MADISONVILLE 83, CLAY COUNTY 57

Our final first round matchup featured No. 3 Madisonville-North Hopkins taking on unranked Clay County. The Maroons put on a dominant performance rolling to the quarterfinals and proving themselves worthy of their preseason ranking.

The opening minutes of the game were all Madisonville as Deljuan Johnson reeled of six straight points for the Maroons to jump ahead 8-2. Jacob Curry would score seven of the next nine points for Clay County as the Tigers clawed their way back to tie the game at 11-11 with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter. The Madisonville duo of K’suan Casey and Kenny White would score the next nine of the next twelve points as the Maroons reeled off a 14-2 run to take a 25-13 lead three minutes into the second quarter. Another Jacob Curry three-pointer with three minutes to play in the half, pulled Clay County as close as 9 points. Kenny White’s emphatic dunk in the closing seconds of the half was the exclamation point on an 11-2 Madisonville run that sent them to the locker room leading 38-20.

The second half saw the Madisonville lead continue to grow to as many as 31 points late in the third quarter as the Maroons converted 4 Clay County turnovers in 8 points. Clay County pieced together a 13-3 run to get as close as 42-63 in the opening minute of the fourth, but the Tigers never got any closer. The Madisonville lead grew back to as many as 28 points on two occasions with the Maroons advancing with the 83-57 victory.

Kenny White led Madisonville with a game-high 30 points and 15 rebounds earning Central Bank Player of the Game honors. Deljuan Johnson and K’suan Casey added 15 points and 10 points respectively. Clay County was led Jacob Curry with 21 points and Connor Robinson added 19 points and 9 rebounds.

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Next Up: 

Madisonville vs. Collins (Sat. 7:30pm) 

Clay County vs. Trinity (Sat. 7:30pm)

MALE 82, SOUTH OLDHAM 69

The third game of the evening featured the top ranked Male Bulldogs taking on No. 18 South Oldham. The Dragons, making their first ever KOB appearance, gave the Bulldogs an early scare but were outlasted by the tough Bulldog squad. 

The Bulldogs got the games first basket before going scoreless on six of their next seven possession as South Oldham jumped out to a commanding 12-4 lead midway through the opening quarter. A steal and basket by Jake Evans would pull the Bulldogs back to within 4 points at 10-14 with three minutes remaining in the quarter. The Dragons used a pair of quick 3-pointers by Luke Morrison and Ben Michel to extend their lead back to 10 points less than a minute later. The Bulldogs just kept chipping away using a pair of late three-pointers to spark an 8-2 run cutting the lead to 23-18 at the end of the opening quarter. The South Oldham lead swelled to as many as nine points early in the second quarter before a 15-4 Male run gave the Bulldogs the 34-32 lead. A pair of three-pointers from South Oldham’s Seth Johnson put the Dragons back ahead where they remained until the final minute of the half when Male’s Jake Evans tied the game at 42-42. 

The Bulldogs came out red hot in the second half with Tyren Moore scoring five points during Male’s 11-0 run to put them ahead 53-44 midway through the third quarter. A pair of three-pointers by Luke Morison would pull the Dragons within five points on two occasions, but the Dragons could never get any closer. Desdrick Lindsey’s 3-pointer three minutes into the fourth quarter capped a 17-7 Male run that saw their lead swell to 72-57. The Dragons cut the Male lead to as few as nine points midway through the quarter but went just 4-of-8 from the free throw line keeping them out of striking distance. An old-fashion three-point play by Kaleb Glenn in the final minute capped a final 10-4 run for the Bulldogs who advanced to the quarterfinals with the 82-69 victory. 

Male’s Tyren Moore earned Central Bank Player of the Game honors with a team-high 26 points. Jake Evans and Cameron Pope added 16 points and 14 points respectively for the Bulldogs. Luke Morrison led South Oldham with a game-high 29 points. Seth Johnson added a double-double for the Dragons with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

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Next Up: 

Male vs. McCracken County (Sat. 9:00pm) 

South Oldham vs. LaRue County (Sat. 9:00pm)

BALLARD 109, TROTWOOD-MADISON 99

The second game of the evening featuring No. 6 Ballard taking on defending Ohio Division II State Champion Trotwood-Madison was certainly one for the record books in several ways. Perhaps most importantly for the Bruins, it was because they captured their 60th all-time KOB victory. 

