Here are stories, stats and scores from boys and girls basketball games in Louisville and around the Commonwealth on Jan. 3, 2017.

Doss High School’s Stephon Franklin (2) fights to get his shot off under pressure from Valley High School’s Tre Anderson (23) during the first half of play at Valley High School in Louisville, Kentucky. January 3, 2017

STORIES

BOYS

Doss 60, Valley 44

Story: Doss tops Valley as ex-U of L players battle

Gallery: Doss-Valley

GIRLS

Manual 52, Eastern 47

Story: Crimsons pull away late for win on the road

SCORES

BOYS

BALLARD 70, FLOYD CENTRAL 53

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Vonnie Patterson posted a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bruins (9-2) past visiting Floyd Central (6-3). Patterson accounted for 17 of Ballard’s 30 points in the first half. The Bruins forced 22 turnovers in the game, 13 of them coming from steals. Cobie Barnes was the leading scorer for the Highlanders with 16 points.

FLOYD CENTRAL (6-3)

Nick Mitchell 1p; Tyler Hymm 2p; Cobie Barnes 16p; Gabe Shydeman 3p; Brendan Hobson 4p; Luke Gohman 13p; Evan Nichols 5p; Trevor Apple 6p; Cam Silagfok 3p.

BALLARD (9-2)

Marshon Ford 12p, 4r, 3a; Tyron Duncan 6p, 4a; Dorian Tisby 4p, 5r; Antoine Darby 10p; Clivonte Patterson 25p, 10r, 3a; Tyrese Duncan 5p; Delonta Wimberly 7p; Orlandon Higginbottom 1p.

KCD 68, SHELBY CO. 65

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – JR Mathis hit a shot to cap a 7-0 run to tie the game and KCD (5-6) pulled away in overtime to knock off the visiting Rockets (3-10). Mathis scored 26 points in the game and Hayden Kraus added 18, including a key 3-pointer during the late run, one of his six total from beyond the arc. Jordan Armstrong led Shelby Co. with 21 points.

SHELBY CO. (3-10)

Tyler Drane 14p; Josh Edwards 7p; Jordan Armstrong 21p; TJ Robinson 11p; Kyion Stone 10p; KeShawn Catlett 2p.

KCD (5-6)

Solomon Mathis 16p; JR Mathis 26p; Hayden Kraus 18p; Connor Widman 8p.

ST. XAVIER 61, DESALES 56

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Pierce Kiesler scored 24 points and the Tigers (9-4) pulled past the host Colts (10-4) to win their second in a row. DeSales led 56-51 with two minutes to go, but St. X finished the game on a 10-0 run to secure the victory. Jaxon Burgess led DeSales with 21 points.

ST. XAVIER (9-4)

Cameron McDonogh 3p; James Taylor 9p; Chase Westenhofer 2p; Tyler Barnes 6p; Paul Oberst 3p; Jack Koch 2p; Sam Boarman 3p; Evan Walker 9p; Pierce Kiesler 24p.

DESALES (10-4)

Austin Black 12p; Dalton Kelly 3p; Keegan Brewer 10p; Jaxon Burgess 21p; Sam Weining 5p; Jack Michels 1p; Travis Seibert 4p.

SCOTT CO. 62, OLDHAM CO. 45

BUCKNER, Ky. – Michael Moreno’s double-double led Scott Co. (9-3) past Oldham Co. (10-4). Moreno had 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds. The game featured three ties and eight lead changes in the first half, but the second half belonged solely to the Cardinals. Caleb Strunk led the Colonels with ten points.

SCOTT CO. (9-3)

Michael Moreno 20p, 10r; Cam Fluker 3p; Bryce Long 10p, 3r, 4a; Cooper Robb 11p, 8r; Glenn Covington 11p, 4a; Josh Davis 1p; Lorenzo Williams 4p, 3r; Cooper Watts 2p, 6r.

OLDHAM CO. (10-4)

Caleb Strunk 10p, 4r; Andre Brewer 3p; Ryan Heelan 5p, 3r; Ismail Jones 9p, 4r; Jackson Gibson 8p; Travis Henderson 6p; Zach Larimore 4p, 6r.

CENTRAL 72, ATHERTON 50

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Four players scored in double-figures to led the Yellow Jackets (7-6) to an easy win over Atherton (6-10). Devin Firman was the leading scorer with 19 points. Flynn Calnon led Atherton with 11 points.

ATHERTON (6-10)

Noah Weber 6p; Flynn Calnon 11p; Keion Bentley 3p; Abe Barthelemy 3p; Ty Lauderdale 10p; Jordan Pulford 9p; Jacob Walsh 6p; Josiah Price 2p.

CENTRAL (7-6)

Devin Firman 19p; Dominique Knight 14p; Korey Johnson 14p; Derron Douglas 12p; James Simpson 2p; Antwan Thompson 3p; Josh Watkins 4p; Eric Rice 2p; Leroy Thomas 2p.

FERN CREEK 70, BUTLER 41

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chance Moore scored 26 points and Fern Creek (13-1) blew out the visiting Bears (9-5) for its sixth straight victory. There was no letdown following the Mitchell F Irvin Classic Championship win a mere four days ago as the Tigers returned home. Austin Wise led Butler with 14 points.

BUTLER (9-5)

Romar Brown 2p; Jaquay Wales 12p; Austin Wise 14p; Ryan Luckett 4p; Kel Shawn Mozee 5p; Devin Pendergrass 2p; Michael Burns 2p.

FERN CREEK (13-1)

Anthony Wales 15p, 5a; Ahmad Price 13p, 10r; Daiquan Jones 1p, 3r; Clint Wickliffe 4p; Darian Childress 3p; Chance Moore 26p, 5r; Tony Rogers 6p, 4r; Jordan Coleman 2p.

SOUTHERN 68, PRP 62

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Trojans (6-8) outrebounded the Panthers (8-6), 31-16 as they eked out a win. Kendall Jones led the Trojans with 18 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. The Panthers forced 23 turnovers but were unable to capitalize on their defensive effort. The Panthers were led by Trey Hill who recorded 17 points in the loss.

SOUTHERN (6-8)

Dan Black 11p, 4a; Charles Wilson 17p; Jevon Collier 4p; Isaiah Jackson 1p; Olieng Kalakon 5p; Omari Tyler 2p; Matthew Jones 4p; Hakeim Reedel 6p; Kendall Jones 18p, 12r, 5b.

PRP (8-6)

Gerald Gray 8p; Trey Hill 17p; Darius Osbourne 4p; Cyncer Wilson 10p; Malik Bunzy 7p; Cashawn Beasley 7p; Tyler Anderson 5p; Jordan Wallace 4p.

TRINITY 67, COLLINS 49

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Shamrocks (12-1) defeat the Titans (11-2) Tuesday in a back-and-forth game. The Shamrocks raced out to a 26-10 lead after one quarter, but the Titans picked up the defensive intensity and held the Shamrocks to just three more points the rest of the half, clawing back to trail by three points at halftime. Jay Scrubb’s 16 points helped lead the Rocks to grind out the second half to earn the win. Collins was led by Jacob Felton’s 15 points.

TRINITY (12-1)

David Burton 4p, 5r; David Johnson 7p; 2s; LJ Harris 10p; Justin Powell 3p, 4s; Lucas Burkman 13p, 3s; Damon McClain 3p; Kammari Kennemore 2p; Brendan King 5p; Jay Scrubb 16p, 3s; Stan Turnier 4p.

COLLINS (11-2)

Jacob Felton 15p; Nick Fort 2p; Dayvion McKinght 4p; Charlie Cochran 13p; Dominque Turner 11p, 9r, 3s; Marcellus Vail 2p; Colby Eades 2p.

WAGGENER 86, NORTH OLDHAM 62

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Wildcats (10-4) tamed the Mustangs (6-7). Waggener was led by Jaquess Hobbs’ 16 points and Jaago Kalakon’s 16 points. North Oldham’s Jalen Henry led all scorers with 19 points.

WAGGENER (10-4)

Ron Fell 1p; Trey Keaton 11p; Ethan Taylor 11p; Kevion Hudson 9p; Jaago Kalakon 16p; Jacquess Hobbs 16p; Nicholas Brewer 1p; Josiah Williams 2p; Ben Simic 7p; Jocobi Hendricks 3p; Cobie Montgomery 10p; Keontrey Chappell 1p.

NORTH OLDHAM (6-7)

Dylan Yates 5p; Jalen Henry 19p; Nick Anders 2p; Cole Fischer 3p; Zach Wheeler 18p; Jay Goddin 10p; William Bonny 1p.

BULLITT CENTRAL 65, MEADE COUNTY 63

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. — The Cougars relied on their core of young talent to hold on to a close victory over the Green Wave (8-5). Despite leading by 11 points at halftime and eight points heading into the fourth quarter, the Cougars allowed the Green Wave to close in and eventually tie the game with 40 seconds remaining. But freshman Jake Mann and sophomore Johnathon Barnes hit 1 of 2 free throws each to give the Cougars the lead. Aiden Terry blocked the Green Wave’s final attempt to tie or win the game. Freshman Tyler Tatum led all scorers with 22 points for the Cougars.

BULLITT CENTRAL (5-8)

Jake Mann 8p; Aiden Terry 11p, 5a; Danny Goldsmith 10p; Jax Lester 5p; Trey Kearney 2p; John Barnes 1p; Tyler Tatum 22p, 6r; Tanner Hazlett 6p, 10r

MEADE COUNTY (8-5)

Chesney Weick 12p; Dawson Gagle 16p; Aiden Matthews 12p; Steven Benock 3p; Noah Schwartz 12p; Dakota Clayton 8p

BETH HAVEN (9-4)

Austin Streble 23p, 16r, 3a; Cody Mikel 12p, 10r, 5b; Aaron Rice 8p; Dylan Kerr 6p, 5r; Isaiah Mahoney 2p, 4a; Tyler Van Shuren 13p; Zack McClain 6p; Austin Whitehouse 3p.

EVANGEL (3-10)

Malik Shabazz 15p; Billy Klinglesmith 9p; Caleb Payne 6p; Cameron Steffon 10p; Cameron Bain 3p; Sam Tomah 2p; Nick Cruze 5p; Abram Guinoo 4p.

J’TOWN 66, WESTERN 60, OT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Chargers (7-6) overcame the Warriors (6-7) in overtime. The Chargers went on a 4-0 run in overtime to seal the win. The Chargers maintained the lead through solid free throw shooting. J’Town’s Devonte McCloud recorded a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing ten rebounds. Western’s O’Neal Trigg led all scorers with 19 points.

J’TOWN (7-6)

Dakota White 13p; Justin Baker 6p; Jalen Garnett 12p; Delvonte McCloud 15p, 10r; Jalen Davis 9p; Chris Trigg 11p.

WESTERN (6-7)

O’ Neal Swint 19p, 7r; Dontrey Lowe 13p, 9r; Dajoure Cameron 8p; Tyon Pearson 16p, 7r; Anthony Lewis 4p.

Scores from around the state: 

Adair Co. 77, Thomas Nelson 21

Barbourville 59, Pineville 49

Bell Co. 48, Cumberland Gap, Tenn. 37

Beth Haven 73, Evangel Christian 54

Bethlehem 83, Caverna 72

Bishop Brossart 58, Ludlow 49

Bourbon Co. 71, Frankfort 64

Bowling Green 70, Barren Co. 44

Boyd Co. 71, Ashland Blazer 47

Buckhorn 86, Jackson City 63

Cairo, Ill. 63, Marshall Co. 61

Calvary Christian 68, Dayton 61, OT

Campbell Co. 91, Mason Co. 70

Castle, Ind. 91, Owensboro 58

Cooper 55, Highlands 45

Corbin 73, Clay Co. 67

Cov. Catholic 59, Cov. Holy Cross 35

Cumberland Co. 72, Metcalfe Co. 51

Daviess Co. 66, Greenwood 60

Dixie Heights 65, St. Henry 54

East Carter 67, Russell 57

Edmonson Co. 75, Butler Co. 68

Elizabethtown 86, Taylor Co. 85, 2OT

Franklin-Simpson 49, Warren Central 37

Fulton Co. 60, Hickman Co. 58

Grayson Co. 51, Whitesville Trinity 48

Green Co. 58, Hart Co. 55

Hancock Co. 41, Breckinridge Co. 40

Harrison Co. 55, Beechwood 47

Henry Co. 62, Carroll Co. 52

Hopkins Co. Central 78, Crittenden Co. 58

John Hardin 80, North Bullitt 65

Johnson Central 70, Pike Co. Central 40

LaRue Co. 72, Campbellsville 52

Lawrence Co. 79, Raceland 50

Leslie Co. 64, Owsley Co. 42

Lex. Lafayette 49, Lex. Bryan Station 47

Lex. Paul Dunbar 58, Madison Central 53

Lex. Tates Creek 72, Franklin Co. 52

Lexington Catholic 50, Lex. Christian 46

Lincoln Co. 64, East Jessamine 54

Livingston Central 49, Carlisle Co. 45

Madison Southern 58, Woodford Co. 52

Mayfield 66, Calloway Co. 50

McCracken County 54, Graves Co. 40

Mercer Co. 70, Danville 67

Monroe Co. 74, Logan Co. 67

Morgan Co. 49, Fairview 47

North Hardin 59, Central Hardin 44

Paris 58, George Rogers Clark 55

Pendleton Co. 72, Robertson County 48

Pulaski Co. 82, Boyle Co. 73

Rockcastle Co. 78, Somerset 64

Russellville 85, Ohio Co. 61

Scott 73, Holmes 55

Silver Grove 66, Heritage Christian Academy 39

South Laurel 64, Williamsburg 37

Spencer Co. 55, Nelson Co. 50

Trigg Co. 72, Community Christian (Paducah) 30

Tug Valley, W.Va. 63, Belfry 51

University Heights 63, Henderson Co. 60

Walton-Verona 57, Owen Co. 51

Warren East 84, Todd Co. Central 57

West Carter 62, Fleming Co. 53

Whitley Co. 68, Jackson Co. 65

Williamstown 76, Grant Co. 62

Wolfe Co. 83, Lee Co. 42

15th Region All ‘‘A’’ Classic

Sheldon Clark 63, Paintsville 55

GIRLS

PRESENTATION 62, FERN CREEK 57

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Presentation (9-5) narrowly defeated Fern Creek (8-7) behind Lilly Stephenson’s 23 points. Nsasa Makando was the only player in double-figure scoring, with 11 points, for the Tigers.

PRESENTATION (9-5)

Courtney Jackson 12p; Lauren Nunnelley 2p; Jaelin Thompson 6p; Lilly Stephenson 23p; Julia Vogt 9p; Madison 4p; Ashley Swearingen 6p.

FERN CREEK (8-7)

Nsasa Makando 11p; Maelyn Ridener 9p; Lauren Smith 3p; Aliyah Stallard 2p; Kasia Harris 2p; Alexis Smith 16p; Sierra Hancock 4p; Nae Nae Athoba 2p; Tiana Austin 8p.

