Saturday, March 21, 2015

Four Teams Left

I didn't bother to watch last night's quarter-finals in the State Tournament, because I was certain that Ballard and Bowling Green were going to win.  I was right about Bowling Green, but very wrong about Ballard, which suffered one of the biggest upsets I can ever remember in the Sweet 16.

Here are the scores from yesterday's quarterfinals:

(7) Owensboro 71, (8) Hopkinsville 50
(9) Cov. Catholic 61, Lou. Doss 48
Boyle Co. 85, (1) Lou. Ballard 70
Bowling Green 65, Calloway Co. 57

This is the first time since 1984 that neither the 6th, 7th, nor 11th region champions made the semi-finals.  Boyle County eliminated the champions from the 11th region and the 7th region on its way to the semi-finals -- that is almost unheard of.

Here are tonight's semi-finals:

(7) Owensboro (29-4)  v. (9) Cov. Catholic (31-5)
Boyle Co. (28-6) v. Bowling Green (30-5)

88 comments:

  1. With 2:41 left in the 3d quarter, Cov Cath leads Owensboro 35-31.

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  2. Cov. Cath. is basically beating Owensboro with the same game plan that Cincinnati used today against Kentucky -- pack everything in on defense, and take your time on offense. Owensboro cannot break down Cov Cath's zone, and the Colonels lead 42-36 with one quarter to go.

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  3. Uniform watch: Owensboro is wearing the same uniform from yesterday: white jerseys and pants, red and black stripes along the side, black numerals with red outlines. "OWENSBORO" in an arc across the front of the jersey.

    Covington Catholic looks almost exactly like Tilghman used to look when I was in school -- blue jerseys and pants, white numerals, "COVINGTON" above the numeral on the front, and "CATHOLIC" below the numeral.

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  4. Owensboro finally scores two possessions in a row, and they trail 46-42 with 4:18 left. Cov Cath going to the line.

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  5. Jason Frakes reminds us that Covington Holmes was the last team to reach the State Title game two years in a row. Holmes lost to Mason County in 2008, and then beat Lou. Central in 2009.

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  6. CovCath is nine-for-nine on free throws, and the Colonels lead, 48-42 ... 4:10 to play ...

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  7. The crafty burghers from Covington are 9-9 from the line, and they lead 48-42 with 4:10 left.

    But then Owensboro scores to make it 48-44.

    But now Cov. Cath is going back to the line with 3:48 left.

    First FT: no good.
    Second FT: good

    Cov Cath leads 49-44. 3:47 left.

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  8. Owensboro beats the Cov Cath press and gets and easy layup. 49-46 Cov Cath with 3 1/2 minutes to go.

    Now Cov Cath runs off about 30 seconds of clock and draws a foul. Cov Cath will go back to the line with 2:58 to go.

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  9. Cooper Theobold at the line for Cov Cath. He misses. Owensboro rebound.

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  10. Aric Holman and Justin Miller, the two big guys for Owensboro, attack the Cov Cath zone and eventually Miller is fouled. He makes one of two.

    Cov Cath 49, Owensboro 47 with 2:26 left.

    But then Cold VanHandorf quickly nails a jumper from the free throw line! Cov Cath leads 51-47.

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  11. With 1:46 left, Darion Morrow hits a three over the Cov Cath zone! It's now 51-50.

    Cov Cath comes steaming up the floor, but loses the ball. Miller falls on it for Owensboro and calls time. The Red Devils trail 51-50 with 1:37 left, but they will have the ball.

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  12. Cov Cath switches into a man-to-man. Owensboro works the ball down to Holman low, but he misses. On the rebound, Holman fouls. That's four fouls on Holman, and Bo Schuh goes to the line.

    He misses! Owensboro comes back and their point guard, Jacoby Harris drives right through the Cov Cath defense for a layup -- and a foul! He makes the free throw, and Owensboro LEADS 53-51 with 1:06 left.

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  13. Owensboro is currently on a 16-5 run. After starting 9-9 from the line, Cov Cath has now missed three of its last four FT's.

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  14. OK, here comes Cov Cath. Owensboro playing man to man. With 48.9 seconds left, OWENSBORO STEALS THE BALL! Morrow grabs the ball and is fouled.

    Morrow has a 1-and-1. He MISSES!

    Cov. Cath has the ball. They still trail 53-51 with 41.9 seconds to go, and the Colonels call time.

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  15. OK, here we go again. Cov. Cath ball. Owensboro in a 2-3 zone. With 25.2 seconds left, Theobold drives into the lane and draws a foul.

    First FT: no good.
    Second FT: good

    Owensboro leads 53-52 with 25.2 seconds left. Time out. Red Devils will have the ball.

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  16. Both teams are now in the double bonus.

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  17. Owensboro inbounded the ball, and called time with 16.5 seconds left. The Cov Cath bench thought they had a 10-second call, but the Red Devils had called time.

    Owensboro has no timeouts left.

    Great shots of the two fan bases on KHSAA.tv.