The opening four minutes of action was all Trotwood-Madison as the Rams cruised to an early 17-5 lead in the opening three minutes. The Bruins quickly turned things around defensively holding Trotwood-Madison scoreless over the next four minutes with DJ Tilford tying the game at 17-17 on a pair of free throws with 1:29 remaining in the quarter. Ballard would take the lead on their next possession as part of a 42-8 run that saw the Bruins lead grow to as many as 22 points at 47-25 with less than three minutes to play in the second half. Carl Blanton provided the Rams with a late first half boost scoring 10 points as part of a 15-6 run to pull Trotwood-Madison back to within 13 points in the final minute of the half. 

A Gabe Sisk three-pointer less than two minutes into the second half extended the Ballard lead to 23 points at 65-42. Trotwood-Madison would cut the Ballard lead to 19 points on two occasions but couldn’t get any close in the third quarter. Chaunte Marrero’s 3-pointer and free throw capped a late 9-3 run for the Bruins to take an 85-58 lead in the closing seconds of the third quarter. Trotwood-Madison connected on four 3-pointers in the opening four minutes of the fourth quarter as part of a 25-10 rally that cur the Ballard lead to 85-98. With 2:07 remaining in play Trotwood-Madison’s Carl Blanton picked up his fifth foul becoming the fifth Ram to foul out and leaving the team with only four players for the remainder of the game. A steal and layup by Terrence McDaniels pushed the Bruins lead back to 20 points at 109-89 with 1:39 remaining in action. A late foul by the Rams’ Anthony Wilson would leave just three Trotwood-Madison players on the floor in the closing minute of action as the Rams closed the final score to 109-99 with a 10-0 spurt in the closing ninety seconds of action. 

Gabe Sisk led the way for Ballard with a team-high 22 points earning Central Bank Player of the Game honors. The Bruins also got 21 points and 13 points respectively from Jack Edelen and Chaunte Marrero. Trotwood-Madison was led by Carl Blanton with a game-high 31 points. Sellers Little added 17 points for the Rams. 

The following King of the Bluegrass Singles Game Records were tied or broken: MOST POINTS SINGLE QUARTER – 39 Trotwood-Madison
MOST POINTS (COMBINED) – 208 Ballard vs. Trotwood-Madison
MOST POINTS IN ONE HALF (COMBINED) – 111 Ballard vs. Trotwood-Madison
MOST PERSONAL FOULS (COMBINED) – 62 Ballard vs. Trotwood-Madison 

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Next Up: 

Ballard vs. Bishop McDevitt (Sat. 4:30pm) 

Trotwood-Madison vs. Palmetto (Sat. 4:30pm)

BISHOP MCDEVITT (PA) 47, PALMETTO (FL) 45

Our opener on Day 2 of the 2019 Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass featured a pair of talented out-of-state opponents with Palmetto of Miami, FL taking on Bishop McDevitt of Wyncote, PA. The Royal Lancers of Bishop McDevitt, who came into the event ranked 66th in the nation in the MaxPreps 2019-20 Preseason Top 100, held on to advance in their first KOB appearance. 

The opening quarter was dominated by the Bishop McDevitt defense as the Royal Lancers held Palmetto to 2/12 shooting with the Panthers going scoreless for the first 4:30 of the game. Bishop McDevitt would miss their last five shot of the quarter though leading 9-4. A Robert Smith dunk extended the Lancers lead to 13-4 two minutes in the second quarter. Marcos Molina’s 3-pointer just over mid-way through the quarter pulled Palmetto within 6 points at 17-11, but they couldn’t get any closer in the opening half. The final three minutes of the half were all Bishop McDevitt as a 5-1 run sent them to the break leading 22-12. 

Jordan Lopez was on fire to open the second half with scoring nine points as part of a 13-2 run for Palmetto to cut the Lancers lead to 26-25 with 3:25 remaining the third quarter. Shamir Mosley’s bucket a minute later extended the Bishop McDevitt lead back to 30-25. A Josnel Aloma three-pointer in the closing seconds of the quarter pulled Palmetto back to within 31-32. The Bishop McDevitt lead grew back to as many as five points early in the fourth quarter before another Panther run that would get as close as one point at 35-36 with 3:45 remaining in the game. Jamil Manigo scored five straight for the Royal Lancers to extend the Bishop McDevitt lead back to 41-35 with 2:30 remaining in the game. A 3-pointer by Kentron Poitier got things going for Palmetto cutting the lead to 41-39 with two minutes to play. Joel Aloma’s old-fashion three-point play with 12.8 seconds remaining capped a 5-0 Palmetto run to tie the game for the first time at 45-45. The Royal Lancers’ Jamil Manigo connected on a baseline jumper and was fouled with 2.5 seconds remaining putting Bishop McDevitt ahead by the final margin of victory at 47-45. 