CENTRAL 64, ATHERTON 44

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Central (6-5) ended a two-game skid by easing past visiting Atherton (7-9). Stephonie Cole hit 20 points, while Precious Hereford added 17 points and eight steals. The Rebels were up by six points after the first quarter, led by Sarah Overley, but the Yellow Jackets picked it up to gain a close lead at the half. Central raced out to a 21-8 advantage in the second half to put the game out of reach.

ATHERTON (7-9)

Sarah Overley 19p; TaeciAnn White 5p; Briana Anderson 2p; Caitlyn Taylor 4p; Paige Taylor 8p; Laron Lucy Washington 2p; Hailey Stone 4p.

CENTRAL (6-5)

Lisa Guin 8p, 4a; Shamaria Stikes 4p; Jayla Johnson 5p; Precious Hereford 17p; Darian Neal 4p, 5r; Stephonie Cole 20p; Aurianna Burnett 1p; India New 5p, 5r.

JEFFERSONTOWN 53, WESTERN 50

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Destany Love put up a double-double with 29 points and 16 rebounds, but it was not enough to secure the victory for Western (4-7). It was a back-and-forth contest, with the lead remaining single digits throughout. The Chargers (4-9) went up for good with a minute remaining, and Telia Perks went 4-of-4 from the charity stripe to seal the win. Jasmine Thomas led J’Town with 17 points.

J’TOWN (4-9)

Kamaya White 8p; Jenise Scott 2p; Kaleb McDonald 6p; Telia Perks 7p; Jasmine Thomas 17p; Naomi Johnson 9p; Dezhane Carthen 4p.

WESTERN (4-7)

Cheyenne Brooks 6p; Carmen Forbes 4p; Destany Love 29p, 16r; Alyssa Hayes 4p; Kelita Adams 6p; Melyia Lewis 1p.

SENECA 70, KCD 61

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dais’ja Trotter notched 39 points to lead the Redhawks (2-11) in a close win over the Bearcats (3-9). Olyvia Green hit the 30 point mark as well in the defeat for KCD. Trotter added 13 rebounds to get the double-double as well.

SENECA (2-11)

Ashanti Starks 10p; Dais’ja Trotter 39p, 13r; Breanna Anthony 5p; Marie Ninamou 11p; Jamie Brightwell 5p.

KCD (3-9)

Alexis Ledford 6p; Meghana Manchi 3p; Kierra Scott 10p, 4s; Tia Dowling 2p; Rachel Jennings 2p, 6s; Olyvia Green 30p, 7r; Maya Rao 8p, 3r.

SACRED HEART 80, WAGGENER 23

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – All fourteen players who logged minutes scored to lead the Valkyries (9-4) over Waggener (1-14). Sacred Heart dished 25 assists on 34 field goals in the easy win. Tiara Biermacher led all scorers with 15 points in the defeat for the Wildcats.

WAGGENER (1-14)

Tiara Biermacher 15p, 5r; Lasha Dunn 4p, 3r; Nejia Elliott 4p.

SACRED HEART (9-4)

Caroline Flaherty 13p; Erin Toller 11p, 6r; Grace Berger 9p, 6r; Kiki Samsel 9p; Destinee Marshall 7p, 3a; Kristen Clemons 7p, 7r; Ashlee Harris 4p, 3a; Kia Sivils 6p, 3a; Taylor Utter 4p; Kelly Weisbach 2p; Cierra Scott 2p; Macy Farrar 2p, 3a; Danielle Wethington 2p; Natalie Fichter 2p, 12r, 3a.

DOSS 65, VALLEY 54

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jamari Tillman exploded for 33 points but Valley (5-5) still came up short against the Dragons (6-7). Lazhia Mitchell scored 24 points for the Vikings, who were coming off two straight wins in the Southern Lady Trojans Holiday Jamboree.

VALLEY (5-5)

Brooklyn Black 7p, Serena Brumback 3p, Faith James 2p, Lazhia Mitchell 24p, Arion Holmes 10p, Mahogany Maddox 8p

DOSS (6-7)

Jamari Tillman 33p, Kameshia Moxley 11p, Khadaijah Hellman 14p, Shacora Paige 5p, Kayla Tindall 2p

MALE 93, COLLEGIATE 18

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bulldogs (12-1) routed the Amazons (3-8). Male scored early, often and efficiently. Male had 15 different players score points. Emilia Sexton, who recently committed to Butler, led all scorers with 14 points.

MALE (12-1)

Kennedy Striverson 2p; Ciaja Harbinson 8p; Anaya Winburn 4p; Joelle Johnson 3p; Emilia Sexton 14p; Destiny Combs 6p; Madison Westenhofer 6p; Derise Cox 9p, 6s; Alana Striverson 6p; Jada Owens 4p; India Green 6p; Kyra Hogan 1p; Cameron Browning 10p Logan Calvert 4p; Maya Crimes 10p, 8r.

COLLEGIATE (3-8)

Eliza Sutton 12p; Natalie Lowen 4p; Laila Hayes-Walker 2p.

PRP 60, SOUTHERN 43

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Panthers (7-4) outpaced the Trojans (3-12) to notch another win. The Panthers heated up in the second half and built a lead that the Trojans could not overcome. PRP was led by Perri Mitchell’s 17 points. Mariah Jones added another 13 points and Amani Saunders dropped in 10p.

PRP (7-4)

Brianna Burke 7p; Reaunna Halsell 4p; Amani Saunders 10p; Mariah Jones 13p; Perri Mitchell 17p; Dayja Evans 9p.

SOUTHERN (3-12)

DaVionna Sloan 15p; Nia Scheckles 14p; Krystal Jackson 5p; Brianna Coomer 2p; Azari Prescod 3p; NeVosha Scheckles 2p; D’Shayla Thompson 2p.

NORTH OLDHAM 48, BULLITT CENTRAL 43

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Mustangs (8-5) came back from a very slow start to defeat the Cougars (5-8), 48-43 at North Oldham High Schoo. The Mustangs were led by Caitlyn Chen with a season-high 16 points and four rebounds. Anne-Thomas Proctor added 15 points and Alyssa Gordon added five points and six rebounds. Sierra Graham led Bullitt Central with 12 points.

NORTH OLDHAM (8-5)

Caitlyn Chen 16, Anne-Thomas Proctor 15, Alyssa Gordon 5, Olivia Hinton 4, Sarah Fiorito 4, Sophie Hale 4.

BULLITT CENTRAL (5-8)

Sierra Graham 12, Carlie Walls 9, Lauren Welch 6, Katlin Graham 5, Amber Walden 4, Brooke Ewing 3, Haley Maggard 2, Courtney Blevens 2

BETH HAVEN 73, EVANGEL 54

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bearcats (9-4) defeated the Eagles (3-10). Beth Haven did not trail in the game jumping out to an early 15-point lead in the first quarter. Austin Streble paced the Bearcats with a double-double 23 points and 16 rebounds.

Scores from around the state:

Bardstown 68, Washington Co. 18

Belfry 60, Tolsia, W.Va. 34

Bell Co. 38, Cumberland Gap, Tenn. 37

Beth Haven 30, Fort Knox 25

Bishop Brossart 41, Newport 26

Bowling Green 63, Barren Co. 50

Calloway Co. 68, Fulton City 21

Carlisle Co. 52, Livingston Central 42

Carroll Co. 50, Henry Co. 40

Casey Co. 52, Marion Co. 47

Cin. St. Ursula, Ohio 47, Highlands 41

Crittenden Co. 62, Hopkins Co. Central 51

Edmonson Co. 41, Butler Co. 24

Floyd Central, Ind. 50, Lou. Ballard 28

Frederick Fraize 55, Cannelton, Ind. 36

Fulton Co. 52, Hickman Co. 35

Glasgow 47, Allen Co.-Scottsville 34

Graves Co. 74, McCracken County 39

Grayson Co. 70, Whitesville Trinity 24

Green Co. 81, Hart Co. 33

Hopkinsville 59, Madisonville-North Hopkins 51

Knox Central 72, Lynn Camp 60

LaRue Co. 61, Adair Co. 46

Lee Co. 85, Elliott Co. 48

Lewis Co. 59, West Carter 50

Lincoln Co. 73, Anderson Co. 53

St. Francis 65, Portland Christian 32

Lyon Co. 51, Union Co. 42

Marshall Co. 41, Webster Co. 37

Mercer Co. 74, Pulaski Co. 51

Metcalfe Co. 69, Cumberland Co. 46

Murray 82, Mayfield 31

Owen Co. 61, Lloyd Memorial 57

Owensboro 59, Ohio Co. 27

Owensboro Catholic 73, Muhlenberg County 57

Paducah Tilghman 59, St. Mary 42

Pickett County, Tenn. 70, Clinton Co. 23

Robertson County 49, Pendleton Co. 47

Rockcastle Co. 65, Somerset 43

Russell 65, Raceland 38

Russell Co. 60, Taylor Co. 35

South Laurel 59, Williamsburg 34

Southwestern 62, Boyle Co. 59

Spencer Co. 48, Gallatin Co. 43

Trigg Co. 49, Community Christian (Paducah) 23

Trimble Co. 68, Boone Co. 58

Warren Central 41, Franklin-Simpson 39, OT

Wayne Co. 55, Corbin 47

West Jessamine 63, Model 39

Wolfe Co. 59, Jackson City 53

Woodford Co. 59, Lex. Tates Creek 49

WYMT Mountain Classic

Harlan Co. 75, Knott Co. Central 58

Courier Journal – HSS

Cast your vote for the 2016-17 The Courier-Journal Metro Louisville Athlete of the Week Award presented by Norton Sports Health. To nominate an athlete for next week’s voting, you can email Courier-Journal Kentucky high school sports reporter Jason Frakes at jfrakes@courier-journal.com.

The Courier-Journal Sports Awards

New nominees are presented each week and voting ends at 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Athlete of the Week Award is part of The Courier-Journal Sports Awards presented by Norton Sports Health, and each week’s winner will be invited to this June’s sports awards ceremony. A date, location and celebrity guest speaker will be announced soon. Visit this page for a list of previous 2016-17 Athlete of the Week Award winners.

Interactive Map

Here are stats and scores from boys and girls basketball games in Louisville and around the Commonwealth on Jan. 4, 2017.

Stock photo

SCORES

BOYS

IROQUOIS 94, SHAWNEE 54

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- TreSaun Edwards dropped a career-high 34 points and ten rebounds as the Raiders (7-7) kept the Golden Eagles winless for the season (0-14). The Raiders forced 20 turnovers and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 38-22 during the lopsided victory. Edwards finished a perfect 4 of 4 from the free-throw line, and Keelan Kennedy scored 16 points for the Raiders. Josh Cunningham scored 14 points to lead the Golden Eagles.

SHAWNEE (0-14)

Nick Warf 6p; Josiah Bivens 5p; Cornell Barnett 6p; Amontay Mitchell 10p; Josh Cunningham 14p; James Neal 9p; Rayshawn Tucker 2p; Nick Warf 5p.

IROQUOIS (7-7)

Tchumsy Wright 10p; Damon Richardson 4p; Keshawn Dixon 2p; TreSaun Edwards 34p 10r; Davarrio Martin 6p; Demetris Booth 4p; Shawn Thomas 4p; Markelle McDaniel 7p; Keelan Kennedy 16p; Anthony Glenn 2p; Kalon Howard 5p.

MOORE 94, FAIRDALE 57

MOORE (9-4)

Justin Weaver 16p, 8r; Antoine Hurt 19p; Raevon Vaden 4p; Russell Vaden 8p; Malik Anderson 13p; Shamar Overstreet 14p, 7r; Ramon Collins 12p, 4r; Keagan Gentry 8p, 4r.

FAIRDALE (6-7)

Glenn Queen 19p, 5r; Jaxon Gaddie 10p; Markelo Sullivan 3p; Ike Roby 10p, 4r; seth Dewboys 2p; Treziaun Allen 8p; Jacobi Dixon 2p; Craig Ash 3

Scores from around the state: 

Bell Co. 41, Lee High, Va. 26

Conner 74, Lloyd Memorial 68

Madison Southern 57, Montgomery Co. 41

Nicholas Co. 79, Bath Co. 78, OT

WYMT Mountain Classic

Harlan Co. 58, Cordia 57

GIRLS

MOORE 54, FAIRDALE 46

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- The Mustangs (8-3) captured their eighth win of the season as they defeated the Bulldogs (5-10), 54-46. The game was sealed by late free throws from Sage Blue, who ended the contest with 18 points to lead the Mustangs. Nicola Adams was scored 12 points and Dajia Stafford chipped in 11 points for the Mustangs. Janaesha Jefferson led the Bulldogs with 15 points and nine rebounds while Valeria Johnson scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds.

MOORE (8-3)

Dajia Stafford 11p; Nicola Adams 12p; Takiya Adams 2p; Stacia Hayes 6p; Sage Blue 18p; Alexus Crawford 2p; Jahilia McNealy 3p.

FAIRDALE (5-10)

Shanice Thomas 3p; Tyasia Brown 5p; Maria Nylund 10p; 7r,; Janaesha Jefferson 15p, 9r; Valerie Johnson 11p, 6r; Sheree Lattimore 2p

SHELBY COUNTY 68, JEFFERSONTOWN 24

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Amie Conley led all scorers with 16 points for the Rockets (6-8), who crushed the Chargers (4-10), 68-24. The Rockets jumped out on top in the first half and never looked back, cruising to victory. Zephaniah Gray and Asia Hardy scored 11 points and Zoey Holland chipped in nine points for the Rockets. The Chargers were led by Telia Perks and Naomi Johnson who both finished with six points.

SHELBY COUNTY (6-8)

Zephaniah Gray 11p; Zoey Holland 9p; Asia Hardy 11p; Amie Conley 16p; Alyssia Roberts 4p; Kaitlyn Disch 2p; Raydriana Stoudemire 2p; Aramenta Gueye 5p; Macie Gowin 2p; Kayla Bruner 6p.

JEFFERSONTOWN (4-10)

Jasmine Majors 2p; Kaleb McDonald 4p; Jasmine Thomas 1p; Nia Cole 1p;Telia Perks 6p; Shaolin Morton 2p; Naomi Johnson 6p; Kamaya White 2p.

Scores from around the state:

Campbell Co. 61, Newport Central Catholic 44

Collins 46, South Oldham 44, OT

George Rogers Clark 72, Bourbon Co. 50

Greenup Co. 49, St. Patrick 17

Harrison Co. 57, Bath Co. 50

Holmes 43, Notre Dame 31

Lexington Catholic 32, Lex. Christian 30, OT

Menifee Co. 63, Rowan Co. 53

Simon Kenton 58, Scott 46

15th Region All ‘‘A’’ Classic

Prestonsburg 56, Betsy Layne 54

Shelby Valley 58, Pikeville 44

Ty Scroggins figures he worked 40 games for free.

