Lofton Scores 28 Points, 13 of 13 on FTs

Chris Lofton scored 28 points and made 13 of 13 free throws to lead the Tennessse Volunteers to 93-88 win over East Tennessee State last night. Lofton is now 24th on UT's all-time scoring list. He passed three players on the scoring list last night.

Chris Owens Scores 1,000th Point

St. Patrick junior Chris Owens scored 28 points including his 1,000th career point in the Saints' 77-71 loss to the Deming Black Devils in the third place game of the First National Bank Holiday Classic at Bracken County tonight.

Lexington Catholic 64, Mason County 59

The Mason County Royals' 10 game season opening winning streak was snapped tonight with a 64-59 loss to the Lexington Catholic Knights in the semifinals of the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. After trailing 51-40 at the end of the third quarter, Mason County rallied to tie the game at 59-59, but Lexington Catholic scored the final five points of the game. Lexington Catholic center Nathan Novesel led all scorers with 28 points. Darius Miller led Mason County with 26 points. The Royals and Knights will meet again January 19 at The Fieldhouse.
Mason County's next game is Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. against Bracken County in the opening game of the Pepsi Mason County Invitational Tournament.

MC FG 41.2%, 3 PT FG 31.6%, FT 78.6%, REB 27, TO 16
LC FG 47.1%, 3 PT FG 26.7%, FT 66.7%, REB 33, TO 15

Mason County
Scott 8
Miller 26
Pawsat 2
Middleton 7
Setty 8
Stahl 4
Tolle 2
Browning 2

Lexington Catholic
Newton 2
Stewart 12
Smart 18
Botkin 4
Novesel 28

LC 16 11 24 13-64
MC 14 10 16 19-59

Mason County 75, Henry Clay 65

Darius Miller and Russ Middleton combined for 45 points to lead the Mason County Royals past the Henry Clay Blue Devils 75-65 last night in the quarterfinals of the
Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. Miller scored 24 points including the 1,000th of his career and Middleton scored 21. Mason County (10-0) plays Lexington Catholic tonight at 7 o'clock in the semifinals. The Clark County Cardinals play Louisville Male in the other semifinal game at 8:30. Here are some statistics and the scoring summary on last night's game:

MC FG 42.9%, 3 PT FG 52.2%, FT 78.9%, REB 31, TO 9
HC FG 49.1%, 3 PT FG 18.8%, FT 58.8%, REB 37, TO 12

Mason County
Scott 12
Miller 24
Pawsat 1
Setty 10
Browning 5
Thompson 2
Middleton 21

Henry Clay
Oakley 2
Minnifield 8
Bowman 17
Boyd 21
Moses 15
Guyn 2

MC 16 10 20 19-65
HC 10 24 15 26-75

Fifth Third Quarterfinal Schedule

The quarterfinals of the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic will be played today and tonight. Here's the schedule:

Louisville Male vs. Covington Catholic 4 p.m.
Clark County vs. Covington Holmes 5:30 p.m.
Bishop Brossart vs. Lexington Catholic 7 p.m.
Mason County vs. Henry Clay 8:30 p.m.

Mason County 5th in Bluegrasspreps.com poll

Bluegrasspreps.com Boys Top 20

1. Scott County
2. Male
3. Ballard
4. Warren Central
5. Mason County
6. Doss
7. Pleasure Ridge Park
8. Jeffersontown
9. Lexington Catholic
10. South Laurel
11. Bryan Station
12. Tates Creek
13. Madison Central
14. Clark County
15. Covington Catholic
16. Trinity
17. DuPont Manual
18. Henry Clay
19. Holmes
20. Shelby County

Mason County 57, Russell 55 OT

The Mason County Royals rallied from a six point second half deficit and from five down in overtime to beat the Russell Red Devils 57-55 tonight in the second round of the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. Mason County trailed 55-50 in overtime but scored the last seven points despite hitting just one of five free throws in the extra period. Russell had a chance to win the game missed a three-pointer at the buzzer. Tyreese Scott led the Royals in scoring with 17 points. Russell senior guard Jon Vanhoose led all scorers with 22 points including six three pointers but fouled out with 21 seconds left in overtime. Mason County plays Henry Clay in the quarterfinals Thursday at 8:30 p.m. Here are some statistics and the scoring summary:

MC FG 42%, 3 PT FG 33.3%, FT 44.4%, REB 31, TO 12
R FG 51.2%, 3 PT FG 35%, FT 36.4%, REB 29, TO 15

Mason County
Scott 17
Middleton 8
Miller 14
Setty 12
Browning 4
Downing 2

Russell
Blair 5
Vanhoose 22
Gill 10
Robinson 10
Ferguson 2
Frazier 2
Turner 4

MC 15 7 12 14-57
R 13 10 14 11-55

Saints Win, Lady Saints Lose in Tourneys

Chris Owens scored a career-high 32 points to lead the St. Patrick Saints to a 69-65 win over the Bellevue Tigers today in the First National Bank Holiday Classic at Bracken County. The Saints play LLoyd Memorial Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The St. Patrick Lady Saints lost to Knott County Central 54-46 in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Paris. The Lady Saints play Paducah Tilghman Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Lady Royals Defeat Whitley County 59-54

The Mason County Lady Royals defeated the Whitley County Lady Colonels 59-54 today in the opening round of the Applebee's Winter Classic at Boyle County.
The Lady Royals (9-3) play Anderson County tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.

Royals to Face Russell in Fifth Third Class

The mason County Royals will play the Russell Red Devils Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the second round of the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. Russell beat Louisville Central 57-41 tonight. Mason County received a first round bye.
Russell sounds pretty good Ashland Daily Independent.

Russell has a great web page for the team Russell Red Devils.

Lofton SEC Player of the Week

For school record sixth time, Tennessee guard Chris Lofton has been named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. Lofton scored 35 points in the Volunteers' 111-105 overtime win over Texas Saturday. This is the third time this season that Lofton has received the SEC Player of the Week award.

Lady Saints and Lady Royals in Holiday Tournaments

The St. Patrick Lady Saints will play in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Bourbon County and Paris this week. The Lady Saints play Knott County Central Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Paris High School. If the Lady Saints win that game, they'll play in the quarterfinals Thursday at 7:30 p.m. If they lose Wednesday, they'll move into the consolation bracket and play Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
The Mason County Lady Royals play in the Applebee's Winter Classic at Boyle County.
The Lady Royals' first round game is Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. against Whitley County.

First National Bank Holiday Classic

The Bracken County Polar Bears will host the First National Holiday Classic Wednesday through Saturday. The eight teams are divided into two pools:

Pool A
Bracken County
Deming
Betsy Layne
Nicholas County

Pool B
Lloyd Memorial
Bellevue
St. Patrick
Augusta

Wednesday
3:00 Bellevue vs. St. Patrick
4:45 Deming vs. Betsy Layne
6:30 LLoyd Memorial vs. Augusta
8:15 Bracken County vs. Nicholas County

Thursday
3:00 Augusta vs. Bellevue
4:45 Nicholas County vs. Deming
6:30 St. Patrick vs. Lloyd Memorial
8:15 Bracken County vs. Betsy Layne

Friday
3:00 Bellevue vs. Lloyd Memorial
4:45 Betsy Layne vs. Nicholas County
6:30 St. Patrick vs. Augusta
8:15 Bracken County vs. Deming

Saturday
3:00 7th place game
4:45 5th place game
6:30 3rd place game
8:15 Championship game

Fifth Third Bank Classic

The Fifth Third Bank Classic begins tomorrow at Lexington Catholic. The Mason County Royals received a first round bye. The Royals play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against the winner of the Louisville Central-Russell game. Here's a link to the tournament bracket.
Merry Christmas!

Recommended Reading on Lofton's Big Game

Here are some links to newspaper stories on Chris Lofton's 35 point game against Texas:

Tennessean

Chattanooga Times Free Press

American Statesman

That last link is from the Austin, Texas newspaper. You may have to register to read it, but it's worth the time. I also had a bad link originally. If you tried to read it and couldn't, try again.

