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March 9, 2008

Pulaski, Somerset, Lincoln, West Jessamine battle it out for a trip to the ‘Sweet Sixteen’

By STEVE CORNELIUS, CJ Sports Editor The Commonwealth Journal Sun Mar 09, 2008, 08:49 AM EDT

Somerset — Four months of basketball action.

Four quarters of intense competition in every game the teams played.

And now only four teams remain in the 12th Region Basketball Tournament.

Two teams from the north and two teams in our own backyard.

Monday night, Pulaski will take on Lincoln County and Somerset will battle West Jessamine in the 12th Region semifinals. The winner of the two game will meet in the championship game on Tuesday night for the right to play in Rupp Arena.

Pulaski vs. Lincoln County

at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 10

Everyone expected Lincoln County to be here, but some wondered if Pulaski was going to go deep into post-season tournament play.

Pulaski closed out the season by losing 10 of their last 16 games. But impressive district tournament wins over Casey County and Somerset has given the Maroons new life and a shot at another trip to the Sweet Sixteen for the county program.

Meanwhile, defending 12th Region champs Lincoln County has put together an even better year than they had last year prior to their trip to Rupp Arena. The Patriots stand at 25-5 with their only losses coming from schools like Bryan Station, Dunbar and Henry Clay.

Lincoln handily downed the Maroons 75-56 back in mid-January in Stanford, but Pulaski is not the same team they were in mid-January either.

Lincoln prides itself on speed, precise ball handling and full court trap defense. And they do all three well.

“Lincoln has proven that they are an excellent team and I think our team has a healthy respect for them,” Pulaski coach Mark Flynn commented. “But the good thing about this match-up, I don’t think our team fears them.”

“Lincoln’s experience is a good thing for them,” Flynn added, “ but we are going to have to step up and embrace the challenge of a big game like this. This is why you play the game and this is what competitive athletics is all about.”

Lincoln’s Ryan Young can create havoc offensively with his dribble penetration, while Noah Keeton can hit long treys from well beyond the perimeter and then 6’3” Ethan Spurlin can score inside.

“Lincoln's speed is definitely an asset for them,” Flynn said. “Offensively, they really move the ball well. They can find the open shooter and they are excellent with the dribble penetration. They can get to the rim and finish or they can kick it back out to the three-point shooter.”

“We have to stop their dribbler on defense and then we have to limit our turnovers on offense,” Flynn continued. “Most importantly, we have to make shots and make plays.”

“(Ethan) Spurlin gives them a pretty strong inside presence,” Flynn added. “They are not easy to guard, but we will just have to lace’em up, fight and get after them.”

Somerset vs. West Jessamine at approx. 8:30 p.m. on Monday, March 10

Ironically, on the exact same night as Pulaski was defeated by Lincoln, Somerset downed West Jessamine 54-45 at the Briar Patch. In that Jumper victory, senior Tyler Bourne poured in 25 points to help Somerset pick up one of their 20 victories this season.

“Like always, we will look to get the ball into Tyler (Bourne),” Somerset coach Shawn Thacker said. “I am sure West Jessamine will play some different types of defense in effort in trying to take ‘T-Bo’ away from us and offensively we have to prepare for that.”

Somerset proved in their opening round win over Wayne County that they can play big and control the boards if needed.

“I think rebounding will be big in this game for both teams,” Thacker said. “Our second half rebounding played a crucial part in our win over Wayne County.”

“Defense and rebounding are the two most important things that win games,” Thacker explained.

Another factor in the Somerset’s recent regional tourney win was their non-stop hustle, which provided more than just a few loose ball recoveries.”

“We got to every loose ball against Wayne County and came up with some big steals,” Thacker said. “And then the ball sometimes just seemed to bounce our way, and we have not got many breaks like that in awhile.”

Jared Polson at the guard position and Jonathan Rehner inside are two of the Colts’ big offensive weapons.

For Somerset, Bourne, Corey Price and Adam Wallen have been the main offense threats throughout the season for the Jumpers.

Also, Somerset has an explosive array of players that can come off the bench and score in bunches. John Coomer, Chris Fitzpatrick, C.J. Megargel, Kenny Hughes and Chad Shoemaker are just a few of the role players that Thacker will look to in Monday’s game against West Jessamine.

“Our bench was big in the Wayne County win and I believe our bench will be a big factor in our match-up against West Jessamine,” Thacker said.

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Pulaski, Somerset, Lincoln, West Jessamine battle it out for a trip to the ‘Sweet Sixteen’

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