[Stardust]

LEXINGTON, KY. — Seven years after leading the South Laurel High School boys’ basketball team to its first state title, coach Steve Wright has another 12th Region school in contention.

Reserve Justin Epperson scored 18 points and Justin Edwards added 10 points and 12 rebounds as Pulaski Southwestern beat Hopkinsville 52-41 on Wednesday in a first-round game of the PNC/KHSAA Sweet Sixteen.

A crowd of 13,819 at Rupp Arena saw Pulaski Southwestern — which opened in 1993 — win in its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.

Wright is in his first season with the Warriors after a combined 25 seasons and 570 victories at Walton-Verona, Laurel County and South Laurel. He guided South Laurel to the state championship in 2005.

“Last year (Southwestern) got to the finals of the region, and I think that’s why a lot of people didn’t apply for the job, because they didn’t want that pressure of trying to get here,” Wright said. “I don’t have much sense, so I applied.”

David Kapinga added 10 points and four steals as the Warriors (28-8) — No. 14 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings — advanced to face Rowan County (26-7) in Friday’s noon quarterfinal.

Hopkinsville (32-3) got 18 points from Jordan Majors but couldn’t overcome 25 turnovers and 28.3 percent shooting. Standout freshman Jaqualis Matlock suffered an ankle injury early in the first quarter and finished with just four points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.

“That’s probably the worst game we’ve played offensively all year,” Tigers coach Tim Haworth said. “When you shoot 28 percent for the game, it’s going to be tough to beat anybody that’s good.”

Hopkinsville led 17-8 after a Majors 3-pointer early in the second quarter, but Pulaski Southwestern answered with a 12-0 run to take a 20-17 halftime lead.

It eventually became a 26-3 surge after Edwards sank two free throws for a 34-20 edge with 1:45 left in the third quarter.

“Even when we were up, I didn’t have a good feel for how we were playing,” Haworth said. “I thought we hurried everything. Pressure hadn’t bothered us all year … but tonight we weren’t going strong to the basket.”

Majors hit two free throws with 3:14 left to pull the Tigers within 41-35, but the Warriors scored six straight to put the game away.

Wright praised the play of Epperson, a 6-foot-3 senior who was averaging 5.2 points per game.

“Coach always tells us to go in there and play hard and rebound,” Epperson said. “I just tried to rebound and give my teammates more opportunities.”

Wright said he hasn’t been surprised by his team’s success.

“We’ve created a mind-set that we can do this,” he said. “Our team motto all year has been, ‘Running Down a Dream.’ If you don’t chase something, you’ll never possess it.”
http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/article...ut?Avis=B2

[SWHS Fan]

A crowd of 13,819 at Rupp Arena saw Pulaski Southwestern — which opened in 1993 — win in its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.

WE DROPPED PULASKI FROM OUR NAMES!!!!

Sorry, I'm not letting that bother me today.

[Warriors Alum]

Good Job Warriors! :Clap: :Clap: :Clap:

Don't let up!

[GetChili]

Great photos from a great day!

[OffTheHook]

The radio announcers were saying that HTown didn't hardly play any of their starters in the second half. Could someone shed some light on as to why or did this happen?

[wildthang3]

Hoptown didn't play his starters in the 2nd half in fear that Wright might try to get them to join Kapinga........

[GetChili]

A crowd of 13,819 at Rupp Arena saw Pulaski Southwestern — which opened in 1993 — win in its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.

WE DROPPED PULASKI FROM OUR NAMES!!!!

Sorry, I'm not letting that bother me today.

I noticed that when I opened the program. Someone didn't get the memo.

[GetChili]

March 14, 2012
Warriors down Hoptown 52-41; advance to state’s Elite Eight
By MICHAEL CHILDERS, CJ Correspondent
Commonwealth Journal

Lexington — The Southwestern Warriors wanted to make their first trip to the PNC/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16 Basketball State Tournament worthwhile.

Steve Wright and company made their stay in Lexington last just a little bit longer, as the Warriors used a 26-3 run in the second and third quarters to get past Hopkinsville by a final tally of 52-41 yesterday afternoon at Rupp Arena.

With the 11-point victory over the Hopkinsville Tigers, who came into the contest with a record of 32-2, Southwestern punched their tickets into the Elite Eight for the first time in the school’s 19-year history, where they will square-off with Rowan County. The Vikings of Rowan County advanced to the quarterfinals with a 64-46 triumph over North Laurel and moved to 26-7 on the year.

It was a rough beginning for the Warriors and the Tigers, as both team combined for 13 points in the opening quarter of action. At the end of the first period, Hopkinsville lead by a lone point at 7-6.

Jordan Majors, who scored 11 of his club’s team-high 18 points, got the Tigers off to a hot start in the second quarter of play. Hopkinsville opened the quarter with a 7-0 spurt to take a 14-6 lead over the Warriors.

Midway through the second frame things would change for the better for Southwestern, as the Warriors would go on a 12-0 run to take a 20-17 lead into the locker room at the intermission.

With 5:17 left until the halftime break, a put back from freshman Isaiah Collier kicked off the 12-point Southwestern run. Collier’s score cut the Tigers’ lead to seven points at 17-10.

