The Best Seat in the House

The KHSAA announced today that it has committed to keep the Girls Sweet Sixteen in Bowling Green through 2015 after title sponsor Houchens Industries extended its sponsorship for three more years.

The tournament has been played at Western Kentucky University’s E.A. Diddle Arena since 2001. Prior to that, venues in Frankfort and Richmond rotated with Bowling Green.

The Boys Sweet Sixteen is contracted to remain at Rupp Arena in Lexington through 2014.

The cheers from the regional basketball tournaments are still dying down and we’re still two weeks from the first day of spring, but the first day of the spring sports season — the day when high school baseball, softball and tennis teams can start their seasons — is today. Yes, today.

The season had been originally scheduled to start on its traditional date, the Monday following the second state basketball tournament, which this year is March 19. But last summer the KHSAA moved the start date up in an attempt to allow schools to free their schedules for a new statewide assessment test window in May, so opening day has been moved up 12 days.

Most teams will wait a little longer to get going, however. Concerns over unpredictable late winter weather — yes, it’s still winter — the fact that most schedules were already set and the fact that the start of practice wasn’t moved up means most coaches in this area will still start at or near the traditional opening day.

The postseason is much earlier for tennis and track and field, which gets an early start with its indoor season. State championships in both sports are set for May 17-19. That has caused quite a commotion among track coaches, who are unhappy with a more compressed season that is more likely to have more competitions in less-than-ideal weather conditions. It has resulted in a major shuffling of major meets, with some invitationals that have traditionally been held in April pushed back to late March and the final regular-season meets set for May 4-5.

Baseball and softball postseason schedules are largely unchanged however; the district tournaments start in the same week they did last year, and the only change is that the two state tournaments will be played the same week (June 4-9).

Here are the scheduled baseball and softball openers for area teams:

Baseball

• Boyle County: March 20 at Anderson County
• Burgin: March 16 at Owen County
• Casey County: March 15 at Clinton County
• Danville: March 14 vs. Marion County
• Garrard County: March 14 at Berea
• Lincoln County: March 15 at Washington County
• Mercer County: March 19 vs. Anderson County

Softball

• Boyle County: March 16 vs. John Hardin at West Jessamine Invitational
• Burgin: March 14 at Bethlehem
• Casey County: March 22 at Campbellsville
• Danville: March 16 vs. West Jessamine at West Jessamine Invitational
• Garrard County: March 19 vs. Russell County
• Lincoln County: March 19 at Lexington Christian
• Mercer County: March 22 at Garrard County

The early start to the season is sneaking up on everyone, including the Advocate sports staff. Our preseason baseball and softball previews will be out sometime next week.

The Advocate’s All-Area Girls Basketball Team has been announced, with Savannah Taylor and Chris Souder of Mercer County heading the class as area player and coach of the year, respectively.

The team is voted on by coaches in the Advocate’s five-county coverage area. Six of the 11 players on last year’s All-Area girls team are back this year (eight were eligible), and there are seven players on this year’s team eligible to return next year. Click here to read about the entire team.

The boys All-Area team is expected to be announced Sunday, though that date is subject to change.

News and notes from day 4 of the boys 12th Region Tournament at Pulaski County:

• Southwestern defeated Boyle County 79-67 for the championship.
• Southwestern (27-8) won its first regional title after three unsuccessful trips to the finals that included two losses to Boyle. The Warriors will play Hopkinsville on March 14 in the first round of the Boys Sweet Sixteen. Hopkinsville (32-2) defeated Madisonville-North Hopkins 65-54 tonight to win the 2nd Region.
• The Warriors were too much for Boyle (13-16), which was trying to become the first team to win the 12th Region with a sub-.500 record since Mercer County in 2000. The Rebels trimmed a 15-point second-quarter deficit to three late in the third quarter before Southwestern slammed the door.
• The lead changed hands four times in the first quarter after Boyle jumped in front 5-0, but Southwestern outscored the Rebels 21-5 over a span of 7:36 to take a 30-15 lead with 2:49 remaining in the first half. The Warriors led 36-25 early in the second half before Boyle began closing the gap, closing to within 43-40 on Brett Jones’ 3-point goal with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
• Southwestern slowly stretched the margin to nine points over the first 4:44 of the fourth quarter, then put Boyle away with deadly precision from the free-throw line, where the Warriors were 19 for 21 in the fourth quarter and 27 for 31 overall.
• Boyle had a size advantage in its semifinal win over East Jessamine, but Southwestern had the advantage inside this time and used it to full advantage, although the Rebels outrebounded the Warriors 32-24.
• Southwestern opened its first-half lead with solid 3-point shooting, as the Warriors were 4 for 9 from distance in the first half and 7 for 18 overall. They shot 46.7 percent (21 for 45) overall from the field after a 13-for-24 first half. Boyle was better in the second half, going 13 for 25 to finish at 47.9 percent (23 for 48), and the Rebels were 9 for 20 from 3-point range and 11 for 16 at the foul line. They committed 13 turnovers, a manageable number, but many of them led to Southwestern runouts, and the Warriors gave the ball up only five times.
• Justin Edwards led Southwestern with 25 points and six rebounds, going 7 for 15 from the field. David Kapinga scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, when he was 7 for 9 at the foul line, and finished with 19, and Justin Schulz added 13 points and three steals. Cody Epperson also had six rebounds for the Warriors.
• Michael Arnett led Boyle with 23 points and 17 rebounds, going 10 for 13 from the field and 3 for 3 from 3-point range. Kyle Rice had 16 points and Micah Satterly had 13 points and four assists. Zach Hester had four rebounds but did not score. Devin True’s 3-point shot from at least 60 feet out just ahead of the final buzzer didn’t go up on the scoreboard initially, as officials were more concerned with getting off the floor ahead of the onrushing Southwestern students, but the official scorer credited True with the basket.
• The best team won the regional, although Southwestern wasn’t head and shoulders above the field. The Warriors have a good mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores who have size, speed, shooting prowess and the ability to play aggravating defense, and many of them had the experience of playing in last year’s regional final, which they lost to Wayne County. Congratulations to coach Steve Wright, who got his 600th win in the 48th District final and who will make his ninth trip to the state tournament, and to a Southwestern fan base that has been chasing this championship for nearly 20 years.
• Boyle had every reason to believe it could be in this game at the start of the season and no business thinking that at midseason. The Rebels righted what appeared to be a sinking ship that actually didn’t have quite as many holes as some of us might have believed. They pulled together to overcome a 4-13 start, win the 45th District title and threaten for the regional title, and the work they did over the last six weeks or so to accomplish those things is a much greater legacy than their win-loss record.
• The boys all-tournament team: Michael Arnett, Boyle County; Robbie Carson, East Jessamine; Cody Collins, East Jessamine; Carl-Lewis Cummins, Lincoln County; Adam Dodd, Wayne County; Justin Edwards, Southwestern; Cody Epperson, Southwestern; Chase Fain, West Jessamine; Taylor Gover, Pulaski County; Taylor Leigh, Casey County; Robby Lewis, Southwestern; Daulton Peters, West Jessamine; Kyle Rice, Boyle County; Micah Satterly, Boyle County; Justin Schulz, Southwestern.
• Thanks for following this blog throughout the regional tournaments. Check back later this week for much more on Lincoln County in the Girls Sweet Sixteen, and we’ll keep an eye on Southwestern next week at the Boys Sweet Sixteen as well. And of course, we’ll continue to provide information on Advocate-area teams in all sports.

