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03-02-2012, 01:25 PM
The John Hardin Bulldogs tried a couple new wrinkles to speed up the Bardstown Bethlehem Eagles, but in the end, they turned to their defensive staples to do the job.
Jill Pickett
John Hardin's Jeremy Harness shoots over Bethlehem's Colin Crawford during a quarterfinal game Wednesday in the 5th Region Boys' Basketball Tournament at Central Hardin High School.
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The Bulldogs used a 1-3-1 in the first quarter and their full-court pressure wasnât effective at first either until they went back to their man-to-man defense. The move paid off as the Eagles werenât able to play at the tempo they wanted.
Once John Hardin got the tempo in its favor, the Bulldogs got the game that way as well. They jumped out to a 13-point third-quarter lead and coasted to a 62-45 victory in the Boysâ 5th Region Basketball Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday night at Central Hardin High School.
âWe came flat; we all came out flat,â John Hardin senior Jeremy Harness said. âIn the second quarter, we all got focused and started playing hard on both ends of the court. We started playing like we are capable and it was a good ending for us.â
The Bulldogs (20-8) advance to the region semifinals for the second time in four years and fifth time in eight years. They face the LaRue County Hawks (23-7) at 6 p.m. Monday at Central Hardin. The Hawks routed Taylor County, 73-53 on Wednesday.
John Hardin coach Mark Wells said he didnât want to allow Bethlehem to dictate the pace of the game, but he admitted the coaching staff might have made unnecessary adjustments or overthought it.
âWe wanted to make them uncomfortable with our press, but we werenât effective because we werenât moving or aggressive,â Wells said. âWe thought our 1-3-1 would make them uncomfortable, but they adjusted after a few possessions. We went back to what we do well and that was our basic defense. I think we wore them down in the second half.â
Bethlehemâs triangle-and-two defense confused the Bulldogs in the first quarter. The Eagles tried to take away junior point guard Brandon Price and junior forward Daveon Greene. John Hardin struggled to crack the defense committing three turnovers in the first 2 minutes and making only 5-of-12 shots from the field.
But with the attention being paid to Price and Greene, that left opportunities for other Bulldogs. Namely, Harness, sophomore guard Keon Williams and senior forward Ervin Montgomery. The trio combined for 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting.
âSome people think Jeremyâs just a shooter, but he showed tonight heâs a playmaker,â said Price, who finished with 17 points and five assists. âErvinâs been playing like a monster. Keon is hard to stop because of his size and length. Weâre a solid team. If they want to pay attention to us, we have other guys that can step up.â
It began to show in the second quarter. Trailing by three, Montgomery, who grabbed 10 rebounds, scored three straight points and Harness nailed a 3-pointer to give John Hardin a 15-13 lead with 6:48 left before halftime.
Tied at 17-all, Price made a short jumper from the baseline and Harness drilled a 3-pointer from the right baseline to take a 22-17 lead. It was a lead the Bulldogs never relinquished.
Even when John Hardin turned the ball over while holding for the last shot of the half, which led to a layup by junior Jacob Browning, Harness quickly answered with a layup on the other end to lift John Hardin to a 29-25 halftime lead.
The second half was played to John Hardinâs liking. Williams made a layup and then Montgomery did the same before Williams drained a 3-pointer. Price made 3-of-4 free throws and Williams 1-of-2 to stretch the lead to 40-27 with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
âWe came out aggressive the second half,â Williams said. âWe started off slow. It was huge to get out to a good start the second half. I wanted to. I made some silly fouls the first half. I wanted to come out and make an impact the second half.â
Bethlehem (22-6) used a 7-0 spurt to pull within 40-34 with 2:57 remaining and prompting Wells to call a 30-second timeout.
The Bulldogs responded with a game-clinching 10-0 run. Williams started the spurt with a layup off an inbounds play. Greene made two free throws and Price made back-to-back layups. Greene, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, capped the run with a layup to push the lead to 50-34 with 5:51 remaining.
