Williamstown Sports Report

When the second quarter began it was the typical starting five on the floor for the Demons, and they did not respond the way Harden had intended, at least not on the offensive end, scoring only a lay-up and a pair of free throws.

The defense benefitted from multiple turnovers and a lid on the basket of the Saints, holding them to only six points, all of which coming off the hand of Frye, who finished with a game-high 22.

Coming out of the locker room at the half, the aforementioned lid had been removed and the Demons went on a tear, lighting up St Patrick for 23 points in the third, including five three-balls distributed between four players, with Jon Jump hitting two, the second of which electrifying the crowd and putting Williamstown ahead by two.

The fourth frame was more of the same, only outside of Jump draining his third three of the game, the Demons did most of their damage at the charity stripe, converting 10 of 11 tries to points, and on the defensive end, turning the opposition over time after time and holding Frye to just four points, resulting in a 58-41 victory and moving their record to 2-3.

Coming into the season, Harden viewed Parsons as a legitimate scoring option barring foul trouble, granted he views most players on the roster as such, and Friday, that vision came to fruition, with nine players getting in on the scoring, and six of the nine reaching five points, led by Parsons’ 16 and Jump’s 11.

The coming week will test Williamstown as they take their talents to Newport High School on Tuesday, Gallatin County on Thursday, and Lloyd Memorial on Saturday. The Demons will need to be operating on all cylinders to overcome each of the three opponents and the hostile environments they supply.

Five Big Things after Five Big Games.

1) Coach Harden is searching for the answer offensively, as the Demons are averaging just 57 points per game, down nearly five points from a year ago. While the roster is still adjusting to playing together in meaningful games, the time is approaching where roles should begin to become apparent and players should feel comfortable in committing to those roles.

2) Only four players have scored in each of the five contests. Brennan Stanley leads the team at 18.4 per game, followed by Derrick Cipollone at 11.4, Jon Jump at 9.8, falling just a free throw short of an even 10, and Chris Parsons, whose 16 against St. Patrick bumped his average to 7.8 per contest.

3) Defensively, the Demons have been about as good as a team who likes to take a lot of shots can be. With the exception of the 82 point explosion of Carroll County, only Grant County has managed to score more than 55. Opposing teams are averaging only 56.2 points per game against Williamstown.

4) How about some love for the J.V. Demons? Their record currently sits at a stellar 3-1 through two weeks of the season. Newport is next to challenge Coach Andrew Laughlin & Co.

5) Team chemistry will determine how far this team goes. When things are going well, they possess the talent to churn out 20-point quarters seemingly at will. On the other hand, when faced with adversity, the team seems to lack a leader they can look to who will keep things rolling in coordination with what leads to those 20-point quarters.

 

+++++++++

 

On a day where the Williamstown and Grant County marching bands marched together for the inaugural parade of Kentucky’s governor, a rivalry between the hardwood foes was renewed at Williamstown.

In the first district game of the season for both teams, Grant County prevailed victorious behind a cohesive team effort and timely shooting by senior Joey Saylor.

Saylor scored nine of his team-leading 18 points in a 20-point second period where the Braves extended their lead from just a point after one, to 13, before Brennan Stanley hit a half-court heave to beat the buzzer and reduce the lead to 10 going into the locker room.

Those types of shots tend to shift momentum and energy to start the next quarter, and for Stanley it did just that, as he scored nine of his game-high 21 in the third, but the rest of the Demons couldn’t get it going, with only Derrick Cipollone, Jon Jump, and Chris Parsons getting in on the scoring to combine for 19 on the game.

Defensively, the Demons tightened up, allowing only six second-half field goals for 13 points, while the Braves connected on 16 of 23 free throw attempts, including eight straight points from the line to start the 4th period.

The lead was cut to nine with three minutes on the clock before Cipollone and Carter Sarcione received their fifth fouls and watched helplessly from the bench as the game began to get out of hand, leading to a 57-40 win for the visitors.

When asked about the fourth quarter and his Demons’ inability to erase the deficit, Coach Roger Harden had mixed emotions.

“To lack the team chemistry it takes to win these games, yet still be so close is frustrating," he said. "The talent is clearly there, and the effort was there tonight, we just lacked the unity that keeps winnable games from becoming one-sided.”

While team unity may have been absent from the home team, the two schools were unified in the first of a two-game series in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, that serves to raise money and awareness toward finding a cure for cancer. The conclusion of the Classic will take place January 5, at Grant County High School.

While the Varsity Demons came up empty-handed, the J.V. squad, led by Coach Andrew Laughlin, pushed their record to 3-1 with a thrilling 53-47 win over the Braves.

Williamstown trailed by two at the end of the first frame, but took a nine-point lead into halftime and while the lead was threatened throughout the second half, a 12/19 performance from the charity stripe, including 10/16 in the fourth quarter preserved the win.

The Demons were led in scoring by Brady Montgomery’s 12 points and the combination of Chase Good and Harold Fernandez netting 10 apiece.

Landon Hare and Bryce Montgomery were effective on the glass, pulling down every rebound in range, and combining for 11 points, while Trace Good filled in for Hare, who got into foul trouble early, and provided a boost off the bench with both his rebounding and six points to boot.

Chance Jordan and Walker Angell played some key minutes, particularly on the defensive end, and contributed the little things that win games, along with four points between them.