By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
LEXINGTON — Like any high school coach, Grant Brannen always gives his players credit for the success the Walton-Verona boys basketball team has enjoyed this season. He maintained that mantra after the Bearcats defeated Knott County Central, 76-54, in the opening game of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet 16 state tournament on Wednesday at Rupp Arena.
“I don’t think it’s anything I’ve done,” Brannen said after the team’s first state tournament appearance since 1942. “These guys are just winners. There’s nothing too big for them. It’s nothing we’ve done specifically as coaches. We’re just fortunate enough to get a bunch of guys together who are winners and know how to play together.”
The Bearcats played together so well in the second half of Wednesday’s game that they shot 66 percent (18 of 27) from the field with 14 assists and outscored Knott Central, 44-26, to come away with the win that advances them to the elite eight in the state tournament for the first time.
Walton-Verona (28-6) will play Campbell County (30-4) in the quarterfinals at noon on Friday. The Bearcats won an earlier game between the two teams, 54-48, on Jan. 18.
“It just feels amazing,” Walton-Verona senior guard Grant Grubbs said of getting the program’s first state tournament win. “We’ve been dreaming about this our entire lives. It’s a Kentucky kid’s dream to come down here and show up for your community being from a small town. I mean, it’s just been indescribable.”
The Bearcats got off to strong start for being newcomers and took a 20-7 lead on a basket in the lane by senior forward Kam Pardee. But Knott Central responded with an 8-2 run that sliced the margin to 22-15 at going into the second quarter.
The first half ended with Walton-Verona ahead, 32-28, and Knott Central made the first basket in the third quarter to make it a two-point game. But the Bearcats scored on 16 of their next 20 offensive possessions to open up a 58-44 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Pardee scored nine of his game-high 24 points during that decisive run. Grubbs had six rebounds, four assists and made one of the team’s four 3-point shots in the quarter.
“It was a good beginning to the (second) half,” Pardee said. “We were up three or four points and we had to get it on in the third quarter, and we did.”
Walton-Verona senior center Dieonte Miles scored seven of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, including a slam dunk on a fast break that put his team ahead, 71-52, with 3:37 remaining. The 6-foot-10 Xavier University recruit also had five rebounds, three assists and seven blocks in the win.
“Coach really wants me to be aggressive at the offensive end,” said Miles. “If teams draw their attention to me, that opens up shots for everybody else.”
Walton-Verona ended up shooting 58 percent (32 of 55) from the field compared to Knott Central’s 42 percent (21 of 50). The Bearcats got 48 points in the paint, including seven fast-break baskets, and outscored the Panthers, 24-15, from behind the 3-point line.
Trey Bonne was the Bearcats’ other double-figure scorer with 12 points. He also had four of the team’s eight steals. The final stat line for Grubbs included six points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
“It wasn’t our day,” said Knott Central coach Tony Patterson. “They made shots we didn’t think they could make consistently and the big kid (Miles) played really well against us. We didn’t bring our best game, but it wasn’t our day.”
Walton-Verona has a day off to prepare for their rematch with Campbell County in Friday’s quarterfinal round. The Bearcats are riding an eight-game winning streak and they scored 70 points or more in five of those victories.
“Our spacing has been really good at the offensive end and it helps when you knock down shots, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” coach Brannen said. “We’re playing our best basketball right now, there’s no doubt, and we obviously want to continue that.”
WALTON-VERONA 22 10 26 18 — 76
KNOTT CENTRAL 15 13 16 10 — 54
WALTON-VERONA (30-5): Pardee 11 0 24, Miles 8 3 19, Jones 2 0 5, Bonne 6 0 14, Grubbs 2 0 6, Brook 1 0 2, Schrader 1 0 3, Stanley 0 1 1, Smith 1 0 2. Totals: 32 4 76
KNOTT CENTRAL (28-6): Elliott 2 0 4, Martin 7 2 17, Imel 2 1 5, Turner 3 0 7, Adams 7 2 19, Abner. 0 2 2. Totals: 21 7 54.
3-point goals: WV — Pardee 2, Bonne 2, Grubbs 2, Jones, Schrader. KC — Adams 3, Turner, Martin.