By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Spurtability is a word you won’t find in the dictionary. It’s a term that a basketball analyst created for a team that has the potential to suddenly score a flurry of points and take control of a game.
The Conner Cougars have been that type of boys’ basketball team. In the championship game of the Lloyd Memorial Invitational on Wednesday, the Cougars scored 16 straight points at the end of the third quarter and went on to defeat Lloyd, 65-49, to finish the first month of the season with a 9-1 record.
Conner did the same thing in several of its earlier victories so spurtability has become something coach Jim Hicks expects from his players.
“That’s what we look for,” Hicks said. “It might take one quarter or it might take two or three or even four, but we’re looking for that spurt of points where we can get up on teams and try to put games away.”
Conner uses a combination of pressure defense and good ball movement in its transition offense to create decisive runs. In Wednesday’s game, Lloyd had just taken a 34-32 lead late in the third quarter when the Cougars’ spurtability kicked in. They scored on seven straight possessions during their 16-0 run with half of the points coming off turnovers.
“The way Conner plays that’s what they’re trying to do,” said Lloyd coach Mike Key. “I thought our guards were able to handle their pressure early, but as the game wore on and they threw more bodies at us it took its toll.”
Conner junior forward Travis Connley scored 10 of his 17 points during the run. His field goal and free throw gave the Cougars a 48-34 lead going into the fourth quarter and they maintained a double-digit margin the rest of the way.
“I knocked down a couple of shots and my teammates did a good job of getting the ball to me,” Connley said of his season-high scoring total. “We just move the ball around and break the defense down and when we see an opening go for it.”
Connley isn’t in the starting lineup, but he’s getting a lot of playing time while Conner junior guard Spencer Hemmerich is recovering from an ankle injury. Hemmerich was averaging 17.7 points per game when he got hurt, but his team has continued to win without him.
“We’ve just had different people step up to take over his scoring,” coach Hicks said. “That’s a testament to how much these kids want to win.”
Lloyd ended up shooting 39.2 percent (20 of 51) from the field on its home court compared to Conner’s 50 percent (22 of 44). The Cougars also had a 19-6 scoring advantage at the free throw line.
Conner senior guard Michael Scott and Lloyd junior forward Sterling Hamilton both scored 18 points to share game-high honors. Scott was the Cougars’ leading scorer in the tournament, but the coaching staff selected senior forward Alec Garnett to receive the tournament’s most valuable player award.
Garnett is a good defensive player and passer, two of the main elements behind his team’s 9-1 start this season.
“I’m not that surprised,” Garnett said of the team’s record. “We come in and work hard every day in practice and that shows out on the floor.”
CONNER 11 13 23 18 – 65
LLOYD 11 14 9 15 – 49
CONNER (9-1): Gambrel 3 1 7, Scott 8 2 18, Padgett 1 4 6, Garnett 1 5 7, Cook 4 2 10, Connley 5 5 17. Totals: 22 19 65.
LLOYD (4-8): Kemen 3 0 6, Townsend 1 2 4, Hamilton 8 0 18, Donovan 2 2 6, McClendon 3 0 6, Neal 2 0 4, Molitor 0 2 2, Williams 1 0 3. Totals: 20 6 49.
3-pointers: C – Connelly 2. L – Hamilton 2, Williams.