Tourney time in Kentucky – part 2

And the thinning process continues among the ranks of Kentucky High School basketball teams.

District tournament competitions from Murray to Morehead and Paducah to Pikeville were held last week in Kentucky High Schools, and for many of those schools – including one here in Clinton County – that process brought to an end the roundball season of 2012-13.

Our Lady Bulldogs saw their season come to a close last Tuesday night in Burkesville when they fell victim to the Lady Hornets of Metcalfe County in opening round action.

While we’re here – congratulations are in order for our Lady Dawgs this season as well as to Coach Darrell Thompson and his staff on the strides this young club made between the opening game and last week’s District Tournament. At the start of the year, they were a group of young girls struggling to come together as a team and by last Tuesday night, they had developed into a contender.

You can’t ask for more than that, and with the youth this year’s Lady Dawgs had with only one senior – good things are ahead again – mark it down.

In boys’ play, as we reported last week, the Bulldogs headed into last week’s championship game Thursday after the opening round victory over Metcalfe County, facing a very strong, mature, athletic and big Laker team from Russell County.

A battle to the end, our Dawgs eventually lost that championship game, picked up a 16th District Runner-up trophy, then moved on to this week’s 4th Regional Tournament in Bowling Green.

Congrats also to the Dawgs and Coach Todd Messer on a great season and that Runner-up finish. It’s not what you were hoping for, but you put up a great effort Thursday night, lost to a formidable opponent and you were still practicing and playing this week – something that by now, the majority of the teams were not doing.

The Dawgs played in Tuesday night’s opening round of the 4th Region Tournament in Bowling Green – a game the was played too late for this week’s issue .

Semi finals for the boys’ 4th are slated for Friday night, with the championship game to be played Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Mixed in between those boys games are the girls’ 4th Region action, which begins at Barren County High Wednesday and Thursday and finishes up at WKU for the semis and finals next Monday and Tuesday. Our 16th District is represented by champions Russell County and runners-up Metcalfe.

Of course from here, we head into next week’s Sweet 16, beginning with the boys’ play in Rupp Arena that gets underway Wednesday March 6, and for the first time since the stone age – sees a championship game held on Sunday.

I’ll be interested to see if the KHSAA actually gives out true attendance numbers for Sunday’s championship game, or instead gives out the listing for the number of tickets sold, which will not be a fair representation of the attendance. For instance – it better be a very good matchup, or I’m positive the Gibson vehicle will already be on it’s way home by Sunday afternoon – with two paid tickets in tow, and that will be the first championship game we’ve missed in many, many years!

Still – it’s the best time of year for Kentucky High School basketball fans as we try to squeeze in every possible game before that dreaded gameless stretch between March and December.

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