Elizabethtown opens up first round of Sweet 16 with dominating 87-59 win over Knott Co. Central
[caption id="attachment_345731" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Photo by Les Nicholson[/caption]
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first few minutes, but the No. 1 team in the state validated its ranking on Wednesday afternoon.
In what was the opening game of the 2021 KHSAA Sweet 16 Tournament, the No. 1 Elizabethtown Panthers ran away with a dominating 87-59 win over the Knott County Central Patriots. The score was tied at 8-8 around the five-minute mark, but E-Town turned up the heat to the tune of a 27-12 advantage after the first quarter. The Panthers would hold onto a 15-plus point lead for the rest of the first half before ballooning its lead into the 20s and 30s as the game rolled along.
https://twitter.com/MrsTylerKSR/status/1377295704817799171
Elizabethtown was powered by double-digit scoring efforts from all five starters, as Jaquais Franklin led the way with 23 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on 8-10 shooting. Alandre Murphy added 15 points and five rebounds while Camden Williams went for 13 points and six rebounds. The Sherrard brothers, Khia and Kam, combined to contribute 29 points and 12 assists.
"These guys have been playing since kindergarten," Panthers' Coach Jaimes Haire said after the game. "I hope they can get to finish what they started a long time ago."
Knott County scored first to take a quick 2-0 lead but watched idly by as Elizabethtown countered with two wide-open 3-pointers. The Patriots answered with its own personal 6-0 run before E-Town tied the game up at 8 apiece. From there, it was nothing but the Panthers. Over the next three minutes and change, E-Town rattled off a 15-0 run to blow the game open. To make matters worse, the leading scorer for Knott Co., Colby Napier, picked up his fourth foul with over seven minutes left in the second frame.
Elizabethtown's backcourt pressure proved to be far too much for Knott Co. to handle, as the Panthers added 18 fastbreak points throughout the first half to take a commanding 49-28 lead at the halftime break. All five starters had scored for Elizabethtown, led by 14 points from Franklin.
[caption id="attachment_345730" align="aligncenter" width="1600"]
Photo by Les Nicholson[/caption]
The third quarter didn't provide much optimism for a Knott Co. comeback. While the Patriots did unload another 6-0 run out of the gate, Elizabethtown bounced back with a 10-0 run itself to push the lead out to 20-plus for the rest of the afternoon. At the end of the period, the Panthers were ahead 70-43 before controlling the fourth quarter en route to an 87-59 lead.
For the game, Elizabethtown shot just under 54 percent from the floor and went 10-12 from the free-throw line. They forced the Patriots into 20 total turnovers, which they converted into 26 fastbreak points and 34 points off turnovers. Knott Co. actually shot 53 percent from the floor as a team, but attempted 16 fewer shots than the opponent and lost the battle in the paint, 58-36.
E-Town will advance to the second round where they'll take on the winner of George Rogers Clark (19-4) and Oldham County (14-4), which is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip time on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena. The winner of GRC and Oldham County will play Elizabethtown on Friday morning at 11 a.m.
Photo by Les Nicholson[/caption]
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first few minutes, but the No. 1 team in the state validated its ranking on Wednesday afternoon.
In what was the opening game of the 2021 KHSAA Sweet 16 Tournament, the No. 1 Elizabethtown Panthers ran away with a dominating 87-59 win over the Knott County Central Patriots. The score was tied at 8-8 around the five-minute mark, but E-Town turned up the heat to the tune of a 27-12 advantage after the first quarter. The Panthers would hold onto a 15-plus point lead for the rest of the first half before ballooning its lead into the 20s and 30s as the game rolled along.
https://twitter.com/MrsTylerKSR/status/1377295704817799171
Elizabethtown was powered by double-digit scoring efforts from all five starters, as Jaquais Franklin led the way with 23 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on 8-10 shooting. Alandre Murphy added 15 points and five rebounds while Camden Williams went for 13 points and six rebounds. The Sherrard brothers, Khia and Kam, combined to contribute 29 points and 12 assists.
"These guys have been playing since kindergarten," Panthers' Coach Jaimes Haire said after the game. "I hope they can get to finish what they started a long time ago."
Knott County scored first to take a quick 2-0 lead but watched idly by as Elizabethtown countered with two wide-open 3-pointers. The Patriots answered with its own personal 6-0 run before E-Town tied the game up at 8 apiece. From there, it was nothing but the Panthers. Over the next three minutes and change, E-Town rattled off a 15-0 run to blow the game open. To make matters worse, the leading scorer for Knott Co., Colby Napier, picked up his fourth foul with over seven minutes left in the second frame.
Elizabethtown's backcourt pressure proved to be far too much for Knott Co. to handle, as the Panthers added 18 fastbreak points throughout the first half to take a commanding 49-28 lead at the halftime break. All five starters had scored for Elizabethtown, led by 14 points from Franklin.
[caption id="attachment_345730" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Photo by Les Nicholson[/caption]
The third quarter didn't provide much optimism for a Knott Co. comeback. While the Patriots did unload another 6-0 run out of the gate, Elizabethtown bounced back with a 10-0 run itself to push the lead out to 20-plus for the rest of the afternoon. At the end of the period, the Panthers were ahead 70-43 before controlling the fourth quarter en route to an 87-59 lead.
For the game, Elizabethtown shot just under 54 percent from the floor and went 10-12 from the free-throw line. They forced the Patriots into 20 total turnovers, which they converted into 26 fastbreak points and 34 points off turnovers. Knott Co. actually shot 53 percent from the floor as a team, but attempted 16 fewer shots than the opponent and lost the battle in the paint, 58-36.
E-Town will advance to the second round where they'll take on the winner of George Rogers Clark (19-4) and Oldham County (14-4), which is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip time on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena. The winner of GRC and Oldham County will play Elizabethtown on Friday morning at 11 a.m.
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