By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Watching his players lift the championship trophy over their heads was a special moment for Brossart boys basketball coach Ben Franzen after their 77-63 win over Paris in the 10th Region All “A” Classic title game on Thursday.
Those same players had very little to celebrate last season when the Mustangs lost 24 straight games over the last three months and finished with a 3-26 record. After all that, the coach was glad to see smiles on their faces again.
“I can’t speak for the guys, but I’d never been through a season like we had last year,” Franzen said. “To go through that and then experience this the following year is really exciting.”
In the 10th Region girls final on Thursday, Brossart defeated Bracken County, 60-51, to sweep the titles for the ninth time in the history of the small school playoffs. Both teams advance to next week’s All “A” Classic state tournament at Owensboro SportsCenter.
The Brossart boys had a 38-18 halftime lead over Paris in their region final. Senior forward Parker Mulberry and senior center Alex Combs scored 14 and 11 points to lead the Mustangs’ explosive start.
Paris chipped away at the lead during the second half and pulled to within nine points, 65-56, with 3:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. That’s when a 3-point goal by Brossart junior guard Beckett Kuntz sparked a game-ending 12-7 run by the Mustangs.
“To their credit, (our players) fought hard and fought back,” Franzen said of the second half. “We were able to kind of take the punches they were throwing at us and extend that lead back out.”
Mulberry finished with a game-high 23 points, followed by Combs with 18 and junior guard Ben Doyle with 15. The Mustangs’ three all-tournament selections were Combs, Kuntz and senior forward Dom Hadden.
Brossart (9-5) will play 13th Region champion Pineville (12-4) in the opening round of the All “A” Classic boys state tournament at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23 at Owensboro SportsCenter.
The Brossart girls also got off to a good start in their region final. The Mustangs led 24-17 at halftime and 41-34 at the end of the third quarter.
When the margin slipped to four points, 51-47, late in the fourth quarter, senior forward Zoey Meyers scored eight points during a 9-4 run that clinched the victory.
Brossart freshman forward Kylie Smith took game-high scoring honors with 18 points and Meyers had 14. They were named to the all-tournament team along with junior forward Rachel Shewmaker.
In the first round of the girls state tournament, Brossart (10-4) will play 7th Region champion Louisville Holy Cross at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Owensboro SportsCenter.
Walton-Verona defeated Owen County, 40-33, in the semifinals of the girls 8th Region All “A” Classic on Thursday. After taking a 21-9 halftime lead, the Bearcats were outscored in the final two quarters, but they made 8 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter to come away with the win.
Senior guard Campbell Christy scored a game-high 20 points and senior forward Braylin Terrell had 10 for the Bearcats (11-5), who will face Eminence (7-5) in the region final at 7 p.m. Saturday at Owen County High School.
All “A” Classic region basketball games
9TH REGION BOYS AT DAYTON HIGH SCHOOL
Friday
Newport vs. Ludlow, 6 p.m.
Beechwood vs. Newport Central Catholic, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
8TH REGION BOYS AT OWEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Friday
Championship game: Walton-Verona vs. Owen County 7 p.m.
8TH REGION GIRLS AT OWEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Saturday
Championship game: Walton-Verona vs. Eminence, 7 p.m.
Great article