Pitching lifts Central to victory

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter, nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:23 AM CDT

MORTONS GAP - After spotting the Webster County softball team two runs in the first inning, Hopkins County Central pitchers Taylor Crawley and Ali Austin combined to shut out the Lady Trojans in the last six frames on Monday night.

Down by one, Austin entered in relief to start the fifth inning and benefited from Central's three runs in the bottom of the stanza en route to her third victory of the season in a 5-2 Lady Storm win.

When Austin took the mound, the pitcher said her squad's deficit was far from her thoughts.

"You have to put everything else out of your mind and have the mentality that you're going to do the best you can," she said. "You have to have confidence in your defense and confidence in your pitching and you have to get a strike. It doesn't matter, you have to get the out."

Freshman shortstop Ashley Flener provided Central with the big rip of the game when she knocked an 0-2, bases-loaded pitch to left field for a two-run double. The hit gave the Lady Storm (3-0) their first lead of the game, 3-2 over Webster (1-2).

The gapper even surprised Flener, who had a smaller goal in mind being down in the count.

"I was really just trying to make contact at that point, just trying to get one RBI if I can with the bases loaded like that," she said. "I just happened to get a good hit, better than I expected. It was just right in my sweet spot."

One batter later, Taylor Brackett brought home a run with an RBI groundout to extend the lead to two.

Central coach Jesse Huff employed some small ball to begin the rally though with back-to-back bunts to start the inning from Jordan McNary and Taylor McKenzie, who both reached safely.

"It just worked out that we had some speed at the time and we were able to execute it and get the runners on," Huff said. "Once that started, the girls got them moving around and finally Ashley was able to make contact with it and put us up."

McNary tacked on another insurance run in the sixth on an RBI double to left.

Meanwhile, Austin handled the competition with ease by allowing just two hits and striking out five Lady Trojans, including the game's last batter looking.

"I love whenever they go out looking," Austin said. "It is so great.

"I got them pretty good with my change-up. That was the one that was working the best for me."

Before Austin entered, Crawley worked smoothly after some trouble in the first. Crawley allowed just one earned run on six hits and struck out two.

Offensively for Webster County, Molly Cummings and Ashley Smith each set the table in the No. 2 and 3 slots with a pair of 3-for-4 performances. Courtney Traylor drove in both players in the first inning on a single to centerfield.

Flener and McNary each posted multi-hit games for Central and Flener recorded a game-high three RBIs. Austin and Brittney Orten tallied the Lady Storm's other base hits. Orten added two stolen bases as well.

Central is scheduled to open its district schedule at 5:30 p.m. today at county rival Dawson Springs.

Webster (1-2) 200 000 0 - 2

Central (3-0) 100 031 X - 5

WP: Ali Austin

LP: Ashley Smith

'No winner or loser' in Maroons' scrimmage

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Saturday, March 28, 2009 12:24 AM CDT

Amid the mud and muck that resulted from recent rains, the Madisonville-North Hopkins football team concluded its spring schedule with an intrasquad scrimmage on the campus' practice field on Friday.

For nearly two hours, the players split into Maroon and White teams and battled in tumultuous conditions, but neither established clear dominance in an ultimate 21-21 tie.

"I liked that we ended it that way and both teams can leave the field feeling like they left it all out here," coach Will Weaver said. "There's no winner or loser, we're together."

During the first and third quarters, teams began drives from the 35-yard line, but in the second and fourth quarters the defensive units were put under pressure with the ball on the 20-yard line moving toward the endzone.

Each team was evenly split with first and second team members on both sides of the field.

Heading into the spring sessions, Weaver said replacing North's defensive leaders Jesse Donahue, Iven Jessup and Jaquez Samuel, who will all play college ball, was a top priority.

With the conclusion of Friday's scrimmage, Weaver said he has seen many players ready to step up including Maarten Adams, J. Michael Collins and Jordan Wilson.

Freshman Jeremy Clark also impressed Weaver in the secondary.

"He's really, really done well at free safety for us," Weaver said. "I think he's got a chance to be really good in the future."

Defensive back J.C. Wade and defensive end Joe Kington proved their leadership in the scrimmage with their stats and vocal motivation, Weaver said. Wade recorded one touchdown and two interceptions on Friday.

Offensively, the Maroon coaches worked on implementing some triple-options looks.

With freshman Trey Carr playing on North's baseball squad, Weaver gave Denzel Johnson and Jawan Combs all of the reps at quarterback.

"Denzel was such a playmaker that when Trey comes, he's going to have a competition," Weaver said. "It's not just going to be his, but both of them are going to find a way on the football field. The things that Denzel has done this spring, we may play him at running back, at slot, we've got to get him the football."

Although the Maroons graduated their top two runners in Ryan Robinson and Chris Scisney, Weaver said he's got solid options to fill the role in Adams, Martinez Davis, and Rashad Combs, who will change from defense to offense.

"We're as far ahead offensively this spring as we've ever been in the run game since I've been here, just in two weeks," Weaver said.

"We moved the offense and (Combs is) going to go one way, he's probably going to be our H-back," Weaver added. "He's really doing a good job running the football for us."

On the line, North returns a core of players who saw plenty of experience last season as a rather young group. Among players expected to see action in the trenches are Collins, Logan Waide, Matt Blackwell, Evan-Taylor Bush, James Yoder and Caleb Joseph.

While the action raged on the field, Weaver observed from the sidelines as he plans to during the regular season.

"I just kind of set back and was the referee today," he said. "It was non-biased and this year, Brock Shoulders is going to be the defensive coordinator and JB Wilcox will be the offensive coordinator and I'm just going to kind of oversee everything."

Opening kickoff may be five months away, but as the Maroons huddled together after Friday's scrimmage, Weaver told his players they represent the best class in his three years with North.

"The effort, the attitude, the coachability, it's just been great," he said. "This is the best staff I've ever been on."

With the conclusion of spring ball, North will work on its speed and strength with some players running on the track team.

McClinton pays visit to North football practice

y Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Friday, March 27, 2009 12:25 AM CDT

When Marcus McClinton began his collegiate career with the University of Kentucky football team in 2004, the Wildcats struggled to a 2-9 season, but upon his graduation, the free safety had helped build a program which now boasts three consecutive bowl victories.

Thursday afternoon, McClinton spent a couple hours working out, observing and talking with the Madisonville-North Hopkins football squad. Among McClinton's most important advice for the Maroons, who have also been steadily improving under coach Will Weaver, was to play with the right mindset.

"It begins with an attitude and a willingness to compete on every play," McClinton said. "Strive for whatever goal you have, whether it be all-state or get an interception this game or miss no tackles or do whatever coach tells me to do. Whatever goal you set, strive to accomplish that goal, but also have fun while you're doing it."

During McClinton's playing days Fort Campbell High School, Weaver directed the former Falcon as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for two seasons.

With Thursday's visit to Madisonville, McClinton, a 6-1, 210-pound defender, came not only to help Weaver, but to spend time with a man who helped shape his life.

"He's been a father figure for me, been a great friend," McClinton said. "He's always been there for me, no matter what challenges I had whether it was football or with life. I credit him for a lot of my success."

Weaver reinforced the friendly sentiment by saying McClinton has been like a son to him and has even spent Christmas with the coach's family.

"That's why you coach because when you see guys you helped go onto the next level, they really appreciate it and understand you were there to help them get through some tough times," Weaver said. "That kind of keeps you going as a coach."

Currently, McClinton, who has been projected to be taken in the sixth or seventh round of this year's NFL Draft according to the Web site www.nfldraftscout.com, said he's been fine tuning his craft and showcasing his skills for potential teams.

"It's kind of nerve-wracking if you sit and think about it, but how I avoid just sitting and thinking about it is I constantly work out and work on my skills and try to perfect the things I do best, which is backpedal coverage and be a playmaker on defense," McClinton said. "That's how I keep my mind off what's going on and keep my draft status in my prayers."

