Friday, March 20, 2015

Eight teams left

Quick question:  When was the last time the First Region won at least one game in the State Tournament for three years in a row?

Answer:   1951-53.  Cuba reached the final in 1951 and 1952, and then Tilghman reached the final in 1953.  But last night, Calloway County upset Knott Co. Central, meaning that we have a Jackson Purchase team in the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.


Quick question:  When was the last time that Regions 1, 2, 3, and 4 -- the four westernmost regions -- all advanced to the quarterfinals of the State Tournament?

Answer: 1960.  To give you a sense of how long ago that was, check out these scores:

Symsonia 69, Meade Memorial 60
Hopkinsville Crispus Attucks 64. Clinton Co. 62
Owensboro 77, Lincoln Institute 75
Beaver Dam 61, LaRue Co. 56

That's right:  three of the four Western Kentucky schools that went to the quarter-finals in 1960 no longer exist.

So live it up, Western Kentucky!  We don't get too many chances like this one.  Plus, the four Western Kentucky teams will be playing each other, so our end of the Commonwealth will have two teams in the semi-finals.  That hasn't happened since Tilghman and Henderson County reached the semi-finals in 1999.

Our gain is Appalachia's pain.  The 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th regions have all been eliminated prior to the quarter-finals.  This is the first time that's happened since 1989.

OK, here are the scores from yesterday:

(1) Lou. Ballard 83, Johnson Cent. 69
Boyle Co. 60, Lex. Catholic 59
Bowling Green 86, Elliott Co. 44
Calloway Co. 73, (4) Knott Co. Cent. 68 (2 OT)

And that sets up the following quarter-finals today (all times Central):

11 A.M:  (7) Owensboro (28-4) v. (8) Hopkinsville (27-5)
12:30 P.M:  (9) Cov. Catholic (30-5) v. Lou. Doss (27-6)
5:30 P.M.:  (1) Lou. Ballard (32-2) v. Boyle Co. (27-6)
7 P.M.:  Bowling Green (29-5) v. Calloway Co. (30-3)


66 comments:

  1. Yeah! Live it up, western Kentucky!

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  2. Matt Jones just said on a commercial on WHOP AM that McCracken County High is hosting a "high-school national-championship basketball tournament" (sorry if I got some of those hyphenated compound modifiers out of order) later this month.

    ?

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  3. I really want to know the team colors and team mascot for Beaver Dam High School.

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    1. My guess is that they were the black and gold Beavers, per this picture of the current elementary-school basketball team.

      This reminds me, though--it's time for another Ohio County-centric "Oh, Kentucky."

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    2. "Oh, Kentucky (1969)," that is.

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  4. OK, WHOP AM is on the air with the pre-game show, but the broadcaster is not WKU Todd, which is crushing. I figured he was doing the news and sports on WHOP FM this morning via some sort of remote feed. Anyway, it's some other guy in Lexington today on the mike for WHOP.

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  5. WHOP AM says it has been broadcasting high-school sports for 75 years. That's pretty great.

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  6. A sophomore from Prestonsburg High School just did the national anthem, and she was great!

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  7. For reasons I don't understand, the KHSAA.tv cameras are posted on the opposite side of Rupp Arena from where they are when UK plays -- so the UK logo is upside down.

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  8. As an old Western Kentucky native, Hoptown v. Owensboro has a real "big game" feel for me.

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  9. Owensboro has come to be, perhaps, my favorite Kentucky town other than my home, Madisonville--but I'm rooting for Hoptown today.

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  10. Hoptown going with its usual "32 minutes of hell" style; Owensboro going with its two really tall guys down law. All tied at 7 with 4:44 left in the 1st Quarter.

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  11. Owensboro won the state tournament in 1949, 1972, and 1980. Hopkinsville won it in 1985.

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  12. Hoptown made the semi-finals two years ago. Owensboro hasn't reached the semi-finals since 1992.

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  13. Owensboro is 5-5 from the field, and they lead 12-7 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first.

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  14. Uniform watch: Owensboro is wearing white uniforms with black numbers trimmed in red. Hoptown is wearing orange uniforms with white numbers and the word "Hopkinsville" in white.

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  15. Owensboro leads 17-13 after one quarter.

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  16. Hoptown was blown out in the quarter-finals last year by Trinity, and Owensboro is on the verge of doing the same here. With 5 1/2 minutes left in the first half, the Red Devils lead 26-13. Hoptown has had no answer for Owensboro's big guys on the inside.

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  17. Nervous moments back in Hoptropolis, I imagine.

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    1. This game looks amazingly like the game between UK and Arkansas in the SEC Tournament final.

