43rd District Tournament

Paul L. Dunbar High School
Lexington, Kentucky
March 1-6, 2004

Copyright © 2004 Ron Harrison

The 43rd District boys’ tourney appears to be fairly even this year with no team being an overwhelming favorite.  Lafayette is the number one seed and will face the winner of Paul Dunbar vs. Bryan Station in one semifinal while Henry Clay will meet Tates Creek in the other semifinal.

The 43rd District girls’ tourney will pit number one seed Henry Clay against the winner of the Paul Dunbar vs. Lafayette in one semifinal.  The other semifinal will match Tates Creek vs. Bryan Station.

Monday, March 1st

Lafayette (12-13) vs. Paul L. Dunbar (13-12) (Girls)

Lafayette coach Allison Denton started the following lineup:  5-9 Sr. Lauren Coats, 5-9 Jr. Katie Travis, 6-0 Sr. Catherine Strobel, 5-7 So. Emily Slither, and 5-6 So. Katie Kelly.  Paul L. Dunbar coach Rick Griffith countered with 5-11 Sr. Dominique Rowe, 5-9 Sr. Cathy Schaffer, 5-7 8th grader Briana Green, 5-5 So. Ranthony Clark, and 5-7 Jr. Erika Lamanna.

Lafayette defeated Paul Dunbar 48-42 in an emotionally charged district opener.  Coach Denton was forced to suspend five players including three starters for violation of team rules.  The Lady Generals have been riding on an emotional roller coaster the last few days which ended on a high tonight with a big victory.  Lafayette got off to a slow start and trailed 12-6 at the end of the first quarter.  They rallied in the second quarter to take a 22-21 halftime lead and extended their margin to 36-26 at the end of three quarters.  Dunbar rallied to pull within three points late in the game but Lafayette held on for the victory. 

Lafayette shot 56.2% from the field, including a sizzling 71.4% in the second half, was six of 14 from the free throw line, and pulled down 22 rebounds.  Paul Dunbar shot only 29.2% from the field, including zero for 13 from the three point line, was 14 of 18 from the free throw line, and pulled down 36 rebounds.

Lafayette was led tonight by Catherine Strobel with 19 points and seven rebounds.  5-6 Jr. Melissa Fowler came off the bench to tally 12 points while and Katie Kelly added 11 points and dished out five assists.  Dunbar was paced by Briana Green and Dominique Rowe with 13 points each.  Rowe also pulled down 11 rebounds.

Lafayette

6

16

14

12

-

48

Paul L. Dunbar

12

9

5

16

-

42

 

Lafayette

(48) -

Coats 5, Travis 0, Strobel 19, Slither 1, Kelly 11, Fowler 12.

Paul L. Dunbar

(42) -

Rowe 13, Schaffer 2, Green 13, Clark 3, Lamanna 4, Wilson 5, Barr 2.

Bryan Station (13-14) vs. Paul L. Dunbar (12-16) (Boys)

Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon started the following lineup:  6-0 Jr. Stephon Walker, 6-1 Jr. Martin Ashford, 5-9 Jr. D. J. Adams, 6-0 Jr. Brandon Moment, and 5-7 Jr.  Tino Washington.  Paul Dunbar coach Eddie Oakley countered with 6-2 Sr. Sekoe White, 6-0 Jr. Dustin Fox, 6-4 Sr. Chase Dunn, 5-9 Jr. Jessie Moton, and 5-10 Jr. Leonard Epps.

Tino Washington hit a field goal with 17 seconds remaining on the clock to give Bryan Station a 65-63 lead.  Washington hit a free throw with four seconds remaining to seal a 66-63 victor over Paul Dunbar.  Bryan Station scored 28 points off 24 Paul Dunbar turnovers.  Bryan Station shot 42.6% from the field, including seven of 17 from the three point line, was 13 of 25 from the free throw line, and pulled down 34 rebounds.  Paul Dunbar was 52.1% from the field, including six of 10 from beyond the arc, was seven of 17 from the free throw line, and pulled down 32 rebounds. 

Tino Washington led Bryan Station with 18 points including three of three from the three point line.  6-1 So. Brandon Watts and D. J. Adams added 11 and 10 points respectively.  6-1 Jr. Alex Harless added eight points and pulled down eight rebounds.  6-1 Sr. Jeff Sandberg led Dunbar with 14 points including four three point baskets.   Chase Dunn added 12 points.

Bryan Station

15

19

18

14

-

66

Paul L. Dunbar

20

13

15

15

-

63

Bryan Station

(66) -

Walker 2, Ashford 5, Adams 10, Moment 3, Washington 18, Harless 8, Mack 4, Watts 11, Sandusky 3, Ferguson 2.