In addition to his skills on the gridiron, McClinton is known for his rap career, headlined by UK's intro song "Believe," but he said the auditions for scouts remain focused on football so far.

"It's not turning into American Idol at all, but music will be my secondary career," he said with a grin. "I'm going to continue to do both, football and music. That's what got me here so far."

During Thursday's practice, McClinton imparted some of his backpedaling technique to North senior Jesse Donahue, who signed with Antelope Valley College (Calif.).

"We were working on cover three and man coverage, just getting used to backpedaling," McClinton said. "There's a lot of backpedaling involved being a DB and if you can feel comfortable back peddling, running backwards then it's nothing to run forward and you'll be able to make lots of plays if you got a strong backpedal."

Weaver said he wanted the two to work together so Donahue could learn not just skills to take to the next level, but the dedication involved as well.

"I just wanted him to kind of show Jesse the work ethic it's going to take to be great," Weaver said. "I think it's important to get him around somebody with high character and a great work ethic to show him what it's going to be like in the future."

Although McClinton's time with the Maroon defensive back was short, Donahue left a solid impression with the pro prospect.

"He's got a good work ethic, he just needs to keep working hard and don't let anything distract him," McClinton said. "When it's football time, it's football time and everything else falls into place."

Notes
* Junior defensive back J.C. Wade earned his first collegiate offer on Wednesday with a bid from Austin Peay State University (Tenn.). Wade, at 6-1, 180 pounds, is also getting serious attention from Kentucky, the University of Louisville, Vanderbilt University (Tenn.) and Western Kentucky University, Weaver said.

Last season, Wade played a pivotal role on North's defense, which ranked fifth-best in class 6A during the regular season in scoring. Wade hauled in three interceptions in 2008.

Lamb's homer lifts North to 1-0 win

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Friday, March 27, 2009 12:25 AM CDT

In a game that featured eight hits, it took just one from the bat of Madisonville-North Hopkins first baseman Justin Lamb to defeat the Hopkinsville baseball team on Thursday evening at Elmer Kelley Stadium.

The squads entered the bottom of the sixth inning locked in a scoreless pitcher's dual, but Lamb stepped to the plate with one out and launched a homerun to centerfield. The run represented the sole score of the night as North won 1-0.

Lamb didn't wait to see what other pitches Tiger starter John Ed Cessna had to offer as the Maroon tagged the first toss he saw. Lamb's hit continued to rise on a line as it left the park over the centerfield wall.

Then, Hopkinsville (1-2) appeared to retaliate when the team's leadoff hitter reached on an infield single to start the seventh. The runner then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, but North No. 1 pitcher Ben Campbell dug in and struck out the next two batters looking to end the game.

Campbell finished the contest with 10 strikeouts and no walks and struck out the side in the fifth inning. Campbell did not allow a hit until the fourth inning.

Meanwhile, Cessna threw a solid game for Hopkinsville as well, but in the first North (3-0) looked ready to start the game off with a bang.

Leadoff hitter Ryan Quinn reached on a walk then Hayden Marks doubled him to third. Cessna retired the next three batters in order though to escape the jam.

Although Lamb's shot provided the Maroons with the game-winner, catcher Dalton Lykins nearly broke the scoreless contest in the fourth. With one out and one runner on, Lykins hit a shot to dead centerfield. The Hopkinsville outfielder leapt and placed his glove atop the wall as the ball bounced off his glove and back into play for a double. North's other runner, however, could not advance past third for fear of the centerfielder making the catch.

Cessna prevented the Maroons from manufacturing any runs from the situation, but in the end it did not matter as Lamb altered the game with just one hit.

Offensively, Marks finished the game with North's only multi-hit performance with a 2-for-3 day.

North will return to the diamond at 7:45 p.m. today when the Maroons play Beechwood at the Nelson County Leadoff Classic.

Hopkinsville (1-2) 000 000 0 - 0 3 0
North (3-0) 000 001 X - 1 5 2

WP: Ben Campbell
LP: John Ed Cessna

Ewing helps Auburn to 6th-place in NCAAs

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Thursday, March 26, 2009 10:03 AM CDT

Former Madisonville-North Hopkins standout swimmer Emile Ewing wrapped up her collegiate career in impressive style with Auburn University (Ala.) during the 2009 NCAA Swimming Championships, which ended Saturday.

Ewing, a senior, swam the second leg of Auburn's 200-yard freestyle relay as the team established a school-record time of 1:27.15 on March 19. The time broke the group's previous record by more than a second set during last month's Southeastern Conference Championships.

For the team's effort, the four swimmers earned All-American status.

Individually, Ewing finished the 50 free in a career-best :22.44, taking 22nd in the preliminaries.

The one-time Lady Maroon also claimed 23rd in the 200 backstroke and 32nd in the 200 free.

As a team, Auburn finished the meet in sixth place.

Women's basketball 

Murray State University senior Angela Mullins' career also came to a close during the weekend as the Racers fell in the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament.

Mullins, a Hopkins County Central graduate, collected three rebounds, two points and a steal in Murray's 87-49 loss to the University of Mississippi on Sunday.

The Racers advanced to play Ole Miss after beating the University of Arkansas at Little Rock 67-65 on Friday. During the contest, Mullins recorded four points and two rebounds. The win marked Murray's second victory in school history in the WNIT.

Murray (23-9) lost in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship to Austin Peay State University, but earned a berth in the WNIT for winning the OVC regular-season title

Mullins started each of the team's 32 contests. The former Lady Storm player averaged 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while racking up a team-best 27 blocks on the season. She also made 51 percent of her shots from the field, a team-high.

Baseball

Jorge Tauil, who graduated from Central, collected two hits during Oakland City University's three-game series with Lincoln Memorial University (Tenn.) during the weekend.

Unfortunately for Tauil and the Oaks, the competition proved much stronger and swept Oakland City (Ind.). Lincoln Memorial won a doubleheader 14-1 and 8-0 on Saturday and then finished the weekend with a 15-3 victory on Sunday.

Softball

Dawson Springs graduate Katrina Carter continued to improve her statistics last week for Wabash Valley College (Ill.).

Carter, a pitcher, lowered her ERA from 2.00 to 1.37 and moved her record to 2-0 after allowing just one earned run.

During the week, Carter tossed eight and 1/3 innings and struck out four batters while allowing just two hits.

North overpowers Dawson Springs

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 12:25 AM CDT

For the second time in as many nights, the Madisonville-North Hopkins baseball team proved offensive production should not be in short supply this season.

Every Maroon starter reached base at least once as North defeated Dawson Springs 23-1 at Elmer Kelley Stadium in five innings on Tuesday evening, one night after beating Webster County 11-1 via the mercy rule.

"Going into preseason, I felt we had a pretty good hitting team," North coach Scott Vance said. "I hope that don't come back and blow up in my face, but I do think we hit the ball well."

The Maroons (2-0) scored in each of their four at-bats, notching eight runs in the third inning and nine in the fourth. Ben Campbell and Justin Lamb paced the hitting attack, with Campbell posting a 3-for-4 performance with seven RBIs, including a no-doubt home run to left field in the fourth.

"I was 0-2 (in the count), I was really just trying to put the ball in play honestly, but I got one up and got it out of here," Campbell said of his blast. "Once I hit it, I felt pretty good. The wind was blowing out too, so just put those two together and it's going to get out of here."

As for Lamb, the first baseman recorded doubles in each of his four plate appearances and scored each time.

North batted around in both the third and fourth innings. Campbell, the team's No. 1 pitcher, didn't throw Tuesday, but said he understands the importance of having the team off to such a great offensive start.

"It takes the pressure off the pitchers, takes the pressure off the defense," he said. "You can trust any of those guys to come up big at any moment."

In the second inning, Dawson trailed 3-0 when the Panthers came to bat. Austin Clayton and Brett Cobb began the inning with two straight doubles to left field, with Cobb's double scoring Clayton as Dawson appeared poised to strike for more runs, but then the team lost its beat on North starter Zach Baird.

