Choreographing Mr. and Miss Hoops

In the immortal words of Monty Python’s Flying circus — “And now for something completely different.” The Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation has come up with a new way to announce the winners of Kentucky’s Mr. and Miss Basketball. Next Tuesday (April 5) the Lions will hold (what they hope is) a pep rally/recognition ceremony at Miss Basketball’s high school, wherever that may be. Five days later (April 10), the Lions will do the same for Mr. Basketball at his high school.. The media will receive some advance notice so they know where to send their cameras.

Over the years, the Mr. and Miss Basketball announcements have come in many forms in many locales, none of which created much buzz. As best I can remember, Mr. and Miss Hoops have always been announced together, whether it’s been in Louisville, Lexington, Fort Mitchell (during a sports editors meeting) or Frankfort (where the stuffiest ceremonies were held in the Capitol Rotunda). The most awkward format was at the Campbell House here in Lexington in the mid-1990s when somebody thought it’d be a good idea to have a Heisman Trophy-type set-up. The top three vote-getters for Mr. and Miss Basketball were invited to the press conference, and the runners-up had to sit there looking at their shoes when somebody else won.

Last year, after Walt Allen and Arnika Brown (shown in photo with their trophies) were named the honorees at a press conference in Frankfort. Allen then headed back to South Laurel where he received a hero’s welcome at the school. That went so well that the Lions Eye Foundation decided this year to make the official announcements at the high schools of the winners, hoping for a festive atmosphere. Whether or not this will make for better media attention, we’ll see. But you can’t blame the Lions Eye Foundation folks for trying something to make it more of an event. (It wasn’t that long ago that Mr. and Miss Basketball didn’t even get a trophy.)

But you never know what might happen to take the spotlight off the winners. What if UK announces its new basketball coach on April 5 or 10, thus bumping Miss or Mr. Basketball off the sportscape? Don’t say it can’t happen. I’ll never forget the happenings in mid-April, 1988, when Richie Farmer was named Mr. Basketball. He had signed with UK earlier in the week, the day after which news broke that a package, containing $1,000, had popped open on its way to UK recruit Chris Mills. That set off a chain of events that would ultimately torpedo the Cats’ basketball program. At the press conference for Mr. and Miss Basketball, Farmer said signing with UK was one of happiest moments of his life. Asked if he would’ve delayed his college choice if the Chris Mills story had broken before he signed, Farmer famously said: “I don’t think so because I don’t think anything will come of it.”

Sweet Sixteen Sunday?

As the high school basketball season dribbles to a conclusion, a few opinions:

• I’m a traditionalist, but after watching Scott County and Ballard hit the wall in Saturday night’s finals, I’m convinced it’s time for the KHSAA to revamp the Sweet Sixteen schedule. Reduce the fatigue factor. Play the semifinals Saturday afternoon, and the finals Sunday afternoon. The All “A” Classic has played its title games on Sunday afternoon for years (often on Super Bowl Sunday), and nobody’s freaked out about it. The change in format would also spotlight the semifinal games, which are now completely overshadowed. The showdown between Scott County and Ballard for the championship would’ve only been better if the teams had had some time to rest and prepare for each other.
• After No. 1 Scott County beat No. 2 Ballard 88-67 on Dec. 1, about 5,000 boys’ high school games were played in Kentucky over the next 113 days before No. 1 Scott County and No. 2 Ballard met again in the state finals. A lot of hoops for nothing, eh?
• The 11th Region should be the strongest in the state against next season. Scott County graduates star guard Matt Walls and defensive ace Jimmie Warren, but it returns Sweet Sixteen MVP Bud Mackey (shown above snipping the championship net), Jordan Lee, Cam Hundley and Tyler Portwood. That might be enough to make the Cards No. 1 in the pre-season polls. Bryan Station, Henry Clay, Lexington Catholic, Madison Central, Paul Dunbar and Tates Creek all might make the top 20.
• For individual star power, no region will match the 11th next season. How’s this for an all-star starting five: Shelvin Mack of Bryan Station and Bud Mackey of Scott County in the backcourt, with Aaron Morris of Madison Central, Victor Moses of Henry Clay and Nathan Novosel up front. Line ‘em up against the Indiana All-Stars in the summer of ‘08.
• Herald-Leader sports writer Jen Smith says girls’ state champ Lexington Christian Academy, which will return four starters, figures to be No. 1 next pre-season, and that district rival Lexington Catholic could be No. 2.
• Just about everybody agreed that the state finals (No. 1 Scott County vs. No. 2 Ballard) was a rare championship matchup of the two best boys’ teams in Kentucky. That’s happened two other times in the last 20 years that I can remember. Ballard vs. Clay County in 1988, and Fairdale vs. Tates Creek in 1991.
• This is nothing more than a guess: Steffphon Pettigrew of Elizabethtown will win Mr. Basketball; Rebecca Gray of Scott County will win Miss Basketball.
• If Southern Cal Coach Tim Floyd watched the McDonald’s All-American all-star game in Freedom Hall two nights ago, he’s surely wondering if he’s blessed or cursed that O.J. Mayo is headed his way. And do you think Patrick Patterson whispered to any of his all-star teammates: “See what I had to put up with for the last four months?” If Mayo turns out to be a headache, Floyd has an out: USC didn’t recruit O.J.; O.J. recruited USC.