News and notes from day 3 of the boys 12th Region Tournament at Pulaski County:

• Boyle County defeated East Jessamine 63-57; Southwestern defeated West Jessamine 84-74. Boyle (13-15) plays Southwestern (26-8) at 7 p.m. Tuesday for the championship.
• What almost any objective observer would have said was a dying team six weeks ago is alive and well and playing for the regional title, as Boyle reeled in East Jessamine in a semifinal upset. The Rebels built a 29-22 lead early in the second half and kept the Jaguars at arm’s length the rest of the way to reach the finals.
• East Jessamine entered the game 16-0 against 12th Region competition, but a good 2-3 zone defense by Boyle held the Jaguars to a score that matched their lowest of the season, which came in a 57-55 win over the Rebels on Dec. 6. No other team held the Jaguars below 60 points all season.
• The Rebels led 42-28 after a 9-0 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth and hit 11 of 17 free throws in the final period to make it an uphill battle for East Jessamine. The Jaguars were ice cold from 3-point distance for most of the night but warmed up enough to make a game of it, pulling within 60-57 in the final minute before Boyle slammed the door.
• Boyle hit exactly half its shots (21 of 42) from the field after going 12 for 19 in the second half, and the Rebels were 19 for 28 from the free-throw line. East Jessamine shot 32.8 percent (19 for 58) overall from the field but was just 4 for 24 from 3-point range, including 1 for 14 through three quarters. The Jaguars hit 15 of 17 free throws.
• Micah Satterly scored 19 points, Kyle Rice scored 17 and Michael Arnett had 13 for Boyle. Satterly, Rice and Zach Hester had three assists each, and Arnett and Hester had eight rebounds each. Freshman reserve Ronnie Carson led East Jessamine with 16 points, followed by C.J. Boyd with nine. Tashan Hairston had seven rebounds. Cody Collins, the 12th Region boys player of the year, had eight points and six rebounds.
• Southwestern had its hands full with West Jessamine, leading just 55-48 after three quarters before pulling out to a 65-50 lead with 5:35 remaining. Even then it wasn’t over, as the Colts battled back to within 72-67 before the Warriors put them away at the free-throw line.
• The game was tied at 23-all before Southwestern pulled out to a 30-25 halftime lead, meaning the second-half score was 54-49 thanks in large part to a high number of fouls and free throws. There were 47 fouls and 57 free throws, with Southwestern going 17 for 25 and West Jessamine going 26 for 32 at the line.
• The Warriors shot 53.4 percent (31 for 58) from the field and were 5 for 16 from 3-point range, while the Colts shot 44.7 percent (21 for 47) overall and hit six of 15 long-range shots. Southwestern had a 34-19 advantage in rebounds.
• Justin Edwards led Southwestern with 19 points, followed by Rob Lewis with 13 and Daulton Marlow with 15. West Jessamine got 19 points from Daulton Peters and 17 from Chase Fain. Each team had five scorers in double figures.
• When Boyle and Southwestern square off for the title tonight, it will be their first meeting since Dec. 13, 2008, when the Warriors won a 40-28 decision in Danville.
• Southwestern is in the regional finals for the second straight year, and most of its key players were also key players last season when Wayne County beat the Warriors 51-35 in the title game in Stanford. Southwestern has never won a regional title in boys or girls basketball. Boyle is back in the finals for the first time since 2007, when it lost to Lincoln County. The most recent of the Rebels’ three regional titles came in 2006.
• Congratulations to former Garrard County coach Brad Sizemore, whose North Laurel team won its first regional championship by beating Clay County 54-52 in overtime tonight in Corbin for the 13th Region final.

Tickets for Lincoln County’s game Thursday in the Girls Sweet Sixteen at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green will be on sale this week at the school. Tickets will be available today for parents of the players, Tuesday for Lincoln students and Wednesday for the general public.

The tickets, priced at $8 each, are good for session 4, which includes Lincoln’s game against Clay County at 9 p.m. and the game preceding it. Tickets purchased at the arena are $11 and $16.

News and notes from day 4 of the girls 12th Region Tournament at Lincoln County:

