Clinton County senior point guard Keifer Dalton, who has been a fixture on the hardwood since his 8th grade school year, has played his last basketball game in a Bulldog uniform, but his career is far from over

Dalton will next be wearing the red and white uniform of the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers.

Head basketball coach Todd Messer confirmed to the Clinton County News last week that the 6-foot guard had decided to walk-on for the Division I Hilltoppers beginning next season.

“It is great to see Keifer’s hard work and dedication be rewarded with the opportunity to play Division I basketball at Western Kentucky University,” Messer told the Clinton County News Monday afternoon. “It has been a tremendous pleasure to be his coach for the past six years and watch him develop as a player and mature into an outstanding young man”

Although Dalton had several offers from smaller programs, he had been leaning toward the offer from WKU to walk-on and play for the Division I Hilltoppers for some time.

The senior guard is the son of Keith and Charlotte Dalton of Albany.

Certainly a future member of the Clinton County High School Wall of Fame, Dalton leaves his high school career with a vast collection of records set while leading the Bulldogs since his 8th grade school year when he first stepped into the starting point guard position for Coach Messer.

Among those records was the one that saw him recognized during a home game in January after he had become the school’s leading point scorer for boys’ basketball, surpassing a record that had been set by Kenneth “Chuck” Conner, which had stood for more than 50 years.

Conner presented Keifer the basketball that he was playing with in a Montgomery County High School holiday tournament when he scored his 1,888the career point to become the new all-time point leader for Clinton County.

When Dalton’s high school career ended in the 4th Region Tournament this past winter, he had made 2,158 points.

Clinton County finished the season last year with an 18-12 record, losing a down to the wire contest in the 4th Region Tournament to eventual 4th Region Champion and Sweet 16 runner-up, Bowling Green.

Ironically, the last high school basketball game Dalton played in will be the same floor he will call home throughout his college playing career in E.A. Diddle Arena.

Dalton also ranks number one in a half-dozen other categories, including: most assists (602), most steals (362), most field goals made (773), most free throws made (541), and most games played (165) as well as the most assists in a single game (15).

Additionally, Dalton is among the leaders in several other categories of statistics, including being the only Bulldog to have scored 500 points in three separate seasons, with 515 in 2013 (20th), 521 in 2015 (18th) and 567 in 2014 (11th).

The only other players to put together consecutive 500 point seasons were Kenneth Conner and Larry Hatfield who achieved 500 point seasons twice in their careers.

Other top statistical categories include his rankings in assists, with 150 in 2015 (4th), 134 in 2012 and 2014 (6th) and 109 in 2013 (9th).

He is the only player to have racked up more than 100 assists in more than three seasons. Storm Burchett and Tim Moons achieved the 100 plus assists achievement in two seasons.

Dalton also moved into the 500 Rebound Club this past season, finishing his career in 12th place with 518 and he is second in Bulldog rankings in the charges taken category with 66.

As a senior, Dalton averaged 17.8 points, five assists and three steals per game.

Messer noted that knowing Dalton as he does, he expects to see Keifer work himself into an important role with the Hilltoppers.

“He is a tenacious competitor with a tireless work-ethic and a sincere desire to do whatever it takes to help his team win,” Messer said. “It is because of this desire and determination that he will not only play but will have a great career at WKU.”