KSR's Friday night Kentucky high school hoops roundup

It was another busy Friday night for high school basketball action across the Bluegrass State. Once again, KSR had boots on the ground across the Commonwealth, stopping in southern and western Kentucky to check out some high school hoops.

KSR’s Brady Byrdwell made the trip down to London to watch Reed Sheppard and North Laurel exact revenge on Evan Ipsaro and Covington Catholic after the Colonels took the first matchup earlier in the season. Over in the western part of the state, Piper McCoun got a first-hand look at one of the most talented sophomores in the country, Ty Price, who went for a huge performance in a district win.

Reed Sheppard, North Laurel Get Revenge over Covington Catholic 72-58

BY: Brady Byrdwell

The No. 21 North Laurel Jaguars took care of business at home with a 72-58 win over No. 10 Covington Catholic on Friday night.

The “Prince of the Bluegrass”, Reed Sheppard, turned in an excellent performance on both ends of the floor. He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and two blocks — a stat-sheet stuffer. However, the difference for the Jaguars was the rebounding of Ryan Davidson and Gavin Chadwell, as they helped out rebound the Colonels 41-18. This game meant a lot to the Jaguars, which fell to the Colonels 65-69 in Covington on January 21st.

After the game, head coach Nate Valentine spoke to the Sentinel Echo, saying, “The community support was awesome tonight. The difference in the game was won on the glass. We outrebounded them 41 to 18. Gavin and Ryan were warriors tonight. Reed did a tremendous job facilitating things, and Brody made some big shots for us. We got some really valuable minutes from our bench. It was a really good team victory.”

Evan Ipsaro showed why he should be considered one of the best seniors in the state with 22 points on the night. The Miami (OH) commit kept the Colonels in the game while guarding Sheppard in the fourth quarter. Ipsaro is a guard nobody will want to see in the coming weeks, as he’ll provide great heart for Covington Catholic.

Ipsaro doesn’t get the foul, but scores a layup the next possession, 9 point game pic.twitter.com/81sbL0vOsT

— Brady Byrdwell (@BByrdwellKSR) February 11, 2023

North Laurel finds their form

The first quarter outlined a considerable weakness for the No. 10 Colonels as North Laurel’s Davidson and Chadwell crashed the boards. However, Covington Catholic had no answer for the sheer effort the Jaguar forwards provided. Chadwell and Davidson combined for 13 of the 17 North Laurel points in the first period.

Big time 3 to start the second for the Colonels pic.twitter.com/ozWAQcMHGU

— Brady Byrdwell (@BByrdwellKSR) February 11, 2023

For the Jaguars, it was a night where Sheppard proved again why he is so highly ranked. The Kentucky men’s basketball signee’s court vision shined as he took over the game. It was a night when the shots weren’t falling, yet Sheppard made his impact.

The play that will make John Calipari foam at the mouth was a beautifully designed back-door cut. As Sheppard came down the court, his eyes widened as he delivered a beautiful pass to Brody Brock for the layup. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better pass in a high school basketball game — as Sheppard backpedaled, he looked at his hand and gave a fantastic chef’s kiss.

Absolutely beautiful pass from the future Wildcat… lots to love about @reed_sheppard game pic.twitter.com/3z8dIbhYnD

— Brady Byrdwell (@BByrdwellKSR) February 11, 2023

Sheppard was as humble as ever when asked about the play, “Another one of Coach Valentine’s great plays. During that fourth quarter, they got real aggressive on our wings. Brody had hit some big threes, so they wanted to come out and guard him. He made a great cut and hit the layup. And you know that’s what you like; I just made the pass. It was all Coach Valentine and my teammates.”

Sheppard’s basketball IQ oozes from his game, and you can hear it in how he talks. He showed what it means to be a Wildcat on a night when the shots weren’t falling.

The Prince’s Coronation

Not only did Sheppard earn the huge win, but he also earned his McDonald’s All-American jersey. Sheppard was honored with a pre-game ceremony. “It’s awesome; it’s an incredible feeling being able to play in the McDonald’s game. To be recognized before such a big game against Cov Cath is a really special moment. Packed house, and students are going crazy; it’s an awesome game. I’m super excited to be in it and be a part of it.”

McDonald’s All-American @reed_sheppard of @NorthLaurelBB accepts his recognition from the Golden Arches ahead of tonight’s game pic.twitter.com/BhDEpsfAg3

— Jared Peck (@HLpreps) February 11, 2023

The standing ovation from the North Laurel faithful was similar to the one Sheppard received at Rupp Arena not too long ago. Alongside his future Wildcat teammate Rob Dillingham, Sheppard could hear his name boom over the loudspeakers at Rupp Arena.