Jamil Manigo led the way for Bishop McDevitt earning Central Bank Player of the Game honors with 13 points. Robert Smith added 10 points for the Royal Lancers. Palmetto’s Jordan Lopez led all scorers with 14 points and Joel Aloma added 13 points for the Panthers.

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Next Up:

Bishop McDevitt vs. Winner Ballard vs. Trotwood-Madison (Sat. 4:30pm) 

Palmetto vs. Loser Ballard vs. Trotwood-Madison (Sat. 4:30pm)

MCCRACKEN COUNTY 60, LARUE COUNTY 49

The finale on our opening day of action at the 2019 Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass featured the 13th ranked Mustangs of McCracken County making their tournament debut against unranked LaRue County. 

The opening three minutes of play saw McCracken County’s defense take control holding as they held LaRue County to 1-of-4 baskets while jumping ahead 8-2. The Mustangs connected on four 3-point field goals in the opening quarter to jump ahead to take a commanding 20-8 lead at the end of the quarter. Jackson Sivills connected on his third 3-pointer of the half to extend the McCracken County lead to 15 points a minute in the second quarter. A pair of 3-point baskets from LaRue County’s Carson Childress pulled the Hawks back to within 11 points at 25-14 but they couldn’t get any closer before the half. Noah Dumas basket with a minute to play in the half capped a 10-4 run by McCracken County to send them to the locker room leading 35-20. 

The opening minutes of the second half were much of the same with McCracken County extending their lead to as many as 16 points at 42-26 following another Jackson Sivills 3-pointer. The Hawks turned up the defensive pressure over the next three minutes holding the Mustangs scoreless while piecing together an 8-0 run to pull within 34-42with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter. A pair of free throws by Sivills extended the McCracken County lead back to nine points at 47-38. Jeremiah Belton’s 3-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth quarter would get LaRue County as close as 43-47, but the Hawks couldn’t maintain the momentum. Less than a minute later McCracken County’s lead was back to 8 points. Mark Goode’s basket with 2:12 remaining would give the Hawks their final chance cutting the score to 49-55 before McCracken County closed on a 5-0 run to claim the 60-49 victory. 

Jackson Sivills earned Central Bank Player of the Game honors for McCracken County with a game-high 24 points and 8 rebounds. Noah Dumas added 17 points for the Mustangs. Mark Goode led the way for LaRue County with 18 points and 8 rebound and Warner Bryan added 14 points and 9 rebounds. 

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NEXT UP: 

McCracken County vs. Winner Male-South Oldham (Sat. 9:00pm) 

LaRue County vs. Loser Male-South Oldham (Sat. 9:00pm)

NORTH OLDHAM 65, BARDSTOWN 56

The third game of the evening featured another matchup of ranked opponents as No. 22 Bardstown took on No. 17 North Oldham in a battle of two of the state’s top seniors. It was North Oldham’s defense that pushed the Mustangs to victory holding the Tigers to 35% shooting and forcing 12 turnovers while allowing just four players to score for Bardstown. 

Just as would be expected it was UofL signee JJ Traynor that gave Bardstown the opening basket of the game immediately and Auburn signee Justin Powell countering for the Mustangs to tie things up early. It was the Higdon brothers, Ian and Tyler, that did the early damage for North Oldham as the Mustangs jumped out to an early 9-4 lead with the stars going scoreless for nearly our minutes. It was a basket by training with just under three minutes to play in the quarter that finally tied the game back up at 11-11. Bardstown’s JaRel Montgomery scored a quick 7 points to help propel the Tigers back ahead 18-15 early in the second quarter. Ian Higdon would score five of the next for the Mustangs who took the lead again at 22-21 three minutes into the quarter. North Oldham closed the first half on a 11-2 run with five straight points from Austin Carr-Cole to lead 31-23 at halftime. 

Carr-Cole’s layup less than a minute into the second half extended the Mustangs lead to 11 points at 36-25. JJ Traynor and JaRel Montgomery combined to give Bardstown 12 unanswered points regaining the lead at 37-36 with two minutes to play in the third quarter. Powell and Montgomery traded baskets in the final minute with Bardstown taking a 39-38 lead into the final quarter. Four more lead changes would occur over the first half of the fourth quarter with a basket by Montgomery giving the Tigers their final lead at 47-46 with 4:49 to play. A steal and basket by Austin Carr-Cole propelled North Oldham back ahead at 3:40 and the Mustangs stifling defense held the Tigers scoreless for nearly three minutes. North Oldham connected on seven of nine free throws down the stretch holding on to advance with the 65-56 victory. 