Paul L. Dunbar

(63) -

White 7, Fox 6, Dunn 12, Moton 7, Epps 5, Sandberg 14, Tunstill 6, Wright 6.

Tuesday, March 2nd

Bryan Station (12-13) vs. Tates Creek (18-7) (Girls)  Semifinal

Bryan Station coach Jackie Williams started the following lineup:  5-9 Jr. Brittney Clark, 5-6 Fr. LaKrista Clark, 6-3 So. Crystal Leach, 5-6 So. Carley Blankenship, and 5-7 So. Bradli Stinson.  Tates Creek coach Jan Ulmer-Hintz countered with 6-1 Jr. Kristen Pendleton, 5-8 Jr. Shaquita Dowlen, 6-2 Jr. Brittany Pittman, 5-7 Jr. Derrica Morton, and 5-7 Jr. Philneshia Lindsey.

Tates Creek led 30-18 at the end of there quarters, then withstood a fourth quarter rally by Bryan Station to earn a 36-32 victory.  Poor free throw shooting almost did Tates Creek in as they were only six of 20 from the free throw line.  Although Bryan Station was four of six from the charity stripe, they twice missed the front end in a bonus situation late in the game after they had cut the deficit to three points.

Tates Creek shot 34.3% from the field and pulled down 38 rebounds while Bryan Station only managed 27.3% from the field and grabbed 28 rebounds.  Tates Creek was led in scoring tonight by Shaquita Dowlen and Philneshia Lindsey with 14 points each.  Brittany Pittman added five points and pulled down 11 rebounds.  Bryan Station was led by Carley Blankenship and Bradli Stinson with 11 and 10 points respectively.  Brittney Clark added five points and pulled down nine rebounds.

Bryan Station

5

9

4

14

-

32

Tates Creek

10

10

10

6

-

36

Bryan Station

(32) -

B. Clark 5, L. Clark 4, Leach 0, Blankenship 11, Stinson 10, Fishter 2.

Tates Creek

(36) -

Pendleton 2, Dowlen 14, Pittman 5, Morton 0, Lindsey 14, Harley 1.

Henry Clay (18-8) vs. Tates Creek (16-11) (Boys)  Semifinal

Henry Clay coach Kirk Chiles started the following lineup: 6-2 Sr. Chase Mitchell, 6-0 Jr. Bryan Turnage, 6-3 Sr. Aubrey White, 5-9 Jr. Noade Day, and 5-11 Sr. Brandon Coles.  Tates Creek coach Joe Pat Covington countered with 6-3 Sr. Tyson Dixon, 6-2 Sr. Cameron Cross, 6-5 Sr. Dwight Harris, 5-10 Sr. Jeremy Brown, and 6-3 Sr. Justin Taylor.

Tates Creek erased a 36-17 deficit at halftime and roared back to gain a 72-71 overtime victory over Henry Clay.  Tates Creek’s Tyson Dixon hit a jumper with eight seconds remaining to tie the game at 62-62 and force overtime.  Justin Taylor hit the winning free throw with five seconds left in overtime.

Tates Creek shot 39.2% from the field, was 29 of 42 from the free throw line, and pulled down 48 rebounds.  Henry Clay hit 43.1% from the field, was 11 of 21 from the free throw line, and grabbed 35 rebounds.  Henry Clay scored 23 points off 18 Tates Creek turnovers, while Tates Creek scored 17 points off 14 Henry Clay miscues. 

Tates Creek was led by Justin Taylor with 33 points including 25 points after halftime.  Taylor was 16 of 20 from the free throw line and added eight rebounds.  Tyson Dixon added 13 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while 6-4 So. Patrick Workman chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds.  Cameron Cross added 10 points.  Noade Day led Henry Clay with 26 points including three three point goals.  Aubrey White added 22 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.

Henry Clay

16

20

9

17

9

-

71

Tates Creek

6

11

21

24

10

-

72

Henry Clay

(71) -

Mitchell 8, Turnage 8, White 22, Day 26, Coles 1, Miller 4, Parker 2.

Tates Creek

(72) -

Dixon 13, Cross 10, Harris 0, Brown 0, Taylor 33, Workman 12, Nochta 2, Thomas 2.

Thursday, March 4th

Lafayette (13-13) vs. Henry Clay (19-6) (Girls)  Semifinal

Lafayette coach Allison Denton started the following lineup:  5-9 Sr. Lauren Coats, 5-6 Jr. Melissa Fowler, 6-0 Sr. Catherine Strobel, 5-7 So. Emily Slither, and 5-6 So. Katie Kelly.  Henry Clay coach Scott Cromwell countered with 6-0 Sr. Mary Tobin, 5-8 So. Erica Coleman, 6-1 Sr. Abby Currens, 5-7 Sr. Jessie Birdwhistell, and 5-3 Sr. Johnna Lewis-Carlisle.

