[Stardust]

STANFORD — The Boyle County team that raised a championship trophy Friday night was the team the Rebels always thought they could be. And it wasn’t the one Lincoln County wanted to see.
Regarded as one of the top teams in the 12th Region before the season, the Rebels struggled through two-thirds of the regular season before turning things around over the last month.
They reaped the reward for their resolve Friday night when they defeated Lincoln County 52-36 to win the boys 45th District Tournament.
Boyle took the long way to a district championship, but the Rebels said that made reaching their goal that much more meaningful.
“It makes it sweeter with the adversity that we went through,” Boyle coach Steve Adams said. “We’re the same club we were back in October and November. We just have our confidence now.”
The Rebels came into the postseason as the hottest team in the district, and their fire was stoked by Lincoln’s student section, which chanted, “We want Boyle!” as the Patriots were completing their semifinal win over Danville on Wednesday. Boyle’s players said they were on their way out the door when they heard the chant.
“Their student section called us out, and we gave them what they wanted,” Boyle center Michael Arnett said. “They said, ‘We want Boyle,’ and we gave them Boyle.”
Boyle outscored host Lincoln 21-2 over the final 7 minutes to break open what had been a close game through three quarters and secure its second district title in three years.
“They’re playing as well as anybody in the region right now. They’re playing like everybody thought they would all along,” Lincoln coach Jeff Jackson said.
Boyle lost seven of its first nine games and was 4-13 after a Jan. 19 loss.
“We went through some really tough times. Those were some really low lows, but we came back and this is a really high high, and it feels great to win,” Boyle guard Kyle Rice said.
The Rebels have won seven of their last nine games.
“Everyone doubted us. At the beginning of the year we weren’t winning many games, and we started coming together and people started believing in us again,” guard Micah Satterly said.
Boyle (11-15) won by knocking down shots and locking down Lincoln (19-12), which was held to its lowest score of the season.
“We didn’t execute well tonight, but their defense had a lot to do with that. We didn’t shoot well tonight, and their defense had a lot to do with that,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to do a better job executing when people are really being physical with us. They’re a tough matchup for us.”
Arnett had 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead Boyle, which defeated Lincoln for the second time in three meetings this season. Both teams will advance to the 12th Region Tournament.
Neither team led by more than four points through the first three periods, and Lincoln led 34-31 after Luke Hill opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a layup.
Arnett answered with sank an elbow jumper on the other end to kick off a string of 11 straight points for Boyle, and the Patriots didn’t score again for more than 5 1/2 minutes.
“We were doing a real good job defensively, they quit attacking, they were wasting time, moving around and we were making them take bad shots. And we were rebounding and pushing the ball and attacking the basket,” Adams said. “When you’re attacking and you’re making shots or you get to the free-throw line, your defense gets better and the other team kind of panics a little bit, maybe. The kids just continued to play hard.”
Zach Hester’s putback — his only basket of the game — gave the Rebels a 36-34 lead with 4:19 to play. Rice followed with a three-point play, and then a layup by Arnett and a free throw by Satterly made it 42-34 with 1:40 left.
Timmy Taylor scored 15 seconds later to end the Lincoln drought, but the damage had been done. The Patriots went 2 for 13 from the field in the fourth quarter, and the Rebels went 13 for 16 at the free-throw line, including 10 for 10 in the 1:18.
“We missed shots, and they hit free throws,” Jackson said. “It was not a 16-point game, but 16’s as good as one. They made plays down the stretch, and we didn’t get stops when we needed to.”
Boyle did. The Rebels gave up 74 points in their two tournament games, and Adams said defense could make them dangerous in the regional.
“I think we’re one of the better defensive teams,” he said. “Defense is going to give us a chance every night. If we shoot the ball well, we’re going to be a hard out.”
Boyle shot 51.6 percent (16 for 31) from the field, while Lincoln shot 28 percent (14 for 50) and was 2 for 15 from 3-point range.
“They’re a 3-point shooting team, and I think we did a great job on that,” Satterly said.
The Rebels also outrebounded the Patriots 30-21.
Boyle led 29-25 midway through the third quarter, but Lincoln scored six straight points, including baskets by Micah Ward and Taylor off turnovers, to go in front.
Ward led the Patriots with 14 points, and Hill added 11. They had five rebounds each.
Both Boyle and Lincoln can now look ahead to the regional, which opens Wednesday at Pulaski County, and Jackson said both teams could be hard to beat.
“I think we’re capable on any given night, (but) we have to shoot well to play well,” he said. “I’m proud of our kids. We won 19 games, and most people didn’t think we would win 19 games other than me. And I’m naive; I think we’re going to win every time we go out there on the floor.”
Rice said he thinks opponents will — or at least should — view Boyle differently than they might have a month ago.
“I think people will look at our record and think, ‘They’re coming around at the right time,’” he said. “But we haven’t accomplished all our goals yet. This is just one step.”

http://www.centralkynews.com/amnews/spor...4205.story

[Stardust]

45th District Tournament
At Lincoln County
Championship
Boyle County 7 18 31 52
Lincoln County 5 16 32 36
BOYLE (11-15) — Kyle Rice 14, Zach Hester 2, Michael Arnett 16, Micah Satterly 9, Brett Jones 5, Hagen Tyler 3, Aram Martin 3.
LINCOLN (19-13) — Luke Hill 11, Trenton Edgington 5, Timmy Taylor 4, Carl-Lewis Cummins 2, Micah Ward 14.

[Stardust]

All-Tournament Team

Michael Arnett, Boyle County; Trenton Edgington, Lincoln County; Tryston Ford, Danville; Luke Hill, Lincoln County; Michael Miller, Kentucky School for the Deaf; Kyle Rice, Boyle County; Micah Satterly, Boyle County; Austin Sebastian, Garrard County.

[GetChili]

Didn't think Boyle County would win by this much.