Scott County takes Sweet Sixteen title

• No. 1 Scott County is the 2007 state champion after beating No. 2 Ballard 56-50. The Cardinals outscored Ballard 11-1 over the last 4:57 to take the title.
• Bud Mackey (shown at right celebrating in the final seconds) was named the tournament MVP after scoring 20 of his 22 points in the second half, 11 in the last quarter to rally the Cards from a 47-40 deficit. Matt Walls added 12 for Scott County. Cam Hundley (shown below celebrating) had 9 points, including 7 of 9 on free throws after he hit 13 of 13 in the semifinals.
• Johonne Hamilton led Ballard with 13 points.
• This is Scott County’s second state title. It also won it all in 1998. The Cards made it to the 1999 finals but lost to Ballard 71-47, so this is long-overdue revenge.
• Billy Hicks becomes the first coach to win two titles since Stan Hardin led Fairdale to back-to-back championships in 1990 and ‘91.
• Ballard was looking to win a state title for the fourth decade in a row. It won the championship in 1977, ‘88 and ‘99. The Bruins had a 26-game win streak snapped tonight.
• Ballard missed a 3-pointer. Scott County’s Cam Hundley rebounded and was fouled. He’ll be at the line for 2 with 6 seconds left. It looks like the Cards are champs.
• Ballard will have the ball out of a timeout, trailing 54-50. Matt Walls hit 1 of 2 free throws to give Scott County its 4-point edge.
• Matt Walls hit 1 free throw to put Scott County up 55-50 with 48 seconds left.
• Scott County has taken control — it leads 53-50 with 1:19 left and will have the ball out of a timeout. Bud Mackey is sparkling down the stretch. He has 11 points in the fourth quarter, 9 in the last 4 minutes to rally his Cards.
• Scott County is alive and kicking. The Cards’ Bud Mackey has scored seven consecutive points to give his team a 51-50 lead with 2:48 left.
• Ballard holds a 49-44 edge with 4:34 to go. Scott County has the ball.
• Going into the fourth quarter Ballard leads 45-40. Bud Mackey has come alive for Scott County, with 7 points in the third quarter to give him a team-high 11. Johonne Hamilton has 12 points and 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
• Ballard is on top 40-34 with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. David Stanley has hit two threes this half to give the Bruins a boost. Nine different players have scored for Ballard.
• HALFTIME SCORE: Ballard 27, Scott County 24. Not a pretty half of hoops. There were 20 fouls and neither team shot well. Ballard’s defense gave it a slight edge. It has forced 13 turnovers and coverted them into 12 points. Johonne Hamilton’s 10 points lead the Bruins. Cam Hundley’s 7 points lead Scott County. Matt Walls has 6 points and 4 rebounds.
• Timeout with 2:58 left in the half and Ballard is on top 25-22. Johonne Hamilton has 10 points to lead the Bruins. Scott County has 7 turnovers in this quarter and 12 for the game.
• Ballard’s defense has Scott County reeling. Johonne Hamilton capped a 11-0 run with back-to-back steals and layups to give the Bruins a 21-16 lead with 5:09 left in the half.
• It was a whistle-stop first quarter — 15 fouls have already been called. Scott County leads 16-12. Cam Hundley, who hit 13 of 13 free throws this morning, is 4-for-5 from the line and has 6 points for the Cards. Johonne Hamilton has 4 points for Ballard, which is 4-for-15 from the field.
• Ballard leads 9-8 on Wesley Cox’s three with 2:50 left in the first quarter. Scott County’s Bud Mackey and Jordan Lee are on the bench with two fouls apiece. Neither team is shooting well, which is expected in the early going of a hyped-up game. The Bruins and Cards are a combined 6-for-23.
• Scott County leads 6-4, but Bud Mackey has already gone to the bench with his 2nd foul less than 4 minutes into the game.
• We’ve begun. Ballard got the opening tip, missed two shots then got called for traveling. But Johonne Hamilton got a steal and scored on a putback for the first score of the night.
• Pre-game introductions are almost over. A wild guess at the crowd — maybe 16,000 or more.
• We’re about 30 minutes away from the 8:13 tip-off to the 90th Sweet Sixteen championship. The pre-game festivities are a spectacle, with spotlight beams skipping across the arena, music blaring, and video highlights from this week’s games flashing on the jumbo-trons. Ballard Coach Chris Renner, who has been through this twice before, said this afternoon that he told his players “the energy, enthusiasm and excitement in the gym tonight will be unbelievable” and that they should enjoy it. And in the pre-game show, “When the spotlight shines on that championship trophy, it’s really special,” Renner said.

