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Kentucky Teams Win 3 of 4 In Hillbrook
By Jim Griesch
Of four high-piwered out-of-state basketball visitors to the 1985 Hillbrook Classic in Rupp Arena last Saturday, only Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha Catholic survived.
The day most certainly belonged to the host Kentucky teams.
Lexington Tatyes Creek proved too sophisticated for South Aiken, S. Car., 64-50 in the 9 a.m. opener. Lexington Lafayette out-quicked Macon. Ga.. Southwest by 54-51. DeMatha edged Scott County 61-59, after falling behind by three with less than a minute to go. Finally. Mason County High made a point for small, quick plauyers by upending Romulus, Mich., High and one-time Kentucky recruiting hopeful Terry Mills, 70-64.
Creekers Cranked Upc Tates Creek moved quickly out of the early-morning starting blocks, taking an 18-8 lead after one quarter, then moving to 33-231 at the half.
That, essentially, was the game. South Aiken featured 6-11 James Munlyn, who has signed with Georgia Tech. Nobody on the Tates Creek team is over 6-5. Munlyn, once on UK's list of wanted recruits, is a smooth shooter, getting 22 points on 10-of-15 sh ooting from the floor. Actually, Munlyn is more of a finesse player, weighing perhaps 180 pounds, and is like UK's Cedric Jenkins, only with a smoother jump shot.
Tates Creek's Jerome Coles, only 6-4 but a 210-pounder, was able to keep Munlyn in check, especially in the first half, and worked his way around the big man for 10 first half points, which equalled Munlyn's early efforts. Coles finished with 17.
But. the stars offensively for Tates Creek were the game's high scorer. Brian Lane (son of Transylvania University head coach Don Lane) with 26a (11 of 16 from the floor), and point guard Ben DeVary. who had 0 points but 11 assists.
DeVary is a two-sport star, quaraterbacking the football team as well as the basketball team. He is the younger brother of Centre College's Coby DeVary.
Young DeVary indicated he is definitely interested in attending college, but is unsure which sport to pursue. He said he is seriously considering following Coby to Centre because he said, "I like both coach (Tom) Bryant (basketball) and coach (John) McDaniel (football)."
He also said he is seriously considering Rollins College in Florida.
Coles, incidentally, had a game-high 15 rebounds, besting Munlyn by 10.
South Aiken coach Mike Roberts noted that the game was "the earliest we've ever played and all my kids were a little tight since this is the firast trip of this nature we've ever taken."
He noted straight-faced, "I'm not sure if there is a building in South Carolina as big as this (Rupp Arena)."
He also explained why South Aiken did not seem to go to Munlyn every trip down the floor early, when Tates Creek was taking command.
James Munlyn
"We preach to our kids more on team play, but I would like to have seen the ball in his hands as much as possible. It was not by design (that he didn't handle the ball much within the offense early)."
Munlyn did play well in the second half, as hiss teammates got the ball to him more. He hit a nice assortment of jumpers, stuffs, and the boards. It was simply too late.
Roberts also comlplimented the play of Devary, saying, "He is a very smart player. He handles the ball very, very well."
Tates Creek is now 3-3, while South Aiken is 4-2.
The Creekers' Nolan Barger noted effort was key. "We played harder than we have been. That was the big difference."
He added, "I haven't been pleased with our play before this, but I am proud of the guys now. We have been getting outcompeted in positioning, both on defense and on the boards, but we have been playing good teams."
South Aiken lost starting guard Dexter Smith early with an ankle injury, but Roberts did not use that as an excuse. He thought more of his conference season than in letting him try to hobble on a sore ankle.
The coach explained, "He has had a nagging injury, and he felt he could have played more. But, we start our conferenc play in January, and I would rather not have taken a chance."
Generals Get By On Enlisted Help: The Lafayette Generals pulled off an even more spectacular upset than did Tates Creek.
Lafayette got 29 super minutes from starting sophomore guard Darrell Hill after leading scorer Prince Stewaert, the other guard, sprained an ankle after only three minutes of play.
Hill canned a copuple of foul shots in the closing seconds to ensure the 54-51 win.
Southwest Macon sports two superb 6-6 players in senior Earl Wise and junior Eric Manuel, and had been ranked as high as eighth in the country by USA Today, the national daily newspaper.
But. Manuel had an off morning, going just 2-of-ll from the floor. Wise was 6-of-10. and wound up with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
But. it wasn't either of the two Southwesterners. nor was it the diminutive Hill who was the game's scoring star. That honor belonged to Lafayette's Mike Gay, a 6-5 senior who came up with 21 points and eight rebounds to make up for the loss of Stewart.
Gay was 8-of-12 from the floor. 5-of-8 from the line.
Lafeyette coach Donnie Harville. who had seen his team disappear the week before against talent-laden Oak Hill Academy of Virginia. 81-57, noted: "We hadn't been able to sustain ourselves in previous games. Today, we did. We had to."
He also agareed that Hill made up for two or three serious floor errors, such as getting tagg
ed with two charging calls on made baskets. Both shots were disallowed.
