Knights Get Road Win At Franklin Co. (1/29/2019)

Junior guard Tyshay Epps scored 14 points and tied career-highs with 7 rebounds and 9 assists to lead the Marion County Knights to a tough win on the road over the Franklin County Flyers.  Fellow junior John Adams also drained a pair of key three-point field goals in the fourth quarter to help hold off the Flyers' last charge.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Knights held a 32-27 lead at halftime before Franklin County pulled ahead 38-37 on a drive from Zyshon Atkinson midway through the third quarter.  The two teams would swap the lead seven more times in the period with Marion County pulling ahead 49-46 when Epps hit Travis Wiser with a pass for a buzzer-beater lay-up just as the end-of-quarter horn sounded.  The Knights were clinging to a 54-52 lead when Epps found Adams in the corner for a three-pointer to increase the visitors' lead to five points with 4:52 remaining in the game.  The lead expanded to as much as eight before the Flyers made one last charge, cutting the lead to 62-58 after a pair of Knight turnovers led to scores by Franklin County's Kyle Stivers.  After a time out, once again Adams buried a three-point shot at the 1:25 mark to put the Knights back on top by seven points, 65-58, which would prove to be too much for the Flyers as the Knights improved their record to 16-6 on the season.

You can read more about this game by clicking here.

 

Second Half Surge Gives Knights Win Over Nelson (1/25/2019)

Holding just a two-point lead at the half Thursday night, the Marion County Knights had two seperate runs in the third quarter of 13-3 and 9-1 to break open the game and went on to a 74-58 win over the Nelson County Cardinals at the Roby Dome.  Making his second consecutive start, sophomore Kanyon Spalding set a new career-high in scoring with 16 points to lead the Knights' offense.  Junior swingman John Adams posted his second double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

Marion County junior point guard Tyshay Epps also scored 15 points while passing out seven assists.  Epps now has 224 assists in his high school career and has moved up to #9 on the school's list of all-time assist leaders.

 

East Jessamine Game Canceled (1/22/2019)

Tuesday's JV/Varsity double-header with East Jessamine has been canceled.  No make-up date has been scheduled.

This story last updated at 10:01 AM, 1/23/2019.

 

Campbellsville Game Postponed (1/21/2019)

Tonight's girl/boy double-header with Campbellsville has been postponed due to the winter weather conditions.  A make-up date will be announced at a later time.

This story last updated at 2:25 PM, 1/21/2019.

 

Knights Handle Rockcastle Co. (1/20/2019)

After dropping three of their last four games, the Marion County Knights took a commanding 46-25 lead at the half, then went on to an 84-55 win over the Rockcastle County Rockets Saturday afternoon at the Roby Dome.  Junior swingman John Adams posted his first career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Knights' offense.  The win improved Marion County's record to 14-6 on the season.

In addition to Adams, three other Knights hit double-figures in scoring.  Junioir guard Tyshay Epps scored 17 points to go with three assists and five rebounds.  Junior forward Mason Sullivan scored 14 points while grabbing 7 rebounds and a pair of steals.  And senior Travis Wiser scored 10 points wile passing out three assists and hauling down five rebounds.  In his second start of the season, sophomore Kanyon Spalding added 8 points with a career-high 9 rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

 

Cards Hand Knights Loss; Claim 1st Place (1/19/2019)

The Taylor County Cardinals closed out the first half with a 19-4 run and went on to hand the Marion County Knights an 80-64 loss Friday night at Taylor County High School.  The victory improved the Cards' to 4-0 in 20th District play (14-4 overall) and put them in sole possession of first place in the district standings.  The Knights dropped to 3-1 in district play (13-6 overall) and fell to second place.

Taylor County's Trevon Smith led all scorers with 29 points.  Tyshay Epps led Marion County's offense with 21 points and six assists.  John Adams shot 5-10 from three-point territory and finished with 17 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

 

Knights Win At Adair Co. (1/16/2019)

After a slow start -- and with three regular starters beginning the game on the bench -- the Marion County Knights overcame a poor shooting performance to defeat the Adair County Indians on the road, 61-54.  Senior Travis Wiser scored 10 points on 4/4 shooting and collected three rebounds for the Knights.

Adair County senior Jordan Simpson had burned the Knights defense for 28 points, including four three-pointers for the game.  Marion County was down 51-50 late in the fourth quarter when Simpson committed his fourth foul on Knights junior John Adams.  Adams made both free-throws to give Marion County a one-point lead, then Simpson was whistled for his fifth foul when he collided with Wiser while attempting to pick off a pass with 1:51 left in the game.  Wiser made both free throws and, with Simpson out of the game, the Knights outscored the Indians 9-4 the rest of the way to secure the nine-point win.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The win improved Marion County's overall record to 13-5 and their record in 20th District games to 3-0, pulling them into a tie with Taylor County for first place.  The Knights travel to Taylor County High School on Friday for a girl/boy double-header with the winner taking sole possession of the District lead.  You can see the 20th District standings by clicking here.  You can see the Varsity Knights complete schedule by clicking here.

 

Colts Defeat Knights in 2A Classic (1/9/2019)

DeSales junior guard Logan Lautzenheiser hit five of his six three-point field goals in the second half to help lead the Colts to a 70-67 win over the Marion County Knights at the Roby Dome on Tuesday in the 2A Classic Tournament.  Lautzenheiser finished with 24 points, one point short of his teammate, senior guard Keegan Brewer, who scored a game-high 25 points.  The win snapped a three-game losing streak for DeSales and improved the Louisville school's record to 11-5 on the season.  The Knights' record dropped to 12-5.  The Colts shot 9-21 from three-point territory for the game while Marion County made only three of 17 attempts from behind the arc.

Junior swingman John Adams led Marion County in scoring with 19 points while sophomore Kanyon Spalding came off the bench to convert six of seven shots from the floor and scored a career-high 12 points to go with six rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

Although the Knights fell short in their inaugural apperance in the new 2-A Classic, the Lady Knights defeated Henry County 63-37 to advance to the Regional semi-finals at Nelson County High School on Thursday where they will take on Christian Academy-Louisville at 7:30 PM.  The Lady Knights' win created a schedule conflict with Friday's scheduled girl/boy double-header with district rival Campbellsville, which has now been postponed.  A rescheduled date will be announced at a later time.

This story was updated, 1/9/2019 at 9:33 AM.

 

Commanders Knock Off Knights (1/6/2019)

The Washington County Commanders welcomed the Marion County Knights to Springfield on Saturday night and handed the visitors a 62-60 upset loss.  The Commander defense held the Knights' top two scorers -- juniors Tyshay Epps and Jamison Epps -- to single digits while having four of their own players post double-digits in the scoring column.  Marion County junior swingman John Adams -- who scored a career-high 23 points -- led a charge in the fourth quarter to help erase a 15-point deficit, but a break-away lay-up by Washington County's Drew Yates with 0:04.8 left in the game broke a 60-60 tie and proved to be the game-winner.

Adams got the Knights on the board first with a pull-up jumper early in the opening period, and that 2-0 score would be Marion County's only lead of the game as the Commanders looked to be in control the entire first half and took a 34-20 lead at the break.  A three-pointer by Yates early in the third period gave Washington County their largest lead of the game, 40-25.  Then the Commanders decided to slow down the tempo considerably, content to spread the floor and force Marion County to stretch out its defense.  The strategy seemed to be working when the home team took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Knights responded by aggressivly trapping Commander ball-handlers and slowly cut into Washington County's lead with Adams scoring 11 of his 23 points in the final period.  Marion County finally pulled even when Jamison Epps picked up a Commander turnover and found Dominick White streaking to the basket for a 54-54 tie with just under 3:00 left in the game.  But a Marion County technical foul gave Washington County the chance to reclaim the lead.  Cameron Willis made both free-throws, then Yates scored a basket to put the Commanders back on top by four.  After the two teams exchanged a pair of free-throws each, Adams was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit two of three free-throws to pull the Knights within two points, 60-58, and 0:29.8 showing on the clock.  Washington County's Josh Burkhead was fouled on the in-bounds play, but missed the front end of the bonus free-throw attempt.  The Knights claimed the rebound and sophomore Kanyon Spalding made a spin-move lay-up to tie the score at 60-60 with 0:19.2 to play.  The Commanders broke free from Marion County's press, leading to Yates' basket to put his team up 62-60.  After calling time-out, the Knights pushed the ball up the court for Tyshay Epps to find Adams in the right corner.  But Adams three-point attempt to win the game was off the mark as time ran out.

Spalding tied his career-high of 10 points to join Adams as the only Marion County players to score double figures.  Jamison Epps pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the Knights on the boards.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

 

Knights Dominate Second Half; Knock Off Casey Co. (12/30/2018) 

After a lethargic first half the Marion County Knights came to life in the second half, pouring in an incredible 65 points after halftime and went on to a 99-73 win over the Casey County Rebels in Saturday's third-place game of the Campbellsville Holiday Classic.  Once again, junior guard Tyshay Epps led the way for Marion County, scoring 21 points with seven assists and four rebounds.  Cousin Jamison Epps had an equally impressive performance, scoring 19 points with five rebounds and a career-high eight assists.  In total, six players scored double-figures for the Knights.

Casey County held a 40-34 lead at the half with sophomore Spencer Baird scoring 17 of his game-high 26 points in the first half.  But in the third quarter the Knights began to take advantage of their size, pounding the ball inside to Jamison Epps who made all six of his field goal attempts in the period.  Marion County also turned up the defensive pressure at the same time as Rebel point guard Maximo Reyes picked up his third and fourth fouls in quick succession on charging calls.  The Rebels appeared to be a different team without Reyes on the floor and the Knights took advantage, going on a 13-2 run to take their first lead of the game midway through the third, and claimed a 64-58 lead to start the fourth quarter.  The momentum continued to build for Marion County throughout the final period and the Rebels seemed to run out of gas with the Knights stretching the lead to 13 points with 4:39 left in the game, then going on a 15-3 run to put the game out of reach.  Head coach Montrelle Irvin cleared the Knights' bench with 2:15 left in the game and the team improved its record to 12-3 on the season.

In addition to the Epps cousins, the other Marion County players in double-figures were John Adams with 18 points and five rebounds, Mason Sullivan with 16 points, Travis Wiser with 11 points and six rebounds, and Kanyon Spalding with a career-high 10 points and five rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

In other games in the Campbellsville Holiday Classic, Grayson County defeated Green County in the seventh place game 53-46, host team Campbellsville knocked off Madison Southern 70-64 to claim fifth place, and in the championship game Elizabethtown followed up their overtime win against the Knights with a 69-64 victory over Washington County.

The Knights return to action Saturday when they travel to Washington County High School for a girl/boy double-header with the Commanders.  The girls game is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM with the boys following at 7:30 PM.  You can see the calendar of all the Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity Knights games by clicking here.

 

E-Town Upsets Knights In OT (12/29/2018)

The Marion County Knights erased an eight-point deficit in the final 0:47 of regulation to force overtime, but came up just short in the extra period to the Elizabethtown Panthers in the semi-finals of the Campbellsville Holiday Classic, 77-76.  The Knights had held a seven point lead early in the fourth before the Panthers 12-2 run to claim the lead.

Marion County also had to contend with foul trouble as its entire starting front line -- forwards Mason Sullivan, Jamison Epps, and Travis Wiser -- all fouled out in the fourth quarter.  Sullivan had picked up his fifth foul with a little more than 3:00 left in regulation, and Epps and Wiser both were called for their fifth fouls in the final minute as the Knights were making their comeback.  Down 64-56, Marion County's Tyshay Epps scored four of his 22 points and assisted on a basket by Marcus Yantis to pull his team within two points at 64-62.  Elizabethtown's Jaquais Franklin was then fouled by Wiser (his fifth) and made his first free-throw, but missed the second, putting the Panthers up 65-62 with 0:18 left in regulation.  On the ensuing possession, Marion County's John Adams converted a three-point attempt under pressure to force a tie, 65-65, as time ran out.

The Panthers held a 76-74 lead when Tyshay Epps found Marion County's Kanyon Spalding open for a lay-up to tie the game with 0:18.4 remaining, then committed a turnover to give the Knights a chance to win the game.  On the next play, Epps worked his way through the right side of the defense for a pull-up jump shot that came off the rim and Yantis was called for a foul on the rebound with 0:01.7 on the clock.  Panther senior Noah Peeler made the first free-throw to give his team a 77-76 lead, then after an Elizabethtown time-out Peeler missed his second attempt.  Adams grabbed the rebound and attempted a desperation heave as time expired, but the shot was short of the goal and the Panthers excaped with the upset win.

Tyshay Epps finished with 22 points to lead Marion County in scoring while also pulling down six rebounds.  Jamison Epps recorded his 12th double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds wile Adams finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Knights will face the Casey County Rebels today at 5:30 PM in the tournament's third-place game.  The Rebels fell to the Washington County Commanders in the other semi-final game.  In other action at the Campbellsville Holiday Classic, host team Campbellsville defeated Grayson County 61-50, and Madison Southern knocked off Green County 75-63.

 

Epps Scores 34; Knights Defeat Madison Southern (12/28/2018)

Junior guard Tyshay Epps scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Marion County Knights over the Eagles of Madison Southern in the opening round of the Campbellsville Holiday Classic.  Epps shot 10-13 from the floor -- including 4-5 from behind the three-point arc -- and 10-13 from the free-throw line.  The win improved the Knights' record to 11-2 on the season.

The Eagles held a 24-21 lead after the first quarter by draining 5-6 three-point field goal attempts.  But Marion County opened the second quarter with a quick 12-2 run that gave the Knights the lead for good.  Madison Southern would get as close as two points on a jumper by junior guard Chad Fugate with just over a minute left before the half, but could never get any closer.  Fugate led the Eagles in scoring with 22 points.  The Knights would stretch their advantage to as much as 14 points in the second half before settling for the nine-point win.

In addition to Tyshay Epps' 34 points, three other Knights scored double-figures in the game.  Mason Sullivan scored 13 points with six rebounds and four steals, Jamison Epps scored 12 points to go with five rebounds and five assists, and Travis Wiser scored 10 points while grabbing eight rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Knights will move on to face the Panthers of Elizabethtown today at 5:30.  Elizabethtown advanced to the tournament semi-finals by defeating Green County 85-52.  In other games, Washington County knocked off Grayson County 60-49, and Casey County upended host team Campbellsville 71-60.  The Commanders will play Casey County at 7:15 PM.  Green County will take on Madison Southern in the consolation bracket at 2:00 pm; followed by Campbellsville and Grayson County at 3:45 PM.

 

Knights Pick Up Win Over Eagles (12/22/2018)

With the score tied at 31-31, the Marion County Knights went on an 18-6 run late in the third quarter and went on to a 67-53 win over the Campbellsville Eagles on the last day of the Warren East Holiday Classic.  Four Knights scored double figures, led by junior guard Tyshay Epps with 18 points.  Juniors Mason Sullivan scored 11 and John Adams tossed in 13, while junior Jamison Epps picked up another double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

 

Sullivan Leads Knights Over Henderson Co. (12/21/2018)

The Marion County Knights bounced back from their loss the previous night to Muhlenberg County with a 74-59 win over the Henderson County Colonels Thursday in the Warren East Holiday Classic.  Junior forward Mason Sullivan recorded his first double-double of the season with 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to lead Marion County's effort.

Henderson County held a 28-26 lead at the half as the Colonels' Corey Stewart drained three of his game-high six three-point field goals in the first half.  Stewart would lead all scorers with 23 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.  The lead was extended to six points early in the third quarter before the Knights went on a 12-0 run to take a 40-34 lead with just under three minutes left in the period.  The Colonels stayed close in the fourth quarter with timely three-pointers from Stewart and Holden Ruley -- and a rare three-point trip to the free-throw line when Stewart buried all three shots after being fouled on a three-point shot attempt -- cutting the lead to three points three times in the fourth quarter.  But just as Muhlenberg County maintained their lead over the Knights the night before by hitting key free-throws down the stretch, this time it was Marion County's turn to ice a game at the charity stripe, going 12-18 at the line in the final period to put the game away for good.

In addition to his double-double, Sullivan also recorded four steals on the night.  Jamison Epps posted another double-double -- his tenth in eleven games this season -- with 16 points and 11 rebounds to go with five assists.  Tyshay Epps finished with 14 points while John Adams scored 12 with four rebounds.  Sophomore reserve guard Dominick White recorded a career-best seven steals to go with his five points.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Knights will now face Campbellsville in the championship of the tournament's consolation bracket Friday at 4:00 PM Eastern time (3:00 PM Central).  The Eagles advanced by defeating Caverna 82-61.  In other games, host team Warren East advanced to the overall championship game with a 56-48 win over Todd County Central, and Muhlenberg County punched their ticket to the championship game with a thrilling 52-51 win over Bardstown.  You can see the Varsity Knights complete schedule by clicking here.

 

Mustangs Take Down Knights (12/20/2018)

A quick 10-0 lead for the Marion County Knights evaporated early in teh second quarter Wednesday night as foul trouble began to take its toll and a young Muhlenberg County Mustangs team handed the Knights their second loss of the season, 64-62, in the opening round of the Warren East Holiday Classic.  Starters John Adams and Tyshay Epps both went to the bench early in the first quarter with two fouls each.  Starting front-liners Mason Sullivan and Jamison Epps, as well as reserve Dominick White, also would pick up their second fouls early in the second quarter and Marion County's offense never seemed to get back on track.

The Mustangs went up by five points on a basket from sophomore forward Asher Carver with 3:00 left before the half before White and Marion County's other sophomore reserve, Kanyon Spalding, led a 7-0 run for the Knights to reclaim the lead, 23-21, before Muhlenberg County sophomore Nash Divine scored inside to tie the score for the third time in the quarter, and the freshman guard Trey Lovell hit a pull-up jumper to give the Mustangs a 25-23 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, neither team could manage a lead larger than four points as the tempo slowed considerably.  Marion County finally pulled into a 30-30 tie with 3:05 remaining in the period, and from there the lead changed hands six times with two ties before the end of the period -- the last coming with 0:08 left when Adams hit a pair of free-throws to pull the Knights even at 40-40.

Marion County had hurt itself with costly turnovers throughout the game, but the opening minutes of the fourth quarter proved to be especially damaging as the Mustangs capitalized on Knight miscues to go on a 10-2 run for a 50-42 advantage.  Muhlenberg County also made the most of their opportunities at the free-throw line, going 14-18 at the charity stripe in the final period alone and 26-34 for the game.  Marion County made a final push to retake the lead in the final 1:20 as Jamison Epps put back a missed shot and scored another basket inside, senior Marcus Yantis hit a lay-up off a steal, and senior Travis Wiser scored on an offensive rebounds and knocked down a pair of free-throws.  But the Mustangs made eight of ten free-throw attempts over the same span, and Epps' three-pointer just before the horn wasn't enough to keep Muhlenberg County from the two-point win.

Jamison Epps posted his ninth double-double in 10 games this season wiith 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Adams added 11 points.  Wiser and Spalding both grabbed seven rebounds each for the Knights.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

In other action at the Warren East County Holiday Classic, host team Warren East knocked off Caverna 62-58; Todd County Central defeated Campbellsville 85-78; and Bardstown pulled off an upset of Henderson County 61-60.  The Knights will meet Henderson County Thursday at 6:00 PM Eastern time (5:00 PM Central).  You can see the Varsity Knights full schedule by clicking here.

 

Bethlehem Come-Back Falls Short (12/16/2018)

It wasn't pretty, but a win is still a win.  After sprinting out to a 21-5 lead at the end of the first quarter Saturday night at the Roby Dome, the Marion County Knights had to hold off a come-back bid from the Bethlehem Eagles in the second half when the Eagles pulled within four points with 6:40 left in the game.  But Marion County closed out the game with a 14-5 run to pull out a 57-44 win.

Everything seemed to go right in the first quarter when the Knights opened the game with a 15-2 run and took a 16-point lead at the end of the first quarter.  But in the second period the offense for both teams durned downright ugly as the two teams combined for just one field goal in the first six minutes of the quarter.  The Eagles didn't convert their first field goal of the quarter until just a little over a minute remained before halftime.  Still, the two teams combined to shoot 8-10 at the charity stripe in the frame as the Knights claimed a 31-14 lead at the break.  Bethlehem began chipping away at Marion County's lead in the third quarter as Brice Gasser, Zack Weston, and Lain Peake each drained a three-pointer for the Eagles, and the visitors pulled within eight points, 40-32, with 1:17 left in the period on Peake's free-thows following a player technical foul on the Knights.  Jamison Epps made a three-point shot at the horn to end the third to put the Knights back on top by 11, but the Eagles scored the first seven points of the fourth to pull within four points, 43-39, on Camden Porter's three-point basket.

But that would prove to be the high-water mark for Bethlehem.  Marion County closed out the game with the 14-5 run to improve their record to 8-1 on the season.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Varsity Knights will hit the road next for a pair of holiday tournaments, traveling to Bowling Green for the Warren East Holiday Classic December 19-21, then after Christmas will play in the Campbellsville Holiday Classic December 27-29.  You can see the complete Varsity schedule here.

 

Knights Pull Out 77-70 Win At Campbellsville (12/15/2018)

After trailing for most of the first half with three starters in foul trouble, the Marion County Knights closed out the third quarter with a 15-3 run to take the lead for good and go on to a 77-70 win at Campbellsville on Friday night.  The victory improved the Knights' record to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the 20th District.

