March Madness and the high schools have champions

Kentucky high school basketball fans can bow down to the Cardinals of George Rogers Clark – commonly known as Clark County High School – who for the next year, can lay claim to being the current KHSAA Boys’ Basketball Champions.

As I noted in this space last week, the Valkyries of Sacred Heart High earned the girls’ title the week before.

Also as I noted here last week, it was a good BET that our own 4th Region reps, the Warren Central Dragons, had a good shot at claiming the championship title if the team were able to get past its opening round game against the Bulldogs of Male.

Well, the Dragons nearly did just that, winning that opening round game against Male and continuing to win through the brackets until they found themselves playing in that coveted Saturday night game – the last game of the season for two teams.

In a down to the wire contest, Warren Central lost to GRC, 43-42, after missing a final free throw that would send the game into overtime, then having the official miss the final call, ruling the ball was last touched by a Warren Central player when it clearly went off the foot of a Cardinal.

Oh well, that’s why we play the game.

Other KHSAA notes also tell us that the 4th Region’s Turner Buttry, of Bowling Green High School, has been named Kentucky’s 2022 Mr. Basketball while Anderson County’s Amiya Jenkins received the 2022 Miss Basketball honors.

Buttry will change his purple uniform next season for the maroon and white of Eastern Kentucky University, while Jenkins will don the blue and white colors of the University of Kentucky Wildcats women.

This year’s KHSAA boys’ Sweet 16 was a well attended event, compared to the most recent two years, 2020 when no one attended after the event was canceled due to COVID-19 that was just beginning to sweep across the country in March of that year, and last year’s restricted attendance event that saw just under 48,000 in the stands total for the eight sessions

This year’s total attendance has been announced at just over 85,000 fans for the week. Better, but still a far cry from the 140,266, set at Rupp Arena in 1987.

NCAA still playing, but I’m having a hard time caring

It’s still March Madness in the sense that there are still games going on, but I’m having a hard time really caring at all.

With Kentucky men and women going out early, Murray taking an early exit, Western not getting in and Louisville not even making the NIT or the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), I’m starting to think more about getting the boat cleaned up than seeing who is on the hardwood.

Still, there’s a few games to be played before we see which teams claim the crowns for 2022, so I guess March Madness continues – as miserable as it has become this year.

In the meantime – It’s March Madness – don’t call me until April