Martin Luther King, Jr. Classic

Henry Clay High School, Lexington, Kentucky
January 17, 2004

Copyright © 2004 Ron Harrison

This event will showcase the 43rd District teams (Paul Dunbar, Lafayette, Bryan Station, Henry Clay, and Tates Creek) against invited teams from across the state. 

Today's Schedule of Games

12:00 PM -

Notre Dame Academy

vs.

Paul Dunbar

1:45 PM -

Boone County

vs.

Lafayette

3:30 PM -

Perry County Central

vs.

Bryan Station

5:15 PM -

Apollo

vs.

Henry Clay

7:00 PM -

Paris

vs.

Tates Creek

Game 1  Notre Dame Academy (10-7) vs. Paul Dunbar (4-9)

Notre Dame Academy coach Cheryl Darpel started the following lineup:  5-10 Sr. Jessica Albanese, 5-7 Jr. Leslie King, 5-9 So. Danielle Wachs, 5-7 Jr. Hillary Johnson, and 5-4 Sr. Kirsten Leininger.   Paul Dunbar coach Rick Griffith countered with 5-11 Sr. Dominique Rowe, 5-8 Jr. Erika Lamanna, 5-10 Sr. Cathy Schaffer, 5-3 So. Ranthony Clark, and 5-7 8th grader Briana Green.

Notre Dame led 46-43 in the final quarter before Dunbar rallied to gain a 56-49 victory.  This was truly a game of runs as Dunbar raced out to a 12-1 lead in the first quarter only to trail 27-22 at halftime.  Notre Dame led 35-22 in the third quarter before Dunbar rallied to cut the deficit to 5, 35-30, at the end of three quarters.  Notre Dame surged again in the fourth quarter to 42-33 before Dunbar went on a 23-7 run to settle the issue.  Ebonie Graham and Briana Green combined for 17 points in the final period to lead Dunbar’s victorious comeback.

Dunbar shot 37.3% from the field, connected on 17-22 free throws, and pulled down 25 rebounds, while Notre Dame shot 47.5%, was six of 11 from the free throw line, and grabbed 33 rebounds.  Turnovers doomed Notre Dame today as Dunbar scored 28 points off 28 Notre Dame turnovers.

Dunbar had a balanced attack today led by Ranthony Clark, 5-5 Fr. Ebonie Graham, and Briana Green with 12, 12, and 11 points respectively.  Dominique Rowe added 10 points, pulled down nine bounds, and recorded four steals.  Notre Dame was led by Jessica Albanese with 15 points and six rebounds.  Hillary Johnson added 11 points.  Danielle Wachs scored four points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Notre Dame Academy

9

18

8

14

-

49

Paul Dunbar

12

10

8

26

-

56

 

Notre Dame Academy

(49) -

Albanese 15, King 2, Wachs 4, Johnson 11, Leininger 5, Bellew 1, Verst 5, Ward 6.

Paul Dunbar

(56) -

Rowe 10, Lamanna 5, Schaffer 4, Clark 12, Green 11, Wilson 2, Graham 12.

Game 2  Boone County (10-3) vs. Lafayette (8-4)

Boone County coach Nell Fookes started the following lineup:  6-0 Jr. Renee Daily, 5-11 Sr. Tangie Sellers, 5-11 Sr. Katie Madden, 5-5 Jr. Alicia Williams, and 5-8 Sr. Megan Fletcher.   Lafayette coach Allison Tate Denton countered with 6-1 Jr. Lori Colson, 5-9 Jr. Lucy Clark, 6-0 Sr. Catherine Strobel, 5-6 Jr. Melissa Fowler, and 5-8 So. Suzie Owens.

Boone County nailed 10 of 12 free throws in the final quarter to preserve a hard fought 48-43 victory over Lafayette.  Boone County shot 34% from the field, connected on 15 of 18 free throws, grabbed 33 rebounds, and scored 17 points off 20 Lafayette turnovers.  Lafayette was 36.4% from the field, connected on nine of 12 free throws, pulled down 29 rebounds, and scored 12 points off 16 Boone County turnovers.