Marion County battled foul trouble most of the first half, first with senior starter Travis Wiser getting called for his second foul in the first quarter, and soon being followed by point guard Tyshay Epps who also picked up his second foul in the first quarter.  Leading rebounder Jamison Epps picked up his second foul in the second quarter, as did senior reserve Marcus Yantis.  The Eagles took advantage, as junior guard Malachi Corley scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half and sophomore Arren Hash drained a pair of three-pointers to give the home team an eight-point lead late in the second period.  But juniors John Adams and Mason Sullivan helped the Knights stay close, then cut the lead to two points by the end of the period.  Sullivan scored on a feed from Adams, then following a basket by Corley, Marion County sophomore Kanyon Spalding scored inside on a dump pass from Yantis, making the score 35-30 in favor of Campbellsville.  Yantis was then called for his second foul, sending Corely to the line where he hit one of two shots.  Adams scored another basket for the Knights, then Yantis pulled Marion County to within two points, 34-32, on a pass from Adams after Sullivan rejected a shot attempt with two hands in the lane, almost stealing the ball in mid-air.

The game remained close for much of the third quarter.  But after a Devon Cecil bucket put Campbellsville on top 44-43, the Knights went on their 15-3 run to take a 58-47 lead to start the fourth quarter.  Campbellsville wouldn't go away and got as close as one point at 65-64 with 3:08 left to play.  A free-throw from Adams, a three-point field-goal from Tyshay Epps, and an old-fashioned three-point play from Sullivan put the Knights back on top by eight.  Still the Eagles again managed to cut the lead down to three points with 1:20 left to play, but Marion County converted enough free-throws late to claim the seven-point win.

Sullivan finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and four steals and also took three charges in the game.  Adams matched his career-high of 21 points after draining his first three 3-point field-goal attempts and grabbed five rebounds while passing out four assists. Jamison Epps posted his seventh double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Tyshay Epps shook off his first-half foul issues to score all 13 of his points in the second half while passing out six assists to go with five rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Knights return to the Roby Dome this evening in the final game of the Autism Awareness Classic against Bethlehem.  There will be two Varsity Girls games before the Boys contest with Green County taking on Bullitt East at 4:00 PM, and the Lady Knights playing Bethlehem at 6:00 PM.  Individuals on the Autism spectrum will be recognized between the final two games at approximately 7:00 PM, and a silent auction will be conducted in the school's foyer.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Working the Puzzle for Autism charity.  You can see the Varsity Knights full schedule by clicking here.

 

Sullivan Scores 21 In Knights Win Over Dragons (12/12/2018)

Junior forward Mason Sullivan scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Marion County Knights to a 79-61 win on the road at Green County.  The victory improved the Knights' record to 6-1 on the season -- the team's best start to a season since 2011.  Junior guard Tyshay Epps shot 4/7 on three-point shot attempts and also finished with 21 points in addition to six assists.  Forwards Travis Wiser and Jamison Epps both scored 12 with Wiser also adding five assists and five steals.

Unlike Thomas Nelson on Monday, the Dragons had enough size to match up with the Knights on the front line and sharp shooting from Brody Bush and Gunnar Bush kept the host team in the game through much of the first half.  But the Knights closed out the half with a 12-6 run to take a 45-36 lead at the break.  Marion County continued to build the lead in the third quarter, stretching their advantage to 19 points at 62-43 on a three-pointer from Tyshay Epps.  Green County woudn't go away, going on a brief run of their own to cut the lead to 12 early in the fourth quarter.  But Sullivan scored 10 of his 21 points in the final period to help slam the door on the Dragons' come-back attempt.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Varsity Knights play on back-to-back nights to cose out the week -- traveling to Campbellsville on Friday for their second 20th District game of the season, and returning to the Roby Dome on Saturday to host the Bethlehem Eagles in the final game of the Autism Classic.  The Freshmen and Junior Varsity Knights play host to Bardstown in a double-header tonight at the Roby Dome, and tomorow travel to Washington County for a double-header with the Commanders.  You can see the complete Varsity schedule here, and you can see the program's entire calendar here.

 

Second Half Surge Helps Knights Roll Over Generals (12/11/2018)

After a sluggish start to the game, the Marion County Knights opened the second half with a 19-2 run and went on toa  75-44 win over the Thomas Nelson Generals in the Roby Dome on Monday night.  Junior forward Jamison Epps posted his sixth double-double of the season in as many games with 16 points and a career-high 19 rebounds to go with six assists.  Junior guard Tyshay Epps led the Knights in scoring with 25 points while shooting 4/6 from three-point territory and passing out four assists.  Fellow junior Mason Sullivan also scored double-figures with 15 points while grabbing five rebounds.

The Generals kept the game close throughout the first half and were down just 29-24 at the break.  But Marion County's Travis Wiser scored on a three-point play in the very first possession of the third quarter and the Knights' big run was on.  The flood gates opened wide as Marion County drained three-pointers on four consecutive possessions -- two by John Adams and two by Tyshay Epps -- for a 48-26 lead, forcing a Thomas Nelson time-out with 4:05 remaining in the period.  But the damage was done and the Generals could get no closer than 17 points for the rest of the night.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Knights have a quick turn-around as they travel to Green County tonight for the second game of a girl/boy double-header with the Dragons.  The girls contest is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central time) with teh boys following at 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central time).  You can see the complete Varsity schedule by clicking here.

 

Epps Posts Fifth Double-Double To Lead Knights Over Chargers (12/9/2018)

The Marion County Knights went on an 11-2 run late in the fourth quarter to break open a close game and knocked off the Bullitt East Chargers 80-68 in the Clem Haskins Classic at Taylor County High School on Saturday.  Junior forward Jamison Epps scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to record his fifth double-double in as many games this season.  Epps is averaging 15.6 points and 12.2 rebounds per game so far this season.

The Knights held a lead of seven points with 2:30 left in the second quarter before Bullitt East closed out the period with an 8-0 run to take a 34-33 lead at the half.  The two teams swapped the lead back and forth seven times in the third quarter before a basket from Tyshay Epps gave Marion County a 56-51 advantage at the end of the period.  In the fourth quarter, the Knights slowly took control before going on an 11-2 run late to put the game away for good.

In addition to Jamieson Epps, three other Marion County players scored double-figures in the game.  Guard Tyshay Epps finished with 16 points and three assists, forward Mason Sullivan went 7-8 at the free-throw line on his way to 13 points, and senior forward Travis Wiser added 11 points with 7 rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

Marion County plays on back-to-back nights to start the coming week -- hosting Thomas Nelson at the Roby Dome on Monday in a boy/girl double-header, and traveling Green County for another boy/girl double-header on Tuesday.  You can see the Varsity Knights' complete schedule by clicking here.

 

Knights Bounce Back With Win Over Adair Co. (12/8/2018)

The Marion County Knights were looking to recover from their first loss of the season Tuesday night at Central Hardin, and did just that Friday when they hosted the Adair County Indians at the Roby Dome.  The Knights returned to the win column pulling away from the Indians in the second half for a 77-63 victory.  Junior guard John Adams drained a career-high five three-point FGs on his way to 21 points -- also a career-high.  Junior forward Mason Sullivan had another solid performance with 14 points on 7/12 shooting while fellow junior Jamison Epps posted another double-double -- his fourth in four games -- with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with 7 assists.

The Knights opened the game with a quick 7-0 lead, but early in the second quarter Adair County pulled even at 18-18 on a three-pointer from guard Jordan Simpson.  The two teams traded baskets for the next four possessions before Marion County closed out the half with a 13-4 run for a 40-28 lead at the break.  In the second half the Knights continued to streatch out their lead and went ahead by as much as 25 in the fourth quarter before the Indians threw in the towel and cleared their bench.  Shortly after that Marion County also pulled all their starters and closed out the 14-point win.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Knights are back in action Saturday afternoon when they travel to Taylor County High School to face Bullitt Central in the Clem Haskins Classic.  The Chargers come into the match-up with a record of 2-2, posting wins over Doss High School and Rock Creek Academy of Sellersburg, Indiana, and taking losses at the hands of Louisville powers Trinity High School and Butler High School.  Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM.  You can see the entire Knights' Varsity schedule with results by clicking here.

 

Bruins Hand Knights First Loss Of Season (12/5/2018)

After falling behind by 13 points in the first half, the Knights fought back to take a 61-59 lead with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.  But the Central Hardin Bruins closed out the game with an 18-6 run to hand MC its first loss of the season, 77-67.  Mason Sullivan scored 11 points with six rebounds for the Knights while Tyshay Epps scored 17 points with four assists.  Jamison Epps posted 15 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

The Bruins shot 7-11 from behind the three-point arc in the first quarter, led by junior Deonco Wilkerson's four three-pointers, but cooled off somewhat in the second period.  Sullivan helped the Knights cut down the lead in the second, scoring five of his 11 points in the quarter including the final basket of the first half on an in-bounds pass from Tyshay Epps at the horn to cut Central Hardin's lead to 37-35 at the break.  The two teams stayed close throughout the third quarter before the Bruins took an eight-point lead early in the fourth.  A three-pointer and a pair of free-throws from Tyshay Epps halped get the Knights close before John Adams' free-throw with 5:03 remaining in the game finally pulled the Knights into a 58-58 tie.  The two teams traded free-throws before a basket from Jamison Epps gave Marion County the lead, 61-59, with 4:10 to go.  But from there it was all Central Hardin as Wilkerson scored seven of his game-high 27 points in the final spurt.  The loss dropped the Knights' record to 2-1 on the season.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Knights return to the Roby Dome Friday night when they host Adair County in their 20th District opener as part of a girl/boy double-header.  You can see the full schedule by clicking here.

 

Knights Blow Out Commanders, 94-72 (12/1/2018)

After falling behind by as many as eight points in the first quarter, the Knights outscored the Commanders 27-11 in the second quarter on their way to a convincing 94-72 win in the Roby Dome.  Junior guard John Adams scored a career-high 20 points to go with six rebounds while point guard Tyshay Epps followed up his 29-point performance against Bardstown earlier in the week with 25 points against Washington County.  Fellow junior Jamison Epps posted his second double-double of the season in as many games with 17 points and 15 boards, and junior forward Mason Sullivan also scored double-digits with 12 while collecting five rebounds and four steals.

The game was a physical contest in which the border rivals combined to shoot 82 free-throws on 56 fouls, including three technicals.  the two teams will meet again on January 5th at Washington County High School.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Varsity Knights return to action Tuesday when they travel to Central Hardin in Cecilia.

 

Epps Leads Knights To Win In Season Opener (11/28/2018)

The Marion County Knights broke open a close game in the second quarter with a 19-2 run and went on to an 85-68 win at Bardstown in their season opener.  It was the first time in 15 years the Knights defeated the Tigers on their home floor.  Junior guard Tyshay Epps scored a career-high 29 points to go with four assists and four steals to lead MC.  Junior forward Jamison Epps posted his eighth career double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds as well as five assists.  Junior guard John Adams scored 15 points while shooting 9-9 at the free-throw line and grabbing seven boards. After a year off from basketball, senior Travis Wiser scored eight points with seven rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking here.

The Knights will play their season opener this Friday when they host Washington County at the Roby Dome in a girl-boy double-header.

 

Knights Kick Off 2018-2019 Regular Season Tonight At Bardstown (11/27/2018)

The Marion County Knights boys basketball team will open its 2018-2019 season tonight at Bardstown High School.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM following a girls varsity game between the Lady Knights and Lady Tigers at 6:00 PM.  You can find the Knights' complete Varsity schedule for the season by clicking on the "Schedule" button in the left-hand column.

 

 

2017-2018 Season

 

Four Knights Claim Post-Season Awards (2/25/2018)

At the conclusion of last night's 20th District Tournament Championship game, four members of the Marion County Knights received post-season honors as selected by the District's coaches.  Seniors Lez Means and Luke Thomas as well as sophomores Tyshay Epps and Jamison Epps all took home some hardware.

Members of the 20th District All-Academic Team: (L-R) Adair County's Hunter Cundiff, Campbellsville's Chanson Atkinson, and Marion County's Luke Thomas.

Luke Thomas has maintained a 4.0 GPA through his high school career and was named to the 20th District All-Academic Team.  Thomas was also named to the regular season All-District team, having led the team in three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, steals, and blocked shots and was second on the team in total points scored.  Thomas finished his career at Marion County at #7 in three-point field goals (123) and #4 in free-throw shooting percentage (75.0%).

Joining Thomas on the regular season All-District Team was fellow senior Lez Means, who was also named to the District All-Tournament Team.  Means was Marion County's leading scorer for the past two seasons and finished his high school career with 1,349 points -- 6th place in school history.  Means was also second on the team this season in assists and is in 13th place on the school's list of all-time assist leaders.  In the Knights district tournament game against Adair County, Means scored 19 points with four assists.

The 20th District regular season All-District Team: (Front Row, L-R) Corey Melton (Adair County), Zion Harmon (Adair County), Dre Boyd (Adair County), and Malachi Corley (Campbellsville); (Back Row, L-R) Trevon Smith (Taylor County), Nick Knifley (Taylor County), Lez Means (Marion County), Jamison  Epps (Marion County), Tyshay Epps (Marion County), and Luke Thomas (Marion County).

Also on the regular season All-District Team was point guard Tyshay Epps.  Epps led the Knights this season with 116 assists and was third in total points scored (267).  In his first full year of varsity action the sophomore has proven to be a dangerous offensive threat, being adept at both distributing the ball to open teammates and finding creative ways to attack the basket.

Sophomore Jamison Epps joined Means on both the regular season and tournament All-District teams.  In his first full season of varsity play, Epps led the team in rebounding with an average of 7.8 per game while averaging 9.8 points per game and recording seven double-doubles.  One of those double-doubles came in the Knights district tournament game game against Adair County when Epps scored 15 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.

The 20th District tournament All-District Team: (Front Row, L-R) Ethan Lay (Campbellsville), Zion Harmon (Adair County), Hunter Cundiff (Adair County), Dre Boyd (Adair County), Corey Melton (Adair County), and Nataj Sanders (Campbellsville); (Back Row, L-R) Trevon Smith (Taylor County), Lez Means (Marion County), Jamison Epps (Marion County), and Chanson Atkinson (Campbellsville).

In last night's championship game, Adair County defeated Campbellsville, 75-63.  Adair County freshman Zion Harmon was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and was presented with the first Bobby Brockman Memorial MVP Award.  Brockman was the long-time sports editor of Campbellsville's Central Kentucky News Journal and passed away suddenly earlier this year.  Both Adair County and Campbellsville will represent the 20th District at next week's 5th Region Tournament to be played at Marion County's Roby Dome.

 

Knights Fall To Adair In District Tourney (2/22/2018)

Marion County's Lez Means (center) scores two of his 19 points against Adair County in the 20th District Tournament.

The Marion County Knights saw their season come to an end Wednesday night in the 20th District Tournament with an 86-76 loss to the Adair County Indians.  This is the second consecutive season the Knights have lost in the opening round of the District Tournament to Adair County.

Both teams got off to a rough start, with the Indians holding just a 5-3 lead after four minutes of play.  Adair County's Zion Harmon finally found the range first and led his team on a 12-4 run to close out the first quarter and increase the Indians lead to 10 points.  Marion County's Jamison Epps started to punish Adair County inside in the second quarter, scoring six of his 15 points in the period as well as pulling down six of his 15 rebounds during that stretch.  But Adair County senior Hunter Cundiff matched Epps' effort, scoring three field goals -- including a three-point play -- and was perfect at the free-throw line to score 9 of his 20 points in the frame and the Indians took a 35-24 lead at the half.

Adair County looked to put the Knights away in the third quarter, going on a 21-7 run over five minutes for a daunting 24-point lead, 59-35, late in the period.  Marion County finally managed to stop the bleeding as senior Lez Means scored on a pair of drives and fellow senior Luke Thomas drained a pair of three-pointers in the final two minutes of the quarter, but the Indians still held a 65-47 lead to start the fourth quarter.

  
(Left) Luke Thomas makes this deep three-pointer just as time expires at the end of the third quarter.  (Middle) Mason Sullivan (10) pulls down one of his six rebounds in the first quarter.  (Right) Jamison Epps takes a shot in the first half.

The Knights failed to dent Adair County's lead for much of the final period until finally putting together a 13-3 run late in the game to pull within eight points with just over a minute left to play.  But that would be as close as Marion County would get.  The Knights would commit two crucial turnovers in the final 40 seconds to snuff out their last chance and the Indians ran out the clock.

Epps scored 15 points on 7-17 shooting with 15 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.  Means scored 19 points with four assists in his final game as a Knight.  Thomas went 4-for-6 behind the three-point line and finished with 14 points, also in his final game for the Knights.  Adair County's Harmon led all scorers with 26 points while Corey Melton scored 23 and Cundiff scored 20 for the Indians.  You can read more about this story by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.  Adair County will next play in the tournament championship game on Saturday night against the winner of tonight's Taylor County-Campbellsville contest.

 
(Left) Marion County senior Connor Higdon pulls down a rebound in his final game for the Knights.  (Right) Tyshay Epps (1) pulls up for a shot in the first half.

 

District Tournament Starts Tonight (2/21/2018)

 
(Left) Marion County senior Lez Means leads the Knights with 19.2 points per game.  (Right) Adair County freshman Zion Harmon is the leading scorer in the state at 33.6 PPG.

The post-season is upon us and it's win-or-go-home for the participants.  The boys' 20th District Tournament opens tonight at Campbellsville High School's Paul J. Coop Gymnasium when the Marion County Knights take on the Adair County Indians.  The winner of tonight's game will advance to Saturday's championship game to face the winner of Thursday's Campbellsville-Taylor County contest, as well as earn a spot in next week's 5th Region Tournament at Marion County's Roby Dome.  The loser will see their season come to an end.

With a record of 18-10, Marion County enters the game with the fourth-best record in the 5th Region.  But the Indians (17-11) claimed victory over the Knights in both regular season contests.  On December 8 in Columbia, the Knights held a lead at the half but faded down the stretch as Adair County came away with an 88-77 win.  The Indians were led in that game by the state's leading scorer, freshman Zion Harmon, who poured in 35 points, but Adair County sophomore Dre Boyd proved to be the deciding factor as he scored all of his 16 points in the second half.  In the January 28 rematch in Lebanon, the game went down to the wire before the Indians escaped with a 79-77 win.  Harmon once again led Adair County with 24 points while senior Corey Melton -- who did not play in the December match-up -- scored 23 points, including five three-pointers.  Lez Means paced the Knights in both games, scoring 24 points with seven assists in the December contest and posting a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds in the January game.

Tip-off for tonight's game is scheduled for 7:00 PM Eastern time (6:00 PM Central).

 

Knights Win Regular Season Finale In Rout (2/16/2018)

Marion County senior Luke Thomas (0) starts a fast break after picking off one of his five steals.

The Marion County Knights wasted no time in putting away the Beth Haven (Louisville) Bearcats on Senior Night at the Roby Dome on Thursday.  Marion County opened the game with a 21-3 run on its way to an 83-31 victory in the team's last regular season contest.  The Knights held the Bearcats to just 30.8% shooting from the floor while converting 54.8% of their own shots.

Marion County senior Lez Means scored 17 points in his last home game, including 3-6 shooting from behind the three-point arc.  Fellow senior Luke Thomas scored 10 points and matched a career-high with five steals.  Senior Connor Higdon scored four points and grabbed four rebounds in his ninth start of the season.  All fourteen players on the Knights Varsity roster scored at least one field goal in the contest.

Beth Haven ran off the final 40 seconds of the clock at the end of the first half, and ended the possession with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from sophomore Austin Whitehouse.  But the visitors still found themselves down 49-21 going into the break.  The Knights kept up the pressure and stretched the lead to 36 points on a layup by John Adams midway through the third quarter, triggering the running clock for the remainder of the game.

  
(Left) Connor Higdon scores on a pull-up jump-shot.  (Middle) Lez Means scores three of his game-high 17 points on this shot.  (Right) Freshman Dominick White comes away with a steal late in the game.

Marion County won the battle of the boards with their largest margin of the season, 42-15, while also forcing Beth Haven into 22 turnovers.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights still have a chance to play in the Roby Dome before the season is over, but they will have to knock off the Adair County Indians in the 20th District Tournament next week.  The Indians have claimed both games against Marion County this season, winning 88-77 in Columbia back on December 8, and just holding on for a 79-77 win in Lebanon on January 28.

 

Knights Wrap Up Regular Season Tonight (2/15/2018)

Beth Haven's Dylan Kerr (5) passes the ball over the head of Marion County's Connor Higdon in last season's game.

The Marion County Knights close out their regular season tonight when they welcome the Beth Haven (Louisville) Bearcats to the Roby Dome.  Depending on the outcome of the opening round of the district tournamnet, this could also be the final home game for three Marion County seniors -- Lez Means, Luke Thomas, and Connor Higdon.

The Bearcats have struggled to a 6-18 record this season after losing their top three scorers from last year, and have dropped their last nine games in a row.  Dylan Kerr and Hunter Judd -- the only two seniors on the Bearcats' young roster -- lead the team in scoring with Kerr averaging 12.3 PPG and Judd right behind at 12.1 PPG.  Junior forward Zach McClain also averages double-figures at 10.1 PPG.

