Lady Titans get big win over Woodford

The Mercer Lady Titans traveled to Woodford County Tuesday night to take on a 10-12 Lady Yellow Jackets team.
The Lady Titans didn’t have their best game of the year on the offensive end. Not a single Lady Titan got into double figures scoring.
“This was a very sloppy game on our part but the kidsfound a way to pull out a win, once again this is a game we would have lost last year, so for our girls to grind out a tough road win is good to see,” said head coach Chris Souder.
Mercer was able to pull of the win despite a poor performance 49-36. “We had a very good floor game from Natalie, Tori and Leah and good bench play from Cawood, Tabby and Savannah. This puts us at 15-7 with a big region game coming Friday with the sixth ranked team in the state in Lincoln County.”
Mercer was led in scoring by three different Lady Titans in Tori Freeman, Leah Flora, and Natalie VanArsdall, each with nine points. Savannah Taylor had a good game off the bench with eight points. Tabby Shewmaker came off the bench with six points. Abra Sickles scored three points and led Mercer with six rebounds. Karli Souder and Cawood Dedman each had two points. Ashley Roby got into the books with one point.
Mercer will host powerhouse Lincoln County Friday night as part of a boy/girl double header. Tip off will be at 6:00 p.m.

Burgin Lady Bulldogs can’t complete the comeback win

The Lady Bulldogs of Burgin hosted 46th District rival West Jessamine Monday night as they looked for their first district win of the season.
Burgin had trouble with ball control in the opening quarter committing nine turnovers. The Lady Colts took advantage scoring 10 points off of forced turnovers. The first quarter ended with West Jessamine up 19-6.
The Lady Bulldogs cut into West Jessamine’s lead early in the second quarter but trailed by double figures for most of the quarter. After their 12th turnover of the half, the Lady Bulldogs trailed by 12 and seemed to have no answer for West Jessamine’s pressure.
Burgin seemed to find that answer as they went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to four with just a minute left in the half. West was able to stretch the lead back out to seven but a last second shot by Lindsey Monson brought the Lady Bulldogs back to within four points 32-28.
Erika Burke tied the game up at 34-34 with five minutes and 40 seconds in the third quarter after back to back baskets. Burgin took the lead on their following possession with a three pointer by Randi Burke coming out of the time-out.
West Jessamine would retake the lead with 53 seconds left in the quarter 42-41. Burgin got its second buzzer beater and lead of the game when Randi Burke hit another three pointer as time expired to give the Lady Bulldogs the edge 44-42 going into the final quarter.
It was clear the fourth quarter was going to be a battle between the two teams. Burgin was able to hold on to the lead for almost the first half of the quarter. The Lady Bulldogs took a huge hit with four minutes and 37 seconds when they lost the lead 53-52.
Burgin also lost guards Erika Burke and Lindsey Monson who fouled out on back to back possessions leaving the Lady Bulldogs without an experienced point guard to run the offense. West was able to stretch their lead to six and with just over a minute and a half to play, Burgin suffered the loss of their third starter to fouls, Shavon Majors. The Lady Colts were able to shoot free-throws for the remainder of the game to extend their lead and get the win 69-59.

Titans win back to back

Woodford County

The Titans traveled to Woodford County Tuesday night to take on the 9-10 Yellow Jackets.
Mercer as a team shot 39 percent from the field, 27 percent from three point range, 67 percent from the free-throw line hitting 25-37, and grabbed 42 rebounds to get the win 64-54.
The Titans were led in scoring by Clay Cinnamon who had 25 points. Aaron Lee booked a double double and led Mercer in rebounding with 11 rebounds and 14 points. Jamel Taylor got into double figures with 10 rebounds and five points. Mathew Honchel had a productive game off the bench with six points and five rebounds. Jake Mayes put up seven points for the Titans. Lyndon Compton and Austin Sagraves each scored three points and Kasey McRay got into the books with one point and five rebounds.
Mercer will host crosstown rival Burgin, Thursday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. in their last district game before the tournament.

East Jessamine

The Mercer County Titans fought the weather Friday night to take on 46th district rival East Jessamine. The Jaguars came into the game with an 11-9 record. Mercer was looking to keep pace with West Jessamine for first place in the district with a district record of 4-1.
Mercer was led in scoring by Clay Cinnamon who had 26 points, as he went 10-15 from the field. Mercer got good production from their bigs inside on both the offensive and defensive end, in Jamel Taylor and Jake Mayes, each getting double doubles.
Taylor led the Titans with 12 rebounds and scored 11 points. Mayes put up 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Aaron Lee had a solid all around game with nine points, and six rebounds. Lyndon Compton had five points, Mathew Honchel scored four points and Kasey McRay had three points and four rebounds. Mercer got the win 71-64 in a close game.