"We got back-to-back doubles and I thought at one point we were going to get back into the game because it was 3-1 at that point," Dawson coach Adam Locke said. "The next couple guys almost seemed to get nervous again. It's like they realized they were in the game and their plate approach went off again."

Baird recovered after the doubles to strike out the next five batters. Baird left the game after three innings and allowed just three hits while striking out six.

Maroon pitcher Micah Rainwater entered in relief and surrendered just one hit and struck out four Panthers.

After the contest, each coach gave their respective teams a postgame speech, but the message differed drastically.

"We just sat down and had a man-to-man talk," Locke said. "We talked to the guys about how do you want to take this loss. Do you want to take it and just accept it as a loss or does it make you mad and you want to get better?

"I had a senior step up, Alan Higbee stepped up and he had a heart-to-heart talk with the guys and that's the type of leadership I've been looking for all year."

Down the right field line, Vance began to prep his guys for Thursday's matchup with Hopkinsville after two wins to begin the year.

"If we would have probably lost one of these two, I think we would have been down going into Thursday, but hopefully our guys know what it takes to play in big games and what we're going to have to do to go out there and compete," he said.

The Maroons will host the Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Elmer Kelley while Dawson will look for their first win at 5 p.m. Thursday at Caldwell County.

Dawson (0-2) 010 00 -- 1

North (2-0) 338 9X -- 23

WP: Zach Baird (1-0)

LP: Seth Bean (0-1)

Lady Maroons routed, 21-3

The Madisonville-North Hopkins softball team can only hope learning lessons won't come with such difficult games as the one that kicked off its season on Monday.

The Lady Maroons (0-1) played Muhlenberg North (1-0) to a 2-1 ballgame after three innings, but the Lady Stars hit with devastating contact in their last two at-bats en route to a 21-3 victory.

"I guess we just had some confusion, some lack of communication and the girls kind of had a little bit of trouble," coach Kacie Jackson said. "It's a learning experience and we learn from our mistakes and we're going to move on tomorrow as if this never happened."

Although North allowed 19 runs in the final two innings, the Lady Maroons got on the scoreboard in their first at-bat and led 1-0 until the third inning.

North employed a bit of small ball in the first to create the game's first run. Third baseman Hannah Cates led off with a walk and Kaci Rainwater's sacrifice bunt allowed Cates to advance to second. With one out, Kyleigh Taylor singled Cates to third and moved to second on an error. Finally, clean-up hitter Caitlin Todd made contact on a groundout and an error on the play allowed Cates to score and take a 1-0 advantage.

Taylor, North's starting pitcher, held the visiting Lady Stars to three hits in the first three innings, but then the barrage began.

Muhlenberg North batted around in both the fourth and fifth innings with 17 batters coming to the plate in the latter frame.

Although the Lady Stars found gaps in the defense with their hits, North unintentionally helped the opposition by struggling to find the relay person on hits to the outfield.

"Sometimes we have a little bit of trouble of communicating," Jackson said. "We try to tell them where cut offs are...Especially when it's up the middle, they have trouble communicating and trying to figure out who's supposed to be where."

Taylor (0-1) left the game in the fifth inning when Clarissa Smith drilled a line drive off the pitcher's foot. Freshman Katlyn Daniel made her varsity debut and entered in relief. Daniel faced three batters before recording the inning's final out.

After giving up 21 unanswered runs, the Lady Maroons struck for a pair in their final at-bat. Cates knocked in both runs with a two-out double to left field brining in Chelsea Britt and Lauren Todd, who reached via error and hit by pitch respectively.

Jackson said she was proud to see her girls fight until the final out.

"That's one thing that I praised them for," she said. "We try to teach them just because you're down, you can't give up. Even if it's 20-0, the important thing is that they didn't lay down. They fought hard and tried to get some runs on the board and that's something that we like to see."

North will look to earn its first win of the season when the team plays 5:30 p.m. today at University Heights Academy.

Muhlenberg North (1-0) 002 613- 21 17 2
Madisonville-North Hopkins (0-1) 100 02 - 3 3 5

WP: Kristen Harlan (1-0)
LP: Kyleigh Taylor (0-1)

North star signs with KWC

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter, nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 12:23 AM CDT

As the whirlwind of Heidi Clayton's senior year at Madisonville-North Hopkins nears a close, the Lady Maroon soccer standout has begun to understand the gravity of advancing to the next level.

On Monday afternoon at North's school library, Clayton signed a letter of intent to continue playing soccer for Kentucky Wesleyan College one day after celebrating her 18th birthday.

Following photographs and the official signing ceremony, Clayton discussed the emotions of realizing a new chapter of her life lies on the advancing horizon.

"It's crazy to be so close," Clayton said of her approaching transition to college. "It's all hitting me all at once, being an adult and signing for college. It's a big deal."

Clayton ended her career with North as the all-time Lady Maroons scorer with 111 goals, eclipsing Laura Nance's mark by one.

Steve Shepard, who recently resigned as girls coach, said Clayton can expect to be quite successful, but must realize the workload that accompanies collegiate ball.

"She's going to have an impact anywhere she plays as long as she goes to play," he said. "It's going to take a little more effort to play at the next level because everybody is good. She's still an above average athlete, but she'll have to work to be as effective as she was, but without a doubt she'll have an impact."

Clayton said she has already learned a bit of what to expect from Nance, who played for Wesleyan her first two years of school but decided not to return for the upcoming season.

"We have conversations from time to time," Clayton said. "She's just said that they condition hard and they get up early in the mornings. They do work hard and they've gotten better from year to year, their program is rising."

Although Nance has left the squad, Clayton will enter with fellow North senior Troyana Hardy, a goalkeeper, and both hope to help the Lady Panthers' continue to build tradition.

"I think me and Troyana will be great assets to the team," Clayton said. "She is a great goalie. As for me, I think I'll be able to bring a lot to the table because just my speed and being able to pass well. As much as I can score, I can assist. I can pass very well too and I think I can help the team out."

In addition to her goal-scoring ability, Clayton indeed made great contributions with her passing ability by leading the state with 24 assists during her senior campaign.

At 5-2, Clayton's height might be a disadvantage as a forward against opposing defenses, but Clayton said she doesn't plan on backing down.

"Even though I'm little, I get in there," she said. "It doesn't matter how big they are, I get in there and I fight with them. It'll be a big transition, a big adjustment, but I think I'll jump right into it and head on and do well."

Shepard also said Clayton has many more talents than just the ability to fire to the back of the net.

"Everything - her speed, her will to win, she's tough," he said. "Definitely, her ball skills."

With the Lady Maroons, Clayton also offered strong on-field guidance to fellow players, but as a rookie, she'll be the one to listen now.

"Coming in as a freshman, I'm at the bottom of the pack," she said. "I don't have that leadership role anymore like I did my senior year.

"I can't come in there thinking I've got this. I will definitely have to work hard and show them I can be a part of the team and contribute to it."

If Clayton can prove herself and continues to push her skills to the limit, Shepard said he thinks Wesleyan could just be another rung on the Lady Maroon's ladder of success.

"You have to work on your weaknesses constantly because that's what is going to get you from that level to the next level," he said. "There wasn't another level just a few years ago and now this year, the Women's Professional Soccer League is back again. So, now there's actually another level you can aspire to and without a doubt, with hard work, I think she can play at the next level."

Pirates sharp in early spring work

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Sunday, March 22, 2009 12:19 AM CDT

If spring stats can provide any indication of success for the Tradewater Pirates this summer, then all signs point to another regular season championship.

Pitchers and hitters alike from this year's Pirate crew have been mowing down the opposition for their respective colleges during the past several weeks.

Nolan Mullaney, a pitcher at San Bernardino Valley College (Calif.) may be off to the best start of all Tradewater players. Mullaney boasts the only two complete games for his squad and has accumulated a 4-2 record with a 3.35 earned-run average. Through 40 innings, Mullaney has struck out 37 batters, including 11 caught looking.