Lady Royals Defeat Bellevue

The Mason County Lady Royals defeated Bellevue tonight in the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. De'Sarae Chambers led the way with 22 points and 14 rebounds, Lacy Cline scored 19 points, Kasey Litzinger scored 14 points, Torrey Chambers had 10 points and 10 rebounds, Keller Menke scored seven points, Megan Reese scored six points and Kasey Hale added two points. The Lady Royals go 2-2 in the classic and are 8-3 overall. Mason County plays in the Applebee's Winter Classic at Boyle County next week.

Lofton Scores 35 Points, Grabs 11 Rebounds

Chris Lofton scored a career-high 35 points and had 11 rebounds to lead Tennessee to a 111-105 overtime win over Texas today. Lofton hit some long shots. Check out the post game quotes.

Lady Royals Lose to Louisville DuPont Manual

The Mason County Lady Royals suffered their second straight loss in the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic last night falling to Louisville DuPont Manual 75-68. Mason County plays Bellevue tonight at 6:15. Here's the Lady Royals' scoring summary from last night's game:
D. Chambers 19
T. Chambers 16
Cline 15
Litzinger 8
Menke 7
Reese 3

Lady Royals Lose to Sacred Heart

The Mason County Lady Royals lost to Sacred Heart 68-40 yesterday in the second round of the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. Sacred Heart shot
55% from the field. The Lady Royals (7-2) play Louisville Manual in the consolation bracket tonight at 7:30.

Lady Royals Face State Power Sacred Heart Today

The Mason County Lady Royals play Sacred Heart, one of the top girls' basketball programs in the state, today at 4:30 in the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. Sacred Heart, a private school in Louisville, won three straight state titles from 2002 to 2004. The Valkyries are 4-0 this season.

Lady Royals 64, Muhlenberg North 53

The Mason County Lady Royals defeated Muhlenberg North 64-53 today in the Fifth-Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. The Lady Royals play again tomorrow at 4:30 against the winner of today's game between Sacred Heart and Pike County Central. Here are some statistics:

MC FG 51%, 3 PT FG 21%, FT 84%, REB 48, TO 18
MN FG 34%, 3 PT FG 27%, FT 25%, REB 28, TO 13

Mason County scoring
D. Chambers 19
T. Chambers 15
Menke 14
Cline 7
Litzinger 6
Reese 3

Davila to Start for UC in Bowl Game

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Nick Davila will be the Cincinnati Bearcats'
starting quarterback in the International Bowl. Here's a link to the story:
Enquirer

Mason County 87, West Union 65

Trevor Settty hit seven three-pointers and scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Mason County Royals to an 87-65 win over the West Union Dragons tonight at The Fieldhouse. Mason County led 35-28 at halftime and outscored West Union 21-12 in the third quarter and 31-25 in the fourth quarter. Mason County made 13 three-pointers. The Royals' superior depth seemed to be a big factor in the second half. Russ Middleton scored 22 points. Darius Miller scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds. Tyreese Scott scored 14 points. West Union was led by senior point guard Jordan Cox with 20 points. Eric Richmond scored 16 points and Jeremy Bennington had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Mason County (8-0) plays December 27th at 6:30 p.m. in the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic.
The Royals received a bye and will play the winner of the Louisville Central-Russell game. West Union (2-2) plays at Lynchburg-Clay Friday night.
Here are some statistics on tonight's game:

MC FG 43.9%, 3 PT FG 48.1%, FT 64%, REB 42, TO 13
WU FG 40%, # PT FG 35.7%, FT 88.9% REB 33, TO 17

Mason County
Scott 14
Miller 19
Setty 27
Middleton 22
Browning 5

West Union
Staggs 8
Cox 20
Price 2
Bennington 15
Hacker 4
Richmond 16

MC 21 14 21 31-87
WU 15 13 12 25-65

Shotwell Wins 130 Pound Class in NKAC

Campbell County freshman Korey Shotwell of Maysville won the 130 pound class in the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Championship wrestling tournament Saturday at Conner. This is Shotwell's third season on the varsity team. Here's a link to the Kentucky Post story on the tournament- NKAC Championship
Here's a link to Campbell County's wrestling schedule.

Lady Royals Headed to Fifth Third Bank Classic

The Mason County Lady Royals play Muhlenberg North tomorrow at 3:30 in the Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. Here's a link to the
tournament bracket.

