Madisonville-North Hopkins thought it had the makings of a state contender this season.
The Maroons avoided all the landmines in the regional tournament — including a stern challenge from Christian County in the semifinals — to win the 2nd Region championship for the second straight year.
Madisonville, ranked third in the state by the Associated Press, turned back Webster County 73-58 in the regional final, and was set to carry a 31-3 record and 20-game winning streak into the boys’ state tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus had other plans.
The sports world was shut down, including the Sweet 16. Technically, the state tournament was “postponed indefinitely,” but no makeup date appears imminent.
Two of Madisonville’s three losses came on last-second shots in overtime — 71-70 to Collins and 67-65 to Lexington Catholic. The other setback came to highly-regarded John Hardin, 72-58.
The Maroons were battle-tested, going 2-0 at the Marshall County Hoopfest, 2-1 in the King of the Bluegrass in Louisville and 3-1 at the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington.
The Maroons went 17-0 against 2nd Region foes.
All-state seniors Kenny White and Ksuan Casey led the Madisonville charge this season.
White, a 6-foot-7 forward who will play college basketball at Tennessee Tech, averaged 18.4 points and 8.0 rebounds a game.
Casey, a 6-9 post player, averaged a double-double with 18.5 points and 10.8 boards.
White shot 60.7 percent from the field while Casey connected at a 60.3 percent clip. That helped the Maroons shoot 51.3 percent as a team this season.
In addition, Deljuan Johnson, a 6-5 forward, also shot over 50 percent (51.2), adding 11.2 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.
Starting guards Keshawn Stone and Marquise Parker scored 7.8 points and 7.2 points a night, respectively. Both are seniors as well.
Parker has announced that he will play college football at Campbellsville.
Those five starters combined for 63.1 of Madisonville’s 72.1 points a game.
Zach Tow, a 6-5 junior forward, will be the top returning scorer next season after averaging 4.0 points a game this season.
The Sweet 16 hasn’t been canceled yet, but it’s looking more and more like a longshot that Madisonville’s postseason run this year will continue.