Means has been a starter for the Knights for three seasons and is currently sixth on the school's list of all-time scorers with 1,313 points.  Thomas has been a starter for two seasons and currently leads the team in made three-point field-goals.  He has also led the team in steals for the last two seasons.  Higdon has been a valuable reserve off the bench for most of this season, converting 45.7% of his three-point shot attempts to give the Knights another reliable shooter, and has also started in eight games this season.

  
Marion County seniors Lez Means (left), Luke Thomas (middle), and Connor Higdon (right) will be playing in their final regular season home game tonight.

Beth Haven became a part of Marion County basketball history last year when Means set a new school record for made three-point field goals in a game.  Means sank 10 of 17 shots from behind the arc on the Bearcats home floor as the Knights won 73-45.

Tip-off for tonight's contest is scheduled for 7:30 PM.  The game will follow the Lady Knights' match-up with the Frederick Douglass Broncos of Lexington, which is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM.

 

Knights Win Track Meet, 98-81 (2/14/2018)

Marion County's Lez Means (3) scores two of his 25 points against Caverna.

The scoreboard operator was kept busy Tuesday night at the Roby Dome as the Marion County Knights and Caverna Colonels put on an offensive show with the Knights coming out on top 98-81.  It was the most points Marion County has scored in a non-overtime game since December 3, 2016, when they beat Caverna 102-84.

The Knights had a run of 14-2 to start the second quarter and 12-2 at the beginning of the third quarter for a lead they would never relenquish.  Caverna senior Jobby Howard, showed why he is the fifth leading scorer in the state, pouring in a game-high 40 points from just about every spot on the court -- including off-balance buzzer-beating three-pointers to end the first and third quarters.  But Marion County overcame Howard's performance with four players scoring double figures.  Senior Lez Means led the Knights with 25 points, sophomore Jamison Epps scored 18, fellow sophomore John Adams came off the bench for 11 points, and sophomore Mason Sullivan matched his career-high with 16 points.  Sullivan also pulled down 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

  
(Left) Mason Sullivan scores two of his 16 points.  (Middle) Tyshay Epps is fouled on a floater in the lane.  Epps made the shot and the free-throw to complete the three-point play.  (Right) Luke Thomas scores after one of his four steals of the game.

Starters Luke Thomas and Tyshay Epps also had solid outings.  Thomas scored nine points with six rebounds, three assists, and four steals.  Epps scored seven with three rebounds, three steals, and four asists.  The two teams combined to take 154 shots in the game, which works out to 4.8 shot attempts per minute.  Marion County hit 40-of-79 (50.6%) while Caverna shot 32-of-75 (42.7%).  With all those shot attemps, there were plenty of rebounds to be had and the Knights won the battle of the boards, 50-41.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights will get today off before wrapping up the regular season Thursday at home against the Beth Haven (Louisville) Bearcats.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM following a Lady Knights varsity game at 6:00 PM against the newest high school in Lexington, Frederick Douglass.

  
(Right) Caverna's Jobby Howard (14) cuts through the Marion County defense for two of his game-high 40 points.  (Middle) Jamison Epps scores on a turn-around jump shot.  (Right) Marcus Yantis (15) pulls down one of his four rebounds.

 

Howard Leads Caverna To Roby Dome Visit (2/13/2018)

Caverna senior Jobby Howard is averaging 29.7 points per game this season.

The Marion County Knights wrap up their regular season this week with a pair of home games.  First up tonight, the Knights host the Caverna Colonels in a girl/boy double-header and their scoring machine, senior guard Jobby Howard.

The Knights and Colonels met earlier this season in the Nelson County Holiday Classic on December 27.  Marion County came out on top, 89-65, but Howard put up 35 points in that contest.  Howard is averaging 29.7 PPG on the season and has scored 30 or more fifteen times as a senior.  He has also scored over 40 points twice, including a school-record 65 points in an eye-popping 119-103 loss to Adair County.  The Colonels bring a record of 11-14 to the Roby Dome tonight, but have won four of their last five games, including a thrilling 81-76 overtime upset of Glasgow last Friday.  The Knights (16-10) have also won four of their last five with their last game a 63-54 road win at Bethlehem.

Tip-off for tonight's game is scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central) following the girls Varsity match-up at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central).

 

Knights Hold Off Eagles For Win (2/11/2018)

Marion County's Jamison Epps (35) posts up Bethlehem's Kruse Horned.

The Marion County Knights had runs of 17-2 in the second quarter and 14-2 in the third to take a 19-point lead, then held off a final charge from the Bethlehem Eagles for a 63-54 win Saturday at Bethlehem High School.  Knight senior Connor Higdon made a key three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to put an end to Bethlehem's final charge, giving him a career-high 10 points on 4-4 shooting from the floor.

Bethlehem's Chase Allen scored eight of his 15 points in the first quarter to help the Eagles to a 16-14 lead at the end of the period.  A basket inside from Jacob Taylor early in the second gave Bethlehem a brief four-point lead before senior Lez Means led a 17-2 run for the Knights, giving Marion County a 31-20 lead.  Bethlehem's Tyler Ohler helped pull his team out of its slide with six points in a span of two minutes, cutting the lead to seven.  But a mid-range jump-shot from Jamison Epps stretched Marion County's advantage back to nine points.  Then after a miss by Allen on Bethlehem's next possession, Epps grabbed the rebound and passed the ball three-quarters up the floor to Higdon, whose lay-up just beat the horn to give the Knights a 37-26 lead at the half.

Bethlehem cut Marion County's lead to seven points early in the third quarter before Means and Epps led another 14-2 run for the Knights, going up by 19 points with two minutes left in the period.  But the Eagles refused to go away, slowly chipping away at the deficit in the fourth quarter.  Taylor scored six of his team-high 16 points during the stretch, cutting Marion County's lead to eight points, 60-52, with 1:30 left in the game.  But Higdon's three-pointer from the left corner put an end to Bethlehem's momentum and the Knights held on for the nine-point win.

  
(Left) Connor Higdon (12) hits a three-pointer late in the game to end the Eagles' last run.  (Middle) Lez Means scores two of his game-high 24 points.  (Right) Luke Thomas looks over the Bethlehem defense.  Thomas recorded five assists in the game.

Means passed out three assists to go with his 24 points, including 4-10 shooting from three-point territory.  Epps finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.  Higdon passed out a pair of assists to go with his career-high 10 points while Luke Thomas tied a personal best with five assists.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

Freshmen Knights Coast to Win -- In the opening game of the rare Freshmen/Varsity double-header, Marion County's Freshmen Knights claimed an easy 62-24 win over Bethlehem's Freshmen Eagles.  Kanyon Spalding led all scorers with 18 points, closely followed by Ethan Mattingly's 16 points.  Markell Bell and Patrick Benton both scored 11 for Marion County.

JV Knights Claim Runner-Up in District Tourney -- Marion County's Junior Varsity Knights took the runner-up trophy Saturday morning in the 20th District JV Tournament at Campbellsville High School.  In their first game against Taylor County, the JV Knights fell behind by as much as 19 points early in the second half before charging back to force overtime, them completing the come-back for a 61-55 win.  But in the championship game against Campbellsville, the JV Knights ran out of gas and fell to the JV Eagles 69-49.  The JV Knights are now 11-9 on the season with one game left to play.

 

Knights Look To Sweep Eagles (2/10/2018)

Bethlehem's Jacob Taylor (24) scores two of his 22 points in the Eagles' 65-58 win over Thomas Nelson last week (Photo by Pete Zubaty, Kentucky Standard).

The Marion County Knights will be looking to get back in the win column this evening when they travel to Bethlehem High School in Bardstown for a Freshmen/Varsity double-header with the Eagles.  The two teams faced each other early in the season on December 9, with the Knights coming out on top 87-51.

Bethlehem has struggled to find consistency this season, coming into the game with a 9-13 record, but picked up an 82-74 overtime win against Campbellsville last night at home.  The Eagles are led by a pair of seniors -- Chase Allen and Jacob Taylor.  Allen leads the team in scoring at 18.1 PPG and is second in rebounding with 5.9 RPG.  Taylor is the top rebounder for Bethlehem at 9.7 RPG and is second in scoring at 17.4 PPG.  Tip-off for the Varsity contest is scheduled for 7:30 PM following teh Freshmen game at 6:00 PM.

But before the knights travel north for tonight's match-ups, the Junior Varsity Knights will head south to Campbellsville High this morning for the 20th District JV Tournament.  The JV Knights will face Taylor County at 10:45 AM after the Campbellsville v. Adair County game at 9:30 AM.  The winners of both games will advance to the championship game, which is scheduled for a 12:00 noon start.

 

Commanders Get Season Sweep Of Knights (2/7/2018)

Marion County's Lez Means (3) scores while drawing a foul from Washington County's John Floyd (4) in the first half.

With the momentum of a three-game winning streak in their favor, the Marion County Knights had hoped to avenge a 74-65 loss to the Washington County Commanders back on January 6th.  But Tuesday night the Commanders held off a late Marion County come-back attempt to sweep the season series with the Knights, 65-61, at the Roby Dome.  Devin Hurst led the visitors with 20 points.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with the score tied five times and the lead swapping sides eight times as neither team held more than a six-point advantage.  When Jamison Epps scored the final basket of the second quarter off a feed from Tyshay Epps, Marion County took a 33-32 lead into the locker room at the break.  The third quarter seemed to start off much as the first half had ended as the Knights took a 43-38 lead when Mason Sullivan found Tyshay Epps open on the left wing for a three-point field goal.  But immediately after the score the Marion County bench was assessed as technical foul for protesting a call.  Washington County's Cameron Willis hit one of the two resulting free-throws, then baskets by Hurst and Josh Burkhead pulled the Commanders even at 43-43.  Lez Means gave the lead back to the Knights with a drive to the basket while drawing a foul for a chance at a three-point play.  But before Means could step to the free-throw line Tyshay Epps was called for Marion County's second technical foul of the quarter for taunting.  Means missed his free-throw, but this time Willis hit both shots for the technical to begin a 12-4 Commander run to close out the period and give Washington County a 55-49 lead.

  
(Left) Jamison Epps (35) pulls down one of his 10 reboudns in the game.  (Middle) Tyshay Epps Epps hits a three-pointer early in the second half.  (Right) Marcus Yantis (15) puts pressure on Washington County's Devin Hurst.

The Commanders extended their lead to eight points on a basket by John Floyd with a little more than six minutes left in the game before Marion County started their final charge.  A drive through traffic by Tyshay Epps started a 10-2 run for the Knights that was capped by a pair of free-throws from Sullivan to tie the game at 61-61 with 1:35 showing on the clock.  But the Knights would squander their next four possessions with turnovers and ill-advised shots while Washington County hit four of six free-throws to close out the game and claim the sweep.

Means led the Knights in scoring with 17 points while also posting five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals.  Tyshay Epps finished with 11 points and five assists while Jamison Epps had his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Varsity Knights return to action Saturday when they travel to Bethlehem High School for a Freshmen/Varsity double-header.  The Freshmen game is scheduled for 6:00 PM to be followed by the Varsity contest at 7:30 PM.  The Junior Varsity Knights will also be in action that morning at Campbellsville High School in the 20th District JV Tournament.  The JV Knights will play Taylor County at 10:45 AM with the winner advancing to the Championship game at 12:00 noon to face the winner of the Campbellsville v. Adair County match-up, which will be played at 9:30 AM.

 

Knights Blow Out Hornets (2/6/2018)

Marion County freshman Kanyon Spalding (31) scores over Metcalfe County's Blake Sharp.

The Marion County Knights took charge early and dominated the Metcalfe County Hornets, 70-36, at the Roby Dome Monday night.  The Knights have now won three in a row and six of their last eight games to improve their record to 15-9 on the season.

Already leading by a score of 17-7, the Knights closed out the first quarter on a 16-0 run that extended into the second quarter, and went on to a 54-16 lead at the half.  With only a 35-point lead required for a running clock in the second half, the game clock ran non-stop the entire third and fourth quarters.  No regular Marion County starter saw the floor in the second half as the Knights went on to the 34-point win.

Eleven of the 14 players on Marion County's roster found the scoring column, led by Jamison Epps with 10 points and 7 rebounds.  Lez Means, Mason Sullivan, and John Adams all scored nine points; and Luke Thomas, Tyshay Epps, and reserve forward Spencer Riggs each scored seven points.  Riggs also grabbed six rebounds, matching his career-highs in both categories.  You can read more about this story by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

  
(Left) Senior Connor Higdon makes a three-pointer early in the game.  (Middle) Tyshay Epps returned after missing three games with an injury to score seven points.  (Right) Freshman Patrick Benton drives the ball past Metcalfe County's Braxton Davis.

The win continues the Knights' momentum as they get ready to host border-rival Washington County tonight in the Roby Dome.  The Commanders won the last contest between the two teams 74-65 on January 6 in Springfield.  The game will be the second of a girl/boy double-header with the Lady Knights and Commanderettes tipping off at 6:00 PM, followed by the Knights and Commanders at 7:30 PM.

 

Metcalfe Co. Comes To Roby Dome (2/5/2018)

Metcalfe County's Tyler London (34) throws a pass around Connor Higdon (1) during the February 6, 2017, game with Marion County last season.

The Marion County Knights return home tonight to host the Metcalfe County Hornets in the second game of a girl/boy double-header.  The Knights and Hornets faced off twice last year with Marion County claiming both wins by scores of 81-47 and 92-42.

Metcalfe County has struggled to a record of 4-18 this season and is currently on a five-game losing streak.  The Hornets do have a solid player in junior Tyler London, who leads the team in both scoring (11.9) and rebounding (5.1).  But as a team, the Hornets connect on only 39.0% of their shots from the floor -- including just 26.9% from three-point territory.  Freshman Boston Devore averages 9.1 points per contest, including 15 points in a 60-57 loss to Campbellsville on Saturday.

Tip-off for tonight's game is scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central), following the girls Varsity game at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central).

 

Knights Escape Russell Co. With Win (2/4/2018)

Marion County's Luke Thomas (0) scores two of his 10 points on a drive at Russell County.

For the second game in a row, the Marion County Knights let a double-digit second-half lead slip away, but a stiffened defense and some late-game heroics helped the Knights pull out a narrow win.  This time with the game tied at 66-66, senior Luke Thomas drained a three-pointer with 44 seconds left in the game to give Marion County the lead for good, then helped force a turnover that put an end to Russell County's last chance and the Knights came away with a 71-66 road win.

Lez Means scored 14 of his game-high 22 points in the first half to give the Knights a 35-28 lead at the half.  Marion County stretched the lead to as much as 11 points three times in the second half, the last coming on a basket by Jamison Epps when he rebounded his own missed free-throw with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter.  A minute later Epps hit Mason Sullivan with a pass in the paint for a 62-52 lead and that would be Marion County's last field goal for almost four minutes.  The Lakers turned up the pressure on their full-court press and went on a 14-4 run, finally pulling even at 66-66 when senior Tate Richardson rebounded a missed Marion County free-throw and went the length of the floor for a basket with just under 2:00 left to play.  After a missed field goal by the Knights, Richardson had an opportunity to give Russell County its first lead since midway through the first quarter.  But his three-point attempt was off the mark and Connor Higdon pulled down the rebound for the Knights.  On Marion County's next possession, Sullivan was fouled while pulling down his tenth rebound of the game and went to the line for a pair of free-throws.  Sullivan missed both attempts, but after the second miss the rebound was knocked to the top of the key where Thomas was waiting.  Thomas picked up the rolling ball and buried the three-point shot with 0:44.0 showing on the clock to put the Knights back on top 69-66.

After a Marion County time-out, the Lakers got the ball in-bounds but had to burn a time-out of their own before Marion County's press caused another turnover.  On their second try, Russell County finally managed to get the ball across half-court and set up a play.  Laker senior Brayton Scales got off a three-point shot that was off the mark and Richardson missed a follow-up attempt that was knocked out of bounds by the Knights.  Russell County had one last opportunity and got the ball into Richardson's hands.  But under pressure from Thomas, Richardson was forced to pick up his dribble then called for traveling when he tried to step around Thomas for a shot with 0:11.3 left to play.  Following a Marion County time-out, the Knights got the ball in play to Means, who escaped a pair of Russell County defenders on the sideline and passed the ball the length of the floor to Sullivan, who passed to Higdon cutting down the right side of the lane for the final basket of the game, giving the Knights the final margin of five points.

  
(Left) Mason Sullivan (10) scores over Russell County's Hayes Coffey (21) and Ben Walters.  (Middle) Lez Means (3) drives through the Russell County defense for two of his game-high 22 points.  (Right) Connor Higdon (12) scores the last basket of the game for the Knights.

In addition to his 22 points, Means recorded four rebounds and three assists.  Thomas finished with 10 points and five rebounds while matching his career-high of five assists.  Sullivan posted the fourth double-double of his sophomore season with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow sophomore Epps scored 11 points with eight rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights get right back into action Monday night when they host the Metcalfe County Hornets in a girl/boy double-header, then welcome the Washington County Commanders to the Roby Dome on Tuesday for another girl/boy double-header.  Game-time on Monday is set for 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central) following the girls game at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central).

Slow Start Costs JV Knights at Russell Co. -- Marion County's Junior Varsity Knights didn't fare as well as their Varsity counterparts Saturday, falling behind 30-20 at the half to Russell County's JV Lakers and never were able to make up the difference.  Markell Bell scored 12 points to lead the JV Knights.

Freshmen Knights Claim 20th District Title -- The Freshmen Knights traveled to Campbellsville High School Saturday morning for this season's 20th District Freshmen Tournament and came away with championship trophy.  Marion County knocked off host team Campbellsville 54-48 in their first game, then defeated Taylor County in the championship game 63-42.  It was the second consecutive season Marion County has claimed the district title.  The Freshmen Knights are now 15-0 on the season with three non-district games left to play.

Marion County's Freshmen Knights with the 20th District Freshmen Tournament trophy.  (Front row, L-R) Kanyon Spalding, J.T. Lee, and Lathan Hamilton.  (Back row, L-R) assistant coach Mark Bell, Markell Bell, Spencer Lucas, Patrick Benton, Ethan Mattingly, Dominick White, Devin Gibson, and coach Tony Tonge.

 

Knights Hit Road To Russell Co. (2/2/2018)

Russell County's Brayton Scales (22) is covered by Marion County's Luke Thomas (0) in last season's game at the Roby Dome.

The Marion County Knights are entering another marathon stretch where they will play three games in four days.  The Metcalfe County Hornets will come to the Roby Dome on Monday, followed by a homecoming match-up with Washington County on Tuesday.  But first up, the Knights will make the trip to Russell Springs tomorrow for a Saturday-night JV/Varsity double-header against the Russell County Lakers.  The Lakers have a record of 9-14 going into tonight's game with Southwestern, but have won three of their last four contests.

Senior swingman Tate Richardson -- who recently committed to play college football at Lindsey Wilson -- leads Russell County in scoring at 16.1 points per game.  Richardson has made 44.7% of his shots from the floor this season, including 32.8% from three-point territory, while averaging 3.5 rebounds per game.  Fellow senior Brayton Scales scores 14.6 PPG wile pulling down 3.1 RPG.  Senior forward Hayes Coffey leads the team in rebounding at 4.8 per game while adding 6.7 PPG.

The Knights are coming off a pair of two-point games -- a 79-77 loss to Adair County on Sunday and a 77-75 win over Franklin County on Monday.  Senior Lez Means scored 23 and 19 points, respectively, in those games.  Means and fellow senior starter Luke Thomas had to split the ball-handling duties against Adair and Franklin Counties as point guard Tyshay Epps missed both contests with a wrist injury, and both recorded nine assists each in the two combined games.

Tip-off for Saturday's Varsity game is scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central) following the Junior Varsity contest at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central).

Freshmen Knights in District Tournament Saturday Morning -- Marion County's Freshmen Knights will travel to Campbellsville High School Saturday morning for the 20th District Freshmen Tournament.  The Freshmen Knights will take on host team Campbellsville at 9:30 AM, followed by Adair County vs. Taylor County at 10:45 AM.  The winners of those two games will advance to the championship game at 12:00 noon.

 

Knights Escape with 77-75 Win Over Franklin Co. (1/30/2018)

Marion County's Jamison Epps scores over Franklin County's Walker Lee (22) and Jared Courtney for two of his career-high 24 points.

After letting a 14-point lead slip away in the second half, the Marion County Knights escaped with a 77-75 win when Franklin County's last-second three-point shot bounced off the rim as the final horn sounded.  The Knights needed some late heroics from freshman Spencer Lucas, who came off the bench for the first time with 0:24.2 left in the game and hit 3-of-4 free-throw attempts to give Marion County the cushion it needed to hold off the Flyers' last-minute push.

The Knights held a 35-23 lead at halftime and stretched their advantage to 14 points early in the third quarter on Jamison Epps' put-back basket from an offensive rebound.  Epps scored eight of his career-high 24 points on offensive rebounds.  But playing without injured point guard Tyshay Epps for the second consecutive game, Marion County struggled to handle Franklin County's full-court press in the second half as the Flyers slowly but steadily chipped away at the Knights' lead.  Sophomore guard Jared Courtney and junior Kyle Stivers led the way for Franklin County with Stivers scoring 17 of his 19 points in the second half and Courtney scoring all 19 of his points in the final 13 minutes of the game.  Courtney finally pulled his team into a 67-67 tie on a pair of free-throws with 2:08 left in the fourth quarter.  However, the Flyers could never take an out-right lead as Marion County managed to come up with just enough answers.

