LexCath knocks off No. 1 Mason County

Lexington Catholic rallied from 13 points down to beat top-rated Mason County 79-69 in overtime in the finals of the Lexington Catholic Holiday Classic on Sunday night. The Knights, rated No. 3 in the pre-season, trailed the entire game until Vee Sanford hit a three-pointer from the left corner with 12 seconds left in regulation to tie it 61-61. Sanford then hit a pair of threes in OT to put LexCath in control.

This is the first time since 2001 that LexCath has won its own holiday tournament.

Sanford led the winners with 19 points, 11 coming in the last seconds of regulation and in OT. Taylor Stewart (shown at right in photo by Matt Barton) had 18 points for the Knights, and Jordan Smart had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Smart and Stewart were co-MVPs of the tournament. Nathan Novosel had 13 points and 10 boards, and Taylor Botkin had 14 points.

Mason County had the game under control when it led 61-58 and had the ball with less than a minute left in regulation. But the Royals had a turnover, and that set the stage for Sanford’s game-tying three.

Mason County’s Darius Miller misfired on a three at the buzzer to end regulation. The UK signee finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Russ Middleton had 19 points to lead the Royals. Trevor Setty had 15 points, and Ethan King had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Mason County (11-2) gets a rematch with LexCath (11-2) on Jan. 18 in UK’s Memorial Coliseum.

Here’s the all-tournament team: Jordan Smart, Taylor Stewart (co-MVPs), Vee Sanford and Nathan Novosel of Lexington Catholic; Darius Miller, Trevor Setty and Russ Middleton of Mason County; Jonathan Ferguson, Ethan Faulkner and Evan Faulkner of Elliott County; Landon Slone of Paintsville; Clark Stepp of June Buchanan; Michael Grimes and Mitch Shover of Covington Catholic; Ryan Young of Lincoln County.
Updating the finals:

• LexCath has taken control and has a 72-63 lead with 1:26 left. Vee Sanford has hit 3 three-pointers down the stretch, including the one that tied it at the end of regulation.
• LexCath has the edge, 66-63, and the ball with just over 2 minutes left in overtime. Vee Sanford has hit another three-pointer to give the Knights their first lead of the night.
• We’re going into overtime. LexCath’s Vee Sanford drilled a three-pointer from the left corner with 15 seconds left to tie it 61-61. Mason County’s Darius Miller dribbled down the court, stayed outside the three-point line and missed a shot as the buzzer sounded.
• Mason County has missed the front end of the bonus twice, but got the rebound both times. Ethan King just hit 1 of 2 free throws to give the Royals a 61-57 lead with 55 seconds left.
• Mason County is trying to hang on. The Royals lead 60-57 with 1:48 left and they have the ball.
• LexCath has the momentum. It’s cut Mason County’s 13-point lead to 56-55 with 5:30 left in the game. Royals’ star Darius Miller also has 4 fouls.
• Going into the fourth quarter Mason County leads 54-48. Taylor Stewart hit a buzzer-beater three to end the quarter. Stewart has13 points to lead the Knights. Darius Miller has 15 to lead Mason County.
• Mason County is up by 9 — 50-41 — with 3:21 left in the third quarter. Darius Miller is getting loose in the lane and has 6 points in the last couple minutes.
• HALFTIME: Mason County 42, LexCath 32. The half ended with some sideline fireworks as LexCath Coach Brandon Salsman was slapped with a technical foul with 1 second left. It came after Mason County’s Trevor Setty was fouled on a three-point try by LexCath’s Nathan Novosel. Salsman disagreed, and ripped off his sports coat and said something to the officials. He got a “T” for his protest. Setty then hit 5 consecutive free throws to give Mason County a 42-30 lead. After the Royals threw away the in-bounds pass, LexCath’s Taylor Botkin hit a 15-footer to trim the deficit to 42-32 at halftime.
• Russ Middleton’s 12 points (on 4 three-pointers) lead Mason County. Setty has 10 points. Darius Miller has 9 points. LexCath is led by Novosel’s 8 points and 5 rebounds. Both teams are shooting well. Mason County 52% and LexCath 58%.
• Midway through the second quarter Mason County leads 29-19. The Royals are 6-for-9 on three-pointers.
• Russ Middleton is 4-for-4 on three-pointers for 12 points as Mason County leads 24-13 at the end of the first quarter. LexCath’s defense is sagging on Darius Miller, leaving the perimeter open. Miller has 3 points.
• Darius Miller hasn’t taken a shot yet, but Mason County leads 15-8 with three minutes left in the first quarter. Ethan King and Russ Middleton have 6 points apiece for the Royals.

