All A Classic State Finals
Clinton County Bulldogs (18-2) vs. St. Henry Crusaders (13-2)
Saturday, March 6 – 11:30 EST – McBrayer Arena, EKU
By Perry Swack
Written off. Overlooked. Looked past. The Clinton County Bulldogs have heard it all. But on Friday afternoon, they made sure the state of Kentucky took notice. “It was a big time win for our kids,” coach Todd Messer told The Sporting Times after his team’s 44-42 win over Evangel Christian in the semifinals of the All A Classic. “Other than ourselves and our community, a lot of people had written us off”.
The Bulldogs have plowed through three tough games to reach Saturday’s state final – which will tip off at 11:30 EST at McBrayer Arena in Richmond on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University. “You can’t get Catholic (Owensboro Catholic, CC’s first round opponent), nah, ya ain’t gonna (sic) get Murray, nah they sure ain’t getting Christian…well, we got all three of them,” Messer noted on his club’s romp to the championship game. “We got a chance tomorrow to go win a title.”
Clinton grinded its way to the victory today over the Eagles. “It was a fantastic defensive effort by our kids to hold them to 42 points.” Evangel Christian shot 36% from the field and 33% from deep. The Bulldogs were fractionally better at 38% and sometimes that is the difference. Nick Brown and Blake Melton led the team in scoring with 11 points each, while Nick Delk scored 10 points on 5-10 shooting. Brown grabbed nine rebounds and Delk recorded eight. Despite being outsized, the 4th Region representatives outrebounded Christian 33-23.
The win places Clinton into the finals of the All A Classic where they will meet St. Henry out of the 9th Region. It may be their toughest test all tournament – the Crusaders are currently ranked fourth in the state. St. Henry jumped out to a 23-5 lead on Lexington Christian today at the end of the first quarter. However, LCA cut the lead to nine early in the fourth quarter before the Crusaders cruised to a 72-49 win. Wyatt Vieth came into the game averaging 20 points a game and he scored 21 points behind a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Jude Bessler scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the victory.
Saturday’s championship showdown comes exactly 20 years after the last 4th Region program won the All A Classic. Glasgow knocked off Somerset in the title game in 2001, 60-52. Can Clinton bring home the trophy? “We may get beat,” Messer said. “But I promise you, we fear no one. We are going to play the game the way we know how to play.”
The Bulldogs and Crusaders will be an exciting championship game. I expect Clinton to come out with the edge, as they have had three intense games so far in this tournament and are coming off a nail-biter on Friday. St. Henry has won its three games by a combined 88 points. The path to victory seems clear – hold Vieth and Bessler in check, rebound well, and knock down open shots. Brown, Bryson Cross, and Chase Stines are due for a big shooting game in the finals after the trio went 7-for-25 in the semifinal win. But with Clinton, it will always come down to their defense and toughness. Messer mentioned the years of “fighting, scratching, and clawing” with the kids who helped build this program over the last 15 years. When they take the court Saturday morning, it will be upon those players’ shoulders.
Messer’s message to his team on Friday evening? “Coach ain’t satisfied. There’s one more game that’s got to be won. That one was just to get you there to get to take a full swing. I promise you…we’re taking a full swing tomorrow.”
Prediction: Clinton County 55, St. Henry 53
