New Castle, KY – Since Gary Forrest arrived on the scene at Oldham County in 1988, the Colonels have maintained the level of excellence started by coach Dave Hart, Jr. in the seventies and continued by Bob Hoggard in the 1980s. In an increasingly-competitive Eighth Region, the Colonels have racked up 20 win seasons with regularity.

But in all of Gary’s seasons at the helm, never have the Colonels done it as fast as this year.

Oldham County claimed win number twenty – against only three losses – with a 91-53 win over a young Henry County Wildcat squad in the Cats’ Homecoming. The Colonels started sloppy, turning the ball over on their first two possessions and falling behind 1-0 after a Lonnie Hardin free throw. But Oldham County, who has not lost since December, grabbed the lead on their third possession on a three-pointer by Hank Garrett and never looked back, racing out to a 10-1 lead in the first 2:05 of the contest.

After the Cats narrowed the lead to seven at 12-5, Oldham erupted again, scoring eight unanswered points to stretch the margin to 20-5. At this point, Lonnie Hardin had generated all five Henry County points. On the other hand, seven Oldham County players had scored

The Colonels took a 25-10 lead into the second quarter, and immediately pushed the margin to twenty after a bucket by Ryan Heimke and a basket and free throw from Daniel Viehmann.

The Wildcats continued to struggle against the multiple defensive schemes of the Colonels. Whether it was the Oldham full-court man-to-man press, the full-court zone press, or the various half-court defenses the Colonels ran, the Cats repeatedly turned the ball over, giving it up (unofficially) 18 times in the first half alone and 30 times in the game. On the rare occasions when Henry did get off a shot, offensive rebounds were exceedingly rare as the taller Colonels dominated the glass.

In fact, the starting front court for the Cats did not score until Matthew Brent hit a jumper early in the second quarter. Starting center Lee Louden was so frustrated he was pulled early and finished without a basket. The most productive Cat in the paint was 6’2" sophomore Zac Banta, who entered the game midway through the first period and scored 10 blue-collar points in the first half.

With the score 30-14, Oldham engineered another run, scoring ten unanswered points on baskets by five different Colonels. A basket by Banta barely interrupted the avalanche of Colonel points, as Oldham scored the next eight points to go up, 48-16.

The Colonels took their biggest lead of the first half on a bucket by Alan Cotton to go ahead by 34 at 52-18 before Nathan Peniston dropped in a 22-footer from the left wing for Henry Co. Marcus Smith scored the final points of the half, giving Oldham County a 54-21 halftime advantage.

The Colonels’ defensive intensity and machine-like approach in the first half produced staggering results. Although they had seven first-quarter turnovers, the Colonels only turned over the ball once in the second period. They rarely went to the charity stripe because the ball movement was so precise, Oldham was repeatedly shooting layups from point-blank range. The Colonels made most of their perimeter shots in the first half, with Garrett and Eric Johnson each hitting a three-pointer.

All ten Colonels who played in the first half, scored.

With a thirty-three point lead, many would not have been surprised to see a letdown in the third period, but Oldham County came out inspired. Gary Forrest put a team on the floor that included mostly reserves – something of a misnomer at Oldham County, since nine-ten players see significant action during each game – and the Colonels opened the period with a 14-7 run. A Hank Garrett three capped the run, giving the Colonels a forty point cushion at 68-28 midway through the quarter.

Nathaniel Johnson and Hank Garrett starred in the third quarter, with Johnson scoring eight points on layups and short jumpers, and Garrett hitting for 10 points, including two threes. One of Garrett’s threes, a monster from straight-away, was from about 25 feet.

With Henry’s leading scorer, Matthew Brent, beginning to heat up, the Cats played toe-to-toe with Oldham the remainder of the period. Brent scored seven points over the final 3+ minutes, but Oldham went into the final quarter ahead, 78-39. Garrett’s last score of the period would be final points of the game for the Oldham County starters.

Gary Forrest began emptying his bench in the fourth period as the starters all stayed on the bench to start the period. Still, the Colonels’ backups, including the JVs, held their own against the Henry County starters. Three minutes into the period, two baskets by Steven Ensor had stretched Oldham’s lead to forty again at 82-42.

At that point, as Forrest went deeper and deeper into his bench, the Cats began to take advantage. They scored six straight points – their longest string of unanswered points all night – before freshman Brandon Gaddoff hit a three for Oldham County. Five unanswered points by Zac Banta pulled Henry to within 85-53, but the Colonels closed out the game by scoring the final six points on baskets by Gaddoff, freshman Brandon Berry, and Ensor.

In all, fourteen Colonels played, and thirteen scored. Three Colonels reached double figures, but nine different players scored six or more points. The 91 points was even more impressive when you figure in the fact that leading scorer Eric Johnson scored just three points in limited action, and the only starter to score in the entire second half was Hank Garrett.

The win improved the Colonels’ record to 20-3.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING:

Oldham County – Garrett 15, Marcus Smith 12, Nathaniel Johnson 10, Liedtke 9, Donta Smith 8, Viehmann 7, Heimke 6, Cotton 6, Ensor 6, Gaddoff 5, Eric Johnson 3, Koenig 2, Berry 2

Henry County – Banta 15, Brent 12, Peniston 10, Hardin 8, Dewitt 7, Lyons 1

Next Oldham County Broadcasts on WYKY 105.7 FM:

Thursday, February 15, 2001 – Oldham County (girls) vs. Assumption Pregame: 7 pm

Friday, February 23, 2001 – Oldham County (boys & girls) vs. Central Hardin Pregame: 5:30 pm

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