And then there were . . . 1+16

The girls’ finished up the 2014-15 season last weekend in Bowling Green and we have a new KHSAA girls’ Sweet 16 champion – and as it turns out one that Clinton County Lady Bulldog fans can connect to.

The Holy Cross Indians finished the season with a 33-3 record and after knocking out heavily favored Elizabethtown on Friday night, ended up meeting our 4th Region champion Allen County Scottsville High School for the championship contest on Sunday afternoon.

Clinton County met up with Holy Cross in the quarter-final round of the All “A” Classic state tournament in Frankfort in January, with the Lady Dawgs losing that contest 60-46. Holy Cross went on to win the All “A” Classic State Tournament.

Although you never cherish giving up a loss, being able say you fell to the eventual two-time state champion makes it a little easier to swallow (sounds good, anyway).

Now it’s the boys turn and for that we’re off to Lexington and Rupp Arena for that version of what is billed as the “Greatest Show in Hoops”

Out of the 16 teams, only eight were among the final Cantrell Top 25, with Ballard being the highest rated, followed by Knott Central, both of which are in the same bracket with our 4th Region Bowling Green Purples.

The Purples face Elliott County in first round action Thursday at 12:30 central time.

Likely this year’s trophy will go to Louisville in the hands of Ballard, or maybe to the mountains with Knott County.

Sad news from Louisville

Native Clinton Countian and now Louisville resident Sarah Anderson informed me this week of the passing of William A. “Bill” Kidd, a former head boys basketball coach at Clinton County High School.

Kidd, 87, led our Bulldogs for three seasons beginning with the 1954-55 campaign, through his final 1956-57 season here, finishing with a 37-40 win/loss record.

Clinton County was his first coaching job after he graduated from the University of Louisville, where he played for the Cardinals under then head coach Peck Hickman.

Some of the more recognizable names who played for Coach Kidd during his tenure here include, Tony Sloan, Sid Scott, Walton Haddix, Warinner Anderson, Phillip McFarland, Louis Brummett and Wayne Jones, just to name a few.

Among those who began their local playing days under Kidd, yet finished under his replacement, Lindle Castle, included Jim DeForest, Jackie Latham, Bill Perdue and J.G. Woodrum – again, just to mention a few.

I only met Coach Kidd on one occasion, when he was visiting with Tony Sloan many years ago while on one of his many fishing trips to Lake Cumberland and Sloan’s marina at the time, Grider Hill Dock.

His height was certainly one of his most impressive features that I can remember from our introduction, and his obituary this week noted that he enjoyed joking about it, telling people he was 5’ 19” tall when they asked.

Leftovers – II

Leftover notes from a long, cold and weather-dodging season that keep surfacing in my head, and here are a couple of more that I had intended on throwing out earlier in the year and they somehow just slipped through the cracks in my brain.

Both deal with long distance fans I encountered during the season, beginning with the All “A” Classic girls state tournament in Frankfort back in late January.

While I ran into fans from across the area who now reside in Frankfort as well as Louisville and Lexington – both just “down the road” from the Frankfort tournament site on either side, likely the fan who traveled the furthest to watch the Lady Bulldogs in action was former Lady Dawg head coach Ronnie Guffey.

Guffey, who left the bench for retirement after taking the girls to the KHSAA Sweet 16 championship game in 2005, couldn’t give me a firm answer about how long it took him to get from his home in Murray, Kentucky to Frankfort for the game, explaining (with a laugh) that he had to stop more often to eat and for bathroom breaks than he used to.

This week’s second long distance fan award goes out to Alex Tallent, a former Bulldog player who wore the blue and white for Clinton County from 2004-07, has earned the long-distance Booster Club auction bidder award.

Using the “snap-chat” feature to tune in to the WANY on-line sports broadcasts, Alex called in during the auction to place a few bids on items being featured during the program.

I made the comment that he might be home for a visit while listening, or he could in fact be listening live from his home now in Las Vegas. Turns out, the latter was the case. Alex sent a message that he listens to all of the games from his home across the nation now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Throw up the rock and let’s crown one more champion.

It’s March in Kentucky – don’t call me until April!