Royals Host West Union Tonight

The Mason County Royals are at home tonight against the West Union Dragons. West Union has one of its best teams in years. The Dragons are off to a 2-1 start. Mason County is 7-0. West Union called Mason County wanting to schedule this game.

Lofton Scores 20 as Vols Upset Oklahoma State

Chris Lofton scored 20 points in Tennessee's 79-77 upset win over previously unbeaten Oklahoma State. Lofton hit three three-pointers. Tennessee hosts Texas Saturday at noon. The game is on ESPN.

Final Thoughts on Weekend Trip to Hazard

I can't say enough about the hospitality extended to us during the Perry Country Central Classic over the weekend. PCC coach Allan Holland and everyone at the classic went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Here are some thoughts on the weekend:

- John C. Combs Arena is a great facility. The seating capacity is listed at 4,895 on the KHSAA web site. There are bleacher seats on both sides and both ends of the court. Easily visible scoreboards are located on all four corners of the gym.

- The classic is an outstanding two-night event. I only got to watch portions of two games other than the games Mason County played. I was impressed with how hard Clay County played and how well the Tigers shot the ball in their Saturday night win over Letcher County Central.

- Several people have asked me about the Mason County-June Buchanan game. The Royals won 57-55 on Trevor Setty's three-pointer with .5 left. Mason County didn't play its best game, but some of the credit has to go to June Buchanan, a very young team that can play. The Crusaders junior point guard Clark Stepp is not a great shooter, but he knows how to score. He's left-handed, but can shot with either hand. He made several right-handed shots in the lane. He scored 23 points on only 12 shots. June Buchanan plays in the Fifth Third Classic next week at Lexington Catholic.

- Mason County had an easier than expected win (76-44) over Perry Country Central Saturday night. The Royals played outstanding defense in that game. The Commodores shot just 34.1% from the field. Mason County also showed it can win big even when Darius Miller doesn't score a lot. Miller had nine points.

- The folks in that part of the state love the Kentucky Wildcats. Several people asked me if Darius was going to go to UK. I told them he hasn't decided where to go to college, but I did make them aware that Kentucky coach Tubby Smith has been to Maysville three times.

This Week's Hoops Schedule

Here is this week's high school basketball schedule:

Monday
(Freshman Boys) Mason County at Campbell County 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday
(Freshman Girls) Mason County at Pendleton County 6:30 p.m.
(Boys) West Union at Mason County 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday
(Girls) Mason County vs. Muhlenberg North in Fifth Third Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic 3:30 p.m.
(Boys) Nicholas County at St. Patrick 7:30 p.m.

Thursday
(Girls) Mason County at Fifth Third Bank Classic TBA

Friday
(Girls) Mason County at Fifth Third Bank Classic TBA

Saturday
(Girls) Mason County at Fifth Third Bank Classic TBA

Mason County 76, Perry County Central 44

Trevor Setty scored a career-high 18 points in the Mason County Royals' 76-44 win over Perry Country Central tonight on the Commodores' home court. Mason County outscored PCC 20-13 in the second quarter, 20-7 in the third quarter. Three different Royals had hot streaks. Russ Middleton scored all 12 of his points in the second quarter, Tony Browning scored all 10 of his points in the secvond quarter, and Setty scored 11 of his 18 in the third quarter. Here are some statistics:

MC FG 54.9%, 3PT FG 47.1%, FT 85.7%, REB 33, TO 14
PCC FG 34.1%, 3 PT FG 14.3%, FT 66.7%, REB 23, TO 15

Mason County
Scott 4
Middleton 12
Miller 9
Setty 18
Pawsat 2
Thompson 3
Sthal 4
Browning 10
Tolle 2
King 7
Downing 5

Perry County Central
Stacy 5
Watts 3
Kelly 9
Bailey 9
Amis 3
Brashear 13
Travis 2

MC 22 20 20 14 76
PCC 17 13 7 7 44

Lofton Scores 32 in Win Over Western Ky

Chris Lofton continued his red hot shooting and scored 32 points to lead Tennessee to a 93-79 win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers today. Lofton was 11 of 15 from the field including five of nine from three point range. He hit five of seven free throws and had five rebounds and four assists.