Mullaney is not alone in his pitching success however. At Georgia College & State University, Ryan Tabor has compiled a 4-1 record and 1.80 ERA. Tabor, a left-handed junior, has been used mostly as a reliever with just one start in 14 appearances. Tabor has displayed great control by maintaining a 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 16 punch-outs.

Right-hander Dustin Williams has also shown a similar ability to locate, striking out 32 and walking 11 for Oklahoma City University (Okla.). In nine appearances, Williams, a junior, has limited opposing batters to a .156 batting average in 24 innings. Heading into Saturday's action, Williams boasted a 3-0 record and 1.88 ERA.

At the plate, Tradewater hitters have also produced impressive stats.

Sean Mahley, an outfielder/pitcher combo, will return for his second season with the Pirates and has been on a tear so far with the University of the Cumberlands. Mahley leads his team in runs (19), hits (24), RBIs (24) and total bases (42). Currently, Mahley has an eight-game hitting streak with a .343 season average and seven stolen bases.

On the mound, Mahley has made just one appearance and faced five batters while surrendering one hit.

Behind the dish, Mahley's college teammate and future Pirate Miguel Vasquez has thrown out four of seven would-be stealers. Vasquez has also hit well with a .333 average in 15 starts.

Austin Messerli, a 6-7, 240-pound first baseman, has pounded the ball for Barton County Community College (Kan.) so far this season with a .388 average. Messerli leads his squad with 24 runs and has also recorded two home runs and eight doubles en route to a .627 slugging percentage.

Brock Green, also a first baseman, has shown a flair for hitting in tough situations with Ouachita Baptist University (Ark.) and could be Tradewater's clutch hitter come summertime.

Green has a .367 average overall, but is hitting .429 with runners in scoring position and .455 with two outs, including 13 two-out RBIs. In the field, Green has made just one error in 105 chances.

Although Oral Roberts University infielder Colby Price may not be having as successful a season as Green or Messerli, he might have had the most memorable game of any Pirate so far this year.

On Friday, Price laced a two-run double against national powerhouse, No. 4 ranked California State University, Fullerton to record his first RBIs of the season. Price has a .278 average with 18 at-bats. He has started games at second, third and DH.

Panthers optimistic of '09

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Saturday, March 21, 2009 8:43 AM CDT

DAWSON SPRINGS -- Although the high school baseball season has yet to begin, first-year Dawson Springs coach Adam Locke has slowly been breeding success for the past five weeks at Riverside Park.

Dawson Springs has not won a game since May 7, 2007, but Locke, an assistant for the Tradewater Pirates last summer, has been laying the foundation to create opportunity for many victories this season.

"He's brought a lot of people out this year and we're starting to play like a team now," senior catcher Jon Snell said of Locke's recruiting ability. "We went up from 13 or 14 last year and I think we're up to 20 or 22 this year."

Locke, who spent four years as an assistant at Muhlenberg South, represents the fourth coach in four years at Dawson. Starting third baseman Alan Higbee said he thinks the program finally has the right person in place to lead the team to success.

"He's by far the best," Higbee said. "He does know his stuff, knows exactly what baseball is. He would be the coach I want to play for if there was anybody else in the state.

"I didn't know if (previous coaches) had extra time on their hands or they just wanted to keep the program alive, but he loves the game and that's a step up."

Higbee and Snell have been with the team several years, but Locke's enthusiasm has encouraged many more to play.

"He's a real cool guy and he was just talking to me about it, asked me if I was interested," senior Ethan Scott said after sitting out last season. "I promised him I would and I'm a man of my word, so I came out."

Sophomore Dayton Reed also joined the squad. Reed used the speed he developed as a runner to secure the starting center fielder position.

Snell even did his part to bring another player to the field.

"I made a deal with Jon Snell that if he would come and play soccer, I would come and play baseball," first-year player Carson Labrado said. "He went through with his part, so it's my turn."

Labrado, a senior, said he expects to earn time in the outfield. Along with Labrado and Reed, Scott, freshman Todd Bullock and senior Seth Bean will each play outfield.

Scott, a 6-6 right-hander, will man the mound as the Panthers' No. 1 starter.

Locke said Scott's strength will be his ability to locate and the pitcher agreed.

"I'm not going to go out here and blow it past anybody, that's for sure," he said. "I know whenever (Snell) gives me a target, most of the time I'm going to get it there and see what happens from there."

Also on the rubber will be Bean and sophomores Brett Cobb and Braxton Burden.

Cobb, a left-hander, will be Dawson's No. 2 starter and Locke said Cobb's southpaw throwing will provide a huge advantage.

"You don't see a whole lot of lefties and at 6-4, he's intimidating out there," Locke said.

Behind the dish, Snell will handle the catching duties.

Locke said Snell's defensive skills have gained the attention of a couple collegiate teams.

"He's got a pop time of about 2.1 seconds, 2.15 and looking to go to college and play right now," Locke said. "He's got some coaches that are interested in him now."

Around the infield, Cobb will play first when not pitching and Bullock and Burden will both see time at second while sophomore Austin Clayton will fill shortstop.

Higbee will play third and be the team's on-field leader, Locke said.

Defensively, Locke said he thinks the Panthers will be solid, but Dawson will have to continue to improve its hitting.

During the preseason, Locke established hitting stations using live arms, soft toss, tees and one unique tool.

"We just took a dow rod, 1 1/4 inch, cut it down to two feet long and we're tossing up wiffle golf balls," Locke said. "We're really working on getting guys to focus on seeing the ball."

The workload and intensity for Panther players may be higher at practice this season, but judging from the feedback thus far, the atmosphere has helped the group gel.

"We weren't close as a team and now he's made us close as a team," Higbee said. "Now, we have people staying after practice, enjoying, laughing, having a good time. We've become more like a baseball family than just a baseball player."

Dawson hopes to translate its offseason improvements to wins beginning with the team's season-opener at 5 p.m. Monday against Hopkins County Central.

Jackson wraps up junior campaign at Georgia

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 12:25 AM CDT

One year after shocking the college basketball world by capturing the Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship,Albert Jackson and the University of Georgia men's basketball team ended the season in disappointing fashion on Thursday.

The Bulldogs lost 79-60 to Mississippi State University in Tampa, Fla., putting the finishing touches on a let-down season.

Last season, Georgia entered the SEC Tournament with a 13-16 record and reeled off four straight victories to secure an automatic bid the NCAA Tournament. Jacskon, who played three years at Hopkins County Central, provided large contributions to the team's run with an average of seven points and 6.5 rebounds per contest in the tournament.

Georgia earned a No. 14 seed, but ultimately fell 73-61 to favored Xavier University (Ohio) in the first round.

This season, the 'Dogs started in strong fashion, picking up where last season ended by jumping out to a 6-1 record. Then, Georgia dropped three straight contests with the first coming at Western Kentucky University, eventual winners of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

On Jan. 29, with a record of 9-11, 0-5 SEC, Georgia fired head coach Dennis Felton, who played a pivotal role in recruiting Jackson. Under the direction of interim coach Pete Herrmann, the Bulldogs finished the year 3-9.

During Georgia's final game on Thursday, Jackson sank 4-of-7 shot attempts for eight points and tallied four rebounds.

Jackson finished the season by averaging 4.5 points and 3.8 boards per game. He also recorded the second most blocks on his squad with 26 and started 28 of 31 games played.

Fortunately for Jackson, the Earlington native will return for another shot at the NCAA Tournament next season in his senior campaign.

Women's basketball

Former Central standout Kari Jo Harris will take part in her first NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Tournament with Lee University (Tenn.) on Thursday.

The Lady Flames earned a No. 2 seed and will face No. 7 seed Evangel University (Mo.) at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in Jackson, Tenn.

Lee has reached the tournament five straight times and if the Lady Flames succeed Thursday, they will face the winner of Biola University (Calif.) and Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) at 3:15 p.m. Friday.

Harris, a freshman, has played in all 33 of the squad's contests, including three starts. Entering the NAIA Tournament, Harris averaged 4.3 points and two rebounds per contest.