Burgin Bulldogs fall just short to Paris 41-40

The Burgin Bulldogs hosted the Paris Grey Hounds Tuesday night in a game that turned out to be a dog fight.
The game looked like it would be close from the start and after the first quarter of play the teams were still even at 8-8. Burgin got out to an early lead in the second quarter scoring on their opening possession.

The Bulldog’s lead got to as large as five. After back to back turnovers by Burgin, Paris was able to regain the lead 16-15 with two minutes and 45 seconds left in the half. The Grey Hounds held on to the lead for the rest of the half and went into the locker room up 20-17.
Burgin stayed close through the third quarter and had a few chances to retake the lead. But poor shooting and turnovers prevented that, and they trailed going into the fourth quarter 31-29.
Burgin quickly tied the game up at 31 all on their first possession of the fourth quarter, and after a missed free-throw by Paris took control of the lead.
Burgin continued to hold on to the lead, but Paris never let them get too comfortable. Burgin suffered a huge loss when their big man, Logan Hill, fouled out with just over six minutes remaining in the game.
Paris took advantage of Burgin’s lack of size on the inside and quickly retook the lead. Burgin trailed by four points for the remainder of the quarter until Trenton Claunch hit a three pointer with just four seconds left to play. The Bulldogs sent Paris to the line with three seconds left, where they missed both of their attempts. The Bulldogs got off a last second shot from half court, but it bounced high off the glass. Paris squeaked by to get the win 41-40.
“Paris got 22 offensive rebounds which led to more shot attempts for them. Our defense was good, but our ability to hold Paris to one shot is killing us. Paris shot 28 percent from the floor to our 32 percent but more opportunities for them, and missed easy shots and free throws for us was the difference in the game. We have got to play more physical on the boards to win games like this,” said head coach Don Irvine.

Burgin Bulldogs come up short in the All-A Classic regional championship

The Burgin Bulldogs traveled to Somerset Friday night to take on the Danville Admirals in the All- A Classic regional championship game.
Bad shooting from the field and foul trouble caused the Bulldogs to fall behind early. Danville took advantage of their size and Burgin’s bad shooting and jumped out to a 17-9 lead after the first quarter. Danville’s lead grew to 13 by the half and the Bulldogs were never able to make up the difference.
“We never shot well, so it affected our whole approach, playing from behind from the start. Logan (Hill) got two early fouls so our inside game completely disappeared and we just didn’t get our usual looks from the perimeter. We have to regroup and put this game behind us because we have other important games in the future and want to continue back to where we were before this game, and that was improving every time out,” said Burgin head coach Don Irvine.
Burgin went 0-19 from three point range, and 10-46, 22 percent, from the field as they lost to Danville 70-32. The Bulldogs also had 21 turnovers, 28 rebounds, five assists and nine steals.

Lady Titans fall just short of comeback win 67-62

The Lady Titans hosted the Rockcastle County Lady Rockets Tuesday night. The Lady Rockets came into the game with a record of 16-3 and are ranked number one in the 12th Region.
The two teams looked like copies of each other, running the three guard two post players. Rockcastle came out hot offensively opening the game with a 7-0 run.
It didn’t take long for Mercer’s bigs to get active as forward Ashley Roby and center Abra Sickles combined for nine of Mercer’s 12 points in the first quarter.
The Lady Titans pulled to within one point after a Leah Flora three pointer only to watch Rockcastle respond with an 8-2 run to end the quarter with the Lady Rockets on top 19-12.
The Lady Titans suffered in the second quarter when Sickles was benched after picking up her second foul early in the quarter. The Lady Rockets got to the free-throw line 13 times, more than doubling Mercer’s six trips. As a result, Rockcastle was able to build a 16 point lead going into halftime 41-25.
“We dug a big hole and were down by 16 at the half and that is a difficult spot to be in considering we were playing the number 10 team in the state. I told the kids the first half was on me because I should have backed off the press and made them play us in a half courtgame,” said head coach Chris Souder.
The third quarter was back and forth between the two teams. Mercer’s offense looked much more effective but Rockcastle almost always had an answer. The Lady Titans were able to cut into the lead slightly and went into the fourth quarter down 58-47.
Mercer’s defense seemed to come alive in the fourth quarter as they forced Rockcastle into two turnovers on their first two possessions. The Lady Titans defensive intensity continued through the quarter, and with three minutes and eight seconds remaining found themselves down by only two with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Mercer was unable to take advantage and Rockcastle extended their lead back to four on their following possession. With just under a minute to play, Mercer trailed by four points when they committed two costly turnovers and watched Rockcastle shoot free-throws to seal the game 67-62.
“I was extremely proud of our team and the courage they showed to get back into the game. This same team last year would have probably gotten beat by 25 or 30 but we are showing some maturity and what it takes to compete against the best. Abra was once again an absolute beast in the second half.
We also got good play from sophomore Savannah Taylor. I was impressed with her defense on one of the regions better players Jackie Alexander. Savannah really put the clamps on her in the second half. Even though we did not win this game we will build on this and it is proof to these girls what we have been telling them that if we come to play we can play with anybody,” said Souder.
The Lady Titans were led in scoring and rebounding by Abra Sickles who had 17 rebounds and 21 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. Leah Flora had a good night shooting with 15 points hitting five three pointers. Savannah Taylor got into double figures coming off the bench with 10 points. Tori Freeman had seven points for the game. Ashley Roby put up four points. Natalie VanArsdall and Tabby Shewmaker each scored two points and Lyndell Yeast got into the books with one point. Mercer got good minutes from sophomore guard Cawood Dedman who led the team with five assists.
Mercer will look to stay undefeated in district play as they travel to Jessamine County Friday night to take on 46th District opponent West Jessamine. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Mercer Titans get a big win on the road

