[TrinitySID]

TRINITY FACES CLARK COUNTY IN KOB SEMIFINALS
ROCKS REACHED EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN 2004

Trinity and Clark County face off in the semifinals of the 2009 Canfield Development King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic as both teams look for their second championship game appearance in program history. Trinity reached the 2004 finals while Clark County claimed the title in 1983. The Shamrocks are making their fifth appearance in the event in school history and fourth of the Mike Szabo era.
Trinity is coming off a dominating 69-46 win over McEachern (Georgia). Trinity used a 13-3 run to end the third quarter to allow a 37-31 lead to balloon to 50-34 on their way to the 23-point win. McEachern had posted a 59-51 win over top-ranked Holmes the night before their loss to Trinity.
Senior Josh Sewell scored seven straight points in the third quarter, including his 1,000th point of his career at the 1:21 mark in the third quarter against McEachern. It was his 17th point of the game. He finished with a game high 19 points and 12 rebounds.

2009-10 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
• Senior Josh Sewell is a top candidate for Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball Award
• Senior Josh Sewell averaging 27.0 points per game in district play (two games).
• Senior Josh Sewell signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Miami (Ohio) on November 11, 2009.

STATISTICAL JUMP SHOTS
• Trinity is the only team in the King of the Bluegrass to win their first two games by double digits.
• Trinity is 15-9 in the 2009 calendar year.
• Four players on the Trinity roster had past experience in the King of the Bluegrass entering this year’s tournament. Josh Sewell, Taylor Epley, Daniel Corbett and Chancellor Armstrong played in the 2007 event. Sewell totaled 18 points and 16 rebounds in two games while Epley had five total points and three total rebounds in two games. Corbett and Armstrong sparingly in one game each.
• Trinity claimed its 60th win in the month of December during the Mike Szabo era with the 66-55 win over Chaparral (Arizona) on Dec. 17, 2009. Szabo is now 61-33 in the month of December during his time at Trinity.
• Senior Josh Sewell has scored in double figures in five consecutive games.
• Senior Taylor Epley has scored in double figures in all six games this season.

GAME NOTES
Shamrocks Blast McEachern (Georgia) Night After Indians Beat Kentucky #1 Holmes
Trinity posted an impressive 69-46 win over McEachern (Georgia) on Dec. 19, 2009 in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Canfield Development King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic. The win was even more impressive when noted that McEachern (Georgia) defeated Kentucky’s top ranked team at the time, Holmes, 59-51.
The win marked the second straight opponent from outside the Bluegrass state that Trinity had faced. It also marked the first time during the Mike Szabo era and first time since 2000 that Trinity had faced out-of-state foes in consecutive games. McEachern (Georgia) was the first time from Georgia to face the Shamrocks during the Szabo era.

Trinity Trailed Big, Fought Back vs. Cardinals Last Year
In last years meeting with Clark County, the Shamrocks fell behind big before making a huge comeback for the second consecutive day. Trinity trailed by 17 points at 44-27 before the Shamrocks made their second spectacular comeback in as many days. The Shamrocks trimmed the 17-point lead to one at 63-62 before Clark County was able to get four straight points and take a 67-62 lead that the Shamrocks were unable to overcome in the 68-64 loss.
Just a day before the game with Clark County, Trinity’s 19-point comeback win over Boone County on Dec. 26, 2008 marked the largest comeback of the Mike Szabo era at Trinity.
Boone County used a 29-4 run in the first and second quarters to take a 33-14 lead before Trinity closed the half on a 10-2 run to narrow the margin to 35-24 at the half. The 10-2 run saw the Shamrocks pile up five baskets on fast break points as the Shamrocks were able to get behind the press of Boone County. The Shamrocks and Rebels played even through much of the third quarter, before Trinity finally started a run of its own, a Darick Nix three pointer with 3:12 remaining in the third started a 20-2 run that lasted 5:34. The Shamrocks took their first lead since the score was 12-10 with approximately two minutes remaining in the first quarter when Melvyn Little scored with 49 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Shamrocks and Rebels exchanged leads in the fourth quarter. Trinity finally took the lead for good on a Josh Sewell three-point shot from the elbow with 1:12 left in the game.

