The Best Seat in the House

Notes and thoughts from Day 2 of the boys 12th Region Tournament:

• Boyle County defeated East Jessamine 75-62; Southwestern defeated Somerset 56-48 in overtime. Boyle plays Southwestern in Monday’s second semifinal.

• Boyle needed most of the game to put away East Jessamine, but that doesn’t mean the Rebels didn’t play well. East Jessamine was equal to the task, enduring every run Boyle made except the last one. And that one came so late and so quickly, the game was out of reach before the Jaguars had a chance to use their last timeout or to stop the clock by fouling.
• The one player in Boyle’s starting lineup who gets the least amount of attention and accolades, point guard Nate Collins, might well have been the star of the show Thursday. His three 3-point baskets came just when the Rebels needed them, and he and Grant Tamme were key players on defense away from the basket as well.
• The stage was set for an upset in the second game until Southwestern came up with a couple of big plays late in regulation and buried Somerset with five straight points early in the overtime period. The biggest bucket was a tying 3-pointer by Southwestern’s Kyle Klingensmith with 1:02 left in regulation. Somerset’s John Cole had a chance for a game-winning shot from just outside the lane with 2 seconds left, but it was blocked by Kyle Rodgers. The Southwestern-Somerset game marked the first time in modern times that two Pulaski County schools went head to head in the regional.
• Of course, Monday’s Boyle-Southwestern game will be a rematch of last year’s regional final, which Boyle won 67-51. Southwestern defeated Boyle 81-79 this season in a Jan. 6 game at Southwestern. Lincoln County’s game with West Jessamine is a rematch of a Dec. 15 game at Lincoln that the Patriots won 54-52 in overtime.
• The McCreary County Voice reports that Lindsey Waters of McCreary Central has been voted the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches’ 12th Region Girls Player of the Year. Waters is the Lady Raiders’ all-time leading scorer with over 2,000 points. She has signed with Eastern Kentucky.
• The Other 15 (noteworthy scores from the rest of the state): North Hardin was by no means the favorite in the boys 5th Region, but with the preseason favorites having been eliminated in district play, it was a recognizable team that had a decent chance to win until Bardstown beat the Trojans 76-72. Pre-tournament favorite Adair County is still alive after a 68-48 win over LaRue County. Remember, the 5th Region winner plays the champion from the 12th in the first round of the state tournament. … Big doings in the boys 6th and 7th semifinals in Louisville: Fairdale upset 6th Region favorite Pleasure Ridge Park 60-54 to play Butler for the title, and defending state champ Jeffersontown whipped Male 50-35 in the 7th to set up a title game showdown with Ballard. … Boys 8th Region power Shelby County was taken down by Gallatin County, a little school that’s having a big year. The Wildcats have their region’s best record at 25-6, and they beat Shelby 63-58.