Montgomery County

The Mercer County Titans traveled to Montgomery County Tuesday night looking to rebound off their loss to Lexington Christian Academy. Montgomery County entered the game with a record of 13-5 and were ranked second in the 10th region
“This was a big win for our program. It showed me a lot, for us to go into their house and get a big road win against a good team. We are getting better on the defensive end of the ball. Kasey McRay had another solid performance for us on the defensive end but Lyndon Compton was our spark plug. He set the pace on defense and did a good job of pushing the ball on the offensive end,” said head coach Nelson Cundiff.
The Titans got the close win 68-64. Mercer continues its long stretch of road games Friday, January 22 when they travel to Jessamine County to take on the West Jessamine Colts. The Colts have a record of 11-5 and are ranked second in the district behind Mercer County. Mercer won the first meeting between the two teams 68-64. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Lexington Christian Academy

The Mercer County Titans traveled to Lexington to take on Lexington Christian Academy (LCA) Saturday night. LCA came into the game with an 8-6 record after facing stiff competition early in the year.
Mercer went into the game missing much of it size due to injury. Starting center Jamel Taylor and sixth man Jake Mays were both sidelined with injuries.
Mays suffered a concussion earlier in the week, and Taylor’s ankle had a mild sprain.
“We probably could have played Jamel but we didn’t want to risk him with two big district games coming up. With Mays and Taylor out we had no inside presence and had to settle for a lot of outside shots. LCA was a good team, we just got out played, out coached, and out worked. One positive thing I took from this game was my guys aren’t going to quit on me. They didn’t play well and were out manned but that didn’t stop us from working. We could have just hung our head and phoned it in and got beaten by 40, but we didn’t,” Cundiff said.

Mercer’s hard work wasn’t enough as they lost 69-57.

Lady Titan Flora named Hoops Star of the week

“The Sports Flash” (TSF) Radio Network announced this week that Mercer County Lady Titan Leah Flora was the girls’ Hoops Star of the Week presented by Bluegrass Cellular.
Flora scored 21 points and handed out four assists in a 55-51 win over 46th District rival East Jessamine January 4. As a weekly winner, Flora is now a finalist for the Hoops Star of the Year. Bluegrass Cellular customers can vote for the weekly winner with a text to HOOP (4667). The cost is $0.99 per vote and will appear on the customer’s monthly statement.
Fans also have the opportunity to vote online at www.TheSportsFlash.com, where the official rules of the campaign are available for download. Mercer’s Abra Sickles is nominated for this week.

Lady Bulldogs get win over Berea 49-41

The Lady Bulldogs were looking for their second straight win Thursday night as they hosted a 4-6 Berea team.
Burgin did a great job of moving the ball early on in the game. As a result five different players scored in the first quarter for the Lady Bulldogs as they took an early lead 13-11 at the end of the quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs continued their good passing in the second quarter, getting six players in the books for scoring.
Berea picked up their defense in the third quarter holding Burgin to only five points in the entire quarter, to make it a two point ball game going into the final quarter of play.
Burgin bounced back in the fourth quarter putting up a game high 16 points, eight coming from Shavon Majors.

Lady Titans fall 55-51 in a close one against Lafayette

The Mercer Lady Titans traveled to Lexington Friday night to take on a battle tested 3-8 Lafayette team.
Lafayette got out to an early lead and as a result the Lady Titans spent the majority of the game playing catchup. Mercer was able to grab a five point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Lafayette responded with back to back three pointers. Mercer was never able to regain the lead and lost 59-54.
Mercer head coach Chris Souder said “Even though we lost this game it was one of the better games we have played all year. It was a very intense high school game from start to finish. I was extremely proud of the effort we gave. I thought Tori Freeman had an excellent floor game and really ran the team well. Abra had by far her best game of the year. When she plays with that intensity and desire she is one of the more formidable players in the state and makes everyone around her better.”