News sports 2008-05-10 Andanh.com

Wildcats give back Fri, 9 May 2008 22:48:36 -0500
After spending four years giving their all for the University of Kentucky basketball team on the court, Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley have spent the past several weeks saying thank you. Friday night was no different, as Crawford and Bradley led a squad of former UK players into Bowling Green High School for the UK Barnstorming Tour’s stop in Bowling Green, knocking off a Region 4 prep all-star team, 97-86. “This means a lot, it’s made one of the biggest changes ever in my life coming out here and doing this,” said Crawford, who finished the game with 30 points. “You really get to see how much Kentucky basketball means to these people and the biggest thing is just coming out here and having fun.” Bradley and Crawford - who both received their diplomas last weekend - were joined by three other former Wildcats in Bobby Perry, Lukasz Obrzut and former Glasgow standout Brandon Stockton. While the main attraction was the basketball game, Bradley said the real goal was just to thank the extremely large contingent of Kentucky basketball fans who supported him and his teammates throughout their careers. “This has been an amazing experience,” said Bradley, who finished with a game-high 41 points. “You always hear about how dedicated our fans are and how they’re the greatest fans - but when you get a chance to come out here and see them in person, you understand why they say this thing is like a religion.” Bradley said that traveling around the state - this was the ninth stop on the tour - has given him a great appreciation of how the people throughout Kentucky have embraced him as one of their own. “It’s not about where you’re from, it’s about where you’re at,” said Bradley, a New York native. “And the way this state has embraced me and Joe is amazing. “And we’ll forever bleed blue because of that.” As for the area standouts, they agreed that just being able to take the court with players that they have admired over the past several years was a great experience on its own. “This was a lot of fun, just getting to come out here and play with these UK players and just having some fun with them,” said Warren East senior Demetric Ray, who led the Region 4 squad with 17 points. “It just felt really good just to come out and play and have fun. It’ll probably be the last time for me to play for a while, so I was just glad I could have some fun.” And while the game featured various acrobatic-type plays from the Kentucky squad, the high schoolers weren’t to be outdone. Some of the highlights included several alley-oop dunks from Allen County-Scottsville senior Jay Starks - most coming courtesy of passes from Greenwood senior Mark Lacy - as well as the duo of Ray and Metcalfe County senior Trey Shirley nearly upsetting both Crawford and Bradley in a 3-point shooting contest before halftime. “It’s what they do best out here in Bowling Green, and we had some pretty good competition to play,” Bradley said. “But it’s OK, we’re undefeated so far.” Orbzut - who held a one-on-one contest with several youngsters between quarters - finished with 15 points for the Kentucky team, while Starks and Shirley added 14 and 10 points respectively for the Region 4 group. For several of the area standouts, this may have been the last time they’ll ever get to play an organized basketball game, giving several of them a pretty good cap to fine careers. “It was a great time, it was all about having fun and it was really neat growing up a huge Kentucky fan my whole life and to be able to come out and play against them was a lot of fun,” Lacy said. “I’ve had a great year, I couldn’t have asked more for my senior year - this is just icing on the cake.”

WKU Hoops: Tops offer WCHS sophs Fri, 9 May 2008 22:48:36 -0500
While new Western Kentucky basketball coach Ken McDonald scrambles to find recruits for the 2008-09 season, he’s apparently looking to Warren Central High School for a head start on the future. According to Central coach Tim Riley, both point guard Jordan Shanklin and forward George Fant have been offered scholarships by McDonald. But it would be a while before either could become Hilltoppers. Both will enter their sophomore seasons at Warren Central next year. “(The coaching staff at WKU) has said they’re a priority,” Riley said. “They’ve made comments like, ‘We’ve got to have them.’ ” The 5-foot-11 Shanklin averaged 12 points, while the 6-6 Fant averaged eight points and seven rebounds as freshmen last season. Both were key contributors to a young Warren Central team that went 11-17 last season after the program had won six consecutive Region 4 championships. “They’re still very young and we’ll see how it goes,” Riley said. “It’s on them to see how much better they get.” McDonald cannot comment on recruits until they have signed national letters of intent. McDonald has signed one player - junior college point guard Anthony Sally - since replacing former coach Darrin Horn in April. According to Riley, WKU isn’t the only school that’s shown interest in his players. Riley said University of Kentucky coaches watched Warren Central play University Heights in February. “They’re very high on them,” Riley said.