After a free-throw from sophomore Justin Edwards, Collier came up with another basket to make the score 17-13 and stretch the run out to five unanswered points. Sophomore David Kapinga got a lay-up and a jump shot to knot the game up at 17-17 with 1:29 remaining in the second quarter.

Senior Daulton Marlow came off of the bench and came up with a huge three-pointer that gave Southwestern a 20-17 advantage and their first lead of the game since early in the first quarter. Thanks to the 12-point run, the Warriors would never trail again.

Wright, who in his first season delivered the school their first-ever 12th Region championship, knew his team would come out of the gates a bit antsy because of their lack of experience on the big stage of the State Tournament at Rupp Arena.

“I’ve never seen a kid that comes here for the first time not play on their heels,” explained Wright of the Warriors’ sluggish start. “We played a little tentatively and left (Jordan) Majors open a couple times, then we took a timeout and addressed that. We really showed some maturity and stepped back on the floor. They were right on the verge of getting away from us.”

The Warriors would continue to roll past Hopkinsville in the second half, as they outscored the Tigers by an 11-point margin at 17-6. In the third session, Southwestern was paced by an eight-point performance from senior Justin Epperson.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Warriors led by 14 points with the score being 37-23.

The Tigers didn’t shy away from Southwestern, however, as they opened the fourth and final period with a 6-1 spurt, which included two treys from Demarius Henry. Edwards, with 5:07 left in the contest, knocked down a jumper to widen the game back to 11 points at 40-29.

Hopkinsville would score six consecutive points, including four points from Jaqualis Matlock, to shrink Southwestern’s lead to 41-25 with 3:14 remaining. Once again, Edwards would score to keep the momentum from total shifting into the direction of the Tigers.

A Matlock dunk with 57 seconds left in the game made the score, 49-40, in favor of the ‘Blue and Orange.’ Three made free-throws from senior Cody Epperson sealed the deal for the Warriors, sending Hopkinsville home for the season.

The Warriors received a huge lift from Justin Epperson in the second half, as he was nothing short of magnificent, pouring in 14 of his game-high 18 points. Epperson, who didn’t start the game, came off the bench and had a nice game that allowed the Warriors to move to 28-8 and advance on in the State Tournament.

Wright was pleased with the way Epperson has taken on his role of coming off of the bench all season long.

“At times this year, Justin Epperson has waited to get into the game because sometimes (Isaiah) Collier is shooting the ball good, or Cody (Epperson) is shooting the good, or (Daulton) Marlow is playing good,” explained the veteran head coach. “Sometimes Justin got left out - literally. I told him after the game that he was the ultimate team player, because he has not complained one time.”

“As a coach, it’s a special moment to see him have a big game, because he deserves it and he waited his turn,” praised Wright, who won a state title in 2005 while coaching at South Laurel. “He is a great example of a team player for younger kids to realize that you aren’t going to be the man and you’ve got to wait your turn.”

For his 18-point and three rebound performance, Epperson was named the National Guard Player of the Game, as well as, the Subway Sub of the game.

Edwards finished with a double-double in the ballgame, scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Kapinga joined Justin Epperson and Edwards in double figures, as the sophomore tallied 10 points, as well.

Hopkinsville was led by Majors, who tallied 18 points. Henry chimed in with 10 points for the Tigers.

Both teams committed quite a bit of miscues in the contest, as Hopkinsville had 25 turnovers and the Warriors had 19. Neither team shot too well either, as the Tigers went 15 of 53 from the field for 28 percent, while Southwestern shot 17 of 46 for 37 percent.

The Warriors will play in the unfamiliar territory of the quarterfinals, while their next opponent - Rowan County - is no stranger to the big stage, as the Vikings advanced all the way to the championship game of the State Tournament last season.

There is an interesting twist added to Friday afternoon’s contest, as Rowan County head coach Shawn Thacker, who used to be the Somerset Briar Jumpers head coach, will get to coach against his former mentor in Wright.

First round games of the State Tournament will continue today in Lexington, with quarterfinals being played tomorrow.

Southwestern and Rowan County will kick-off the day of quarterfinals hoops action tomorrow at noon at Rupp Arena.



SOUTHWESTERN 52, HOPKINSVILLE 41



HOPKINSVILLE (32-3):

MAJORS, JORDAN 6-12 4-7 18; HENRY, DEMARIUS 3-7 1-2 10; SMITH, LAURENCE 2-5 0-0 4; MATLOCK, JAQUALIS 2-8 0-0 4; BELL, ROBERT 1-2 0-2 2; WHEELER, KENYON 1-5 0-0 2; EDWARDS, TRA 0-5 1-2 1; CAGER, DEMARIUS 0-0 0-0 0; DAVIS, TAVARUS 0-0 0-0 0; CHILDRESS, C.J. 0-3 0-0 0; ELAM, T.J. 0-3 0-0 0; WHITE, DARIUS 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 15-53 6-13 41.



