By Peter W. Zubaty - Sports Editor To read more visit The Kentucky Standard
Rashaun Phillips scored seven points in the fourth quarter, including a key turnaround jumper with 1:20 to play, helping Bardstown hold off a spirited Bethlehem comeback, 55-53. "All week long in practice we\'ve been working on getting tough, and it paid off," Phillips said. Bardstown improved to 9-3 overall with the win, and 1-0 in district play. It was the first of four consecutive district games for the Tigers; they host Washington County Tuesday. The Eagles drop to 4-10 overall and 0-3 in district play. Bardstown raced out to a 10-0 lead to start the game and was up 22-7 early in the second quarter by dictating the pace of the game early. But back-to-back three-pointers by Patrick Medley and Blake Stanley helped Bethlehem get the deficit back under 10, and Stanley hit a pair of free throws with a minute left in the first half to set the halftime margin at 28-22. Tiger coach Gary Goode said he didn\'t expect the Eagles to lay down. "They got off to a tough start," he said. "But I knew they would start finding the basket. They did a good job of responding." Bethlehem got the pace back in its favor, and kept clawing away at the Bardstown lead, tying things up at 33 apiece with 3:54 to go in the third quarter when Will Samuels scored off an inbound pass, and Stanley gave the Eagles a 39-37 lead at the end of the third on a layup off an assist by Medley. "After the first quarter, I was really pleased with the effort of my boys," Bethlehem coach Mike Ayersman said. A pair of Taylor Ballard free throws gave Bethlehem its largest lead at 44-40 with just over five minutes to play. But from there, Bardstown took over. The Tigers imposed their will on the glass all night to the tune of a 29-11 rebounding advantage, which translated into a number of second-chance opportunities. "That\'s something we\'ve really been emphasizing lately," Goode said of his team\'s rebounding work. Bethlehem\'s zone defense caused Bardstown problems by keeping the Tigers out of their comfort zone on offense, forcing Bardstown to get its points in the half-court set. That\'s where Phillips and the rest of the Tigers shined, drawing foul after foul in the fourth quarter and hitting 14 from the charity stripe to help seal the game. "We got to the foul line a lot," Goode said. "Any time you get to the foul line it\'s a big help." Phillips hit a pair with 2:11 left to put Bardstown back in front for good at 49-47, and then hit a turnaround jumper with 1:20 to go to make it 52-49. Corey Hall\'s free throws with 30 seconds to go iced it at 55-50. A Jacob Allgeier three with 14 seconds left cut it back down to 55-53, and the Eagles had a late opportunity to tie it, but committed a turnover in the closing seconds. "They made enough plays down the stretch to finish us off," Ayersman said. "That\'s what good teams do." Bardstown hit 41 percent from the field to Bethlehem\'s 38, but the Tigers committed 16 turnovers to the Eagles\' 12. Jordan Hickman\'s 15 led Bardstown, and Hall pitched in 10. Stanley had 14 to lead Bethlehem, and Allgeier added 13.
Peter W. Zubaty can be reached at 348-9003 Ext. 115 or by e-mail at pzubaty@kystandard.com.
Bardstown 55, Bethlehem 53 BE 5 17 17 14-53 BH 15 13 9 18-55 BE (53) - Stanley 14, Allgeier 13, Medley 6, Reed 6, Mudd 5, Ballard 3, Spalding 2. BH (55) - Hall 10, Hickman 15, D. Phillips 7, R. Phillips 9. L. Edelen 2, D. Edelen 4, Keene 4.
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