Martin Luther King, Jr. Classic
Bryan
Station High School, Lexington, Kentucky
January 18, 2003
Copyright © 2003 Ron Harrison
This event will showcase the 43rd District teams against teams from across the state. The 43rd District is rich in tradition and has earned a reputation of being one of the strongest girls basketball districts in the state. The state tournament appearances since 1975 are Bryan Station – 1976, 1994; Henry Clay – 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996; Lafayette – 1978, 1979, 1984; Paul Dunbar – 1997; and Tates Creek – 1975, 1977, 1985. Henry Clay claimed the state title in 1990 and Lafayette was state runner-up in 1979.
Some of the 43rd District distinguished alumni are: Tamaka Clay, Marcia Webb, Devonda Williams, Tari Young, and Sharia Young (Bryan Station), Demetria Bright, Shirley Bryant, Bebe Croley, and Shelly Nichols (Henry Clay), Natasha Alexander and Lea Wise (Lafayette), Whitney Horn, Marju Sober, Allison Tate, and Neeley Thomas (Paul Dunbar), Debbie Johnson and Kathy Peter (Tates Creek).
Today's Schedule of Games
|
1:00 PM - |
North Laurel |
vs. |
Lafayette |
|
2:30 PM - |
Perry County Central |
vs. |
Henry Clay |
|
4:00 PM - |
Highlands |
vs. |
Tates Creek |
|
5:30 PM - |
Woodford County |
vs. |
Paul Dunbar |
|
7:00 PM - |
Holmes |
vs. |
Bryan Station |
Game 1 North Laurel (6-5) vs. Lafayette (12-5)
North Laurel coach Rachel Gaynor started the following lineup: 5-9 Jr. Whitney Sumner, 5-10 So. Sarah Hughes, 5-7 Jr. Whitney Bundy, 5-4 Jr. Ashley Cornett, and 5-7 Jr. Amber DuFour. Lafayette coach Allison Tate Denton countered with 5-9 Sr. Mollie Kelly, 6-1 So. Lori Colson, 6-4 Sr. Kara Hamilton, 5-7 Fr. Katie Kelly, and 5-9 So. Lucy Clark.
Lafayette led 22-19 but finally started to distance themselves from North Laurel midway through the third quarter on their way to a 52-34 victory. This was a difficult game for both teams as Lafayette had a big district win over Tates Creek last night and North Laurel had not played a game in two weeks. Lafayette held a 40%-25% advantage in field goal accuracy and outrebounded North Laurel 39-24. Lafayette was led today by Lucy Clark with 14 points and seven rebounds while Kara Hamilton added 13 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. North Laurel was led by Whitney Bundy and Whitney Sumner with 11 points each.
|
North Laurel |
7 |
12 |
7 |
8 |
- |
34 |
|
Lafayette |
14 |
8 |
13 |
17 |
- |
52 |
|
North Laurel |
(39) - |
Sumner 11, Hughes 5, Bundy 11, Cornett 1, DuFour 3, Hoskins 2, Hodge 1. |
|
Lafayette |
(47) - |
M. Kelly 0, Colson 6, Hamilton 13, K. Kelly 5, Clark 14, Coats 4, Owens 3, Chestnut 3, Strobel 4. |
Game 2 Perry County Central (7-5)
vs. Henry Clay (10-5)
This game was cancelled because of unsafe driving conditions in Perry County due to snow.
Game 3 Highlands (7-7) vs. Tates Creek (6-8)
Highlands coach Jaime Walz started the following lineup: 6-0 Jr. Angela Healy, 5-10 Jr. Katie Konen, 5-8 Jr. Maggie Brown, 5-4 Jr. Abbi Gibson, and 5-8 Sr. Ashlie Berling. Tates Creek coach Jim Masters countered with 6-0 So. Kristen Pendleton, 6-2 So. Brittany Pittman, 5-7 So. Philnisha Lindsey, 5-10 Fr. Sibbie Marsh, and 5-1 Sr. Nicole Figueroa.
Tates Creek had to overcome a 15 point deficit in the third quarter to storm back to defeat Highlands 63-52. 4-11 So. Ginneria Harley came off the bench to score four key points in Tates Creek’s decisive run. Tates Creek held a commanding 48-32 advantage on the boards and held a 27-5 advantage on second chance points. The victors were led by Brittany Pittman with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Philnisha Lindsey added 16 points. 5-8 Jr. Emily Smith came off the bench to nail three three point goals for nine points. 5-7 So. Shaquita Dowlen also came off the bench add six points and six rebounds. Highlands was led by Ashlie Berling 21 points while Abbi Gibson added 10 points.