  
(Left) Luke Thomas (0) pulls down one of his six rebounds in the game.  (Middle) Lez Means shot 11-15 from the free-throw line.  (Right) Marion County's Spencer Lucas (13) is fouled by Franklin County's Jared Courtney with 8.5 seconds left in the game.

First, with Franklin County pressing, Lez Means threw a bullet of a pass from half-court to Jamison Epps standing alone under the basket for a 69-67 Marion County lead.  Then on the Flyers' next possession, Knight senior Luke Thomas stepped in front of Franklin County's Ike Boling to draw a charge -- Boling's fifth foul of the game.  Then on Marion County's next possession, freshman Dominick White was fouled and hit the first free-throw, but missed the second.  The rebound was tipped out of bounds and Marion County kept possession, then Epps scored again on a drive to the basket to make the score 72-67 in favor of the Knights with a little more than a minute to play.  Stivers responded with a quick three-point field goal for the Flyers, then after a Marion County turnover hit one of two free-throws to pull Franklin County within one, 72-71.  White scored another basket for the Knights with 36.5 seconds left on the clock and was fouled, but missed the chance for a three-point play when he missed the free-throw.  Courtney answered for the Flyers with a driving basket of his own to keep his team within one point of the lead, 74-73.  The Knights broke the press on their next possession, but White hit the floor hard when he was fouled on the lay-up attempt with 0:24.2 left to play.  Lucas was sent in to shoot the free-throws and calmly drained both to stretch the lead back to three points for Marion County.

Franklin County still wasn't done.  Stivers rebounded a teammate's miss and scored to pull his team back to within one, 76-75, and the Flyers called one last time-out at 10.1 seconds.  On the in-bounds play the ball ended up in Lucas' hands and he was fouled by Courtney with 0:08.5 on the clock.  Lucas made the first charity toss for a 77-75 Marion County lead, but missed the second.  Stivers grabbed the rebound and made the outlet pass to Courtney, who passed ahead to Walker Lee near the top of the key, but with a Knight defender closing in Key passed to Ahrum Kumar in the right corner for an open three-point shot.  Kumar's attempt at the game-winner came off the rim into Lucas' hands as time expired, and the Knights could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

In addition to his 24 points, Epps grabbed 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.  Means scored 19 points and passed out six assists, while Thomas scored nine points to go with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.  Lee led Franklin County with 20 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Varsity Knights next take the floor on Saturday when they travel to Russell County for a JV/Varsity double-header with the Lakers.

 

 

 

Short-Handed Knights Fall To Adair, 79-77 (1/29/2018)

Marion County's Lez Means drives against Adair County's Zion Harmon in Sunday's game at the Roby Dome.

Down six points with under two minutes left in the game, and playing without starting point guard Tyshay Epps, the Marion County Knights forced a tie on a three-pointer by Luke Thomas with 0:31.1 on the clock.  But a pair of free-throws from Adair County's Zion Harmon proved to be the difference as the Knights made crucial errors down the stretch and fell to the Indians at the Roby Dome on Sunday, 79-77.

In one of the most exciting games for Marion County this season, the second half saw the score tied six times and the lead change hands nine times.  The largest lead for the Knights was seven points early in the first quarter and the largest for Adair County was eight points midway through the second quarter.  Both teams battled foul trouble down the stretch as well.  Adair County's Dre Boyd was called for his fifth foul after posting a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, joining teammate Hunter Cundiff on the bench after Cundiff had fouled out just moments earlier.  Marion County's leading scorer Lez Means played much of the fourth quarter with four fouls before committing his fifth in the waning seconds of the game, while forwards Mason Sullivan and Connor Higdon also were called for four fouls each.

Adair County held a 41-39 lead at the half, thanks in large part to shooting 7-for-24 from behind the three-point arc in the first half and going 12-for-13 at the free-throw line.  Meanwhile, the Knights got a boost from sophomore John Adams, who scored 11 of his career-high 17 points in the first half, and Jamison Epps with a pair of baskets inside as Marion County pulled within two points at the break.

Adair County's Anthony Payne had given his team a six point lead, 75-69, with a basket as the clock headed towards the two-minute mark left in the game when Sullivan scored for Marion County off a feed from Higdon, then Adams made just one of two free-throws with 1:33 to play to make the score 75-72 in favor of the Indians.  Boyd scored in the paint to stretch Adair County's lead back to five points before Means made a pair of free-throws on the other end to pull the Knights back within three points with 1:06 left.  The Indians had taken good care of the ball for most of the game, but fumbled the ball out of bounds for just their fourth turnover of the game with 0:42 on the clock.  With Adair County's defense trying to keep the ball out of Means' hands, Thomas found an opening near the top of the key and drained his third three-point field goal of the game to pull the Knights into a 77-77 tie and Marion County called time-out with 0:31.1 left in the game.

  
(Left) John Adams makes one of his two three-point FGs in the first quarter over Adair County's Zion Harmon.  (Middle) Freshman Dominick White (20) scores on an in-bounds play.  (Right) Luke Thomas hit this three-point FG to pull the Knights into a 77-77 tie with 0:31.1 left in the game.

The Indians ran the clock down to 12.5 seconds before calling time to set up a play.  But on the in-bounds play Marion County's Dominick White and Harmon got tangled up with White getting charged for the foul.  Harmon made both free-throws to put his team up by two, 79-77, and Adair County called time once again to set their defense.  On the in-bounds play on the baseline, the Knights committed what looked like a potential game-ending turnover when the pass hit the underside of the backboard, giving the ball back to the Indians.  But when the Indians tried to put the ball back in play, Marcus Yantis forced Harmon into a turnover in the corner, giving the ball back to Marion County with 0:11.1 to go.  Thomas got the ball in to Means cutting up the sideline, and Means wove through traffic towards the goal.  Means missed the lay-up under pressure from Adair County's Corey Melton and the rebound fell into Sullivan's hands, who appeared to be fouled on the play.  But the officials sent Thomas to the line for the free-throws with the Knights down by two and just 0:02.7 on the clock.  The Knights' leading free-throw shooter at just under 80%, Thomas missed the first attempt, forcing an intentional miss on the second.  Missed free-throws were the achillies heal for the Knights, who as a team missed seven charity tosses in the final period and 13 for the game.  Adair County's Blane Frazier secured the rebound and was fouled by Means, his fifth.  Frazier missed both free-throws on the opposite end, but the desperation shot by Jamison Epps as time expired fell short for the Knights.

Means finished the game with 23 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.  Adams finished with five rebounds to go with his career-high 17 points.  Thomas scored nine points and passed out a career-high five assists.  Harmon led all scorers with 24 points, almost 10 points below his season-average of 33.7, while Melton hit five three-pointers and finished with 23 points for the Indians.  You can read more about this story by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights will have very little time to put the loss behind them as they host the Franklin County Flyers tonight in the second game of a girl/boy double-header at the Roby Dome.  The first game will feature the Lady Knights taking on the Taylor County Lady Cards at 6:00 PM.  The boys game between the Knights and Flyers is scheduled for a 7:30 PM start.

Notes:
*  Prior to the game, Means was presented with a game-ball to mark his scoring over 1,000 points in his career.  Means is currently #7 on the school's list of all-time leading scorers.
*  Also prior to the game, a moment of silence was held to honor the victims of the tragic shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky, last week.

 

Re-Scheduled Games On Tap For Marion Co. (1/28/2018)

The Adair County Indians and Lady Indians will visit the Roby Dome today to take on Marion County in a girl/boy double-header.  The games were originally scheduled for January 16, but were postponed due to snow.  Tip-off for the rare Sunday contests are 3:00 PM Eastern time (2:00 PM Central) for the girls and 4:30 PM Eastern time (3:30 PM Central) for the boys.  Adair County's boys team comes into this afternoon's game with a record of 12-7.  The Indians defeated the Knights 88-77 when the two teams last met in Columbia on December 8th.

The Knights and Lady Knights will also be the host teams in a girl/boy double-header Monday night, but against two different schools.  The Lady Knights will welcome the Taylor County Lady Cards to the Roby Dome at 6:00 PM, while the Knights will take on the Franklin County Flyers in the second game at 7:30 PM.  The Flyers are 10-12 on the season, but have won their last three games -- a 74-69 overtime win against Shelby County, a 60-56 victory over cross-town rival Western Hills, and a 67-55 win over Cordia on Saturday in the MLK Jr. Classic at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester.

 

Freshmen Knights Win Nelson Co. Tourney (1/27/2018)

Marion County's Spencer Lucas (1) starts a fast break against Holy Cross as Kanyon Spalding (right) heads up the floor.

Marion County's Freshmen Knights traveled to Nelson County High School this morning and won three games to claim the championship of the Nelson County Freshmen Tournament.  An all-day affair, the Freshmen Knights defeated Louisville Collegiate 43-27 in their first game, then two hours later defeated Holy Cross (Louisville) 59-42 to advance to the championship game against East Jessamine.  The Freshmen Jaguars earned their spot in the championship by knocking off Fairdale and LaRue County.

  
(Left) Dominick White drives for a basket against Holy Cross.  (Middle) Ethan Mattingly scores two of his 15 points against Holy Cross.  (Right) Patrick Benton looks for an open man against East Jessamine.

East Jessamine took a 29-24 lead at the half and stretched their lead to as much as eight points late in the third quarter.  But Freshmen Knights' defense held East Jessamine without a field goal in the fourth quarter as Marion County's Spencer Lucas scored seven of his 15 points in the period and Marion County took the championship game by a score of 49-45.  Seventh-grader Markell Bell also scored double-figures in the championship for Marion County with a team-high 16 points.

The Freshmen Knights improved their record to 10-0 on the season.  They next play on Wednesday in the first game of a Freshmen-JV double-header with Bardstown before playing in the 20th District Freshmen Tournament Saturday at Campbellsville High School.

Marion County's Freshmen Knights with the championship trophy of the Nelson County Freshmen Tournament.  Front row (L-R): Lathan Hamilton, Devin Gibson, and J.T. Lee.  Back row (L-R): head coach Tony Tonge, Ethan Mattingly, Kanyon Spalding, Patrick Benton, Dominick White, Markell Bell, Spencer Lucas, and Asst. coach Mark Bell.

 

Knights Knock Off Cards 83-56 (1/26/2018)

Marion County's Luke Thomas (0) hits a shot after getting fouled by Nelson County's Cage Mattingly.

Last month the Marion County Knights suffered through their worst half of the season at the hands of the Nelson County Cardinals, scoring only 14 points in the first half on their way to a 74-61 loss.  Last night Marion County tried to make up for that setback, jumping out to an early lead and handing the Cardinals an 83-56 loss.  Seniors Lez Means and Luke Thomas led the way for the Knights with Means putting up 26 points and Thomas scoring 18.

Means had yet another strong performance, shooting 9-20 overall from the floor -- including 3-8 from behind the three-point arc -- and a perfect 5-5 at the free-throw line, as well as six rebounds and five steals.  Thomas, the team's leading three-point shooter going into the game, failed to hit a single three-pointer but scored all seven of his field goals driving to the basket on lay-ups and pull-up jumpers, twice converting old-fashioned three-point plays.  He also shot 4-4 at the free-throw line to go with four steals and three blocked shots.

Means and Thomas led Marion County to a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but foul trouble sent four Knights to the bench by the middle of the second period.  Sophomores Spencer Riggs and John Adams came off the bench to provide a spark as Riggs came up with four rebounds in the second quarter as well as hitting 3-of-4 at the free-throw line.  Adams grabbed a pair of rebounds and drained a pair of three-point shots during a 15-2 Marion County run to close out the half and the Knights held a 37-20 lead at the break.

  
(Left) Lez Means hits the first of his three 3-FGs and led all scorers with 26 points. (Middle) Spencer Riggs comes away with a steal in the second half.  (Right) John Adams drive around Nelson County's Barrett McGill.

Nelson County forwards Benton McGill and Garrett Miles tried to keep their team close in the third quarter, each hitting a pair of baskets inside.  But the Knights refused to give the Cards any breathing room, forcing 18 Nelson County turnovers for the game -- 10 of them in the second half.  Means scored on three separate drives -- including his second three-point play of the game -- and Thomas hit another pull-up jumper and a lay-up off of a mid-court steal to steadily increase Marion County's lead to as much as 21 points entering the fourth quarter.  Nelson County was unable to cut into the Knights' lead in the final period as nine different Marion County players hit field goals during the frame.

Riggs finished the game with seven points and six rebounds for the Knights while Adams scored 10 points and also had six boards.  Point guard Tyshay Epps struggled shooting the ball, but tied his career-high with seven rebounds as well as blocking a pair of shots.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights return to action on Sunday afternoon with a make-up game against Adair County in the Roby Dome, part of a girl/boy double-header with the Indians.  The girls contest is scheduled to tip off at 3:00 PM Eatern time (2:00 PM Central) with the boys taking the floor at 4:30 PM Eastern time (3:30 PM Central).

 

Knights Return To Nelson Co. (1/25/2018)

The Marion County Knights travel to Nelson County High School tonight for a rare Thursday contest with the Cardinals.  The JV Knights will also play in the first game of a JV/Varsity double-header.

The Knights have already played Nelson County on their home court once this season in the final game of the Nelson County Holiday Classic.  Marion County claimed first place in the round-robin tournament, but had possibly their worst outing of the season against the Cardinals.  The Knights made just five field goals in the first half of that game, falling behind 41-14 at the half.  Senior Lez Means led a furious second-half comeback attempt, but the Knights could never get closer than seven points on their way to a 74-61 loss.  Since that upset win, Nelson County has gone 1-5 with their only victory a 68-57 triumph over district foe Bethlehem.

Tip-off for tonight's Junior Varsity game is scheduled for 6:00 PM, which will be followed by the Varsity contest at 7:30 PM.

 

Knights Fall Short At East Jessamine (1/24/2018)

Marion County's Luke Thomas hits one of his four three-point FGs against East Jessamine.  Thomas led the Knights with 14 points.

The Marion County Knights overcame a seven-point deficit in the third quarter to set up a nip-and-tuck fourth quarter with two opportunities in the final seconds to force overtime, but in the end fell to the East Jessamine Jaguars in Nicholasville, 57-55.  While the Knights tied the score five times in the final period, they never managed to take an outright lead as the Jaguars answered every challenge.

Marion County dominated the boards in the first half, out-rebounding the Jaguars 15-8.  But the Knights also committed eight turnovers while only forcing East Jessamine into three of their own.  The Jaguars were also efficient shooting the ball, hitting 48% of their shots in the first half -- including 3-of-7 from behind the arc -- for a 28-26 lead at the half.  Marion County pulled even on their first posession of the third quarter when Mason Sullivan found Tyshay Epps cutting backdoor for a layup.  The Jaguars responded with a 11-4 run to go up 39-32 for their largest lead of the half.  But with a pair of inside baskets from Sullivan and a three-pointer following a steal by Luke Thomas, Marion County managed to pull within three at the end of the period.

Thomas hit his fourth three-pointer of the game to start the final period, pulling the Knights into a 42-42 tie.  East Jessamine's Jacob Bradshaw answered on the other end with a three-pointer of his own to put the Jaguars back on top.  Lez Means matched that with his own three on Marion County's next possession, but Bradshaw once again had the answer, sinking his fourth three-point FG of the game to put East back on top, 48-45.  The Knights tied the score twice more over the next three minutes, including a put-back basket on an offensive rebound by Marcus Yantis to make the score 50-50 before Bradshaw took the lead back one more time for the Jaguars with a driving lay-up.

  
(Left) Marcus Yantis pulls in a rebound.  (Middle) Connor HIgdon scores over East Jessamine's Tyler Pitney (23).  (Right) Lez Means makes contact on his way to the basket with East Jessamine's Will O'Bryan.

After a Marion County turnover, East Jessamine's DeAnte Sanon made one of two free-throws to give the home team a 53-50 lead.  Half a minute later Means went to the line for the Knights and also hit one of two with 2:29 remaining in the game.  Once again, Bradshaw found an opening in Marion County's defense for a basket and put the Jaguars on top, 55-51, with under 1:30 left to play.  On the Knights' next possession, Yantis scored on a feed from Epps to cut the lead to two points, then Epps swiped the ball from East Jessamine's Ben Thompson and hit Thomas with a pass for a lay-up to tie the score 55-55 with just under a minute to play.  The Jaguars looked like they were going to hold the ball for the last shot, but Thompson spotted a seam in the Knights' defense and drained a floating lay-up with 0:17 left on the clock to give the lead back to the Jaguars one more time, 57-55.  Marion County quickly in-bounded the ball and Epps drove up the floor, splitting a pair of East Jessamine defenders for a floater of his own.  But the shot rattled out of the basket and was tipped into the air twice.  Means finally secured the ball and attempted a lay-up under pressure, but once again the shot wouldn't fall and Sanon came up with the rebound for the Jaguars and was fouled with 0:01.7 showing on the clock.  East Jessamine called a time-out, giving the Knights a chance to set up their defense.  But the Jaguars managed to get the ball back in play and run out the clock to secure the win.

Thomas led Marion County in scoring, shooting 4-for-7 from behind the arc and finishing with 14 points.  Means scored 11 to go with seven rebounds.  Yantis came off the bench to score 10 points and grab five rebounds while Epps passed out seven assists.  East Jessamine's Bradshaw led all scorers with 18 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking on teh score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

Marion County will have a quick turnaround, traveling to Nelson County tomorrow night for a JV/Varsity double-header with the Cardinals.  Game-time for the Junior Varsity game is scheduled for 6:00 PM with the Varsity following at 7:30 PM.

JV Knights Fall In Double-OT -- Marion County's Junior Varsity Knights also took a tough loss last night at East Jessamine, falling to the JV Jaguars 57-54 in double-overtime.  East Jessamine's Michael Powell tipped in a rebound as time expired to force the first extra period, and Marion County's Ethan Mattingly drained a three-pointer from the right corner as the horn sounded to force the second.  Foul trouble and costly turnovers in the second overtime finally took their toll on JV Knights who ran out of answers in the final minute.  John Adams finished with 28 points for Marion County.

 Marion County's Ethan Mattingly hits this three-pointer to force the JV game's second overtime period.

 

Knights Travel To East Jessamine Tonight (1/23/2018)

 

East Jessamine's Jacob Bradshaw (shooting) is averaging 14.8 points per game this season.

 

The Marion County Knights hit the road tonight to take on the 12th Region's East Jessamine Jaguars in Nicholasville in a JV/Varsity double-header.  The Jaguars come into the game with a record of 9-13, but have won their last four consecutive games -- a 15-point win at Casey County on Thursday, a blowout win over Thomas Nelson on Friday, a 60-59 nailbiter over Tates Creek on Saturday, and an 18-point victory over Rockcastle County last night.  Tonight's game will also be just the sixth time this season East Jessamine has played in their own gym.

 

The Jaguars are led by a pair of seniors -- guard Jacob Bradshaw and forward DeAnte Sanon.  Both average close to 15 points per game with Sanon also leading the team in rebounds at 8.0 per game.  Both also shoot over 34% from behind the three-point arc and Bradshaw hits 82.1% from the charity stripe.  As a team, the Jaguars shoot a very respectable 71.2% at the free-throw line as five of their top seven players all shoot 70% or better.  Offense generally hasn't been a problem for East Jessamine, who averages 66.0 points per contest, but defensive lapses have been a problem.

 

The Knights (11-7) have won three of four games since the first of the year, including a solid 54-37 district win at Campbellsville on Saturday.  Senior guard Lez Means continues to impress with 19.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

 

Tip-off for the Varsity contest is set for 7:30 PM, following the Junior Varsity game at 6:00 PM.

 

Knights Win At Campbellsville (1/21/2018)

Marion County's Lez Means out-runs the Campbellsville defense for two of his game-high 16 points.

With both teams getting off to a slow start, it wasn't a pretty game.  But the Marion County Knights' offense finally came to life late in the first quarter, going on an 12-2 run from which the Campbellsville Eagles wouldn't recover, and claimed a 54-37 win on the road.  Marion County senior guard Lez Means posted the first double-double of his career with 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Neither team seemed able to find the basket early with Campbellsville holding just a 5-2 lead after more than five minutes of play.  But Means finally broke the ice for the Knights, first drawing a foul and hitting one of two free-throws, then after a Campbellsville turnover completing a three-point play, then pulling down a Campbellsville missed shot and driving the length of the floor for a basket.  After Eagles freshman Aaren Hash scored inside, the Knights closed out the first quarter with back-to-back three's from Luke Thomas and Tyshay Epps for a 14-7 lead.

Marion County's defense kept pressure on Campbellsville's outside shooters, holding the Eagles to just four points in the second quarter.  For the game, Campbellsville would manage just 21.2% shooting from the floor as Marion County took a 19-point lead at the half.  The Knights stretched the lead to 25 early in the third quarter, 36-11, before the Eagles took advantage of Marion County turnovers to cut the lead to 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter.  But that was as close as they could get as the Knights put it on cruise control in the final period on their way to the 17-point win.