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    2. If I know Hoptown, they're too angry to be nervous.

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  18. The KHSAA broadcast tells us that Owensboro went to the Golden Corral last night for dinner. Hopkinsville went to Gattitown.

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  19. With 3:36 left in the half, Owensboro leads 28-18.

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  20. Media timeout.

    With 2:38 left in the first half, Owensboro leads 30-20.

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  21. At the half, Owensboro leads 32-25. Hoptown still has a chance, but they've got to start making some shots.

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  22. Hoptown got to within 37-32, but Owensboro has turned on the after-burners and now lead 45-32 with 3:20 left in the game. Owensboro is too smart and too tall for fall prey to Hoptown's defense. The Red Devils are attacking the press and getting easy baskets.

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  23. With 2:48 left in the third quarter, Owensboro leads Hoptown 45-35.

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  24. Hoptown is trying hard, but you can't press a smart team that can always just pass the ball to a really tall guy. With 8 minutes left in the game, Owensboro leads 48-37.

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  25. With 6:12 left, Owensboro leads Hoptown 52-39.

    This is the second year in a row that I haven't seen Hoptown until the quarter-finals, and the second year in a row that Hoptown hasn't looked very good in the quarter-finals. So now I'm left wondering how Hopkinsville beat Henderson and Taylor County.

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  26. Cameron Mills played for Lexington Dunbar. In his junior and senior years, Dunbar made it all the way to the state finals -- only to lose both times. He says he can still vividly remember how much that hurt.

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  27. Well, it's getting ugly now. Owensboro leads 61-44 with 3:41 left. Hopkinsville has gone to the State Tournament four years in a row, and they will have a 4-4 record in those tournaments.

    Owensboro, on the other hand, will go to the state semi-finals for the first time since 1992. Interestingly, the only time I've ever been to the State Tournament was the day I saw Owensboro in the state semi-finals.

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  28. Owensboro rolls to a surprisingly easy win: 71-50. If they had played longer, Owensboro would have won by more.

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  29. Doss leads Covington Catholic 27-26 at the half.

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  30. This is a crackerjack game. It's 41-41 with 1:39 left in the third quarter.

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  31. Cov Cath leads 43-41 with one quarter left.

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  32. Cov. Cath now up 49-42 with 4:39 to go. Starting to get some separation.

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    1. Doss looks tired. CovCath looks like they're gaining energy.

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  33. A second set of double technicals?

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  34. Doss can't score off of Cov Cath's zone. The Colonels now lead 51-42 with 3:40 to go. Cov Cath has outscored Doss 8-1 in this quarter.

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  35. Cov Cath leads 53-42 with 2:48 to go. Doss is done -- their offense died at the end of the third quarter.

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  36. What are you going to do in Lexington between sessions, Go Heath?

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    1. I'm going to get something to eat. Maybe I'll go to the Golden Corral.

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    2. That Topix.com page debating whether Owensboro needs a Golden Corral had 45 comments.

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    3. I've now decided that all versions of me at whatever age would go to a TGI Friday or Applebee's where I can watch the NCAA games on TV and get a big dessert.

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  37. Cov Cath outscores Doss 18-7 in the fourth quarter and rolls to a 61-48 win. They will play Owensboro tomorrow in the semi-finals.

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  38. Replies
    1. Check that. This is the KHSAA radio show on WRNZ 105.1.

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  39. The pregame show comes on in about five minutes; for now, however, we have some awful song that samples a bit of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner."

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    1. I'm a huge fan of the original "Tom's Diner." Smart Girl and I have often speculated on what's going on in the narrator's life.

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  40. The Seventh Region champ has reached the semi-finals for five years in a row. The last Seventh Region team to lose in the quarter-finals was Lou. Eastern, in 2009.

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  41. I just want to point out that UC Irvine's mascot is an anteater, and they actually have someone in an anteater costume at their game.

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  42. You know what I hope? I hope Christian Laettner gets a little airtime this NCAA tournament.

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  43. Two minutes into the game, and this one projects to Boyle County, 48-0 over Ballard.

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  44. Wow, Boyle did beat Ballard! And Bowling Green beat Calloway. So that leaves CovCath vs. Owensboro and Boyle vs. Bowling Green. It's always interesting to see how the geography of the semifinals lay out.

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  45. So this evening's River Semifinal pits CovCath, the defending state champ, and Owensboro, and it's 9-9 late in the first quarter. Later, we'll have the Farm Semifinal: Boyle County vs. Bowling Green.

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  46. I have now posted a "Four Teams Left." Sorry for the delay.

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