Prep baseball: Gators solid on mound, at plate in 8-0 victory over ECHS Fri, 9 May 2008 22:48:37 -0500
At 11 a.m. Friday, Greenwood baseball coach Chris Decker stepped onto the field under grey skies and in the presence of rain showers that saturated every inch of the surface. Decker and his staff spent hours trying to repair the field. Turns out the effort it required to get the diamond ready was more intense than the Gators’ needed against Edmonson County on Friday night. Thanks to a solid pitching performance by Johnathan Williams and success at the plate, the Gators cruised to an easy 8-0 win. “We were actually trying to salvage (today’s game),” Decker said. “It was the labor of love, I guess. We are so far behind on games because of rain that we would play in a parking lot right now. We played well tonight.” Williams had five strikeouts in five innings and gave up only two hits. Williams walked one batter and only once had more than one runner on base. “We had a lot strikes,” Decker said. “Our kids were around the plate all night long. We didn’t have a lot of strikeouts, but we made plays. “And when you make plays you don’t have to have a lot of strikeouts. The kids did a great job.” Greenwood (14-6) took advantage of the good defense and did well in the batter’s box. The Gators had 12 hits, led by Bradley Vanderglas, who went 3-for-4. Cory Henon and Logan Pemberton and Hunter Thompson all hit 2-for-3. “We needed to hit the ball well tonight after our performance against Bowling Green,” Vanderglas said. “It was good that we were able to come back to get things going.” After two innings and only one hit, the Gators dominated the third inning by scoring three runs off four hits. The burst of offense allowed Greenwood to take a 3-0 lead. Vanderglas stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a long fly ball to the center field wall. Vanderglas doubled and scored Thompson and Henon. “We came out the first two innings a little sluggish and just needed to get something going,” Vanderglas said. “It gave us a little bit of spark and got things going.” Chris Page would score the other run on a sacrifice fly to give Greenwood the three-run lead. The Gators buried Edmonson County (6-10) in the fourth inning by scoring four runs on four hits. Ty Downing hit a RBI double to left that scored Pemberton. Vanderglas had another big hit by doubling to left to score Henon and Downing to give Greenwood a 6-0 lead. Vanderglas scored from second at the next at-bat when Dillon Graham singled. The run made the score 7-0. The Gators got their final run of the game in the fifth inning. Thompson tripled to the center field wall and scored Pemberton from second. Edmonson County used two pitchers in the game. Cody Hatler started the game and pitched 2 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and three runs. Ben Gray came in for relief and pitched 3 1/3 innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. Greenwood plays two games at home today, starting with Crittenden County at 10 a.m. and followed by Russell County at 3 p.m. Edmonson County plays at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at home against Muhlenberg North ECHS 000 000 0-0 2 2 GHS 003 410 x-8 12 3 WP: Williams; LP: Hatler