âThat was a big momentum swing,â Wells said. âI think that got the crowd back in the game. I told them good basketball players make plays and I think we did that the second half. We made plays.â
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content...lehem-0301
Jill Pickett
John Hardin's Jeremy Harness shoots over Bethlehem's Colin Crawford during a quarterfinal game Wednesday in the 5th Region Boys' Basketball Tournament at Central Hardin High School.
Buy this photo
1 of 3
The Bulldogs used a 1-3-1 in the first quarter and their full-court pressure wasnât effective at first either until they went back to their man-to-man defense. The move paid off as the Eagles werenât able to play at the tempo they wanted.
Once John Hardin got the tempo in its favor, the Bulldogs got the game that way as well. They jumped out to a 13-point third-quarter lead and coasted to a 62-45 victory in the Boysâ 5th Region Basketball Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday night at Central Hardin High School.
âWe came flat; we all came out flat,â John Hardin senior Jeremy Harness said. âIn the second quarter, we all got focused and started playing hard on both ends of the court. We started playing like we are capable and it was a good ending for us.â
The Bulldogs (20-8) advance to the region semifinals for the second time in four years and fifth time in eight years. They face the LaRue County Hawks (23-7) at 6 p.m. Monday at Central Hardin. The Hawks routed Taylor County, 73-53 on Wednesday.
John Hardin coach Mark Wells said he didnât want to allow Bethlehem to dictate the pace of the game, but he admitted the coaching staff might have made unnecessary adjustments or overthought it.
âWe wanted to make them uncomfortable with our press, but we werenât effective because we werenât moving or aggressive,â Wells said. âWe thought our 1-3-1 would make them uncomfortable, but they adjusted after a few possessions. We went back to what we do well and that was our basic defense. I think we wore them down in the second half.â
Bethlehemâs triangle-and-two defense confused the Bulldogs in the first quarter. The Eagles tried to take away junior point guard Brandon Price and junior forward Daveon Greene. John Hardin struggled to crack the defense committing three turnovers in the first 2 minutes and making only 5-of-12 shots from the field.
But with the attention being paid to Price and Greene, that left opportunities for other Bulldogs. Namely, Harness, sophomore guard Keon Williams and senior forward Ervin Montgomery. The trio combined for 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting.
âSome people think Jeremyâs just a shooter, but he showed tonight heâs a playmaker,â said Price, who finished with 17 points and five assists. âErvinâs been playing like a monster. Keon is hard to stop because of his size and length. Weâre a solid team. If they want to pay attention to us, we have other guys that can step up.â
It began to show in the second quarter. Trailing by three, Montgomery, who grabbed 10 rebounds, scored three straight points and Harness nailed a 3-pointer to give John Hardin a 15-13 lead with 6:48 left before halftime.
Tied at 17-all, Price made a short jumper from the baseline and Harness drilled a 3-pointer from the right baseline to take a 22-17 lead. It was a lead the Bulldogs never relinquished.
Even when John Hardin turned the ball over while holding for the last shot of the half, which led to a layup by junior Jacob Browning, Harness quickly answered with a layup on the other end to lift John Hardin to a 29-25 halftime lead.
The second half was played to John Hardinâs liking. Williams made a layup and then Montgomery did the same before Williams drained a 3-pointer. Price made 3-of-4 free throws and Williams 1-of-2 to stretch the lead to 40-27 with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
âWe came out aggressive the second half,â Williams said. âWe started off slow. It was huge to get out to a good start the second half. I wanted to. I made some silly fouls the first half. I wanted to come out and make an impact the second half.â
Bethlehem (22-6) used a 7-0 spurt to pull within 40-34 with 2:57 remaining and prompting Wells to call a 30-second timeout.
The Bulldogs responded with a game-clinching 10-0 run. Williams started the spurt with a layup off an inbounds play. Greene made two free throws and Price made back-to-back layups. Greene, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, capped the run with a layup to push the lead to 50-34 with 5:51 remaining.
âThat was a big momentum swing,â Wells said. âI think that got the crowd back in the game. I told them good basketball players make plays and I think we did that the second half. We made plays.â
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content...lehem-0301
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