By TIM HYDEN, CJ Sports Writer
Somerset — Hopes were riding high last week—hopes that one of our local teams could make it to Rupp Arena for the Sweet 16. But after those dreams took a big hit in the Pulaski County loss in Monday night’s opening game, they were to be stamped out for another season in the night’s finale.
After knocking out one of the region’s powerhouses in the first round, a 38-33 win over Wayne County, the Briar Jumpers of Somerset Coach Shawn Thacker didn’t have enough left in the tank Monday night., losing to the West Jessamine Colts 66-51.
The Colts, who came in at 21-10, were able to exploit all of Somerset’s weaknesses in the victory.
“What they killed us with tonight was just the dribble penetration—taking the ball to the hole,” Thacker said. “When they got inside they did a good job of finishing as well. Penetration and finishing in the lane has been our Achilles’ heel this year. It showed up again tonight. But we’ve had to move so many kids around to patch the holes in the boat, for us to win twenty games and make it to the semis in the region is a tribute to this team. After we lost John Cole we had a big void at point guard, and I think, given that, we accomplished as much as we could this season.
“But it’s always disappointing to lose.”
One of the exploited weaknesses was the lack of scoring balance. The Colts packed the inside whenever the Jumpers were able to get a pass in the lane, and Bourne was quickly double or triple-teamed.
“They basically guarded Corey (Price) and Adam (Wallen) and everyone else played Ty Bo (Bourne). All they were giving us was threes.”
If you think that’s an exaggeration, consider these stats: Somerset was a blistering 12-22 from behind the arc, usually a great sign. But they were only 5-15, for the entire game, from two-point range.
Early on, though, the West Jessamine gamble seemed to backfire. Halfway through the first quarter Somerset’s John Coomer found himself on a scoring pace that would have netted him 72 points, had he been able to keep it up. Coomer dropped three threes on the Colts before everyone was settled in their seats. The Colts showed no respect for the senior’s jumper. They soon learned that Coomer could shoot the eyes out if you didn’t guard him. After Coomer’s early outburst, Somerset led 9-6. But the Colts took over at that point.
West Jessamine went on a 12-2 run to take a seven-point lead. It would be a lead they would never relinquish. During the run, Coach Robert Hammonds Colt’s showed why they were a 20-win team. Five different Colts scored in the game changing run, and the offensive execution was superb. West Jessamine shot 80% in the first quarter without committing a turnover on their way to a 20-14 first quarter edge.
Two minutes into the second quarter, reserve guard Aaron Dockery canned a trey to cut the lead down to three. For Dockery, it was his first of four three-point shots, on his way to a team-high 12 points. The Jumper defense was able to slow down the Colts offense in the stanza, holding them to just eight points. Then, after Corey Price hit a three from way downtown, and followed it up with a baseline drive and a hoop, the Jumpers had trimmed the lead down to 28-24 at the half, despite the fact that star center Tyler Bourne had no points, and the team had yet to shoot a free throw. In Bourne’s defense, he was hardly even able to touch the ball he was so blanketed inside the lane.
The second half start was very hopeful for Somerset. Senior forward Adam Wallen drilled his patented three, cutting the lead to a single point. But over the next minute West Jessamine went on a 7-0 tear, started by a three-pointer by senior Nick Jeffrey. Later in the quarter, one possession embodied Somerset’s frustration. The Jumpers, down 37-33, blew two point-blank lay-ups that could have brought them within two. The Colts harnessed the rebound and threw it the length of the court to senior Gulian Blanton for a lay-up.
The fourth quarter was a recurring nightmare for Somerset. Just like the district loss to Pulaski County-- where they trailed by four after three quarters, then lost by 21—the Briar Jumpers couldn’t get over the hump. With time dwindling they were forced to gamble and foul to try and get back into the game. And once again, a close game ended up an impressive win for the Jumpers’ opponent.
The Colts, who were 9-9 on free throws through three quarters, hit 10-14 in the fourth alone. They also managed to score 24 points in the quarter….without missing a single shot from the field. Hammond’s sharpshooters were 6-6 from the field in the fourth, and shot 62% for the game. Combine this precision with only five turnovers and you can see the Colts played a near flawless game.
Individually, Jonathan Rehner finished with 12 points and was key to keeping Tyler Bourne is check. But it was Gulian Blanton that took over late. After scoring only two points in the first half, Blanton scored 12 of his team-high 18 in the fourth quarter.
When the smoke from the rims on West Jessamine’s end of the court cleared, the Colts had ended the Briar Jumpers dreams of a Sweet 16 birth, 66-51.
Coach Thacker says he is proud of his team, despite the disappointing loss.
“Anytime you put so much time and energy into something, and make it to the semis in the region, any loss is going to be disappointing,” said Thacker. “But I think they’ll have a better appreciation for what they accomplished after the emotions even out and they look back on it. These seniors have done something we haven’t accomplished around here in a while. We beat one of the region favorites in the first round, which showed what these kids were made of. But we had a lot of holes, and we couldn’t keep patching together an attack without it catching up to us sooner or later.
“I think people should take note that basketball in this county is alive and well. We had all three local boys’ teams in the region again this year, and we had two teams in the semi-finals. And the number of fans and young kids that I’ve seen here in the stands shows me that the desire is there for these kids to be a part of the basketball tradition in this community.”
The Players-of-the Game were Jonathan Rehner for West Jessamine, and Aaron Dockery for Somerset.
WJHS 20 8 14 24 = 66
SHS 14 10 13 14 = 51
West Jessamine—Blanton 18, Rehner 12, Polson 11, Lee 10, Jeffrey 10, Florence 5.
Somerset—Dockery 12, Coomer 11, Price 10, Wallen 9, Bourne 4, Fitzpatrick 3, Kelly 2.