Pair of local athletes makes college selections Fri, 9 May 2008 22:48:37 -0500
Being an ace pitcher on a high school softball team is hard work. But being a top pitcher for a collegiate program trying to get back in the game? That’s even tougher. And it’s what Warren Central senior Sarah Stanfield will be next year, as she officially signed a letter of intent Friday to play softball at Asbury College - a school that will field a softball team next spring for the first time since 2003. “I’m excited that I got to do this,” Stanfield said. “This is the first time in a long time that anybody from Central has signed for softball. “I’m excited because this has always been my dream to play softball at a college, and I finally get to do it.” After suspending the school’s softball program in 2003, Asbury coach Larry McCullough was instrumental in bringing the sport back. He hopes Stanfield will come in and help start a new tradition. “Their athletic director had suspended both baseball and softball at Asbury College because they didn’t see the need for it, but they got a new athletic director and coach McCullough helped bring it back,” Stanfield said. “And we’ll be starting back new this spring.” McCullough said in his address to the audience Friday that whether she’s ready or not, Stanfield will be thrown into the spotlight almost immediately. She will be relied on heavily for the fledging program’s pitching success. “Since it’s a first-year program, I’ve been talking to the coach a lot about what’s going to happen and what’s going to go on,” Stanfield said. “He’s trying to get all Kentucky girls and they’re going to bring in three pitchers so I’ll be learning more as I go. “There’s a few new pitches he wants me to learn, but I’m just excited. I really am.” Stanfield said her college decision came down to Asbury and Lindsey Wilson College, but she ended up siding with coach McCullough and Asbury - located in the small town of Wilmore, just outside Lexington. “It’s a small town and the college is small and I like smaller colleges,” said Stanfield, who will study to become a special education teacher. “And it being a new program, I mean you get more experience instead of going to one that’s already been going on for several years. “It’ll just be better experience.” G’wood’s Cato to swim for reinstated Campbellsville squad By MICHEAL COMPTON, The Daily News, mcompton@bgdailynews.com As the team captain in her final season, Greenwood swimmer Brooke Cato knows what it takes to be a leader. Now Cato hopes to use that leadership at the next level, signing a letter of intent Friday to swim at Campbellsville University. “I’m so excited to have the opportunity to swim at Campbellsville University,” Cato said. “It’s been a lifelong dream to swim at the college level.” Cato, who competes in the 200-meter individual medley and the 50- and 100-meter freestyles, said she chose Campbellsville because it offers a chance to compete right away and because it is a Christian college. “That was definitely something I was looking for,” Cato said. Cato said her decision came down to Campbellsville or Western Kentucky. “My mom graduated from (WKU) and it was close to home, but I really wouldn’t be able to swim there unless I worked really hard,” Cato said. Campbellsville restarted its women’s swimming program last fall, so Cato is expected to make an immediate impact. She said she hopes she can take her leadership skills she developed as a swimmer at Greenwood and use that to set the bar for other swimmers at Campbellsville. “I think it is a challenge in itself to be a leader in any form,” Cato said. “Maybe one day I will be the team captain in Campbellsville?” Regardless of what the future holds, Cato said she is just happy to know her college choice is set. “I was really nervous about it, but now its like a sigh of relief,” Cato said. “I’m moving on to the next stage of my life. I’m ready and looking forward to it. I don’t know what I’m getting myself into, but hopefully it is for the better.”

Hilltopper softball puts away Florida International in tourney Fri, 9 May 2008 22:48:38 -0500
Lindsay Antone and Terri Ellingsworth each collected a home run and three RBIs to lead the Western Kentucky softball team to a 9-1 victory Friday over Florida International in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at the Troy Softball Complex in Troy, Ala. WKU (28-29) returned to the diamond Friday to face No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette, but results were unavailable at press time. Tied at one run in the second frame, Elllingsworth came to bat with two on base and smacked a three-run home run over the left-center field wall. The Toppers wouldn’t look back as Rachelle Boucher then reached first after getting hit by a pitch and Elizabeth Ferrell followed with a single down the left field line before Antone knocked in both runners with a hit to right center. WKU scored five runs in the second inning to move ahead of the Golden Panthers 6-1. The Toppers got on the board in the first inning on Antone’s solo shot to left field. The home run was the sophomore’s 15th on the season, and she has now tallied 42 RBIs. Kelsey McCauley added two more runs for WKU in the seventh on a two-RBI double to left center. Shelby Smith finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run while Antone, Sam Cronk and McCauley each collected two hits. Ryan Rogge (17-14) earned the win after seven innings pitched and allowing just one unearned run. Baseball game times moved Start times have been changed for the finales of both the Louisiana-Lafayette and Middle Tennessee baseball series at Western Kentucky the next two weekends. Sunday’s game time has been moved up to a noon start due to Louisiana-Lafayette’s travel schedule. In addition, the regular-season finale against Middle Tennessee on May 17 begins at 3 p.m. in order to accommodate a live television broadcast on Comcast Sports Southeast. WKU (25-22, 12-12 SBC) plays six of its final seven regular-season games at home, beginning today with a 6 p.m. first pitch in the series opener with ULL. Softball trio earns academic honors Western Kentucky softball players Shannon Smith, Lindsay Antone and Rachelle Boucher each made ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-District IV squad, as handed out this week by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Smith was placed on the second team while Antone and Boucher made the third team. Smith has played in 43 contests while starting 35, mostly as designated player. She leads the team with a perfect fielding percentage, committing zero errors in 52 tries. The Portage, Mich., native tallied a home run against No. 4 Arizona State and finished 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in conference action against Florida International. With her first grand slam of the season coming April 26, Antone tied the single-season home run mark at WKU with 12. A few days later, the sophomore smacked two home runs in a game against Lipscomb to hold the record on her own and give her 14 for the year. The Mt. Juilet, Tenn., native’s home run total ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and she is also fourth in total bases with 114. Boucher was named first-team all-SBC as a freshman catcher last year and was put on the preseason all-conference team this season. Over the past 12 games, the sophomore has improved her average by 42 points, batting .419 over the stretch. On April 27, the Tampa, Fla., native nailed a walk-off home run to give the Toppers a sweep over South Alabama. To be eligible for Academic Awards by CoSIDA, the student-athlete has to be at least a sophomore who starts or is a key reserve. However, first-year transfers cannot be nominated. Also, participants must have a minimum 3.2 cumulative grade point average. District IV includes the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