Boone County was led by Renee Daily with 12 points, nine bounds, and four steals.  Megan Fletcher added 10 points while Tangie Sellers and Katie Madden chipped in with eight points each.  Lucy Clark led Lafayette with 11 points.   Suzie Owens added nine points and pulled down eight rebounds.  6-0 So. Katie Kelly came off the bench to add eight points.   

Boone County

10

15

9

14

-

48

Lafayette

9

10

7

17

-

43

 

Boone County

(48) -

Dailey 12, Sellers 8, Madden 8, Williams 2, Fletcher 10, Whalen 6, Findley 2..

Lafayette

(43) -

Colson 6, Clark 11, Strobel 2, Fowler 3, Owens 9, Travis 4, Kelly 8.   

Game 3  Perry County Central (11-1) vs. Bryan Station (6-6)

Perry County Central coach Randy Napier started the following lineup:  6-0 Jr. Britta Maggard, 5-10 Sr. Melissa Shell, 5-10 Sr. Brittany Baker, 5-6 Sr. Chasity Napier, and 5-6 Sr. Polly Sebastian.   Bryan Station coach Jackie Williams countered with 6-3 So. Crystal Leach, 5-9 Jr. Brittney Clark, 6-2 Sr. April Smith, 5-7 So. Bradli Stinson, and 5-6 So. Carley Blankenship.

Perry County Central scored 32 points off 25 Bryan Station turnovers and shot 54.4% from the field on their way to a 68-46 victory.  Bryan Station has a young albeit talented team but the experienced Lady Commodores took advantage of miscues to ring up their twelfth victory in thirteen outings.

Perry County Central was led today by Britta Maggard with 17 points and seven rebounds.  Polly Sebastian added 16 points, eight assists, and recorded six steals.  Melissa Shell and Brittany Baker chipped in with 12 and 10 points respectively.  Bradli Stinson led Bryan Station with 21 points.  Brittney Clark added seven points and pulled down nine rebounds, while Crystal Leach chipped in with six points and a game-high 11 rebounds. 

Perry County Central

13

15

17

23

-

68

Bryan Station

15

5

12

14

-

46

 

Perry County Central

(68) -

Maggard 17, Shell 12, Baker 10, Napier 7, Sebastian 16, King 2, Madden 4.

Bryan Station

(46) -

Leach 6, B. Clark 7, Smith 0, Stinson 21, Blankenship 6, Demetria Nichols 2, Howard 1, L. Clark 2, Rice 1.

Game 4  Apollo (10-6) vs. Henry Clay (10-2)

Apollo coach Jason Powers started the following lineup:  5-9 Jr. Natalie Hardesty, 5-7 Jr. Gabrielle Murphy, 5-7 Jr. Katie Cecil, 5-6 So. Latoshia Lawrence, and 5-3 Fr. Whitney Odom.   Henry Clay coach Scott Cromwell countered with 6-0 Sr. Mary Tobin, 6-1 Sr. Abby Currens, 5-7 Sr. Jessie Birdwhistell, 5-4 So. Lamisha Storey, and 5-4 Sr. Johnna Lewis-Carlisle.

Henry Clay scored 27 points off 24 turnovers to defeat a scrappy Apollo squad by a score of 69-54.  Henry Clay shot 44.9% from the field, five of 10 from the free throw line, and pulled down 28 rebounds.  Apollo shot 46.3% from the field, connected on 15 of 20 free throws, and grabbed 33 rebounds.  Henry Clay held a 31-19 advantage in field goals made. 

Henry Clay was led today by Johnna Lewis-Carlisle with 24 points, five assists, and five steals.  Mary Tobin added 17 points and Abby Currens chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds.  Latoshia Lawrence led Apollo with 15 points and seven rebounds.  Katie Cecil, Gabrielle Murphy, and Natalie Hardesty added 12, 12, and 10 points respectively. 

Apollo

10

11

15

18

-

54

Henry Clay

15

17

16

21

-

69

 

Apollo

(54) -

Hardesty 10, Murphy 12, Cecil 12, Lawrence 15, Odom 3, Carpenter 2.

Henry Clay

(69) -

Tobin 17, Currens 10, Birdwhistell 5, Storey 6, Lewis-Carlisle 24, Northcutt 1, Bibbs 4, Coleman 2.

