By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Walton-Verona boys’ basketball team returned to the Kentucky All “A” Classic for the first time since 2010 and defeated Danville, 46-33, in Thursday’s lowest scoring first-round game at Frankfort Convention Center.
It was the ninth consecutive win for the Bearcats (16-4), who will play Lexington Christian (17-4), the tournament’s top-ranked team, in a quarterfinal game at 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Walton-Verona junior guard Zach Clinkenbeard scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the first half that ended with his team holding a slim 24-22 lead. In the second half, the Bearcats did most of their scoring at the foul line, hitting 17 of 25 free throws, to come away with the victory.
Walton-Verona finished with a 20-6 scoring advantage at the line. Dieonte Miles converted 10 of 12 free throws to account for most of this 12 points. The 6-foot-8 sophomore center also had 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.
With Miles patrolling the paint on defense, Danville put up 21 shots from behind the 3-point arc and made only five. The Admirals shot 24.4 percent (11 of 45) from the field overall compared to Walton-Verona’s 37.9 percent (11 of 29).
Clinkenbeard also pulled down 10 rebounds for the Bearcats, who had a 34-25 advantage on the boards. He got all of his rebounds on the defensive glass to help limit Danville to seven second-chance points.
The quarterfinal game against Lexington Christian will be a major test for Walton-Verona’s young team that has two seniors, three juniors and seven sophomores on the varsity roster. The Eagles have won most of their games by double-digit margins, including a 61-40 win over Louisville Holy Cross in the final first-round game on Thursday.
WALTON-VERONA 10 14 9 13 — 46
DANVILLE 12 10 6 5 — 33
WALTON-VERONA (16-4): Moran 0 2 2, Clinkenbeard 5 2 16, Miles 1 10 12, Pardee 1 0 2, Anderson 2 2 6, Grubbs 1 0 2, Lay 1 3 5, Shazier 0 1 1. Totals: 11 20 46.
DANVILLE (7-13): Southerland 3 1 7, St. Martin 3 1 10, Ford 3 4 11, Warren 1 0 2, Kavanaugh 1 0 3. Totals: 11 6 33.
Three-pointers: WV — Clinkenbeard 4. D — St. Martin 3, Ford, Kavanaugh.
All “A” Classic Boys State Tournament
FRIDAY — Quarterfinals
Mayfield (16-5) vs. Russellville (14-7), 5 p.m.
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC (12-7) vs. University Heights (11-10), 6:30 p.m.
Owensboro Catholic (14-7) vs. Paris (15-6), 8 p.m.
WALTON-VERONA (15-4) vs. Lexington Christian (17-4), 9:30 p.m.
SATURDAY — Semifinals
Upper bracket, 6 p.m.
Lower bracket, 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
Championship game, 2 p.m.