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  18. Owensboro inbounds the ball, and Schuh fouls Dylan Sanford. Schuh has fouled out.

    Sanford to the line. Two shots with 13.7 seconds left.

    First FT: good
    Second FT: good

    Owensboro leads 55-52 with 13.7 seconds left. You could hear the Cov Cath students doing their chants in the background, but this time they did not work.

    Cov Cath inbounds the ball and calls time with 11.1 seconds left.

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  19. Big discussion over what Owensboro should do now. The color commentator on KHSAA.tv (I can never remember her name) would foul.

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  20. Owensboro does not foul, and with 4 seconds left Matthew Shumate NAILS A THREE-POINTER TO TIE THE GAME. The clock expires and WE ARE GOING TO OVERTIME.

    Owensboro 55, Cov. Catholic 55

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  21. Owensboro wins the tip, and Sanford hits a three to put the Red Devils up 58-55.

    Sanford then fouls VonHandorf, who makes two free throws.

    Owensboro 58, Cov Cath 57 with 3:25 left.

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  22. For Owensboro, Jacoby Harris tries that little jumper in the lane that Tyler Ulis is always taking, but he misses it.

    At the other end of the court, Cov Cath draws yet another foul. Theobold makes both FT's, and the Colonels lead 59-58 with 2:50 left.

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  23. Owensboro goes back inside, and Miller scores to put the Red Devils up by 60-59. Cov Cath comes back down and misses, and Holman grabs the rebound for Owensboro.

    But now Justin Miller is hurting, and he has to leave the game.

    Owensboro 60, Cov. Cath 59 with 2:24 left.

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  24. Cov Cath comes out of the zone, and Darion Morrow drives into the lane and SCORES. He is also FOULED. He makes the FT, and O'boro leads 63-59 with 2:02 left.

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  25. Theobold comes back and hits a jumper in the lane. Owensboro 63, Cov. Cath 61 with 1:40 left.

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  26. Now Owensboro almost LOSES THE BALL, but Holman grabs it and DUNKS it. Owensboro 65-61.

    Cov Cath responds with a layup by VonHandorf. 65-63.

    And now Owensboro loses the ball but Cov Cath THROWS IT AWAY.

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  27. Owensboro gets the ball back and runs off about 30 seconds before Morrow is fouled with 32.6 seconds left.

    First FT: no good
    Second FT: good

    Owensboro 66, Cov Cath 63 with 31 seconds to go.

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  28. Theobold drives the lane but Holman blocks his shot. The rebound is tied up, and the possession arrow gives the ball back to Cov Cath.

    Owensboro 66
    Cov Cath 63
    16.9 seconds left
    Cov Cath ball.

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  29. Cov Cath inbounds the ball and Theobold is called for traveling! Owensboro ball.

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  30. Jacoby Harris is fouled with 14.4 seconds left

    First FT: good
    Second FT: good

    Owensboro leads 68-63 with 14 seconds left.

    Cov Cath misses at the other end, and Owensboro will go back to the line with 8.2 seconds left. On KHSAA.tv, the Owensboro fans are ecstatic with joy.

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  31. It's OVER, IT'S ALL OVER! Owensboro has beaten Covington Catholic by the score of 69 to 65. For the first time since 1980, the Red Devils will play for the state championship.

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  32. Next up: Bowling Green v. Boyle Co.

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  33. The U.S. 231 potential here is tantalizing!

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  34. The last time both State Finalists came from the first four regions was in 1976, when Edmonson County beat Christian County for the title.

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  35. You have to give Cov Cath a lot of credit -- they played a really great game, but in the end Owensboro was just a little bit better.

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  36. 10 more minutes until tip-off. I would probably be back in my seat by now with my hot dogs and Coke.

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  37. I am surprised that Bowling Green has never made it to the state title game, but that is the truth. Warren Central did go all the way in 2004.

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  38. OK, so they're about ready to introduce the teams here for the last semi-final: the Bowling Green Purples against the Boyle County Rebels.

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  39. Uniform watch: Boyle County is in white jerseys and shorts with black and gold stripes down the side. They have the word "BOYLE" in gold italics across the front of their jerseys.

    Bowling Green is in purple jerseys and pants with white numerals outlined in gold. On the front of the jersey, they have the word "BOWLING" above the numeral, with the word "GREEN" below.

    From a distance, it looks a lot like a game between Heath and Lone Oak.

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  40. All tied at 5 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter. These two teams are fast.

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  41. With 3:33 left, BGHS leads 9-5. Boyle County calls time.

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  42. Media time-out with 2:49 left in the first quarter. BGHS leads 11-5. Boyle County wants to go fast, but so far this is not working, as BGHS is even quicker.

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  43. So far, BGHS is 5-9 from the field, while Boyle is 2-9.

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  44. With a minute to go in the first quarter, BGHS was up 15-7, but Boyle scored the last five points of the quarter. After 8 minutes, BGHS leads 15-12.