  
(Left) Luke Thomas (0) makes the first of his two three-point FGs.  (Middle) Mason Sullivan (10) scores inside against the Campbellsville defense.  (Right) Connor Higdon makes the second of his two three-pointers.

Means was the only player for either team to reach double figures in scoring.  Epps finished the game with nine points and eight assists.  In his first start of the season, Connor Higdon connected on a pair of three-pointers and grabbed four rebounds.  Thomas also made a pair of three-pointers and recorded three rebounds and three assists.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Varsity Knights next take the floor Tuesday when they travel to Nicholasville for a JV/Varsity double-header with the East Jessamine Jaguars.  The Varsity game is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM following the JV contest at 6:00 PM.  But first, on Monday the JV Knights will join the Freshmen squad for a double-header at Washington County High School.  The Freshmen are scheduled to start at 6:00 PM with the Junior Varsity squads following.  You can see the calendar for all three Knights teams by clicking on teh "Calendar" button in the left-hand column, or by clicking here.

 

After Long Break, Knights Return To Action (1/20/2018)

Marion County's Mason Sullivan (10) scored 12 points with 10 rebounds in the KNights' last game against Campbellsville.

Thanks to the snow, it's been eleven days since the Marion County Knights played their last game, a 60-57 win over Green County at the Roby Dome.  Coach Montrelle Irvin's squad will finally step back on the court this afternoon and hope they won't have to shake off too much rust when they travel to Campbellsville High School for a 20th District contest with the Eagles.

Campbellsville managed to squeeze in one game earlier this week, a heart-breaking 66-65 loss on a last-second three-pointer to Bardstown on Thursday in the All "A" Classic regional tournament.  If that wasn't enough to make the Eagles want to come back with a strong performance today, they would also like to make up for the 75-67 loss to the Knights last month at the Roby Dome.  Both teams struggled with foul trouble in that contest and swapped the lead back-and-forth several times in the fourth quarter before Marion County hit enough free-throws down the stretch for the win.

Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM following a girls' Varsity game between the Lady Knights and Lady Eagles at 2:00 PM.

 

Game Time With Campbellsville Is Set (1/19/2018)

The Marion County Knights game at Campbellsville on Saturday has been scheduled for 3:30 PM.  The boys will play following the girls Varsity game between the Lady Knights and Lady Eagles at 2:00 PM.

 

Schedule Changes Announced (1/18/2018)

Updated 10:32 PM, 1/18/2018

As Central Kentucky continues to deal with the effects of the winter weather  this week, athletic directors across the 5th Region are scrambling to revise their basketball schedules and find new dates for make-up games.  As a result, the Marion County Knights have had several updates to their schedule:

• The girl/boy Varsity double-header at Campbellsville will be played this Saturday with the start times to be announced Friday morning.  The start time will be posted here as soon as possible.
• The girl/boy Varsity double-header against Adair County at the Roby Dome has been scheduled for Sunday, January 28, at 3:00 PM Eastern time (girls) and 4:30 PM Eastern time (boys).
• The boys home JV game against Franklin County on Monday, January 29, has been replaced with a girls Varsity game against Taylor County at 6:00 PM.  The boys Varsity will still play Franklin County's Varsity that night in the Roby Dome at 7:30 PM.
• The boys Freshmen, JV, and Varsity squads will all travel to Bethlehem Hign School on Saturday, February 10, for a triple-header with the Eagles

Any other schedule changes will be posted here as they become available.  To see the most up-to-date boys Varsity schedule, click on the "Schedule" button in the left-hand column.  To see the complete calendar for the Freshmen, JV, and Varsity Knights, click on the "Calendar" button in the left-hand column, or click here.

Updated 10:32 PM, 1/18/2018

 

Adair Co. Game Postponed (1/16/2018)

Due to the incliment winter weather, tonight's game with Adair County has been postponed to January 27.  You can see the most up-to-date schedule information by clicking on the "Schedule" button in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

Updated: 1/16/2018, 11:10 AM.

 

Adair Co. Comes To The Roby Dome (1/16/2018)

Adair County freshman Zion Harmon, shown here in the Indians' 78-65 win at Barren County, in averaging 34 points per game. (Photo by Daniel Suddeath, Glasgow Daily Times)

If Mother Nature will allow it, the Adair County Indians will pay a visit to the Roby Dome tonight for a 20th District match-up with the Marion County Knights.  The Indians (10-6) are on a four-game winning streak and have won six of their last seven contests.

Top-ranked freshman Zion Harmon leads the Indians in scoring at 34.0 PPG, which includes an eye-popping 54 points in a 119-103 win over Caverna last week.  (Amazingly, Harmon did not score the most points in that game.  That honor belongs to Caverna's Jobby Howard, who poured in 65 points to set his school's record.  Howard and his Caverna teammates are scheduled to visit the Roby Dome to take on the Knights on February 13.)  Adair County's second-leading scorer, senior Corey Melton, did not play when the Indians and Knights met in Columbia back on December 8th.  Marion County held a lead in that game at the half, 37-34, but eventually came up short, 88-77, as Adair County's Dre Boyd and Anthony Payne combined for 28 second-half points.

Tip-off for the Knights and Indians is scheduled for 7:45 PM Eastern time (6:45 PM Central) following a girls varsity game between the Lady Knights and Lady Indians at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central).

Notes: * Should tonight's game be affected by the winter weather, updates will be posted here as soon as they are announced.
** The Marion County Knights 2017 baseball team will be honored between games this evening for reaching the semi-finals of the 2017 KHSAA/Whitaker Bank State Tournament.  The team won its first Fifth Region Championship in school history and finished the season with a record of 28-7, the most wins in school history.  Senior guard Luke Thomas was a key member of that team and set the school record for most pitching wins in a season.
*** Saturday's road game at Bethlehem has been moved to January 27 due to scheduling conflicts.  The Knights are now scheduled to make up last Friday's postponed game at Campbellsville this Saturday.  You can see the current up-to-date schedule by clicking here.

 

Campbellsville Game Postponed (1/12/2018)

Tonight's basketball between the Marion County Knights and Campbellsville Eagles has been postponed.  A rescheduled date will be announced at a later time.  

Also, Saturday's Autism Classic games have been canceled.  No announcement has been made regarding a make-up date.

(Updated 1/12/2018, 2:23 PM)

 

Knights Play Back-To-Back Again This Weekend (1/12/2018)

Once again, the Marion County Knights will face opponents on back-to-back nights.  Tonight Marion County will head to Campbellsville High School for their second match-up of the season with the Eagles, and Saturday the Knights will face the Taylor County Cardinals in the final game of the annual Autism Classic at the Roby Dome.  However, both games will be dependent on how severe the approaching winter storm will be.

The Eagles are currently 7-9 on the season and suffered a disappointing 63-59 loss at Hart County on Tuesday.  But last Friday the Eagles defeated their cross-town rival Taylor County in a thrilling 66-63 overtime win, giving Campbellsville a sweep in their season series with the Cardinals for the first time since the 2009-2010 season.  In their balanced offense, junior forward Nataj Sanders leads the Eagles in scoring at 12.2 PPG, and is closely followed by sophomore Malachi Corley at 11.0 PPG and Connor Wilson at 9.6 PPG. But seniors Chanson Atkinson and Ethan Lay as well as freshman Arren Hash are also capable of putting up double figures.  With tonight's game scheduled to be a girl/boy double-header, the Knights and Eagles are scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM following the girls Varsity game at 6:00 PM.

The Cardinals suffered a major blow to their hopes this season when junior guard DeJhon Irvin suffered a broken arm in practice before their first game, and have since struggled to a 3-11 record, including those two losses to Campbellsville, but picked up a 49-45 win at North Hardin on Thursday..  Junior guard TreVon Smith has still looked impressive, leading Taylor in both scoring and rebounding (19.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG).  But head coach Maze Stallworth is still looking for more consistant production from his supporting cast.  The Knights and the Cards are scheduled to tip off at 8:00 PM in the final of three games in Marion County's Autism Classic.  The Lady Knights will play Green County at 6:00 PM, following a girls Varsity game between Bullitt East and North Hardin at 4:00 PM.  Funds raised for this event will be contributed to efforts supporting those with Autism.

Of course, all of these games are subject to the incoming winter weather storm that will hit central Kentucky Friday morning into Saturday.  As soon as administrators make a decision on whether or not to play, this page will be updated.

 

Knights Hold Off Late Run; Defeat Dragons (1/10/2017)

Marion County's Luke Thomas (0) hits one of his four 3-Pt. FGs over Green County's Zyler Bardin (20).

The Marion County Knights held a 10-point lead after three quarters and watched the Green County Dragons cut it all the way to just one point with 0:34.2 left in the game before holding on for a 60-57 win Tuesday night at the Roby Dome.  Luke Thomas drained three of his four three-point field goals in the first half, then clinched the win with a pair of free-throws with 8.5 seconds left to play.

With the Knights still short-handed on their front line, Green County attacked inside early by feeding their big man Isaac Young.  Young scored seven of his game-high 25 points in the first quarter, but Marion County countered with outside shooting, first taking the lead 6-4 on a three-pointer from Thomas midway through the period.  The Knights would never trail after that point, but the Dragons refused to be put away, either.  Marion County's largest lead of the first half came with a little more than a minute left in the second half when Mason Sullivan swiped an errant Dragons pass and found Tyshay Epps streaking up the floor for a transition lay-up for a nine point advantage, but had to settle for a 35-28 lead at the half.

The Knights went on a 10-2 run in the third quarter and held their largest lead of the game, 47-37, to start the fourth period.  Green County went back to pounding the ball inside to Young who came away each time with either a basket or a trip to the free-throw line.  After scoring just one point while fighting off foul trouble against Marion County last month, this time Young finished with 25 points while creating foul trouble for the Knights.  Young went to the charity stripe nine time in the fourth quarter, converting seven attempts as the Dragons slowly chipped away at the lead.  Sullivan fouled out attempting to guard Young with 0:34.2 remaining in the game, and Young hit both free-throws to cut Marion County's lead to just one, 58-57.  Marion County head coach Montrelle Irvin called time twice as the Knights tried to drain the clock and eventually Thomas was fouled by Green County's Hunter McCubbins with 0:08.5 showing on the clock.  Thomas calmly made both free-throws to put Marion County back on top by three, 60-57.  Green County still had a chance to tie the game and force overtime, but McCubbins' three-point attempt from the top of the key as time expired wouldn't go down and the Knights claimed the victory.

  
(Left) Tyshay Epps (1) kicks the ball out after drawing in the defense for one of his nine assists in the game.  (Middle) Senior Conner Higdon (12) hits a three-pointer in the first half.  (Right) Mason Sullivan secures one of his 13 rebounds against the Dragons.

Thomas finished the game with 16 points to lead the Knights in scoring and also posted three rebounds and four steals.  Epps scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half while tying his career-high in assists with nine.  Sullivan also tied a career-high with 13 rebounds to go with his nine points and three steals before fouling out late.  Lez Means scored 12 points with seven rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights return to game-action this weekend with another pair of back-to-back games.  On Friday Marion County will travel to Campbellsville High School for a match-up with the Eagles in the second game of a girl/boy double-header at 7:30 PM, then on Saturday will face the Taylor County Cardinals in the final game of the Autism Awareness Classic at the Roby Dome.

JV Knights Claim Win Over JV Dragons -- Marion County's JV Knights also claimed a win over Green County on Tueday in the opening game of the night, 53-39.  Spencer Lucas led the JV Knights with 15 points.

 

Dragons Visit Roby Dome For Rematch (1/9/2018)

Green County's Brody Bush (11) scores two of his team-high 15 points over Mason Sullivan (10) in the Dragons' loss to Marion County on December 12.

When the Marion County Knights and Green County Dragons last met on December 12 in Greensburg, Dragons' leading scorer Isaac Young picked up two quick fouls early in the first quarter and only managed to score one point in his team's 61-48 loss to the Knights.  Young and the Dragons are clearly hoping for better results this time when they visit the Roby Dome this evening for a JV/Varsity double-header.

Young still leads the Dragons in both scoring (12.4 PPG) and rebounding (6.9 RPG).  But to make up for the loss of his production in the game against the Knights last month, juniors Brody Bush and Zyler Bardin picked up the slack, scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively, to try to keep their team in the game.  Marion County also had issues with foul trouble in the last match-up with the Dragons as starters Lez Means and Luke Thomas both spent a considerable amount of time in the first half on the bench.  But sophomore Tyshay Epps led the way for the Knights with 17 points and five assists as Marion County got a balanced scoring attack for the 13-point win.

Game-time for the Varsity game tonight is scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central), following the Junior Varsity contest at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central).

 

Commanders Win Battle Of The Boards, Take Down Knights (1/7/2018)

Marion County's John Adams scores two of his nine points in the second quarter.

The Marion County Knights were out-rebounded by the Washington County Commanders 36-30 and also came up short on the scoreboard to the Commanders Saturday night, 74-65, at Washington County High School.  The Knights gave up 15 offensive rebounds that Washington County turned into 16 second-chance points -- the most given up by Marion County this season.

The Commanders offense seemed to be hitting on all cylinders in the first quarter, making four three-pointers on the outside while forward Jake Yates pounded the Knights on the inside for a 20-12 lead.  Foul trouble began to mount for Washington County and the Knights managed to cut the lead down to four points at 22-18 on a three-point play by sophomore John Adams, who came off the bench to score all nine of his points in the second quarter.  But Washington County's Cameron Willis and Drew Yates led the Commanders on a 10-3 run before Adams made a three-point field goal to keep the Knights within striking distance going into the half, 32-24.

The Commanders stretched their lead to 12 points early in the third quarter before Marion County's Tyshay Epps and Lez Means led a charge that pulled the Knights to within four points at the end of the period, then took their first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Means, 53-51, with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter.  Josh Burkhead scored on a lay-up to pull the Commanders even before Luke Thomas hit his second three-pointer of the quarter to give the lead back to the Knights, 56-53.  But from there Washington County went on a 9-0 run, aided by a pair of Marion County turnovers against the Commanders full-court press, to retake the lead at 62-56.  Marion County pulled within three points with 2:01 left in the game, but Willis secured the win for the Commanders at the free-thow line down the stretch.

  
(Left) Tyshay Epps starts a drive against the Washington County defense.  (Middle) Lez Means scores two of his 17 points.  (Right) Luke Thomas hits one of his three 3-point FGs.

Epps finished the game with 22 points to lead all scorers while also pasing out five assists, and Means scored 17 points.  Adams finished with nine points and a career-high 10 rebounds, and Thomas made three shots from behind the arc for all nine of his points.  Willis shot 12-14 from the free-throw line and finished with 21 points for the Commanders.  Drew Yates scored 18 and Jake Yates 15 for the Commanders.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights will try to get back in the win column Tuesday when they host the Green County Dragons at the Roby Dome in a JV/Varsity double-header.  The Junior varsity game is scheduled to start at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central) with the Varsity following at 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central).

 

Spartans Come-Back Falls Short; Knights Win 74-66 (1/6/2018)

Marion County's Conner Higdon (12) is fouled by Sayre's Jackson Foster on this basket that gave the Knights the lead for good.

The Marion County Knights gave up an 18-point lead in the second half to the Sayre Spartans and fell behind by two less than three minutes left in the game.  But a three-point play by senior reserve Conner Higdon gave the Knights the lead for good and clutch free-throw shooting by sophomores Tyshay Epps and Mason Sullivan preserved a 74-66 win Friday night at the Roby Dome.

Marion County got three-point field goals from four different players in the second quarter and went into the half with a 30-17 lead.  In the second half, both teams struggled with foul trouble as a combined 40 fouls were called on the two squads.  The Knights claimed their largest lead of the game at 18 points when Epps scored with just over 3:00 left in the third quarter.  The Spartans turned up the defensive pressure and responded with an 18-6 run that cut Marion County's lead to just six points at 49-43 when Lee Helmers put back a missed free throw with under 0:30 left in the third quarter.  But the fouls were beginning to pile up on the Spartans as starters Jayden Blanton, Jackson Foster, and Marcus Bowie all picked up their fourth before the start of the fourth quarter.  Marion County was dealing with their own foul trouble with starting center Jamison Epps and reserve John Adams picking up their third fouls, and Sullivan and Higdon picking up their fourth fouls early in the fourth quarter.

Marcus Yantis fights for a loose ball with Sayre's R.J. Smith.  Yantis was seing his first action in three weeks afte rreturning from an injury.

The Spartans continued to chip away at the Knights' lead and finally pulled ahead on a three-point field goal by Trey Atkins, 63-62, with 3:22 left in the game.  Sullivan was fouled and made one of two shots at the line to pull Marion County even before Atkins scored on a drive to give the lead back to Sayre, 65-63.  A minute later a Spartan turnover led to a basket by Lez Means to tie the game again at 65-65.  On Sayre's next possession, the Knights extended their half-court zone defense and Luke Thomas picked off an errant pass, then raced towards the other end of the floor.  Thomas missed the lay-up attempt under heavy pressure from Helmers.  But Higdon trailed the play and came down with the rebound, then scored while drawing a foul from Sayre's Jackson Foster.  Higdon completed the three-point play at the free-throw line to put the Knights on top 68-65 with under 1:30 to play.

Atkins next went to the line for the Spartans but only hit one of two shots, leaving his team down by two with 0:42.9 left on the clock.  However, Marion County would make the most of their opportunities at the line to close out the game with Sullivan and Tyshay Epps combining to make all six attempts in the final 36 seconds for the final margin.

Tyshay Epps finished the game with 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists for the Knights.  Means led all scorers with 21 points to go with four rebounds and four assists, and Sullivan scored 11 points with five rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights don't have much time to celebrate the win since they have a game tonight at border rival Washington County at 7:30 PM.  The Commanders are 8-9 on the season after their 64-53 win over Bethlehem.  The Knights-Commanders contest is the second game of a girl/boy double-header with Washington County.  The Lady Knights and Lady Commanders are scheduled to tip off at 6:00 PM.

Notes:  * The JV Knights only had six players in uniform against the JV Spartans as injuries and illness depleated their ranks.  The JV Knights fell to Sayre 41-35. 
* The Knights will be without starting center Jamison Epps for the next two games after he was called for a pair of technical fouls early in the fourth quarter.
* There were three former University of Kentucky All-Americans in the crowd at the game.  Sam Bowie was in attendance to watch his son, Marcus, score 13 points before fouling out in the varsity game.  Rex Chapman showed up to watch his son, Zeke, help coach the JV Spartans in their win.  And former Marion County Lady Knights star Makayla Epps was also at the game.

 

Knights Start New Year With Back-To-Back Games (1/5/2018)

 
(Left) Sayre's R.J. Smith is averaging almost 20 points per game (Photo by Tim Webb, Lexington Herald-Leader).  (Right) Junior Cameron Willis leads Washington County with 18.9 points per game.

After a week off following their last holiday tournament, the Marion County Knights get back to competition with back-to-back games tonight against the Sayre (Lexington) Spartans and Saturday against the Washington County Commanders.  The Spartans visit the Roby Dome tonight for a JV/Varsity double-header, and tomorrow the Knights will travel to Springfield to visit the Commanders for a girl/boy double-header.

Sayre has posted a 7-6 record so far this season while playing in the very competitive 11th Region.  The private school in North Lexington had won five in a row before taking a loss at Henry Clay on Tuesday.  Spartans head coach Rob Goodman told the Lexington Herald-Leader he felt senior R.J. Smith "is one of the most under-rated players in the state."  Smith has certainly put up the numbers to back up his coach's statement, averaging 19.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, including 20 points in the loss at Henry Clay and a double-double (22/17) in a 69-67 win over Harrison County last week.  Senior Marcus Bowie -- son of former University of Kentucky All-American Sam Bowie -- averages 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Spartans.  Tip-off for the Varsity contest is scheduled for 7:30 PM following the Junior Varsity game at 6:00 PM.

Washington County is currently 7-9 on the season before their game with Bethlehem tonight before hosting the Knights on Saturday.  Head coach Bernard Smalley doesn't go very deep into his bench, but has a very balanced offense with three players averaging double-figures in points.  Junior guard Cameron Willis leads the way at 18.9 PPG and is also a threat from beyond the three-point arc.  Fellow junior Drew Yates is averaging 14.3 PPG and is also a dangerous outside shooter.  Junior forward Devin Hurst scores 13.1 PPG while pulling down 6.1 RPG.  Junior Jake Yates leads the Commanders in rebounding at 7.3 per contest while also averaging 8.3 points.  The Knights and Commanders will tip off at 7:30 PM following the Lady Knights and Lady Commanders contest at 6:00 PM.

 

Nelson Dominates 1st Half, Holds On For Win -- Knights Claim Championship (12/30/2017)

After stealing an in-bounds pass, Marion County's Lez Means (3) throws the ball off Nelson County's Cory Green.

The Nelson County Cardinals could seemingly do no wrong in the first half against the Marion County Knights, taking a 41-14 lead at the half, then fought off a Marion County come-back attempt to claim a 74-61 win in the final game of the Nelson County Holiday Classic.  But in the points system used to determine the round-robin tournament winner the Knights claimed the championship trophy by edging out the Caverna Colonels.

The tournament awards one point for each quarter won and four points for a game win.  Marion County, Nelson County, and Caverna all finished the tournament with a record of 2-1.  Nelson County finished with 11 points while Marion County and Caverna both had 15.5 points.  The Knights held the tie-breaker since they defeated Caverna in their head-to-head game and was declared the tournament winner.