Central Yellowjackets head coach Tyrran Scroggins talks to his players during a time-out. 30 Oct 2015

All of those playoff games, all of that postseason planning and preparation, and all five of the Class 3-A state football championships Scroggins brought to Central High School amounted to so much unpaid overtime.

“We did the math the other day,” Scroggins said Wednesday afternoon. “Because we went so far in the playoffs, we coached 40 extra games. That’s four years.”

That’s a lot to ask on a pro bono basis, but that’s the way things work around here. The head football coach at a Jefferson County public high school earns no more than a $7,744 stipend whether his team goes winless or takes home the trophy.

Or five trophies.

The reward for winning, JCPS athletic director Jerry Wyman says, is “We give them long hours to work.”

Scroggins is walking away after 10 years of leading the Yellowjackets because he needs the time more than he needs the money. As a divorced dad with twins headed to high school in the fall, he is calling a career timeout to tend to his children. He will continue to teach 9th-grade civics at Central during his sabbatical from the sidelines because it is teaching that pays the bulk of his bills.

Coaching high school football has become a well-paid profession in some places – even in public schools – and often without the burden of classroom responsibilities. But salary databases show that Louisville’s most successful public school coaches are lagging far behind their counterparts in Texas and the deep south.

C-J EXCLUSIVE: Less cash, more concerns in high school sports

Six-figure salaries have become commonplace in high school football’s most competitive markets. Jess Simpson, seven times a state champion at Georgia’s Buford High School, was already making more than $174,000 when he left that job last month to become the defensive line coach at Georgia State.

A database maintained by bizjournals.com shows Ty Scroggins’ annual salary at $71,534.16. Though that figure may be outdated, it’s less than University of Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham makes in a month. With athletic budgets for many public schools already severely stretched, local high school coaches can expect to change their tires more often than their tax brackets.

“The guys that go into public education, they know that you don’t do it for the money,” Central High principal Raymond Green said. “If money is what’s keeping a coach, I’m questioning why they’re a coach at the high school level. If you’re a high school coach and money is what’s keeping you, I don’t want you as my coach.

“Your reward is not money. Your reward is seeing that kid signing a letter of intent (to accept a college scholarship).”

Altruism goes a long way in public schools. Teachers commonly provide supplies out of their own pockets and linger after the final bell to assist struggling students and aid in extra-curricular activities. They don’t expect to get rich from their labors. Neither, however, do they deserve to be exploited.

Oak Grove (Cal.) coach Jay Braun, a full-time history teacher who receives a stipend to coach football, estimated in 2015 that he made about $7 per hour for practices and games. For the purposes of his calculation, though, Braun did not include those hours he spent watching film, scouting rivals, raising funds or counseling kids.

“People say we don’t do it for the money, and we don’t,” Braun told the San Jose Mercury News. “But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be fairly compensated for it. They take advantage of our kindness.”

Nothing new there. Teachers and coaches have been sacrificing their own interests for the sake of their students since before Socrates found a protégé in Plato. Theirs is among the most noble of callings and, traditionally, among the least lucrative.

“It’s definitely something you have to be passionate about,” Wyman said. “(But) As a coach, you have an impact on kids like nothing else. To spend one-on-one time for hours and hours and go into battle, it’s very rewarding. It comes back to you 10-fold.”

Wyman sent Scroggins a text message Tuesday night telling him of how much his impact would be felt, and confirmation came quickly. Scroggins received so many congratulatory calls and correspondence that his cell phone battery ran out of juice for the first time.

Some Central High students received an alert on their own phones and feared the news was worse until they scrolled through the specifics.

“Some of them are from rough neighborhoods,” Scroggins said. “They wondered, ‘What did he die or something?’ I didn’t pass away. I just resigned.”

The 45-year-old coach emphasized that his resignation should not be confused with retirement, and that he might be back.

“It hurts,” he said. “I’ll miss the grind. I’ll miss the practices.”

If he should miss the money, there are easier ways to make it.

Tim Sullivan can be reached at (502) 582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com or @TimSullivan714 on Twitter.

Central Yellowjackets head coach Tyrran Scroggins discusses a call with the referee. 30 Oct 2015

Central High School coach Tyrran Scroggins squats on his sideline during the Yellow Jackets game against Belfry during the KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl at Western Kentucky University on Friday, December 5, 2014. Photo by Brian Powers

Central High School head coach Tyrran Scroggins reacts to his team play against South Warren High School during the first half of play at Central High School in Louisville, Kentucky. November 28, 2014

Butler High School basketball player Tasia Jeffries. Nov. 7, 2016.

Tasia Jeffries is one of the senior leaders of the Butler High School girls basketball team, which has won two of the past three state titles and was the No. 1-ranked team in The Courier-Journal’s preseason coaches poll.

So far this season the 5-foot-8 senior combo guard is averaging 11.2 points per game for the Bearettes (12-1). She also leads the team in made 3-pointers (22) while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Q: How and when did you start playing basketball?  

A: I started playing unorganized when I was 3 years old. My mom would take me to the park and I used to play with all the other kids. I started playing officially in third grade in church leagues and the YMCA. Then I started AAU in fifth grade and that’s when I started taking it more seriously.

Q: What has high school been like?

A: It was a big decision to come here because my home school was Eastern. My brother and my sister (go and) went to Eastern. I came in with four of the girls (Jaelynn Penn, Teri Goodlett, Janna Lewis and Bre Torrens) I’ve been playing with since I was in fifth grade, and we all decided to come here and play together and enjoy high school together. So I feel like that’s been great. It turned out to be what we wanted and everything’s been going well. I feel like I’ve progressed more as a player and grown as a person because of the program that I came to, because Coach (Larry) Just, he worries about us and he takes care of us on the court and off the court.

Q: What was it like winning it all last year?

A: I think everybody focused on the (semifinal) game against E-town. We didn’t make it the year before so just to be there it was like, I don’t want to say a gift, but we were very appreciative of being there. We took it more seriously. We had experience. We were juniors. So we had to help lead the team. We had to come in with the confidence of knowing that we could handle anything that was coming our way, and that’s what we did and we were able to pull through.

Q: What was it like not to make it to State your sophomore year?

A: It was rough. You went in your freshman year and everybody looks at you and the first thing they want to say is, ‘So you’re going to win all four (years,’ because you got that first one and that’s what you need to be able to even win the second one. There was a lot of attention and buzz going around about all of us. It was fun, but it was also a lot of pressure on us to seem perfect. I don’t think we handled it well. It was a combination of a lot of things like team chemistry because we lost players and new players came in. We didn’t handle it as well as it should have and that obviously showed.

Q: You say a lot of the girls call you the “team mom.” Do you like that?

A: I don’t really mind because somebody has to get stuff done. I guess it’s a good thing, because I make sure everybody is OK. It’s fine with me.

Q: What are the expectations for this season?

A: It’s our senior year, so we wanted to do the best we could. We had aspirations of going undefeated. That obviously isn’t possible anymore, but we still have our goal of going back to State and winning the state title again.

Q: What’s it going to take to do that?

A: It’s going to take us being focused and not letting anything in to distract us and obviously coming in prepared and knowing that everybody is going to be giving us their biggest shot. Being able to handle all that while still staying close together.

Q: You’ve signed to play basketball at Saint Louis. What are you going to major in?  

A: I’m going into pre-law. I actually got accepted last week into the law program. I was really nervous because I knew I was going to get accepted into the school, but it’s a whole separate application for the law program, so I was really nervous about that, but I got in so it’s all good.

TASIA JEFFRIES UP CLOSE

School: Butler.

Year: Senior.

Sport: Basketball.

Student-athlete: Tasia, who has a 4.2 GPA, says her favorite subject is English.

Family: Tasia, 17, lives with her mother, Deanna Williams; her brother, Jemari Williams, 16, who is a junior at Eastern; and her grandmother, Brenda Williams.

Butler coach Larry Just says: “From a leadership standpoint she’s somebody who helps look over our team, take care of us as much as she can, as well as on the floor she takes care of the basketball. She just does a lot of things. She can shoot the ball. She’s very versatile for us in terms of what she brings to us between the lines. Off the court, she’s just an outstanding young lady (and) super student.”

Dupont Manaul’s Alena Sapienza-Wright hugs her coach, Tim Holman, after winning the KHSAA Class 3-A girls state cross country meet at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY on Saturday, November 5, 2016.

The Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association will honor its top athletes and coaches from 2016 during a ceremony Saturday at the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame in Lexington.

Here are the winners:

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

* Athletes – Taliyah Townsend, Male (Class 3-A, Overall); Lily Lowe, Calloway County (Class 2-A); Grace Campbell, Murray (Class A).

* Coaches – Sheree Beaumont, Male (Class 3-A); Brent Wagner, Boyle County (Class 2-A); Mark Boggess, Murray (Class A, Overall).

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

* Athletes – Will Allen, Paul Dunbar (Class 3-A, Overall); Trenton Fryman, North Oldham (Class 2-A); John Kolb, Brown (Class A).

* Coaches – Demetrius Gay, Henry Clay (Class 3-A); Terry Yeast, Mercer County (Class 2-A, Overall); Tom Stickel, Lexington Christian (Class A).

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

* Athletes – Alena Sapienza-Wright, Manual (Class 3-A); Michaela Reinhart, Lexington Catholic (Class 2-A, Overall); Kailee Perry, Morgan County (Class A).

* Coaches – Tim Holman, Manual (Class 3-A); Lowery Stallings, Christian Academy (Class 2-A); Tony Harden, St. Henry (Class A).

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

* Athletes – Yared Nuguse, Manual (Class 3-A, Overall); Jacob England, Warren East (Class 2-A); Keeton Thornsberry, Holy Cross (Class A).

* Coaches – Chuck Medley, St. Xavier (Class 3-A); Tim Weisenhahn, Lexington Catholic (Class 2-A); Tom Stickel, Lexington Christian (Class A).

KCD basketball player Anthony "J.R." Mathis

Kentucky Country Day senior guard J.R. Mathis scored the 2,000th point of his career in a 70-58 victory over Shawnee on Dec. 29.

Mathis, who has committed to Navy, ranks second all-time at KCD with 2,044 career points and is No. 1 all-time in 3-pointers made (298) and steals (186).

Mathis is averaging 25.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season for a KCD team that improved to 5-6 Tuesday with a 68-65 overtime victory over Shelby County.

Mercer County’s Seygan Robins celebrates after knocking down a three. Jan. 29, 2016

The Mercer County High School girls basketball team received the No. 1 state ranking in the first edition of The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings released Thursday.

The Titans are 10-3 – 5-0 against Kentucky competition – and will travel to Louisville on Saturday to face No. 2 Butler (12-1) at 6 p.m.

Following Mercer County and Butler in the Litratings are Male (12-1), Simon Kenton (10-3) and Manual (11-2).

The Litratings are a computerized ranking of every team in the state based on strength of schedule, margin of victory and other factors. Games against out-of-state opponents are not factored.

Mercer County has played teams from Tennessee, Washington, D.C., California, Georgia, Missouri and Texas so far this season while traveling to Phoenix, Arizona, for the Nike Tournament of Champions and to Springfield, Missouri, for the Pink and White Lady Classic.

The Titans, who lost to Franklin County in the Sweet 16 semifinals last season, are led by junior guard and University of Louisville commit Seygan Robins.

Along with Butler, Male and Manual, other Louisville-area teams in the top 20 are No. 7 Sacred Heart, No. 9 Mercy and No. 14 Bullitt East.

The Litratings are used to determine the 12 Louisville-area teams for the Republic Bank/Coca-Cola Consolidated Louisville Invitational Tournament set for Jan. 24-28 at Bellarmine University’s Knights Hall and Assumption High School.

Butler, Male, Manual, Sacred Heart, Mercy, Bullitt East, Eastern, North Bullitt, Christian Academy, Assumption, Central and Fern Creek qualified for the event. Mercer County, Simon Kenton, Henderson County and South Warren already had been invited.

Fern Creek (73.9 rating) just beat out Pleasure Ridge Park (73.3 rating) for the 12th and final spot. Presentation (75.0 rating) would have qualified but chose instead to compete in the All “A” Classic.

Here are the tournament pairings (all times p.m. unless otherwise noted, seeds in parentheses):

* Tuesday, Jan. 24 (at Bellarmine) – Christian Academy (9) vs. North Bullitt (8), 3:30; Fern Creek (12) vs. Mercy (5), 5; Central (11) vs. Bullitt East (6), 6:30; Assumption (10) vs. Eastern (7), 8

* Wednesday, Jan. 25 (at Bellarmine) – Central-Bullitt East winner vs. Manual (3), 3:30; Assumption-Eastern winner vs. Male (2), 5; Christian Academy-North Bullitt winner vs. Butler (1), 6:30; Fern Creek-Mercy winner vs. Sacred Heart (4), 8

* Friday, Jan. 27 (at Bellarmine) – Christian Academy-North Bullitt-Butler survivor vs. South Warren (State 4), 4; Fern Creek-Mercy-Sacred Heart survivor vs. Simon Kenton (State 2), 5:30; Central-Bullitt East-Manual survivor vs. Mercer County (State 1), 7; Assumption-Eastern-Male survivor vs. Henderson County (State 3), 8:30

* Saturday, Jan. 28 (at Assumption) – Semifinals at 10 and 11:30 a.m.; final at 8

Here are the complete rankings:

Trinity quarterback Spencer Blackburn keeps it for a run during the first quarter of the Class 4A State Championship between Trinity and Lafayette at L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Ky. Dec. 3, 2016

Eight players have been nominated for Kentucky’s Mr. Football award, with the winner set to be announced by The Associated Press later this month.

Players are nominated for the award through a statewide ballot provided to media members.

Here is a look at the eight nominees, in alphabetical order:

* Landon Arnett, Mayfield quarterback (uncommitted) – Completed 178 of 291 passes for 3,158 yards and 39 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Also rushed 40 times for 149 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals finished 13-1 and reached the Class 2-A state semifinals. Honorable-mention All-State selection by The Courier-Journal.

* Spencer Blackburn, Trinity quarterback (uncommitted) – Completed 173 of 249 passes for 2,595 yards and 37 touchdowns with four interceptions. Also rushed for 748 yards and 14 touchdowns on 120 carries as the Shamrocks finished 15-0 and won the Class 6-A state title. Second-team All-State selection by The Courier-Journal.

* Geordan Blanton, Johnson Central athlete (Marshall baseball commit) – Played multiple positions but made his biggest impact as a receiver (24 catches, 765 yards, 11 touchdowns) and defensive back (37 tackles, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries). Also rushed for 294 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries as the Golden Eagles went 14-1 and won the Class 4-A state title. Second-team All-State selection by The Courier-Journal.

* Trajon Bright, Mayfield running back (uncommitted) – Rushed for 1,772 yards and 24 touchdowns on 191 carries and finished as the school’s all-time leading rusher (5,781 yards) as the Cardinals finished 13-1 and reached the Class 2-A state semifinals. First-team All-State selection by The Courier-Journal.