Here’s a recap of how these teams have fared against each other over the last 10 seasons:

• Mason County 73, LexCath 68 (2 OT), Jan. 2007
• LexCath 64, Mason County 59, Dec. 2006
• LexCath 73, Mason County 53, Jan. 2006
• Mason County 87, LexCath 69, Jan. 2005
• LexCath 82, Mason County 75, Jan. 2004
• Mason County 84, LexCath 81 (OT), Dec. 2003
• LexCath 76, Mason County 75, Jan. 2003
• Mason County 93, LexCath 89, Dec. 2002
• LexCath 73, Mason County 66, Jan. 2002
• LexCath 82, Mason County 80, Jan. 2001
• LexCath 72, Mason County 70, Jan. 2000
• LexCath 77, Mason County 58, Jan., 1999
• LexCath 91, Mason County 80, Jan. 1998

LexCath Holiday Classic hoops

It’ll be No. 1 Mason County (11-1) going against No. 3 Lexington Catholic (10-2) in Sunday’s 7 p.m. finals. Both teams rolled to impressive wins in Saturday’s semifinals:

GAME 1: Mason County 60, CovCath 42

• Mason County looked like the No. 1 team in the state in the second half as it rallied to win going away. UK signee Darius Miller (shown at right going in for one of his 5 dunks in photo by Matt Barton)  led the Royals with 20 points  and 7 rebounds. Russ Middleton had 18 points and 6 rebounds. Mason County trailed 24-20 at halftime, but it went on runs of 9-0 and 12-2 to take control. CovCath, which lost to Mason County 66-56 on Dec. 7, Michael Grimes’ 14 points and J.D. Schmerge’s 11. Colonels’ starting guard Chris Bondick suffered what was believed to be a broken wrist.

GAME 2: LexCath 82, Paintsville 64

• The Knights rolled to an easy victory behind Jordan Smart’s 24 points, including six three-pointers, and Taylor Stewart’s 23 points. Vee Sanford added 18 points, and Nathan Novosel had 13 points and eight rebounds. Paintsville was without starting point guard Blake Bundy, who was home with a back injury suffered in the quarterfinals. The Tigers had 9 turnovers in the first quarter and fell behind 25-10. That was the ball game. Landon Slone had 23 points for Paintsville, and J.D. VanHoose had 21.

NOTE: The third-place game between CovCath and Paintsville scheduled for Sunday at 5 p.m. was canceled. Neither coach wanted to play because of injuries and schedule restraints. The only game on Sunday will be the championship.

LexCath Holiday Classic hoops

The 24-team field has been whittled down to four semifinalists after Friday’s action. The matchups for the Saturday’s semifinals: Mason County (10-1) vs. Covington Catholic (9-1), 6 p.m.; followed by Lexington Catholic (9-2) vs. Paintsville (9-1). The championship game is Sunday at 7 p.m.

GAME 1: Paintsville 78, Lincoln County 72

• Landon Slone led Paintsville with 24 points. Shane Grimm had 22 points and 13 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. The Tigers withstood several Lincoln County rallies. The winners were clutch at the foul line down the stretch, hitting 15 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter. For Lincoln County, Ryan Young had 16 of his 24 points in the second half, including 9 of 10 free throws. Noah Keeton had 16 for the Patriots, and Ethan Spurlin 15.

