Bulldogs come to West Frankfort

January 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

West Frankfort senior Trenton Easley dribbles past Harrisburg defenders during the team’s Dec. 29 match-up at the Eldorado Holiday Tournament. Harrisburg travels to Max Morris Gymnasium on Friday night to take on the Redbirds in the first game of 2013.

By BRUCE A. FASOL

The West Frankfort Redbird boys varsity basketball team believes that they are an improved ball club over the course of the season. and, they believed that they showed some of that improvement in the just completed Eldorado Holiday Basketball Tournament. The Harrisburg Bulldogs say: “Prove it.”

The champions of the recently concluded EHT invade West Frankfort’s Max Morris Gym Friday night as both teams get the 2013 portion of their schedules underway. They have one meeting already under their belts as Harrisburg pulled away from the ‘Birds for an easy win in the EHT second round. The Redbirds actually led by a bucket at first quarters end in that game.

The JV game begins at 6 p.m., and the varsity contest starts at approximately 7:45 p.m. Friday. It is an Ohio Division ballgame.

The Redbirds open 2013 with a 3-8 record, and are winless in the conference so far.

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Redbirds eliminated from EHT

January 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By BRUCE A. FASOL

The West Frankfort Redbirds gave fourth seeded Union County, Kentucky all they wanted, before the Braves pulled away for a victory. The game was played as the first game of the Monday morning session of the Eldorado Holiday Tournament. With the loss, the Redbirds were eliminated from the EHT. However, they continue to show improvement and are arguably a better team than when the tournament began.

Quarter number one saw the Redbirds take a 7-6 lead after the first period. The fortunes of the Union County team changed in the second quarter. four of their five starters scored in the quarter. Three of those players had two field goals. That balanced scoring made the Braves difficult for the slower Redbirds to guard. Transition buckets after turnovers also plagued West Frankfort. Still, at intermission it was anyone’s game with Union county taking a 26-19 lead into the locker room.

Both teams replicated cold shooting and ball handling problems in the third quarter. West Frankfort scored 5 points in the quarter and Union county just 6 points. And, the third quarter ended with the game still in doubt, 32-24 with the Kentucky team leading.In the fourth quarter, Stan Helmsley ordered his team to spread the floor and work for good shots, while winding down the clock. The plan worked to perfection, as especially Jahad Flemming was the resilient of passes that led to lay-ups. Flemming had 8 of his game high 19 points in the fourth quarter. He was top scorer for the fourth seeded club.

The loss eliminated West Frankfort from the tournament. scoring for the Redbirds: Korolenko 12, Koehl 7, Easley 5,Fort 3,Maller/Williams/Keller 2 points.

The Redbirds were outrebounded 26-22 in the game.

The ‘birds fall to 3-8 for the season. The next regular season game is at home friday when the Redbirds welcome in EHT tournament champion Harrisburg in an Ohio Division game, at Max Morris Gym.

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Redbirds fall to top-seeded Bulldogs

December 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

West Frankfort Senior Trenton Easley shoots under heavy guard from the Harrisburg Bulldogs at the Eldorado Holiday Tournament on Saturday.

By BRUCE A. FASOL

The Harrisburg Bulldogs may well win the 2012 Eldorado Holiday Tournament, but or a brief moment, at least one team threatened to block their path. Playing aggressive basketball in their quarterfinal match-up, the upstart West Frankfort Redbirds led 15-13 after one quarter Saturday afternoon.

The Redbirds came out of the locker room with nothing left to lose except take it to the #1 seeded Bulldogs.

The Redbirds got to the bracket match-up with a thrilling last second 3-point shot by Braxston Koehl the day prior. In the first quarter against Harrisburg, the Redbirds were patient and used skillful passing to build the lead.

The first points of the second quarter came on a 3-point shot by Tyler Smithpeters, giving Harrisburg a 16-15 lead. Whatever Coach Randy Smithpeters said to his ballclub between quarters ignited a fire inside his team.

Harrisburg exploded for a 31-9 second quarter advantage to re-establish their credibility.

By the half, the Redbirds found themselves hopelessly out of reach, 44-24.  In that decisive frame, Smithpeters had three swishes beyond the arc as part of his 12 point second frame total.  By the end of the third quarter the score was 66-36. That 30 point advantage involved the continuous clock at Duff-Kingston Gym.  The final score was Harrisburg 72-41 win. It was similar to the first day’s first round win over Hardin County for Harrisburg.

