash said. “Cameron could make his own shot and Quentin can too, but he plays off a lot of other people getting him open shots. It’s more of a team. Everybody contributes more this year.”
Three players have averaged in double figures through the Scotties’ first 15 games. Ellis leads with 12.8 points per game, followed by Cash at 12 points per game and senior forward Kerrington Bradley with 10.1 points per game. Four more players average at least five points per game.
“It’s teamwork,” Bradley said. “You can’t just key on one guy. There’s so many weapons. We’re about nine or ten deep and the nine or ten that we have on the bench could go to another school and start. That’s just how deep we are.”
Rebounding might be more of Glasgow’s staple this season. The Scotties average 34.6 rebounds per game compared to 22.8 by opponents. No Glasgow player is exceptionally tall. Senior forward Michael Bradley is the tallest starter available and he’s only 6-foot-1, while on the bench, the only size comes from junior forward Hunter Bowles at 6-foot-5. But as is done with the scoring, rebounding has been done by a committee.
“One guy’s not gonna get 15 rebounds, but all five or six of them are gonna get four or five rebounds a game,” coach Jeff Hall said. “That’s when you get into having that 12-13 rebounding edge against your opponent. Plus, our turnovers, we’re averaging six turnovers fewer than our opponent. If you’re outrebounding somebody by 13 and you’re not giving up the ball another six times, that’s what’s keeping us in most ball games, regardless of what our shooting percentages have been.”
An added benefit has been the work that many of the players, including Cash, the Bradleys and junior forward Hunter Bowles put in during football. They’re finding more and more that the weight training especially, is paying off.
“It’s leg strength,” Michael Bradley said. “During football season, all we did was squat. Being undersized, we have to work on that because everybody in our region is taller than us. We had to work on that just to keep in the game. That’s usually how we stay in the game, with offensive boards and defensive boards.”
Going into the season, it was unclear if the committee would be enough. The Scotties were sporadically picked among the middle of the pack in the fourth region. Then, there was the production lost from Cameron Hall’s departure. But all of it was simply motivation.
“I just think that we were hungry,” Kerrington Bradley said. “The last two years, we hadn’t made it out of districts, so I think we’re just hungry. I think we’ve been pretty successful, winning a lot of games. We need to prove that we can be that team that goes all the way. We can. We’ve got all the talent to go all the way.”
There’s been some obvious changes personnel and otherwise this season. Jeff Hall has also had to make a few coaching tweaks as well.
“This year, we’re a little more inside oriented,” he said. “We try to get it inside, look inside first. Obviously, Cameron, from what he could do outside on the floor and then break down people off the dribble, we still like to break people down off the dribble because we’ve got two pretty good guards that can do that. That plays into what they can do well in Parker and Quentin Ellis. But we’re a different team. Last year, we probably shot the ball on a more consistent basis, on a more regular basis better from the outside than we have so far this year.”
Glasgow can also point to a pivotal early game that jump-started the season. In the Scotties’ third game of the year, at defending fifth region champion North Hardin, they pulled out a last-second 62-61 win.
The win was even more eye-raising with a shorthanded Scotties bench. For different reasons, Ellis, junior forward Jalen Sublett and junior guard Sammy Bradley all were left off the trip for the game.
“We left four at home because of academic or discipline problems that would’ve played for us,” Hall said. “We had to go up there and lace our shoelaces a little bit tighter and dig in. To be honest, it was a big win. It sent direct messages to some of the guys that we had to leave at home that these guys can still go and win without us. If you can’t represent yourself and our school and do what you’re expected to do in the classroom, we don’t want you around anyway. That really did a lot for the kids that were able to go up there on the road and to beat an awfully good North Hardin team. I think it helped pull a bunch of ours together.”
With the confidence from that game, Glasgow mounted an eight-game winning streak to begin the season. It hasn’t lagged too much since as the Scotties closed January at 12-3 after a 72-49 defeat of rival Barren County.
“Winning that game, it brought us a lot closer,” Michael Bradley said. “You see us missing those three players and pulling out a big win like that. That’s how you know you have a pretty solid team, even though you’re missing those three players that help us during the game.”
Because of their strong record, Glasgow earned a first-round bye in the All ‘A’ Classic fourth region tournament, also hosting it. But the Scotties were served a few lessons in a 70-67 loss to Russellville that left them unable to defend their region title from last season.
“We learned we’ve gotta play defense,” Cash said. “In the fourth quarter, they just blew right by us. We’ve gotta get in better shape, because it was like a whole different game in the fourth quarter. They were dribbling right around us and hitting layups.”
There were areas that needed work even before they were exposed by Russellville, though.
