Clay wins over Harlan
Jan 6, 2006 16:27:09 GMT -5
Post by Jim Wilson on Jan 6, 2006 16:27:09 GMT -5
Clay rebounds for win over Harlan
By JOHN HENSON - Managing Editor
Rarely are the sides as clearly drawn as they were in a 13th Region showdown Thursday at Harlan, with the Green Dragons’ guards matched against Clay County’s big men. Clay’s size advantage won in the end, but only by the slimmest of margins. A couple of 3-pointers by Harlan’s Casey Huff in the final 12 seconds were off the mark as Clay held on for a 59-57 victory.
The senior trio of Desmond Swafford, William Jones and Dylan Sizemore combined for 45 points and 28 rebounds as the Tigers improved to 9-3.
Desmond Swafford, William Jones and Dylan Sizemore
Harlan (7-3) featured a perimeter-oriented attack with John Smith scoring 27, Ryan Clem adding 13 and Huff contributing 11. Rebounding proved to be the key statistic as Clay owned a whopping 45-25 advantage on the glass. The Tigers often got second and third chances to score by pounding the offensive boards.
"It was the difference in the ballgame. We had a lot of second shots," Clay County coach Glenn Gray said. "They were beating us to some loose balls early in the game, but we established ourselves on the board."
Clay’s advantage in the post expanded in the opening minutes when 6-foot-7 Harlan center Robbie Curtis went out with a cut above his eye. Curtis received nine stitches and did not return to the game.
"We talked the last couple of days about keeping them off the boards," Harlan coach Casey Lester said. "I knew if we didn’t do a good job there, we’d be hurting. Robbie is a bigger key to us than what people think. I think with him in there it might have been a different game."
The game was close throughout with Clay’s eight-point lead in the third quarter the biggest of the game. Harlan trailed throughout the fourth quarter but closed to within two on a basket by John Smith with 28 seconds left, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
Sizemore gave the Dragons a couple of opportunities to win as he missed at the line, the first coming in a bonus situation with 19.7 seconds left. Huff got off a shot from the corner but it bounced off the rim, and Sizemore drew a foul as he grabbed the rebound with 7.8 seconds remaining.
Smith suffered a bizarre injury on the play as he made the pass to Huff from near the top of the key. He apparently aggravated an Achilles tendon injury on the play that he suffered against Evarts on Monday. Smith was in obvious pain and was on the floor for quite awhile before being helped off the court. He left the gym on crutches after the game, and Lester said his star guard’s status wouldn’t be known until the injury is examined.
Harlan still had a chance to win after Sizemore missed twice at the line, but Huff was unable to connect on a 3 at the buzzer.
The Dragons’ 2-3 zone was effective, limiting Clay to 37 percent (22 of 59) shooting from the field, but the Tigers’ best shots were usually their second shots as they scored time and time again on putbacks.
Gray was also happy with the way Clay handled Harlan’s press. The Tigers had 16 turnovers, much better than the 24 they had been averaging.
"We didn’t panic when they threw the press on us," Gray said. "We were very patient on offense, and I thought Anthony Hibbard really matured a lot tonight as a point guard. (Harlan) just had some tough shots that didn’t fall, and we’ve been there. But I thought both teams played extremely well. Both teams are trying to find themselves."
CLAY COUNTY (9-3) Anthony Hibbard 1-8 0-0 2, Richard Jones 1-3 0-0 3, William Jones 6-17 4-6 16, Dylan Sizemore 3-8 5-10 11, Desmond Swafford 7-15 4-7 18, Justin Hobbs 4-5 0-1 9, Zach Lewis 0-3 0-0 0. Totals: 22-59 13-24 59.
HARLAN (7-3) John Smith 8-19 10-13 27, Ryan Clem 4-10 4-4 13, Jon Graham 0-2 0-0 0, Casey Huff 5-17 1-2 11, Robbie Curtis 0-0 0-0 0, Stephen Brown 1-3 0-4 2, Mark O’Neill 0-1 0-0 0, Zach Goins 1-1 2-2 4, Derek Sheffield 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-53 17-25 57.
Clay County 14 13 17 15 Total: 59
Harlan 14 11 18 14 Total: 57
3-point goals: Clay County 2-7 (R. Jones 1-2, Hobbs 1-2, Hibbard 0-3), Harlan 2-15 (Clem 1-3, Smith 1-7, Graham 0-1, Huff 0-4). Rebounds: Clay County 45 (Sizemore 10), Harlan 25 (Huff 6). Assists: Clay County 7 (Hibbard 3), Harlan 7 (Smith 3). Turnovers: Clay County 16, Harlan 10. Fouled out: Clay County (Hibbard), Harlan (Brown).
Matt Dobbs scored 10 points as the Clay County junior varsity team improved to 5-0 with a 53-35 win over Harlan. Freddy Smith added eight for the Tigers.