• Lincoln County defeated Casey County 58-47 for the 12th Region championship.
• Lincoln (24-9) won its second regional title and its first since 2001, when coach Cassandra McWhorter was playing for the Lady Patriots. The Lady Patriots play Clay County on Thursday in the first round of the Girls Sweet Sixteen. Clay (31-5) defeated Harlan County 41-37 today to win the 13th Region.
• Lincoln defeated Casey (18-15) for the third time this season in a game that wasn’t as close as their first meeting in December but was much closer than their last meeting 16 days ago. The Lady Rebels stayed within striking distance throughout the first half before the Lady Patriots opened a double-digit lead early in the second.
• It was 14-13 Lincoln before the Lady Patriots scored six straight points, and they led 24-15 at halftime after reserve Heidi Huffman hit a buzzer-beating 3-point shot only seconds after her 3-point attempt from a different location was blocked into the stands by Casey’s Lakken Miller. Lincoln scored six straight points to open the third quarter, starting that run with a three-point play by Rachel Spangler and capping it with a putback by Kourtney Belcher that gave the Lady Patriots a 30-15 lead 2:15 into the second half.
• Lincoln’s largest lead was 39-23 later in the third quarter before an 11-3 run brought Casey to within eight points early in the fourth quarter. The Lady Patriots countered with five straight points, however, and the Lady Rebels got no closer than nine down the stretch.
• Casey needed to make shots to stay close to Lincoln, and the Lady Rebels struggled from 3-point distance. They were 0-10 from outside the arc during a 6-for-21 first half, and they missed their first 12 shots from long range before Jasmine Johnson connected late in the third quarter and finished 4 for 18. Casey shot 43.9 percent (18 for 41) overall from the field, while Lincoln shot 5o percent (20 for 40), going 9 for 18 in the first half and 11 for 22 in the second.
• Rachel Spangler led Lincoln with 14 points, Belcher added 11 and nine different players scored for the Lady Patriots, with six of them getting at least five points each. Johnson scored 25 points for Casey; no other Lady Rebel had more than six. Johnson led all scorers in the tournament with 57 points over three games. Emily Fox had 45 points in three games for Lincoln, including nine today.
• Lincoln controlled the boards, outrebounding Casey 19-8 in the first half and 29-21 overall. Belcher had eight rebounds for the Lady Patriots, followed by Fox and Harris with four each. Johnson had six rebounds and Christin Terry had five for the Lady Rebels.
• With Megan Pittman, Casey’s senior center, watching from behind the bench after suffering a knee injury earlier this season, there wasn’t a single senior in uniform for either team today. Try to find another regional championship game where that was the case.
• Lincoln looked like a regional contender from the start of the season, with a nucleus of five talented juniors and a handful of good underclassmen. McWhorter’s team played a tough schedule and didn’t let late-season losses to Mercer County and Danville derail it. The Lady Patriots got the job done after three previous trips to the finals since 2006 — they lost twice on their home floor — and losing to Casey in the first round of last year’s regional.
• Casey’s season ends with a what-if question for the second straight year. Last year the Lady Rebels were manhandled in the finals by Rockcastle County only days after guard Nicole Coffman went down with a torn knee ligament in the first round. This time they were without Pittman, who missed about two-thirds of last season with a knee injury but returned late in the season and who was lost this season with a second knee injury Jan. 17. The fact that Casey got this far without Pittman is an impressive achievement, especially after the Lady Rebels struggled through the final month of the regular season.
• Lincoln’s state tournament game against Clay is a rematch of a Jan. 14 game in Manchester that the Lady Tigers won 68-66.
• The girls all-tournament team: Kourtney Belcher, Lincoln County; Catheryne Claunch, Mercer County; Tiara Cochran, Casey County; Adison Corder, Southwestern; Emily Fox, Lincoln County; Essence Grey, Danville; Jessica Hardin, Wayne County; Jasmine Johnson, Casey County; Shavon Majors, Burgin; Mariah Meeks, Pulaski County; Samantha Sexton, Wayne County; Rachel Spangler, Lincoln County; Savannah Taylor, Mercer County; Christin Terry, Casey County.
• The boys regional resumes Monday with the semifinals at Lincoln County: Boyle County (12-15) plays East Jessamine (28-4) at 6 p.m., and Southwestern (25-8) plays West Jessamine (19-13) at about 7:30. East Jessamine defeated Boyle 57-55 on Dec. 6 in Danville, and Southwestern defeated West Jessamine 79-50 on Jan. 24 in Somerset.

