Greensburg Record-Herald

The Green County High School Lady Dragons won their district basketball tournament championship for the fourth consecutive year. Team members pictured here are, front row, from left: Raegan Deaton, Micah Jones, Morgan Deaton, and Rachel Marr. Middle row: Chryslee Sherrill, Kelsea Mitchell, Becca Bush, Raylen Walker, Cheyenne Gettings, Kayla Bale and Baylee Shofner. Back row: Justin Henderson (manager).

By Leonard VanMeter
Sports Writer

The Lady Dragons continued their dominance of the District 18 basketball tournament with their fourth championship in the past four seasons. Their 59-46 win on Feb. 22 over Larue County and a 59-48 victory Friday night over Hart County earned Green County a top seeding in this year’s regional tournament.

GCHS vs. Larue County

The Lady Dragons got their fourth consecutive overall win and their second in three tries against Larue County with their 13 point victory at Horse Cave. Raegan Deaton helped propel the GCHS offense to a 10-0 lead to open the game. She scored eight of those points to highlight the rally - most of the baskets being generated by Green County’s defensive pressure. The Lady Hawks never caught up.
That initial surge by the GCHS offense provided the cushion that the Lady Dragons would need to guarantee themselves a place in the regional tournament. Green County held a 13-4 lead after one period and a 24-16 advantage at the half.
A 5-0 spurt by the Lady Dragons late in the third quarter pushed their lead to 38-26, and Larue County would never get the deficit back to single digits. Green County pushed the margin out to 17 points late in the final eight minutes of play.
Deaton not only helped get the Lady Dragons off to a favorable start, she contributed a quality outing at both ends of the court throughout all four periods. She had a game-best 21 points, three steals, and solid defense. She hit four of her six three-point attempts.
Micah Jones added 15 points, four rebounds, and six assists to the win, and her GCHS teammate Kelsea Mitchell scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

GCHS vs. Hart County

With their success in this year’s regional playoffs, the Lady Dragon seniors made it a four year sweep of the district tournament championship. They also now have a 20-win season in each of those seasons.
Green County fell behind the Lady Raiders by nine points late in the opening quarter, but a three-point play by Raegan Deaton cut the deficit to 10-16. Her basket and free throw with 50 seconds left in the period was part of an 8-0 GCHS run that extended into the second quarter. The game was tied at 26-26 entering halftime. Jones scored 12 of those GCHS points.
Although the Lady Dragons never trailed in the second half, Hart County stayed close until late. Green County took a 42-41 lead into the final eight minutes of play. Six points and some strong work on both backboards by Morgan Deaton helped the Lady Dragons hold their slim lead throughout that pivotal third period.
Accurate pressure free throw shooting by Raegan Deaton in the final quarter allowed Green County to eventually put the game away. She hit nine of her 10 attempts in that final eight minute segment and 11 of 13 during the game. The Deaton cousins scored 17 points for the Lady Dragons after halftime - more than half of their team’s second half offensive output and within five points of the HCHS second half total.
Jones tallied 17 points for the winners, grabbed eight rebounds, and had a superb overall game. Raegan Deaton added 15 points, seven rebounds, and provided some valuable senior leadership with the game’s outcome in doubt. Morgan Deaton contributed 12 points and six rebounds to the victory.
In post-game ceremonies, both Mitchell and Jones were named to the season’s 2009-2010 District 18 All-District Team. Jones, Morgan Deaton, and Raegan Deaton were all named to the 2010 District 18 All-Tournament Team.

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Dragons advance as District Runner-Up

Photo by Leonard VanMeter

Green County was the runner-up team in this year’s District 18 boys’ basketball tournament. Team members pictured here, front row, from left, are Dustin Curry, John Stone, Brock Milby, Justin Givens, and Grayson Bills. Back row: Skyler Shively, Cody Moss, Dillian Potts, Tanner Durrett, Levi Rattliff, Kyle Calhoun and Brennen Milby.

By Leonard VanMeter
Sports Writer

Green County’s 63-53 opening round win over Hart County in last week’s district basketball tournament guaranteed the Dragons a trip to the regional playoffs, and they nearly advanced as the district champion. Top seeded Larue County had to go to overtime Saturday night to defeat Green County 55-48. The tournament was held at Caverna High School.

