Published: March 22, 2008 12:04 am            

Holmes ends Runyon’s final tournament run

Longtime coach kisses floor at Rupp; Paintsville falls 61-53

LEXINGTON — Bill Mike Runyon kissed Rupp Arena goodbye Friday.

Literally.

Following Paintsville’s 61-53 Sweet Sixteen quarterfinal loss to Covington Holmes in his farewell coaching season, Runyon went to midcourt and kissed the floor.

Runyon, who had the Tigers in the State Tournament for the eighth time in 26 years, said he has no second thoughts about retiring.

“There are too many turkeys to hunt, too many deer to hunt and too many birdies to make,’’ he said. “This is a good way to go out, with my last game in Rupp Arena.’’

Paintsville (30-4) enjoyed one of its winningest seasons, but Holmes took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter and scored seven consecutive points down the stretch to put the game away.

Runyon made no excuses for the defeat in a tight, physical battle.

“It was a matter of them being better than us today,’’ he said. “They played better defense, executed offensively and got to more loose balls.’’

Holmes, 33-2 and back in the semifinals for the second straight year, limited one of the state’s highest-scoring teams to its lowest point total of the season. Paintsville struggled to get open looks at the basket and shot only 39 percent from the field.

“You have to give Holmes a lot of credit,’’ Runyon said. “I think the entire game, looking back on it from my perspective, their defense was tremendous. We had a hard time getting people open on the wings, and that’s where we like to start our offense.’’

Despite Holmes’ tough defensive work, Paintsville held a 24-21 advantage at halftime after Blake Bundy slipped a no-look bounce pass to Shane Grimm for a layup.

Justin Murray gave the Tigers their last lead at 39-38 on a basket with 7:37 remaining, but Jeremiah Johnson answered with a layup and Holmes maintained the upper hand the rest of the way.

Senior guard Arrez Henderson, the Bulldogs’ top player, came through for the Ninth Region champs on both ends of the floor after an uncharacteristically quiet start offensively.

Defensively, Henderson held Paintsville standout Landon Slone to 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting after Slone exploded for 35 points in a first-round win over Jeffersontown.

“It seems like a year ago, we sat here after the second game on Friday after Henderson guarded Ty Proffitt (South Laurel) and held him to eight points,’’ said Holmes coach David Henley. “We sit here a year later after Henderson held Landon Slone to 11 points.

“I don’t know if (Henderson) has a realistic chance of winning Mr. Basketball, but he’s a special player.’’

Henderson, averaging 16.5 points, turned it on in the second half after going 0-for-3 from the field before the intermission. The 6-foot, 200-pounder finished with a game-high 21 points, including 11 free throws in 14 attempts.

“In the second half I calmed the team down and calmed myself down,’’ said Henderson, who also had seven rebounds. “We attacked when (Paintsville) messed up on defense.’’

Runyon said the Tigers lost track of Henderson too often in second half. He scored six points in a decisive 7-0 run that extended Holmes’ lead to 55-44 with 2:20 left.

Sophomore Elijah Pittman came off the bench to carry the Bulldogs’ offense early with 13 first-half points, highlighted by 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range.

Grimm had 17 points to lead Paintsville, while Murray finished with 14.

Henley said Runyon, 52, will surely be missed as he heads into retirement.

“As a lifelong fan of Kentucky basketball, I think the quality of high school basketball went down today,’’ Henley said. “(Runyon) is a winner. His kids play with a lot of fight. I can tell they would run through a wall for him. He’s one of the great ones.’’

LexCath bumps

Breeden

Wayne Breeden-coached Owensboro gave tournament favorite Lexington Catholic an early scare in the quarterfinals Friday before the Knights forged a 54-47 win.

Owensboro led by nine points midway through the second quarter.

“Wayne Breeden and Owensboro came in with a good game plan and did a superb job,’’ said Lexington Catholic coach Brandon Salsman. “They really physicaled us.’’

LexCath’s defensive pressure in the second half made the difference. The Knights finished with 14 steals and scored 26 points off 22 Owensboro turnovers.

Breeden, who coached Ashland to the Sweet Sixteen championship game in 1996, has guided Owensboro to the State Tournament in each of his first two years at the school. The Red Devils finished 23-10 this season.

“I thought we did a great job,’’ Breeden said. “We were 4-5 at one point. A lot of teams could have folded and gone the other way. We found ways to persevere.’’

ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2671.

        

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