Tuesday, March 02, 1999
Boone County beats Lloyd
Will face CovCath in Region semis
BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer contributor
HEBRON — Boone County senior forward Nathan Madden was looking through some old papers in his room when he found a program from the 1996 season, and he remembered that the Rebels won the Ninth Region boys basketball title that year.
On Monday, Madden made sure Boone County is still playing in 1999 Ninth Region tournament. His 15 points led a 55-50 victory over Lloyd in the first round at Conner High School.
The Rebels will meet Covington Catholic in the semifinals at 5:45 p.m. Friday. CovCath beat Bellevue 67-47.
Boone County coach Jay Mulcahy said there are some similarities between the '96 and '99 Boone County teams.
“They're smart, they're senior-oriented,” Mulcahy said. “There were some things we didn't do well (Monday), there were some things we did do well.”
Mulcahy was possibly referring to Boone County's 19-of-39 shooting (48.7 percent), the 4-of-13 from three-point range (30.8 percent) or the 14-of-20 free-throw shooting (70 percent). But he had to be pleased with a defense that held Lloyd to 18-of-50 shooting (36 percent).
Senior forward Neil Dillon scored 12 points and senior guard Steve Miller added 11.
Boone County started with a 3-2 zone defense Monday. Lloyd managed just two field goals in the first quarter, and the Juggernauts were just 4-of-12.
The Rebels also found openings under their basket. Mad den and Dillon scored four points apiece to give their team an 8-5 lead with 2:50 to go in the first. Miller's two free throws gave Boone County a 10-7 lead with 42 seconds left, but Lloyd junior guard Damann Jamison's bucket with two seconds left made it 10-9.
Lloyd started the second quarter with a 12-5 run, led by four of junior center Ryan Wilson's six first-half points and three of senior guard Corrie Criner's five. The result: Lloyd's biggest lead of the half at 21-15 with 2:47 to go.
The Juggernauts can thank freshman guard Michael Hopkins for keeping the team in the game in the second half — he scored seven points over the final 3:57 of the third period.
Boone County's comeback started late in the third. Buckets by Miller and Dillon and Madden's three-pointer made the score 42-39 Rebels with 5:15 remaining in the game.
The Rebels stretched the lead to 48-41 with 2:34 to go on senior Matt Buchanan's two free throws, junior Matt Seever's field goal and Dillon's bucket.
But Lloyd wasn't finished. Wilson, Criner and Jamison each scored two points to close to 48-47 with 56 seconds remaining.
Then came the sequence that clinched the game for Boone County.
After Jamison's basket, Seever scored on a breakaway with 51 seconds left. Miller blocked a shot, Madden scored and Dillon hit a pair of free throws.
Result: a 54-47 lead with 24 seconds to go.
“We were trying to call a timeout,” Lloyd coach Bryant Gillis said. “They got that runout. I thought that was a shift of momentum.”
Jamison led Lloyd with 14 points.
BOONE COUNTY (55): Miller 3-3 11, Flick 3-0 7, Buchanan 1-2 4, Seever 3-0 6, Madden 5-4 15, Dillon 4-4 12. Totals: 19-13 55.
LLOYD (50): Jamison 6-0 14, Hopkins 3-3 9, Criner 3-3 10, Marksberry 1-4 7, Wilson 5-0 10. Totals: 18-9 50.
Boone County ....... 10 12 13 20—55
Lloyd ....... 9 15 13 13—50
Three-point goals: BC-Miller 2, Flick, Madden. L-Jamison 2, Criner, Marksberry. Records: BC 17-12, L 21-7.
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