GAME 2: Covington Catholic 76, Elliott County 62

• CovCath handed Elliott County its first loss of the season. It was closer than the final score. CovCath led by only 58-56 midway through the fourth quarter before Elliott County went cold. CovCath got several run-out baskets and hit 10 of 12 free throws to pull away at the end. Point guard Mitch Shover led the winners with 21 points and 5 assists. Luke Maile had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Elliott County’s Jonathan Ferguson, who had 38 points in the first round and 30 in the second, had 16 points in the third quarter today and finished with 29. CovCath advances to play either Mason County or June Buchanan in Saturday’s semifinals.

GAME 3: Lexington Catholic 70, St. Xavier 48

• Two years ago St. X stunned LexCath in the tournament quarterfinals here, hittingn a half-court shot to upset the Knights. LexCath Coach Brandon Salsman reminded his team of that before Friday night’s game, and the players got the message as they won in relatively easy fashion. Nathan Novosel and Taylor Stewart had 17 points each for the winners. Vee Sanford had 11 and Jordan Smart added 12.

GAME 4: Mason County 68, June Buchanan 58

• No. 1 Mason County rolled to a 38-18 lead midway through the second quarter and that proved to be enough of a cushion. June Buchanan made a couple runs, but could never get the deficit under double digits. Trevor Setty led the winners with 19 points and Russ Middleton had 18. UK signee Darius Miller didn’t shoot well (4-for-13) but wound up with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. He also guarded June Buchanan star Clark Stepp and limited him to 12 points on 4-for-16 shooting. Garrison Collins, a 6-10 junior, led the Crusaders with 16 points.

Looking back . . .

1948

Owensboro star Cliff Hagan has 23 points, but the Red Devils are upset by Eminence 39-37 in the Winchester Invitational. Owensboro led 37-31 and went to a stall, but the strategy backfired. Hagan, Bob Mulcahy of Lafayette, Don McGuire of Hazard, Harvey Hackworth of Madison Central and J.W. Johnson of Eminence are on the all-tournament team . . . Dwight Price’s 8-foot shot in the final seconds gives U-High a 40-39 win over Shelbyville in the Kiwanis Invitational final at UK’s Alumni Gym.

1961

Henry West of Paint Lick, who had 15 TD catches in football, is averaging 18 points and 16 rebounds for the basketball team. Coach Homer Proffitt says West’s speed — 10 seconds in the 100-yard dash — is a key to his success . . . Breathitt County, rated No. 2 in the state, beats Louisville Central 72-68 behind Earl Stevens’ 27 points . . . Defending state champ Ashland’s 21-game winning streak is snapped with a loss to Logan, W.Va., despite 27 points by Tomcats’ star Larry Conley . . . Dunbar star Austin Dumas is the leading scorer in Lexington with a 22-point average . . . Paul Williams of Irvine leads the Central Kentucky Conference in scoring with a 17.6 average, just ahead of Somerset’s Jesse Flynn’s 17.4 . . . Former Lafayette star Gay Brewer finishes seventh on pro golf’s money winning list with $35,297.

1996

Duke-bound Elton Brand has 32 points and 22 rebounds, but his Peekskill, N.Y., team loses to Harrison County in the Fifth Third Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic. Bryan Witajewski and Rob Ogden have 19 points apiece for Harrison County . . . Bryan Station’s Jaron Brown has 40 points, 12 rebounds, 8 steals in a win over Columbus Independence. Columbus star Kenny Gregory, a Kansas signee, has 27 points . . . Lexington Catholic wins its tournament and improves its record to 11-0 by beating Bryan Station 73-54 in the finals. MVP Shawn Fields has 28 points and David Graves has 18 for the Knights. In the third-place game, defending state champ Paintsville gets 15 points and 10 rebounds from J.R. VanHoose in a win over Harrison County . . . Apollo’s Natalie Powers has 28 points as the No. 6 E-gals beat No. 3 Scott County in the Lady Invitational of the South. Camille Cooper has 19 points for Scott County . . . Lavonda Johnson’s 24 points power Warren East past Montgomery County in the Lady of the South. Beth Vice has 16 points for the Lady Indians . . . West Carter freshman Kandi Brown has 23 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists in a win over Casey County in the North Laurel Invitational

Mason County falls in Hawaii

Kentucky’s top-ranked Mason County Royals are no longer undefeated. They lost to Rice (N.Y.) 59-48 in a tournament in Iolani, Hawaii, last night. Rice is rated No. 10 in the nation by USA Today.