Against Nelson County, the Knights couldn't seem to get anything to go right in the first half.  The team committed 10 turnovers in the first two quarters while shooting a miserable 19.2% from the floor and found themselves down 41-14 at the half -- by far the lowest production for a half without a running clock this season.  Despite being ranked #10 in the state in rebounding, Marion County lost the battle of the boards 42-30 for the game, giving up 18 second-chance points in the process.  Nelson County juniors Eli Shewmaker and Garrett Miles both scored nine points in the first half to lead the charge for the Cardinals.

  
(Left) Tyshay Epps calls out a play.  (Middle) Luke Thomas leads a fast break after a steal. (Right) Jamison Epps takes a shot over Nelson County's Cory Green (22).

Miles and Shewmaker also scored the first two baskets of the second half as Nelson County stretched their lead to 31 points.  The Knights then started using their defense to slowly start climbing out of the hole they found themselves in.  Nelson County turnovers led to a three-point field goal by Luke Thomas and a pair of lay-ups by Tyshay Epps and Lez Means.  Reserves Connor Higdon and John Adams also hit three-pointers in the third quarter to help the Knights cut the deficit to 23 points to start the fourth period.  Marion County made the most of their opportunities at the free-throw line, shooting 13-of-14 in the fourth quarter and cut Nelson County's lead to 13 points, 64-51, before the Cardinals called time with 2:48 left in the game.  The Knights kept up the pressure coming out of the break and cut the margin to seven points on a pair of free throws from Thomas.  But that was as close as Marion County could get as Nelson County's Benton McGill scored 11 of his 21 points in the final quarter to help put an end to the Knights' charge.

Thomas finished the game with 10 points and four rebounds while Epps finished with 11 points and six assists.  For the second night in a row, Mason Sullivan scored seven to go with his 12 rebounds.  Means scored a team-high 20 points while recording five steals.  Means and Sullivan were named to the all-tournament team along with Shelby County's Kylon Stone, Caverna's Jobby Howard and Sincere Page, and Nelson County's Miles and McGill.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights return to game action Friday when they host Sayre (Lexington) in a JV/Varsity double-header.  The Junior Varsity contest begins at 6:00 PM with the Varsity scheduled for 7:30 PM.  The following night the Varsity squad travels to Washington County for a girl/boy double-header.

 

After Slow Start Knights Top Shelby Co. (12/29/2017)

Marion County's Tyshay Epps scores while drawing a foul from Shelby County's Sam Edwards midway through the fourth quarter.

The Marion County Knights had to overcome a slow start against the Shelby County Rockets, then took charge early in the second half for a 61-44 win on the second day of the Nelson County Holiday Classic.  The Knights are now 2-0 in the tournament heading into tonight's finale against host team Nelson County who fell to Caverna last night, 66-48.

For the first time this season the Knights were at a size disadvantage in the frontcourt and Shelby County took advantage in the first half, winning the rebound battle 22-16 before halftime.  The Rockets scored first to start the game on Kylon Stone's three-pointer and never trailed in the first quarter.  Late in the second quarter Shelby County extended their lead to eight points on a driving layup from forward Caleb Collins, 21-13, and looked on the verge of breaking the game open.  But Marion County closed out the half with a 10-2 run led by senior Luke Thomas.  Thomas scored all seven of his points for the game in the spurt, including a pair of three-pointers -- the second of which came with 0:05 left in the half and tied the score 23-23 for the first time since 0-0 to start the game.

Marion County kept up the pressure to start the third quarter, opening the period with an 11-1 burst and holding the Rockets without a field goal for the first four minutes.  Lez Means scored nine of his game-high 26 points in the third and converted all five of his free-throw attempts over that span.  Sophomore forward Mason Sullivan also was a perfect 4-4 at the line in the third quarter and was a major reason for turning around the Knights rebounding deficit, collecting nine of his 12 boards in the second half.  Shelby County freshman center Noah Gordon helped keep his team in the game with a pair of field goals in the post, as well as making a hasty 18-foot shot as time was running out in the period.

The Rockets cut Marion County's lead to five points early in the fourth quarter when Stone came up with a steal in the Marion County backcourt and raced to the opposite end for an uncontested layup, causing Knights head coach Montrelle Irvin to call time with 5:28 left in the game.   Whatever Irvin told his team worked.  Following the time-out Means led a 13-2 Marion County run that effectively put the game out of reach.  Irvin cleared his bench with just under a minute left in the game and the Knights clinched the 17-point win.

  
(Left) Lez Means scores two of his 26 points against Shelby County.  (Middle) Luke Thomas made this three-point attempt with 0:05 left in the first hald to tie the game, 23-23.  (Right) Mason Sullivan pulls down one of his 12 rebounds in the game.

In addition to Means' 26 points, Tyshay Epps hit double-figures with 13 points and three assists.  Sullivan did not make a field goal in the game, but went 7-8 at the free-throw line to go with his 12 rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights will close out the tournament tonight when they take on host team Nelson County at 7:30 PM.

 

Knights Roll 89-65 Over Caverna (12/28/2017)

Marion County's Mason Sullivan scores two of his 16 points over Caverna's Jaxon Dunagan in the Knights' win over the Colonels.

The Marion County Knights returned to their winning ways Wednesday night by dominating the Caverna Colonels 89-65 on the first day of the Nelson County Holiday Classic.  Sophomore forward Mason Sullivan scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Marion County.

The two teams seemed evenly matched in the early going before Caverna went ahead 11-7 on a Nick Gunn three-pointer midway through the first quarter.  But that was the high-water mark for the Colonels.  The Knights closed out the period with a 16-2 run and the rout was on.  Sullivan scored eight of his 16 points in the second period as Marion County continued to extend the lead with a 14-0 run on their way to a 48-21 lead at the half.

The Knights quickly extended the lead to 33 points early in the third quarter and head coach Montrelle Irvin used the opportunity to go deep into his bench.  Sophomore John Adams posted career-highs with 12 points and six rebounds.  Freshmen Kanyon Spalding and Spencer Lucas both scored six points while fellow freshman Patrick Benton scored six points with a pair of rebounds in his first career varsity action.  Sophomore Spencer Riggs scored four points to go with a career-high six rebounds.

  
(Left) Senior Conner Higdon looks for an opening in the first half.  (Middle) John Adams shoots over Caverna's Sincere Page for two of his 12 points.  (Right) Freshman Patrick Benton scores two of his six points over Caverna's Jaxton Dunagan in his first varsity action.

None of the usual Marion County starters saw the floor during the fourth quarter, but leading scorer Lez Means finished the game with nine points and a career-high nine rebounds while point guard Tyshay Epps went 5-for-7 from the floor for 11 points and five assists.  Jamison Epps and Luke Thomas both scored seven points with Epps collecting five rebounds and Thomas recording five steals.  One bright spot for the Colonels was senior guard Jobby Howard who scored a game-high 35 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

Tonight the Knights will face the Shelby County Rockets at 6:00 PM.  The Rockets came up short last night to host team Nelson County, 56-53.

 

Knights Look To Bounce Back In Nelson Co. Tourney (12/27/2017)

Caverna's Jobby Howard (14) tries to dribble past Marion County's Luke Thomas (0) in a game last season.  Marion County and Caverna face each other tonight at Nelson County High School at 6:00 PM.

After dropping all three games last week in the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic at Clinton County, the Marion County Knights (6-5) are looking to get back to the win column starting tonight in the Nelson County Holiday Classic at Nelson County High School.  Like last week's event at Clinton County, the Nelson County Holiday Classic is a round-robin format with all four participating teams playing each other once.  Tonight Marion County will take on the Caverna Colonels (3-7) at 6:00 PM, then will face the Shelby County Rockets on Thursday at 6:00 PM, then close out the tournament against the host Nelson County Cardinals (2-8) on Friday at 7:30 PM.

Caverna started the season off with back-to-back wins but have since gone 1-7 in their last eight games.  A good shooting team, the Colonels struggle to rebound against teams with size.  Senior guard Jobby Howard leads the team in scoring at 28.0 points per game.  In two games against the Knights last season -- both Marion County wins -- Howard scored 24 and 25 points.

Of the teams in this week's tournament, Shelby County has played by far the toughest schedule.  They have already faced Mercer County, John Hardin, and Collins, falling to each by at least 20 points. But the Rockets do own a 63-57 early-season win over South Oldham, who handed Marion County a 66-61 loss last week at Clinton County.  Junior forward Taurius Robinson is averaging 10.5 points per contest for the Rockets.

Nelson County's 2-8 record includes a 74-72 double-overtime loss to 19th District rival Bethlehem back on December 8.  Second-year head coach Zach Allender's team has struggled at times to put points on the board this season, but the Cardinals traditionally have been difficult for the Knights to handle on their own floor.

In addition to the Varsity games in Nelson County High School's main gym, there will also be Junior Varsity games taking place each night in the school's auxillery gym.  After tonight's 6:00 PM game between the Knights and Caverna, the same schools will play a JV contest at approximately 7:45 PM.

 

Means Scores 1,000th Point; Comback Falls Short Against So. Oldham (12/23/2017)

Marion County's Lez Means makes a three-pointer late in the game against South Oldham.

Down 12 points with under 2:30 left in the game, the Marion County Knights went on an 11-0 run to pull within a single point with less than a minute to go but couldn't close the deal, giving the South Oldham Dragons a 66-61 win on the final day of the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic.  Marion County senior Lez Means scored the 1,000th point of his career on a free throw late in the first quarter, becoming just the 13th player to reach that mark for the Knights.  Means finished the game with 20 points and tied a career-high with eight rebounds.

The Knights only scored a single field goal in the first quarter but went to the free-throw line 14 times in the period, converting 12 of them.  Still, Marion County found itself down 18-14 thanks largly to South Oldham senior Devin Young who made a pair of three-point baskets and scored eight of his 20 points in the quarter.  Knight senior Luke Thomas scored a pair of deep three-point shots in the second quarter, however the Dragons would make eight of 17 three-point attempts in the first half (47.1%) to take a 32-27 lead at the break.

Three times both late in the second quarter and into the third quarter the Knights made runs to tie the score, but each time South Oldham had an answer to retake and extend the lead.  Twice in the fourth quarter the Dragons stretched their advantage to 12 points, the last time on a pair of free throws by senior Sam Beard with just under 3:00 left on the clock.  Then Marion County began its final run.

  
(Left) Luke Thomas is fouled on a drive by South Oldham's Jason King (21).  (Middle) Dominick White scores to finish a fast break with a foul by South Oldham's Luke Morrison.  (Right) Mason Sullivan scores two of his 10 points against the Dragons.

Sophomore Mason Sullivan took a feed from Thomas and scored to pull the Knights within 10, then freshman Dominick White finished off a fast break with a score while drawing a foul and completed the three-point play at the line.  The Dragons turned the ball over and Thomas sank another deep three-pointer to pull Marion County within four points, 62-58.  The Knights got another defensive stop and on their next possession Means drained his second three-pointer of the half to cut the lead to just one, 62-61.  With the clock just dropping under 1:00, Means rebounded another South Oldham miss and drove the length of the floor but was called for a charging foul on his shot attempt.  Beard finally broke the scoring drought for the Dragons with a lay-up through traffic to put South Oldham back on top by three.  Thomas missed a three-point attempt for the Knights and White fouled the Dragons' Ben Johnson with 0:18.1 left on the clock.  Johnson missed the first free throw, then it appeared the Knights would have one more chance as the second free throw came off the rim.  But South Oldham's Peyton Hicks got inside position and came away with the rebound.  Means committed his fifth foul to stop the clock and South Oldham's Seth Johnson made both free-throws for the final margin of 66-61.

Sullivan finished the game with 10 points and 13 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.  Thomas also scored 10 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.  Jamison Epps scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.  Point guard Tyshay Epps went down with a groin injury less than one minute into the game and did not return.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

After scoring 20 points against South Oldham, Means is now in 12th place among all-time Knights scorers with 1,017.  He needs 50 points to pass the next name on the list, Alex Smth, and 61 to catch #10, John Hart.

The Knights return to action after Christmas when they travel to Nelson County High School for the Nelson County Holiday Classic December 27-29.

 

So. Warren Shoots Down Knights (12/22/2017)

Marion County's Jamison Epps drives for two of his 16 points against South Warren.

One day after failing to complete a come-back against Clinton County, the Marion County Knights again came up short in the fourth quarter after digging a hole in the first half.  The South Warren Spartans scorched the nets with 57.5% shooting for the game and led by as much as 13 points in the first half.  Then after the Knights cut the lead to four early in the final period, the Spartans went on a 16-2 run to hand Marion County a 76-63 loss on the second day of the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic at Clinton County.

The Knights looked sluggish early as South Warren jumped out to a 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.  Spartan senior point guard Eddie Bahic scored seven of his 15 points in the period and junior Tyler Martin scored eight of his team-high 17 points, including a pair of three-pointers.  South Warren kept up the hot shooting in the second quarter, stretching their lead to 13 on senior Austin Howard's traditional three-point play with 3:09 left in the period.  Marion County's offense continued to struggle and the Knights needed a driving lay-up from Lez Means as the horn went off to stay within 10 points at the half.

Marion County turned up the defensive pressure to start the third quarter, forcing the Spartans into a few turnovers early and managed to cut the lead to five points twice in the quarter.  But South Warren had an answer each time the Knights got close, taking advantage of defensive over-plays with backdoor cuts and hitting 43.8% of their shots from behind the three-point line and still held a 52-42 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.

 
(Left) Connor Higdon looks for an opening against the South Warren defense.  (Right) Lez Means scores two of his 21 points.

Marion County managed to cut the lead to just four points early in the final period when Means drained a three-pointer on a fast-break, then moments later hit one of two free-throws to make the score 56-52 in favor of South Warren.  But the Knights would go for almost four minutes without a field goal as the Spartans went on a 16-2 run to put the game away and claim the 13-point win, dropping the Knights' record to 6-4 on the season.

Means scored a game-high 21 points to lead Marion County and also pulled in six rebounds.  Sophomore Jamison Epps posted his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Tyshay Epps scored 10 points.  For South Warren, Howard, Colin Moore, and Gavin Spurrier each scored 11 points to join Martin and Bahic with double-figure scoring performances.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights will have one more chance to pick up a win in the tournament when they face South Oldham this afternoon at 4:15 PM Eastern time (3:15 PM Central).  South Oldham fell to host team Clinton County 78-74 on Thursday after knocking off South Warren 88-86 in overtime on Wednesday.

 

Knights Come Up Short Against Clinton Co. (12/21/2017)

Marion County's Lez Means (3) hits one of his four three-pointers over Clinton County's Chase Stines (32).

After a promising start, the Marion County Knights hit a dry spell in the second quarter and couldn't quite catch up in the second half, falling to the Clinton County Bulldogs 71-65 on the first day of Clinton County's Twin Lakes Holiday Classic.  The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Knights.

Marion County opened the game with a 14-4 lead, but Bulldogs junior guard Jackson Harlan scored seven consecutive points to cut the lead to 17-14 at the end of the first quarter.  The run continued for Clinton County in the second period and by the time Luke Thomas made a three-pointer with under 3:30 left before the half, the Bulldogs had gone on a 19-2 run to flip the lead in their favor.  A pull-up jumper by Clinton County's Seth Stockton gave the Bulldogs their largest lead at 35-25 before Marion County's Lez Means drove for a lay-up just before the horn sounded to pull the Knights within eight points at halftime, 35-27.

Neither team could gain an advantage in the third quarter with the Knights pulling within four points several times only to see Clinton County get another key basket from either Harlan or Stockton that would stretch the lead back to nine points.  Harlan converted a three-point play with 3:03 left in the final period to put the Bulldogs back on top by seven, 60-53, before Marion County's Jamison Epps scored on a tough offensive rebound, then Tyshay Epps found Thomas on the wing for a three-pointer that cut the lead to two points with under two minutes left to play.  Clinton County's Caleb Guffy answered with another three-point play, then Tyshay Epps drained a three-pointer of his own to pull the Knights back to within two, 63-61, with under a minute left in the game.  But once again, Clinton County responded by scoring six quick points and Marion County wasn't able to get any closer in the final 30 seconds.

Mason Sullivan hits a jumper in the third quarter for two of his 10 points.

Means led the Knights in scoring with 19 points including four three-point field goals.  Tyshay Epps scored 13 points to go with eight assists.  Mason Sullivan scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.  Jamison Epps scored 11 points with seven rebounds.  Clinton County's Jackson Harlan led all scorers with 29 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

Marion County is back at it again this evening.  They will take on the South Warren Spartans at 6:15 PM Eastern time (5:15 PM Central) at Clinton County High School.  The Spartans fell in overtime to South Oldham in the opening game of the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic.

 

Christmas In Clinton County (12/20/2017)

  
 
Marion County's starting line-up for each game this season (Clockwise from top left): Senior Lez Means, senior Luke Thomas, sophomore Tyshay Epps, sophomore Jamison Epps, and sophomore Mason Sullivan.

The Marion County Knights will spend the next three days in Albany, Kentucky, where they will play in the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic at Clinton County High School.  The Knights will face three different teams in three days in the round-robin format: the South Oldham Dragons, South Warren Spartans, and host team Clinton County Bulldogs.

The Knights will play Clinton County today at 5:00 PM Eastern time (4:00 PM Central).  The Bulldogs come into the game with a record of 5-4 and are traditionally very tough to beat on their home court.  Junior point guard Jackson Harlan leads the team in scoring with an average of 29.0 points per game and connects on 36.5% of his three-point shot attempts.  But junior swingman Seth Stockton often presents a bigger problem for opponents, averaging a double-double with 14.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game while also shooting 35.7% from three-point territory.  The Knights frontcourt of sophomores Jamison Epps and Mason Sullivan will likely face a challenge controlling the boards in this contest.

Marion County will face a more balanced offensive attack on Thursday when they take on the South Warren Spartans (4-4) at 6:15 PM eastern time (5:15 PM Central).  Junior Tyler Martin averages 17.1 PPG and 4.3 RPG while converting 46.3% of his shots from behind the three-point line.  Senior Colin Moore averages 10.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG while fellow senior Daniel Moore averages 10.5 PPG and 5.3 RPG.

On Friday the Knights will take on the most high-powered offense in the tournament in the South Oldham Dragons.  Like Marion County, the Dragons come into the tournament with a record of 6-2.  The Knights and Dragons have also both scored 80 or more points four times so far this season, and twice have scored over 90, so the scoreboard operator could be kept very busy during this game.  Senior Devin Young leads South Oldham in both scoring and rebounding at 22.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest while converting a ridiculous 50.0% of his three-point field-goal attempts.  But the Dragons are far from a one-man show.  Senior Peyton Hicks shoots an even more eye-popping 52.4% from three-point territory and scores 14.6 PPG with 5.3 RPG.  Sophomore Luke Morrison also stuffs the stat sheet with 16.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.  As a team, South Oldham converts 36.9% of their three-point attempts, making perimeter defense a key for the Knights.  Of the 14 players listed on the Dragons' roster, none are juniors or freshmen.  Tip-off for this Friday afternoon game is scheduled for 4:15 PM Eastern time (3:15 PM Central).

  
 

 

Knights Hold Off Eagles (12/17/2017)

Marion County's Mason Sullivan (10) takes a shot in the first half against Campbellsville.

The Marion County Knights had to overcome foul trouble to hold off a determined Campbellsville Eagles team 75-67 Saturday night in the Roby Dome.  Four Marion County starters and two reserves were whistled for at least two fouls in the first half, but steady play from senior guard Lez Means and the second double-double of the season for sophomore forward Mason Sullivan helped the Knights to the eight-point win over their 20th District rival.

The Eagles had some early foul issues of their own with starters Chanson Atkinson and Nataj Sanders both picking up their second fouls within moments of each other midway through the first quarter.  Marion County starting center Jamison Epps had been called for his second foul a minute earlier and his replacement Conner Higdon committed his second foul just 20 seconds after Sanders.  Still, 12 points in the first by Means helped give Marion County a 26-18 lead entering the second quarter.

Marion County point guard Tyshay Epps was charged with his second foul less than 1:30 into the second period.  Moments later senior Luke Thomas was also called for his second and he joined Epps on the bench.  In the meantime, the Knights got some valuable minutes from their reserves.  Sophomore John Adams scored on a feed from Trevor Douglas and Freshman Kanyon Spalding, playing in just his second varsity game, scored a pair of baskets in the first quarter.  The Knights could only muster nine points of offense in the second quarter, but Campbellsville couldn't take advantage -- only managing three field goals in the second quarter themselves -- and Marion County still held a six-point lead at halftime, 35-29.

A three-pointer by Sanders to start the third quarter cut Marion County's lead to just three points before the Knights went on a 10-2 run that was capped by a deep three-point field-goal by Thomas.  Moments later Thomas took a feed from Douglas and hit another three-pointer seemingly from the Gravel Switch area of Marion County to keep the Knights' lead at 10 points.  The Eagles would not go away, however, and kept whittling away at the lead, pulling even at 59-59 on a pair of free-throws from Connor Wilson with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter.  Atkinson scored on a runout to give Campbellsville their first lead since early in the first quarter, but Sullivan answered for the Knights with a basket off an inbounds pass to tie the score at 61-61.  Sanders hit a pair of free-throws with 3:51 to play to reclaim the lead for Campbellsville, but that was answered by the Knights with a pair of free-throws from Douglas.  Moments later, Douglas found Sullivan in the paint and fed him the ball for another field goal that would give Marion County the lead for good as they went on to improve their record to 6-2 on the season.