"Being a sophomore, we allow him to do that (make an occassional error), but he is a talented and quick young man."
Harville must still be marveling over what sucha win over so highly-toputed an opponent can do for his club, especiually without his star guard.
1 Harville wasn't sure what Stewart's status will be. "He turned his ankle. It's so severe we couldn't put him back in. He'l have to have some treatment the next two or three days."
Don Richardson, Macon Southwest's veteran coach, and a man who has produced major college talent for several years, was left wondering about playing at 10:45 a.m.
"I didn't know what to do (about a routine)." he said. "I didn't know when to get up, when to eat, keep them up, or what."
The coach said he had his team up for breakfast at 7 a.m., then kept them out of their rooms to keep them from getting sleepy just before game time.
He didn't think his plan worked this time.
"They (Lafayette) played better than we did We stood around a lot. We were flatfooted. We couldn't move out feet."
He also admitted. "This is the first time we've played this early, but. then, so did they."
He said of Lafayette: "They shot well. But, I would like to think that our worst game (this year) wasn't as bad as tonight (today)."
Macon had been 7-0 before running into Gay. Hill and the Generals. Actually, both teams moved the ball and got after each other up and down the floor. But, Lafayette worked to a 32-27 lead at the half, and always seemed to hang tough in the second half.
Feldhaus and J. Jones
Persley and Mustaf
DeMatha Magic Works: What might have been. Scott County came so close to making the Hillbrook a 4-0 Kentucky sweep.
But. the Cardinals didn't.
With 53 seconds left in the game. Scott seem ed to be in good shape.
I At that point, star Frank Persley slapped down a pass into the middle, dribbled most of the length of the floor and slammed down thunder dunk while being fouled (intentionally said referees Rick Chasteen and John Radjunas) The burly center cashed in both foul shots and Scott led 57-54.
But, with 36 seconds left. Maryland-bound Steve Hood of DeMatha put in a rebound shot to cut it to 57-56.
At the 34 second mark, Persley was foule. He missed the front end of the one-and-bonus. then fouled going for his rebound.
Rod Balanis hit both foul shots to put DeMatha back into the lead for good. Second: later, John Gwynn stole the ball and was foul ed by Mike Dickerson. He hit both shots for 60-57 lead.
Gwynn got another foul shot with nine seconds left after a Scott turnover, and that seal ed the game. Scott got a meaningless basket at the buzzer to cut the margin to 61-59.
But, legendary DeMatha coach Morgan Wooten was generous in his praise of Scott County. He said, "Scott County is every bit as good as (defending state champion) Hopkinsville (which edged DeMatha earlier this season in an out-of-state tournament in overtime. That is a real tribute."
Shooting, he said, played a difference in the outcome of the two games.
"Today, we hit 23 of 43 and Scott hit 23 of 48. Against Hopkinsville. we shot about 38 percent, and they hit about 55 percent."
He also said, "We play a lot of places. We've already been in Pennsylvania, Missouri and South Carolina this year. Teams come all over to our place, but I have the utmost respect for Kentucky. The balance in this state is awesome."
DeMatha is 2-2 in the Hillbrook, having played each of the last three years before this season. They were 0-w2, but have a two-game streak going now.
Scott, which has struggled to a 3-3 mark after being an early choice for the state crown, got 25  points from Persley and 15 from Dickerson.
But, DeMatha, which has seen every senior get a scholarship to a college in Wooten's long tenure, simply had sooo many players. They played nine, in even this tight game. Each seemed to contribute. Balanis. for instance, made a mistake that cost his team a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter. Wooten was proud that he got the important foul shots inside the final minute.
Persley easily outplayed 6-9 super sophomore Jerrod Mustaf in a highlight personal battle. But. Mustaf had just three points at the half, and finished with 13. That pleased Wooten. Hood also seemed to get going late in the game, hitting jump shots with defenders in his face. Wooten said, "He's our man in the clutch. He hi' some crucial baskets."
Romulus' Terry Mills
Mills, Mason: My, Oh, My!: Romulus, Mich.. High may have lost to scrappy Mason County, but Michigan-bound Terry Mills absolutely proved he can play with anyone in the country.
Mills hit 13 of 24 shots from the floor, on dunks, drives, reverses along the baseline, and from 30 feet to get Romulus a 5M9 lead after three quarters.
The big man also had 15 rebounds and six blocked shots to dominate the stats.
But, it was Mason County that had 5-8 salt-and-pepper guards Jerry Butler and Tony Jackson, and tough-as-nails 6-6 junior Deron Felhaus to lead the way.
The guards did such a good job of upsetting Romulus's offense, of making steals and assists and key baskets, that they compensated for all of Mils' immeasurable talents.
The guards had 25 points between them on 7-of-15 shooting, ll-of-19 foul shooting, and 12 steals (eight by Butler).
They were so good, they actually overshadowed Feldhaus' 25 points, and 6-1 forward Jay Jones' 15.
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