SOUTHWESTERN (28-8):

EPPERSON, JUSTIN 6-7 6-6 18; KAPINGA, DAVID 5-10 0-0 10; EDWARDS, JUSTIN 3-13 4-7 10; EPPERSON, CODY 1-3 4-6 6; DAULTON, MARLOW 1-2 0-0 3; LEWIS, ROBBY 0-1 3-6 3; COLLIER, ISAIAH 1-8 0-0 2; SCHULZ, JUSTIN 0-2 0-0 0. Totals

17-46 17-25 52.



HHS 7 10 6 18 — 41

SWHS 6 14 17 15 — 52



3-point goals--HOPKINSVILLE 5-15 (HENRY, DEMARIUS 3-7; MAJORS, JORDAN 2-3; EDWARDS, TRA 0-2; CHILDRESS, C.J. 0-1; ELAM, T.J. 0-2), SOUTHWESTERN 1-12 (DAULTON, MARLOW 1-1; KAPINGA, DAVID 0-2; EDWARDS, JUSTIN 0-2; EPPERSON, CODY 0-1; COLLIER, ISAIAH 0-5; SCHULZ, JUSTIN 0-1). Fouled out--HOPKINSVILLE-CAGER, DEMARIUS; WHEELER, KENYON, SOUTHWESTERN-None. Rebounds--HOPKINSVILLE 35 (SMITH, LAURENCE 7; WHEELER, KENYON 7), SOUTHWESTERN 37 (EDWARDS, JUSTIN 12). Assists--HOPKINSVILLE 6 (CAGER, DEMARIUS 3), SOUTHWESTERN 9 (SCHULZ, JUSTIN 2; EPPERSON, CODY 2; EPPERSON, JUSTIN 2). Total fouls--HOPKINSVILLE 18, SOUTHWESTERN 15. A-13,819

http://somerset-kentucky.com/localsports...lite-Eight

[GetChili]

March 14, 2012
Warriors’ Justin Epperson played his role to perfection
By STEVE CORNELIUS, CJ Sports Editor
Commonwealth Journal

Lexington — Throughout his athletic career at Southwestern High School, Justin Epperson has always been one of the top players in the Warriors’ basketball program.

He has always been a starter, and last year he was selected to the CJ All-County Team.

However this year, in the new Steve Wright regime, Justin Epperson found himself on the bench and religated to a substitute with limited playing time, while his twin sibling — Cody Epperson —still remained in the starting line-up.

But Justin Epperson never complained about his own personal playing time, nor did the 2011 All-County player get upset about losing his coveted starting position.

Mature beyond his teenage years, Justin Epperson has always accepted his role on this year’s Warrior basketball team and he soon began to realize that his new role was for the betterment of the team’s overall succes.

Yesterday, Justin Epperson’s role became the deciding factor in the Warriors’ amazing second half run in their State Tournament first-round win over Hopkinsville.

Coming off the bench on Wednesday at Rupp Arena, Justin Epperson scored a game-high 18 points — with 14 points in the pivotal second half. The senior was 6-of-6 from the free throw line, 6-of-7 from the field and pulled down 6 rebounds in an effort that earned him the Subway Sub of the Game Award — which was presented to him at halfcourt at the conclusion of the game.

“On every team you can only play five guys at a time, and every team has 7 or 8 players that can play,” Southwestern coach Steve Wright said. “Sometimes guys have to wait their turn, they have to be patient and sometimes they don’t get what they want. And sometimes players have to buy into that concept and do what is best for the team.”

“At times, Justin Epperson has had to wait to get his playing minutes,” Wright continued. “Sometimes when some of our other players were playing good, Justin literally got left out of the game.”

“Justin Epperson has been the ultimate team player, because he has not complained one time,” Wright continued. “He has bought into everything I have asked him to do. This is a special moment for me as a coach, because Justin Epperson waited his turn, he had a great game and he deserved it.”

“This is a great lesson for younger players,” Wright added. “You are not always going to be the ‘man’ and you have to wait your turn, if the team does come first.”

Yeah, being a ‘role player’ sounds a little more glamorous coming out of the mouth of a seasoned basketball coach like Steve Wright. But sometimes young players incorrectly perceive the word ‘role player’ as just another fancy word for ‘sitting the bench’.

“It is tough sitting on the bench and watching my teammates play, but I root them on the best I can,” Justin Epperson explained. “Then when I get my opportunity to get into the game, I try to work my hardest. Coach (Wright) always tells me to be a force on the boards. I tried to do that today, and good things seemed to happen as a result.”

“Playing in Rupp Arena is a dream come true. When you are in middle school or elementary school, you dream about playing here,” Epperson added. “I have came here a couple of times as a spectator and we came so close last year. I wanted to come back so bad, and it feels good to be here and win our first game.”

With players like Justin Epperson sitting on their bench and waiting to contribute for the betterment of the team, Southwestern could well be a force to reckon with this weekend at the Boys Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament.

It is not who starts the game that is important. It is who finishes the game that really matters.

Justin Epperson finished the game — in a big way — for the Warriors on Wednesday.

http://somerset-kentucky.com/localsports...perfection

[Mr. Pike Central]

Gee...thanks Hopkinsville!

You cost me the Sweet Sixteen Prediction game!