Mason Co 57, June Buchanan 55

Trevor Setty hit a three-pointer with a half second to play to give the Mason County Royals a 57-55 win over June Buchanan tonight at Perry County Central. The Royals led 47-36 with 1:30 left in the third quarter. Darius Miller, who scored 28 points, fouled out with 1:28 to play with the Royals leading 54-52. Clark Stepp hit two free throws to tie the game. Mason County had turn over and June Buchanan was playing for the last shot. Stepp got fouled with 7.5 seconds and made one of two free throws to put the Crusaders up 55-54. Russ Middleton drove in to front court, pentrated the zone and kicked the ball out to Setty for the game winning basket.
Here are the statistics:
MC FG 38.2%, 3 PT FG 27.6%, FT 50% REB 34, TO 14
JB FG 53.7%, 3 PT FG 28.6%, FT 60% REB 29, TO 14

Mason County
Scott 10
Middleton 5
Miller 28
Setty 6
Pawsat 2
Thompson 2
Stahl 2
King 2

June Buchanan
Collins 14
Conley 2
Stepp 23
Cox 9
Hall 5
Slone 2

MC 17 11 17 12 57
JB 17 6 17 15 55

Mason County plays Perry County Central tomorrow at 5:30.

Former Royals coach and current Pikeville College coach Kelly Wells was at the game tonight. I interviewed him at halftime. I interviewed 1980 Mr. Basketball Ervin Stepp on the postgame show. Ervin is Clark Stepp's uncle. Ervin was impressed by Miller. He also said he told his employees when Kentucky didn't sign Chris Lofton that Lofton would haunt the Wildcats.

Leota Massey Memorial Shootout

The Leota Massey Memorial Shootout will be held Saturday at Deming High School in
Mount Olivet. Here is the schedule:

2:00 Deming vs. Bourbon County (Girls)
4:00 St. Patrick vs. Campbell County
6:00 Deming vs. Grant County
8:00 Bracken County vs. Harrison County

Royals Will Try to Slow Down Clark Stepp

The Mason County Royals play June Buchanan tonight at Perry County Central. June Buchanan junior point guard Clark Stepp is a scoring machine. He scored 40 points against Magoffin County and 37 against Sheldon Clark. He is the nephew of Ervin Stepp who averaged 53.7 points per game for Phelps in the 1979-80 season. Ervin was the the 1980 Mr. Basketball. June Buchanan is a private school associated with
Alice LLoyd College in Pippa Passes.

Classic Schedule at Perry County Central

The Mason County Royals will play two games in the Peoples Bank/Hyden Citizen Bank Classic at Perry Country Central in Hazard this weekend. Here is the schedule:

Friday
6:00 Powell County vs. Oneida Baptist Institute
7:30 Leslie County vs. Estill County
9:00 June Buchanan vs. Mason County

Saturday
2:00 Perry Country Central vs. Betsy Layne (Girls)
4:00 Cordia vs. North Laurel
5:30 Perry County Central vs. Mason County
7:00 Buckhorn vs. Shelby Valley
8:30 Letcher County vs. Clay County

Chris Owens on a Scoring Tear

St. Patrick junior Chris Owens has scored a total of 83 points in the Saints' last three games. Owens scored 25 points in the Saints' loss to Silver Grove, 28 in the team's first win of the season win (against Deming) and 30 in St. Patrick's victory over Fleming County. On the McDonald's High School Basketball Show Monday night, Saints coach Jason Hinson said Owens' last three games have been "pretty fabulous." St. Patrick's next game is Friday night at Bracken County.

Royal Up To No. 3 In Bluegresspreps.com Poll

The Mason County Royals moved up one spot to number 3 in the Bluegrasspreps.com Top 20.


