Published: January 24, 2008 11:26 pm         

Rose Hill, Bath take aim at title

Elliott County girls close in on first trip

OWINGSVILLE — A win over fifth-ranked Elliott County in the 16th Region All “A’’ Classic semifinals has Rose Hill Christian’s boys basketball team wanting more.

The Royals go for the title tonight against Bath County, the tournament host as well as the only 16th Region team to beat Rose Hill this season.

“We are just now coming into our own,’’ said Rose Hill coach Tim Fraley. “People don’t understand how young we still are.’’

The Royals, who start three sophomores and a freshman, are trying to get back to the small-school State Tournament for the first time in five years.

“We want to go to any type of event we can get into,’’ Fraley said. “Being so young, we will take all the exposure we can get. If we’re fortunate enough to win this tournament and go to the next level, that’s terrific.’’

Tonight’s doubleheader begins at 6 with Elliott County’s girls going for their first All “A’’ regional championship against Menifee County.

Rose Hill, 10-8 against a formidable schedule, knocked off Elliott County 62-55 on Monday behind sophomore Dakotah Euton’s 23 points and 18 rebounds.

Fraley was impressed by his team’s demeanor before tipping off against Elliott County.

“When we walked out to warm up, I thought our confidence level was as high as theirs,’’ Fraley said. “The kids didn’t act scared. They didn’t back down. They acted like they had been in a game against big competition before. I just didn’t think that we got rattled at any time during the 32 minutes.’’

Chad Jackson, the Royals’ other high-profile sophomore, had 17 points and nine rebounds. Rose Hill also got solid production from the supporting cast. Robbie Barber, Mike Davis and Tony Arthur combined for 18 points and helped in other areas.

“I thought Tony gave us a great performance on defense,’’ Fraley said. “For him and Alex Malloy to hold (Jonathan) Ferguson to 13 points, they just did an unbelievable job on him. Robbie hit a couple of shots and Mike made some nice baskets when they were trying to double on Dakotah.’’

Rose Hill will be trying to atone for a 64-46 loss to Bath County on Dec. 22 in the Royals’ David Garnes Invitational.

Bath County didn’t make the region’s top 10 in a preseason coaches’ poll but has won 11 of 14 games, including the last eight in a row.

Fraley said the Wildcats’ success is no surprise to him.

“I told people before the season that Bath County would be good,’’ Fraley said. “Some of them snickered at the time, but I don’t think anybody’s doing that now.’’

Jim Hicks, the school’s fourth head coach in four years, has changed the attitude dramatically. Before he arrived, Bath County had 15 consecutive losing seasons.

“Basketball was like a hobby down here,’’ Hicks said. “It was like intramurals, nobody took it serious. The kids have worked their tails off and believe in what we’re doing. Part of the change is just a toughness, related to the way we play defense.’’

Like Rose Hill, Bath County features two outstanding players. Senior Blandon Clemons and junior Zak Metz, a pair of 6-foot guards, make the Wildcats go. Both average about 20 points per game.

Clemons, who is drawing interest from Morehead State among others, directs the offense and also averages seven assists. Metz, a 220-pounder, is a strong rebounder who bench presses more than 300 pounds.

“They are quick with the ball and athletic,’’ Fraley said. “Coach Hicks has done a nice job with the team. They are physical and they guard you.’’

Hicks said Bath County faces a huge task in its quest to win the All “A’’ regional for the first time since 1998.

“I think we snuck up on Rose Hill a little bit last time,’’ he said. “They beat the No. 1 team in the region this week, so in my eyes they are the best team right now.’’

Elliott County’s girls, runner-up in last year’s tournament, have established themselves as one of the region’s top teams.

“This team wants to break on through,’’ said coach Mark Cantrell. “We’ve got the talent. Last year, the girls got a taste of playing for a championship. We’ve played an upgraded schedule this season and they want to see the results.’’

The Lady Lions (10-9) beat Raceland in the opening round and rolled past a young Rose Hill squad 93-52 in the semifinals. All five starters scored in double figures and Elliott County racked up 29 assists.

Cantrell said the setback by Elliott County’s boys gives his team even more incentive tonight.

“The girls all took that really hard,’’ Cantrell said. “Some have siblings on the boys’ team. It would mean a lot to them to represent their school and families in the Class A state tournament.’’

Menifee County (11-8) is led by Chelsea Williams and reached the finals with 11-point wins over Fairview and Bath County.

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

     

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