Dawgs lose heartbreaker in All ‘A’ finals

Posted January 28, 2015 at 3:41 pm

DSC_4778.jpg

With 5.4 seconds remaining in regulation, Keifer Dalton knocked down a three pointer to send the game into overtime against Monroe County in the 4th Region All “A” Classic Finals. Monroe County hit one free throw in overtime to take the lead, while Clinton County was unable to score in the extra minutes. The Dawgs lost the game, 53-52, and move to 15-7 on the year.

DSC_4421.jpg

Kyle Choate went up for a shot during Clinton County’s All “A” semi-finals game against Cumberland County Thursday night.

DSC_4765.jpg

Glen England put up a shot during Clinton County’s game against Monroe County during the finals of the 4th Region All “A” Classic. Clinton County lost the game in overtime, 53-52.

DSC_4831.jpg

Clinton County was awarded runners-up in the 4th Region All “A” Classic Tournament Friday night.

DSC_4815.jpg

Ethan Smith, Lance Claywell and Keifer Dalton were selected to the 4th Region All “A” Classic All Tournament Team after the conclusion of Friday night’s game against Monroe County. Claywell was also named on the All “A” Academic Team.

The Clinton County Bulldogs defeated Cumberland County in the semi-finals of the All “A” Classic Regional Tournament, 95-34, but was defeated by Monroe County in the finals in overtime, 53-52.

Clinton County 52

Monroe County 53

The Bulldogs hosted the finals of the All “A” Classic Regional Tournament Friday night at The Castle. Clinton County took on Monroe County with an 18-2 record on the year.

Clinton County’s previous match up against the Falcons saw the Dawgs lose by two points, 60-58. This game was much closer, but had the same outcome.

During the first quarter, Clinton County struggled from the floor. The Dawgs fell behind, 10-2, but an 8-4 run put the Dawgs down by four at the end of the first quarter, 18-14.

Clinton County continued its run in the second quarter, putting together a 6-2 run to tie the game at 20 with 3:39 on the clock.

Monroe County hit a three pointer to regain the lead, 23-20, which ended up being the halftime score.

Lance Claywell hit a three pointer at the beginning of the third period to tie the score again, 23-23 and for the most part, Clinton County stayed within reach of the lead throughout the third period until the final two minutes.

With 2:09 on the clock, Claywell cut the lead to five points on a field goal, but a three pointer by Monroe County as the buzzer sounded to end the third, put the Falcons up by eight, 40-32.

Monroe added four more points to the board on back-to-back field goals to reach a 12 point lead with 6:23 remaining in the game.

The Bulldogs then kicked it into high gear and started chipping away at the Monroe County lead.

With 1:19 remaining, Clinton County was down by five points, 49-44.

With 1:08 on the clock, Clinton County held up defensively and a 10 second call was made on Monroe County, giving Clinton County the ball. Clinton County couldn’t score on that possession and was forced to foul Monroe County, sending them to the foul line. Monroe County missed both free throws, giving Clinton County another chance to cut the lead.

Without a basket in the previous possession, Clinton County was forced to foul again and Monroe County hit one of two this time from the line to grab a 50-46 lead.

Ethan Smith was fouled under the goal with 34 seconds remaining where he hit one of two from the line to cut Monroe County’s lead to three points, 50-47.

Monroe County was sent to the line again with 30.9 on the clock, hitting two of two for a 52-47 lead.

With 15.6 on the clock in regulation, Clinton County’s Smith was sent to the line after hitting a basket and cutting the lead to three points, 52-49.

Smith missed the free throw and Monroe was sent to the line again. The Falcons missed both free throws giving the ball back to Clinton County for one last shot at sending the game into overtime.

Claywell had the ball past the three point line on the right side when an overhead pass to Keifer Dalton was made with seconds winding down.

Dalton caught the ball and went up for the shot with less than six seconds on the clock. With a defender in his face, Dalton knocked down the three pointer to tie the score and send the game into overtime, 52-52.

Both teams were scoreless in the overtime period until the final 14.3 seconds. Monroe County was sent to the line for two shots, hitting only one for a one point lead, 53-52.

Clinton County’s Dalton brought the ball down the floor and drove the lane where a Monroe County player set up to take a charge. Dalton was called for the foul, his fifth, and the ball was given back to Monroe County with 6.6 seconds remaining.

The inbounds play Monroe County ran brought another player out of bounds and the ball was thrown to him. Since a basket wasn’t made on the previous possession, Monroe County ran the baseline, thus, turning the ball over to Clinton County for the final shot.

With 6.6 remaining, Clinton County had several attempts for the win, but couldn’t get the ball in the basket, allowing Monroe County to take the one point victory, 53-52. The Dawgs moved to 15-7 on the year with the loss.

Individual scoring for Clinton County was:

Dalton 15

Smith 12

Claywell 10

Langford 5

England 5

McWhorter 3

Nelson 2

Clinton County 95

Cumberland County 34

The Bulldogs made a statement Thursday night against the Panthers of Cumberland County in the All “A” Classic semi-finals at Burkesville, KY.

The Dawgs were hitting on all cylinders during the early part of the game and never really stopped until the final buzzer sounded.

In the first quarter, Clinton County poured in 33 points to Cumberland County’s four. The Dawgs continued to roll in the second quarter, finishing the half with a 59-14 lead.

Head Coach Todd Messer pulled the starters with 2:41 remaining in the first half to allow more playing time for his bench.

Cumberland County outscored the Dawgs in the third quarter, 11-10, but Clinton County put up 26 points in the final period, compared to the Panthers’ nine for the 95-34 win.

Individual scoring for Clinton County was:

Claywell 18

J. Collins 16

Dalton 10

Smith 7

E. Anderson 7

Smith 6

Langford 5

Summers 5

Brown 4

Gibson 4

McWhorter 4

England 4

Choate 3

C. Anderson 2

Clinton County will be back in action Saturday night at home against Allen County/Scottsville with the junior varsity starting at 4 p.m. and the varsity to follow.