[Strikeout King]

Something to keep an eye out on if you care about high school basketball in the state of Kentucky is a potential scandal Oscar Combs broke on Twitter Sunday. Combs tweeted that several referees could potentially be tied up in a drug/gambling ring with some doctors in Eastern Kentucky. Combs said 2 people have already been arrested, but does not mention whether those 2 are officials. What is especially interesting is he describes the arrests as potentially just “the tip of the iceberg”. Now some reporters are speculating potential game fixing in the Boys Sweet 16.


Now, why is this interesting to me, a resident of Louisville for nearly 20 years. Because the rumor always was in Louisville that referees in the Sweet 16 would do everything in their power to prevent a Louisville team from winning the state title. Which seemed like one of those crazy rumors that people from Louisville created out of arrogance thinking our teams were always the best. But, when you look at the state champions of the past decade, you do see an interesting trend:


2001: Lafayette defeated Louisville Male
2003: Mason County defeated Louisville Ballard
2006: Louisville J’Town defeated Apollo
2007: Scott County defeated Louisville Ballard
2009: Holmes defeated Louisville Central
2010: Shelby Valley defeated Louisville Ballard


Six times a Louisville team has made the final and 5 times they have been defeated. And all I will say is in those 5 times the Louisville team lost, they lost to a team in the eastern half of the state, and the 1 time they won (2006), they played a team from the western half of the state.



That’s all I am saying. Wink Wink Nudge Nudge.