No. 1 vs. No. 2 for Sweet Sixteen title

No. 1 Scott County will play No. 2 Ballard in the championship game of the 90th Sweet Sixteen tonight, just like it was mapped out four months ago when they were rated 1-2 in the preseason polls. As Ballard Coach Chris Renner said after his team dodged an upset by Warren Central this afternoon: “I think this will be a special state championship game because you do have the two best teams in it. I don’t know if that happens very often.”

Scott County is 33-2 overall, 29-0 against Kentucky opponents. Ballard is 35-2 and riding a 26-game winning streak. But stuck in the Bruins’ minds are harsh memories of an 88-67 loss to Scott County the first week of the season. “It was probably our worst game all season,” Ballard senior Johonne Hamilton said. “It’s a great opportunity to get play them again for the state championship.” In that first meeting, Ballard shot 26% (20-for-76). Twany Beckham had 15 points and 20 rebounds in that game, but he and Hamilton were a combined 6-for-29 shooting.

Scott County Coach Billy Hicks’ Cardinals played their best game of the tournament yesterday when they beat Holmes. They’ll have to play even better to beat Ballard. Guards Bud Mackey and Matt Walls (shown at left against Holmes) will have to handle the Bruins’ suffocating pressure defense and hit their open shots. Ballard attacks the boards like a hungry pack of, well, Bruins. In the first game against Ballard, Walls had 31 points and Mackey had 25. They shot a combined 19-for-41, including 7-for-14 on threes.

After Warren Central lost to Ballard this morning, Dragons Coach Tim Riley said, “I think maybe Ballard is playing better than anybody.” His key to the title game? “You can’t let Ballard get in the lane. If they do, they’re so athletic and so strong.” Riley also said Scott County will get some open looks when it breaks Ballard’s pressure, and when they do “they’ve got to bury those.”

Ballard and Scott County met once before in the state finals. Ballard crushed the Cards 71-47 in the 1998 championship game, denying Scott County back-to-back titles.

Final: Ballard 61, Warren Central 55

Updating Saturday’s second semifinal:

• 
• No. 2 Ballard moves on to face No. 1 Scott County in the finals tonight. David Stanley and Johonne Hamilton led the Bruins with 13 apiece. Jonathan Gholson had 11 points, including two key baskets in the closing minutes. Twany Beckham had 9 points and 8 rebounds. Monie Hudson had 20 points for Warren Central and Jeremy Anderson added 19. The Dragons made 21 turnovers.
• Warren Central had its chances. Down 57-55, the Dragons got an open three-point try by Joe Hood, but it missed with 40 seconds left. They got the ball back after Ballard missed the front end of the bonus, but Hood was whistled for walking with 18 seconds left.
• Twany Beckham has had a rough day, but he just hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to give Ballard a 59-55 lead. Beckham has missed 11 of 13 from the field and has 7 points. We’re in a timeout.
• Ballard is dodging some bullets. It holds a 57-55 lead with 18 seconds left. Warren Central missed a three and made a turnover in the last 20 seconds.
• Ballard is on top 57-53 with 1:55 left.
• Jonathan Gholson’s driving layup gave Ballard a 55-53 edge. Warren Central just lost the ball on a 10-second violation. We’re in a timeout with 2:58 left.
• It’s a tied ball game — 53-53– with 4 minutes left.
• At the end of three quarters, Ballard leads 48-46. Johonne Hamilton and David Stanley have 13 points apiece for the Bruins, who are winning despite shooting 34%. But their defense has forced 18 turnovers which they’ve converted to 16 points. Jeremy Anderson has 19 points and 5 rebounds for Warren Central.
• Photo: Ballard’s Jonathan Gholson rises for a shot over Warren Central’s Avery Driver.
• Ballard has turned up the defensive heat and is causing Warren Central a lot of problems getting the ball up the floor. But it’s still anybody’s game — Ballard leads 48-44 with 1:40 left in the third quarter.
• HALFTIME SCORE: Ballard 33, Warren Central 31. Terrific first half. Ballard got a late three and a steal and layup to edge ahead. David Stanley has hit 4 three-pointers and has 13 points for Ballard. Jeremy Anderson has 13 to lead Warren Central. The Dragons are out-rebounding Ballard 22-13.
• Warren Central leads 25-21 with 3 minutes left in the first half. Jeremy Anderson’s 11 points lead the Dragons, who are shooting 52%. Ballard is struggling from the field, shooting 32%.
• Ballard is on top 15-14 at the end of the first quarter. Warren Central missed two shots in the closing seconds. David Stanley’s 7 points lead Ballard. Jeremy Anderson has 5 for the Dragons, who are in the semifinals for the third time in four years.
• Warren Central is hanging right with Ballard through the first six minutes of the game. The Dragons trail 14-12. Jeremy Anderson and Joe Hood have hit threes to keep them close. Ballard’s David Stanley has hit a pair of threes for Ballard, which brings a 25-game win streak into the semifinals.

Final: Scott County 73, Holmes 64

Updating Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen semifinals:

• 
• Terrific free throw shooting (32 of 3 helped Scott County outlast Holmes. Cam Hundley hit 13 of 13 foul shots and had 23 points. Matt Walls hit 12 of 16 from the line and had 25 points. Bud Mackey added 13 points and 6 rebounds. Holmes’ Greg Rice had 26 points and 7 rebounds, and Arrez Henderson had 18 points. Scott County, the 1998 state champ, will make its first appearance in the finals since it lost to Ballard in the 1999 title game.
• Cam Hundley has hit 9 of 9 free throws and has 19 points, and Matt Walls is 7 of 8 from the line and has 22 points as Scott County leads 64-53 with 2:30 left.
• Scott County leads 47-31 going into the fourth quarter. The Cards went on a 16-1 run to take control. Matt Walls has 18 points. Bud Mackey and Cam Hundley have 11 apiece. Greg Rice’s 13 lead Holmes, which has 18 turnovers.
• Bud Mackey’s three-point play, and Cam Hundley’s layup off a feed from Jordan Lee put Scott County ahead 40-29, and Holmes Coach David Henley called a timeout with 3:05 left in the quarter.
• Scott County opened a 29-20 lead early in the third quarter, Holmes rallied to within 29-28, but Scott County is back out to a 35-29 lead. Matt Walls has 14 points to lead the Cards with 3:46 left in the 3rd.
• Photo: Scott County’s Bud Mackey spins away from Holmes’ Duran Jefferson.
• Scott County girls’ star Rebecca Gray, a front-runner for Miss Basketball, lost twice in half-time shooting contest when paired with another student. But Gray and her partner finally won the halftime game today.
• HALFTIME SCORE: Scott County 24, Holmes 20. Matt Walls has 9 points and Cam Hundley has 6 to lead the Cards. Arrez Henderson has 8 for Holmes. Scott County is shooting 37% (11-for-30). Holmes is shooting 42% (8-for-19), but has 12 turnovers.
• Matt Walls has hit an off-balance three, and a layup off an assist by Bud Mackey, to give Scott County a 23-18 edge with 1:50 left in the half.
• After building an 18-10 lead, Scott County has been quick on the trigger, missed shots and Holmes has rallied to tie it 18-18 on Greg Rice’s three-point play with 3:59 left in the half.
• At the end of the first quarter it’s Scott County on top 14-10. Matt Walls and Cam Hundley have 4 points each for the Cards. Arrez Henderson and Austin Hill have hit threes for Holmes. Since hitting its first four shots, Scott County is 3-for-15 but is owning the boards.
• All 5 starters have scored for Scott County and the Cards lead 14-7, prompting Holmes Coach David Henley to call timeout. Scott County is outrebounding the Bulldogs 11-3 with 1:01 on the clock.
• Scott County came out hot, hitting its first four shots and jumping to an 8-2 lead. Holmes has gotten its game together since. Scott County lead 10-7 with 2:44 left in the first quarter. There’s a lot of red in the building … both Holmes and Scott County have that as their primary school color.
• This state tournament has gone pretty much according to form so far. Our four semifinalists were rated among the top five teams coming into the tournament — No. 1 Scott County, No. 2 Ballard, No. 3 Warren Central and No. 5 Christian County. No. 4 Christian County was knocked out in the first round by No. 6 Clark County.