  
(Left) Trevor Douglas (4) drives past Campbellsville's Connor Wilson.  (Middle) Lez Means (3) drives for two of his game-high 26 points.  (Right) Luke Thomas (0) hits a three-pointer from in front of the Marion County student section.

Despite picking up four second-half fouls, Sullivan scored 12 points to go with 10 rebounds.  Sullivan also forced a held-ball with just over 0:23 left in the game to end Campbellsville's last real chance of catching up.  Thomas finished the game with 11 points and four steals.  Tyshay Epps also battled foul trouble the entire game, but still managed to pass out seven assists before picking up his fifth foul with 1:26 left to play.  Rather than his usual role of three-point specialist, Douglas contributed several valuable minutes at the point guard spot finishing with seven points and a career-high five assists.  Means scored a game-high 26 points which moved him into 15th place on the list of Marion County's all-time leading scorers, just ahead of Johnny Sandusky.  Means needs just four more points to catch the next name on the list, LaBradford Harris.  Wilson and John Orberson both scored 13 points to lead Campbellsville.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

Next up for Marion County, the Varsity will head to Clinton County High School next week to play in the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic where they will face host team Clinton County on Wednesday, South Warren on Thursday, and South Oldham on Friday.  The JV Knights will also participate in a JV tournament Thursday morning at Clinton County, but will first play in a Freshmen/Junior Varsity double-header against Campbellsville on Monday at the Roby Dome.  The Freshmen game is scheduled for 6:30 PM with the JV following at 7:30 PM.

 

Knights Dominate Panthers (12/16/2017)

Marion County's Tyshay Epps drains one of his six 3-point FGs against Cumberland County.

The Cumberland County Panthers already knew going into Friday's game with the Marion County Knights that they would have an uphill fight since leading scorer Dawson Smith would not be able to play due to illness.  Then the Knights put on one of their best shooting displays in years, scorching the nets for 65.9% shooting -- including 56.5% from beyond the three-point arc -- and crushed the Panthers, 90-48.  The win improved Marion County's record to 5-2 and was their fourth victory in a row.

Once again, Knight sophomore point guard Tyshay Epps set a new career-best in scoring with 28 points -- 26 in the first half -- while also setting a personal high with six three-point field goals.  Epps also dished out eight assists.  After starting Tuesday's game against Green County with a 13-2 run, Marion County began this one with a 13-3 run and never looked back on its way to an eye-popping 70 points in the first half.  When Jamison Epps took a feed from Tyshay Epps for a score on the Knights' third possession of the second half, the lead had been pushed to 35 points and the running clock mercy rule was in play.  Marion County head coach Montrelle Irvin went as deep as possible into his bench in the first half alone with all 12 players in uniform getting several minutes before the half when the Knights led 70-39.  Of the 31 field goals (2-pointers and 3-pointers combined) made by the Knights, a season-high 22 were credited with an assist.

  
(Left) Connor Higdon fights for a rebound with Cumberland County's Sean-eric Spears.  (Middle) Freshman Dominick White scores two of his seven points in the JV contest.  (Right) Freshman Ethan Mattingly makes one of his two 3-point shots during the JV game.

Senior guard Lez Means was the only other double-figure scorer for Marion County with 10 points.  Starting forward Mason Sullivan and reserve John Adams both scored nine points, and starters Luke Thomas and Jamison Epps both finished with eight points.  Cumberland County was led in scoring by senior Sean-Eric Spears with 12 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights will not be able to celebrate long as they host 20th District rival Campbellsville tonight in a girl/boy double-header at the Roby Dome.  The Varsity boys are scheduled to begin playing at 7:30 PM following the Lady Knights contest with the Lady Eagles at 6:00 PM.

JV Knights Win Big -- Marion County's JV Knights also came away from Cumberland County with a win, 65-26 over the JV Panthers.  John Adams scored 15 for Marion County while Spencer Lucas scored 11.  The win improved Marion County's Junior Varsity record to 4-1.

 

Knights Play Back-To-Back Again This Weekend (12/15/2017)

After playing four games in five days over last weekend, the Marion County Knights will play on back-to-back nights again this weekend.  Tonight the team travels to Burkesville to take on the Cumberland County Panthers in a JV/Varsity double-header, then on Saturday will return to the Roby Dome for just the second (and last) time in December to host Campbellsville in a 20th District girl/boy double-header.

The Panthers have dropped their last four games -- including a 70-42 loss to Warren East last night -- to fall to 3-5 on the season.  Sophomore guards Dawson Smith and Cameron Owsley are the main offensive threat.  Smith averages 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.  Owsley is averaging 10.4 PPG while shooting 51.9% from the floor and is second on the team in rebounding at 5.3 per game.  Junior guard Joseph Johnson can be an outside scoring threat, shooting 38.9% from behind the three-point line, while senior Andrew Patterson leads the team in rebounding at 6.0 boards per contest.  Game time is scheduled for 7:45 PM Eastern time (6:45 PM Central time) following the Junior Varsity contest at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central).

 
Campbellsville's Nataj Sanders (24) leads the team in both scoring (12.2) and rebounding (5.2). (Photo by Jeff Moreland, Central Kentucky News-Journal.)

Campbellsville is 2-3 on the season, including a lop-sided 80-38 loss to Adair County on Tuesday, but got a big win last week when they defeated cross-town rival Taylor County 58-56 in the Cardinals new gymnasium.  Junior forward Nataj Sanders leads the Eagles with 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.  Sophomore Malachi Corley and senior Conner Wilson both average 9.8 PPG while seniors Logan Cole and Chanson Adkinson both average just under five rebounds per game.  Tip-off in the Roby Dome is scheduled for 7:30 PM Saturday night following the girls' Varsity game at 6:00 PM.

 

Epps Leads Knights To Win At Green Co. (12/13/2017)

Marion County's Tyshay Epps scores the last of his career-high 17 points in the Knights' win at Green County on Tuesday.

Sophomore point guard Tyshay Epps set another career-high with 17 points to lead the Marion County Knights in a 61-48 win over the Green County Dragons on Tuesday.  Epps also passed out a game-high five assists as the Knights improved their season record to 4-2 and have won three games in a row -- all on the road.

Despite the Dragons' methodical offense, the Knights took charge early with a 13-2 run in the first quarter and led 17-7 to start the second.  Green County junior Zyler Bardin helped his team get back within six points of the lead late in the second quarter, but Marion County still led by eight at the half, 28-20.

Foul trouble began to cause the Knights problems in the second half.  After starting guard Luke Thomas spent much of the second quarter on the bench with two fouls, leading scorer Lez Means picked up his third foul less than two minutes into the third quarter.  Green County's Brody Bush then scored a pair of baskets to cut the lead to four points before a lay-up followed by a three-point field goal by Thomas -- both on feeds from Epps -- put the Knights back on top by nine midway through the period, 33-24.  Marion County big men Jamison Epps and Mason Sullivan both picked up their fourth fouls early in the fourth quarter and the Dragons took advantage by scoring seven second-chance points in the second half, but it wasn't enough forthe home team.  After not scoring a field-goal in the first three quarters, Means drained a pair of three-pointers in the fourth and Green County got no closer than 10 points in the final eight minutes.

  
(Left) Luke Thomas takes a three-pointer in the first quarter.  (Middle) Mason Sullivan scores inside in the second half.  (Right) Sophomore John Adams scored a game-high 22 points in the JV Knights' 60-51 win.

In addition to Tyshay Epps' 17 points, Thomas also scored double-figures with 10 points to go with three assists, five rebounds, and four steals.  Means finished with nine points and four rebounds.  Sullivan scored eight points with six rebounds before fouling out with just 0:30 left in the game.  Jamison Epps scored just four points on 2-of-9 shooting, but pulled down 10 rebounds -- the fourth time in six games the sophomore has hit double figures in rebounding.  Bush led the Dragons with 15 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

With Tuesday's win, Marion County has completed a stretch of four road games in five days, going 3-1 over that span.  The Knights will take a pair of days off before heading to Burkesville on Friday to take on the Cumberland County Panthers in a JV/Varsity double-header.  The Junior Varsity contest is scheduled for 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central) followed by the Varsity game at 7:45 PM Eastern time (6:45 Central).

JV Knights Knock Off JV Dragons -- Marion County's Junior Varsity Knights improved their record to 3-1 by defeating Green County's JV Dragons, 60-51.  Sophomore John Adams poured in a season-high 22 points for Marion County while Spencer Riggs (11 points), Spencer Lucas (11 points) and Dominick White (10 points) also scored double figures.

 

Knights Jump Out To Early Lead; Coast To Win at Thomas Nelson (12/12/2017)

Marion County's Marcus Yantis scores two of his career-high 12 points between Thomas Nelson's Ben Hite (42) and Hunter Wimsett.

The Marion County Knights opened their game at Thomas Nelson last night with a 16-2 run and never looked back on their way to an 80-54 win over the Generals.  But head coach Montrelle Irvin wasn't happy with his team's effort, believing the Knights let up too much down the stretch.  Still, five Marion County players scored double-figures and several put up personal bests in several statistical categories.

Junior forward Marcus Yantis came off the bench to score eight of his career-high 12 points in the first quarter to help Marion County to a 23-12 lead at the end of the period.  Senior Lez Means also played a big role in the opening run, scoring 7 of his game-high 15 points in the first.  Irvin went deep into his bench late in the period, but quickly went back to his main rotation after Thomas Nelson's Hunter Wimsett drained a three-pointer while drawing a foul on the play to pull his team within nine points.

Marion County turned up its full-court press in the second quarter and held the Generals without a field goal for the first 3:30 of the period, increasing their lead to 31-16.  The Knights then closed out the half with another run of 11-2 for a 22-point lead at the break.

Irvin took note that Marion County forced the Generals into 24 turnovers, but 16 of those came in the first half.  The Knights also dominated Thomas Nelson on the boards 58-38, but gave up a season-high 12 second-chance points to the Generals on offensive rebounds.

Still, Marion County had a balanced offensive attack.  In addition to Means' 15 points and Yantis' 12 points, sophomore Jamison Epps recorded his second double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.  Sophomore point guard Tyshay Epps posted career-highs with 12 points and nine assists.  Senior Luke Thomas matched personal bests in rebounds (7) and assists (4) while scoring 12 points.  Hunter Wimsett led Thomas Nelson with 14 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

  
(Left) Jamison Epps pulls down one of his 11 rebounds on his way to his second double-double of the season.  (Middle) Point guard Tyshay Epps dished out a career-high 9 assists.  (Right) Lez Means shot 6-7 at the free-throw line.  After converting only 60.0% of his attempts from the charity stripe in the first two games of the season, Means has shot 88.2% from the line in the last three games.

The Knights are back on the road again tonight with a JV/Varsity double-header at Green County High School.  The Junior Varsity match-up is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM Eastern time (5:00 PM Central) with the Varsity following at 7:30 PM Eastern time (6:30 PM Central).

 

Knights Continue Road Trip To Start Week (12/11/2017)

 
(Left) Thomas Nelson guard Hunter Wimsett (1) put up 20 points in the Generals' OT loss to Bethlehem (photo by Peter Zubaty, Kentucky Standard).  (Right) Green County's Isaac Young is the only senior on the Dragons' roster (photo by Angelina Alcott, Greensburg Record-Herald).

After improving their record to .500 on Saturday with an 87-51 win over the Bethlehem Eagles, the Marion County Knights continue a challenging part of their schedule with a pair of road games tonight and tomorrow.  This evening the Knights will take another trip to Bardstown to face the Generals at Thomas Nelson High School, and tomorrow will trek to Greensburg to face the Dragons of Green County High School.  After playing at Adair County on Friday and Bethlehem on Saturday, that will make four games on the road in five days for Marion County.

Thomas Nelson has struggled to a 1-5 record so far this season with their first win coming on Saturday -- a 71-60 victory over Eminence High School.  The Generals have had difficulty generating offensive production, averaging only 51.3 points per game.  By comparison, the Knights are averaging 80.3 PPG.  The Generals do have a solid player in junior guard Hunter Wimsett, who is averaging almost 11 points per contest and scored 20 in an overtime loss to Bethlehem.  But Wimsett has not had much support from the rest of the Generals' roster.  Game-time is scheduled for 6:00 PM as the first game of a boy/girl double-header.

Green County started the season dropping their first three games, but have won their last two contests including a 73-69 overtime win against Caverna on Friday.  The Dragons are a very young team with only one senior on the roster -- center Isaac Young.  Young leads the team in both scoring (14.5 PPG) and rebounding (7.3 RPG).  Junior guard Bobby Landis also averages double-figures in scoring at 10.3 PPG.  Game-time for the Varsity contest on Tuesday is set for 7:30 PM Eastern time (6:30 PM Central time) following a JV game at 6:00 PM Eastern time (5:00 PM Central time).

 

Knights Blow Out Eagles (12/10/2017)

Marion County junior Trevor Douglas sinks one of his five three-pointers against Bethlehem.

The Marion County Knights put an end to their two-game losing streak with a dominating 87-51 win over the Bethlehem Eagles Saturday night in the Bardstown Tip-Off Classic at Bardstown High School.  The Knights had five players score double-figures in the game, led by junior Trevor Douglas with a career-high 17 points including five three-point field goals, also a career-high.

A day after setting a new career-high with 16 points, sophomore center Jamison Epps posted his first varsity double-double with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.  Epps also recorded four steals as the Knights' defense forced the Eagles into 30 turnovers in the game.

Bethlehem's Jacob Taylor scored inside to give his team their last lead, 6-5, with a little more than 3:00 left in the first quarter before Marion County closed out the period with an 11-2 run.  Another 16-5 run by the Knights in the second quarter pushed their lead to 41-23 at the half.  Senior guard Lez Means scored seven of his 13 points during that stretch.

Marion County started the second half with a full-court press that produced six Bethlehem turnovers and a quick 17-7 run that stretched the Knights' lead to 28 points, putting the game away early.  Head coach Montrelle Irvin emptied his bench midway through the fourth quarter and Marion County closed the door on a 36-point win.

  
(Left) Jamison Epps (35) scores on an offensive rebound in the second half.  (Middle) Tyshay Epps soars for two of his career-high 11 points.  (Right) Luke Thomas scores in transition after picking off one of his five steals in the game.

In addition to Epps, Douglas, and Means, senior guard Luke Thomas scored 12 points to go with five rebounds and a team-leading five steals.  After not recording an assist in Marion County's loss at Adair County the night before, sophomore point guard Tyshay Epps dished out four assists to go with four steals, six rebounds, and a career-high 11 points.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

A scary moment took place in the middle of the third quarter.  Sophomore reserve guard Isiah May seemed to take a blow to the head while going for a loose ball and laid on the court for several minutes while play was stopped.  May was eventually assisted off the floor and taken to the trainer's room.  He did not return to the game.

The team will take today off from games but return to action both Monday and Tuesday.  Monday evening the Knights travel to Thomas Nelson High School to play the first game of a boy/girl double-header against the Generals, then on Tuesday will head to Green County High School for a JV/Varsity double-header with the Dragons.  Monday's game at Thomas Nelson is scheduled to tip off at 6:00 PM.  Tuesday's Varsity game at Green County is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM Eastern time (6:30 Central time) following the Junior Varisty match-up at 6:00 PM Eastern time (5:00 PM Central time).

 

Indians Pull Away In 2nd Half; Knights Fall (12/9/2017)

After holding a lead for most of the first half Friday night, the Marion County Knights' offense faltered in the second half as the Adair County Indians made the most of abundant free-throw opportunities, handing the Knights an 88-77 loss in Columbia.  Although Marion County took ten more shots from the floor and made three more field goals than the Indians, they couldn't overcome Adair County's 31-of-40 shooting at the free-throw line.  The Knights also committed 15 turnovers for the game while only forcing the Indians into seven turnovers.

Marion County held a lead as large as nine points in the first quarter as sophomore Mason Sullivan scored seven of his 13 points in the period before heading to the bench in the second quarter with foul trouble.  Adair County transfer freshman Zion Harmon led an Indians come-back in the second period, pouring in 23 of his game-high 35 points before the half and cut the Knights' lead to one point late in the period.  The Knights hurt their own cause by going 0-5 at the free-throw line in the second quarter before Luke Thomas' driving lay-up gave Marion County a 37-34 lead at the break.

Adair County's other transfer, sophomore Dre Boyd, took over the game in the second half, scoring all 16 of his points after the break.  Twelve of those points game in the third quarter when the Indians outscored Marion County 20-13 and took a four-point lead, 54-50, to start the final period.  Knight senior Lez Means was a perfect 5-5 at the free-throw line in the final eight minutes and scored 10 of his team-high 24 points in the fourth quarter to keep Marion County close.  But costly turnovers late and poor defense by the Knights sent Adair County to the free-throw line 17 times in the period, including 6-6 from Indian junior Anthony Payne, 6-7 from Harmon, and 2-2 from Boyd.

Sullivan posted his first double-double of the season, tying his career-high with 10 rebounds to go along with his 13 points.  Means tied a career-high with seven assists and sophomore Jamison Epps put up a career-high 16 points.  For Adair County, Payne finished with 19 points to join Harmon and Boyd with double-figure scoring.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights will be back at it tonight when they travel to Bardstown High School to take on the Bethlehem Eagles in the Bardstown Tip-Off Classic at 6:15 PM.  The Eagles improved their record to 2-2 last night with a 74-72 double-overtime win at Nelson County.  It was the second consecutive extra-time win for the Eagles.

Junior Varsity And Freshmen Knights Sweep Bardstown -- Marion County's JV and Freshmen Knights had a successful trip to Bardstown High School on Wednesday, sweeping a double-header with the JV and Freshmen Tigers.  The Freshmen Knights claimed a 65-58 win to improve their record to 3-0 while the JV Knights pulled out a 50-45 win to improve to 2-1.  Five players scored double-figures for Marion County in the Freshmen contest, including 13 points from Patrick Benton in his first game of the season after recovering from an injury.  In the Junior Varsity game, freshman Kanyon Spalding scored six of his nine points in the fourth quarter to help hold off the JV Tigers come-back attempt.  Sophomore Isiah May scored all 12 of his points in the first half -- including three 3-point FGs -- to lead Marion County in scoring.

 

Knights Play Back-To-Back Games This Weekend (12/8/2017)

After a week off since their last game, the Marion County Knights are entering a grueling stretch of their schedule, playing four games in five days -- including back-to-back nights this evening and Saturday.  Tonight Marion County heads to Columbia to face 20th District rival Adair County, then on Saturday will travel to Bardstown High School to face the Bethlehem Eagles in the Bardstown Tip-Off Classic.

The Adair County Indians are among the favorites to claim the 5th Region title this season.  With a record of 2-1, the Indians have a pair of blow-out wins against Coumberland County and Green County, but suffered a 91-78 loss to Olive Branch (Mississippi) last Saturday in the Marshall County Hoopfest.  Head coach Deron Breeze still has senior Corey Melton, a four-year starter averaging 14.0 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game, and junior Anthony Payne who played sparingly last season but is averaging 19.2 PPG through the Indians' first three games.  But most of the chatter about Adair County is about transfer freshman Zion Harmon, one of the nationally top-ranked members of the Class of 2021.  Harmon is averaging 37.7 PPG so far while converting 35.3% of his three-point shot attempts.  The Knights' defense will certainly have its work cut out for it, but Marion County head coach Montrelle Irvin believes these are the kinds of challenges true competitors live for.  Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central time) following a girls varsity contest at 6:30 PM Eastern (5:30 PM Central).

On Saturday the Knights will face a slower-paced opponent in the Bethlehem Eagles.  The Eagles opened the season with losses to Hart County and Bullitt Central before coming away with an overtime win against Thomas Nelson on Tuesday.  Second-year coach Chris Taylor relies on a trio of seniors to lead his team.  Chase Allen is the leading scorer at 17.3 points while pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game.  Jacob Taylor is also averaging double-figure scoring at 14.0 and leads the team in rebounding with an impressive 9.0 boards per game.  Senior Jackson Gasser is next in rebounding for Bethlehem with 5.7 per game.  The Knights and Eagles are scheduled to tip off at 6:15 PM in Bardstown High School's gym following the John Hardin-DuPont Manual game at 4:30 PM.  Following the Marion County-Bethlehem match-up, host Bardstown will take on Bullitt Central at 8:00 PM.

 

Panthers Late Run Hands Knights First Loss (12/2/2017)

Marion County's Lez Means scored 24 points with eight rebounds at Elizabethtown.

After the Marion County Knights had pulled within two points early in the fourth quarter Friday night, the Elizabethtown Panthers used a 30-15 run to close out the game at Rawlings Memorial Gym and hand the Knights their first loss of the season, 80-63.  Lez Means led Marion County with 24 points and a career-high eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough to overcome the balanced scoring attack of the Panthers who got double-figure scoring performances from five different players.