Late USF homer stuns Cards 2-1 Sat, 10 May 2008 02:22:00 EST
In a pitchers' duel, it often takes just one break or one mistake to change the outcome. South Florida's Britta Giddens made the University of Louisville softball team pay for that mistake last night.

Hall of Fame has a glaring omission here Sat, 10 May 2008 02:21:00 EST
Sometimes puzzling news gets shuffled to the rail by the Kentucky Derby. There is so much talk about 20 horses that there isn't enough talk about somebody who did wonderful work in the shadows of the Twin Spires.

Rookie class awed by Indy Sat, 10 May 2008 02:31:00 EST
Thirteen drivers arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month like a bus full of boys on the first day of school. Some older, some younger. All with eyes wide-open.

When they need big hits, Bats 'terrible' Sat, 10 May 2008 01:42:00 EST
Ordinarily, the pitching line posted by Louisville's Justin Lehr last night would easily lead to victory. Unfortunately for Lehr, the Bats were a little too ordinary from the plate. The Richmond Braves handed the Bats a 2-0 loss before 9,912 fans at Louisville Slugger Field.

Perry pulls ahead by a shot at Players Sat, 10 May 2008 01:39:00 EST
Hot blasts of wind on a diabolical course made The Players Championship tough enough to turn someone's hair gray. Not that the leaders needed any help with that yesterday.

Danica's car hits crewman Sat, 10 May 2008 01:34:00 EST
Fast Friday became Scary Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Next up: Pole Day. Just before rain interrupted practice for the third consecutive day yesterday, veteran crew member Chuck Buckman, the chief mechanic for rookie Mario Moraes' car, was struck by both of Danica Patrick's left-side tires and knocked to the concrete portion of pit road.

Biffle is speediest at fast Darlington Sat, 10 May 2008 01:35:00 EST
On a fast new surface, 41 of 44 drivers broke the qualifying record at Darlington Raceway last night.

Juneau tied for 2nd at NCAA regional Sat, 10 May 2008 01:33:00 EST
The University of Louisville's Sara-Maude Juneau shot a 74 to fall from first to second place on Day 2 of the NCAA East Regional Championship yesterday in Athens, Ga.

Louisville finalist for headquarters Sat, 10 May 2008 02:25:00 EST
Louisville is among three finalists to become the headquarters of the organization that governs men's and women's basketball in the United States and recommends players for Olympic teams.

UK, IU advance to 2nd round Sat, 10 May 2008 01:31:00 EST
After losing the doubles point, the University of Kentucky women's tennis team won four consecutive singles matches yesterday to beat Boise State 4-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.

Info on Eight Belles in 2 weeks Sat, 10 May 2008 01:28:00 EST
It will be at least two weeks before necropsy results are available to help determine what caused Eight Belles to break both front ankles in the Kentucky Derby, the filly's owner said yesterday.

Churchill Downs Graded Entries Sat, 10 May 2008 01:29:00 EST

PREP BASEBALL: Elizabethtown upends Central Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:08 -0500
ELIZABETHTOWN What a difference two weeks can make.

PREP BASEBALL: John Hardin sweeps North Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:06 -0500
RADCLIFF It’s been said that hitting is contagious and the John Hardin Bulldogs certainly had a bad case of it spread through the team Thursday night.

PREP SOFTBALL: Krupinski, Central Hardin shut out John Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:06 -0500
CECILIA Having been shut out in their previous two games, the Central Hardin Lady Bruins were in a little bit of a funk.

PREP SOFTBALL/BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Lady Panthers fall; Mayfield moves to 7-1 Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:07 -0500
The slumping Elizabethtown Lady Panthers lost for the 10th time in 13 games, falling to visiting Warren Central on Thursday, 3-1.

BOYS'/GIRLS' PREP TENNIS RESULTS: Thursday's Matches Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:07 -0500
Results from Thursday's area high school tennis matches:

Top-ranked Panthers stay perfect Sat, 10 May 2008 02:04 EDT
Pleasure Ridge Park has earned its rating as the No. 1 baseball team in the state by winning 24 of 25 games, including a 16-0 record against Kentucky opponents.