Angela Mullins, a 2003 Central grad, will get her final shot at a taste of the postseason as a senior for Murray State University.

Murray will battle against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Friday in the opening round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The game marks the Racers' third appearance in the WNIT.

Both Murray and Little Rock reached the championship games of their respective conference tournaments, but fell short of snagging an NCAA automatic bid.

During Mullins' freshman season, she recorded nine rebounds, six points and one block against UALR.

This season, Mullins has started each of Murray's 30 games and averaged 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game as well a team-high 27 blocks for the year.

Softball

Through her first seven collegiate innings pitched, 2008 Dawson Springs graduate Katrina Carter has posted a 1-0 record and 2.00 earned-run average for Wabash Valley College (Ill.).

Carter has allowed eight hits but just two earned runs and struck out two.

After 14 games played, Wabash remains undefeated at 13-0-1.

North second in 6A at state powerlifting meet

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter, nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 12:22 AM CDT

Three Madisonville-North Hopkins powerlifters captured individual state titles, but as a team the Maroons claimed second place in 6A competition during Saturday's State Powerlifting Meet at Central Hardin High School.

Senior Skyler McReynolds and juniors Maarten Adams and J. Michael Collins each won individual crowns as North finished runner-up to Louisville Trinity and took third overall.

"Our kids had a great meet," powerlifting coach Mark Phaup said. "The deck is stacked against you a little bit when you are competing in class 6A against schools with much larger enrollments. But our kids fought hard, this was the first time we had three individual state champions."

McReynolds and Adams competed in the 185 and 155-pound division respectively and each established new state records. McReynolds set a record with his 365-pound bench press and Adams earned a new all-time mark with a dead-lift of 600 pounds. Adams finished with a 240-pound bench press and McReynolds reached a dead-lift of 565 pounds.

Collins defeated all competition in the 195-pound division by benching 280 pounds and completing a dead-lift of 600 pounds.

"(Adams and Collins) work hard every day and I look for both of them to be in position to capture their second straight state championship next season," Phaup said.

Several other Maroons also turned in great performances in the meet, including senior Jesse Donahue, who recently committed to Antelope Valley College (Calif.). Donahue took second place in the 165-pound class with a 240-pound bench and 545-pound dead-lift. Fellow senior Andrew Daugherty, a lineman, competed in the 250-pound division and secured third place. Daugherty boasted a 300-pound bench and 610-pound dead-lift.

Seniors Jaquez Samuel, who will join Donahue at Antelope, and Chris White each finished in fourth place in the 175 and 220-pound divisions respectively.

Sophomore Nathan Morse surprised Phaup by rounding out the slew of North lifters who scored points for the squad with his sixth-place finish in the 165-pound class.

"He has shown improvement all season, but he really out-did himself this weekend," Phaup said. "I'm awfully proud of this kid. He's going to be a major contributor next season."

Next season, the Maroons will compete in the 5A division in both football and powerlifting and the team will be determined to capture the state championship after finishing in second back-to-back years, Phaup said.

Hopkins County Central's Denzel Arrington also competed in the 185-weight class and took sixth place for the Storm. Arrington totaled 805 pounds with 575 coming on the dead-lift and 230 on the bench

Both football teams find themselves in the midst of spring practice. North will hold its scrimmage Friday and Central will conduct its at 5 p.m. on April 17.

Young Lady Maroons hoping to build some confidence

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter, nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 12:22 AM CDT

When May comes, the Madisonville-North Hopkins softball team hopes its preparation in February and March for high intensity games will have bountiful dividends.

With just three upperclassmen on the team, coach Kacie Jackson knows the learning curve for handling game-changing play situations must be made quick.

Last year, North finished 6-14. To prepare this season's young group, Jackson, in her third year at the helm, has been providing her hitters and fielders with situational at-bats to simulate potential scenarios the team will face during the upcoming season.

"Of course, it's not going to be the same as in a game, but we try to make it as much as game-like as possible, so they can have that experience and maybe they're more confident," Jackson said.

Senior outfielder Kelley Herrenbruck said the team's morale will be just as important as its level of play this season.

"Confidence is going to be a big key," Herrenbruck said. "If we can come out strong, we can continue it. It's going to be a big factor, especially since we are such a young team, to get confidence underneath us."

Junior Hannah Cates will join Herrenbruck in the outfield to provide some veteran experience. Senior catcher Caitlin Todd will handle the bulk of the leadership though.

"(Todd) motivates the girls and she's very encouraging," Jackson said of Todd's vocal flair.

Todd's ability to direct and communicate will be key as she works with a young pitching staff.

"Because she's catcher, she has really good leadership skills," Herrenbruck said. "She has to tell everybody and make sure what they're doing. She's a strong leader and she's really good at inspirational things by keeping us all up and happy and positive."

Freshman Kyleigh Taylor will command most of the time on the mound in her second year as a starter. Taylor and Todd have worked together as a battery for four years and hope that familiarity breeds dominance against opposing batters.

Taylor said she's confident pitch location should not be an issue for her this season.

"Whatever I want to throw low, it works for me," she said. "You want to either have it low or high. You don't want to have it down the middle."

Kaitlyn Daniel and Heather Webb will be on call to bail out Taylor should she falter pitching.

As for the rest of the roster, Jackson said she has many question marks and holes to fill after many pieces graduated or have not returned from last year's squad.

Among those graduated are Emily Allen, Katie Dame and Jennifer Gates.

"We are definitely going to be a young team," Jackson said. "It's hard to say who will start where even though we only have a week to go until the season. We've lost so many players that it's pretty much up in the air who could play where."

One season ago, North's opponents outscored the Lady Maroons 112-61 and hitting has definitely been a focus in preseason practices.

"We've been working on proper techniques of hitting and make sure our eyes are on the ball," Herrenbruck said. "We've been doing lots of drills with numbers on the balls and colors and you have to say what they are."

Knowing what count to swing the bat has also been an area of emphasis.

"With softball, it's more you're going to get a good pitch early in the count, so you have to jump on it ahead of time or else you're going to fall behind and then you're going to see nothing but junk," Jackson said.

Should the girls remember and put to practice all their preseason lessons, the Lady Maroons feel they can succeed despite their youth.

"If we can win the first couple games, I think it can really boost the team's confidence and send us into a good season," Taylor said.

North begins the 2009 season with its home-opener at 5:30 p.m. on Monday against Muhlenberg North.

Ewing to represent Auburn swim team in NCAAs

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Thursday, March 12, 2009 12:24 AM CDT

Former Madisonville-North Hopkins swimming standout Emile Ewing will represent Auburn University in three individual events at the 2009 NCAA Women's Swimming National Championships.

Ewing, a senior, earned her highest seeding at 20th in the 200-yard freestyle when the 2009 NCAA Championships psyche sheet was released on March 4.

In addition to the 200 free, Ewing will participate in the 200-yard backstroke as the 25th seed and in the 50-yard freestyle as the 34th seed.

The championships will take place March 19-21 at the Texas A&M University Natatorium in College Station, Texas.

Baseball

Hopkins County Central graduate Jorge Tauil has recorded hits in each of his last four games and ranks second in hits with eight for Oakland City University (Ind.).

Tauil began his hit streak by going 1-for-3 with one RBI in Oakland City's 8-2 loss to St. Catharine in the first game of a doubleheader on March 5. In the nightcap, Tauil followed up by hitting 1-for-2 with two runs scored in an 8-7 victory.

During his team's 15-4 loss to the University of Indianapolis on March 8, Tauil was called upon to try his hand as pitcher after the Oaks fell behind. Tauil delivered two innings in relief and gave up four runs on six hits, yet struck out two. At the plate, Tauil finished the game 2-for-3.

In a rematch with Indianapolis, Tauil recorded a 1-for-3 performance with one run scored in a 21-11 defeat.

Former Storm player Will Cartwright made his collegiate debut for Murray State University on March 6 against North Dakota State University.

