The Appalachian Wireless – Riverside Prep Showcase

76 teams in 5 different gyms in Breathitt Co.

The 5^th annual Appalachian Wireless-Riverside Prep Showcase will be the biggest regular season basketball event in Kentucky with 76 teams ranging Chicago to West Virginia everywhere in between will be making their way to Breathitt Co. The Prep Showcase will tip off Friday, February 12 and run through Saturday, February 13 and will be played at the Breathitt High Coliseum, Breathitt High Auxiliary Gym, Jackson City, Lees College and Riverside Christian.

 Four of the top twenty five girl’s team will be in town including Sacred Heart, Mercy, Ryle, and Louisville Moore. The Breathitt Co. Lady Cats will face Mercy on Friday and Notre Dame on Saturday.

On the boy’s side, the Newport Wildcats will face the Breathitt Co. Bobcats on Friday then the Bobcats will square off 7^th region power Louisville Moore. Fern Creek, featuring Orlando Rutledge, will play Perry Central. Letcher Central will have their hands full as Eisenhower, Illinois rolls in to Breathitt Co.

If you’re a fan of high school basketball, Breathitt Co. have some of the best high school action in the state this weekend. The Prep Showcase will feature teams from Class A up to Class 6A .

            Riverside Christian and JET2Sports would like to thank the following sponsors: Appalachian Wireless, Kentucky River Medical Center, Jailer James E. Turner, Turner & O’Neill LLP, ICG Hazard, Tim Short Chrysler, Mountain Ford, Herald 7 Herald, Dr. Steven Howard, Pine Branch Coal, Citizens Bank and the City of Jackson for making this event possible.

By: James Elliott Turner II

In one of the best 14^th region All “A” championship games in years, Hazard defeated Buckhorn in overtime 82-79. Matt Day scored 27 points for Buckhorn. The Bulldogs were led by Josh Whitaker with 22 points.

            Maris Hovee scored a game high 28 points but the June Buchanan lady Crusaders fell to Owsley Co. in the finals 66-49 in the 14^th region All “A” championship game. Mika Turner led the Lady Owls with 27 points and 7 assists.

Leslie Co. blitzed Riverside Christian wining 103-27. The Eagles were led in scoring by Hobert Asher with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jared Robinson led the Rams with 9 points and 7 rebounds.

Richmond Model eased by Riverside Christian winning 73-38. The Rams was led in scoring by Chris Hudson with 10 points followed by Jared Robinson and Tommy Moore with each scoring 7 points.

Josh Salyers collected 18 rebounds to go along with 10 points but it wouldn’t be enough as Perry Central fell to Christian Co. 63-59. Anthony Hickey scored 26 points for Christian Co. The night before, Christian Co. snapped Shelby Valleys 53 game home winning streak with a 69-66 win.

Breathitt Co. defeated June Buchanan 78-67 behind Dakota Ritchie’s 31 points. Nick Noble added 13 points in the win. Clint Stepp dropped in 18 points in the loss.

Knott County Central senior guard Stuart Stamper’s 21 points in a win over Breathitt County pushed him past 2,000 career points. He’s the school’s all-time top scorer in boys’ hoops.

Around The Commonwealth

Travis Stepp’s 29 points boosted the Bullitt Central Cougars (5-10), who survived 43 points by Dwayne Gordon of the host Antheron Rebels (2-15). Bullitt Central held off Atheron 85-78.

Devon Thompson scored 16 to lead the Shawnee Golden Eagles over the Holy Cross Cougars 73-54. Shawnee  forced the visiting Cougars (10-8) into 23 turnovers. Reserve Jai Black scored 10 for Holy Cross, which shot only 23percent.

 Thomas Blakemore’s 15 point led the Ballard Bruins (10-5) over Irvington New Jersey 57-53.in the Toyota Classic at Scott County.

We Burn Coal Classic

The first annual We Burn Coal Classic will be held on February 4^th and 5^th at Riverside Christian. Teams scheduled to play are Riverside Christian, Hazard, Silver Grove, Powell Co., Wolfe Co., Jenkins and Oneida Baptist.

Appalachian Wireless Riverside Prep Showcase

The final touches are being out on of the fourth annual Riverside Prep Showcase for February 12-13. The Showcase will bring 84 boys and girls teams from Kentucky including Eisenhower High from Chicago and Scott, West Virginia. Four of the top 25 girl’s teams in the state are also on the schedule.

Clay Co. Edges Lady Cats 

The Breathitt Co. Lady Cats lost at the buzzer to Clay Co. 37-35. Kendra Noble and Eden Keeton led the Lady Cats with 9 points each.