“We need to work harder in practice and grow as a team,” Michael Bradley said. “The team is a brotherhood and that’s what we need to have coming out. If you don’t have that, in district play and region play, you’re down and most teams give up. If you work hard and grow as a team and have that brotherhood, we might be able to pull it out this year.”
There will first be plenty of tests in the regular season. Glasgow still has games against powers Warren Central, Bowling Green and up and comers South Warren and Franklin-Simpson.
“It seems like all the heavier teams in our schedule, being like cream and rising up to the top, are in February,” Hall said. “It’s gonna be a really tough month for us and we’ve just gotta lock down and be focused and ready to play. I’ve always told our players, if we go in and compete as hard as we can compete and we still end up short on the scoreboard, I can go home and sleep at night. But if we don’t go in and compete, even if we win the game, I would lose sleep knowing we didn’t compete to our fullest. All I want is competitors.”
The Scotties are part of that cream now, too.
At Long Last: Thompson Signs At Campbellsville
2/18/2011Story and photos by Jason Stamm
He was ready. The date was set to announce his decision.
First, it was Jan. 12. But the cancellation of school for snow also cancelled the announcement. Then, it was Jan. 13. Then, it was moved to Jan. 20. With winter weather setting in, Warren County schools closed early, but not before finally, Warren Central linebacker Jonathan Thompson could sign his long-awaited letter of intent, to play at Campbellsville.
“It kinda got aggravating,” Thompson said. “But it was worth it in the long run. It was good and when I did finally get to sign, it took a lot off my shoulders. I was ready to get it over with.”
Thompson said he enjoyed what the Tigers had to offer. His decision was really cemented after attending a game against Georgetown. But it was also a different approach that caught his attention.
“I went and viewed a lot of other colleges like The Cumberlands and Lindsey Wilson,” Thompson said. “They just didn’t make that connection with me like Campbellsville. I wanna go to a place that’s gonna make me feel like I’m at home. Campbellsville, they talked about church and family and you didn’t hear anything about football until the last thing that they talked about. That was the last thing. That’s what made me choose them.”
Thompson was also given the chance to walk on at either Tennessee or Kentucky as a long snapper. The Campbellsville coaching staff, along with the university’s intricacies sealed the deal.
“I love the coaches and they remind me of Coach Howard, with the defense and stuff,” Thompson said. “The school, it’s nothing too big. The one thing that really got me was the students in each class. It’s not like you’ve got 400 students. You just have 20-30 and you get one on one with the teacher and everything and know your professor.”
Thompson isn’t the only one who sees the good connection to Campbellsville.
“I think it’s a perfect fit for both JT and Campbellsville,” Dragons coach Mike Rogers said. “Perry Thomas is a good friend of mine and a guy I’ve coached against for a long time. I know he’s gonna really like JT. He’s very aggressive and a really good football player. He’s gonna fit in well in their scheme. Perry’s an attacking, defensive-type guy with a lot of movement and trying to confuse people, very similar to our defense.”
At Campbellsville, Thompson will play mostly linebacker. He’ll also get the opportunity to long snap and short snap.
“It’s just how diverse he is and the fact that he’s a great punter, he can long snap, short snap and he’s a great linebacker,” Rogers said. “I don’t expect him to play on the offensive line like he did here, but he’ll do well at whatever he does, wherever they put him. I expect him to play a lot early and I know he’ll do a great job on special teams.”
Because Thompson’s signing was supposed to be later in the day on Jan. 20, he wasn’t ready for the short notice. Thompson was working in a program through the school, when Rogers called him. As he had the previous couple of years, Rogers was set to help Thompson get to the next level, picking him up to get him to school for the again changed signing time.
“It all boils down to the teamwork and the coaches,” Thompson said. “We couldn’t do anything without the coaches and the teachers and the office ladies. They really supported us this year.”
Finally, Thompson could officially call himself a Campbellsville Tiger.
Reunited: Cline Signs With Olney Central
2/18/2011Story and photo by Jason Stamm
It was a relationship that’s ended up helping both parties out.
Warren Central senior catcher Jeremy Cline played the last two summers of travel baseball with the Western Kentucky Dirtbags and former WKU player and assistant coach Casey Hamilton. They’d grown close, but after this past summer, there was a period where the two lost touch.
As Cline was returning home from a college visit, Hamilton, now an assistant coach at Olney Central College (Ill.), gave Cline a call and made an offer. After taking a visit to OCC, Cline made his mind up. On. Jan. 19, Cline signed his letter of intent.
“I went up there and loved it,” he said. “Casey has always helped me so much and I think he’ll help me a lot more with me being older and being able to learn more.”
As a catcher, Cline was a crucial cog in the Dragons’ run to the state tournament last spring. But it was a sign of his steady improvement.
