(ANNOUNCER NOTE: Special thanks to Scott McClamroch, Pat Yates, and Jeff Griffin for filling in for me this past week! After missing the last two broadcasts -two South Oldham girls’ games - due to out-of-town business, I was really looking forward to getting back to courtside…the Colonels made the return to the airwaves a very pleasant one.)

Shepherdsville – The Oldham County boys basketball team wrapped up its triumphant tour of the 29^th District with a resounding win over the homestanding Bullitt Central Cougars, 73-53. It was their eighth straight win, and their third straight over a Bullitt County school, having beaten North Bullitt, 72-44, last Friday and Bullitt East by 16 on Tuesday. (Note: As of this writing, the score was uncertain. The scoreboard showed 73-52 when the final buzzer went off, but with the score Oldham County 73, Bullitt Central 50, the Cougars’ final basket was ruled a three-point shot by the referees on the floor. So…?)

Oldham County had begun the year with high expectations, but injuries (Nathaniel Johnson’s back, for one), illness (Eric Johnson and others), and inconsistent play had plagued the Colonels all season. Head Coach Gary Forrest had been looking for the game when the team put four quarters together. Last night might have been the team’s best effort to date.

Both teams got the offense going early, and the score was 11-11 midway through the first. The Bullitt Central Cougars repeatedly penetrated the Colonel defense on the dribble and dished off to their money men on the inside, 6’7" junior center Todd Spencer and 6’5" senior forward Matt McCubbins. Both McCubbins and Spencer scored four points in the early going for Central.

Meanwhile, Oldham was reaping the benefits of a rejuvenated Eric Johnson. Johnson, ranked in the pre-season as one of the top two players in the Eighth Region, had been under the weather of late. However, he hit his first two shots – a three and a two – and scored eight of the Colonels’ first-half points. But unlike the Cougars, Oldham was getting points from others.

After Spencer tied the game – for the last time, it would turn out – at eleven, Ryan Heimke scored his only basket of the game, giving the Colonels the lead for good. Hank Garrett and Travis Liedtke followed with buckets of their own, prompting a BC timeout with 3:12 left in the period and Oldham ahead, 17-11. After the timeout, McCubbins scored and Herbie Rowe added a free throw to pull BC to within a three-point shot at 17-14, but the Cougars could get no closer. When Alan Cotton scored on a jumper in traffic to end the period, the Colonels led by 7 at 24-17 and were on their way to victory.

With the score 28-20, Forrest found himself having to put both of his big men – 6’6" Nathaniel Johnson and 6’6" Travis Liedtke - on the bench due to foul problems. When Marcus Smith replaced Johnson, he immediately had an effect, however, scoring to give Oldham their first double-digit lead of the night at 30-20. After Jason Rheaume hit two free throws to pull Bullitt Central to within 8 at 30-22 with 4:28 left in a competitive first half, Oldham County blew the game open with an 8-0 run over the next 2:10, pushing the lead to 16 at 38-22. Highlighting the run was a fast break opportunity for the Colonels featuring an outlet pass from Eric Johnson to Marcus Smith, who drove to the hoop, realized he would be fouled, hung in the air, took the foul, and somehow still hit the one-handed lay-up. He missed the free throw, but the fast-break gave Oldham a 34-22 lead.

Oldham County would take a fourteen point lead into the locker room at 42-28. Eric Johnson had 16 points, and sub Marcus Smith was a perfect 3 of 3 for six points off the bench.

Bullitt Central went to a 3-2 zone defense to start the second half. Although the tactic appeared to slow the Colonels’ offense – they scored just 15 points in the third quarter, their lowest output of the game – Oldham quickly resorted to their outside attack to get points, hitting 3 of 5 three pointers in the period. Daniel Viehmann hit all three of his third-quarter shots, including two threes to lead the way.

Despite the difficulty getting easy shots in the period, the Colonels still managed to push the lead to 17 on three occasions in the period, the last at 55-38, before settling for a 57-43 lead after three periods of play.

Jason Rheaume’s three-pointer to start the final quarter pulled Bullitt Central to within 11 at 57-46, but the Colonel defense turned the heat up a couple of notches, and the Colonels outscored the Cougars, 16-4, over the next seven minutes. Although Oldham appeared to be in control throughout, the Colonels put the game out of reach midway through the final period. With Oldham leading 63-50 after two free throws by Rheaume, Donta Smith became a one-man wrecking crew. He singlehandedly went on an 8-0 run, putting the game out of reach at 71-50 with 2:20 left in the game.

Nathaniel Johnson made it a 10-0 run with a layup seconds later, and Carl Prather finished the scoring for the Cougars with 31 seconds left in the game. (Now, if we just knew if that shot was a two pointer or a three…)

The win improved Oldham County to 15-3; Bullitt Central fell to 10-7.

The JV Colonels also won, defeating BC, 54-34.

UNOFFICIAL Scoring:

OLDHAM - Eric Johnson 20, Donta Smith 16, Viehmann 10, Nathaniel Johnson 6, Travis Liedtke 6, Marcus Smith 6, Garrett 5, Cotton 2, Heimke 2, Koenig 0, Neal 0

BULLITT CENTRAL – McCubbins 12, Spencer 11, Saunders 9, Rheaume 8, Troutman 4, Rowe 4, Prather 3, Stivers 2

NEXT BROADCAST: Oldham County (boys) vs. Carroll County, Tuesday, 1/30/01

Pregame show begins at 7 pm; tipoff at 7:30 pm on WYKY 105.7 FM.

- Mike Montgomery

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