Final: Warren Central 92, Elliott County 76

Updating the final quarterfinal game of the Sweet Sixteen:

• Warren Central moves on to the semifinals where it will meet Ballard. The Bruins beat Warren Central 59-55 in the King of the Bluegrass in mid-December. Jeremy Anderson’s 25 points led the Dragons tonight. Monie Hudson had 19. The winners whot 61 percent (39-for-64). Elliott County was led by Jonathan Ferguson’s 25 points and 6 rebounds. Evan Faulkner added 18 points and 7 rebounds.
• Photo at right: Warren Central’s Jeremy Anderson looks for an opening against the defense of Jonathan Morgan.
• After falling behind by 28 points, Elliott County went on a 13-0 run to make it more respectable. The Lions now trail 86-68 with 2:30 left. Warren Central Coach Tim Riley emptied his bench when his team led by 28, but re-inserted his starters when the Lions came roaring back.
• Going into the fourth quarter Warren Central leads 72-53, so it looks like Elliott County’s dream season is coming to an end. Dragons’ star Jeremy Anderson, who didn’t have a field goal last night, has four three-pointers and 21 points tonight.
• Warren Central is still in control …. 60-44 midway through the third quarter. Monie Hudson and Jeremy Anderson have combined for 32 points for the Dragons, who are shooting a sizzling 62 percent.
• HALFTIME SCORE: Warren Central 49, Elliott County 35. The Dragons hit 60 percent (21-for-35) to build their big lead. They closed the half with a 14-4 run. Monie Hudson has 15 points and Jeremy Anderson has 10. Elliott County’s Jonathan Ferguson has 11 points and Tyler Maynard has 9. The Lions are shooting 43% (12-for-28).
• Warren Central is ahead 31-24 in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Monie Hudson has 9 points to lead the Dragons. Joe Hood is 2-for-2 on threes. Elliott County’s Jonathan Ferguson has 9 points and Evan Walker has 7.
• After falling behind 9-1, Elliott County has fought back to tie it 13-13 with 3 minutes left in the first quarter. Jonathan Ferguson leads with Lions with 9 points. Warren Central has spread its scoring around, led by Monie Hudson’s 4 points. Just like last night, Elliott County fans have turned out in big numbers.