“Catching-wise, Coach has just kinda turned me loose and let me call my own pitches, let me take care of the pitchers,” Cline said. “I think that’s helped me out, from my freshman year, sophomore year and him teaching me how to call pitches, where to throw them.”
Coach Shane Humphrey has developed a big sense of confidence in Cline.
“He became of extension of what I wanted to do and how I wanted it done,” Humphrey said. “It just took a little while for him to mature into that, but he’s grown into that more than what I could say.”
At the plate, Cline has also become more disciplined and a better hitter as a result. But it’s also been a matter of the work Humphrey has spent with Cline finally paying off.
“He’s grown from being more of a base-hit hitter,” Humphrey said. “I know in little league, he was more of a power hitter, but when he got up to me he was a base-hitter and now, he’s more of a complete hitter. He works the count, gets his pitches in his favor and drives the ball.”
But Cline still has some work to do before he re-joins with Hamilton. The Blue Knights have envisioned Cline as a catcher, outfielder and designated hitter on occasion.
“Definitely blocking the ball, that’s my weakness right now,” Cline said. “I feel like I can throw anybody out and hit with anybody.”
Double-Double Machine: Cody Stumbo
2/13/2011
It’s a snow day and South Warren is out of school. The basketball team is not, though and the Spartans shoot around in their gym, warming up before practice at noon.
The players are scattered around the six goals, chatting with each other and throwing up jumpers, trick shots and an otherwise assortment of shots.
Senior forward Cody Stumbo is shooting on one of the main floor goals when a ball from an errant shot comes rolling towards him and he stops it on the baseline. Stumbo picks it up and launches it with his right hand nearly 30 feet to the nearest side goal. His teammates around him all stop to watch, as the shot careens off the side of the rim.
“Did you see that?!” one of the players yells excitedly to another. “Stumbo almost hit that one-handed!”
But that’s been routine for Stumbo this season. He’s become the Spartans’ must-watch player and one of the best in the region to boot. Coach Derrick Clubb calls Stumbo “paramount” to South Warren and though he hasn’t been without help from his teammates, he’s easily the biggest reason why the Spartans have been one of the top teams in the fourth region.
“He plays really hard and he’s really got a high basketball IQ,” Clubb said. “He really understands the game. Those are the two things for sure that are the reason he’s having so much success.”
Ever the unselfish player, Stumbo doesn’t give himself too much of the credit for South Warren’s 12-7 start.
“It’s definitely my teammates I have around me,” he said. “Josh Bartley, Daniel Turner, Lane Embry and a bunch of others have just done a good job of getting me the ball all season long. I’ve just been lucky to put it in the basket.”
It is no coincidence though, that Stumbo is ninth in the state in scoring, averaging 21.7 points per game. He also averages 9.3 rebounds per game and is 11th in the state in free throw shooting, at a 81 percent clip.
At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Stumbo is by no means over-imposing. Nevertheless, he’s become machine-like on both ends of the floor. He finds ways to score and rebound both offensively and defensively.
“He’s smart and he’s had to be a smart player, because he’s not as athletic as (Chane) Behanan or (George) Fant or those guys that are freak athletes,” senior guard Lane Embry said. “He has to be as smart as he can be and that’s what he is. When it comes down to it, that’s what our team does. We have to be smart and he just has found out ways to score. He knows his cuts that he’s about to do and somehow, we get the ball to him and he scores. His rebounding, he just wants the ball more than the other person.”
It’s been a big change for Stumbo in many ways this season. For one, he’s at a new school and new team. But his game and mindset have also been forced to change a bit.
At Greenwood last season, Stumbo was a solid contributor and good shooter, but he was only the third or fourth option. The majority of the scoring went to since graduated forward Dee Anderson, who averaged 21.7 points per game or guard Austin Disney, who transferred to Bowling Green after last season.
Stumbo transferred to South Warren, but he wasn’t alone. Embry and senior guard Daniel Turner, both starters at times, transferred to be Spartans as well. Stumbo had a feeling more would be asked of him and he prepared himself.
“I think my shooting has improved a lot,” he said. “I worked at the free throw line this past summer and my three-point shot’s developing a little bit. Overall, it’s just finding new ways to score.”
The chemistry among the three former Gators hasn’t changed too much. There’s a special sense of connection between the three.
“It’s not really any different than last year,” Turner said. “We’ve got the same people playing pretty much and we’re just going along with it. It’s just the chemistry we have. We know where each other’s gonna be because we’ve been playing for I don’t even know how long.”
But Stumbo isn’t behind any big scorers any longer. And with his newfound role, has come more chances. He’s had to get a bit creative in getting to the basket, but especially imploring one move. Call it, ‘The Stumbo.’