Henry Clay outscored Lafayette 23-3 in the third quarter on their way to a 66-31 victory over the short-handed Lafayette squad.  Henry Clay scored 31 points off 22 Lafayette turnovers.  The victors shot 40.3% from the field, were 13 of 20 from the free throw line, and pulled down 40 rebounds.  Lafayette shot 30.2% from the field, was 13 of 20 from the free throw line, and grabbed 32 rebounds.

Johnna Lewis-Carlisle led Henry Clay with 19 points.  Mary Tobin added 11 points and eight rebounds.  Lafayette was led by Lauren Coats with eight points.  Catherine Strobel and Emily Slither each contributed seven points and six rebounds.

Lafayette

12

9

3

7

-

31

Henry Clay

14

19

23

10

-

66

Lafayette

(31) -

Coats 8, Fowler 5, Strobel 7, Slither 7, Kelly 2, Christian 2.

Henry Clay

(66) -

Tobin 11, Coleman 8, Currens 9, Birdwhistell 0, Lewis-Carlisle 19, Price 1, Storey 6, Bibbs 2, Bush 6, Dozier 4.

Bryan Station (14-14) vs. Lafayette (15-11) (Boys)  Semifinal

Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon started the following lineup:  6-0 Jr. Stephon Walker, 6-1 Jr. Martin Ashford, 5-9 Jr. D. J. Adams, 6-0 Jr. Brandon Moment, and 5-7 Jr.  Tino Washington.  Lafayette coach Damon Kelley countered with 6-6 Sr. Nic Mullins, 6-0 Jr. T. J. Chinn, 6-8 Sr. Darnell Dialls, 6-0 So. Pete Gifford, and 6-1 Sr. Marcus Barron.

Marcus Barron hit a shot in the lane with four seconds remaining on the clock to give Lafayette a 60-59 victory over Bryan Station.  Bryan Station held a 58-54 lead with one minute remaining on the clock but saw the victory slip away as they missed four of six free throws down the stretch.

Lafayette shot 41.9% from the field, was 23 of 33 from the free throw line, and pulled down 41 rebounds.  Bryan Station shot 35.6% from the field, was 12 of 24 from the free throw line, and grabbed 36 rebounds.  Lafayette scored 21 points off 18 Bryan Station turnovers, while Bryan Station scored 18 points off 19 Lafayette miscues.

The victors were led tonight by Marcus Barron with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists.  Darnell Dialls added 14 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots.  Pete Gifford added 10 points and Nic Mullins chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds.  T. J. Chinn led the Lafayette rally in the final period as he scored all nine of his points in the final quarter.  D. J. Adams led Bryan Station with 25 points including five three point baskets.  6-1 So. Brandon Watts added 16 points.

Bryan Station

14

11

18

16

-

59

Lafayette

13

17

10

20

-

60

Bryan Station

(59) -

Walker 1, Ashford 6, Adams 25, Moment 2, Washington 4, Watts 16, Harless 4, Ferguson 1.

Lafayette

(60) -

Mullins 9, Chinn 9, Dialls 14, Gifford 10, Barron 15, Ayers 2, Miller 1.

Saturday, March 6th

Tates Creek (19-7) vs. Henry Clay (20-6) (Girls)  Championship

Tates Creek coach Jan Ulmer-Hintz started the following lineup:  6-1 Jr. Kristen Pendleton, 5-8 Jr. Shaquita Dowlen, 6-2 Jr. Brittany Pittman, 5-7 Jr. Derrica Morton, and 5-7 Jr. Philneshia Lindsey.  Henry Clay coach Scott Cromwell countered with 6-0 Sr. Mary Tobin, 5-8 So. Erica Coleman, 6-1 Sr. Abby Currens, 5-7 Sr. Jessie Birdwhistell, and 5-3 Sr. Johnna Lewis-Carlisle.

Tates Creek took a 39-27 lead early in the fourth quarter but Henry Clay staged a rally and closed the deficit to three, 43-40, with three minutes left in the game.  Tates Creek regained momentum and outscored Henry Clay 11-2 to claim a 54-42 victory and the district championship.  Henry Clay had defeated the Lady Commodores in two previous regular season encounters but they got their revenge tonight with excellent team defense and rebounding.

Tates Creek shot 40.9% from the field, was 17 of 23 from the free throw line, and pulled down 44 rebounds.  Henry Clay was 28.3% from the field, only visited the free throw line eight times, connecting on three shots, and grabbed 27 rebounds.

Shaquita Dowlen led the victors with 17 points and seven rebounds.  Brittany Pittman added 14 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocked shots.  Kristen Pendleton added 11 points including seven of eight from the free throw line.  Pendleton also continued her aggressive defense and solid boardwork.  Derrica Morton added seven points and pulled down nine rebounds.  Philneshia Lindsey chipped in with five points and six rebounds. Johnna Lewis-Carlisle and Abby Currens led Henry Clay with 13 and 12 points respectively.  Mary Tobin scored five points but pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.