|
Highlands |
15 |
20 |
11 |
6 |
- |
52 |
|
Tates Creek |
7 |
21 |
11 |
24 |
- |
63 |
|
Highlands |
(52) - |
Healy 4, Konen 5, Brown 8, Gibson 10, Berling 21, Ripberger 4. |
|
Tates Creek |
(63) - |
Pendleton 4, Pittman 18, Lindsey 16, Marsh 6, Figueroa 0, Harley 4, Dowlen 6, Smith 9. |
Game 4 Woodford County (15-3) vs. Paul Dunbar (9-5)
Woodford County coach Jay Lucas started the following lineup: 5-10 Jr. Blythe Brown, 5-8 So. Destiny Mattingly, 5-8 Sr. Megan Foster, 5-10 Sr. Erika Rasmussen, and 5-7 Sr. Mallory Kirtley. Paul Dunbar coach Rick Griffith countered with 5-10 Jr. Dominique Rowe, 5-10 Sr. Jessica Hanson, 5-9 So. Adaeze Azubuike, 5-8 Sr. Brooke Marnitz, and 5-8 Sr. Becky Napier.
Woodford County shot 57.1% from the field and 66.7% from the three point line on their way to a 41-16 first half lead. They held a 50%-27% field goal accuracy for the game. The victors were led by Destiny Mattingly, Mallory Kirtley, and Erika Rasmussen with 27, 19 and 17 points respectively. Jessica Hanson led Dunbar with 13 points and 10 rebounds. .
|
Woodford County |
23 |
18 |
25 |
11 |
- |
77 |
|
Paul Dunbar |
11 |
5 |
14 |
10 |
- |
40 |
|
Woodford County |
(77) - |
Brown 0, Mattingly 27, Foster 6, Rasmussen 17, Kirtley 19, Nunnelley 4, Henderlight 2, Freibert 2. |
|
Paul Dunbar |
(40) - |
Rowe 4, Hanson 13, Azubuike 4, Marnitz 0, Napier 5, Greene 8, Clark 1, Lamanna 2, Tamaji 3. |
Game 5 Holmes (4-9) vs. Bryan Station (7-6)
Holmes coach Casey Sparrow started the following lineup: 5-8 Sr. Jonna Patterson, 5-8 Jr. Ashley Wimzie, 5-6 So. Deanna Jackson, 5-5 Sr. Deidre Moore, and 5-6 Sr. Crystal Ecklar. Bryan Station coach Jackie Williams countered with 6-0 Sr. Tracy Harbut, 5-9 So. Brittney Clark, 6-2 Fr. Crystal Leach, 5-6 Fr. Carley Blankenship, and 5-6 Fr. Bradli Stinson.
Bryan Station led 18-17 at halftime but finally pulled away in the second half to defeat a scrappy Holmes team by the score of 48-35. Bryan Station was led today by Tracy Harbut with 16 points and seven rebounds. Carley Blankenship added 11 points while Brittney Clark tallied seven points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Holmes was led by Crystal Ecklar and Ashley Wimzie with 12 and 11 points respectively. Jonna Patterson added five points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
|
Holmes |
10 |
7 |
13 |
5 |
- |
35 |
|
Bryan Station |
10 |
8 |
20 |
10 |
- |
48 |
|
Holmes |
(35) - |
Patterson 5, Wimzie 11, D. Jackson 5, Moore 0, Ecklar 12, Hayes 2. |
|
Bryan Station |
(48) - |
Harbut 16, Clark 7, Leach 5, Blankenship 11, Stinson 3, Demetria Nichols 1, Denetria Nichols 2, Perkins 2, Smith 1. |
Conclusions
The inaugural Martin Luther King Jr. Classic provided an interesting day of
basketball on a cold winter day.
The fans were disappointed that the Perry County Central-Henry Clay game
was cancelled, but the safety of the student athletes must come first. It looks like the future of girls’
basketball in the state is in good hands if this event can be used as an
indicator. There were 134 players
listed in the program for the 10 teams scheduled to participate. There were 34 seniors, 38 juniors, 38
sophomores, 19 freshmen, three eighth graders, and two seventh graders, which
should insure a bright future.
Coach Allison Tate Denton has the Lafayette Lady Generals headed in the right direction as they notched their thirteenth victory today. Tates Creek has a very young and talented team with 10 sophomores on their roster. Woodford County suffered a loss before the season as 6-0 Sr. Laura Swan went down with a knee injury. Ms. Swan averaged in double figures in scoring and rebounding. Coach Lucas has got his Lady Yellowjackets flying high, led by So. star Destiny Mattingly. Bryan Station graduates 6-0 Sr. star Tracy Harbut who has signed with Syracuse, but the future should be bright for Coach Jackie Williams as he has some young stars ready to step into the spotlight.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Bryan Station athletic director Susan Montgomery and coach Jackie Williams for the hospitality extended me during my visit. I would also like to thank WL Stats for providing the stats for the games today. Louis Meadows was in attendance today and he does a wonderful job promoting the ladies’ game. I truly appreciate the time Lafayette assistant coach Danny Ellison spent bringing me up to speed on the game. Coach Ellison is a walking encyclopedia of the game and cares enough to educate me on the ladies’ game.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the tournament, teams, or players to me at prephoops@yahoo.com .
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other basketball events appear on http://www.angelfire.com/ky/prephoops.