Beech Tree News Network

Butler County was the #4 seed and 0-6 in district play and Edmonson County was the #1 and 6-0 in district play but those numbers didn't matter Tuesday night as the Bears upset the Wildcats 77-68.  A trio of Bears led the way in scoring with Will Moore netting 20 points, a strong 18 points by Brennan Grubb, and 17 points from Rex Henderson.  With the district win, the Bears punch their ticket to the Third Region Tournament and a chance for a 12th District title against Grayson County on Friday night.  The Cougars edged Trinity 57-40 to advance to the district championship. 

Butler County head coach Calvin Dockery obviously excited about the win. 
"The Edmonson County win was a great team win. The kids executed the game plan. Everyone had a part in this victory," said Dockery.  "I felt like as coaches we had developed a plan that would put us in position to win and the players made it happen."
Tight in the early going, the Bears used a 19-point second quarter to take a 32-28 halftime lead.  Butler County built on that lead in the third quarter, leading 53-47.  The Bears extended the lead to nine at 63-54 with 5:15 remaining and held on for the 77-68 win. 
Butler County Scoring (77):  Moore 20, Grubb 18, Henderson 17, Anderson 8, Graham 7, Flener 4, Beasley 3. 
The win puts Coach Dockery's Bears in a position to win their third 12th District Championship in four years.  The coach know Grayson is a tough team but feels like the Bears are very capable of winning.

"Grayson County plays very hard and are very much like us in many ways. We have to fight every possession, especially rebounding the basketball.  We believe we can win," said Dockery.  "It is great that our young team has this opportunity this season to experience a district championship game.  No one outside our program believed we would be in this position this year. It's a credit to our players and coaches for staying the course and believing in the process," added Dockery. 
Butler County and Grayson County will tip at 7 p.m. at Grayson County High School, host site of the 2016 12th District Tournament.  The game will be aired live on WLBQ 101.5 FM. 

* * *
Special to Beech Tree News / by Mark Allen
Bears & Cougars Battle for Title

Friday, Feb. 26th at Grayson Co. HS, the BCHS Boys basketball squad will square off with rival Grayson Co. Cougars for the 12th District Boys Championship. The Bears advanced with an upset win over #1 seed Edmonson Co. 77-68 earlier this week. The Bears the #4 seed in the district tournament enjoy the underdog role.

Let us take a quick look back in history of the 12th District basketball tournament. The KHSAA realignment in the 2005-06 season, grouped Butler Co., Edmonson Co., Grayson Co., and Whitesville Trinity as the new 12th district. The Bears and Cougars will play for the title for the fifth time in eleven years. Here are those outcomes to date:
 - 2005-06 Grayson wins title over Butler / Head Coach Rusty Ray

 - 2011-12 Grayson wins title over Butler / Head Coach Greg Woodcock

 - 2012-13 Butler wins title over Grayson / Head Coach Calvin Dockery

 - 2013-14 Butler wins title over Grayson / Head Coach Calvin Dockery

 - 2015-16? / Head Coach Calvin Dockery

Regardless of the outcome, the Bears have punched their ticket to the Third Region Boys Basketball tournament, as both winner and runner up advance to regional play to be held at the Owensboro Sportscenter in Owensboro. This will be the Bears fourth appearance in the regional tournament in five years. Details to be announced; the regional draw will be held on Saturday, February 27th.
Scouting Report - Bears-Cougars matchup: Both teams have almost identical records. The Bears are 11-14 on the season. The Cougars are 11-15, but Grayson does hold two regular season wins over the Bears by scores of 55-53 and 64-53. Grayson County is hosting this year’s tournament and will have home court advantage but as we’ve seen in the past, you can throw the regular season out the window and anything can happen. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, February 26th at Grayson County High School.