* Jamale Carothers, Bowling Green running back (Navy commit) – Rushed for 1,410 yards and 27 touchdowns on 181 carries and also had 45 receptions for 884 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Purples finished 15-0 and won the Class 5-A state title. First-team All-State selection by The Courier-Journal and the Gatorade Kentucky Football Player of the Year.

* Jake Johnson, Pulaski County wide receiver (uncommitted) – Set a single-season state record with 139 receptions for 1,701 yards and 18 touchdowns. Also had 32 tackles (23 solo), nine interceptions and three fumble recoveries as a defensive back. Ranks No. 1 all-time in state history in receptions (414) and receiving yards (5,614) and No. 2 in touchdown receptions (64). First-team All-State selection by The Courier-Journal.

* Tanner Morgan, Ryle quarterback (Western Michigan commit) – Completed 179 of 276 passes for 2,747 yards and 27 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Also rushed for 320 yards and five touchdowns on 58 carries as the Raiders went 12-1 and reached the Class 6-A state quarterfinals. Third-team All-State selection by The Courier-Journal.

* Walker Wood, Lafayette quarterback (Kentucky commit) – Completed 203 of 321 passes for 3,047 yards and 30 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Also rushed for 1,321 yards and 31 touchdowns on 200 carries as the Generals went 13-2 and finished as the Class 6-A state runners-up for the second straight season. First-team All-State selection by The Courier-Journal and the Louisville Quarterback Club’s Paul Hornung Award winner.

Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.

Football coach Mike Copley

The Ballard High School football program is searching for a new head football coach for the second straight year.

The Murfreesboro (Tennessee) Daily News Journal reported Thursday that Mike Copley has been named the new head coach at Murfreesboro Siegel. Ballard athletic director Chris Kinney confirmed the hiring.

Copley went 9-4 last year in his only season at Ballard, falling to eventual state champion Trinity 63-20 in the quarterfinals of the Class 6-A playoffs.

Copley coached at Pikeville, Greenup County and Rowan County before spending four seasons (2012-15) as the defensive coordinator at Centennial in Franklin, Tennessee.

“Being a Midstate coach, I knew what kind of kids Siegel had,” Copley told the Daily News, referring to his time at Centennial. “But what really sold me was (Siegel principal Larry Creasy) himself. The expectations to be successful (at Siegel) with everything they do was amazing to me.

“When you get into this profession, you dream of coaching at the highest level of ball. It’s going to be great competition every night. We will have to bring our ‘A’ game every night.”

Copley was named Ballard’s coach last February and replaced Mike Jackson, who posted a 57-40 record over eight seasons.

Kinney said Ballard is accepting applications for Copley’s replacement.

Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.

PRP head football coach Jason T. Hiser talks to his players during a time-out. 11 November 2016

Jason Hiser announced Friday he has stepped down after eight seasons as the football coach at Pleasure Ridge Park High School.

Hiser, who will turn 37 next week, said he wants to spend more time with his family but wouldn’t rule out a return to coaching in the future.

“I knew the time would be coming to take a step back, and this year it was pulling at me more and more to step down from coaching,” Hiser said. “I’ve never been a husband or a father without also being a football coach. That’s something that is appealing to me.”

Hiser was an assistant at PRP for three seasons before becoming the head coach in 2009, replacing Jason Stinson, and posted a 54-41 record.

PRP athletic director Nick Waddell said Hiser took over a program “dealing with probably the worst tragedy in the state of Kentucky” following the death of sophomore football player Max Gilpin, who fell ill during a 2008 practice and died three days later.

“I thought Jason was my best head coach,” Waddell said. “He took a program that had 36 kids … and took it to a state championship game, something that had never been done here before. He developed a system and a program that has made us competitive with the best in the state of Kentucky.”

Hiser led the Panthers to the final in 2012, when quarterback Spencer Sumpter and wide receiver Taywan Taylor were the stars of a 14-1 squad that lost to Trinity in the Class 6-A championship game.

The Panthers finished 7-5 last year, falling to Male 27-24 in the second round of the 6-A playoffs.

Hiser said he plans to stay at PRP as a teacher.

“This was 100 percent a Jason Hiser decision,” Hiser said. “I made it on my own. I wanted to leave PRP High School knowing that I left the football program in a good place, which I believe it is. … In this crazy business, you don’t always leave on good terms or leave happy. But I will still put on my PRP hoodie today and wear it with pride and satisfaction.”

PRP becomes the fourth Jefferson County Public School in need of a head football coach, joining Eastern, Central and Ballard. Waddell said the school is accepting applications for Hiser’s replacement.

Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.

Trinity’s Jay Scrubb dunks during the second quarter of Friday’s game against St. Xavier at Broadbent Arena.

Jay Scrubb may be the best sixth man in Kentucky, and the 6-foot-5 junior swingman said he’s just fine with that role.

Scrubb starred as a reserve Friday night, hitting 13 of 14 free throws and scoring a game-high 25 points to lead the Trinity High School basketball team to a 61-50 victory over rival St. Xavier at Broadbent Arena.

Scrubb, a transfer from Central who sat out last year, hasn’t started a game for the Shamrocks this season but is their top scorer at 16.3 points per outing.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Scrubb said. “Whenever I get in the game, I do whatever I have to do for my team.”

Lukas Burkman and David Johnson added nine points apiece as Trinity (14-1) – No. 2 in the state in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings – ran its winning streak to 11.

Shamrocks coach Mike Szabo said his team might have been a little flat this week after winning titles in the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic at Fairdale and the Arby’s Classic in Bristol, Tennessee, over the Christmas break. Trinity will travel to Muhlenberg County on Saturday.

“No excuses, but to come off of that and into this situation, you worry about a bit of a let-up,” Szabo said. “I’m excited that we’re playing (Saturday). I’m hoping we play better basketball because I know we’re capable.”

Pierce Kiesler scored 15 points and Paul Oberst added nine points and seven steals to lead St. X (9-5), which shot just 5 of 19 from 3-point range.

Tigers coach Kevin Klein said the 19 3-point attempts were too many for a team he said does not shoot well from behind the arc.

“That’s not who we are,” Klein said. “The message at halftime was to get (Trinity) back on their heels, get paint touches, get jump stops, get to the foul line and see if that could change the momentum.”

Kiesler’s 3-pointer tied the score at 14 with 3:34 left in the second quarter before Scrubb gave Trinity the momentum, scoring the final seven points of the half for a 21-14 lead.

Scrubb’s dunk at the 2:59 mark of the second quarter gave Trinity the lead for good, 16-14.

“I felt that dunk would get us going, and it did,” Scrubb said.

Klein said Scrubb provided “one or two highlight-reel plays” on every Trinity film he had watched in preparation for Friday’s matchup.

“He’s an absolute basketball player,” Klein said. “I don’t think many teams are going to have an answer for him, and he took over the game. We probably held every other guy on their team under their season averages, but that guy is just a load. Unbelievable player.”

Trinity took control early in the third quarter as a Burkman 3-pointer sparked an 8-0 run that made it 29-16.

St. X got within 31-25 on Sam Boarman’s 3-pointer with 2:31 left in the third quarter but never got closer. Trinity hit 17 of 20 free throws in the fourth quarter to seal it.

Already deep, the Shamrocks added another piece Friday when senior point guard Jacob King made his season debut. King, a Campbellsville University signee who averaged a team-high 14.2 points per game last season, missed the team’s first 14 games with a broken pinky finger on his left hand.

King finished with six points in 12 minutes of action, making 6 of 6 free throws.

“I just wanted to introduce him to the flow,” Szabo said. “I thought he did a nice job. It was good for him to get some minutes tonight. That’s going to be a process that’s going to take several weeks”

Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.

ST. XAVIER (9-5) – James Taylor 6p; Tyler Barnes 5p, 9r; Paul Oberst 9p, 7s; Evan Walker 2p; Pierce Kiesler 15p; Chase Westenhofer 2p; Jack Koch 3p; Sam Boarman 8p.

TRINITY (14-1) – David Burton 3p; David Johnson 9p, 6r, 3a; L.J. Harris 6p; Justin Powell 3p; Lukas Burkman 9p; Jacob King 6p; Jay Scrubb 25p.

Trinity forward Jay Scrubb dunks the ball on a fast break. 10 December 2016

Fern Creek High School forward Clint Wickliffe approached his coach at halftime of Friday night’s game against Bullitt East and gave him a guarantee.

Fern Creek forward Clint Wickliffe dunks the ball. 18 December 2016

Trailing by seven at the break, coach James Schooler opted to start the 6-6 junior in the second half. Wickliffe responded by scoring the first two baskets to give the Tigers the spark they needed as they rallied past the visiting Chargers 64-54 in a battle of 24th District powers.

“At halftime, he told me, ‘I’m not going to let you lose,’” Schooler said of Wickliffe, who scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half. “He lived up to his word.”

After being down as much as 30-17 with 2:52 left in the second quarter, the Tigers (14-1), the No. 5 team in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, used a 25-point third period to right the ship. DaiQuan Jones’ layup with 2:57 left in the third gave the Tigers a 40-39 lead, their first lead since the first quarter, and they never looked back.

It was quite a turnaround from a first half, when the No. 16 Chargers (11-5) used quick first steps to slash to the basket, often beating Fern Creek defenders by a step. They used an 11-2 run at the end of the first quarter to go up 20-14, and then a 10-0 midway through the second to take their biggest lead of the game.

“The first half they were kicking us,” said Wickliffe, who was 5-of-8 from the floor. “It’s all about heart, and I told (the team) at halftime, ‘We got to go out and compete with them.’”

Wickliffe’s teammates took his word to heart. Bullitt East did not score its first basket of the second half until 4:44 remained in the third quarter. By that time, the Tigers erased most of their deficit. Tony Rogers’ layup with 3:34 in the period started a 12-2 Tigers’ run to end the quarter and take a 48-41 lead to start the fourth.

While Schooler said he told his kids at halftime to be more active, he added that he knew his team would respond.

“If you get off to a good start, you get off to a good start,” he said. “But you got to play us for 32 minutes.”

Bullitt East coach Jason Couch said he saw the Tigers came out with a lot more intensity to start the second half. While he’s not a fan of moral victories, he still came away with some positives as he’s building the Chargers, which lost all five starters from last year’s Sixth Region runners-up squad, to be ready for the postseason.

“For us to play as well as we did for most of the game, I was really pleased,” said Couch. “It’s got to give us some confidence.”

Anthony Wales added 14 points and Jones pitched in 10 on 5-of-5 shooting for the Tigers. Fern Creek, which entered Friday leading the state in shooting percentage (55.0 percent), shot 56.5 percent (26 of 46) in the win.

Fern Creek played without starting forward Ahmad Price because of an illness. Schooler said he wasn’t sure if the 6-foot-2 junior would be available for Saturday’s game against No. 19 Hopkinsville in the First Security News Year’s Bash at Muhlenberg County.

Luke Ezell’s 16 points led the Chargers, who also got 15 from Jared Osborne.

FERN CREEK 64, BULLITT EAST 54

BULLITT EAST (11-5)

Luke Ezell 16p; Connor Green 6p; Jared Osborne 15p; Konnor Polson 7p; Derrick Donigan 10p.

FERN CREEK (14-1)

A.J. Thomas 5p; Anthony Wales 14p; DaiQuan Jones 10p; Clint Wickliffe 15p, 7r; Kyree Hawkins 6p; Chance Moore 8p, 8r, 5a, 3b; Tony Rogers 6p; Jordan Coleman 2p.

Here are stories, stats and scores from boys and girls basketball games played in Louisville and across the Commonwealth on Jan. 6, 2016.

Oldham Co. head coach Coy B. Zerhusen guides his team during the first half of play against Owen Co., Thursday, February 18, 2016 at Owen County High School, in Owen County Ky.

STORIES

BOYS

The Oldham County High School boys basketball team proved its mettle on Friday evening against one of the top teams in the state.

Facing rival South Oldham, ranked No. 15 in the Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Rankings, right behind Oldham Co.’s No. 14 ranking, the Colonels prevailed, 62-56. In a back-and-forth game, it was the high pressure and defensive intensity displayed by the Colonels that helped them pull away at home.

“It was a heck of a game, Both teams went on runs back and forth and we were able to hold South Oldham,” Oldham Co. head coach Coy Zerhusen said. “We just played really hard and I think we wore them down as the game went on and we were able to make some plays in the fourth quarter. They were just winning plays. We got rebounds and hit free throws.”

Colonels junior guard Andre Brewer had three steals in the fourth quarter and helped his team overcome a third quarter deficit to outscore the Dragons 26-19 in the final period of play. Junior Jackson Gibson scored 16 points to lead the Colonels, including going a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line with six made free throws in the fourth. Junior Zach Larimore and senior Ismail Jones each chipped in with 14 points each.

South Oldham senior Jo Griffin struggled to play through illness, and was held to just six points in the game. Junior Devin Young led the team with 14 points.

OLDHAM COUNTY (11-4)

Ismail Jones 14p; Ryan Heeland 5p; Jackson Gibson 16p, 7s; Zach Larimore 14p; Andre Brewer 4p, 5s; Caleb Strunk 7p; Cam Coveney 2p.

SOUTH OLDHAM (13-2)

Devin Young 14p; Dyllon Hoover 10p; Aaron Franklin 12p; Jo Griffin 6p; Payton Hicks 3p; Luke Morrison 11p.

—

Trinity 61, St. Xavier 50

Story: Jay Scrubb leads Trinity past St. Xavier

Gallery: Trinity-St. Xavier at Broadbent Arena

—

Fern Creek 64, Bullitt East 54

Story: Fern Creek comes back, knocks off Bullitt East

SCORES

BOYS

SOUTHERN 85,  ATHERTON 75

ATHERTON (6-11)

Noah Weber 8p; Fiynn Calnon 22p; Keon Bentley 4p; Abelson Barthelemy 4p; Anastasius Lauderale 7p; Jordon Pulford 7p; Jordan Johnson 5p; Jastine Lado 14p; Josiah Price 4p

SOUTHERN (7-8)

Dan Black 18p; Charles Wilson 25p; Jevon Collier 3p; Isaiah Jackson 10p; Kendall Jones 15p; Hakeim Reedel 4p; Matthew Jones 9p.

BALLARD 99, MALE 65

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –  The Bruins (10-2) won their fifth game in a row behind Vonnie Patterson’s elevated performance since starting point guard Jamil Wilson went down with an injury. Ballard’s defensive pressure forced the Bulldogs (7-7) to turn the ball over more than expected. Male was unable to get into an offensive rhythm and Ballard was able capitalize on their mistakes.

BALLARD (10-2)

Marshon Ford 15p, 4r; Tyron Duncan 11p, 4a; Dorian Tisby 14p, 6s; Antoine Darby 10p, 5s; Vonnie Patterson 20p, 11r, 4s; Kereion Douglas 10p, 6r; Delonta Wimberly 9p, 4r; Orlando Higginbottom 4p; Tony Kose 3p; Jackson Molesberger 3p.