Mason County led 40-33 early in the fourth quarter, but Rice rallied to tie it  47-47, and then the Raiders closed with a 12-1 run that included 8-for-8 free throw shooting. University of Connecticut-bound Kemba Walker’s 21 points and 9 rebounds led Rice. Xavier University recruit Chris Fouch added 15 points.

Mason County (7-1) was led by Trevor Setty’s 18 points and 6 rebounds. Russ Middleton had 12 points and Ethan King had 10. A Honolulu newspaper reported that Darius Miller had 7 rebounds, but didn’t say how many points he had.

Mason County still the “1″

Who’s No. 1 in boys’ high school basketball almost a month into the season? Dave Cantrall won’t have his computer ratings for a couple more weeks, so I’ll step into the breach and offer a top 10. (Shown at right is Elliott County point guard Ethan Faulkner at full throttle against Ashland Blazer in last year’s 16th Region final.)

1. Mason County (7-0): The Royals are in a tournament in Hawaii this week. They upset nationally ranked Mt. Vernon, N.J., last night and face No. 10 Rice, N.Y., tonight. Can they stay unbeaten playing hula hoops? Darius Miller & Co. will return to the mainland for the Lexington Holiday Classic next week.

2. Ballard (5-0): The Bruins opened the season with an impressive win over defending state champ Scott County, and smashed St. Xavier by 40 points last week. Ballard has a tough road coming up — the King of the Bluegrass, followed by a trip to Phoenix, Ariz., for a tournament.

3. Bryan Station (6-1): The Defenders gave Mason County a tussle before losing their season opener. They were impressive in a 35-point rout of Henry Clay, and showed great resiliency in rallying from 19 down to beat Dunbar. Bryan Station is hosting its own round-robin this weekend before heading to Daytona, Fla., after Christmas.

4. Lexington Catholic (7-2): The Knights let a big lead slip away in a loss at Covington Catholic, and they lost to a Florida team in a holiday tournament in the Sunshine State. Other than that they’ve been hard to handle. They host their holiday classic next week where they could have a showdown with Mason County.

5. Jeffersontown (8-0): The Chargers own victories over Madison Central and Paducah Tilghman and look like they’ll be a worthy challenger to Ballard in the 7th Region. They’re hosting the Gaslight Classic this weekend, then head to Miami, Fla., for a tournament.

6. Scott County (5-4): Ballard, Cincinnati Withrow, Chicago Whitney Young and Chester, Pa., have beaten the Cardinals, which means the defending state champs already have more losses than they did all last season. But don’t sell Billy Hicks’ team short, even if it absorbs a couple more losses in holiday tournaments in Fort Myers, Fla., and Myrtle Beach, S.C., in the next 10 days.

7. Elliott County (8-0): No team in the state is more fun to watch than the runnin’, gunnin’, three-point firin’ Lions, who are averaging 96.5 points a game. The defending 16th Region champs, who start four juniors and a freshman, are resting up for Lexington Catholic’s Holiday Classic next week.

8. Pleasure Ridge Park (6-1): No way to explain the loss to Louisville Holy Cross. The Panthers’ history tells me they’re still one of the top 10 teams in the state. They’re playing in a holiday tournament in Hopkinsville this weekend.

9. Covington Catholic (5-1): The Colonels had a great comeback win over LexCath, and their only loss was a relatively close one to Mason County. They could get a rematch with Mason County in the semifinals of LexCath’s holiday tournament next week.

