Cardinals cruise past Rockets on Senior Night

Local Sports

Discussion

February 18, 2013

Cardinals cruise past Rockets on Senior Night

Anonymous The Times-Tribune The Times-Tribune Mon Feb 18, 2013, 10:57 AM EST

CORBIN — By John Stepp

For The Times Tribune

SOUTH LAUREL — With tournament time approaching, it looks like the South Laurel Cardinals may have been saving their best for last, as they took down the visiting Rockcastle Rockets 74-41 on senior night.

The Cardinals used the win to send their seniors off in a big way, as five of their six seniors found the scoring column on Friday night. Guard Zach Jones led South Laurel in scoring with 15 points, while fellow seniors Matt Slavey and Blake Sanders finished with 10 and eight points, respectively.

“I’m extremely happy for our seniors. On a night like this, there is so much emotion about it being your last home game, it can be tough, but the guys came out tonight and played like it was their last game,” said South Laurel Coach Jeff Davis. “This senior bunch has been through a lot. They’ve been through injuries and a coaching thing, but the most important thing is we’re always together. They deserve great things to happen and I hope the script is unwritten for this bunch and we have some great memories ahead of us.”

It took no time for the Cardinals to take control of the game. South Laurel was on fire from the start, knocking down three three-point shots in the first quarter. More impressively, the Cardinals allowed the Rockets just two field goals in the opening quarter, taking a 13-6 lead after one.

The Rockets fought back in the second quarter but were no match, as South Laurel continued to score in droves. Seven different Cardinals’ players scored in the quarter, as the South Laurel defensive pressure proved to be too much for Rockcastle. At the half, the Cardinals led 35-23.

“I thought everyone played extremely hard tonight. I thought the guys who came off the bench came in a played well,” said Davis. “A lot of the credit goes to our defense. They got things started and helped our offense to get going.”

The Cardinals did not let down in the third quarter, outscoring Rockcastle 23-5 and putting the game out of reach. Despite playing the entire roster in the second half, the Cardinals never let up, leading by as much as 40 points midway through the fourth quarter. Brennan Miller came off the bench and scored eight of his 11 points in the fourth, helping the Cardinals to a 74-41 win.

“The guys came out and they were focused. I told the guys back in the locker room that this was probably the first time, for a complete game, where we moved the basketball, we defended, and our energy, from first quarter to end, was at an all time high,” said Davis. “Hopefully, we can carry this over to the tournament, and have success.”

The Cardinals will return to action next week, taking on the Whitley County Colonels in the opening round of the 50th District Tournament. The teams split games during the regular season.

“Last time, they took us to the wood shed. They just took it to us. This time we have to be better defensively,” said Davis. “We’ve got to come out and be aggressive, not just offensively but defensively. We’ve just got to be ready to play.”

South Laurel 74, Rockcastle Co. 41

Rockcastle 6 17 5 13 – 41

South Laurel 13 22 23 16 – 74

Rockcastle (41) – Sam Pensol 12, Corey McPhethridge 6, Blake Mullins 5, Dakota Hasty 5, Tyler Harper 4, Carter Blanton 3, Ashton Arvin 2, John Mason 2, Zach Poynter 2

South Laurel (74) – Jones 15, Zach Baxter 11, Miller 11, Slavey 10, Sanders 8, Austin Rader 4, Austin Schaser 4, John Helton 4, Tyler Vandeventer 3, Tyler Grubb 2, Ethan Anders 2

Text Only

Local Sports

Jumpers stun North
Both North Laurel and Somerset struggled at the plate for six innings, but that didn’t mean the two teams weren’t going to provide some fireworks during the game’s final inning of play Thursday.

May 17, 2013 1 Photo
On the move
Mother Nature played a big role during the opening day of the Boys and Girls State Tennis Tournaments. She caused just enough havoc to put a major dent into Thursday’s first and second round schedules.

May 17, 2013
Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
The Whitley County Lady Colonels found themselves in a slugfest for most of the night against Clay County Thursday.

May 17, 2013
Colonels win big
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted the way Whitley County senior Alex Rose’s final start of the season went down Thursday.

May 17, 2013
Carson comes big against Bears
Senior Night turned out to be a great day for North Laurel’s lone senior Marcus Carson.

May 17, 2013
Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
The Corbin Lady Redhounds went into Thursday’s game against Middlesboro riding a five-game win streak and winners of seven of the past nine. The streak didn’t last though, as the Lady Yellow Jackets outplayed Corbin to a tune of 10-0 in five innings.

May 17, 2013
SPORTS HEADLINES - MAY 17, 2013
Jumpers stun North

On the move

Local players advance in boys & girls state tennis action

Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County

Colonels win big

Carson comes big against Bears

Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0

May 17, 2013 1 Photo
Corbin falls short
The Corbin Lady Redhounds’ quest for a state championship came to an end Wednesday at the University of Kentucky’s Boone Tennis Center after dropping a 3-0 decision to Sacred Heart in Final Four action.

May 16, 2013 1 Photo
No slowing down
Those who know outgoing Corbin High School freshman Alex “Dub” Smith will tell you that, despite being born with a disability, he's your average run-of-the-mill American teenager.

May 16, 2013 1 Photo
Fear 'Les' 13th Region Diamond Rankings
It’s been very difficult for me the past couple of weeks to decide on who is the top rated team in the 13th Region.

May 16, 2013 1 Photo
More Local Sports Headlines

Local Sports

Search Results

Discussion

Cardinals cruise past Rockets on Senior Night

Site Map

Contact Us