    It's too early to tell who has the advantage. Bowling Green is really quick, but Boyle obviously has a lot of skill.

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  45. Boyle County calls time with 4:28 left in the first half -- trailing 25-16. The commentators say that Boyle County looks flat, compared to how they played against Ballard. I believe that, because I can't believe that the version of Boyle County I'm seeing right now could have beaten Ballard.

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  46. Media timeout with 2:55 left in the half. Boyle looking somewhat better.

    BGHS 26, Boyle 21

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  47. In the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina State has upset top-seeded Villanova 71 to 68.

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    Replies
    1. I picked this correctly in my WKDZ round-by-round challenge. Through the complete first round, the HP bracket was tied for third.

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  48. Halftime: Bowling Green 36, Boyle Co. 25

    Here's what's going on. BGHS has 20 rebounds, Boyle County has only 9. Almost every time Boyle County scores, BGHS beats them back down the floor for an easy basket. BGHS has taken only two three-pointers, and made them both. Boyle County has taken 12 three-pointers, and only made three.

    In short, BGHS is simply too quick for Boyle County. The Rebels need to come up with Plan B in the second half.

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  49. Also in the NCAA Tournament today, the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats beat Cincinnati 64-51.

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    Replies
    1. In case you were wondering, we will not be arguing for UK to start a regular season series with UC.

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  50. Xavier, which has the most underrated program in college basketball, is going back to the Sweet 16 with a 75-67 win over Georgia State.

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  51. At the half, BGHS is shooting 15-26 from the field, and Boyle County is 11-30 from the field.

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  52. Now KHSAA.tv is interviewing the Commissioner of the KHSAA, who says that Indiana "ruined" its state basketball tournament by dividing the tournament into classes. I couldn't agree more.

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  53. Sporting Times Magazine's Purples-focused broadcast is clobbering the folks back home for not showing up to support the team. "We have about seven rows of fans here," said one of them with disgust.

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    1. Maybe their fans are burned out from years of football titles.

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    2. They're begging people to make the trip over to Lexington tomorrow.

      "It's a chance at history. That ought to be reason enough."

      "You'll gain an hour on the way home to Bowling Green."

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    3. Knowing the folks in Bowling Green, they're taking the position that the State Tournament should be played at WKU.

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  54. Media timeout with 2:29 left in the third quarter. Bowling Green leads 48 to 36, as the teams are basically just trading baskets.

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  55. Things got a bit more hectic in terms of the pace in those last few minutes of the third quarter, but BGHS remains in control. With 8 minutes left in the game, BGHS leads 52-41.

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  56. Utah shot the lights out in a 75-64 win over Georgetown. The Utes went 14-24 from 2-point range, 8-14 from 3-point range, and 23-32 from the line. That's hard to beat.

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    Replies
    1. Russell Steinberg ‏@Russ_Steinberg
      This is the 8th consecutive year that Georgetown has been eliminated in the Big East or NCAA Tournament by a lower seed.
      9:09 PM - 21 Mar 2015

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    2. I know, I know -- but that's not really fair. According to Pomeroy, Utah is ranked 8th in the country. Plus the game was being played in Portland, Oregon. I thought Georgetown played quite well, but were beaten by a better team.

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    3. Georgetown is a lot like UK under Tubby Smith -- they play hard all the time, but they aren't very talented. As a result, their seed is usually better than their talent justifies. In the tournament, where everyone plays hard, their lack of talent usually catches up with them.

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  57. With 4:51 left in the game, BGHS leads 57-43.

    Last night, Boyle County had 40 points on free throws alone -- they went 40-47 from the line. That's one of the most amazing stats I've ever seen.

    Stan Hardin, doing the color commentary, says that Boyle County is not giving "20 percent" of the effort it showed last night against Ballard.

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  58. Boyle County hits two three-pointers in a row to trim Bowling Green's lead to 10 points. But the Purples still lead 61-51 with only 2:54 left in the game.

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  59. OK, BGHS is putting this game in the deep freeze. With 2:29 left, they're going to shoot free throws from here on out.

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  60. With 2:06 left, BGHS leads 64-54. The Purples are shooting free throws, and the Rebels are shooting threes. Boyle County is now 7-24 from behind the arc.

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  61. "If you need directions, we'll get them to you."

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    1. Jason Frakes tweeted: "This Bowling Green team is pretty good, folks. Too bad hardly anyone from that fine city is here to watch it."

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  62. With 1:33 left, and Boyle County trailing 67-54, the Boyle County coach pulls his starters. BGHS will meeting Owensboro tomorrow in an all-Eric Final.

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  63. Eric will be happy to know that Tre Fant just checked into the game for Bowling Green.

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  64. Bowling Green wins 68 - 58, and they are IN THE TITLE GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

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  65. 3rd Region Problems ‏@3rdRegionProbz
    Owensboro vs. Bowling Green Region 3 vs. Region 4 #BattleForTheNatcher Let's get this trending tonight!
    9:38 PM - 21 Mar 2015

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