Bluegrassrivals

Share with us some of the biggest upsets ever in KY High School Basketball.

Scott Co over Lex Cath (#3 in nation in the 98 Sweet 16 semi finals)
Layfayette over Male in finals of Sweet 16

The SC vs LC game was the most exciting and most well played game I have ever seen.

Graves County beating South Laurel in 2006 Sweet 16.

95' Breckenridge Co. team that won the state title, basically every game they played from their 1st round of the region untill the title game was an upset.

Also in 02' Whitesburg upset a Wayne Co. team who should have beaten them 50pts. One of the bigger sweet 16 upsets of the tourney in recent memory. Wayne County came in at like 33-1 or 2.

I don't know about state tournament teams qualifying as the biggest upsets ever.


In the 13th Region, the biggest upset ever is Pineville over a 24-1 Cawood team in the first round of the regional tournament.

Cumberland beating Rockcastle County in the 2003 finals was a fairly big upset.

This is going back aways but I can remember Evarts upseting Harlan in the first round of the 52nd district tournament in 1970. Harlan was the regional champs in 69 and was riding a 19 game winning streak. Harlan was led by Maurice Byrd, who later made NAIA All American at Cumberland College. I think Byrd held rebounding and FG% records at Cumberland College for decades.

A couple more big upsets were in 1983 when Evarts upset Cumberland and Cawood on back to back nights to win the 52nd district. Both Cumberland and Cawood were in the top 15 in the state that year, top 10 for much of the year.

However, the biggest upset of all time (Breck Co in 95 doesn't compare) was when tiny Edmonson Co upset everybody to win the Sweet 16.

Every one of Shelby Valley's in state loses for the last 3 years.

Powell co did not beat #1 Louisville Iriqouis there cavemaster see you dont know ever thing like you think you do........

letthebighogroot Wrote:Every one of Shelby Valley's in state loses for the last 3 years.

They have only been 1 time in the last 3 years.

rojas Wrote:This is going back aways but I can remember Evarts upseting Harlan in the first round of the 52nd district tournament in 1970. Harlan was the regional champs in 69 and was riding a 19 game winning streak. Harlan was led by Maurice Byrd, who later made NAIA All American at Cumberland College. I think Byrd held rebounding and FG% records at Cumberland College for decades.

A couple more big upsets were in 1983 when Evarts upset Cumberland and Cawood on back to back nights to win the 52nd district. Both Cumberland and Cawood were in the top 15 in the state that year, top 10 for much of the year.

Those were upsets, but those were pretty good Evarts teams. The only trips to the regional semifinals in school history, I think. The 83 team could have won the region with a break or two and will always be my favorite Evarts team.

I think Evarts' win over a young, but very, very talented Harlan team (Thomas, Jones, Lester) in 1992 was a bigger upset. Corbin losing to Jackson County in 1994 was also a pretty big upset.

No. 1 though is the 1978 regional. Bobby Keith will confirm if asked, and I have. Pineville was a below average team and Cawood was unbeaten in the region and had demolished Clay earlier in the year.

Pineville over Cawood was a huge upset. If I remember correctly it also cost a great coach his job.

palmer Wrote:Those were upsets, but those were pretty good Evarts teams. The only trips to the regional semifinals in school history, I think. The 83 team could have won the region with a break or two and will always be my favorite Evarts team.

I think Evarts' win over a young, but very, very talented Harlan team (Thomas, Jones, Lester) in 1992 was a bigger upset. Corbin losing to Jackson County in 1994 was also a pretty big upset.

No. 1 though is the 1978 regional. Bobby Keith will confirm if asked, and I have. Pineville was a below average team and Cawood was unbeaten in the region and had demolished Clay earlier in the year.

Evarts winning over that Harlan team in 92 was a big upset.

The biggest upset of that same Harlan team was in 94 when Clay beat them in the regional semi-finals. Harlan was ranked preseason something like 13th in the nation and was rated number 1 in the state for most of the season.

thecavemaster Wrote:When Powell County beat #1 Louisville Iriquois... in the greatest farce of a game perhaps in Kentucky basketball history.

What year was this?

bball fan Wrote:They have only been 1 time in the last 3 years.

You misunderstood my post, I realize they have only been to the Sweet Sixteen once in the last 3 years. By "in state" I mean any loses to a state school. Everyone knows that year in/year out they are the best team in the state.............Just read the posts on here!

rojas Wrote:Pineville over Cawood was a huge upset. If I remember correctly it also cost a great coach his job.