During the bottom of the seventh inning, Cartwright entered the game to pinch hit. Although Cartwright successfully reached base, it might not have come the way he envisioned as he was hit by a pitch.

Cartwright advanced to third base before ultimately being stranded. Murray eventually won the game 20-9. Last season, Cartwright redshirted with the Racers.

Trevor Sewell, a 2008 Dawson Springs graduate, also made his collegiate debut recently for Asbury College.

Sewell subbed into his first contest as a pinch runner in the fifth inning on Feb. 13 against Siena Heights University (Mich.). Asbury prevailed in the contest 4-0.

The next day, Sewell notched his first official at-bat when he pinch hit in the final inning of Asbury's 10-2 loss to Siena Heights. Sewell made contact and popped out to the shortstop.

Thus far, Sewell has played in five games including a start at second base on Feb. 28 against Oakland City, but the former Panther is still looking for his first hit.

Men's basketball

The Transylvania University Pioneers' season came to an end last week and with it so did Brock Jones' collegiate career.

Jones, a senior who graduated from North, played in his final game when Transylvania dropped a 71-67 overtime decision to Guilford College (N.C.) on March 6 at Centre College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

As the team's sixth man this season, Jones ended the year as the squad's third-leading scorer with an average of 9.3 points per contest. Jones averaged 21 minutes per game from the bench and was one of Transylvania's most dependable shooters with a 50 percent field-goal percentage.

In his final game, Jones tallied five points and two rebounds.

Albert Jackson, who starred three years at Central, helped the University of Georgia Bulldogs upset the University of Kentucky with a 90-85 win on March 4 at Rupp Arena.

Jackson, an Earlington native, recorded four points, four rebounds and two blocks in the shocking victory.

Georgia's luck ended with a 68-51 loss to the University of South Carolina on Saturday. Jackson, a junior, made both of his shot attempts for four points and posted three rebounds as well.

The Bulldogs will open Southeastern Conference Tournament play at 2:15 p.m. today against Mississippi State University in Tampa, Fla.

Women's basketball

Lee University (Tenn.) captured its third straight Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday by downing Berry College (Ga.), 77-63 on March 7.

Kari Jo Harris, a 2008 Central graduate, aided the team's title run by amassing five points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 28 minutes of action during the tourney.

The Lady Flames reached the finals by beating Shorter College (Ga.) 62-40 on March 6 and Brewton-Parker College (Ga.) 76-71 on March 5.

With the championship win, Lee will advance to the NAIA National Championship Tournament at Oman Arena on March 18-24 in Jackson, Tenn.

Murray State senior Angela Mullins will get at least one more shot to take the hardwood in her collegiate career.

The Racers dropped a 90-84 decision to Austin Peay State University (Tenn.) on March 6 in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, but because Murray claimed the OVC regular-season crown, the team will automatically qualify for the Women's National Invitational Tournament.

Mullins, who graduated from Central in 2003, finished the OVC championship game with two points and five rebounds.

Selection for teams hosting and participating in the WNIT will be announced Monday with first-round action on campus sites from March 18-20.

Caitlin Owen, a Webster County grad, posted one of her best performances on the season with eight points and six rebounds as Brescia University defeated Allen University (S.C.), 73-55.

The win came on March 6 in the first round of the Independent Region Tournament in Orangeburg, S.C. and all of Owen's statistics came as a reserve.

On March 7, Owen collected three points and four points in her team's 56-49 loss to Voorhees College (S.C.), which ended the Lady Bearcats' season.

Hibbs plans to refine Storm

y Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 10:37 AM CDT

Spring brings new life each year and recently hired Hopkins County Central football coach Zach Hibbs will get his first crack to help the Storm program grow when the team begins workouts on March 23.

Hibbs, who was hired Feb. 27, and his staff will have 15 school days to use for 10 individual days of practice and although it's his first shot at a head job, the spring period won't be utilized for drastic change, but rather refinement.

As an assistant under former coach Rick Snodgrass, Hibbs helped conduct the spring sessions and witnessed their success.

"Coach Snod had a pretty good spring ball system," Hibbs said. "What we would do is come in and do a lot of strategy work, a lot of work against the defense and putting in a lot screens and plays like that we use a lot throughout the season.

"Also, to get the underclassmen, who didn't get as many reps last year, get them a chance running the positions where we lost a lot of seniors."

For the 2009 season, the Storm will have to replace 14 seniors including starting quarterback Jake Powell, leading rusher Troydale Rorer, leading receiver Kelsey Bowman and dual threats Keith and Kevin Couch. Defensively, Central will need to replace the likes of Denzel Arrington, Dustin Grant, Travis Watts and company.

Still, Hibbs said he's confident the team will not suffer a drop off because Central had successful freshman and junior varsity seasons last year.

Sometimes during a coaching transition new defensive and offensive systems and schemes will be introduced, but Hibbs said the terminology will remain the same.

"We don't have to change much of anything, we just need to improve on it and refresh a lot of it in their minds," he said. "We have a lot of kids who had a lot of reps at varsity still even though we did lose a lot of seniors."

Re-establishing a sense of familiarity with the playbook will be just one area of focus during the practices though.

"I think the goal for spring ball would be a team concept, that we build around each other for this," Hibbs said. "We have a lot of team players coming up and I feel that's going to be our strength next year on varsity."

Central's spring break will interrupt the team's workout schedule, but when the team reconvenes, the Storm will end spring ball with a full-contact scrimmage at 5 p.m. on April 17. Then, players will begin conditioning programs meeting three days a week for two hours after school each time.

Individuals will also be on their own to take part in line and skill camps, Hibbs said.

Baseball Bonkers is starting to kick in

By Nick Brockman, The Messenger

Published: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 12:23 AM CDT

While most sports fans find themselves enthralled in March Madness, another athletic malady has begun to spread, Baseball Bonkers.

Personally, I have suffered for the last 22 years.

It begins innocently enough in January every season with general anxiety and difficulty sleeping, but by March comes sweating, shortness of breath and an inability to eat, not to mention fantastic dreams of the New York Yankees being dissolved as an organization.

When looking at the symptoms, one can sympathize how difficult it truly must be to endure this year after year like those allergic to pollen each spring. Currently, there's no known cure for Baseball Bonkers unless your favorite player has been accused or admitted taking steroids, which instantly crushes your spirit. Look at Chicago Cubs fans, they certainly have not discovered a vaccine.

Thankfully, the Cincinnati Reds, my team, have not been included in this scandal, but have experienced near similar disappointment in the standings as the Cubs, at least in my lifetime.

Nonetheless, the disease, just like the flu, returns with more potency season after season.

If reporting pitchers and catchers weren't enough to get excited about in February, now the sport has added another first-rate event to anticipate in the World Baseball Classic.

The Classic began in 2006 and it is a tournament held every three years featuring 16 squads representing their respective nations. This year's event began last week and the U.S. team has already advanced to the second round with wins against Canada 6-5 and Venezuela 15-6.

Although the Classic is a rather new affair, for diehard baseball fans it can be compared to the feelings soccer enthusiasts experience during the World Cup.

Baseball may be America's pastime, but many other countries can play at or above USA's level. That was shown when Japan took the inaugural crown and the U.S. bowed out after the second round.

Not to mention natural rivalries with Canada, Mexico and Cuba and games in Asia that start at 4:30 a.m., it's easy to see how baseball supporters suffer from chronic insomnia and headaches from anticipating the matchups.

Then, there's life as a sports reporter, which brings high school and college baseball into the mix. College play has been underway for some time for those lucky schools in the Deep South, but local high schools will kickoff Opening Day on March 23.

And of course there's Major League Baseball's starting date, April 5.

So many ways and reasons to catch Baseball Bonkers, but at least there are products to soothe the illness. For three seasons, I have had MLB.TV, which allows me to watch all out-of-market games live on my computer. The doses don't come cheaply, but at least it's something to alleviate the problem. Direct TV's sports package complete with every regional Fox Sports Network makes one calmer as well.