News and notes from day 3 of the girls 12th Region Tournament:

• Lincoln County defeated Mercer County 54-50; Casey County defeated Wayne County 54-46. Lincoln (23-9) plays Casey (19-14) for the championship at 3 p.m. Sunday.
• Lincoln avenged a 49-45 loss to Mercer 29 days earlier, as the Lady Patriots built an 18-point lead in the second quarter and early in the third and held off the Titans’ charge down the stretch. Lincoln led 35-17 after 1:19 of the second half and was still up 44-30 with 2:48 left in the third quarter before Mercer began its comeback.
• The Titans tied the game at 49-all with 1:14 to play, but Chansler Gilbert hit a 3-point shot 17 seconds later to put the Lady Patriots on top to stay. Tabby Shewmaker missed a 3-point shot with three seconds left that would have given Mercer the lead.
• Emily Fox had 16 points and eight rebounds and Ciara Saylor had 10 points and seven rebounds to lead Lincoln, which dominated the boards with a 43-28 rebounding advantage and had 13 offensive rebounds. Mercer got 18 points from Catheryne Claunch, including 11 in the third quarter, before she fouled out with 6:48 to play and 15 points and seven rebounds from Savannah Taylor.
• Lincoln shot 30.3 percent from the field and hit 16 of 20 free throws. Mercer shot 37.9 percent from the field and hit only 13 of 22 free throws. The Titans committed only four turnovers, while Lincoln had 15, a dozen fewer than the 27 it had in its regular-season loss to Mercer.
• Casey continues to be the team that won’t go away. Almost nobody thought the Lady Rebels would win the 47th District, and about the same number of people thought they’d still be alive in the regional. But they rallied in the second half to beat Wayne, winning their fourth straight postseason game after going 3-8 in their last 11 regular-season games following a knee injury to center Megan Pittman.
• Casey scored eight straight points late in the third quarter to take its first lead, and then a basket by Jasmine Johnson and back-to-back 3s by Christin Terry in the first 1:37 of the fourth quarter gave the Lady Rebels a 40-32 advantage. Wayne, which led by six points in the second quarter and by five midway through the third, closed to within 47-45 with 2:26 remaining, but Casey hit seven of eight free throws in the final 1:03, including four of four by Sarah Beard.
• Johnson led Casey with 20 points and five rebounds, Terry had 11 points and six rebounds and Tiara Cochran also had 11 points. Wayne got 17 points from Jamie Roberts, who had 11 in the first half, 12 points and nine rebounds from Jessica Hardin and 12 points and six rebounds from Samantha Sexton.
• Casey shot 43.9 percent from the field and made 12 of 18 free throws; Wayne shot 40 percent from the field and was 9 for 11 at the foul line. The Lady Rebels committed only seven turnovers; the Lady Cardinals had 16.
• Sunday’s title game matches two teams that are very familiar with each other. They have played 29 times since the 1988-89 season, with Casey winning 15 games, Lincoln winning 14 — and with 23 games decided by 10 points or less. This season, Lincoln beat Casey 46-43 in the fifth-place game of Mercer’s Christmas tournament, and the Lady Patriots crushed the Lady Rebels 65-35 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
• Lincoln is playing in the regional finals for the third time in four years, and the Lady Patriots are trying to win their second championship and their first since 2001, when they defeated Boyle County in the finals. Casey County is in the finals for the second straight year and the fourth time in five years; the Lady Rebels have won regional titles in 2000, when they defeated Wayne County, and ’09, when they defeated Lincoln 32-21 for the title.
• The semifinals were delayed by one day, having been postponed Friday morning due to the rather ominous forecast for severe weather. It’s easy to say this in retrospect, of course, but it was a good call. The games surely would have been delayed if they hadn’t been called off, and there were active tornado warnings in Lincoln County at the time when people would have been traveling to and arriving at the games. Our region was among the first to announce a postponement, but by mid-afternoon every single regional that was scheduled to play Friday night had postponed its games.
• One question, though: With the title game set for Sunday afternoon, wouldn’t it have made sense to play the rescheduled semifinals this afternoon to give the winning teams a slightly longer turnaround. Casey was left with just 15 1/2 hours between the end of its game tonight and the biggest game of his season, and Lincoln had only two hours more.