Game high scorer was Tyler Smithpeters, who burned the nets for 30 points. The Redbirds were led by 14 points from sophomore Christian Dunning. Trenton Easley also scored in double figures for the ‘Birds with 10 points. Other Redbird scorers included: Maller and Koehl with 4 apiece, 3 points for Sisk, 2 for Keller, and a single point for Korolenko.

Harrisburg had a huge rebounding advantage in the game, 33-21. WF turned the ball over 16 times, Harrisburg 15 times.

With the loss the Redbirds drop to 3-7 for the season. They continue in the Eldorado Holiday Tournament with an 8:30 a.m. game Monday morning. In the breakfast meeting, they will play Union County, Kentucky. Union County dropped a 46-44 game to Massac County on Saturday, in which the Braves had three consecutive misses under the basket as the game ended.

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Redbirds win EHT thriller

December 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sophomore Braxston Koehl puts up the winning shot in the West Frankfort Redbirds 55-52 defeat of the Fairfield Mules on Friday in Eldorado.

By BRUCE A. FASOL

The ability to dig out of things comes in handy these days. The West Frankfort Redbirds proved themselves adept at digging out of a huge hole Friday morning. Sophomore Braxston Koehl’s desperation 3-point  heave with no time remaining gave the West Frankfort Redbirds a 55-52 win  over the Fairfield Mules. The game was the opening game for the Redbirds in the 2012  Eldorado Holiday Tournament.

It was all Fairfield in the first half. The Mules took advantage of an anemic West Frankfort offense in building an 11-point first quarter lead. By half-time, the Mules led 27-16.

Senior Trenton Easley prepares for a fourth quarter drive toward the basket.

But, by the end of the third quarter the “Birds had cut the double digit lead to 37-35 and had momentum on their side entering the final eight minutes of regulation. Zack Fort was 3 of 3 behind the arc and added a field goal as well with an 11-point third quarter outburst to lead the comeback.

In the final quarter, both teams had leads and chances to put the game away. The final two minutes were hectic for both teams. Koehl’s 3-point shot tied the game at 8 with 2:12 left to play. Senior Trenton Easley’s acrobatic reverse lay-up gave the Redbirds a 52-50 lead with 1:44 left.

Redbird cheerleaders pump up the crowd in between the first and second quarters of Friday’s game.

After mistakes by both teams, Fairfield added a bucket with 3.8 seconds remaining that seemed to send the game into overtime.

However, the Redbirds inbounded the ball, putting it into the hands of Koehl. He crossed the half-line and let go of a shot between the half-line and the three-point arc. It went through the net as time expired to cap off the comeback win.

Koehl was mobbed by teammates and cheered by West Frankfort fans sitting directly behind the winning goal. at Duff Kingston Gymnasium.

The team mobs Braxston Koehl after his game-winning shot.

Scoring for West Frankfort: Fort 15, Easley, 14.Koehl, 11, Keller 6, Dunning , Korolenko 4.The Redbirds were out-rebounded 31-26 by Fairfield. Dan Dewerff’s club was 12 of 21 from the free-throw line. West Frankfort was called for 16 turnovers on the game.

With the win, the Redbirds go to 3-6 on the season. Their next opponent is the Harrisburg Bulldogs. The top seeded Bulldogs easily dispatched Hardin County 74-32. The two Ohio Division members meet at 3:15 Saturday afternoon in a second round winners bracket game.
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Redbirds begin holiday tournament play in Eldorado

December 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By BRUCE A. FASOL

The West Frankfort Redbirds begin play at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the Eldorado Holiday Tournament. The tournament was delayed one day by the blizzard. The schedule stays the same as it was bracketed, just that play days will be today, Saturday, and the tournament will conclude on New Year’s Eve.

In the first round, the Redbirds will play Fairfield. The Mules are the 8th seeded team in the tournament.

Like Dan Dewerff’s Redbirds, the Mules have a sub .500 record going into play. The game is viewed as a toss up by most observers. The Redbirds own one of their two wins on this floor, having beaten host Eldorado earlier in the season in a regular season match-up.

The winner of this game has a 3 p.m. appointment Saturday with probably top-seeded Harrisburg. The loser of the Harrisburg/Hardin County game will play the loser of the Redbird game in the consolation bracket on Saturday morning at 8:30am.

The Redbird game can be heard online at  www.wfschools.org.
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Zeigler-Royalton Tornadoes defeat Trico in overtime

December 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By RANDALL RISLEY

ZEIGLER – Zeigler-Royalton used a tenacious team defense, clutch scoring and outstanding free-throw shooting to defeat Trico 64-61 in overtime Tuesday night.