Shamrocks Return to King of the Bluegrass
Trinity returns to the King of the Bluegrass this season for the fifth time. All-time, the Shamrocks are 9-7 in five appearances. Mike Szabo is 7-5 in the event in four appearances.
The Shamrocks first appeared in the event in 1990, making a splash as Jeff Wilson registered a then-record 46 points performance against Brainerd (TN) in a 95-88 win for the Shamrocks.
The Shamrocks were tournament runners-up in the 2004 event, falling in the event finals to Jeffersontown. On their way to the tournament finals, the Shamrocks defeated top-ranked Pleasure Ridge Park.
• Taylor Epley was named the Gatorade/Five Star Basketball Star of the Game following Trinity’s Dec. 17, 2009 win over Chaparral (Arizona).
• Josh Sewell was named the Gatorade/Five Star Basketball Star of the Game following Trinity’s Dec. 19, 2009 win over McEachern (Georgia).
NOTABLE GAMES IN THE KING OF THE BLUEGRASS
• 1990: Trinity 95, Brainerd (TN) 88: Jeff Wilson scored a then tournament record 46 points in the consolation semifinals.
• Dec. 18, 2004: Trinity 64, PRP 47: Trinity defeats top-ranked PRP to improve to 8-0 on the season with the 17-point blowout of the Panthers.
• Dec. 21, 2004: Trinity 50, Henderson County 36: A strong defensive effort vaults Trinity to 9-0 and into the event championship game.
• Dec. 22, 2004: Jeffersontown 64, Trinity 57: Trinity played in the King of the Bluegrass championship game for the only time in program history.
• Dec. 19, 2009: Trinity 69, McEachern (GA) 46: Trinity pounded the Indians, led by Tennessee signee Trae Golden, 69-46 in the 2009 Canfield Development King of the Bluegrass. McEachern defeated Holmes the night before playing Trinity. Holmes was a consensus pick for the top team in the Bluegrass entering the season. Josh Sewell led the Shamrocks with 19 points, surpassing the 1,000 career point mark during the game. The win improved the Shamrocks to 2-0 in quarterfinal games in program history.

Sewell is Mr. Basketball Candidate
Trinity senior guard Josh Sewell is a top candidate for the Mr. Basketball award in the state of Kentucky. He hopes to become the first player from Louisville to win the award since 2005 and the first to ever attend Miami (Ohio) following the receipt of the award.

Sewell Joins 1,000 Point Club
Senior Josh Sewell continues to post some impressive numbers in the scoring column and has positioned himself to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. Sewell currently has 1,002 career points in 89 games. Sewell registered 457 points last season in 30 games. It was the most points in a single season by a Trinity player since Tanner Jacobs had 493 points in 29 games during the 2006-07 season.
Sewell passed the 1,000 point mark with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter of a 69-46 win over McEachern (Georgia) in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Canfield Development King of the Bluegrass. Sewell finished the game with 19 points and 1,002 career points.
Previously, the most recent addition to the exclusive club was Kyle Saxton, who scored 1,148 points in three seasons between 2003 and 2005. Saxton became the seventh member of the club during the second quarter of the 2005 Louisville Invitational Tournament Championship game on a free throw that completed a four-point play. He finished that game with 1,016 career points. He posted 441 points during his senior campaign, averaging 13.8 points per contest in 32 games.
• Sewell’s 1,002 points place him second in scoring among players during the Mike Szabo era behind only Kyle Saxton (1148). He surpassed Matt Chambless’ 927 points in the Dec. 11, 2009 win over Waggener.
• Josh Sewell netted a career high 31 points against Jeffersontown on Feb. 13, 2009. It was the most points by a Trinity player since Tanner Jacobs had 31 points vs. Clay County on Dec. 21, 2006. It was the second most points by a Trinity player under Szabo. Chris McCoy holds the best mark in the Szabo era, scoring 36 points against Male on Dec. 17, 2002 in an overtime loss.

[BlackcatAlum]

Should be a great game, but I'll take GRC by 8 points.

Best of luck to both!

[Stardust]

I like GRC in this great matchup