After one score and two years, my ailment continues to metastasize though. Despite the disease, I would have it no other way.

My name is Nick and I'm a Baseball Bonkers sufferer.

Henderson fends off Webster for 2nd Region title

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter

Published: Sunday, March 8, 2009 12:22 PM CDT

Webster County scratched, clawed and fought with relentless effort, but nothing could stop the Henderson County girls basketball team from extending its dynasty in the 2nd Region on Saturday evening.

The Lady Trojans labored to find an offensive rhythm throughout the contest all the while 2nd Region Player of the Year Alyse Poindexter made it appear too easy in an eventual 53-37 Henderson win at Madisonville-North Hopkins. The win marked the fifth consecutive time the Lady Colonels will represent their region in the Sweet 16.

At halftime, Poindexter posted as many points as the entire Webster squad and Henderson led 25-12.

During the third quarter, the Lady Trojans mounted two separate offensive charges, but neither could overtake the Lady Colonels.

Webster senior Natalie Stone capped an 11-3 run to cut Henderson’s advantage to five points. Stone sank a three-pointer and then created a turnover and converted the Lady Colonel miscue into a layup to make it a 28-23 game.

Henderson quickly rebuilt its lead to 12 though. The Lady Trojans managed to cut the lead in half to enter the fourth quarter at 36-29.

Poindexter, a 6-3 center, helped her squad pull away in the opening minutes of the fourth with six quick points when the Lady Colonels manufactured an 8-0 run over the first 3:15 of the quarter. Webster never recovered as Henderson held a double-digit lead the rest of the contest.

By game’s end, Poindexter wracked up a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds. Poindexter’s presence helped Henderson outrebound Webster 43-33 overall.

For the Lady Trojans, Kerstin Hayes paced the team with 12 points. Lynette Harris posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 boards. Stone ended her final high school game with seven points.

Webster (23-8) 6 6 17 8 – 37

Henderson (22-5) 13 12 10 18 – 53

Webster: Kerstin Hayes 12, Lynette Harris 10, Natalie Stone 7, Stephanie Householder 4, Caylee Duncan 2, Ellie Steiner 2

Henderson: Alyse Poindexter 22, Ariel Barnes 14, Olivia Fruit 8, Danielle Dixon 6, Ellie Fruit 2, Krista Norman 1

Lady Trojans rally to beat Christian

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Saturday, March 7, 2009 12:21 AM CST

Webster County senior Natalie Stone played rock solid throughout the game as her Lady Trojan basketball team tangled with Christian County in a 2nd Region semi-final contest at Madisonville-North Hopkins on Friday evening.

That didn't stop Stone's teammate Keri Wright, a reserve, from stealing the spotlight when she collected perhaps the biggest rebound and bucket on the same play with 16.2 seconds in the game as Webster eventually prevailed 51-48.

Down seven points with three minutes to go, the Lady Trojans forced their way back into the game and Wright's board and put-back capped a rollercoaster victory for Webster.

Tied 48 all with 23 seconds left, Christian could have played for the final shot. Instead Lady Colonel guard Denisha Mumford attempted a shot and missed. Then, Shatera Lewis snagged the rebound and missed her own attempt.

Webster's Lynette Harris grabbed the next board and was fouled two seconds later. Harris nailed her first free-throw attempt, but her miss provided Wright with the opportunity to make a game-clinching play.

Wright hauled in the rebound, pivoted and threw a shot off the backboard that fell through the net to give her team a three-point advantage. The score was her only points on the night.

"That's something as a role player and a sub she's given us all year," coach Christina Whitsell said. "She's been able to come in, grab big rebounds and that offensive basket kind of sealed the lead."

After a Lady Colonels' timeout, Mumford attempted a three with six seconds left, but lost control of the ball before getting the shot off. Kierra Wilson tried a three from the corner but Ellie Steiner blocked the attempt and the ball trickled out of bounds with .3 seconds left. Christian's ensuing in-bound was deflected and Webster celebrated the victory.

Neither team could have predicted such an outcome in the first half though when the Lady Trojans led 27-6 after nine minutes of action.

Stone and teammate Kerstin Hayes put Webster in control early by finding seams in the defense to drive the lane and also locating open teammates. Stone finished with a team-high 16 points.

"I was just reading what they were giving me and if it was to drive into the paint and pull up or go all the way in for a layup, I was just doing what they were giving to me," she said.

Webster created the large advantage by utilizing a 17-0 run, but Christian responded by converting on five straight offensive possessions to pull back into the contest. The Lady Trojan lead shrank to seven by halftime.

"(Christian) brought out that pressure where they run two and three guards at you," Whitsell said of the Lady Colonel comeback. "We stopped attacking. We got flustered...We didn't have ball in our court, which was our game plan."

Webster's woes continued in the third quarter and a Mumford layup with 38 seconds before the fourth gave Christian its first lead.

The Lady Colonels built their advantage to seven, but then Stone and company took charge.

"(Stone) did a much better job of handling the pressure and making good decisions down the stretch," Whitsell said. "You can tell she's a senior and doesn't want this to end.

As the team's lone senior, Stone said tried to hype the team all day long, beginning at school Friday.

"I was thinking I don't want this to be my last game and I gave it my all," she said. "I had the whole team motivated today at school and then when we got here I told them it's do or die for us. I go home forever, you all get another chance, but I don't, so play for me."

Even after Webster let a 21-point lead evaporate, the squad never lost its swagger and maintained the win or go home attitude to extend its season and for Stone, her career, at least one more day.

The Lady Trojans will play 7 p.m. today against Henderson County in the 2nd Region Championship game at North. The contest marks the fourth time this season the two schools will meet. Henderson holds a 2-1 season record against Webster.

Christian (12-15) 6 18 16 8 - 48

Webster (23-7) 26 5 8 12 - 51

Christian: Denisha Mumford 17, Shatera Lewis 10, Kierra Wilson 6, Martessia Williams 5, Lora McKnight 4, Tiakesha Brasher 3, Jasherrica Barkely 2, Sherria Hester 1

Webster: Natalie Stone 16, Lynette Harris 14, Kerstin Hayes 8, Ellie Steiner 8, Stephanie Householder 3, Keri Wright

Christian outlasts Webster in overtime, 58-50

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Thursday, March 5, 2009 8:46 AM CST

HOPKINSVILLE — Webster County coach Bev Hart entered Wednesday evening's first-round 2nd Region matchup against Christian County with a detailed game plan: slow, slower and slowest.

The Trojans (12-15) combated Christian County's quickness by holding the ball in a near Princeton-style offense and took the clearly favored Colonels to overtime before falling 58-50 at Hopkinsville High School.

Neither team held more than a nine-point advantage during regulation, and Christian led 41-37 with 1:35 left in the fourth. Webster took a one-point lead on a LaBrice Williams layup with 23 seconds left and held the ball with 14 seconds in a tie ballgame. The Colonels defense, however, prevented the Trojans from getting up a shot attempt.

"We wanted to control tempo and we were able to do that," Hart said. "I think we had a chance to win at the end, we just didn't make the shot.

"I thought we played well and like I said, probably not too many people would have given us a chance to win tonight. We had the ball with the last shot, just needed to make a shot."

The inability to create a shot sent both teams to overtime.

Christian's Daquan Murden scored six of his seven points on the night in the first 1:27 of overtime. Trojan senior Logan Stull tied the game at 48 all when he converted on a backdoor cut with 2:15 left to play.

Shaquile Wilson converted on two free-throw attempts seven seconds later and the Colonels held the lead the rest of the way.

Just inside two minutes, Williams had two shot opportunities 16 seconds apart, but just as all game long, Christian found a way to shutdown Webster's leading scorer on the season.

"Pretty much, everywhere I went they had an answer for it, but there was a couple times I could shake them off," he said.

Unfortunately, for Williams and Webster, neither shot fell and Christian led by six with 1:04 to go. The Colonels sank four more three throws in the last minute and held on to advance despite Webster's well-planned attack.

