It was a hard fought game between Caverna and Washington County in the All “A” Classic Semi-finals at Campbellsville high school and in a game which the Commanders finally pulled it out hitting their free throws in what turned out to be a 73-70 win. Afterwards, freshman forward Beau Baker threw his arms up in the air to celebrate. Not necessarily because of his game high 24-points and 12-rebounds, but because it was Washington County’s third win in four attempts which already had them near last season’s 5-win total. Three days later, they got No.4 with a 60-58 victory over stubborn Green County in the championship game. This time, it was senior point guard Josh Burkhead who helped carry the team with 20-points in the win.
So how does a team which struggled through a 5-26 record in 2019-2020 season suddenly sit at 10-4 and playing much better at this point? After the Commanders went 19-13 record and a trip to the Region Tournament in 2018-2019 under head coach Bernard Smalley, the graduation of four of the team’s top five scorers prove to be a challenge. New coach Stephen Woodson fielded a different lineup as other than Burkhead, guys like Caleb Foster, Taven Hodges, Christian Smith, Beau Baker, Jakobie Hughes and Javontae Wright were getting plenty of playing time. Washington County struggled at times and only scored over 60-points in 10-of-their- 31-games. However there were signs of improvement as they broke the 60-points or more mark in their last six games going 3-3.
After losing two more senior scorers from last year’s team, the Commanders have responded well with a more experienced lineup. Burkhead is currently the team’s leading scorer with 234-points, while Baker is second in scoring and leads the team in rebounding (91). Sophomore Jakobie Hughes is third in scoring and is the leading three point shooter on the team with 21. Junior Caleb Foster is the team’s fourth scorer with 88 and Kamar Phillips isn’t too far behind with 63.
Also, the Commanders are showing a flair for winning some close ones as well with four-wins by five-points or less. The schedule gets tougher with LaRue County and John Hardin coming up soon, but these will be great tests for Woodson’s team as they continue to grow and mature this season.