“That was an unbelievable experience,” Sheppard said. “Being able to go out with Rob, looking around and seeing thousands and thousands of people standing up cheering for you, yelling your name. It’s not something you get to experience every day. Getting able to walk out on center court during the game, it was awesome, something I’ll never forget.”

Just a kid from Kentucky.#GoBigBlue x @reed_sheppard pic.twitter.com/tzlb2j7dny

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 29, 2023

Get used to it, Reed, because the Big Blue Nation is ready to accept the prince to his rightful castle.

Ty Price leads Butler County to district win over Edmonson County

BY: Piper McCoun

Class of 2025 recruit Ty Price put on a show in Butler County to defeat district rival Edmonson County 66-63 in a thrilling matchup on Friday night.

The sophomore proved exactly why he’s a highly sought-after recruit for the 2025 class, averaging 30.3 points per game and 5.3 assists per game this season while shooting 86% from the free throw line. Butler County had two players reach the double-digit mark in points; sophomore shooting guard Justin Castlen had 13 while Price dropped a game-high 40 points against the Wildcats.

When the Bears played the ‘Cats back in January, they fell short 69-64. Butler County knew how important this game was, not only because of the late-season district matchup, but because it would give them a shot at the number one seed in the district tournament.

“It was a must-win for us,” Price said. “To get the chance to be the one seed is really big for us and will be really beneficial for our success.”

Quick Start for Butler County

Butler County asserted dominance over Edmonson during the first half of the game. It was clear out of the gate that Butler County wasn’t going to give any easy shots and definitely wasn’t going to let Edmonson control the pace of the game.

The first quarter featured the Bears taking the lead quickly, scoring five points before Braden Wall put one up for two for Edmonson. The teams went back and forth until the end of the first quarter, finishing 13-8 with Butler ahead.

Steal and-1 for Justin Castlen! BC leads 13-8 at the end of the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/96qKu0G4uw

— Piper McCoun (@PiperMcCounKSR) February 11, 2023

Butler County slowly but surely stretched their lead over the ‘Cats during the second quarter of play. No basket by Edmonson was left unanswered. Price had 11 points in the second quarter alone, which was a major contributing factor in the Bears’ second quarter dominance. The half ended with Butler on top 33-23, the largest lead they held in the game thus far.

Halftime Adjustments

If you were Butler County, you probably started to sit back and relax during the beginning of the third. Price and company extended the Bears’ lead to 18. This is when they let off the gas and the ‘Cats took notice and full advantage of the opportunity. A technical foul called on Butler gave Edmonson two easy points, and the momentum took off from there.

A near 20-point deficit turned into a manageable seven for the ‘Cats, which carried that momentum into the fourth quarter. They came out of the gate guns a-blazin’ and opened the fourth with a huge three by Will Alexander.

Will Alexander opens it up for the Cats! 47-43 BC. pic.twitter.com/JpRirEMe5R

— Piper McCoun (@PiperMcCounKSR) February 11, 2023

Butler tried to shift momentum by applying pressure on the Wildcats’ offensive efforts. But, as the old saying goes, you can’t stop the rain. And nobody could stop the momentum swing in Edmonson’s favor. A Tyler Anderson/Braden Wall connection gave the ‘Cats the lead for the first time all game.

EC takes a 51-50 lead for the first time in the game!! 4 minutes left to play. pic.twitter.com/g1KOEvl61w

— Piper McCoun (@PiperMcCounKSR) February 11, 2023

The teams would jab at one another, trading points for the remainder of the quarter until Price’s 13 free throw points in the fourth quarter allowed the Bears to pull away. When it was all said and done, Butler claimed victory over their toughest competitor in the district.

Price, who scored over half of Butler County’s total points, said he tries to lead his team by example and use his voice to encourage his teammates to move on to the next play and push forward. This leader mentality has gained the attention of multiple D1 schools across the U.S. including Auburn, Oklahoma, Indiana, Louisville, St. Louis University, and Western Kentucky. Price also mentioned his plans to visit Memphis and Mississippi State this Sunday.

“It shows that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can do whatever, as long as you put your mind to it and put the work in,” Price said. “Setting that example for younger kids to not give up on their dream, I think it’s really big to try to achieve that goal and to show them it’s possible.”