It didn't help, but coach Wilson stayed on as coach the next year. Cawood lost to Cumberland in the district tournament in 1979. The girls coach, Basil Mills, was also fired at the time, even though Cawood won the region in 1978 and lost in the finals in 1979.

letthebighogroot Wrote:Every one of Shelby Valley's in state loses for the last 3 years.

Especially that loss to that no-talent Elliott County, right? Since you say Shelby Valley was the best team in the state, SV should have won that game by 50 points, shouldn't they?

More Cowbell Wrote:Especially that loss to that no-talent Elliott County, right? Since you say Shelby Valley was the best team in the state, SV should have won that game by 50 points, shouldn't they?

To hear their fans on here tell it, they should beat anyone by 50. Now if their fans want to come back to earth and talk sensible, I will also! But remember.......to keep SV as the "best team in the mountains" Elliott county is no longer in Eastern Ky, or mountains. I figure SV fans will soon decide Hazard isn't in Eastern Ky, or mountains!

I would say the 03-04 Magoffin team i think with only 2 wins all seasons upsetting Johnson Central in the First round of the district tourney

FATMAN Wrote:I would say the 03-04 Magoffin team i think with only 2 wins all seasons upsetting Johnson Central in the First round of the district tourney

well in my mind

When Valley lost to Pikeville in district finals about 3 years ago. No one was expecting that one....

i played for johnson central on the 00-01 squad after 9 seniors graduated and we beat south floyd who went on to win the region with rusty tackett and michael hall.....imo it was upset!!!!>.....lol

1990 First round of the 15th region tournament....McDowell over a very very favored Pikeville team who was supposed to walk through the regional tournament.

letthebighogroot Wrote:To hear their fans on here tell it, they should beat anyone by 50. Now if their fans want to come back to earth and talk sensible, I will also! But remember.......to keep SV as the "best team in the mountains" Elliott county is no longer in Eastern Ky, or mountains. I figure SV fans will soon decide Hazard isn't in Eastern Ky, or mountains!

I have seen maybe a couple SV fans on here talk unrealistically about how good they are. Not every single Valley fan, as you would have everyone to believe.

To tell the truth, I see you on here making sarcastic remarks directed at Shelby Valley way more than I see these "unrealistic fans" boasting about SV being state contenders or whatever. I wish you would talk sensibly, if not about SV then maybe about your own team. But then I hardly ever see you talk about how good Elliott is, just how overhyped Shelby Valley is.

thecavemaster Wrote:When Powell County beat #1 Louisville Iriquois... in the greatest farce of a game perhaps in Kentucky basketball history.

It was #1 Louisville Shawnee that they defeated, not Iroquois. The game was played in Stanton in the old gym that Powell uesed to play in, which seated about 500 and was not a regulation size floor. I'm not sure of the year, but I think it was in the early 1970s. Powell shot something like 89 free throws for the game. I heard a story that when Powell's coach was told after the game that the free throw total was a little overboard, he answered, "Well, Shawnee shouldn't have fouled so much!'

I think it was 1969 Tom Payne played for shawnee and that's a all time record for foul shots in a game. What about that cavemaster?

LOOKAYANNER Wrote:It was #1 Louisville Shawnee that they defeated, not Iroquois. The game was played in Stanton in the old gym that Powell uesed to play in, which seated about 500 and was not a regulation size floor. I'm not sure of the year, but I think it was in the early 1970s. Powell shot something like 89 free throws for the game. I heard a story that when Powell's coach was told after the game that the free throw total was a little overboard, he answered, "Well, Shawnee shouldn't have fouled so much!'

Here is a foot note to that game. Powell County made 70 of 89 free throws for the game.( Probably still a record for 1 game. ) Winfred Hughes, PC's go to guy made 26 of 33 free throws. At one point in the game PC made 23 consecutive free throws.
Dave Fraley, who played high school ball at Meade Memorial out of the 15th region, coached PC that year. Dave later won a state championship with Pulaski County. Shawnee finished the game with only 3 players, everyone else had fouled out.
The referee's that called that game were from the 15th region.
I don't remember the court being really small, but probably a 74 footer, it's been to long to remember all the detailes.

basketballwizz Wrote:I think it was 1969 Tom Payne played for shawnee and that's a all time record for foul shots in a game. What about that cavemaster?

It was actually 1972 season

kyrifle Wrote:It was actually 1972 season

Tom Payne was in prison in 72. He played for the Atlanta Hawks during the 70/71 season.