MALE (7-7)

Jeremiah Goldwair 4p; Darian Clyburn 3p; Javon Davis 11p; Jaeliln Ferrell 1p; Hogan Brownley 18p; Hunter McCutcheon 18p; Shane Doughty 3p; Armani Rowan 2p; Nathan Hobbs 5p.

PRP 90, BETH HAVEN 42

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Cashawn Beasley scored 17 points to lead visiting PRP (9-6) past the Bearcats (9-5). Austin Streble led all scorers with 18 points for Beth Haven, but it was not enough to secure the upset.

PRP (9-6)

Gerald Gray 10p; Trey Hill 12p; Darius Osbourne 8p; Tyler Redman 6p; Cyncer Wilson 12p; Logan Hudson 5p; Cashawn Beasley 17p; Tyler Anderson 7p; Jordan Wallace 13p.

BETH HAVEN (9-5)

Austin Streble 18p; Cody Mikel 15p; Aaron Rice 5p; Isaiah Mahoney 3p; Dylan Kerr 1p.

BUTLER 75, IROQUOIS 54

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Butler (10-5) blazed past the host Raiders (7-8) with a trio players scoring in double figures. Ryan Luckett led the way with 16 points, while Austin Wise and Devin Pendergrass added 14 points each. Butler’s hot shooting proved too much to withstand, as the Bears shot 57% from the field. Keelan Kennedy was the led all scorers with 17 points for Iroquois.

BUTLER (10-5)

Ramar Brown 1p; Jaquay Wales 2p; Marcus Montgomery 2p; Austin Wise 14p; Ryan Luckett 16p; Kel Shawn Mozee 8p; Maurice Tolley 6p; Solomon Pennix 2p; Devin Pendergrass 14p; Rashad Owens 2p; Michael Burns 3p; Michael Thompson 5p.

IROQUOIS (7-8)

TC Wright 3p; Damon Richardson 12p; TreSaun Edwards 7p; Davarrio Martin 4p; Rickey Holt 6p; Demetris Booth 4p; Keelan Kennedy 17p, 7r; Kalon Howard 1p.

PORTLAND CHRISTIAN 70, COVINGTON LATIN 29

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Portland Christian (5-7) had a trio of players record double-doubles to rout Covington Latin (1-7). Quincy Dye scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Isaiah Young scored 11 points to go with 12 rebounds, and Michael Merideth finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Robby Case was the only player in double-figure scoring for the Trojans, finishing with 11 points.

COVINGTON LATIN (1-7)

Russell Toney 6p; Alex Beckham 7p; Robby Case 11p; Laki Desai 2p; Joel Devadason 3p.

PORTLAND CHRISTIAN (5-7)

Luke Kennedy 4p, 11r; Isaiah Young 11p, 12r, 7a; Jonah Trejo 2p; Quincy Dye 26p, 14r; Terry Niestadt 3p; Brandon Ferry 4p; Charlie Niestadt 5p; Michael Merideth 13p, 11r; Isaiah Walls 2p.

MANUAL 82, SHAWNEE 51

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Junior Noah Hawkins scored a career-high 32 points shooting 12 of 18 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Hawkins led the Crimson (3-10) past the Golden Eagles (0-15) who have yet to capture of victory this season. Josh Cunningham led the Golden Eagles with 12 points while Jordan McClendon scored ten points for the Crimsons.

SHAWNEE (0-15)

Nick Warf 8p; Josiah Bivens 5p; Cornell Barnett 3p; Amontay MItchell 9p; Josh Cunningham 12p; Lajuantre Gray 2p. Dominik Powell 2p; Robert Pillow 2p; Harold Pillow 3p; Ronald Lewis 5p.

MANUAL (3-10)

William Britt 6p; Lesther Prez-Garay 5p; Jordan McClendon 10p; Kenyon Jacob 6p; Brock Cassin 6p; TJ Ballard 6p; Noah Hawkins 32p; Alex Conlin 2p; Zach Recktenwald 2p; Lukas Carns 3p; Andrew Schaff 4p.  

EASTERN 71, KCD 44

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Eagles (9-5) soared past the Bearcats (5-7), 71-44. The Eagles went on a 32-5 run during the first half to pull away. Caleb Williams led the Eagles in scoring with 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sugar Wyche chipped in 17 points and five assists also for the Eagles. Eastern had 22 field goals on 17 assists. For the Bearcats, leading scorer JR Mathis finished with 18 points.

EASTERN (9-5)

Caleb Williams 19p; Sugar Wyche 17p; Braxton Johnson 8p; Javen Rushin 7p; William Clay 6p; Trent Robinson 5p; Jacob Robinson 4p; Caleb Brown 2p; Nick Sparks 2p; Myles Goodrich 1p.

KCD (5-7)

Solomon Mathis 8p; Jalen Mathis 3p; JR Mathis 18p; Hayden Kraus 5p; Will Cox 3p; Tanner Owen 1p; Lawson Whiting 2p; Cedric Cosby 4p.

SENECA 53, WESTERN 42

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Redhawks (3-10) overtook the Warriors (6-8) 53-42. Oneal Swint scored a game-high 20 points for the Warriors but it wasn’t enough as Carl Parker scored 14 points and Keyontez Leach had eight points to go with 16 rebounds for the Redhawks.

WESTERN (6-8)

Oneal Swint 20p; Dontrey Lowe 4p; Vito Taylor 2p; Jaelin Shannon 2p; Mark Jones 2p; Jojuanta Dickerson 2p; Stoney Mack 3p; Juvon Thompson 5p; Seth Sales 2p.

SENECA (3-10)

Timothy Gordon 4p, 2r, 2a; Phillip Armstrong 5p, 1a; Deshawn Chaney 7p, 7r, 5a; Richard Ninamou 9p, 6r, 3a; Byron Malone 2p, 1r, 2a; Robert Walker 2p; Keelin James 2p, 2r; Carl Parker 14p, 2r; Keyontez Leach 8p, 16r, 1a.

CAL 74, CAI 46

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Centurions prevailed over the Warriors in the battle of the Christian Academy schools in the Kentuckiana area. Milton Wright and Parker Jones combined to score 36 points for the host Centurions (12-3), as they pulled away from the Warriors (7-7) in the second half. Stephen Cook led the Warriors with 17 points. The win was Christian Academy of Louisville’s 500th victory in school history.

CAL (12-3)

Milton Wright 18p; Jeff Petterson 3p; Casey Purvis 8p; Parker Jones 18p; Cam Marshall 3p; Hayden Paas 2p; Wyatt Allison 3p; Austin Carr 6p; Michael Woodward 11p; Jacob Dupps 2p;

CAI (7-7)

Noah Williams 8p; Stephen Cook 17p; Matt Hambry 2p; Patrick Fitzgibbon 10p; Bailey Conrad 9p.

WAGGENER 78, J’TOWN 65

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jacquess Hobbs dominated the Warriors (11-4) with 25 points to help them defeat Chargers (7-7), 78-65. Jaago Kalakon contributed 14 points for the Warriors. Delvonte McCloud led the Chargers with 18 points, nine rebounds and six blocks.

WAGGENER (11-4)

Ron Fell 9p; Trey Keaton 3p; Ethan Taylor 13p; Kevion Hudson 8p; Jaago Kalakon 14p; Jacquess Hobbs 25p; Cobie Montgomery 4p; Keontrey Chappell 2p.

J’TOWN (7-7)

Dakota White 10p, 2r; Justin Baker 8p; Jalen Garnett 1p, 2r; Jalen Davis 15p, 4r; Delvonte McCloud 18p, 9r, 6b; Chris Trigg 4p, 2r; Jaden Rogers 3p, 1r; Tayshon Caudell 4p, 2r; Derius Martin 2p, 1r.

COLLINS 53, SPENCER CO. 45

SPENCER CO. (10-5)

Daniel Wheeler 12p; Jacob Nichols 1p, 6r, 1a, 1s; Byrson Cannon 6p, 9r, 1a, 2s; Hacib Coke 17p, 6r, 1a, 3b, 2s; Jacob Seawright 2p, 1r; Sam Conley 7p, 3r, 3s.

COLLINS (12-3)

Jacob Feltner 2p, 1r, 1s; Nick Fort 8p, 5r, 3a, 3s; Dayvion McKnight 7p, 9r, 3a, 1s; Charlie Cochran 19p, 10r, 1a, 1b, 2s; Dominque Turner 5p, 1r, 2a, 2s; Marcellus Vail 12p, 2r, 3a, 1b.

Scores from around the state: 

Anderson Co. 64, Shelby Co. 51

Apollo 62, Daviess Co. 51

Bardstown 72, Nelson Co. 53

Bethlehem 69, Washington Co. 53

Boyle Co. 72, Garrard Co. 54

Carlisle Co. 50, Hickman Co. 44

Casey Co. 67, Somerset 62

Central Hardin 78, Elizabethtown 77, OT

Christian Co. 80, Paducah Tilghman 58

Cooper 61, Boone Co. 48

Cov. Catholic 74, Conner 39

Dixie Heights 60, Ryle 41

Franklin Co. 75, Western Hills 55

Gallatin Co. 67, Carroll Co. 40

Graves Co. 72, Mayfield 57

Hancock Co. 55, Tell City, Ind. 52

Holmes 44, Cov. Holy Cross 43

John Hardin 79, Meade Co. 62

Lex. Lafayette 77, Lex. Tates Creek 58

Lex. Paul Dunbar 79, Lex. Christian 71

Lexington Catholic 79, St. Henry 56

Lincoln Co. 70, Danville 46

Valley 81, North Oldham 69

Marshall Co. 36, Calloway Co. 25

Model 68, Berea 58

Murray 58, Lou. Collegiate 39

North Hardin 73, Fort Knox 38

Owensboro 62, Owensboro Catholic 51

Russell 54, Ashland Blazer 42

Scott 62, Simon Kenton 50

Scott Co. 100, Lex. Henry Clay 72

Southwestern (Hanover), Ind. 83, Trimble Co. 55

St. Mary 60, Ballard Memorial 46

Villa Madonna 60, Dayton 58

Webster Co. 65, Union Co. 50

West Jessamine 79, East Jessamine 40

Woodford Co. 42, Frankfort 32

10th Region All ‘‘A’’ Classic

Bishop Brossart 69, Silver Grove 35

WYMT Mountain Classic

Harlan Co. 82, North Laurel 78

Perry Co. Central 69, Magoffin Co. 39

GIRLS

PRP 56, BETH HAVEN 18

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Amani Saunders scored 19 points to spark the Panthers (8-5) in a rout over host Beth Haven (2-7). PRP put away the Bearcats early, racing out to a 24-0 lead after the end of the first quarter.

PRP (8-5)

Brianna Burke 4p; Caely Finley 6p; Makenna Combs 3p; Amani Saunders 19p; Mariah Jones 8p; Perri Mitchell 6p; Dayja Evans 8p; Aylssa Dooley 2p.

BETH HAVEN (2-7)

Kenzie Davis 4p; Gabby Ellis 5p; Leslie 4p; Lexi Beard 2p; Sarena Vaugn 3p.

BULLITT EAST 66, FERN CREEK 58

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Lindsey Duvall hit the 30-point mark for the fifth time this season to lead Bullitt East (12-4) past the upset-minded Tigers (8-8). The Chargers built a ten-point lead at the break, but Fern Creek was able to cut the deficit to three points heading into the fourth quarter. Bullitt East went 18-of-23 from the free-throw line to withstand the Tigers’ rally back into the game. Nsasa Makando led the Tigers, who have now lost three straight, with 15 points.

BULLITT EAST (12-4)

Lauren Masden 13p; Lindsey Duvall 30p; Cori Etherton 2p; Lexi Taylor 3p; Alyssa Peak 3p; Kirstie Henn 7p; Kathleen Scott 4p; Emma Ralph 4p.

FERN CREEK (8-8)

Nsasa Makando 15p, 3r, 3a; Maelyn Ridener 21p, 3r; Aliyah Stallard 1p; Lauren Smith 8p, 5r; Sierra Hancock 8p, 4r; Nae Nae Athoba 1p; Tiana Austin 4p, 6r.

ATHERTON 52, SOUTHERN 51

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –  Page Taylor put the Rebels (8-9) on top in the final minute as they slipped by the Trojans (3-13), 52-51. Nia Sheckles attempted two desperated shots with 11 seconds left, however her shot attempts were both unsuccessful. Sheckles finished with 17 points and five rebounds and DaVionna Sloan added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Trojans. Taylor led the way for the Rebels with 19 points, while Caitlyn Taylor and Kaylynn both scored 11 points.

ATHERTON (8-9)

Sarah Overley 6p; Taecianne White 3p; Caitlyn Taylor 11p; Page Taylor 16p; Kaylynn Thompson 11p; Hailey Stone 5p.

SOUTHERN (3-13)

DaVionna Sloan 19p 13r; Nia Sheckles 17p 5; Krystal Jackson 9p; Marsharea Henderson 1p; NaVosha Sheckles 1p, 7r; Kelsie Thompson 4p.

WAGGENER 53, J’TOWN 49

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Wildcats (2-14) defeated the Chargers (4-11) to record just their second win of the season. Nezja Elliott recorded a game-high 24 points and Tiara Biermacher added 12 points. The Chargers were led by Naomi Johnson’s 15 points.

WAGGENER (2-14)

Melissa Chase 1p; Lasha Dunn 10p; Tiara Biermacher 12p; Alexis Voll 5p; Nezja Elliott 24p; Nguenar Cisse 1p.

J’TOWN (4-11)

Shelby Dunagan 2p; Jasmine Majors 2p; Kamaya White 3p; Jenise Scott 2p; Kaleb McDonald 2p; Jasmine Thomas 7p; Telia Perks 10p; Shaolin Morton 4p; Naomi Johnson 15p; Dezhane Carthen 2p.

EASTERN 102, KCD 23

LOUISVILLE , Ky.– The Eagles (10-4) completely out-matched the Bearcats (3-10) scoring a season-high 102 points, led by Brianna Anthony and Devin Beach who both finished with 17 points each. Kiara Pearl added 12 points while Maikayla Kinnard had 9 points for the Eagles.  Olyvia Green led the Bearcats with nine points.

KCD (3-10)

Meghana Manchi 2p; Tia Dowling 2p; Rachel Jennings 7p; Olyvia Green 9p; Maya Rao 3p.

EASTERN (10-4)

Caitlin Kidd 3p; Briana Mishler 8p; Tedi Nunn 7p; Breanna Anthony 17p; Milly Thompson 5p; Mikayla Kinnard 9p; Natalie Collins 5p; Kiara Pearl 12p; Peyot Fletcher 6p; Destiny Houseal 4p; Jaiden Townsend 9p; Devin Beach 17p.