Game 5  Paris (8-4) vs. Tates Creek (9-4)

Paris coach Terence Brooks started the following lineup:  5-7 So. Taylor Christman, 5-7 Jr. Natalie Tubbs, 5-9 Sr. Jessica Williams, 5-9 Jr. Brittany Thomas, and 5-5 Jr. Iona Caulder.   Tates Creek coach Jan Ulmer-Hintz countered with 6-1 Jr. Kristen Pendleton, 5-8 Jr. Shaquita Dowlen, 6-2 Jr. Brittany Pittman, 5-7 Jr. Derrica Morton, and 5-7 Jr. Philnesha Lindsey.

Tates Creek had to battle through three overtime periods to defeat Paris by a score of 57-51.  The score was tied 37-37 after regulation.  Tates Creek took a 41-37 lead in the first overtime but Paris rallied to knot the score at 41-41 and force a second overtime.  Tates Creek led 49-47 but Paris’ Jessica Williams hit a late field goal to force a third extra period.  Tates Creek’s Derrica Morton tallied six points in the third overtime to lead her team to the 57-51 victory.

Tates Creek shot 38.5% from the field, connected on 15 of 27 free throws, and pulled down 47 rebounds.  Paris shot 27.3% from the field, was six of 10 from the free throw line, and grabbed 44 rebounds.  Paris was nine of 35 from the three point line.

Shaquita Dowlen led Tates Creek in scoring with 16 points.  Philnesha Lindsey added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Derrica Morton chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds.  Brittany Pittman had a very active evening in the paint with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocked shots.  Natalie Tubbs led Paris with 20 points including five three point baskets.  Taylor Christman added 15 points and six rebounds while Jessica Williams chipped in with 12 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.     

Paris

10

16

2

9

4

8

2

-

51

Tates Creek

10

11

8

8

4

8

8

-

57

 

Paris

(51) -

Christman 15, Tubbs 20, Williams 12, Thomas 0, Caulder 0, W. Mitchell 1, L. Mitchell 3.

Tates Creek

(57) -

Pendleton 2, Dowlen 16, Pittman 11, Morton 13, Lindsey 15.

Conclusions
 
This was an excellent, well-organized event with some interesting match ups today.  Dunbar rallied in the second half to defeat Notre Dame which has one of my favorite players, Jessica Albanese.  Ms. Albanese brings a “blue-collar” work ethic to the game and has worked hard to improve her game.  Boone County is a team to be reckoned with in the Ninth Region race this season and, although Lafayette has had trouble finding their shooting eye of late, could be a threat come district tourney time.

Coach Randy Napier has a very solid Perry County Central squad with an excellent inside game led by Britta Maggard and an experienced point guard in Polly Sebastian.  Bryan Station’s coach Jackie Williams has a lot of young talent that could be very dangerous in the future.  The Apollo E-Gals were short in size but hustled and gave a big effort against Henry Clay.  Henry Clay has an excellent inside game in Mary Tobin and Abby Currens.  Johnna Lewis-Carlisle is capable of lighting up the scoreboard and coach Cromwell appears to have them starting to peak and developing depth at the right time.

Paris can be a dangerous team, especially when their three point attack is on target.  Even though they were just nine of 35 today from beyond the arc, they took Tates Creek to three overtimes before coming up on the short end of the scoreboard.  Tates Creek is a very interesting team.  This is their third coach in three years and current coach Jan Ulmer-Hintz starts five talented juniors.  Consistency and developing depth is the key for this team but while many think next year is their year, it would be a mistake to overlook them this season.

Dunbar’s Briana Green is considered a veteran player this year and she is only an 8th grader.  Based on the starting lineups in this event, the future looks bright for girls’ basketball.  Fifty starters took the floor today and the breakdown went something like this:  18 seniors, 21 juniors, nine sophs, one freshman, and one eighth grader.  Also many of the key reserves were underclassmen.

Acknowledgements

Congratulations to Henry Clay athletic director Becky Bushong and Bryan Station athletic director Susan Montgomery for all the work they put in to make this event a success.  Also, a note of appreciation to the Henry Clay coaching staff for the hospitality extended me during my visit.  Also, a special thanks to WL Stats for providing the computer stats for all the games today.   

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.