10. Paducah Tilghman (6-1): The Blue Tornado lost by 7 to Jeffersontown, and beat University Heights by 7. That adds up to a spot in the top 10..

On the bubble: Adair County, Madison Central, Shelby Valley, University Heights.

Looking back . . .

1956

The Lexington Herald reports that Maysville basketball fans are in a “frenzy” because Woodie Crum’s Bulldogs, sparked by playmaker Allen Smith, are 10-0 . . . Porter Powers of Auxier leads the state in scoring with a 38-point average. However, his team is 0-9 . . . Flat Gap leads the state in team scoring, averaging 96.7 points a game . . . Louisville Central wins its 43rd game in a row with a 60-56 win over Douglass, which is led by Henry Bell’s 22 points . . . Lancaster’s Green Devils, led by Tommy Hurt and Hugh McCulley, lead the Central Kentucky Conference with a 4-0 record . . . Clay County Coach Spider Thurman predicts that the winner of the Tigers’ invitational tournament on Jan. 3-4 will go on to win the 13th Region title. Lone Jack, Barbourville, Corbin and Clay County are in the tournament . . . Donnie Duvall’s three-point play with 15 seconds left lifts Lafayette to a 59-56 win over Clark County at Wesleyan gym in Winchester.

1966

Wilbur Hackett of Manual, John Fuqua and Lawrence Brame of Hopkinsville, Hank Pogue of Highlands and Bill Green of Male are named to the 47th annual All-Southern high school football all-star team . . . Roger Greer, a UK football signee, is averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds for Jenkins’ basketball team . . . Rodney Brewer of Estill County has 29 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Irvine . . . Defending state champ Shelby County’s 23-game winning streak ends with a loss to Atherton, 52-49. Tom Frazier’s free throws in the closing seconds clinch the upset . . . Bobby Flynn of Lexington, William McClure of London, E.B. Maye of Prestonsburg, Walter Johnson of Grayson, and Nard Pergrem and Ted Conley of Ashland are assigned to referee the Ashland Invitational Tournament . . . Jim Ernst’s 22 points and Bobby Jobe’s 20 lead Lexington Catholic past Sinai Western.

1976

Harrison County coach Woodie Crum announces he’s resigning to take a business job. His Thorobreds, led by Billy Custard, are 5-0. Crum, who has an overall record of 425-190, had led his team to the quarterfinals of the Sweet Sixteen in March where they lost to eventual champ Edmonson County. ‘Breds’ assistant Virgil Jenkins will take over as head coach . . . Holmes’ junior standout Doug Schloemer has 33 points and 7 rebounds in a win over Bryan Station . . . Marty Gore and Jeff Riley combine for 43 points to lead Wheelwright over Sheldon Clark 82-79 in a matchup of the 15th Region’s top teams. Jimmy Stepp has 24 points for Sheldon Clark . . . Lexington Catholic’s Cheryl Warren has 24 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Madison . . . Lafayette sophomore Dirk Minniefield has 34 points and brother Kenny has 14 in a win over Jessamine County.

Mr. Basketball goes to college

University of Tennessee senior Chris Lofton, a preseason All-American, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s college basketball edition a few weeks ago. A three-point shooting artist, Lofton hasn’t painted any masterpieces yet this season (he’s only shooting 35% overall), but give him time. He’s got the best stroke since Michelangelo.

Lofton, who led Mason County to the 2003 state title and was Mr. Basketball in 2004, is one of five Kentucky Mr. Basketball winners playing college hoops. Lofton is the most famous. He’s scored more than 1,700 points and 345 three-pointers in his career at UT. He’s averaging 14.4 points this season for the Vols (9-1). He averaged 20.8 as a junior.

Here’s a rundown on the other Mr. Basketball winners:

Ross Neltner, Highlands (Mr. Basketball 2003): After playing his first two years at LSU, Neltner transferred to Vandy. He started 33 of 34 games last season and averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds for the Commodores. The 6-foot-9 senior is averaging 10 points and 5.5 rebounds this year. Vanderbilt rallied from 18 points down in the second half to beat DePaul in overtime on the road and improve its record to 10-0.