Final: Ballard 71, Clark County 48

Updating the third game of the Sweet Sixteen quarterfinals:

• 
• No. 2 Ballard rolled to its 25th consecutive win in impressive fashion. The Bruins used a 23-0 run in the second quarter to put it away. They advance to the final four for the first time since they were state runners-up to Mason County in 2003. Twany Beckham led Ballard with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Preston Knowles had 18 points for Clark County, but hit only 7 of 20 shots. As a team the Cardinals shot 26% (13-for-50).
• Two-minute warning: Ballard is ahead 67-45 and has had it on automatic pilot for a while.
• After three quarters, Ballard leads 58-29. Clark County, suffocated by the Bruins defense, is shooting 22% (9-for-41). Ballard is shooting 55% (26-for-47).
• Ballard is cruising along with a 54-24 lead with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.Twany Beckham already has 22 points and 7 rebounds. He’s 11-for-12 from the field (most from point-blank range). Preston Knowles has 11 points for Clark County. He’s 4-for-12 shooting.
• Photo: Johonne Hamilton soars for a rebound in the first half last night.
• HALFTIME SCORE: Ballard 45, Clark County 17. The Bruins delivered the knockout punch with a 23-0 run that turned a 14-13 lead into a 37-13 runaway. Twany Beckham and Johonne Hamilton had 8 points apiece in the flurry. Beckham has 18 points and 6 rebounds. Ballard shot 61% (20-for-33) in the half. Clark County is shooting 19% (5-for-26). Preston Knowles leads the Cards with 8 points.
• It keeps getting worse for Clark County. Ballard has run off 18 consecutive points to lead 32-12 with 3:48 to go before halftime. Twany Beckham has 16 points. Ballard’s defense has forced 9 turnovers and has Clark County caught up in its high-speed pace.
• Twany Beckham is putting on a show for Ballard. He has 14 points, 4 rebounds and a couple nifty assists to help the Bruins to a 26-12 lead with 5 minutes left in the half. Clark County closed to within 14-13 on a Preston Knowles’ three to start the quarter, but Ballard has had 12 rapid-fire points. The highlights were an alley-oop fast break pass from Wes Cox to Beckham for a layup, and a no-look assist from Beckham to Johonne Hamilton for a gimme.
• Preston Knowles hit a three-pointer to cap an 8-0 run by Clark County to close the quarter and cut Ballard’s lead to 14-10.
• South Alabama coach and former UK Wildcat John Pelphrey is here, presumably scouting Knowles.
• Ballard is on top 14-4 with 1:30 left in the first quarter, led by Twany Beckham’s 8 points and 3 rebounds. Clark County has missed 9 of 10 shots. Ballard is pressing and trapping all over the court, and has forced 5 turnovers.
• Clark County is off to a rocky start. It missed its first 6 shots from the field and first two free throws before finally scoring. Ballard leads 10-2 midway through the first quarter. Twany Beckham has 6 points for the Bruins.

Final: Holmes 55, South Laurel 49

Updating the quarterfinals of the 90th Sweet Sixteen …

• 
• Holmes earned a semifinal date with Scott County. The Bulldogs were led by Greg Rice (23 points) and Austin Hill (21 points), who had all but 11 of their team’s points. South Laurel was led by Jordan Hammonds with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Ty Proffitt had 13 points, all in the fourth quarter.
• Greg Rice (21 points) and Austin Hill (19 points) have carried Holmes to a 48-40 lead with 1:53 left. South Laurel has called timeout to regroup after seeing the Bulldogs go on a 9-2 run to take control.
• After going scoreless through three quarters, Ty Proffitt has 10 straight points to trim Holmes’ lead to 39-38 with 4:10 left.
• Ty Proffitt just scored his first points of the game — 35 seconds into the fourth quarter. After missing eight shots, his layup cut Holmes’ lead to 37-30.
• Going into the fourth quarter Holmes leads 33-26. South Laurel led 26-24 but went scoreless over the last 5:57. Greg Rice’s 15 points pace Holmes. South Laurel is shooting 33% (11-for-33) and has 11 turnovers.
• Holmes leads 32-26 with 2:30 left in the third quarter. Greg Rice has 14 points and Austin Hill has 12. South Laurel star Ty Proffitt is 0-for-7 and still scoreless.
• Photo at right: Holmes senior point guard Duran Jefferson fires up his team.
• HALFTIME SCORE: Holmes 22, South Laurel 20. Austin Hill’s 15-foot jumper with 1:41 left gave Holmes the lead going into the locker room. Hill and Greg Rice have 8 points apiece for the Bulldogs, who are shooting only 31% (8-for-26). Jordan Hammonds leads South Laurel with 10 points and 4 rebounds. Trey Smith has 7 points. Ty Proffitt, one of the Cards’ top scorers on the season, has missed all six of his shots.
• Kejuan Arnold just nailed a three-pointer to cap a Holmes’ rally that has put the Bulldogs on top 15-12 early in the second quarter.
• South Laurel has hit two early three-pointers — by Jordan Hammonds and Jordan Bortnem — to take a 10-6 lead with 2:42 left in the first quarter. Trey Smith has a couple baskets for the Cards. Among the fans watching are former UK teammates Mike Casey and Mike Pratt, who are two rows behind the Holmes bench.
• The last two days South Laurel has had a shoot-around in UK’s Memorial Coliseum. When the Cards were there mid-afternoon yesterday, news had broken about Tubby Smith’s departure and media descended on the place.