“In the post, I’ve always done the little crab dribble,” Stumbo said. “You take two dribbles in and spin move back to the outside. Other than that, I just try to mix it up.”
Whatever you want to call it, it’s been effective to say the least. Rebounding might need another explanation. How does a player 6-foot-3 more times than not come up with rebounds against players bigger than or equal to in him in height?
“This being my third year playing varsity, I really just try to outsmart the person that’s trying to box me out,” Stumbo said. “I try to do my best to get good position and just go up and get it.”
Clubb likens it more to Stumbo coming of age.
“Older kids just understand the game,” Clubb said. “They’ve been around it so much more. They don’t help too much defensively, they help just as much as needed, they understand angles and Cody’s like that. He really understands what’s going on out there and that allows him to play a lot bigger than he is.”
One of those bigger than Stumbo and most other players in the fourth region is Bowling Green senior forward Chane Behanan. In their first meeting, on Dec. 10, the Spartans made a run at the Purples, but fell 65-55 as Behanan scored 32 points. As the Spartans’ tallest player, it was Stumbo who routinely was matched up against Behanan, rated as one of the top 25 players in the country by Rivals.com.
“He’s an animal,” Stumbo said. “There’s nothing you can really do with him. You try to contain him, but you can’t really stop him, so you just do your best to be in front of him and the basket.”
Stumbo himself had 22 points, but might have taken a few even more important lessons from playing a top interior player of Behanan’s caliber.
“Chane raises everyone’s level,” Clubb said. “When you play Bowling Green, I think any coach will tell you that their kids, they’re really excited at the challenge, so they find an extra gear that maybe they wouldn’t have normally. It’s probably just so they don’t get embarrassed by Chane because they respect how talented he is.”
Nearly a month later, Stumbo’s presence for the Spartans was illustrated again. He picked up two early fouls and sat on the bench for most of the first half in the State Farm Shootout against Henderson County. In his absence, South Warren found itself down by double-digits. But with Stumbo back in, the offense began rolling again, cutting the deficit to 58-56 with 3.5 seconds remaining.
With time for one shot, the in-bounds from the near baseline went into Stumbo’s hands. He took two dribbles into the lane from the right wing and fired up a five-foot jumper at the buzzer. The ball fell short, but should that situation come up again, it won’t be a surprise for Stumbo to again get the final shot.
“I feel very comfortable being that guy,” he said. “I think my teammates kinda look for me to score sometimes. I just wanna do my best to give us a chance to win.”
His teammates know Stumbo’s clutch abilities as well.
“It’s gonna be whoever gets it,” Embry said. “But if we’re gonna run a play for somebody at the end of the game, it’s probably gonna be Stumbo. The numbers he puts up, the ways he knows how to score, he just finds ways through people that we don’t see. He’s gonna be our first option, but none of the rest of us are scared to take a shot. We’re all an equal second option.”
Next season, Stumbo hopes to have shown he’s improved his game enough where he can play at the next level. He’s taken visits to Georgetown College and Alice Lloyd College, but doesn’t have his plans set just yet.
The Spartans are first hoping Stumbo’s plans could include a surprise post-season run. Going into the final weeks of the regular season, that doesn’t seem impossible, especially with Stumbo leading the way.
“He has got to be able to play when he’s not scoring,” Clubb said. “He’s done that all year. We’ve had some games where the first half, he’ll get four points and he’s got ten rebounds and he’s taken two charges. That’s what makes him a really special kid. He always rebounds, he always defends and now this year, I’ve got the benefit of him scoring.”
The ‘machine’ was off on the last-second shot against Henderson County. He was also off on that circus shot in practice. But as he and those who have seen Stumbo play know, he won’t be off on too many more.
Playing For The Kids
1/7/2011They were undoubtedly roused to miss a little bit of school, but also at the prospect of soon watching free basketball. Today, WKU announced that it will hold a “Spread The Red Education Day” on Feb. 2 when the Lady Toppers host South Alabama.
The game has been moved to 11:30 AM to accommodate all students in grades 3-6 from all Bowling Green and Warren County schools, who are invited to attend free of charge.
“This is another example in how we pride ourselves in being a great part of the community at large,” Director of Athletics Ross Bjork said. “Our partners in education, Bowling Green and Warren County school districts, we couldn’t be more pleased that they embraced this idea, this vision, to really bring out the school kids and promote our women’s basketball program to the community and turn it into an educational opportunity.”
Bowling Green superintendent Joe Tinius said the students will analyze statistics and other life-skills, such as strategy. It also will give students a chance to familiarize and be around a higher institution of learning.