1. Scott County
2. Warren Central
3. Mason County
4. Lexington Catholic
5. Doss
6. Male
7. Pleasure Ridge Park
8. Jeffersontown
9. South Laurel
10. Madison Central
11. George Rogers Clark
12. Ballard
13. DeSales
14. Bryan Station
15. Tates Creek
16. DuPont Manual
17. Trinity
18. Covington Catholic
19. Lafayette
20. Holmes

Mason County 87, Ashland 49

Tyreese Scott scored 22 points to lead the Mason County Royals to an 87-49 win over the Ashland Tomcats tonight at The Fieldhouse. Scott scored the Royals' final eight points of the second quarter and their first five points of the third quarter.
Here's the scoring summary and some statistics:
Mason County
Scott 22
Middleton 16
Miller 14
Thompson 8
Setty 7
King 6
Browning 5
Stahl 4
Tolle 3
Downing 2

Ashland
Wilcox 13
Thomas 12
Bonner 7
McDavid 7
Coleman 6
Rose 4

MC 20 20 26 21 87
A 9 15 17 8 49

Mason County
FG 45%, 3 PT FG 21.7%, FT 90.9% Reb 44, TO 8

Ashland
FG 39.5% 3 PT FG 4/13 FT 64.7% Reb 31, TO 22

Lofton SEC Player of the Week Again

For the second time this season and the fifth time in his career, Tennessee guard Chris Lofton has been named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. Lofton scored a career-high 34 points in the Volunteers' win over Memphis last week.
According to UTsports.com Lofton and Dyron Nix are the only two Tennesseee players to receive the award five times.

Royals Host Tomcats Tonight

Mason County fans get a rare chance to watch the Royals in The Fieldhouse as they host the Ashland Tomcats tonight. The Royals only have seven more regular season home games not counting the Pepsi-Mason County Invitational Tournament. Former Pendleton County coach Buddy Biggs is the new coach at Ashland. Biggs spent one season as an assistant coach at Mason County. Ashland is 1-2. Mason County is 4-0.
Here are the probable starters:

Mason County

G #3 Tyreese Scott 5'8" 155 Sr.
G #33 Russ Middleton 6'3" 170 Soph.
G-F #21 Darius Miller 6'6" 210 Jr.
F #24 Trevor Setty 6'5" 160 Jr.
F #23 Brad Pawsat 6'4" 190 Sr.

Ashland

G #32 Robbie Wilcox 6'2" 175 Sr.
G #34 Danny Coleman 6'0" 190 Sr.
C #33 Ryan Bonner 6'4" 205 Soph.
F #23 Drew McDavid 6'3" 190 Sr.
F #30 Matt Thomas 6'2" 180 Jr.

High School Basketball Schedule

Here is this week's high school basketball schedule:

Tonight
(Girls) Mason County at Clark County 7:30 p.m.
(Freshman Boys) Clark County at Mason County 6 p.m.
(Freshman Boys) St. Patrick at Pendleton County 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday
(Boys) Ashland at Mason County 7:30 p.m.
(Freshman Girls) Campbell County at Mason County 6 p.m.

Thursday
(Girls) Mason County at Fleming County 7:30 p.m.
(Freshman Boys) Mason County at Pendleton County 7:30 p.m.

Friday
(Boys) St. Patrick at Bracken County 7:30 p.m.
(Boys) Mason County vs June Buchanan at Perry County Central 9 p.m.
(Girls) Nicholas County at St. Patrick 7:30 p.m.

Saturday
(Boys) St. Patrick vs. Campbell County at Deming 4 p.m.
(Boys) Mason County at Perry Country Central 5:30 p.m.
(Girls) St. Patrick at Ludlow 7:30 p.m.

Saints Play Home Opener Tonight

After opening the season with three straight road games, the St. Patrick Saints play their home opener tonight against Fleming County . The Panthers have a new head coach, Brad Frasure.

Mason County 71, Lincoln County 40

With Kentucky coach Tubby Smith watching, Darius Miller scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Mason County Royals to a 71-40 win over the Lincoln County Patriots tonight in the Kentucky Bank Shootout at Bourbon County. Mason County led by 15 at halftime and outscored Lincoln County 27-11 in the second half. The Patriots shot 60% from the field in the first half, but just 22% in the second half.
Miller had back to back monster dunks in the third quarter. The Royals, 4-0, host Ashland Tuesday night. Here's the scoring summary:

Mason County
Miller 21
Middleton 13
Scott 9
Setty 8
King 8
Downing 6
Pawsat 2
Thompson 2
Stahl 2