Final: Scott County 68, Adair County 53

Updates from the quarterfinals of the 90th Sweet Sixteen in Rupp Arena:

• Scott County’s win over Adair County puts the Cards in the final four for the fifth time in 10 years. Matt Walls (shown at right celebrating the win) led the winners with 26 points, including 7-for-7 free throws. Jordan Lee had 9 points and 8 rebounds. Bud Mackey fouled out with 7 points early in the fourth quarter. Scott County improved its record to 32-2, including 28-0 against Kentucky competition. Adair County was led by Chris Lewis with 16 points. Darren Ballou had 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Nick Fudge added 13 points and 8 assists.
• Midway through the fourth quarter, Scott County has grabbed control. After seeing their lead shrink to 6, the Cards have surged into a 58-43 lead despite Bud Mackey fouling out early in the quarter. Matt Walls has taken over and has 22 points.
• Scott County righted its ship somewhat in the closing minutes of the third quarter and leads 43-32 going into the last 8 minutes. The Cards still don’t look all that inspired, but their talent advantage is showing. Matt Walls has 12 points and Bud Mackey has 7. Chris Lewis leads Adair County with 12 points.
• Adair County has out-played No. 1 Scott County in the opening minutes of the second half. The Indians have trimmed the deficit to 32-26, with Darren Ballou hitting his first two shots of the half. Scott County Coach Billy Hicks called a timeout.
• Photo below: Adair County’s Nick Fudge dribbles under pressure from Scott County’s Bud Mackey, left, and Jordan Lee.
• HALFTIME SCORE: Scott County 30 Adair County 18. Matt Walls has 10 points for the Cards, whose shooting has warmed up. They hit 11 of their last 18 shots of the half. Jordan Adams has 5 points off the bench. Adair County is led by Chris Lewis’ 6 points. Darren Ballou has 4 points and 5 rebounds. The Indians are shooting 22% (5-for-23).
• Scott County has opened up a 21-12 lead with 2:56 left in the first half. The Cards got a three-pointer by Tyler Portwood and a rebound basket by Cam Hundley to stretch its lead. Adair County is probably fortunate to be as close as it is. The Indians are shooting 21% (4-for-19). Darren Ballou, their leading scorer on the season, has 2 points.
• Scott County leads 10-6 after one quarter. Matt Walls has 7 points for the Cards, who are 4-for-13 shooting. Adair County is 3-for-12. The Indians obviously want a slow tempo. Scott County is trying to pick up the pace by pressing and trapping full court.
• It’s taking a while for these teams to get going. At the first timeout, with 2:25 left in the first quarter, Scott County is ahead 5-4. The teams are a combined 4-for-19 shooting.
• Scott County has missed 6 of its first 7 shots and trails Adair County 4-2 with 4 minutes left in the first quarter.
• We’re 10 minutes from a noon tipoff. Adair County is rated the 12th best team in the tournament while Scott County is No. 1. Can the Indians pull a shocker? It would take a near-perfect game. The 5th Region champs played well in beating Lincoln County 51-41 on Wednesday. They shot 50% and limited their turnovers, and they’ll need to match those numbers today. Darren Ballou, Adair County’s 6-foot-7 sophomore, may be the key. He had 10 points and 9 rebounds in the first-round win, but he’ll be facing a bigger opponent today. Scott County gave its starters considerable rest during its opening round win over Oldham County, so look for Bud Mackey, Matt Walls & Co. to have fresh legs.