NORTH OLDHAM 50, VALLEY 27

GOSHEN, Ky. –The Mustangs (9-5) expanded their winning streak to three after they defeated the Vikings (5-6). The Mustangs were led by the steady hands of Alyssa Gordon who scored 12 points. Sarah Fiorito and Sophie Hale added 10 points each in the win. Valley’s top scorers Lazhia Mitchell and Arion Holmes were held to just eight points each.

NORTH OLDHAM (9-5)

Dani Monroe 2p; Hannah Cleveland 5p; Sophie Hale 10p; Caitlyn Chen 7p; Alyssa Gordon 12p; Skylar Gillies 2p; Abby Warford 2p; Sarah Fiorito 10p; Don V. Crisp, Jr.

VALLEY (5-6)

Brooklyn Black 3p; Faith James 2p; Lazhia Mitchell 8p; Arion Holmes 8p; Mahogany Maddox 4p; Jade Warr 2p.

MALE 84, BALLARD 25

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –  The Bulldogs (13-1) cruised past the Bruins (4-8), 84-25 in this regular season match-up. Emilia Sexton led the Bulldogs in points with 15 including three 3-pointers, and Ciaja Harbison added 14 points. Cameryn Austin tallied 10 points for the Bruins.

MALE (13-1)

Ciaja Harbison 14p; Joelle Johnson 5p; Emilia Sexton 15p; Destiny Combs 4p; Derise Cox 4p; Alana Striverson 4p; Jada Owens 8p; India Green 4p; Kyra Hogan 4p; Cameron Browning 12p; Logan Calvert 4p; Maya Crimes 4p; Kynidi Stevenson 2p.

BALLARD (4-8)

Iyuna Wilson 3p; Cameryn Austin 10p; Claire Simmons 3p; Jada Williams 3p; Kiarah Carney 4p; Angel Davie 2p.

CAL 72, CAI 24

NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The Centurions (9-4) rebound from shaky tournament play with a win over the Warriors (5-8). The Centurions took an early lead and continued to add to it. Freshman Shelby Calhoun reportedly recorded her 11th consecutive double-double, finishing with 21 points and 12 rebounds to go with five assists and seven steals. Senior Summer Conti recorded a double-double as well. The Centurions are optimistic as they work through the mid-season with Calhoun and Conti playing well.

CAL (9-4)

Hayley Ice 4p, 2r, 1s; Summer Conti 22p, 10r, 3a, 8s; Emma Frank 6p, 10r, 1b; Shelby Calhoun 21p, 12r, 5a, 7s, 2b; Sarah McDonald 13p, 2r, 2a, 2s, 2b; Mia Beam 6p, 4a, 2s.

CAI (5-8)

Alli Stumler 12p; Kye Jenkins 4p; Aubrey Graham 1p; Hailey Jones 7p.

SOUTH OLDHAM 63, OLDHAM CO. 42

SOUTH OLDHAM (10-5)

Sydney Harold 24p; Skylar Sahatjian 13p; Maggie Smith 8p; Payton Harold 12p; Lexi Bowlden 6p.

OLDHAM CO. (6-7)

Madison Clark 9p; Lakynn Goldsmith 4p; Jordon Simpson 2p; Sophia Head 6p; Alexis Head 8p; Kylee Nuernberger 9p; Ally Korzeniowski 4p.

SENECA 52, WESTERN 50

WESTERN (5-8)

Cheyenne Brooks 4p; Carmen Forbes 4p; Destany Love 19p; Alyssa Hayes 2p; Kelita Adams 17p; M. Lewis 4p.

SENECA (3-11)

Ashanti Starks 2p; Dais Ja Trotter 27p; Breanna Anthony 6p; Alexis White 8p; Marie Ninamou 3p; Jamia Brightwell 6p.

Scores from around the state: 

Bellevue 62, Pendleton Co. 53

Bethlehem 53, Washington Co. 34

Boyle Co. 64, Garrard Co. 62

Breckinridge Co. 78, Hancock Co. 36

Carlisle Co. 58, Hickman Co. 26

Casey Co. 54, Somerset 41

Christian Co. 69, Paducah Tilghman 36

Conner 67, Boone Co. 29

Cov. Holy Cross 61, Beechwood 52

Danville 62, Lincoln Co. 58

Danville 62, Lincoln Co. 58

Daviess Co. 51, Apollo 35

Franklin Co. 75, Western Hills 25

Fulton City 44, Fulton Co. 39

Graves Co. 51, Mayfield 27

Highlands 62, Newport Central Catholic 30

Hopkinsville 58, Muhlenberg County 51

John Hardin 78, Fort Knox 14

Lexington Catholic 50, Lex. Tates Creek 23

Logan Co. 62, Russellville 55

Lou. Butler 83, Lou. Iroquois 2

Lou. DuPont Manual 93, Lou. Shawnee 26

Lou. Moore 41, Bullitt Central 37

Lou. Pleasure Ridge Park 56, Beth Haven 18

Lou. Seneca 52, Lou. Western 50

Lou. Waggener 53, Lou. Jeffersontown 49

Madisonville-North Hopkins 68, University Heights 51

Marshall Co. 54, Calloway Co. 30

Nelson Co. 55, Bardstown 50

Owensboro Catholic 84, Owensboro 45

Scott Co. 78, Lex. Bryan Station 28

Spencer Co. 57, Collins 44

St. Mary 62, Ballard Memorial 48

Webster Co. 59, Union Co. 27

West Jessamine 68, East Jessamine 40

Woodford Co. 56, Frankfort 50

10th Region All ‘‘A’’ Classic

Bishop Brossart 51, Silver Grove 9

15th Region All ‘‘A’’ Classic

Paintsville 62, South Floyd 54

Sheldon Clark 65, Piarist 15

There were several individual upsets Saturday during the Jefferson County Tournament of Championships, but it would have taken a memorable day to unseat St. Xavier High School’s wrestling team from the Jefferson County throne.

Wrestlers

St. Xavier, the only squad in the 21-school, 181-wrestler event at at Fairdale High School’s Stan Hardin Gymnasium to compete in all 14 weight classes, used its depth to run away with the team title.

“I felt like we did like we were expected to do. But I felt like we needed to do better, I guess,” said third-ranked St. Xavier sophomore Jimmy Kraeszig, who stayed unbeaten (11-0) and kept the Tigers undefeated in the finals (5-0 at that point) with a 6-2 decision over eighth-ranked Moore sophomore Isaiah Newberry (25-10) in the 138-pound final. “We had to get it into our heads at practice that this was just like any other tournament.”

St. Xavier, ranked second in the state in the KentuckyWrestling.com rankings, couldn’t have done much better.

The Tigers had half their grapplers in the finals — winning their first six title matches before falling in the seventh — and had every entry but one advance to at least the semifinals. That was more than enough to secure the crown well before the wrestlebacks or consolation portion of the event began.

St. Xavier finished with 316 points, easily putting runner-up Male (163) and third-place Moore (131) out of the rear-view mirror. Male had six top-four finishes and two champions (eighth-grader Scotty Villums at 106 and sophomore Zane Brown at 152), while Moore had eight wrestlers earn top-six medals. Valley was fourth with 130 points and Central rounded out the top five with 126 points.

In spite of its impressive finish, the Tigers still left a little disappointed after falling a tad bid short of their team goal (320.5 points) and finalist goal (10).

“This has been a great preparation for us for regionals and the state tournament,” said St. Xavier coach Jim Kraeszig. “We found a lot of weaknesses in our game here and we’re going to fix those. That’s what we needed this for.”

Brown (33-1), the only Jefferson County wrestler to be ranked No. 1 in his weight class, broke up the Tigers’ title-round sweep with a 4-2 decision over sixth-ranked St. Xavier senior Dallas Miles (17-3) for the 152 crown. It was also a bit of revenge for the Bulldogs after fourth-ranked St. Xavier senior Clayton Hanson (8-0) earned an 11-4 decision against eighth-ranked Male junior Tristin Garcia (29-6) in the previous final at 145 to make the Tigers 6-for-6 in the finals at that point.

Before the younger Kraeszig’s title win, the Tigers won titles at 285 (junior Isaac Marret), 113 (senior Joshua Schmidt), 120 (sophomore Nate Wheeler) and 126 (senior Austin Cook). The only two unranked wrestlers among the 28 finalists faced off in the heavyweight class as Marret (13-2) earned a 4-2 decision against Fern Creek junior Zeph Ragsdale (36-4). The 15th-ranked Schmidt (15-5) earned an upset pin of 12th-ranked Doss senior Derek Ringlen (23-5) in 1:50. The second-ranked Wheeler (15-1) earned a 9-1 major decision against Manual senior Chance Caldwell (24-2), who was ranked 16th at 126 before dropping down. And in the shortest final, fourth-ranked Cook (16-3) needed just 31 seconds to pin 19th-ranked Central junior Da’Rius Calloway (16-9).

The finals opened with back-to-back upsets. At 182 pounds, 18th-ranked Atherton sophomore Andrew Marchal remained unbeaten (7-0) with his 6-2 upset of eighth-ranked Valley junior Caleb Lane. Then fifth-ranked Trinity sophomore Kadim Kulmer (24-4) pinned second-ranked Jeffersontown junior Damoreon Travis (8-2) in 1:55.

At 220, second-ranked Jeffersontown senior Lawrence Malala (10-1) earned a 10-6 decision over 10th-ranked Trinity senior Darian Story (17-7).

The youngest finalist earned a title as ninth-ranked Villums (18-7) earned a 4-2 decision over 13th-ranked Doss freshman Simmon Powell (26-3). Villums was also voted Most Outstanding Wrestler for the seven weight classes from 106-145.

Desmond Lewis (32-4), a 17th-ranked Valley 132-pound senior, recorded the fourth upset of the final with a late pin of seventh-ranked PRP junior Blake Evans (21-2) in 4:45.

The 160 final pitted two grapplers who were ranked, but not in that class as fourth-ranked Jared Branch of Fern Creek bumped up from 152 and 11th-ranked Valley junior Tyjeric Williams, who was coming down from 170. Branch (37-2) came away with an 11-0 major decision over Williams (34-5).

In the last match of the night — which was purposely scheduled that way since the wrestlers were the only finalists to both be ranked in the top five — third-ranked Manual junior Jacob Bratcher (30-0) decisioned fourth-ranked Male sophomore Jack Lucas (23-7), 9-7.

Bratcher, who was facing Lucas for the first time since last year’s regionals, was immediately Most Outstanding Wrestler for the seven heavier weights (152-185).

“It feels pretty good for two weeks in a row to be the MOW,” said Bratcher, referring to his previous tournament award at Valley. “I thought I did pretty good and I loved the last match with Jack since we used to be practice partners (on Fern Creek’s club team).”

TEAM SCORES

1. St. Xavier, 316 points; 2. Male, 163; 3. Moore, 131; 4. Valley, 130; 5. Central, 126; 6. Trinity, 121; 7. Fern Creek, 115; 8. Doss, 105.5; 9. Pleasure Ridge Park, 101; 10. DeSales, 96; 11. Manual, 74; 12. Jeffersontown, 50; 13. Fairdale, 37; 14. Atherton, 36; 15. Seneca, 33.5; 16. Iroquois, 27; 17. Waggener, 11; 18. Holy Cross, 6; 19. Shawnee, 4; 19. Southern, 4; 21. Western, 0.

PLACEMENT MATCHES

106

1st: Scotty Villums (Male) def. Simmon Powell (Doss), 4-2.

3rd: Marquelle McDaniel (Central) def. Chris Dues (Moore), 14-12.

5th: Nathan Ohlmann (St. Xavier) def. Jake Moseley (Fairdale), 9-1.

113

1st: Joshua Schmidt (St. Xavier) def. Derek Ringlen (Doss), 1:50.

3rd: Landon Lenhart (Trinity def. Donovan Evans (Pleasure Ridge Park), 3:35.

5th: Nicholas Rudolph (DeSales) def. Montrail Porter, 1:39.

120

1st: Nate Wheeler (St. Xavier) def. Chance Caldwell (Manual), 9-1.

3rd: Virgil Garcia (Male) def. Agali Radjapov (Moore), 1:28.

5th: Dylan Harkins (DeSales) def. Charles Sanders (Central), 2:31.

126

1st: Austin Cook (St. Xavier) def. Darius Calloway (Central), 0:31.

3rd: Lukas Brown (Trinity) def. Leondre Duncan (Fern Creek), 13-7.

5th: Noah Greenwell (Fairdale) def. Francisco Estrada (Moore), 3:09.

132

1st: Desmond Lewis (Valley) def. Blake Evans (Pleasure Ridge Park), 4:45.

3rd: Alex Rivera (Moore) def. Kaden Darbro (St. Xavier), 3-1.

5th: Luke Polin (DeSales) def. Kaden Shook (Central), 2:41.

138

1st: Jimmy Kraeszig (St. Xavier) def. Isaiah Newberry (Moore), 6-2.

3rd: Gavin Foushee (Seneca) def. Nikeem Avent (Fern Creek), 15-0.

5th: Isander Santiago Reyes (Valley) def. Quentin Neal (Doss), forfeit.

145

1st: Clayton Hanson (St. Xavier) def. Tristin Garcia (Male), 11-4.

3rd: Jalen Huff (Pleasure Ridge Park) def. Quentin Roland (Central), 1:44.

5th: Keith Malone (Doss) def. Christian Solorzano (Valley), 4:00.

152

1st: Zane Brown (Male) def. Dallas Miles (St. Xavier), 4-2.

3rd: Keaon Taylor (Doss) def. Donald Evans (Pleasure Ridge Park), 9-6.

5th: Jon Gaudin (Trinity) def. Noah Jones (Moore), 4:31.

160

1st: Jared Branch (Fern Creek) def. Tyjeric Williams (Valley), 11-0.

3rd: Cameron Ward (St. Xavier) def. Noah Kulmer (Trinity), 10-5.

5th: Graham Davis (Pleasure Ridge Park) def. Connor Ridenour (Manual), 0:41.

170

1st: Jacob Bratcher (Manual) def. Jack Lucas (Male), 9-7.

3rd: Austin Towles (St. Xavier) def. Matthew Quiggins (Fern Creek), 4:22.

5th: Larry Urbina (Iroquois) def. Luis Ceron (Moore), 1:41.

182

1st: Andrew Marchal (Atherton) def. Caleb Lane (Valley), 6-2.

3rd: Zach Cumella (St. Xavier) def. Zach Chandler (Male), 14-4.

5th: Adam Nauert (DeSales) def. William Elliott (Pleasure Ridge Park), forfeit.

195

1st: Kadin Kulmer (Trinity) def. Damoreon Travis (Jeffersontown), 1:55.

3rd: Grover Russell (Central) def. Justin Voelker (St. Xavier), 10-9.

5th: Steven Brown (Doss) def. Peyton Martin (Male), 10-6.

220

1st: Lawrence Malala (Jeffersontown) def. Darian Story (Trinity), 10-6.