Lincoln County
Keeton 11
Young 8
Overstreet 7
Ralston 4
Calhoun 4
Spurlin 4
Ramey 2

MC 24 20 13 14 71
LC 13 16 9 2 40

Lofton Makes Great Copy

Here are links to three Tennessee newspaper stories about Chris Lofton's 34 point game against Memphis:

Tennessean
Commercial Appeal

Chattanooga Times Free Press

Kentucky Bank Shootout

The Kentucky Bank Shootout presented by the Hyatt Regency Hotel will be played Friday and Saturday at Bourbon County High School. Here is the schedule:

Friday
6 p.m. Bourbon County vs. Louisville Manual (girls)
7:30 pm. Mason County vs. Lincoln County
9 p.m. Paris vs. Rose Hill Christian (girls)

Saturday

11:30 a.m. Paris vs. North Laurel
1 p.m. Henry Clay vs. Louisville Moore
2:30 p.m. Bryan Station vs. Milwaukee Custer
4 p.m. Tates Creek vs. Owensboro
6 p.m. Bourbon County vs. Harlan
7:30 p.m. Oak Hill Academy vs. Cincinnati Withrow
9 p.m. Clark County vs. South Laurel

Tubby Talks About Lofton During Visit to Maysville

Tubby Smith was the featured speaker at a dinner in Maysville last night. I didn't go to the dinner, but WFTM replayed his speech this morning. Smith said "while I know better than anyone in the big blue land what could have been had we recruited
Chris (Lofton) to UK, but nothing that was done during that time can be undone, really, nothing that has been said about it can be unsaid and what was written about me can not be unwritten." Smith also said he has spent many a night kicking himself thinking about Lofton. Proceeds from the dinner will be used to purchased computers for the Tom Browning Boys and Girls Club through the Tubby Smith Foundation.
Smith also met fans in Fields Auditorium at Maysville Community and Technical College.

Lofton Scores A Career High 34 Points

Chris Lofton scored a career-high 34 points to lead Tennessee to a 76-58 win over Memphis last night. Lofton made 12 of 18 shots from the field including six of 11 three point shots. He is now second on Tennessee's all-time three-pointer list.
He was four of four from the free throw line and grabbed five rebounds. Lofton scored 21 points in the first half. At one point, Lofton had outscored Memphis 21-20.

Tubby Smith Coming to Maysville Tonight

University of Kentucky men's basketball coach Tubby Smith will be in Maysville tonight. He will be speaking at a dinner at the Maysville Conference Center.
Smith will also make a public appearance in Fields Auditorium at Maysville Community and Technical College from 8 to 9 p.m. That event is free and open to the public.

Mason County 83, Bourbon County 42

This was a major mismatch. Mason County scored the first nine points, shot 64.5% in the first half and 60% for the game. Bourbon County had 18 turnovers in the first half. Darius Miller had a reverse dunk on an alley oop in the third quarter.
Bourbon County coach Mike Flynn is one of my favorite coaches. He'll do fine when he gets better players. The program needs stability. Flynn is the Colonels' fourth coach in six years and the third in three years. Here's the scoring:

Mason County
Miller 18
Setty 14
Scott 13
Middleton 10
Stahl 8
Pawsat 5
King 4
Downing 4
Tolle 3
Thompson 3
Hamm 1

Bourbon County
Coons 10
Wigglesworth 9
McCombs 7
Hogue 5
Kenny 3
Sosby 2
Dailey 2
Graham 2
Lynch 2

Royals No. 4 in Bluegrasspreps.com Poll

The Mason County Royals are ranked fourth in the weekly Bluegrasspreps.com high school basketball rankings. Here is the BGP Boys Top 20:

1. Scott County
2. South Laurel
3. Warren Central
4. Mason County
5. Pleasure Ridge Park
6. Lexington Catholic
7. Male
8. Jeffersontown
9. Madison Central
10. Ballard
11. Doss
12. George Rogers Clark
13. Holmes
14. DeSales
15. Covington Catholic
16. Bryan Station
17. Lafayette
18. DuPont Manual
19. Henry Clay
20. Trinity

Here's a link to the site Bluegrasspreps.com

Scaggs and Rice Academic All-State

Two Mason County cross country runners-- senior Travis Scaggs and 7th grader Valerie Rice-- have been named to the Academic All-State Team. The criteria for the first team is a 3.75 grade point average or higher for academics, either be ranked in the top 20 during the year (Scaggs) or finish in the top 25 at the state meet (Rice) for the athletic side.