GCHS vs. Hart County

Green County qualified for regional post-season play last Thursday with their victory over Hart County. Brock Milby scored the Dragons’ first 10 points, and his team raced out to an 18-7 lead after one quarter of basketball action.
A John Stone field goal four minutes into the next period gave the Dragons the game’s largest lead at 26-10. Following an 8-2 offensive spurt by the Raiders, Green County scored the final five points of the first half to take a 33-18 lead into the locker room. Grayson Bills tallied four of those points.
Dustin Curry scored nine of the Dragons 16 points in the third quarter. His basket plus free throw late in the period tied the game’s largest lead at 47-31. Green County took a 49-34 lead into the final eight minutes of action.
Eight consecutive points by Hart County to open the final quarter cut the Raiders’ deficit to 42-49, but the Dragons held on for a ten point win. Although Green County again struggled from the free throw line, they hit enough of the charity tosses down the stretch to earn the victory. Twelve of their 14 points in the final period came from the stripe.

GCHS vs. Larue County

The Hawks came into the tournament championship game as the district’s top seed and its only unbeaten team, but it took an overtime period to keep that record intact. Green County stayed even with the regular season district champion through 32 minutes of intense action. An 11-4 scoring advantage by Larue County in the extra period of play allowed the Hawks to advance as the district’s top seed.
The eventual tournament champion led throughout most of the first quarter, but a 7-1 spurt by the Dragons allowed them to tie the score at 12-12 after eight minutes of play. Green County ran on out to a 23-16 lead at halftime.
Larue County outscored the Dragons 11-2 in the opening minutes of the second half to take a 27-25 lead. Like a championship prize fight, the Dragons responded with a 13-6 counterpunch of their own to take a 38-31 lead with seven minutes of regulation time left.
The Hawks caught back up at 38-38, and the teams traded points equally the remainder of the fourth quarter. A basket by Stone with 10 seconds left on the scoreboard sent the game to overtime.
In post-tournament ceremonies, Green County’s Milby and Curry were named to the season’s 2009-2010 District 18 All-District Team. Dragons selected to the 2010 District 18 All-Tournament team were Curry, Stone, and Skyler Shively.
Green County and Campbellsville will tip off the 2010 Region 5 Boys Basketball Tournament tonight at Nelson County High School. The game is scheduled to start at 5:00 central time (6:00 eastern time).Campbellsville, the District 20 champion, has been at or near the top of the region most of the season. Their only loss in their last nine games was to the Dragons at Greensburg.

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Jones, Lady Dragons tame Tigers 63-49

Photo by Leonard VanMeter

Green County’s Micah Jones scored two of her game-high 30 points on this
shot against Bardstown. She also contributed five rebounds, five assists
and seven steals to her team’s victory.

By Leonard VanMeter
Sports Writer

Green County earned a 63-49 basketball win over Bardstown Monday night to advance in Region 5 tournament play. The victory at Hart County High School set up a 5 p.m. CST rematch Friday night with Marion County - the state’s top rated team. The Lady Knights defeated North Hardin 59-38 in the tournament’s second game.
Micah Jones had a superb outing in the opening game of the playoffs. She contributed 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and seven steals to the Green County win. Kelsea Mitchell joined her GCHS teammate in double-digit scoring with 10 points.
The Lady Dragons jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, but the Lady Tigers caught up at 10-10 after one quarter. A 10-1 rally late in the second period sent Green County into the halftime break with a 25-15 lead. Becca Bush and Jones each provided five points during that offensive spurt.
The Lady Dragons appeared ready to blow the game wide open midway through the third quarter. A Raegan Deaton three-point basket was followed by a Bush lay-in hoop to give the District 18 championship team the game’s largest lead at 37-22, but Bardstown whittled the margin to 10 points entering the final period.
Jones scored 12 points in the last eight minutes of play, and her team went on to outscore the Lady Tigers 19-15 to close out the game. The District 19 runners-up cut their deficit to 43-52 with four minutes to play, but they could never get closer.
The win earned Green County a semi-finals match-up Friday night against Marion County, the state’s top rated team. The Lady Knights, who knocked the Lady Dragons out of last year’s tournament, defeated Green County 70-27 in mid-December. Marion County came on late Monday night to defeat North Hardin by 21 points. They are 31-1 this year with their only loss being to highly rated Walnut Hills of Ohio.

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