Ashland's Ethan Sellars had 34 points on 11-for-23 shooting, including 4-for-10 from 3-point range, in a win over North Gwinnett to earn MVP honors. (Larry Vaught Photo)
It’s hard to exactly describe just how good the quality of play can be at Marshall County Hoopfest because so many good teams and players are in this event every year. Friday was no different. Here are just a few of the highlights from my perspective.
— Lyon County sophomore scoring sensation Travis Perry had “only” 24 points in a 64-59 loss to Goodpasture Christian (TN.) Perry was 9-for-23 from the field and only 5-for-15 from 3-point range.
“I missed shots I normally make and should have made,” said Perry, who did have five rebounds, three steals and one assist while playing all 32 minutes.
Perry is chasing King Kelly Coleman’s all-time Kentucky high school scoring record and had over 2,000 points going into this season. His team was a bit overmatched by the length of Goodpasture at times but that’s the kind of preparation Lyon needed to prepare for a potential regional championship run in March.
Lyon County will also play Ashland in the King of the Bluegrass, another high-level opponent.
Perry says that type of challenge will make Lyon better and that’s way more important to him than any scoring record he’s chasing.
— Kentucky’s top-ranked team, Louisville Ballard, certainly looked the part even though it lost 78-72 to Prolific Prep (Calif.) despite hitting 14 of 28 3-point shots.
Ballard’s 6-9 Makur Bar got two fouls in two minutes to open the game and finished with six points, three rebounds, and two steals. However, Gabe Sisk, a 6-5 junior with interest from Louisville, Cincinnati, and Western, got 22 first-half points and finished with 26 points, six rebounds, two steals, two assists and one blocked shot. He was 7-for-9 from 3-point range.
Prolific Prep has 6-11 Adem Bona, who picked UCLA over Kentucky. He had 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting, three rebounds, and one block. Kansas commit M.J. Rice, a physical 6-5 guard, was the game’s MVP with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Southern Cal commit Tre White had 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
“You better have size if you are going to beat them,” Prolific Prep coach Billy McKnight said. “Our size got to them. That’s why we got 30 free throws (and made 20). But they shoot the ball so well and move the ball so well. They are really a good team.”
Ballard played 11 players the first half and was tied 43-43 with Prolific Prep, a talented national team. I am not sure another Kentucky high school team could play 11 players in a half and stay tied with Prolific Prep.
— Ashland Blazer, the state’s No. 3 team going into the season, fell behind North Gwinnett (Ga.) by 12 points in the second quarter but roared back to win 90-77. Ashland was 9-for-30 from 3-point range and 19 of 23 from the foul line.
Game MVP Ethan Sellars went off for 34 points on 11-for-23 shooting, including 4-for-10 from 3-point range. He also had four steals and three rebounds.
But what makes Ashland so good is balance. Zander Carter had 16 points, point guard Colin Porter 15, and Cole Villers 14. Ashland also had just seven turnovers compared to 22 it forced.
Clemson signee R.J. Godfrey played only 17 minutes because of foul trouble but the 6-7 forward had 19 points on 9-for-10 shooting, five rebounds, one block, and one steal. Godfrey broke his ankle in May and then twisted his ankle the first week of practice so this was his first game of the season.
Another physical inside player, Duke Clayton, had 30 points on 13-for-14 shooting along with 11 rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal.
“The difference in the game is that Ashland does not quit playing,” North Gwinnett coach Matt Garner said. “You don’t see them get down. They don’t celebrate or worry the refs. They stay very even-keeled. When they came back, they didn’t celebrate. They are just good and play like they expect to win.”
— Highlands had a brutal start against Cane Ridge (TN) but won 86-79 in overtime behind 26 points and seven rebounds from Zach Barth and 25 points and five rebounds from William Harris. They were a combined 19 of 39 from the field and Harris was 7-for-14 from 3.
Alabama signee Brandon Miller had 11 points in the first five minutes when Cane Ridge built a lead and finished with 22 points on 9-for-22 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block. He fouled out with 2:14 left in overtime and Highlands leading 76-74. He had three teammates in double figures.
— Kentucky coach John Calipari might make a trip to Hoopfest today to see Yahan Traore of Dream City Christian (Ariz.), a 6-10 power forward. He’s a five-star player in the 2022 recruiting class.
He has 22 scholarship offers and Memphis is seen as the leader. Kansas, Louisville, Michigan, LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas, UCLA, Gonzaga and Texas are some of the other offers he has.
Calipari has inquired about attending today’s game and if he does come to Marshall County Hoopfest it would certainly show a big-time interest on UK’s part.
— Today’s schedule includes some intriguing matchups, including Ashland-Ballard and Highlands-McCracken County. All four are likely state tournament teams. Male and Lincoln County also play today and could be state tourney teams.
9:00 Robertson Co. vs Murray
10:30 Clarksville Academy (TN) vs Marshall Co. (Girls)
12:00 North Gwinnett (GA) vs Louisville Male
1:30 Owensboro vs Marshall Co.
4:00 Lincoln Co. vs Cane Ridge (TN)
5:30 Highlands vs McCracken Co.
7:00 Dream City (AZ) vs Central Pointe (FL)
8:30 Ashland vs Louisville Ballard
10:00 Our Savior Lutheran (NY) vs Prolific Prep (CA)