Domonic Tilford, Jeffersontown (Mr. Basketball 2005): Tilford signed with Cincinnati but wound up going to New Mexico Junior College instead. He’s now a 5-10 junior guard starting at South Alabama, where he’s averaging 14.3 points and hitting 43% (23 of 53) of his threes. He hit 6 of 11 threes and had 20 points in an overtime loss to Vanderbilt a few weeks ago. He was 3 of 6 from long range and had 15 points in a three-point loss to Ole Miss. South Alabama is 7-3, including a win over Mississippi State.

Walt Allen, South Laurel (Mr. Basketball 2006): A fabulous MVP performance in the 2005 Sweet Sixteen while leading South Laurel to the state title vaulted Allen to star status. He saw limited action in his freshman season at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., and he’s now a 6-4 sophomore reserve for the Blue Hose. He’s averaging 4 points and 19 minutes a game for Presbyterian, which is struggling mightily with a 1-12 record.

Steffphon Pettigrew, Elizabethtown (Mr. Basketball 2007): Pettigrew burst into stardom his senior year at E-town by averaging 33.6 points and 13.3 rebounds a game. Nobody expected him to step in as a freshman at Western Kentucky and light it up. But he is showing signs of developing into a consistent contributor for the Hilltoppers. Pettigrew, a 6-5 guard, is avearging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while logging 15 minutes a game for WKU (7-3).

Fact or fiction: 3, 4 or 6 classes in football

What timing. A few days before the six state football championships at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, while cleaning out some old files, I came across a yellowed newspaper clipping from the Nov. 26, 1980, Lexington Leader. It was a story I had written on the possibility of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association trimming the number of classes from four to three. Almost three decades later, it reads like fiction, although I’m not sure it wasn’t the right idea then, and maybe now. Here’s the main part of the story:

From Nov. 26, 1980, Lexington Leader:

Kentucky high school football, which has been played under a four-class system since 1975, probably will return to a three-class system by 1983.

That’s the word from Billy Wise, an assistant commissioner with the KHSAA . . .

“The feeling is that there just aren’t enough football teams in Kentucky to have four classes,” Wise said. “We got by with three classes from 1959 to 1974, and it looks like we’ll go back to that.”

Kentucky currently has 201 football-playing schools. As a comparison, Florida has more than 500 (football) schools but only four classes.

Remembering Rupp and the Purple Aces

After more than three decades in the business of writing about sports, my memories of past events are mostly blurred. But I have no trouble recalling this week 30 years ago, when the death of a legendary basketball coach was followed a few days later by the deaths of an entire college basketball team.

I was working for the Evansville (Ind.) Sunday Courier & Press. My primary beat was Kentucky high school sports, but I also covered some UK basketball. So when news broke on Dec. 10, 1977, that Adolph Rupp had died at age 76, I wrote about what Rupp had meant to Kentucky and the world of basketball. (Rupp is pictured at right with grandson Chip at a UK game in Nov., 1976.)

Three nights later (30 years ago today), I was in Owensboro covering a high school basketball game. Before the first half was over, the public address announcer paged Ernie Simpson, a former Union County coach who was in his first year as an assistant to new University of Evansville coach Bobby Watson. Simpson, in Owensboro to scout the high school talent, had an emergency phone call in the Sportscenter office. It didn’t take long for news to filter through the crowd: a plane carrying the UE Purple Aces basketball team, which had a game at Middle Tennessee the next day, had crashed seconds after take-off from the Evansville airport. Twenty-nine people died, including Watson and 14 players.

For weeks and months, the game of basketball became nothing more than a backdrop to the suffering of families, friends and fans throughout the Evansville area.

The memories of that dreary week in December, 1977, are still vivid, and so are the thoughts people shared at the time — about Rupp’s life of winning, and about the Purple Aces’ lives lost.