Matt Dobbs, JV Coach: Jerry Combs
Read the entire article at....
By JOHN HENSON - Managing Editor
Rarely are the sides as clearly drawn as they were in a 13th Region showdown Thursday at Harlan, with the Green Dragons’ guards matched against Clay County’s big men. Clay’s size advantage won in the end, but only by the slimmest of margins. A couple of 3-pointers by Harlan’s Casey Huff in the final 12 seconds were off the mark as Clay held on for a 59-57 victory.
The senior trio of Desmond Swafford, William Jones and Dylan Sizemore combined for 45 points and 28 rebounds as the Tigers improved to 9-3.
Desmond Swafford, William Jones and Dylan Sizemore
Harlan (7-3) featured a perimeter-oriented attack with John Smith scoring 27, Ryan Clem adding 13 and Huff contributing 11. Rebounding proved to be the key statistic as Clay owned a whopping 45-25 advantage on the glass. The Tigers often got second and third chances to score by pounding the offensive boards.
"It was the difference in the ballgame. We had a lot of second shots," Clay County coach Glenn Gray said. "They were beating us to some loose balls early in the game, but we established ourselves on the board."
Clay’s advantage in the post expanded in the opening minutes when 6-foot-7 Harlan center Robbie Curtis went out with a cut above his eye. Curtis received nine stitches and did not return to the game.
"We talked the last couple of days about keeping them off the boards," Harlan coach Casey Lester said. "I knew if we didn’t do a good job there, we’d be hurting. Robbie is a bigger key to us than what people think. I think with him in there it might have been a different game."
The game was close throughout with Clay’s eight-point lead in the third quarter the biggest of the game. Harlan trailed throughout the fourth quarter but closed to within two on a basket by John Smith with 28 seconds left, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
Sizemore gave the Dragons a couple of opportunities to win as he missed at the line, the first coming in a bonus situation with 19.7 seconds left. Huff got off a shot from the corner but it bounced off the rim, and Sizemore drew a foul as he grabbed the rebound with 7.8 seconds remaining.
Smith suffered a bizarre injury on the play as he made the pass to Huff from near the top of the key. He apparently aggravated an Achilles tendon injury on the play that he suffered against Evarts on Monday. Smith was in obvious pain and was on the floor for quite awhile before being helped off the court. He left the gym on crutches after the game, and Lester said his star guard’s status wouldn’t be known until the injury is examined.
Harlan still had a chance to win after Sizemore missed twice at the line, but Huff was unable to connect on a 3 at the buzzer.
The Dragons’ 2-3 zone was effective, limiting Clay to 37 percent (22 of 59) shooting from the field, but the Tigers’ best shots were usually their second shots as they scored time and time again on putbacks.
Gray was also happy with the way Clay handled Harlan’s press. The Tigers had 16 turnovers, much better than the 24 they had been averaging.
"We didn’t panic when they threw the press on us," Gray said. "We were very patient on offense, and I thought Anthony Hibbard really matured a lot tonight as a point guard. (Harlan) just had some tough shots that didn’t fall, and we’ve been there. But I thought both teams played extremely well. Both teams are trying to find themselves."
CLAY COUNTY (9-3) Anthony Hibbard 1-8 0-0 2, Richard Jones 1-3 0-0 3, William Jones 6-17 4-6 16, Dylan Sizemore 3-8 5-10 11, Desmond Swafford 7-15 4-7 18, Justin Hobbs 4-5 0-1 9, Zach Lewis 0-3 0-0 0. Totals: 22-59 13-24 59.
HARLAN (7-3) John Smith 8-19 10-13 27, Ryan Clem 4-10 4-4 13, Jon Graham 0-2 0-0 0, Casey Huff 5-17 1-2 11, Robbie Curtis 0-0 0-0 0, Stephen Brown 1-3 0-4 2, Mark O’Neill 0-1 0-0 0, Zach Goins 1-1 2-2 4, Derek Sheffield 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-53 17-25 57.
Clay County 14 13 17 15 Total: 59
Harlan 14 11 18 14 Total: 57
3-point goals: Clay County 2-7 (R. Jones 1-2, Hobbs 1-2, Hibbard 0-3), Harlan 2-15 (Clem 1-3, Smith 1-7, Graham 0-1, Huff 0-4). Rebounds: Clay County 45 (Sizemore 10), Harlan 25 (Huff 6). Assists: Clay County 7 (Hibbard 3), Harlan 7 (Smith 3). Turnovers: Clay County 16, Harlan 10. Fouled out: Clay County (Hibbard), Harlan (Brown).
Matt Dobbs scored 10 points as the Clay County junior varsity team improved to 5-0 with a 53-35 win over Harlan. Freddy Smith added eight for the Tigers.
Matt Dobbs, JV Coach: Jerry Combs
Read the entire article at....