Timmy Knipp led the way with 30 points in Elliott County’s 77-73 victory at West Carter. Craig Faulkner and Jacobs Ison both added double-doubles for the Lions. Faulkner had 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Ison had 12 points and 10 boards. West Carter kept it close with 13 points and 16 rebounds from sophomore Derrick Lawson.

Wolfe Co. was no match for state power Lexington Catholic loosing 81-50. Jaylen Beckham led the Knights with 14 points and Seth Beckham added 12 points and 4 rebounds.

            Matt St. Johns scored 25 points and hauled in 11 rebounds as South Laurel cruised by Whitley Co. 61-40.

            Stuart Stamper scored 18 points and dished out 4 assists in a Knott Central 65-58 victory over Hazard. Tate Cox added 10 points for the Patriots. The Bulldogs were led by Josh Whitaker with 18 points.

            Louisville Cardinal signee Elisha Justice poured in 20 points as Shelby Valley defeated Clay 60-42. 

Landon Sloan Transfers

Landon Slone has decided to take his talents to Pikeville College (Click image to enlarge)

           

Former Kentucky Wildcat favorite Landon Slone has decided to take his talents to Pikeville College. Sloan played one season at UK under then head coach Billy Gillespie

Morehead State Wins 1000^th game

            The Morehead State men’s basketball team rallied to knock off Tennessee Tech 77-64 for the programs 1000^th win. Kenneth Faried led the Eagles with 20 points and 14 rebounds.  Demonte Harper pitched in 15 points.

Around The Commonwealth

The visiting Lexington Christian Eagles (8-3) got 15 points from Sara Beth Barnette and 11 each from Kelli Mitchuson and Kelli Rinehart in the victory 47-38 over the Christian Academy Centurions (9-3).Allison Karst had 12 points and China Dow 10 for the Centurions

The host No. 6 Seneca Red hawks (12-2) pulled away by outscoring the Butler Bears 24-10 in the fourth quarter. Aaron Nance led Seneca with 19 points, and Kevin Shaw came off the bench to score 15, hitting three three-point baskets. Austin Fuqua scored 10 points for Butler (8-4).

Nick Roush scored 15 points as the visiting DeSales Colts (7-6) toppled the No. 17 St. Xavier Tigers 49-46. Nick Spalding and Michael Ising led St. X with 10 points each. Both teams have a 7-6 record.

C.J. Leslie in Lexington

            UK recruit C.J. Leslie and his Word of God basketball squad was in Lexington last weekend to take on Bluegrass Baptist. Word of God had no trouble winning 96-48. Leslie did not disappoint scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds

Bobcats play well in Harlan Tourney The Breathitt Co. Bobcats rallied from a third quarter deficit to knock off 13^th region power Corbin 79-78 in the Black Bear tournament held at Harlan Co. Justin Taulbee led the Bobcats in scoring with 19 points followed by Travis Terry with 17. Dakota Ritchie added 15 points followed by Nick Noble with 12 points. The Bobcats would defeat Letcher Central but fell to Harlan Co. 89-84. The Bobcats had four players in double figures led by Dakota Ritchie and Travis Terry with 20 points each.

Breathitt Bobcat 2nd Year Coach, Doug Noble

            Josh Whitaker scored a season high 28 points as the Hazard Bulldogs defeated Owsley Co. 88-62. Joey Meham added 10 points for the Bulldogs. The Owls were led in scoring by Timmy Murell with 14 points.

            Casey Co. defeated June Buchanan in the Twin Lake Classic held at Clinton Co. 60-57. Terry Spangotti scored 14 points and hauled in 12 rebounds in the win. The Crusaders were led by Clint Stepp with 14 points and 8 assists.

            In the Defenders of the Station Tournament, Bryan Station cruised by Dunbar 65-51. Joey Reed scorched the nets for 23 points and Aaron Wilson added 12 points for the Tigers.

            Chad Dumpford scored 24 points and Terry Jacobs chipped in 19 points as Paris defeated Estill Co. 66-53 in the Jessamine Co. Innovational

South Laurel upset Pleasure Ridge Park 60-53. Matt Watkins scored 22 points as the Cardinals (6-4) topped Pleasure Ridge Park in the championship game. Senior guard Jaquail Fowler scored 13 for the Panthers (6-1).

In the Republic Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic, Ben Watson led Highland with 17 points, Jack Stewart had 12, and Luther added 11 as the Bluebirds defeated Perry central 56-52. PCC was led by Tyler Mullins’ 16 points and eight rebounds. Cory Martin added 13 points and four rebounds

McCreary Central outlasted hazard 68-56 in the first round of the Republic Bank Classic. Aaron Watts led all scorers with 26 points and added six rebounds, six assists and three blocks for the Raiders.

