Basketball Trophies

Broncs knock off Mustangs

With a state championship football trophy already in their possession, the Broncs would love to add a matching basketball trophy to their case.

Sheridan wants what Natrona County has.

And if the Broncs play like they did Saturday, they have to be considered strong contenders for the Class 4A state basketball championship.

Sheridan built a 23-7 lead early in the second quarter and held off a couple of charges by the defending state champions to earn a 58-40 non-conference victory at Jerry Dalton Gym.

“We were as efficient in the first half as we’ve been all season,” Sheridan coach Mike Ibach said. “We took care of the basketball and got some opportunities in transition.

“And we were patient in the half court … so we got some nice looks at the basket.”

The Broncs (8-3) made the most of those looks in the first quarter, with six different players breaking into the scoring column as they closed the quarter with a 13-2 run for an 18-7 lead.

T.J. Stender, who missed the first month of the season while he recovered from a concussion he suffered in Sheridan’s state football championship win, opened the second quarter with eight points on two 3-pointers and an acrobatic put-back to push the lead to 26-10.

Austin Woodward, who finished with 13 points, and Riley Ryan (10) added triples of their own to push the Broncs lead to 20.

“When we’re playing as a team it’s fluid,” Stender, who scored 12 points, said. “We know where each other is going to be and we can be pretty good.”

Playing without starter Jordan Dick, who was out with an ankle injury, the young Mustangs battled back, though.

Cole Montgomery hit 3-pointers to close the first half and to start the second and Kyle Vinich made two free throws to cap a 13-0 NC run and cut the Sheridan lead to 32-25.

But Riley responded with a turnaround and Chris Cremer knocked down a trey to stop the rally.

NC (3-8) made one more run behind five consecutive points from Vinich, but Woodward and Stender scored fast-break lay-ups, with each assisting on the other’s basket, to put the game out of reach.

“We’ve got an athletic team and we want our big guys to run the floor,” Ibach said. “We’ve got a good group of kids and I think we’re getting better and we’re getting stronger.”

With a state championship football trophy already in their possession, the Broncs would love to add a matching basketball trophy to their case.

“Not everybody on the basketball team played football,” Stender said, “but I think winning [the state football title] has given us more confidence as a team.”

That’s scary news for the rest of the state.

January 25, 2010 Posted by trophies | basketball, basketball trophies, basketball trophy | baseketball, basketball trophy, broncs, mustangs | No Comments Yet

Baketball nears end for Lascassas, Kittrell

Kittrell community without a basketball team is like basken robins only having one flavor.

However, the former Kittrell basketball player and longtime elementary coach will soon find out. Kittrell is among four Rutherford County K-8 schools being converted to K-5 starting next school year with the opening of two new middle schools and Central Magnet.

Photo on left: Kittrell Elementary basketball coach Johnny Jones holds a couple of trophies in front of the large trophy case at the school.

For those in the Kittrell and Lascassas community, it will mark the end of basketball. The Buchanan community will have Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School.

“Kittrell has a rich basketball tradition,” said Jones, 53, who has coached at the school since 1978 after he graduated from MTSU. “It’s been going on for years and years and years.

I really think that people in the community are just now realizing that something that has always been here is going to come to an end.”Jones lived through high school basketball leaving Kittrell. He was a sophomore at Kittrell High School when it and multiple other community high schools across Rutherford County closed with the 1972 opening of Riverdale and Oakland.

hile that left many unhappy, the communities still had the K-8 league, which flourished. The league grew to as many as 14 schools at its peak.

T.L. Hopkins, who once coached elementary and high school basketball at Lascassas before leaving for Riverdale, said the move to middle schools is as bad as the move to closing the community high schools for city high schools.

“It will do the same thing this time that it did when the high schools closed,” Hopkins said. “It will eliminate the possibility of a lot of kids to participate in athletics that would have at the elementaries.

“I don’t think any of the communities want it.”