3rd: Benjamin Deprest (St. Xavier) def. Patrick Dumire (Valley), 3:21.

5th: Gage Gray (Fern Creek) def. Meki Lewis (DeSales), 1:25.

285

1st: Isaac Marret (St. Xavier) def. Zeph Ragsdale (Fern Creek), 4-2.

3rd: Brandyn Robertson (Central) def. Cody Melton (Moore), 3:55.

5th: Dejaun Watkins (DeSales) def. Ja`Quaye Effinger (Valley), forfeit.

Here are stories, stats and scores from boys and girls basketball games in Louisville and around the Commonwealth on Jan. 7, 2016.

Waggener’s Jaago Kalakon launches a three as Bullitt East’s Jared Osborne defends. 12/21/16

STORIES

BOYS

Playing in crunch time in the world’s largest high school arena, Waggener High School’s Jaago Kalakon didn’t feel any pressure.

The sophomore guard hit two clutch free throws in overtime to help lead the Wildcats to a 61-64 victory over Oak Hill (Ind.) in the Kentucky/Indiana Hall of Fame Classic Saturday evening at the New Castle Fieldhouse at New Castle High School.

Jacquess Hobbs, who scored the final basket of the game, also scored a put-back on an offensive rebound to tie the game at 54-54 near the end of regulation. Oak Hill had a chance to win the game at the free-throw line but Tyce Frank missed both of his free throws. Waggener’s Ethan Taylor had a look from beyond the arc as time expired but the shot didn’t go down.

“I was real proud of them,” Waggener coach Bryan O’Neill said. “It was a tough game. Oak Hill was quite a bit bigger than us so we had to get the game going up tempo. To do that, I think they had 26 turnovers and we had 17 steals so that contributed to everything we had with our success.”

Hobbs finished with 19 points and Kevion Hudson chipped in with 15 points. Hudson was 9 of 10 from the free-throw line and Ben Simic went a perfect 5-for-5. Spencer Ballinger led Oak Hill with a game-high 26 points.

“We really stepped up defensively and were able to execute,” O’Neill said of his team’s effort in overtime. “We hit a lot of free throws down the stretch and that was huge for us.”

In the night-cap, Ballard fell to Connersville (Ind.), 78-67.

WAGGENER (12-4)

Ron Fell 6p; Trey Keaton 1p; Ethan Taylor 2p; Kevion Hudson 15p; Jaago Kalakon 6p; Jacquess Hobbs 19p; Ben Simic 9p; Cobie Montgomery 6p.

OAK HILL (10-2)

Cal Mann 4p; Konnor Cabe 7p; Spencer Ballinger 26p; Tyce Frank 16p; David Arens 4p; Kordell Cabe 2p; Reid Newhouse 2p.

GIRLS

The highly anticipated matchup between Kentucky’s top two girls’ high school basketball teams ended up being no contest.

Host Butler, the No. 2 team in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, took a lead early thanks to a 16-0 first quarter run and never looked back in walloping top-ranked Mercer County 80-55 Saturday night.

For more click here…

Gallery: Butler-Mercer County Girls Basketball

SCORES

BOYS

Kentucky/Indiana Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle High School

CONNERSVILLE 78, BALLARD 67

NEW CASTLE, Ind. – Noah Belt scored 20 points to lead the Spartans (12-1) past the Bruins (10-3). Ballard fell behind towards the latter part of the first half and were unable to close the gap in the second half. Ballard was led by Vonnie Patterson with 13 points.

BALLARD (10-3)

Tyrese Duncan 7p; Kereion Douglas 5p; Marshon Ford 9p; Tyron Duncan 12p; Dorion Tisby 6p; Antonie Darby 3p; Delonta Wimberly 4p; Jamil Wilson 4p; Vonnie Patterson 13p; Alexander Holley 4p.

CONNERSVILLE (12-1)

Garrett Silcott 16p; Noah Belt 20p; Grant Smith 17p; Dalton Huffman 6p; Beau Isaacs 18p.

HOLY CROSS 74, BRECKENRIDGE CO. 46

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The visiting Cougars (7-7) raced past Breckenridge Co. (3-11) behind a 17-point performance by Cooper Scott. Holy Cross broke open a tie game after the first quarter and established a comfortable 18 point lead at the break. Tanner Whitworth led the Tigers with 15 points.

BRECKENRIDGE CO. (3-11)

Tanner Whitworth 15p; Will Bloud 3p; Jon Whitworth 3p; Korey Miller 3p; Evan Barr 5p; Grayson Sosh 6p; Kobe Poole 8p; Kellem Bland 1p; Clayton Burks 2p.

HOLY CROSS (7-7)

Cade Crawley 14p; DeShawn Ellis 3p; Hunter Adams 2p; Chase Phillips 16p; Cooper Scott 17p; Dawson Burns 4p; Ethan Short 2p; Max Bearden 8p; Ethan Driskell 8p.

NORTH BULLITT 55, CAI 50

NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The visiting Eagles (5-11) used a 21-13 third quarter to break open a tie game and push past CAI (7-8). North Bullitt hit outscored the Warriors from the free throw line, 12-3, and forced ten more turnovers. Noah Williams led all scorers with 21 points for the Warriors.

NORTH BULLITT (5-11)

Peyton Luttrell 7p; Lance Johnson 14p; Nate Johnson 4p; TJ Tonev 8p; Dylan Ing 6p; Brendan Holt 16p.

CAI (7-8)

Noah Williams 21p, 3a; Stephen Cook 18p, 4r; Patrick Fitzgibbon 6p, 3r; Bailey Conrad 5p, 4r.

Whitefield Down Syndrome Classic

at Whitefield Academy

BUTLER 56, LINCOLN CO. 55

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Butler (11-5) edged the Patriots (11-5) in a thrilling final minute of a back-and-forth fourth quarter. Devin Alcorn hit a 3-pointer with ten seconds remaining to cap a rally by Lincoln Co., but the Bears answered. Austin Wise came open on the ensuing play and hit the go-ahead 12-footer with five seconds to go. The game featured four lead changes in the final three minutes. Noah Young led all scorers with 23 points for Lincoln Co.

BUTLER (11-5)

Jaquay Wales 6p; Marcus Montgomery 12p; Austin Wise 12p; Kel Shawn Mozee 9p; Maurice Tolley 8p; Solomon Pennix 4p; Devin Pendergrass 3p; Michael Burns 2p.

LINCOLN CO. (11-5)

Devin Alcorn 15p; Tanner McAninch 4p; Chase Phillips 9p; Noah Young 23p; Nick Noland 4p.

PENDLETON CO. 68, FAIRDALE 63

FALMOUTH, Ky. – Dontaie Allen’s double-double led the Wildcats (9-6) to a tough win over the visiting Bulldogs (6-8). Allen put up 26 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Pendleton Co. hit on 25-of-29 free throws to maintain a narrow lead throughout the final quarter. Glenn Queen led Fairdale with 21 points.

FAIRDALE (6-8)

Glenn Queen 21p, 4r, 3a; Jaxon Gaddie 8p, 4r, 3a; Ike Roby 12p, 6r; Seth Dewboys 8p, 4r; Treziaun Allen 2p, 6r; Mark Sullivan 10p, 6r; Craig Ash 10p, 6r.

PENDLETON CO. (9-6)

Jacob Yelton 7p, 4r; Mason Dennie 12p, 4a; Dontaie Allen 26p, 14r; Grant Walsh 12p; Clay Monroe 2p; Adam Antrobus 9p, 13r.

COLLEGIATE 92, SOUTHERN 73

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Titans (12-6) snapped a two-game losing streak as they defeated the visiting Trojans (7-9) led by Barrett Myers 27 points. Ryan McDaniel was second on the team with 26 points and Tyler McDaniel added 16 points for the Titans. Dan Black led all scorers with 28 points for the Trojans and Hakeim Reedel ended with 15 points.

SOUTHERN (7-9)

Dan Black 28p; Hakeim Reedel 15p; Charles Wilson 13p; Jevon Collier 6p; Matt Jones 3p;  Andre Walker 3p; Olieng Kalakon 3p; Isaiah Jackson 2p.

COLLEGIATE (12-6)

Barrett Myers 27p; Ryan McDaniel 26p; Tyler McDaniel 16p; Alec Hertzman 10p; Eli Allen 6p; Parker Duff 5p; Nayaab Grewal 2p.

ST. FRANCIS 66, FREDERICK FRAIZE 55

GOSHEN, Ky. – Jomar Sullivan made a stellar debut on his first game of the season, as he scored 18 points with ten of them coming in the fourth quarter, leading the Wyverns (5-5) over the Aces (6-9). The Wyverns ended the game on a 29-9 run to overcome a fourth-quarter deficit. Noah Sparks scored 17 points and James Risley added 12 points for the Wyverns. The Aces were led by Steven Jennings with 20 points and Mac Dubree with 10 points.

FREDERICK FRAIZE (6-9)

Xander Jennings 2p; Hunter Hawley 4p; Wyatt West 2p; John Fetch 7p; Dylan Simmons 9p; Max Dubree 10p; Ben Harness 1p; Steven Jennings 20p.

ST FRANCIS (5-5)

James Risley 12p; Noah Sparks 17p; Ahmad Moore 9p; Jonah LeStrange 10p; Jomar Sullivan 18p.

Scores from around the state: 

Lou. DuPont Manual 63, Jeffersonville, Ind. 83

Barr-Reeve, Ind. 73, Williamstown 33

Bath Co. 78, Menifee Co. 67

Campbell Co. 74, Bishop Brossart 45

Cloverdale, Ind. 88, Franklin Co. 64

Collins 59, Grant Co. 51, OT

Crittenden Co. 68, Community Christian (Paducah) 48

Eminence 114, Evangel Christian 51

George Rogers Clark 64, Russell 49

Graves Co. 89, Mounds Meridian, Ill. 57

Henderson Co. 49, South Warren 29

Henry Co. 54, Lloyd Memorial 51

Hickman Co. 73, Dawson Springs 59

Holmes 78, Mason Co. 66

Livingston Central 60, Trigg Co. 51

Ohio Co. 80, McLean Co. 54

Owsley Co. 73, Piarist 33

Pendleton Co. 68, Lou. Fairdale 63

Raceland 76, Rose Hill Christian 50

Wolfe Co. 82, Riverside Christian 47

10th Region All ‘‘A’’ Classic

Bracken Co. 62, Robertson County 44

Paris 78, St. Patrick 40

15th Region All ‘‘A’’ Classic

Sheldon Clark 69, Betsy Layne 28

South Floyd 76, Shelby Valley 69

6th/7th District Challenge

Hopkins Co. Central 87, Webster Co. 77

Bluegrass Tournament

Apollo 56, Central Hardin 54

John Hardin 67, Newport Central Catholic 47

Murray 50, Elizabethtown 48

Southwestern 92, LaRue Co. 76

First Security New Years Bash

Hopkinsville 78, Lou. Fern Creek 58

Hall of Fame Classic

Bardstown 65, W. Washington, Ind. 43

Marvin Meredith Classic

George Rogers Clark 64, Russell 49

Greenup Co. 65, Lou. Eastern 61

Simon Kenton 65, Ashland Blazer 34

Mustang Madness

McCracken County 68, Memphis Catholic, Tenn. 35

Whitefield Down Syndrome Classic

Lou. Butler 56, Lincoln Co. 55

Lou. Christian Academy 83, Rock Creek Academy, Ind. 78

North Oldham 82, Whitefield Academy 52

WYMT Mountain Classic

Cordia 49, Hazard 34

Knox Central 74, Knott Co. Central 57

GIRLS

BUTLER 80, MERCER COUNTY 55

MERCER COUNTY (10-4)

Seygan Robins 13p; Faith Lake 4p; Lexy Lake 5p; Lyric Houston 13p; Emmy Souder 13p, 7r; Emmy Davis 6p; Zoey Yeast 1p.

BUTLER (14-1)

Bre Torrens 12p, 4a, 3s; Tasia Jefferies 11p; Brittney Just 6p, Doneah Marshall 2p; Jaelynn Penn 12p, 10r; Teri Goodlett 14p, 6a; Molly Lockhart 21p 12r 4b; Kiara Cain 2p.

SACRED HEART 67, MANUAL 62 

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Erin Toller scored 18 points off the bench as the Valkyries (10-4) recorded their tenth win of the season, defeating the Crimsons (12-3) in a close matchup 67-62. Kiki Samsel led the Valkyries with 21 points on 7 of 9 shooting including five 3-pointers. The Crimsons Nila Blackford ended with a double double, scoring 22 points grabbing ten rebounds in the loss.

SACRED HEART (10-4)

Ashlee Harris 3p, 5a Kiki Samsel 21p; Erin Toller 18p; Kia Sivils 2p, 6r; Kristen Clemons 9p, 6r; Grace Berger 14p, 13r.

MANUAL (12-3)

Jaela Johnson 11p, 6a; Tyonne Howard 2p, 4r; Aniah Griffin 20p, 4r; Tonysha Curry 7p, 8r; Nila Blackford 22p,10r.BULLITT EAST 68, EASTERN 58

MT. WASHINGTON, Ky. – Lindsey Duvall put up a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Chargers (12-4) to their fifth-straight win. The Chargers outscored Eastern (10-5) by 14 points in the second quarter to build a cushion. Kiara Pearl led all scorers with 26 points in the defeat for the Eagles.

EASTERN (10-5)

Briana Mishler 2p; Mikayla Kinnard 4p; Natalie Collins 15p; Kiara Pearl 26p; Destiny Houseal 2p; Devin Beach 9p.

BULLITT EAST (12-4)

Caroline Scott 3p; Lauren Masden 14p; Amber Higdon 6p; Lindsey Duvall 25p, 14r; Lexi Taylor 2p; Alyssa Peak 3p; Kirstie Henn 7p; Kathleen Scott 6p; Emma Ralph 2p.

OWEN CO. 72, KCD 28

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rebels seniors Alex Clifton, Molly Gamble and Morgan Ellis led the way over a young Bearcats (3-11) side coming off a rout to Eastern. Clifton finished with 21 points while Gamble had 19 points and Ellis scored 17 points. Olyvia Green led the Bearcats with ten points and Iyla Draw had two points to go with ten rebounds.

OWEN CO. (10-2)

Destiny Young 7p; Haley Young 2p; Natalie Smith 2p; Abby Colligan 2p; Morgan Ellis 17p; Molly Gamble 19p; Sammi Woodyard 2p; Alex Clifton 21p

KCD (3-11)

Alexis Ledford 2p; Meghana Manchi 2p; Kierra Scott 8p; Rachel Jennings 4p; Olyvia Green 10p; Iyla Draw 2p, 10r;

SENECA 60, TRINITY (WHITESVILLE) 55

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –  Dais’ja Trotter doubled her season scoring average with a 30-point performance to go with six rebounds as the Rebels (4-11) won in overtime against the Raiders (12-3. Not to be outdone, freshman Breanna Anthony scored 22 points and had seven rebounds with three blocks for the Rebels. Nina Wathen scored 19 points and Cassidy Morris added 22 points for the Raiders.