The Scotties (6-3) shut out the Wildcats (0-9) in both the second and fourth quarters to win their third game in a row. Glasgow freshman Kelsey Greer scored a game-high 16 points. Whitney Williams added 11, and Shelby Ray had 10.

Butler (5-3) got 29 points from Thomas Blakemore and 16 from Jordan Wesson in the win over visiting Brown (1-6).Tristan Hicks led the losers with 30.

Jackson City eased by Riverside 81-47 last Thursday night. The Tigers had four players in double figures. The Rams were led by Jared Robinson with 18 points and 10 rebounds. In the nightcap, the Lady Tigers defeated Riverside 63-31.

The Breathitt Co. Bobcats have started the season 4-0 after the 109-87 win over Wolfe Co. The Bobcats are averaging 94 points a game.

The Breathitt Lady Cats have suffered two loses in the Republic Bank Classic. The lady cats lost to Community School from Florida 37-40 and to North Hardin 41-52.

Perry Central had no problem with Leslie Co. winning 76-40. Jordan Amis and Chris Noble combined for 28 Points. Henry Asher paced the Eagles with 11 points.

After Knott Central upset Fairdale in the King of the Bluegrass, Seneca blewot the Patriots 102-53. Six players scored in double figures as the Seneca Red Hawks hit 61.1 percent and surpassed the 100-point mark. Kevin Shaw, Aaron Nance and Martez Harris had 16 points apiece. Knott Central was lead by Tate Cox with 9. In the Fairdale win, Tate Cox had 16 points and 8 assists.

Earlier in the week, Knott Central held off Hazard 70-56. Stuart Stamper led Patriots with 18 points followed by Tate Cox with 15. BJ Combs scored 13 and Josh Whitaker added 12 in a losing effort.

Johnson Central had no problem with Sheldon Clark winning 82-60, Jason Parker led the Golden Eagles with 34 points and 12 rebounds.

Williamsburg squeaked by Barurbville 60-57. Jason Teller and Brent Baker combined for 38 points for the Jackets. With the loss, Barbourville falls to 3-3 on the season.

Bath County senior guard Taylor Maze, who leads the state early in the season with a 30.2-point per game scoring average, poured in 41 points and added nine rebounds and seven assists in an 85-73 victory over Bracken County.

East Ridge’s Jake McClanahan had 14 points and 19 rebounds in a win over Pikeville.

Whitney Belle Jackson had 18 points and six rebounds as Clay County beat St. Joseph’s Central Catholic (W. Va.) 43-40 in the Lex Cath event.

Around the Commonwealth

D’Carlo Hayes had 21 points and five assists in 10 of 12 free throws to help Male to a 68-55 win over Danville in the Defenders of the Station event at Bryan Station

.Fern Creek’s Orlando Rutledge had 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Tigers upended Henry Clay 58-54 in the Defender of the Station.

In a battle of top Miss Basketball candidates, Christian Academy’s Antonita Slaughter had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Lady Centurions downed Nelson County 47-29 in the Republic Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. Nelson County’s Samantha Drake had 14 points, four steals and three rebounds.

Bobcats Upset Bulldogs (Click image to enlarge)

The Breathitt Co. Bobcats had five players in double figure as they pulled off an early upset defending 14^th region champions Hazard Bulldogs. The next night, the Bobcats held off a pesky Letcher Central Cougar squad winning 87-80. Justin Taulbee scored 22 points followed by Nick Noble with 19 and Travis added 16 in the Bobcat win. Brian Roark scored 28 for LCC.

Zach Gayheart scored a game high 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Jackson City Tigers captured a road win over South Floyd. All region guard Pedro Sierra added 20 points and big man Josh Hollon scored 20 points in the win.

Bobcats defeat Bulldogs 1 (Click image to enlarge)

Bobcats defeat Bulldogs 2 (Click image to enlarge)

Victoria Shouse scorched the nets with 25 points followed by Kendall Noble scoring 19 points as Breathitt Co. defeated Powell Co. 60-55.  Leslie Spencer added 10 for the Lady Cats.

Dontarius Pittman scores a career high 32 points as Lee Co. got a district win over Estill Co.  Cade Berryman led the Engineers with 12 points and Jon Allen with 10.

Wolfe Co. placed four Wolves in double figures and they eased by Morgan Co. 75-63.

