Cooper showed it is one of the state’s best teams by winning the Queen of the Commonwealth championship. (Cooper Basketball Photo)
Last week was my first time attending the Queen of the Commonwealth Classic at Bullitt East High School and it was a terrific event.
The 16 teams competing definitely will produce numerous regional champions and the nine games I saw featured terrific teams and individual players.
McCracken County coach Scott Sivills was lavish in his praise of the event that Bullitt East coach Scott Stallings put together.
“It is the best invitational tournament in the state. For years Lexington Catholic had the premier girls tournament and they still have a very good tournament but I really feel like coach Stallings has established the premiere tournament before the state tournament,” Sivills said.
“Last year I think maybe 10 teams, or close to it ,were at the state tournament. Every team here was either in the regional championship game or state tournament. This really helps us to be able to see teams like this.
“There are no cupcakes here. Every game is a very tough preparation. The level of play is very good for us. We have a veteran team but also young kids that I have to get accustomed to these situations and this is great for us and everyone else that played here.”
Bethlehem has had terrific success winning the last three Fifth Region titles. However, coach Jason Clark told me his team had never won more than two games at the Queen of the Commonwealth. The Banshees are again the Fifth Region favorite but went 1-3 in the event.
“There are just so many good teams. The competition is so good. There are no easy games but that really helps make your team better,” Clark said.
Ninth Region favorite Cooper beat Owensboro Catholic, McCracken County, Bullitt East and Meade County (title game) to win the Queen of the Commonwealth. Every win was by 12 or more points to run Cooper’s record to 9-3.
Durran Alexander’s daughter, Maleah, is a senior at Cooper headed to Liberty to play her college basketball. She had nine points — three 3-pointers — and four rebounds in the title game.
“The tournament is exciting. We did not come down last year. We have been very fortunate to have a great team with great seniors,” Durran Alexander said. “Being up north we don’t get to see a lot of these teams until the state tournament. It is fun to see them and play well.
“You come down here and some players you only know about because of t