Justin Powell led the way for North Oldham earning Central Bank Player of the Game honors with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Tyler Higdon added a double-double for the Mustangs with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Bardstown’s JaRel Montgomery led all scorers with 25 points and JJ Traynor impressed with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks.

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NEXT UP: 

North Oldham vs. Fairdale (Sat. 6:00pm) 

Bardstown vs. Martin County (Sat. 6:00pm) 

FAIRDALE 66, MARTIN COUNTY 48

Our second game of the evening featured host Fairdale taking on unranked Martin County. A couple early lead changes provided the only excitement in this one as the Bulldogs cruised to an 18 points victory.

The opening five minutes of play saw the teams exchange the lead three times with Ty Walters’ 3-pointer putting Fairdale ahead 10-8 late in the first quarter. The Bulldogs never looked back with another Walters’ 3-pointer extending the Fairdale lead to 16-8 less than a minute into the second quarter. Ethan Smith-Mills’ 3-pointer capped a 9-3 Martin County run late in the first half to cut the Fairdale lead to 21-19. A buzzer-beating three pointer by Fairdale’s Stephen Moore pushed the Bulldog’s lead back to 24-19 at the half.

The Bulldogs used an early 7-0 spurt in the opening two minutes of the second half to push ahead 31-19. A 3-pointer by Martin County’s Jordan Dalton pulled the Cardinals back to within five points a minute later. Martin County wouldn’t get any closer until the final minute of the 3^rd quarter when A Trey James basket cut the Fairdale lead to 42-38. Trent McCoy’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the third quarter jump started a 20-2 run for Fairdale highlighted by a combined 13 points from Stephen Moore and Isaac Tedford. The Bulldogs lead grew to a game-high 22 points on Tristan Bertrand’s free throw with a minute to play. Eight straight points from Martin County’s Brady Dingess pulled the Cardinals within the final margin at 66-48.

Fairdale’s Stephen Moore was named Central Bank Player of the Game with a game-high 25 points and 5 assists. Senior Ty Walter added 15 points for the Bulldogs. Martin County was led by Brady Dingess’ 20 points and Trey James added 12 for the Cardinals.

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NEXT UP: 

Fairdale vs. North Oldham (Sat. 6:00pm) 

Martin County vs. Bardstown (Sat. 6:00pm) 

COLLINS 70, TRINITY 69 -- OT

A thrilling top 10 matchup between No. 4 Collins and No. 8 Trinity got the action underway in the 2019 Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass. In the end the Titans experience prevailed as they defeated Trinity for the second straight year in KOB action.

The Shamrocks used a 10-2 run in the opening 2:30 of play to give themselves some cushion before Collins 13 of the next 16 points in the quarter to take a 15-13 lead at the quarter break. The Titans lead grew to as many as 9 points in the opening half follow a pair of free throws by Marcellus Vail with a minute to play. A late bucket by the Shamrocks sent the teams to the locker rooms with Collins leading 30-23.

Trinity opened the second half blazing hot connecting on their first four shots including a pair of three-points from Miles Franklin to tie the game at 34-34 three minutes into the half. Another 3-pointer for Franklin put the Shamrocks ahead at 37-36 a minute later. Ethan Hodge’s three-pointer, Trinity’s fifth of the half, gave the Shamrocks a 44-38 lead with two minutes remaining in the quarter. The Titans wouldn’t go away through as Josh Scriber hit a pair of baskets in the final minute to tie the score at 44-44. A steal and dunk by the Titans’ Dayvion McKnight highlighted a 9-2 run by Collins to give them a 55-48 lead with 2:36 remaining in regulation. Zach Stahlman would score eight of the next ten points for the Shamrocks cutting the Collins lead to 57-56 with 57 seconds remaining. A pair of free throws for Caleb Hawley with 11.7 seconds remaining kept the Titans lead to three points at 61-58. A rebound and buzzer beating three-pointer from Trinity’s Dudley Cox sent the game to overtime with the teams tied at 61-61.

In overtime the teams exchanged the lead four times with neither team leading by more than two points. A pair of free throws by Trinity’s Stahlman gave the Shamrocks a 69-67 lead with 18.3 remaining in overtime. Marcellus Vail converted an old-fashion three-point play for the Titans on the other end with 8.1 seconds remaining to take a 70-69 lead. The Titan’s got a huge steal seconds later as time expired to clinch the victory and advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Collins’ Dayvion McKnight was named the Central Bank Player of the Game with a game high 25 points and 5 assists. Marcellus Vail added 15 points and 6 rebounds for the Titans and Caleb Hawley and Tyson Turner each added 11 points. Trinity was led by Miles Franklin’s 18 points and Zach Stahlman added 16 points.