TRINITY (WHITESVILLE) (12-3)

Nina Wathen 19p; Cassidy Morris 22p; Morgan Kinsey 13p; Mary Hardesty 1p.

SENECA (4-11)

Ashanti Starks 2p; Dais’ja Trotter 30p; Breanna Anthony 22p; Alexis White 2p; Marie Ninamou 2p; Asia Smith 2p.

FREDERICK FRAIZE 52, ST. FRANCIS 45

GOSHEN, Ky. – The Aces (8-8) held off a late rally to edge the host Wyverns (4-4), despite 28-points from Alexis Nelson. Nelson is now 12 points shy of 1,000 career points. Olivia Weatherholt led Frederick Fraize with 17 points.

FREDERICK FRAIZE (8-8)

Bailey Hurst 8p; Shy Lowe 6p; Jenna Nottingham 7p; Lindsey Thurman 2p; Olivia Weatherholt 17p; Kaitlyn White 12p.

ST. FRANCIS (4-4)

Alexis Nelson 28p; Victoria Richardson 2p; Jamani Reed 9p; Caroline Pepa 1p; Lily Johnson 3p; Norah Patrick 2p.

ATHERTON 68, WHITEFIELD ACADEMY 61

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Sarah Overly poured in 16 of her 30 points in the first quarter, leading the Rebels (9-9) past the Wildcats (5-7). The Rebels led 28-7 in the first quarter, and remained on top with seven points each from TaeciAnn White and Caitlyn Taylor. Seventh-grader Jaya McClure hit four 3-pointers and scored 24 points for the Wildcats and Abigail Ritter went over a 1,000 points for her career with a 24-point performance.

WHITEFIELD ACADEMY (5-7)

Lauren Harris 2p; Jaya McClure 24p; Abigail Ritter 24p; Juliana Yates 6p; Ellie Ship 5p.

ATHERTON (9-9)

Lauren Burks 4p; Sarah Overly 30p; Samantha Portman 4p; TaeciAnn White 7p; Caitlyn Taylor 7p; Paige Taylor 12p; Hailey Stone 4p.

Scores from around the state: 

Ashland Blazer 47, Russell 42

Bourbon Co. 63, Lex. Christian 46

Breckinridge Co. 73, Lou. Holy Cross 53

Campbell Co. 52, Bishop Brossart 31

Christian Co. 64, Daviess Co. 58

Dawson Springs 49, Hickman Co. 48

Elizabethtown 73, Lex. Henry Clay 45

Frederick Fraize 52, Lou. St. Francis 45

Gallatin Co. 48, Carroll Co. 31

Graves Co. 75, Mounds Meridian, Ill. 30

Hopkinsville 63, Clarksville, Tenn. 12

Lake County, Tenn. 39, Fulton Co. 33

Lewis Co. 72, Harrison Co. 58

Livingston Central 48, Trigg Co. 37

Lloyd Memorial 62, Henry Co. 33

Lou. Mercy 66, Boyd Co. 50

Lou. Southern 50, Lou. Collegiate 47

McLean Co. 64, Ohio Co. 45

Monroe Co. 52, Allen Co.-Scottsville 38

Pike Co. Central 72, Lawrence Co. 48

Scott 72, Beechwood 42

Sheldon Clark 51, Phelps 36

Simon Kenton 73, Shelby Co. 43

South Laurel 68, Corbin 52

Spencer Co. 65, North Oldham 32

University Heights 62, St. Mary 24

Whitley Co. 63, Clay Co. 60, OT

Williamsburg 55, Barbourville 44

Wolfe Co. 64, Riverside Christian 35

10th Region All ‘‘A’’ Classic

Augusta 72, Nicholas Co. 30

Bracken Co. 59, Robertson County 26

Paris 56, St. Patrick 42

6th/7th District Challenge

Union Co. 51, Caldwell Co. 32

Webster Co. 59, Hopkins Co. Central 33

Banker’s Classic

Campbellsville 50, Cumberland Co. 40

Russell Co. 68, Wayne Co. 54

Centria Metals/Penn Station Shootout

Conner 62, Southwestern 58

Franklin Co. 62, North Hardin 24

George Rogers Clark 62, Green Co. 54

Meade Co. 61, Lex. Sayre 55

North Bullitt 61, Western Hills 35

Hall of Fame Tournament

Mason Co. 64, Greenfield, Ind. 48

Hardwood Classic

Casey Co. 80, Metcalfe Co. 49

Clinton Co. 58, Adair Co. 57

McCracken County Mustang Madness

McCracken County 57, Massac County, Ill. 28

WYMT Mountain Classic

Perry Co. Central 73, Breathitt Co. 47

History was made Saturday afternoon in Louisville.

Erin Spalding.

Saturday’s meeting between the Brown School and Ballard Memorial High School was believed to be the first time that two Kentucky boys varsity teams featuring female coaches faced off, according to a Jefferson County Public Schools news release. In the end, Ballard Memorial’s Marla Cooper was victorious over Brown’s Erin Spalding, by a score of 68-56.

There have been a handful of female head coaches of boys varsity teams in the history of Kentucky high school basketball, but it’s unclear if any of them had ever coached against one another in a game. And while this game could be seen as a chance to shatter glass ceilings and stereotypes keeping more women from joining boys basketball coaching staffs, Spalding said she wasn’t thinking about that when she scheduled the game.

“To be honest, me and her laughed after the game,” Spalding said of the significance. “Neither one (of us) realized it was going to be that big of a deal. Both of us are small schools so it was a really good competitive game for us. I had no idea it would be this magnitude. I did it because it was a challenging opportunity to test my team.”

Spalding said that through her first season as a varsity coach, she hasn’t witnessed any issues or instances of harassment from fans or opposing coaches, but she also said her focus is solely on her team.

Spalding said she understands the significance of her position, and she said she hopes other women follow her and Cooper’s lead.

“Anything that opens doors for people I think is good,” Spalding said. “There’s a stereotype that women can’t coach as well as men or women don’t know as much about basketball as men, and I don’t think that’s true. There’s a lot of great women in basketball and great coaches. Hopefully, this breaks those stereotypes too.”

Fern Creek’s Tony Rogers (23) goes in for a dunk past the defense of South Oldham’s Devin Young (1) during the second half of the Mitchell Irvin Tournament, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016 in Crestwood KY.

The 70th annual boys basketball Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament will tip off Monday at Valley High School.

The field includes 20 teams from the Sixth and Seventh regions, with Fern Creek, Trinity, Doss and Ballard holding the top four seeds.

Those four are favored to reach Saturday morning’s semifinals, with Fern Creek and Trinity expected to reach Saturday’s 8 p.m. championship game.

Fern Creek and Trinity already have met twice this season, with the Tigers winning 65-61 on Dec. 10 and the Shamrocks turning the tables with a 66-63 victory on Dec. 18 in the quarterfinals of the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic at Fairdale.

Here is the bracket for next week's boys basketball LIT at Valley High School: https://t.co/gTARoGW84I

—
Jason Frakes (@kyhighs) January 02, 2017

Here’s a brief look at the 20 teams in the LIT field, with midseason grades. LIT seeds and season records in parentheses:

Fern Creek (1, 14-2) – The Tigers had a seven-game winning streak snapped Saturday in a 78-58 loss to Hopkinsville. Chance Moore (17.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg) is enjoying a solid senior season after transferring from Eastern. Anthony Wales (14.4 ppg), a Samford University commit, is one of the area’s top junior guards. Grade: A.

Trinity (2, 15-1) – The Shamrocks have won 12 in a row and got senior point guard Jacob King back from a finger injury this week. Junior Jay Scrubb doesn’t start but leads the team in scoring (16.8 ppg). He posted 25 points in Friday’s 61-50 victory over St. Xavier and 25 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 84-45 victory over Muhlenberg County. Grade: A.

Doss (3, 12-5) – The Dragons have won four in a row after a pair of victories last week over Sixth Region foes Valley and DeSales. Coach Tony Williams says senior guard Jaylon Hall (18.9 ppg) should be in the running for Mr. Basketball honors. Grade: B+.

Ballard (4, 10-3) – The Bruins dropped a 78-67 decision to Connersville (Indiana) on Saturday but got senior point guard Jamil Wilson (18.4 ppg) back from an ankle injury suffered during the King of the Bluegrass. He had missed five games. Senior Clivonte Patterson leads the Bruins in scoring (19.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.9 rpg). Grade: A-.

Bullitt East (5, 11-5) – First-year coach Jason Couch has the Chargers playing well after losing all five starters from last season. Jared Osborne (15.6 ppg), Luke Ezell (14.5 ppg) and Connor Green (13.0) lead the Chargers, who will face Pleasure Ridge Park on Tuesday. The Chargers beat the Panthers 66-62 on Dec. 13. Grade: B+.

Valley (6, 10-3) – First-year coach DeJuan Wheat was disappointed in his team’s effort in a 60-44 loss to Doss on Tuesday, but the Vikings bounced back to beat North Oldham 82-68 on Friday. Senior Eric George and junior Curt Lewis lead Valley. Grade: B+.

Waggener (7, 12-4) – The Wildcats have a six-game winning streak after Saturday’s 64-61 overtime victory over Oak Hill (Indiana). Senior guard Jacquess Hobbs (17.8 ppg) leads the Wildcats, and senior guard Ethan Taylor (10.1 ppg) is a threat from 3-point range (38.7 percent). Grade: B+.

Butler (8, 11-5) – The Bears have slowed a bit after an impressive 5-0 start that included victories over Bullitt East and Pleasure Ridge Park. Senior guard Marcus Montgomery (13.3 ppg) and junior guard Jaquay Wales (11.7 ppg) lead a balanced scoring attack. Grade: B.

Eastern (9, 9-6) – The Eagles had won seven in a row before a 65-61 loss to Greenup County on Saturday. Eastern attempts a lot of 3-pointers (16.3 per game) and is led by senior forward Caleb Williams (14.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and senior guard Javen Rushin (12.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg). Grade: B-.

Male (10, 7-7) – Second-year coach Willie Feldhaus is rebuilding after losing eight seniors from last season to graduation. Senior forward Hogan Brownley (16.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg) is averaging a double-double, and sophomore guard Hunter McCutcheon (14.7 ppg) is shooting 48.8 percent (39 of 80) from 3-point range. Grade: C.

DeSales (11, 10-5) – The Colts had emerged as a buzz team in the Sixth Region but dropped games to St. Xavier (61-56) and Doss (68-45) last week. Seniors Jaxon Burgess and Austin Black give DeSales a high-scoring backcourt. Grade: B-.

Pleasure Ridge Park (12, 9-6) – Hampered by injuries, the Panthers have endured a roller-coaster season, with win streaks of five and three games and a pair of three-game losing streaks. Trey Hill (14.8 ppg) is one of the state’s top junior guards. Grade: B-.

Christian Academy (13, 13-3) – The Centurions have built an impressive record against an average schedule. Senior guard Parker Jones is one of the area’s top scorers at 21.4 points per game and also leads the team in rebounding (9.5 rpg). Grade: B.

Central (14, 7-6) – The Yellowjackets own victories over Pleasure Ridge Park and Eastern but also have lost to St. Xavier and DeSales. Senior guard Devin Firman leads the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), but coach Doug Bibby is looking for consistency from others. Grade: C.

St. Xavier (15, 9-5) – Junior post player Pierce Kiesler (16.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg) leads a Tigers team that has a size advantage over most opponents but has not shot well from the outside this season. Grade: B-.

Fairdale (16, 6-8) – Juniors Glenn Queen (14.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Craig Ash (12.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg) lead the Bulldogs, who own a 76-68 victory over Eastern on Dec. 13. Grade: C.

Western (17, 6-8) – The Warriors have lost four in a row after falling to Seneca 53-42 on Friday. Senior forward O’Neal Swint, a transfer from Central, is Western’s top scorer (11.7 ppg) and rebounder (6.1 rpg). Grade: C.

Moore (18, 11-4) – After going 10-18 last season, the Mustangs have turned things around and enter their first LIT since 2013 with a six-game winning streak. Senior Ramon Collins (13.5 ppg) and juniors Antwan Hurt (12.8 ppg) and Malik Anderson (12.7 ppg) are the top scorers. Grade: B.

Jeffersontown (19, 7-7) – The Chargers dropped a 78-65 decision to Waggener on Friday. Senior guards Delvonte McCloud and Dakota White lead the team. Grade: C.

Manual (20, 3-11) – It’s been a tough season for a Crimsons team that lost five of its top six scorers from last season. Junior forward Noah Hawkins (10.6 ppg) is the top scorer. Grade: D.

Here is the LIT schedule. All times p.m. unless otherwise noted:

* Monday: Jeffersontown (19) vs. Central (14), 3:30; Manual (20) vs. Christian Academy (13), 5; Moore (18) vs. St. Xavier (13), 6:30; Western (17) vs. Fairdale (16), 8:15.

* Tuesday: Male (10) vs. Waggener (7), 3:30; Eastern (9) vs. Butler (8), 5; DeSales (11) vs. Valley (6), 6:30; Pleasure Ridge Park (12) vs. Bullitt East (5), 8:15.

* Wednesday: Jeffersontown-Central winner vs. Doss (3), 3:30; Western-Fairdale winner vs. Fern Creek (1), 5; Manual-Christian Academy winner vs. Ballard (4), 6:30; Moore-St. Xavier winner vs. Trinity (2), 8:15.

* Friday: Quarterfinals at 4, 5:30, 7 and 8:45.

* Saturday: Semifinals at 10 and 11:30 a.m.; final at 8.

Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.

Trinity’s Jay Scrubb (31) defended St. X’s Tyler Barnes (15) during their game at Broadbent Arena. Jan. 6, 2017

Here’s how I voted today in The Associated Press high school basketball polls. The official polls will be released Monday afternoon.

BOYS

1. Trinity (15-1)

2. Bowling Green (12-2)

3. Covington Catholic (12-4)

4. Fern Creek (14-2)

5. Scott County (10-3)

6. Ballard (10-3)

7. Christian County (12-2)

8. Cooper (12-3)

9. Franklin-Simpson (10-3)

10. Doss (12-5)

Five more to watch: Paul Dunbar (11-4), Lexington Catholic (10-6), Campbell County (14-1), Lexington Christian (12-4), Hopkinsville (11-4)

GIRLS

1. Male (13-1)

2. Butler (14-1)

3. Simon Kenton (11-3)

4. Mercer County (10-4)

5. Sacred Heart (10-4)

6. Manual (12-3)

7. Murray (11-3)

8. Franklin County (12-2)

9. Elizabethtown (10-2)

10. Mason County (10-2)

Five more to watch: Henderson County (10-2), Bullitt East (13-4), Holmes (13-2), Eastern (10-5), Conner (12-2)