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BCHS Bears claim 12th District title with 60-59 win over Grayson
It took all 32 minutes of play but the Butler County Bears overcame a fourth quarter 10-point deficit to defeat Grayson County 60-59 on a basket by Alex Hall with less than three seconds on the clock. A last-second shot by Grayson fell short as the Bears secured win number 20 on the 2012-13 season and with it the school's first boys' district title in over 50 years. Butler County had four players in double figures - Brandon Thomas, Zeke Woodcock, Alex Hall, and Zach Burden - all with ten apiece. Hall was named the tournament's MVP.
It was a game of shifting sands as Butler County raced out of the gate to take a 12-6 first-quarter lead. The Bears had three players sink three-pointers in the quarter - Alex Hall, Brandon Thomas, and Alex Hudnall - as early momentum was all Butler County. But, that changed in the second quarter as Grayson battled back to take its first lead at 18-17 with 1:36 left in the first half. A basket by Zeke Woodcock and a free throw by Elijah Flener put the Bears back on top. Two quick baskets by the Cougars, including one by Talon Gary, gave Grayson County a 22-20 halftime lead.
A six-point Grayson run in the opening minutes of the third quarter almost took the Bears out of the game. A quick Butler County time-out seemed to stop the bleeding but the Cougars were able push their lead to 10 points. Three baskets by Zach Burden, a three-pointer by Brandon Thomas, and free throws by Woodcock and Trevor Jenkins kept the Bears close, though trailing 41-33 at the end of the quarter.
Alex Hall started the fourth quarter with a rebound put-back and free throw and he would end the quarter with the game winning basket - but much of the time in the middle was controlled by Grayson County. With Woodcock and Flener in foul trouble (both would foul out), other Bears stepped in with key baskets down the stretch, including crucial free throws by Burden and Trevor Jenkins, and a rebound put-back by Thomas.
Grayson County was leading 56-51 when Rex Henderson drilled a deep three-pointer from the corner with just under a minute left to play. Grayson's Gary and Butler's Thomas traded free throws to keep the Cougar margin at two at 58-56. Three missed free throws by Grayson with less than 40 seconds remaining gave the Bears the opening they needed. Trevor Jenkins scored off a rebound to tie the game at 58. A Grayson County free throw with 12.5 seconds left gave the Cougars a slim 59-58 lead. It would not hold. Going the length of the court, Thomas found Hall, who scored with approximately three seconds remaining to give Butler County the 60-59 lead. A last-ditch scoring effort by Grayson with 2.7 seconds left came up short, giving Butler County its first boys' district title in over 50 years.
Talon Gary led Grayson County in scoring with 15 points.
BC 12 8 13 27 60
GC 6 16 19 18 59
Butler County (60): B. Thomas 10, Z. Woodcock 10, A. Hall 10, Z. Burden 10, T. Jenkins 8, E. Flener 6, R. Henderson 3, and A. Hudnall 3.
Grayson County (59): Gary 15, Williams 13, Johnston 12, Whobrey 11, Ramsey 5, Tyra 2, Rackley 1.
Butler County first-year head coach Calvin Dockery spoke with WLBQ's Smokin' Joe Morris in a post-game interview.
"I'm sure it will hit me sometime later tonight," said Coach Dockery, referring to the gravity of the win. "I just can't say enough about the guys and their no-quit attitude. They could have folded there a few times … got down 10 in the fourth quarter … we could have folded but that's what happens when you have guys that just want to keep playing," said Dockery, who also noted his team's foul trouble and the importance of his bench play. "Good grief, we got two of our starters who fouled out of the game but our bench guys came in and did it, it was an awesome game."
Ryan Emmick, co-AD for BCHS, praised Coach Dockery and his team on the win and credited the recent investments in athletic facilities as part of the reason for the recent upturn in Butler County athletics across the board in multiple sports.
"Three years ago our school system put in the money and built a new athletic facility and our young men and women have gotten in there and started working … we have turned a corner, there's no doubt. We've had success in almost every one of our sports now," said Emmick, who also pointed out how many programs share athletes.
"It's a great feeling and I'm so happy for our boys and our cheerleaders and we had a great student section tonight," said Butler County Schools' Superintendent Scott Howard. "I think it's the turning of the tide for Butler County basketball.
Butler County players Trevor Jenkins, Zeke Woodcock, Brandon Thomas, Elijah Flener, and Alex Hall were on the 12th District All Tournament team with Hall being named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Jenkins, Woodcock and Flener were also named to the All Season team.
Hall, along with cheerleaders Rachel Rose and Laura Baseheart, were named to the All Academic team.
The draw for the Third Region Tournament will be tomorrow, Saturday, at 2 p.m. The tournament, to be held at the Owensboro Sportscenter, will start next week.
Stay connected to BtN/WLBQ for game photos form tonight and more tournament information as it becomes available.
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