January 22, 2010 Posted by trophies | basketball, basketball trophies, basketball trophy | basektball, trophies, trophy | No Comments Yet

Mason gets title, but no trophy

Erie Mason finally won a basketball trophy, but didn’t get to take it home.

“They keep it there at their school,” Mason coach Shawn Bussell said after his Eagles beat the host team 41-35 to win the Riverview Gabriel Richard Tournament Wednesday night. “They just etch the winning team’s name on it. But all of our guys got medals.”

They deserved medals after running their record to 5-1 under their new coach.

Bussell believes that the last time Mason won a tournament title was when he played in 1999.

“It’s very exciting,” he said. “This was probably one of the more fun games I’ve ever been around. … The guys were smiling from ear to ear. The guys on the bench were really into it.”

Mason scored just 2 points in the opening quarter and 10 in the first half, but stayed close with good defense and picked up the offense in the second half.

Isaac Skaggs led the Eagles with 17 points, Zach McFarlane came off the bench to hit two big baskets and Drew Lonsway was outstanding on defense.

“Towards the end, I had all seniors out there and they played phenomenally,” Bussell said. “It was a total team effort.”

Mason also won the junior varsity tournament.

Stockbridge 67, Ida 64

Stockbridge — Ida played hard in the finals of the Stockbridge Panther Country Classic, but fell short.

“The guys really fought,” Ida coach Mike Albring said.

The Blue Streaks fought back from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to tie the game, but after Stockbridge hit five free throws to tie the game, Ida had a pair of 3-pointers rim out in the final seconds.

Dustin Sielski paced 3-3 Ida with 23 points, Bryan Spotts had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Caleb Mattes contributed 10 points.

Ida’s JV team lost to Stockbridge in the championship game.

Northville 59, Milan 45

CHELSEA — Milan kept it close until getting outscored 20-9 in the fourth quarter.

“We played great for three quarters,” Milan coach Josh Tropea said. “It was our best effort of the year. We competed the whole game. We just ran out of gas. We only dressed nine and mainly played seven.”

Sophomore Andre Duffin, who scored a career-high 21 points Tuesday, topped that with a 22-point effort.

C.J. Luvene added 13 points for the 0-4 Big Reds, who went 0-2 in the Chelsea Invitational.

January 4, 2010 Posted by trophies | basketball, basketball trophies, basketball trophy | basketball trophy, boys basketball, trophy | No Comments Yet

2010 NCAA Tournament Schedule

NCCA Basketball Trophy

Opening Round; Tuesday, March 16

The opening round of the NCAA Tournament matches the 64th and 65th teams in the tournament. The winner becomes the #16 seed in one of the regions.

First & Second Rounds; Thursday, March 18 & Saturday, March 20

The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament feature eight teams at each host site. Each of the top four seeds in each region is placed at a site as close as possible to the school, and the other three teams in that school’s “pod” also play at that site.

Here are some key dates for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

• Selection Sunday
March 14, 2010

• Opening-Round Game
March 16, 2010
UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)

• First Two Rounds
March 18, 20, 2010
New Orleans Arena (New Orleans)
Dunkin Donuts Center (Providence, R.I.)
HP Pavilion (San Jose, Calif.)
Ford Center (Oklahoma City, Okla.)

March 19, 21, 2010
HSBC Arena (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Bradley Center (Milwaukee, Wisc.)
Spokane Memorial Arena (Spokane, Wash.)

• East Regional
March 25, 27, 2010
Carrier Dome (Syracuse, N.Y.)

• West Regional
March 25, 27, 2010
Energy Solutions Arena (Salt Lake City, Utah)

• Midwest Regional
March 26, 28, 2010
Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis)

• South Regional
March 26, 28, 2010
Reliant Stadium (Houston)

• National Semifinals
April 3, 2010
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)

• Championship Game
April 5, 2010
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)

Opening Round; Tuesday, March 16

The opening round of the NCAA Tournament matches the 64th and 65th teams in the tournament. The winner becomes the #16 seed in one of the regions.

First & Second Rounds; Thursday, March 18 & Saturday, March 20

Here are some key dates for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.