Scores from around the state

Bellevue	71	vs.Heritage Academy (at Various Sites)	69	NKAC Classic (overtime)
Ludlow	55	vs.Dayton	48	NKAC Classic
Adair County	75	vs. Russell County	54
Ballard Memorial	64	vs. St. Mary	57
Barren County	56	at Monroe County	51
Beechwood	65	at Holmes	37
Bell County	74	vs. Eagleton College & Career Academy (Maryville), TN	37
Beth Haven	1	at Mars Hill Academy (Cincinnati), OH	0	(forfeit)
Betsy Layne	68	vs. Prestonsburg	54
Boyd County	71	at Perry County Central	70	(overtime)
Boyle County	83	vs. East Jessamine	69
Brown	56	vs. Francis Parker	44
Bullitt East	82	at North Bullitt	58
Butler County	66	vs. Edmonson County	63
Calvary Christian	54	vs. Covington Latin	42
Campbell County	91	at Boone County	70
Carlisle County	77	vs. Fulton County	68
Conner	86	at Highlands	52
Corbin	89	at Jackson County	60
Danville	57	at Lincoln County	55
Daviess County	51	vs. Apollo	43
Dawson Springs	62	at Crittenden County	61
DeSales	65	vs. St. Xavier	57
Eastern	89	at Waggener	55
Eminence	68	at Whitefield Academy	37
Evangel Christian	83	vs. Ballard	73
Fairdale	70	vs. Iroquois	65
Fairview	80	vs. Lawrence County	77
Fleming County	94	vs. Robertson County	29
Fort Knox	60	vs. Valley	34
Franklin-Simpson	64	vs. Logan County	37
Garrard County	78	vs. Thomas Nelson	42
Glasgow	71	vs. Allen County-Scottsville	36
Grant County	73	at Shelby County	54
Great Crossing	57	at St. Henry	55
Green County	77	vs. Central Hardin	76
Greenup County	58	at Russell	42
Hancock County	63	at Breckinridge County	53
Harlan County	87	vs. Middlesboro	61
Harrison County	73	at Pendleton County	41
Hazard	63	vs. Estill County	43
Henderson County	68	vs. Union County	43
Hickman County	82	vs. Fulton City	40
Holy Cross (Louisville)	79	vs. Bullitt Central	49
Jeffersontown	83	vs. Southern	54
Jenkins	70	at Rose Hill Christian	38
Kentucky Country Day	49	at Louisville Collegiate	43	(overtime)
Knott County Central	85	at Wolfe County	54
LaRue County	65	vs. Marion County	29
Lee County	84	vs. Ligon COGO (Ligon), (KY home school)	51
Letcher County Central	93	vs. Buckhorn	56
Lewis County	54	at Raceland	52
Lexington Catholic	65	vs. Lexington Christian	37
Lyon County	95	vs. John Hardin	57
Madison Central	88	vs. Christian County	81
Madison Southern	77	vs.Newport Central Catholic (at Eastern Kentucky University)	61
Madisonville-North Hopkins	59	vs. Muhlenberg County	46
Magoffin County	46	vs. Johnson Central	45
Male	64	vs. DuPont Manual	52
Marshall County	76	vs. Calloway County	67
Mason County	75	at Bishop Brossart	64
Mayfield	78	vs. Cairo, IL	21
McCracken County	65	vs. Graves County	44
McCreary Central	57	vs. Clinton County	50
Model	46	at Berea	44	(overtime)
Montgomery County	74	vs. Bourbon County	59
Moore	69	vs. Doss	38
Murray	84	at Christian Fellowship	39
North Hardin	58	at Franklin County	57
North Laurel	72	vs. Covington Catholic	58
Ohio County	69	at Meade County	51
Owen County	61	at Anderson County	57
Owensboro Catholic	66	vs. Owensboro	46
Paintsville	68	vs. Martin County	59
Pleasure Ridge Park	67	vs.Butler	46
Powell County	69	vs. Menifee County	62
Pulaski County	80	vs. Southwestern	65
Rockcastle County	69	vs. Mercer County	65
Sayre	81	at Casey County	64
Scott	52	vs. Simon Kenton	46
South Warren	84	vs. Metcalfe County	66
Spencer County	83	at Walton-Verona	78
Stem Preparatory Academy (Nashville), TN	47	vs. Foundation Christian Academy	44
Todd County Central	58	vs. Russellville	46
Trigg County	67	vs. Hopkins County Central	64
Trinity (Louisville)	88	vs. Lafayette	41
Trinity (Whitesville)	56	vs. Grayson County	53
Warren Central	63	at Taylor County	50
Warren East	61	at Greenwood	60
Washington County	54	vs. Danville Christian	51
Wayne County	69	vs. West Jessamine	60
Webster County	59	at Caldwell County	51
Western	75	vs. Fern Creek	49
Western Hills	65	vs. Frankfort	55
Whitley County	73	at Campbell County (Jacksboro), TN	63