Mason County Royals Roster

Here is the Mason County Royals varsity roster:

#3 Tyreese Scott 5'8" 155 Sr.
#33 Russ Middleton 6'3" 170 Soph.
#21 Darius Miller 6'6" 210 Jr.
#24 Trevor Setty 6'5" 160 Jr.
#23 Brad Pawsat 6'4" 190 Sr.
#31 Jeremy Thompson 5'9" 175 Soph.
#41 Nathan Stahl 6'2" 185 Sr.
#25 Tony Browning 6'3" 195 Sr.
#42 Jackson Tolle 6'2" 200 Jr.
#22 Ethan King 6'3" 170 Jr.
#15 Ryan Hamm 5'7" 125 Soph.
#43 Keith Downing 6'2 1/2" 160 Soph.

Brian Kelly is the New Football Coach at UC

University of Cincinnati quarterback Dustin Grutza seems to be excited about the
Bearcats' new coach in this Cincinnati Enquirer story.

McGlone to Keep Coaching Football at Russell

Mason County and Russell will be district rivals once again next season thanks to the realignment of the football classes, and veteran coach Ivan McGlone will still be on the sidelines coaching the Red Devils. Read the story on the Ashland Daily Independent.

Mason County 73, Scott 50

Darius Miller scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Mason County Royals to a 73-50 road win over the Scott Eagles. Miller was 11 of 16 from the field. I lost count, but I believe he had five dunks. He also blocked five shots. Tyreese Scott scored 13 pounts and Ethan King scored a career-high 12 points. Tony Browning missed the game with an ankle injury. Florida assistant coach Lewis Preston was at the game.
Here are some stats:

MC FG 29/60 48.3%; 3 PT FG 1/13 7.69%; FT 14/23; Rebounds 57; Turnovers 26;
S FG 17/59 28.8%; 3 PT FG 5/35 14.3%; FT 11/25 44.0%; Rebounds 29; Turnovers 16;

Mason County (2-0) plays at Bourbon County Tuesday night.

De'sarae Chambers is the Lady Royals' All-Time Leading Scorer

Mason County junior De'sarae Chambers is the Lady Royals' all-time leading scorer. Chambers scored 17 points in Mason County's 80-49 win over Ripley tonight giving her a career total of 1,771 points. Angie Garrett had the previous record. Garrett scored 1,768 points in her career from 1985 to 1989.

Lofton Scores 20 In Vols' Win

Chris Lofton scored 20 points to lead the Tennessee Volunteers to an 89-64 win over the Murray State Racers tonight. Lofton was five of nine from the field including four of seven on three-pointers. he made six of eight free throws and grabbed five rebounds. The Volunteers host Memphis Wednesday night.

Saints Play at Silver Grove Tonight

The St. Patrick Saints travel to Silver Grove tonight to play the Big Trains. Here is the Saints' varsity roster:

#15 Robert Englert 5'11" 150 Sr.
#22 Chris Owens 6'2" 155 Jr.
#43 William Newton 6'0" 165 Sr.
#3 Nick Anderson 6'0" 145 Jr.
#40 Adam Yeary 6'2" 180 Sr.
#24 Dwight Cunningham 6'0" 180 Sr.
#34 Stephen Klee 6'4" 160 Sr.
#5 Andy Clarke 5'7" 125 Soph.
#55 Jason Conway 6'0" 170 Sr.
#20 Darby Gallenstein 5'11" 150 Soph.
#4 Matt Thompson 6'3" 160 Soph.
#14 Nick Cropper 5'6" 115 Soph.
#30 Daniel Strode 5'10" 170 Soph.
#44 Ashley Flynn 5'8" 170 Soph.
#10 Chadwick Thomas 5'8" 125 Fr.
#25 Lee Gallenstein 6'0" 170 Fr.
#10 Stephen Mason 6'2" 160 Fr.
#33 Tyler Morris 6'3" 155 Jr.