For the second game in a row, the Knights dug themselves an early hole, falling behind 14-4 late in the first quarter after Elizabethtown's Darius Harding finished off a break with dunk.  But back-to-back scores on offensive rebounds by Marcus Yantis pulled Marion County within five points to start the second quarter, and a three-pointer from Luke Thomas midway through the period gave the Knights their first lead of the game, 21-20.  Harding picked up his second foul with three minutes left before the half when he was called for charging into Thomas, but Tait Pritchard picked up the slack for the Panthers, scoring seven of his 15 points in the period as the two teams swapped the lead back and forth.  Pritchard sank a pair of free-throws at 0:38 to put the Panthers up by three before Thomas' pull-up jumper got the Knights back to within one at 30-29 to close out the half.

The third quarter started much as the as the second ended, with neither team able to pull away.  A basket inside from Jamison Epps put the Knights on top, 34-33, but then some sloppy ball-handling by Marion County gave the Panthers an opportunity to go on a 9-0 run to get some breathing room.  The Knights fought back, getting another three-pointer from Thomas and back-to-back baskets inside from Mason Sullivan to pull within a point at 42-41.  But another 8-2 by Elizabethtown put the home team back on top 50-43 to start the final period.

  
(Left) Luke Thomas shoots a three-ponter in the second half.  (Middle) Mason Sullivan looks to score near the block.  (Right) Freshman Kanyon Spalding (15) scores inside in the JV Knights 40-39 loss.

Means drained a three-pointer and scored on a drive to start the fourth quarter and pull the Knights within two, 50-48.  But that would be as close as Marion County would get.  Elizabethtown seniors Tyler Durbin and Terry King scored nine and 10 points, respectively, in the period to fuel the Panthers' 30-15 spurt and put the Knights away for good.  King finished with 10 points and Durbin with 17 for Elizabethtown.  In addition to Means' 24 points, Thomas and Tyshay Epps both scored eight for Marion County with Epps also passing out five assists.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Varsity Knights return to action next Friday when they travel to Adair County for the second game of a girl/boy double-header.  The girls will start at 6:30 PM Eastern time (5:30 PM Central time) with the boys following at 8:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Central time).

 

Knights Travel To E-Town For First Road Game (12/1/2017)

Elizabethtown guard Darius Harding led the Panthers in both scoring and rebounding last season. (Photo by Jill Pickett, The News-Enterprise)

The Marion County Knights will hit the road tonight for their first road game of the season, a JV/Varsity double-header at Elizabethtown High School against the Panthers.  While the Knights already opened their season Tuesday at the Roby Dome with a thrilling 94-86 overtime win against Bardstown, the Panthers will be playing their first game of the new season.

The Panthers finished the 2016-2017 campaign with a 14-16 record but return their top three scorers from that squad.  Senior guard Darius Harding was both the team's leading scorer (17.8 ppg) and rebounder (5.6 rpg), and long-time Elizabethtown head coach James Haire says he has worked hard in the off-season to improve his game, drawing the attention of several NCAA Division II and NAIA coaches.  Also returning from last year's team are seniors Tyler Durbin and Kass Disney, who averaged 15.7 points and 9.7 points, respectively.

Tip-off for the Varsity game is scheduled for 7:30 PM, following the Junior Varsity contest at 6:00 PM.

 

Means Scores 45 To Lead Knights Past Bardstown (11/29/2017)

Marion County's Lez Means scores two of his career-high 45 points in the Knights' season-opening win over Bardstown.

Senior guard Lez Means was recognized in a pre-game presentation for setting a school-record for most three-point field-goals in a game last season when he sank 10 at Beth Haven.  Means then went on to score a career-high 45 points -- including five three-pointers -- to lead the Marion County Knights to an exciting 94-86 overtime win over the Bardstown Tigers Tuesday in the Knights' season opener at the Roby Dome.  The victory broke a 15-game losing streak to the Tigers, who the Knights last defeated on February 14, 2006.

The game got off to a rough start for Marion County.  The Tigers' pressure defense forced the Knights into five turnovers and a blocked shot in their first six possessions as Bardstown took a 13-5 lead.  But it also led to foul trouble for the visitors.  Starting guards J.T. Galloway and Montrez Railey both picked up two fouls in the first quarter and went to the bench for the remainder of the first half.  Marion County's offense settled down, eventually taking their first lead of the game 32-31 on a Jamison Epps put-back basket.  Marion County head coach Montrelle Irvin had gone into the game concerned about his team's depth, but in the first half got solid contributions from senior Conner Higdon (five points, three rebounds), and sophomores Isiah May (three points and a steal) and John Adams (three points, three rebounds), helping the Knights to a 38-35 lead at halftime.

The second half started off with the two teams trading the lead four times in the first 2:36 of the third quarter before Marion County's Tyshay Epps buried a pair of three-pointers to help start a 14-6 run that gave the Knights an eight-point lead to start the fourth quarter.  But the Tigers wouldn't go away without a fight and pulled even at 62-62 on Dsamual Butler's free-throws with 2:59 left in regulation.  From that point the lead changed hands seven times the remainder of the fourth quarter. The Knights appeared to finally get some breathing room when Mason Sullivan scored inside on an assist from Jamison Epps for a 75-71 Marion County lead with under 35 seconds to play.  A quick score from Railey pulled the Tigers back within two, and the Knights managed to run the clock down to 7.7 seconds left before Bardstown finally managed to foul Means.  Means had converted his last three free-throws, but missed both shots here, giving the Tigers one last chance.  They made the most of it as junior Trey Riney crashed the offensive glass for a score just before the horn went off to force overtime with the score tied 75-75.

  
(Left) Mason Sullivan (10) scores two of his 12 points on a feed from Jamison Epps (35).  (Middle) Tyshay Epps hits the second of his two three-pointers in the third quarter.  (Right) Luke Thomas pulls down a rebound in overtime.

Bardstown's foul trouble finally caught up with them as four Tigers fouled out in the extra four minutes.  The Knights took advantage, pulling out to an eight-point lead on a pair of Luke Thomas free-throws with 1:10 left to play.  Bardstown could get no closer than five the rest of the way and Marion County closed out the final eight-point margin at the free-throw line.

In addition to his career-best 45 points, Means also tied his career-best with seven rebounds and tied another school record -- this time for made free-throws in a game with 18.  Thomas finished with nine points and tied a career-high with seven rebounds.  Sullivan scored 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four rebounds in his first career start.  Fellow sophomores Tyshay Epps and Jamison Epps were also making their first career start.  Tyshay Epps finished with eight points and three assists while Jamison Epps had seven points and 11 rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

Marion County will play its first road game of the season Friday at Elizabethtown when they take on the Panthers in a JV/Varsity double-header.  The Junior Varsity is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM with the Varsity contest starting at 7:30 PM.

Knights Host Bardstown In Season Opener (11/28/2017)

The Marion County Knights kick off the 2017-2018 regular season tonight when they host the Bardstown Tigers at the Roby Dome.  The Tigers will be bringing virtually an all-new line-up to the game as they look to replace six seniors from last season's 22-8 squad that claimed the 19th District championship.  Marion County returns two starters from last year's 15-15 team in seniors Lez Means and Luke Thomas, who were also the two leading scorers from that squad.  Those two seniors will likely be joined in the starting line-up by three sophomores -- guard Tyshay Epps and forwards Mason Sullivan and Jamison Epps.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM following the season opener for the Lady Knights against the Lady Tigers at 6:00 PM.

Freshmen Knights Start Season With Win

Marion County's Freshmen Knights got their season off to a successful start Monday at Nelson County High School by defeating the Freshmen Cardinals, 67-34.  Marion County's Spencer Lucas led all scorers with 22 points while Dominic White and Markel Bell both scored 15.
 
Marion County's Lathan Hamilton makes a steal in the Freshmen Knights' 67-34 win at Nelson County.

 

MCHS Holds Knights Madness (11/25/2017)

Marion County sophomore Jamison Epps (35) takes a shot over fellow sophomore Mason Sullivan during the Varsity scrimmage.

The Marion County Knights and Lady Knights held one last public exhibition Tuesday at the Roby Dome.  In addition to inter-squad scrimmages for the JV and Varsity squads of both the boys and girls teams, the fans got to see a three-point shooting contest and participate in other events.  Both the Knights and Lady Knights will officially kick off the 2017-2018 season in the Roby Dome on Tuesday when they host Bardstown in a boy/girl double-header.

  
(Left) Senior Lez Means takes a shot during the 3-point shooting contest.  (Middle) Sophomore Tyshay Epps leads a fast break during the Varsity scrimmage.  (Right) Luke Thomas (0) drives past Means for a layup.

  
(Left) Sophomore Spencer Riggs drives the lane during warm-ups.  (Middle) Freshman Lathan Hamilton handles the ball during warm-ups.  (Right) Freshman J.T. Lee dribbles past Hamilton during the Junior Varsity scrimmage.
 

  
(Left) Sophomore Isiah May pulls down a rebound.  (Middle) Senior Conner Higdon line up a three-point attempt.  (Right) Sophomore John Adams (22) drives through the defense for a score.

  
(Left) Freshman Ethan Mattingly (15) starts a fast break.  (Middle) Sophomore Mason Sullivan (10) takes a shot over Jamison Epps.  (Right) Freshman Dominic White scans the defense.

  
(Left) Freshman Kanyon Spalding (11) tries to get to the basket against sophomore LaBryant Churchill.  (Middle) Freshman Spencer Lucas is chased by fellow freshman Ethan Mattingly.  (Right) Senior Lez Means drives into the lane against fellow senior Luke Thomas.

 

  
(Left) Markell Bell (10), a 7th grader at the Knight Academy, looks up the floor after coming up with a steal.  (Middle) Junior Trevor Douglas (4) fires a three-pointer. (Right) Junior Marcus Yantis (15) tries to penetrate the lane.
 

Offense Clicks In Knights' Final Scrimmage (11/19/2017)

Senior Luke Thomas scans the Whitefield Academy defense in Marion County's final pre-season scrimmage.  Thomas scored 18 points in the contest.

In their final scrimmage of the pre-season on Saturday, the Marion County Knights put up 94 points total against the Whitefield Academy Wildcats in the King Of The Bluegrass Jamboree at Fairdale High School.  The Knights won all four quarters of the scrimmage as senior guard Luke Thomas led all scorers with 18 points on 7-14 shooting.  Had a running score been kept, Marion County would have claimed a 94-65 win.

Senior Lez Means scored 12 points in the contest and junior guard Trevor Douglas finished with 11 points while shooting 3-4 from behind the three-point line.  Sophomore forward Mason Sullivan recorded a team-high four steals while fellow sophomore Tyshay Epps passed out a team-high eight assists.  Epps, a 5'10" guard, also excited the crowd when he tried to finish off a fast break with a dunk, but lost the handle on the ball as he was fouled on the play.

  
(Left) Senior Lez Means drives through the Whitefield Academy defense.  (Middle) Tyshay Epps draws a foul on a dunk attempt.  (Right) Freshman Dominic White scores in traffic in the JV Knights' scrimmage.

Sophomore forward Jamison Epps grabbed a team-high seven rebounds while scoring nine points.  As a team, the Knights out-rebounded the Wildcats 39-35 while forcing the Wildcats into 26 turnovers.

The Junior Varsity Knights also had a strong performance in their scrimmage with the JV Wildcats, winning three of four quarters.  Sophomore Isiah May hit four three-point field goals and led the team in scoring with 18 points.  Freshman Spencer Lucas also scored double-figures with 15 points.

The public will have one more chance to see the Knights before the official start of the season on Tuesday when they host Knights Madness at the Roby Dome with the Lady Knights.  Activities start at 6:30 PM.

 

MC Looks For Answers In Final Scrimmage (11/18/2017)

The Marion County Knights will play their final scrimmage of the pre-season today at Fairdale High School when they take on the Whitefield Academy Wildcats in the annual King of the Bluegrass Jamboree.  The Wildcats finished with a record of 6-19 last season while playing in the tough 6th Region, based in Louisville, but return three of their top five scorers from that squad, including senior guard Tyler Nauert who averaged 11.6 points per game.

The Knights will be looking to improve their consistency on the offensive end of the floor while getting more production off the bench.

Tip-off for the Varsity scrimmage is scheduled for 12:00 noon in Fairdale's main gym following a junior varsity scrimmage between the JV Knights and JV Wildcats at 10:30 AM in Fairdale's small gym.

 

Knights Struggle With Seneca's Athleticism In First Scrimmage (11/12/2017)

In their first scrimmage of the pre-season, the Marion County Knights had a hard time adjusting to the speed and length of the Seneca Redhawks, losing three of the four quarters played.  While the score is erased at the end of each quarter during a scrimmage, had a running score been kept for the game the Knights would have come up short 67-40.

Rather than use a normal rotation of seven or eight players while the contest was in doubt, head coach Montrelle Irvin used a platoon system where he regularly rotated in five players for five players.  The system gave Irvin the opportunity to see several more players in action against an unfamiliar opponent and to see how the players would react.  It also provided players not in the starting line-up a chance to earn a spot in the usual rotation.  Each of Marion County's starters did make the scoring column, led by senior guard Lez Means with 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers.  Sophomore forward Jamison Epps scored 11 while shooting 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.  Senior guard Luke Thomas made a three-point field goal and hit 2-for-2 at the charity stripe for 5 points.

The Junior Varsity Knights fared a little better in their scrimmage against Seneca's JV squad, winning the first quarter 20-5 and tied the second quarter before coming up short by two points and one point in the third and fourth quarters.  Had a running score been kept the JV Knights would have prevailed 46-34.  Freshman guard Spencer Lucas led Marion County in scoring with 12 as nine of the 10 players in uniform contributed points to the team's effort.

Marion County has one more scrimmage before the start of regular season play.  This Saturday they will travel to Fairdale High School to face the Whitefield Academy Wildcats in the King of the Bluegrass Jamboree.  A JV contest will tip off at 10:30 AM followed by the Varsity scrimmage at 12:00 noon.

 

Knights Kick Off Pre-Season Against Redhawks (11/11/2017)

 
Seniors Lez Means (left) and Luke Thomas (right) were the top two scorers for Marion County in the 2016-2017 season. 

The Marion County Knights Boys Basketball team will play their first scrimmage of the pre-season today against the Seneca Redhawks at Butler Traditional High School in Shively in the Next Up Recruits Jamboree.  The Redhawks posted a 7-17 record last season in the tough 7th Region, based in the heart of Louisville.  Marion County finished last year with a record of 15-15 and fell in the opening round of the 20th District Tournament.

The Knights return the top two scorers from the 2016-2017 campaign -- senior guards Lez Means (17.0 PPG) and Luke Thomas (9.2 PPG) -- but the remainder of the Varsity roster is short on experience at that level.  Junior Trevor Douglas and sophomore Tyshay Epps will both compete for playing time at the guard position while senior Connor Higdon along with sophomores Jamison Epps and Mason Sullivan will try to earn a spot in the frontcourt.

Marion County and Seneca will play both a Varsity and Junior Varsity scrimmage at the Jamboree.  The two varsity squads will square off in the main gym at 12:00 noon, followed by the JV scrimmage in the auxillery gym at 1:15 PM.

 

Knights Fall In District Tourney (2/24/2017)

Marion County's Lez Means (3) scores two of his team-high 32 points in the Knights' loss to Taylor County.

The Marion County Knights' offense struggled early in the first half and the team never recovered, taking a 95-73 loss Thursday night to the Taylor County Cardinals in the 20th District Tournament.  Taylor County's TreVon Smith scored 17 of his game-high 35 points in the first half as the Cards shot 57.6% from the floor -- including 47.1% behind the three-point arc.  With the win Taylor County advances to the tournament championship game on Saturday where they will face host team Adair County.

Marion County took its only lead of the game on the opening possession when Isaac Lanham scored on a feed from Jaren Epps to go up 2-0.  After Smith's first three-pointer of the game put the Cards ahead 7-4, Lanham scored on another feed from Epps with 3:05 left in the first quarter to pull the Knights within a point of the lead.  But that would be Marion County's last field goal for the next seven minutes as Taylor County took advantage of Knight turnovers and missed free-throw opportunities to pull out to a 32-16 lead.  Marion County committed seven of its 13 turnovers during that stretch while also getting into foul trouble, keeping starting forwards Lanham and Travis Wiser on the bench.  Meanwhile, Smith and Ezra Oliver each hit two three-pointers for the Cards to help their squad to a 20-point lead with 2:40 left in the first half.  The Knights cut the lead to 15 on a pair of free-throws and a pull-up jumper from Luke Thomas, but would go into halftime down 43-27.

Marion County's offense finally came to life in the third quarter, but Smith continued to light up the scoreboard for Taylor County as their lead grew to as much as 25 before the Knights got it back under 20 on a put-back basket by Mason Sullivan with 1:32 left in the period.  Marion County put up 24 points in the frame, but the defense could not contain the Cards who answered with 28 points for a 71-51 lead to start the fourth quarter.  The Knights would get no closer than 17 the remainder of the game.

  
(Left) Travis Wiser looks for an opening in the Taylor County defense.  (Middle) Jaren Epps drives to the basket against Taylor County's Dejhon Irvin.  (Right) Luke Thomas launches a three-point shot.

Means finished the game with 32 points to lead Marion County in scoring while Wiser scored 12.  Lanham grabbed 9 rebounds in his last game as a Knight and finished with seven points.  Epps also scored seven while passing out six assists in his final high school game.  And Thomas scored seven to go with four rebounds and a pair of steals.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights finished the season with a record of 15-15.

 

20th District Tourney Opens At Adair (2/23/2017)

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The regular season wrapped up last week, but the teams of the 20th District will meet this week in John Burr Memorial Gym at Adair County High School for the annual 20th District Tournament, with the champion and runner-up advancing to next week's 5th Region Tournament at Central Hardin.  Host team and number-one seed Adair County opened up the boys portion of the district tournament with a convincing 89-43 win over Campbellsville.

The Marion County Knights will face the Taylor County Cardinals tonight at 7:30 PM Eastern time (6:30 PM Central).  Taylor County won both of the regular season match-ups with the Knights, coming away with a 64-53 win at the Roby Dome on January 20, and defending their home court 79-71 on February 3.  The Cards will likely be without the services of senior Dylan Gaines who leads the team in rebounding and is third in scoring.  But Taylor County senior Ezra Oliver and sophomore TreVon Smith are still a tough backcourt duo to defend with both averaging over 17 points a game.

Marion County's only double-figure scorer is junior Lez Means (16.5 PPG), who has posted over 30 points in both of the Knights' last two games.  Senior Isaac Lanham is one of the top rebounders in the region while fellow senior Jaren Epps is averaging 4.1 assists per game.  Junior Luke Thomas leads the team in made three-point field goals as well as steals and sophomore Trevor Douglas is another reliable outside shooter off the bench.  Sophomore Travis Wiser is second on the team in rebounds as well as an important component of the Knights' defense.

 

Means' 32 Points Not Enough; LaRue Wins 57-55 (2/18/2017)

Marion County's Lez Means drives through the LaRue County defense for two of his 32 points on Friday.

Marion County junior Lez Means scored over 30 points Friday night for the second consecutive game with 32, but it wasn't enough to overcome the balanced scoring attack of the LaRue County Hawks and the Knights came up short 57-55 on Senior Night at the Roby Dome.

The Hawks opened the game with a 10-0 run as Marion County struggled to find an offensive rhythm.  Means finally scored the Knights' first field goal four minutes into the game and led his team on a steady climb to get back into the contest.  Marion County had an 11-3 run of their own in the second quarter, finally pulling even at 27-27 on a pair of Isaac Lanham free-throws with 1:29 left before the half.  It looked as if the Knights would take a lead into the break when freshman Mason Sullivan came up with a blocked shot and grabbed the rebound, then Means streaked down the floor for a lay-up while getting fouled.  Means made the bonus shot for a 32-29 lead with just 18 seconds left on the clock, but LaRue County's Derek Goode drained his second three-pointer of the quarter to force a 32-32 tie as the horn sounded.

The two teams went back and forth for most of the second half before the Hawks pulled ahead 53-46 when Cameron Dawson rebounded his own team's missed free-throw and scored from point-blank range.  Once again, Means led the Knights' charge back by scoring Marion County's next nine points, capped off with a pair of free-throws with 0:35.9 left in the game to tie the score 55-55.  LaRue County managed to run almost 30 seconds off the clock when it appeared Marion County's Travis Wiser had come up with a steal at half court but instead was called for a foul, sending LaRue's Mark Goode to the free-throw line.  Goode made both shots to put his team ahead 57-55.  The Knights advanced the ball across half-court and called time with 2.5 seconds left on the clock.  But the Hawks' defense broke up the designed play and Marion County was forced to settle for a long-range three-point attempt that fell short, securing the win for the visitors.

  
Marion County seniors Isaac Lanham (left), Lamarcus Bell (middle) and Jaren Epps (right) were recognized in pre-game ceremonies before their final appearance in the Roby Dome.

After Means' 32-point effort, Marion County's next highest scorers were Trevor Douglas with 8 points and Lanham also with 8 points to go with his 8 rebounds.  You can read more about this game by clicking on the score in the right-hand column, or by clicking here.

The Knights wrapped up the regular season with a 15-14 record and will now concentrate on Thursday's match-up with Taylor County in the 20th District Tournament at Adair County High School.  Tip-off for the must-win game is scheduled for 7:30 PM Eastern time (6:30 PM Central).