Sweet Sixteen favorite wakes up after sluggish start in quarterfinals
After what he thought would be a sure wake-up call for his Scott County Cardinals on Thursday when they nearly blew a 19-point lead in the game’s final minute-and-a-half, Coach Billy Hicks said his team still wasn’t ready to play to start their quarterfinal against Butler in the 102nd Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet Sixteen Friday night in Rupp Arena.
“I’ve never been embarrassed as much as I was in the first half with how they played,” said Hicks, who added he felt he didn’t have enough time with his team Friday because of other commitments. “They played selfish. They didn’t play hard. It wasn’t everybody, but a few. ... We weren’t ready to play tonight.
“We’re going to get ready to play tomorrow if I have to sleep with them,” he joked.
Scott County finally woke up in the third period, turning a one-point second-half deficit into a 66-45 win.
Giving up a lead it held nearly the entire first half on a Trey Minter floater that put Butler up 26-25 early in the third period, the Cardinals increased the tempo and outran the Bears with a run punctuated by a Terrin Hamilton dunk that gave Scott County a 54-40 lead with 3:30 remaining. The Cardinals never looked back.
Michael Moreno, the Scott County star who missed half the season due to a foot injury, helped spark the Cardinals, grabbing big defensive rebounds and turning them into fast breaks. He led the team with 18 points and 17 rebounds, looking like his former self before he went out in December.
“Mike is really one of the better passers that I’ve ever coached,” Hicks said of Moreno. “He can throw that lead pass and that puts pressure on (the other team) to get back on defense. That really helped us.”
Butler trailed by as many as eight in the first half, falling behind 12-4 early. But the Bears built some momentum thanks to Minter’s hot shooting in the second and third periods. Minter hit two big-three pointers in the second quarter to keep the Bears in contact. Scott County held a 25-22 halftime edge.
Bryce Long added 14 points, Kobi Harris, 12, and Diablo Stewart had 10 for Scott County. Minter and Marquis Dorsey had 16 and 12 points, respectively, for Butler.
Scott County advances to face the winner of Madisonville-Warren Central in Saturday’s second semifinal. That contest will follow the first semifinal between Trinity and Campbell County, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Cardinals made it all the way to the finals last year before falling to champion Covington Catholic.
“We’re looking to get back to where we were. We want to make a statement that it wasn’t just a fluke last year,” Moreno said. “I don’t feel like I’ve completely avenged that state tournament loss yet.”
BOX SCORE: Scott County 66, Butler 45
Boys’ Sweet Sixteen
What: Boys’ high school basketball state tournament
When: Semifinal games Saturday (7:30 and 9 p.m.); championship game Sunday (2 p.m.)
Where: Rupp Arena
Radio: All games on WWRW-FM 105.5 in Lexington and on numerous stations across the state
Video livestream: All games available on NFHSNetwork.com (subscription required)
Tickets: $17-$21 (Available at Rupp Arena Box Office or online at Ticketmaster.com or KHSAA.org)
This story was originally published March 8, 2019 at 8:08 PM.