Tates Creek 

9

18

10

17

-

54

Henry Clay

8

10

9

15

-

42

Tates Creek

(54) -

Pendleton 11, Dowlen 17, Pittman 14, Morton 7, Lindsey 5.

Henry Clay

(42) -

Tobin 5, Coleman 2, Currens 12, Birdwhistell 8, Lewis-Carlisle 13, Dozier 2.

All Tournament Team  (Girls)

Dominique Rowe

5-11

Sr.

Paul L. Dunbar

 

Carley Blankenship

5-6

So.

Bryan Station

 

Catherine Strobel

6-0

Sr.

Lafayette

 

Johnna Lewis-Carlisle

5-3

Sr.

Henry Clay

 

Mary Tobin

6-0

Sr.

Henry Clay

 

Derrica Morton

5-8

Jr.

Tates Creek

 

Shaquita Dowlen

5-8

Jr.

Tates Creek

 

Brittany Pittman

6-2

Jr.

Tates Creek

MVP

Tates Creek (17-11) vs. Lafayette (16-11) (Boys)  Championship 

Tates Creek coach Joe Pat Covington started the following lineup:  6-3 Sr. Tyson Dixon, 6-2 Sr. Cameron Cross, 6-5 Sr. Dwight Harris, 5-10 Sr. Jeremy Brown, and 6-3 Sr. Justin Taylor.  Lafayette coach Damon Kelley countered with 6-6 Sr. Nic Mullins, 6-0 Jr. T. J. Chinn, 6-8 Sr. Darnell Dialls, 6-0 So. Pete Gifford, and 6-1 Sr. Marcus Barron.

Tates Creek squeaked past Lafayette 54-53 to capture the 43rd District title tonight.  Tates Creek’s 6-4 So. Patrick Workman hit a driving layup with less than a minute left to provide the Commodores with a 54-52 lead.  Lafayette had a chance to tie the game with seven seconds remaining on the clock, but could only convert on one of two free throws.  Lafayette had a last chance snuffed out when Tates Creek missed a free throw with five seconds remaining, but Justin Taylor snared the rebound to ensure the victory.

Tates Creek shot 44.8% from the field, was zero of eight from the free throw line, and pulled down 40 rebounds.  Lafayette shot 40% from the field, was eight of 14 from the free throw line, and grabbed 32 rebounds.

Justin Taylor led Tates Creek with 18 points and 11 rebounds.  Cameron Cross and Patrick Workman added 14 and 10 points respectively.  Darnell Dialls led Lafayette with 17 points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots. Marcus Barron added 14 points and Nic Mullins chipped in with five points and 14 rebounds.

Tates Creek 

16

17

12

9

-

54

Lafayette

19

12

10

12

-

53

Tates Creek

(54) -

Dixon 4, Cross 14, Harris 0, Brown 8, Taylor 18, Workman 10.

Lafayette

(53) -

Mullins 5, Chinn 8, Dialls 17, Gifford 9, Barron 14.

All Tournament Team  (Boys)

Jeff Sandberg

6-1

Sr.

Paul L. Dunbar

 

Noade Day

5-9

Jr.

Henry Clay

 

Tino Washington

5-7

Jr.

Bryan Station

 

Darnell Dialls

6-8

Sr.

Lafayette

 

Marcus Barron

6-1

Sr.

Lafayette

 

Cameron Cross

6-2

Sr.

Tates Creek

 

Tyson Dixon

6-3

Sr.

Tates Creek

 

Justin Taylor

6-3

Sr.

Tates Creek

MVP

 

Conclusion

Congratulations to Coach Joe Pat Covington and the Tates Creek Commodores for capturing the 43rd District boys title.  They rebounded from a recent six game losing streak and won a couple of thrillers this week to claim the title.  Also, congratulations to coach Champ Ligon and the Bryan Station team.  They finished 4-24 last season, improved to 14-15, and the future looks bright.  Also look out Lafayette in the regional—they will be a tough opponent for any team. 

Also, congratulations to Coach Jan Ulmer-Hintz and the Lady Commodores for capturing their first district title in over 20 years and for reaching the 20 win plateau.  The Henry Clay girls will also advance to regional play and this senior-led team could be dangerous. 

Acknowledgements

A special thanks to Frank Watson of Paul L. Dunbar for the hospitality extended me during the tournament.  Also a note of appreciation to WL Stats for the computer statistics provided for the entire tournament.

Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the tournament, teams, or players to me at  prephoops@yahoo.com .

Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other basketball events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky/prephoops.