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NEXT UP: 

Collins vs. Winner Madisonville-Clay Co. (Sat. 7:30pm) 

Trinity vs. Loser Madisonville-Clay Co. (Sat. 7:30pm)

Five of Kentucky’s Top 10 Teams Headline the 2019 Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic

The 39th Annual Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass will once again feature a field loaded with talent from across the Bluegrass state and the country. Half of the Courier-Journal’s Kentucky Preseason Top 10 teams will compete for the prestigious title. This year’s field features nine teams ranked in the Top 25 in the state, including regional favorites from the second, seventh, eighth, and thirteenth regions. There’s plenty of individual talent as well with seven of the state’s top 10 players competing in the event. This year’s field also includes four former King of the Bluegrass Champions including Ballard, Fairdale, Male and Trinity.

The 2019 Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass will tip-off with a four-game slate on Thursday. An explosive re-match of last year’s KOB semifinal between defending Kentucky State Champion and 8th ranked Trinity and 4th ranked Collins opens first-round play. The Shamrocks, who have advanced to three of the last four KOB Championship games, will be led by junior guard Ethan Hodge after losing all five starters from last year’s team. The eighth region favorite, Titans who advanced to last year’s KOB championship, are led by the duo of Western Kentucky signee Dayvion McKnight and Samford signee Marcellus Vail. In the second game of the day, host Fairdale will take on Martin County. The host Bulldogs are led by the senior guard duo of Ty Walter, one of the state’s top 3-point shooters last season, and Stephen Moore. Martin County, playing their first season since the opening of their school, will be led by 6’10” junior Trey James. The 7:30 game on opening night will feature 22nd ranked Bardstown taking on 17th ranked North Oldham in a match-up of two of the state’s top seniors. North Oldham, making their first tournament appearance since 2005, welcomes the addition of sharpshooting Auburn signee Justin Powell, who spent last year at Florida powerhouse Montverde Academy. Bardstown is led by 6’8” senior forward JJ Traynor who signed to play at the University of Louisville. The final game of the evening will feature 13th ranked McCracken County taking on LaRue County. The Mustangs, picked to finish 2nd in the first region, are coming off a 31-4 finish last season and will make their first KOB appearance led by Murray State signee Jackson Sivills. LaRue County returns to KOB for the second straight year, following a 26-5 record last season, led by 6’7” senior Mark Goode, a Western Kentucky University football commit.

Friday’s first round action opens with the three out-of-state teams in action. In the opener, it will be Palmetto of Miami, FL taking on Bishop McDevitt of Wyncote, PA. The Panthers of Palmetto, who are making their second KOB appearance, finished last season with a 20-8 record and are led by 6’5” senior forward Kentron Poitier. Bishop McDevitt comes into the event ranked 66th in the nation in the MaxPreps 2019-20 Preseason Top 100. The Royal Lancers, coming off a 22-7 record and Pennsylvania Class 3A semifinal appearence, are led by 6’4” senior forward Jamil Manigo. In the second game of the day Kentucky’s 6th ranked Ballard will take on Trotwood-Madison of Trotwood, OH. The Bruins come into the event with a tournament-high 59 all-time wins and will look to the inside-outside combo of Rashad Bishop and Lewis Richards to lead the way. Trotwood-Madison is coming off a 29-2 season and Ohio Division II State Championship. The Rams are led by the senior trio of Carl Blanton Jr., Keon’tae Huguely, and Sammy Anderson, a Cincinnati football commit. Friday’s 7:30 game will feature the state’s top ranked Male Bulldogs taking on 18th ranked South Oldham. The Bulldogs, ranked 65th in the nation in the MaxPreps 2019-20 Preseason Top 100, are led by the senior duo of Howard Fleming, an Illinois State signee, and Tyren Moore, a Lincoln Memorial commit. South Oldham is coming off a 21-10 season and is led by senior Luke Morrison. The final first round matchup will feature regional favorites Madisonville-North Hopkins and Clay County. The 3rd ranked Maroons of Madisonville, coming off a 30-6 season that saw them advance to the state quarterfinals, return the duo of Kenny White and Ksuan Casey. Unranked Clay County, favorites in the 13th region, are led by 6’3” junior guard Connor Robinson. 

The 2019 Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass will continue with the quarterfinal round beginning at 4:30pm Saturday with all 16 teams in action. All 16 teams will return to the courts on Sunday for a full slate of games beginning at 4:30pm with the semifinals scheduled at 7:30 and 9:00pm. The final day of action will tip off at 3:00pm on Monday with the Championship game scheduled for 7:30pm.

FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE OF PLAY

Doors open daily at 3:30pm

Tickets -- $10 per person