Stuart Stamper and Tate Cox scored 19 points each as Knott Central blew out Betsy Layne 85-63. In the game, Stamper became Knott Central’s all time leading scorer.

Matt Day scored a team high 30 points and collected 12 rebounds in helping the Buckhorn Wildcats defeat Owsley Co. 83-64.  Devin Evans scored 31 points and Timmy Murrell chipped in with 18 in the loss.

Josh Salyers scored 17 points to lead Perry Central over Bell Co. 63-53.  Jordan Amis scored 18 in the win. On Saturday, Perry Central defeated state runner up Central in the Farm Bureau Classic at the Expo Center.

Lee Co. defeated Riverside on homecoming 69-38. Jared Robinson led the Rams with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Daniels added 10. The Bobcats were led by Gus Wise with 16 points and 9 assists.

Knott Central Patriots cruised by Cordia winning 90-60.  Logan Bartum scored a career high 19 points and teammate Zack Davis added 14. Matt Stacy paced the Lions with 13 points.

The Lee Co. Lady Cats knocked off Jackson City as Beth Bowling scored 14 points in the win.

Around The Commonwealth

            North Laurel blitzed Owsley Co. 70-48. The Lady Jags were led by Sara Crawford with 18 points.

            Boyle Co. edged East Jessamine 80-70. The Rebels had four players in double figures.

            Gallatin Co. blew out Eminence 95-29. Brandon Carlton and Billy Jones combined for 43 points in the win.

            The Breathitt Co. Bobcats will begin their march to Bowling Green this Friday as the Bobcats will face Wayne Co. in the first round of the class 3A playoffs. Wayne Co. has a 4-6 record with wins over Casey Co., Jackson Co., Taylor Co. and Clinton Co.  This game  will be played at the Mike Holcomb Atheltic Complex.

            Noah Reed scored the go ahead touchdown in the final minutes as Clay Co. rallied to defeat Hazard 34-28. Turnovers played a huge factor for Hazard in the loss.

            Prestonsburg cruised by Pike Central wining 46-20.  Joey Burchett connected on 8 of 14 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown for the Black cats. Teammate Joe Jamerson ran for a couple of touchdowns in the win. This is the third time in school history that the Black cats have gone 10-0.

            Lexington Christian had no trouble with Corbin winning 41-21. Lucas Witt and Dominique Hayden each scored two touchdowns for LCA.

            Jordan Amis completed 12 of 18 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. When Amis was not throwing the ball, he was just as deadly on the ground running for three more as Perry Central defeated Leslie Co. 53-16.

            Sheldon Clark proved why their one of the best in the mountains with a 48-17 thumping of Pikeville. Mike Moore and Brad Stafford each ran for touchdowns for the Cardinals.

            For the fifth time in school history, Lawrence finished with an undefeated regular season record with a 42-6 win over Tolsia, West Virginia. Lawrence Co. had one of the biggest turn arounds in the state from their 1-9 season last year.

            John Dudley Hilton and Corey Davenport each scored two touchdowns and Bell Co. blew out Harlan Co. 41-14.  Bell Co. has a 9-1 record heading into the playoffs.

            Logan and Hunter Crowder combined for three touchdown as Allen Central improved to 9-1 with a 38 – 32 win over Knott Co. Central.

            Tim Farley accounted for three touchdowns as Raceland defeated Russell 27-15.

Around The Commonwealth

            In a Northern KY slugfest, Covington Catholic outlasts Dixie Heights winning 39-34. Brayden Erpenbeck completed 17 of 35 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown in the win.

            Defending state champ Central defeated Pleasure Ridge Park 18-0. Tim Patterson and Chris King each found the end zone in the win.

Undefeated Teams in Kentucky

            In class 2A Murray, FT. Campbell and Prestonsburg are undefeated. In class 3A, only Somerset and Mason have a perfect record. There are three schools in class 4A that are unblemished with Lawrence Co., Boyle Co., Allen Co. Scottsville. In class 5A, Highlands and John Hardin are undefeated.  Every team has suffered losses in class 1A and class 6A.

Bobcats win without taking the field (Click to enlarge image)

The flu bug struck the Magoffin Co. Hornets football team causing the administration to cancel their game with the Breathitt Co. Bobcats on Friday. With the forfeit, the Bobcats claim the district championship and the number one seed. At press time, it’s unclear who the Bobcats will face in the first round of the playoffs.
With this Friday being an open date, the Bobcats will out of action for two weeks. This should be enough time for some key Bobcats players to heal some nagging injuries and for the coaching staff to fine tune their offense. The Bobcats will play their first round playoff game at the Mike Holcomb Athletic Complex.
 