"Coach created a great game plan," Webster senior Drew Dement said. "We were trying to (waste) 30 or 45 seconds off each possession. We were trying to slow the game down. He said once we got it down to the half-court game, we could level up with them."

The Colonel defenders gave Webster's players fits all night long as the Trojans struggled to find an effective method to push the ball up the court.

"Christian County defense has always been known to be tough, so to keep us off-balance they just kept pressuring the ball and trapping the corners, trapping everything on the floor, just keep coming after it and not giving up," Williams said.

Hart said he knew Christian's reputation and adjusted for it accordingly in game preparation.

"They're relentless in their pressure and you're going to make some turnovers," he said. "We just didn't want to let them score off them. We even told our kids if we get a five-second count or a 10-second count, that's fine. Just don't throw it up for grabs and let them go because they just turn turnovers into easy baskets."

The Trojans netted just two field goals in the second quarter after knocking down seven in the first eight minutes of the game. Webster entered halftime down 24-18.

Christian led 33-28 to start the fourth, but Williams gave his team a five-point swing when he hit a basket and drew not only a personal foul, but a technical foul and went 3-of-4 from the line to tie the game.

Despite Williams' effort, Wednesday's game marked his with the Trojans.

"It hit me as soon as the buzzer went off," Williams said of that realization. "That's the last buzzer that I'm going to hear in my high school career with Webster County basketball."

Dement ended his career with a game-high 16 points. Seniors Jonathan Darnes, David Stubblefield and Logan Stull also played their final high school contests.

Webster (12-15) 14 4 10 14 8 - 50

Christian (19-6) 16 8 9 9 16 - 58

Webster: Drew Dement 16, LaBrice Williams 11, Logan Stull 8, James Winstead 6, David Stubblefield 3, Jonathan Darnes 2, Taylor Turner 2

Christian: Corey Wilford 15, Shaquille Wilson 13, Anthony Hickey 12, Daquan Murden 7, Bubba Tandy 6, Malcolm McDuffen 3, Veontae Lewis 2

Christian County routs Crittenden to advance

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 12:25 AM CST

Although the Crittenden County girls basketball team entered Tuesday evening's 2nd Region first-round matchup against Christian County with a better record, the Lady Colonels victory could not be classified as an upset.

Christian County (12-14) played an arduous regular season schedule and the squad utilized lessons from those games to defeat the Lady Rockets (11-9) soundly at Madisonville-North Hopkins High School, 81-53.

Senior guard Shatera Lewis commanded the offense for Christian alongside teammate Denisha Mumford. Each player recorded a game-high 21 points, but had plenty of help from the team's supporting cast. By game's end, 10 Christian players made the scorebook.

Lewis reeked havoc for the Lady Rockets both offensively and defensively by forcing turnovers and converting the miscues into points on the other end.

With 19 seconds left in the first quarter, Lewis intercepted a Crittenden pass and drove coast-to-coast for the layup. The bucket gave Christian a double-digit advantage at 20-10. That score stuck after eight minutes of action.

The Lady Colonels only continued to build their lead from that point and did so in similar fashion throughout by smothering the Lady Rockets and forcing the squad to make bad decisions.

As the first half winded to a close, Crittenden committed five turnovers in the last 1:45, which Christian converted into 10 points.

The Lady Colonels did the bulk of the damage by notching four steals in a 56-second span.

Crittenden trailed 49-18 at halftime and Lewis entered the break as the game's leading scorer with 19.

The Lady Rockets finally began to outscore the Lady Colonels in the third quarter, but could not do so at a fast enough rate to escape their large deficit. Down 63-25, Crittenden manufactured a 15-4 run during the quarter's final 3:20 and began the fourth behind 67-40.

The hole proved inescapable during the final quarter. Crittenden played rather evenly with Christian, but the deficit suffered in the first half led to the team's eventual demise.

Senior Jessica Cozart ended her high school career on a fine effort with a team-high 16 points for the Lady Rockets. Forward Nancy MacLin scored two points in her final game with Crittenden. Jessi Hodge also scored 16 points in a losing effort.

Although Lewis posted 19 in the first half, she was held to two points in the last two quarters. Mumford scored 11 points in the second half.

With the win, Christian County will next play 7:30 p.m. Friday against Webster County (22-7), who defeated Madisonville-North Hopkins on Tuesday night. The Lady Colonels won the schools' only meeting this season when Christian defeated Webster 47-37 on Jan. 6.

Christian (12-14) 20 29 18 14 -- 81

Crittenden (11-9) 10 8 22 13 -- 53

Christian: Shatera Lewis 21, Denisha Mumford 21, Sherria Hester 8, Deshantae Knight 7, Martessia Williams 7, Kierra Wilson 7, Deseree Davis 4, Jasherrica Barkely 2, Tiakesha Brasher 2, Shardae Combs 2

Crittenden: Jessica Cozart 16, Jessi Hodge 16, Layken Tabor 9, Summer Courtney 6, Hannah Brantley 2, Nancy MacLin 2, Misty Wallace 2

North's Hardy signs with Kentucky Wesleyan

By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Published: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 12:25 AM CST

Once a two-sport athlete, Madisonville-North Hopkins senior Troyana Hardy picked up another sport, soccer, her freshman year and that is the sport that will allow her to continue her athletic endeavors at the collegiate level.

Hardy, who played basketball and softball, tried soccer for the first time in 2005 and on Tuesday afternoon at North's library, the Lady Maroon goalie dotted the line for her letter of intent to join Kentucky Wesleyan College's program in the fall.

Following Tuesday's ceremony and photographs with family members and friends, Hardy said the transition to soccer seemed rather smooth.

"It came natural to me because I've always been a little bit athletic and I've always been physical," she said. "It came from other sports like blocking out and other different things just come into play being a goalie."

North assistant coach Mike Davenport attended the signing and Hardy said he was instrumental in her success.

"He taught me everything as far as being a goalie and sending me to camps," she said. "I wouldn't have really done anything with it if he didn't help me."

Initially, Davenport was one of the coaches who recognized Hardy's potential to become a standout defender.

"For one thing, really good goalies are rare, ones that can play the position, play it well and be aggressive like you need a goalie to be," he said. "In my opinion you look for, in a goalie, someone who has aggressiveness and is fearless and that's Troyana, in every sport she's ever played - softball, basketball, Frisbee throwing. She's fearless. She's a very fierce competitor."

Davenport said Hardy came into the program with lofty goals and had to fill the spot of Davenport's daughter, a three-year starter.

As Hardy approaches a new and higher level of competition, her large aspirations have not changed. Hardy said she hopes to be not only a starter, but an all-conference selection.

"Troyana has potential that is unlimited for someone of her athletic ability," Davenport said. "She's a fierce competitor and I truly believe if she wants to be all-conference, she wants to be a starter...I think she can do that." During the 2008 season, Hardy recorded eight scoreless games, but will be remembered by most for her ability to charge an offensive player.

Many even gasped when Hardy would make a daring sprint to halt an opponent's charge, but she said she always had confidence to make the play.

"I know I scared (Davenport) a few times," she said. "Just whatever it takes to get stuff done and get the win."

Hardy's most successful season statistically may have been her first as a starter, her sophomore year.

In 2006, Hardy finished seventh-best in Kentucky with eight shutouts and allowed just 17 goals in 20 games played for 15th best.

Davenport said because of Hardy's style of play, many players had to adjust their thought process.

"When Troyana comes out on you, you better kick early or you're going to get knocked down," he said. "So many coaches in our region said by far when Madisonville had Troyana in the goal, we were (twice) as good as a team."

Hardy will join former Lady Maroon Laura Nance at Wesleyan and fellow North senior Heidi Clayton is expected to sign with the Lady Panthers as well.

Nance and Clayton represent North's No. 1 and 2 all-time goal scorers and with Hardy blocking the net, Hardy said she thinks Wesleyan's program is one on the rise.

"I think it'll help us to build the program," she said. "I think maybe by (mine and Heidi's) sophomore year, we'll have that program built up."