The phrase, “That’s why they play the games,” came up large in one game in the first round of the Kentucky Boys Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament on Thursday.
The pre-tournament consensus put the 10th Region champion George Rogers Clark Cardinals (34-1) against one of three teams in the title game Saturday night. That included the winner of the late Thursday game between the 16th Region champion Ashland Blazer Tomcats (26-6) and 9th Region champion Covington Catholic Colonels (29-4) that the Colonels won 76-65.
But the third of those teams fell earlier in the day Thursday. The 4th Region champion Warren Central Dragons (27-3) took down that third team in the 7th Region champion Louisville Male Bulldogs (28-6), 57-54 in overtime in the first game Thursday.
“It was a heck of a game,” said William Unseld, Warren Central Head Coach. “We knew we had a chance. We were very confident in ourselves. I told the kids, ‘Let’s go show everyone else who hadn’t seen us how good we are.’ I have a great group. They’re tough and they love playing together.”
Male sent the game to overtime tied at 49 when senior forward Dezdrick Lindsay made a nice behind the back pass to junior forward Demetrius White for the lay-up from the left side with six seconds left to go. The Bulldogs led 54-53 with 46 seconds left. They took a timeout and had the ball.
But Male missed a three-point try five seconds later and Warren Central scored four points down the stretch to pull off the win. Junior point guard Omari Glover made the game-winning lay-up with 24 seconds left in overtime. Then after Male missed a lay-up, the Bulldogs grabbed the rebound. But Warren Central sophomore shooting guard Kade Unseld stole the ball and drew the foul with 13 seconds left. Unseld made both to make the final score.
Male had the chance to tie it calling timeout with eight seconds left. But the Bulldogs did not get off a three. White drove to the basket and missed the lay-up. Glover secured the rebound with a second left and time ran out.
“Obviously, it was a tough game,” said Timothy Haworth, Male Head Coach. “It was a game that could have gone either way. We just took a bad shot (up one with 41 seconds left). In a close game, you have to try to get what you want. That just totally changed the momentum of that game. That wasn’t necessarily the play that cost us the game. It was a war. We came out on the short end.”
Both teams had three players in double figures. Glover scored 20 to lead Warren Central and Lindsay had 23 to lead Male.
Covington Catholic did face Male in the King of the Bluegrass Tournament on Dec. 20. The Colonels beat the Bulldogs, 68-56.
Tournament favorite George Rogers Clark (34-1) did not have any issues advancing in the first round Wednesday. The Cardinals pulled away from the Perry County Central Commodores, 19-6 in the second quarter to go up 35-18 at halftime on their way to a 77-36 victory.
George Rogers Clark put three players in double figures. Junior guard Jerome Morton led the Cardinals with 22 points.
The Cardinals have not lost to an out-of-state team. Their lone loss came 59-57 came against Dorman (South Carolina) on Dec. 19 in the King of the Bluegrass Tournament at Louisville Fairdale.
“In the 2nd and third quarter, I think our depth kind of paid off and our guys did a much better job defensively,” said Josh Cook, GRC Head Coach. “It led to transition buckets for us.”
Teams from State’s Largest Metro Areas Gone in First Round:
Not only did Male lose, the other Louisville area representative at state in 6th Region champion Jeffersontown (24-9) lost 45-41 to Lincoln County (30-7) in the first round Wednesday. Then 11th Region champion Henry Clay (27-9) from down the road lost 57-53 to 1st Region champion Murray (26-6).
Ashland’s Porter Reclassified:
When Ashland played Highlands in the state semifinals last year, guard Colin Porter was in his sophomore year. He reclassified to a senior in January in order to enroll and play basketball at Liberty University (Virginia) early.
Scouting Lyon County:
The 2nd Region champion Lyons (29-6) knocked off 5th Region champion John Hardin, 82-65. Sophomore 6-foot-2-inch guard Travis Perry led Lyon County with 26 points. Senior 6-5 power forward Jackson Shoulders scored 22 and 6-3 sophomore guard/forward Brady Shoulders scored 18.
Perry entered the tournament leading Lyon County with 27.7 points per game and Jackson Shoulders averaged 19.6. Sophomore 6-0 guard Jack Reddick averaged 10.6 points per game. Jackson Shoulders also averaged 10.4 rebounds per game entering the state tournament.
Covington Catholic and Lyon County both played in the King of the Bluegrass Tournament. But they did not face each other.
The Lyons last won the 2nd Region in 1951. That team lost 82-47 to the now-defunct Wayland High School located in eastern Kentucky.
Lyon County is located in western Kentucky in between Hopkinsville and Paducah. The county seat where the school is located is Eddyville.
CovCath Tournament History:
The Colonels are making their 14th appearance in the state tournament in school history. They have won the 9th Region Tournament four of the past five years and six out of the last nine with Scott Ruthsatz as head coach.
CovCath won the state championship in 2014 and 2018. The Colonels have also driven to the state semifinals in 2004 and 2015.
Those six crowns are the most under one head coach in school history. Mote Hils led the Blue Colonels to five straight region championships between 1967 and 1971 finishing state runner-up to the now-defunct Earlington High School by a 54-53 count. Earlington is located in Hopkins County in western Kentucky.
Kentucky Boys Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena, Lexington Schedule, Results:
Wednesday, March 16 Results:
Lincoln County 45, Jeffersontown 41
North Oldham 36, Muhlenberg County 32
George Rogers Clark 77, Perry County Central 36
Pikeville 59, North Laurel 51
Thursday, March 17 Results:
Warren Central 57, Male 54 (OT)
Lyon County 82, John Hardin 65
Murray 57, Henry Clay 53
Covington Catholic 76, Ashland 65
Friday, March 18 Quarterfinals:
Lincoln County (30-7) vs. North Oldham (19-12), 11 a.m.
George Rogers Clark (34-1) vs. Pikeville (32-2), 1:30 p.m.
Lyon County (29-6) vs. Covington Catholic (29-4), 6 p.m.
Warren Central (27-3) vs. Murray (26-6), 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 Semifinals:
Quarterfinal Winners, 11 a.m.
Quarterfinal Winners, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 Title Game:
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.