The Panthers beat third-ranked Henry Clay 7-4 in the Fayette County Invitational Tournament Friday night.

PRP was scheduled to play at Tates Creek, but the Commodores' field was still muddy from Thursday's rain.

Henry Clay was supposed to host Elizabethtown, but the Panthers had to make up a district game instead. So Blue Devils Coach Herb Hammond called PRP Coach Bill Miller, and they got their teams together.

Zack Cox and Zach Osborne led the Panthers to their 16th win in a row.

Armstrong inks with Centre
Fairview High School senior Daniel Armstrong has his sights set on law school.

Devils outdo drizzle
Russell began the Kentucky Ohio Valley Conference Track Meet with a stadium-record performance under fair skies and finished with a double championship in the rain..

Dirt racing heats up for summer

Rain washes away some good games
Heavy bouts of rain and thunderstorms in the area washed out a loaded schedule of high school baseball and softball on Thursday evening.A premier matchup on the baseball side was to pit 16th-Region frontrunner Greenup County against traditional power Boyd County. With Boyd County already having a full schedule next week, it doesn’t look like there will be a reschedule date.

Woody, Cards blank Warriors 8-0
The South Laurel Cardinals ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-0 win over Southwestern.

Eyeing the record
North Laurel catcher Rachel Akins looks to add her name to the record books.

Cobb fans 9, Lady Jags win 14th in a row
Carrie Cobb struck out nine Madison Southern batters as the North Laurel Lady Jaguars won their 14th softball game in a row.

A record performance
The South Laurel Lady Cardinals downed Garrard Co. 7-2 in a game which saw Lauren Wombles become the all-time hit leader at South Laurel.

Jaguars sweep Wildcats
The North Laurel tennis team beat Lynn Camp in action recently.

Jags beat Bobcats, fall to Taylor Co.
The North Laurel Jaguars beat Bell County, then fell to host Taylor County.

Cardinals sweep past Colonels, get ready for region
The South Laurel tennis team swept Whitley County in action Monday.

Turner 12th after two days at Regional
ATHENS, Ga. — Former Monroe County and current University of Tennessee golfer Marci Turner shot a 3-over par round of 75 to tie for 12th place after two rounds at the NCAA East Regional on Friday.

Trojans commit 8 errors, fall 3-2 to East
FRANKLIN — Eight errors doomed Barren County on Friday.The Trojans’ miscues led to three unearned runs for Warren East in a 3-2 loss in eight innings to the Raiders at the Franklin-Simpson Wood Bat Tournament.

Trojanettes top Lady Scotties, 8-1
Barren County defeated Glasgow 8-1 in girls tennis action on Friday.The Trojanettes won five of six singles matches and all three doubles matches to pick up the win.

Trojanettes fall 2-0 at Butler Co.
MORGANTOWN — Barren County gave up a home run and an unearned run in a 2-0 loss at Butler County on Friday.The Trojanettes fell to 17-11 with the loss, while the Lady Bears improved to 21-11 with the win.

Three Scotties playing with U15 SKY team
Glasgow High School soccer players Andrew Froedge, Traz Smith and Dustin Thomerson have been playing with the Southern Kentucky (SKY) Select Soccer team based in Bowling Green this spring.

Chamber golf outing set for May 16
Houchens Markets and Quality Personnel will present the 15th annual Glasgow-Barren County Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing on Friday, May 16, at the Glasgow Golf and Country Club.

Special Olympic Success
The Barren County High School Special Olympic team participated in the track and field events at Bowling Green High School on April 19.

LOCAL SPORTS BRIEFS
Barnstormers hoops tour features GHS grad Stockton against Hubbard and ShirleyBarren County golf scramble set for May 16Two-day scramble is May 31-June 1 at Barren RiverYouth Fest basketball game is May 30

Barren County boys basketball camps in June
Barren County will host its boys basketball camps in June.

GHS girls hoops camp June 2-5
Glasgow High School will have its girls basketball camps June 2-5 at GHS for girls entering grades 3-8.

Trojanette hoops camps in June
Barren County will have its girls basketball camps in June.

LOCAL SPORTS BRIEF
Father Bowling coach pitch tournament set for June 12-15 in Edmonton

Chinese Dir