Robbie Huff caught a touchdown pass and ran in a two point conversion as Letcher Central whipped North Laurel 36-20.
Pulaski Co. won their first ever district title as the Maroons defeated Mercer Central 47-25. In the win, Tyler Stone became the Maroons set the all time tackles record.
Belfry has won their sixth  in a row in route to a 48-0 win over East Ridge. The Pirates will face Johnson Central who defeated Montgomery Co. 43-6 this Friday.  The Warriors will tackle Shelby Valley in their last regular season game.
Bell Co. blew out McCreary Central 63-0. The Bobcats have now won eight in a row and will be at home against Harlan Co.
 In a shoot out, Leslie Co. edged Knott Central 41-40. Tony Hensley and Dougie Allen scored two touchdowns each in the Eagles win.
 
Around The Commonwealth
Louisville Trinity used a ball control offense as the Shamrocks defeated Ballard 21-14 in a come from behind victory.
Dominique Hayden rushed for two touchdowns as Lexington Christian shutout Fairview 43-0. Hayden is now the schools all time points leader with 723 points.
Ronjo Morris ran for four touchdowns and 159 yards as Male blew out Fern Creek 53-13.
Jake Wegel kicked a 23 yard field goal in the final minutes as Oldham Co. defeated Anderson 10-7. Anderson Co. dropped to 8-1 on the season.
Western cruised by Valley 27-6. Cordell Rickets ran for two touchdowns and teammates Orlando Wilson and Leon Mullins added touchdowns in the win.
Justice Commits
Mr. Basketball candidate Elisha Justice committed to the University of Louisville last week. The Shelby Valley guard averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists a game. Shelby Valley will be ranked in the top 10 in the commonwealth.

Bobcats Getting Their Groove Back

The Breathitt Co. Bobcats won their third game in a row with a 62-2 thumping of district rival Powell Co. Channing Fugate rushed for four touchdowns and caught another. Jade Haddix ran for 168 yards and a touchdown. Up next for the Bobcats will be a much improved Magoffin Co. Hornet  with a 5-3 record.

            Jordan Amis of  Perry Central has a stellar senior season, passing for 730 yards on 67 -110 passes. He has a total of 15 touchdowns and 1, 048 all purpose yards.  He is being recruited by Furman, Eastern Kentucky, and Austin Peay among others.  His Commodores were upset by Harlan Co. 15-14 last week.

Boyle Co. wore out West Jessamine 47-0. Rees MacShawn had 220 rushing yards to go along with 4 touchdowns. The Rebels are back on track with an 8-0 record.

            Andrew Link ran for 2 touchdowns as Harlan clinched a spot in the play offs with a 26-18 win over Pineville. Ben Cornett and Kenny Pennington combined for 133 yards for the Green dragons.

            The surprise of the mountains continues to be the Allen Central Running Rebels with a 7-1 record. The Rebels defeated South Floyd 52-6 with face cross county rival Betsy Layne.

            Bell Co. improved to 7-1 with a 69-7 win over Madison Southern. The Bobcats has not lost a game to a Kentucky this season. Up next will be a trip to McCreary Central.

            Pike Central blanked East Ridge 62-0. The schedule does not get any easier for the Warriors as they will tackle mountain power belfry.

            Letcher Central keeps proving why their one of the top teams in the mountains with a 52-20 win over Clay Co. The Cougars will host North Laurel this Friday.

            Lone Oak is slowly building into one of the elite programs in the state. With a perfect 9-0 record, look for Lone Oak to make noise in the play-offs.

Around The Commonwealth

            Lexington Christian running back Dominique Hayden set a state record with 117 career touchdowns in a 40-0 victory over Raceland. Teammate Lucas Witt passed for 4 touchdowns in the win and his now four shy of the 100 touchdown mark for his career.

            Brad Kragthorpe passed for four touchdowns and completed 19-24 passes for 334 yards and Trinity blew out eastern 35-7.

            Male shutout Southern 42-0 behind the strong play of Dexter Britt’s three touchdowns.

            Devante Pack caught two touchdowns passes to lead the Ballard Bruins 20-16 passed Seneca.

            Kris Taylor collected 101 yards and 2 touchdowns in helping Shelby Co. hold off Fern Creek 39-19.

Dribble Drive Craze

            When Eddie Sutton came to Kentucky in 80’s, the high school basketball coaches adopted the 4 pass rule.  The next faze was the Rick Pitino run and pressing style of play. With Coach Calipari in the Bluegrass look for high school coaches to adopt the very popular dribble drive offense.