“Our kids battled the entire game and gained confidence as the game went on,” said Zeigler Royalton coach Matt Morgan. “Their willingness to make a commitment on the defensive end, our ability to knock down free-throws, and our crowd’s energy were the difference in the game.”

The Tornadoes were led in scoring by Nick McPhail with 19 points and Boris Moskoff with 16.

McPhail had five field goals and was nine of eleven from the free throw line in addition to six assists and five steals.

Moskoff had three field goals and was an outstanding ten of ten from the charity stripe. Boris also added a team high seven rebounds.

Brandon Jones contributed eight points and six rebounds against the taller Pioneers, Jeffery Pedigo ran the offense, Jeremy Weddle added a clutch three pointer and Brandon Stubblefield and Bailey Schmipf
provided scoring and intense defense.

The Tornadoes are 10-3 on the season and 2-1 in Black Diamond Conference play.

Next up for Z-R will be #3 seed Waltonville in the first round of the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament.

“It’s a big win for our team and we are going to enjoy it, but at the same time we know we have to get back to the gym and get to work to prepare for the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament next week,” Morgan said.

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Redbirds dominate Carmi-White County

December 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By BRUCE A. FASOL

A smothering defense allowed the West Frankfort Redbirds to break a close game open Tuesday night. The Redbirds scored a 58-42victory over visiting Carmi-White County.

The game opened slowly as neither team scored until the halfway point of the first quarter. At the end of the first eight minutes, the score was tied 8-8.

At the halfway point, the Redbirds and Bulldogs had battled closely with the Redbirds taking an intermission lead of 19-16.

The Redbirds forced turnovers in the third quarter and kept Carmi-White County out of their comfortable shooting zones. Eric Dixon’s team became their own worst enemy as the game dragged on. They shot three-point shots freely, rarely connecting. and, in doing so went away from offensive rebounding which had produced results in the first half.

In quarter three, the Redbirds got balanced, scoring Braxton Koehl with 7 points and Trenton Easley had 6 in the frame. By quarter’s end, the ‘Birds had opened a 38-26 lead and had captured the momentum.

The fourth quarter saw the Redbirds open the lead even further, enroute to the 16 point win.

And, with that win, Dan Dewerff’s team ran their record to 2-5 for the season. Scoring for the Redbirds included:  Trenton Easley and Christian Dunning with 15 points each, Nick Korolenko had 10,,Braxton Koehl had 9, Keller, and Maller had 4 points apiece, and Fort had a single free throw.
The Redbirds and Carmi-White County each had 20 rebounds.
Carmi-White County came from behind to win the JV game 51-45 after the Redbirds had opened up a fourth quarter lead.
The Redbirds now prepare for visiting Benton on Friday night. This was a game scheduled to begin the 2012-13 basketball season until Benton requested a reschedule. The junior varsity game begins at 6 p.m. Friday, and the varsity game approximately 7:45 p.m.
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Sophomore Rangers get a win over Carbondale

December 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dakota Head makes a free throw to go up by 2 at the end of the game.

By TAMMY HEAD

Benton took the lead early and held on for the entire game to win 56-54 over Carbondale. The sophomore squad was hitting on all cylinders Monday night equally sharing the scoring responsibilities.

Ahead 21-18 after the first period, Rangers extended their lead to 39-26 at the half maintaining a ten point lead at the end of the 3rd.

Carbondale made a run at Benton at the 6 minute mark bringing the score to 49-46 with 5:30 left to play. Rangers continued to battle for the next 5 minutes, then with 33 seconds remaining, Carbondale was within 1 point. Dakota Head hit the front end of a pair of free throws to make the score 56-54. Carbondale had time to tie it up but couldn’t get the shot to fall. Rangers held on to win 56-54.

Coach Brett Blondi said, “I thought our kids played extremely hard and turned out a gutsy performance.  We made big stops when we needed to.  I was very proud of our kids effort.”

Scoring for the Rangers:

Trey McDaniel – 12, Martin Ward – 12, Jesse VanHorbeke – 12, Gus Gibbs – 10, Dakota Head – 8, Brendon Ritchason – 2

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Redbirds at home tonight

December 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By BRUCE A. FASOL

The West Frankfort Redbird boys junior and varsity basketball teams are at home Tuesday night. The Redbirds play host to visiting Carmi-White County in a non-conference game.

The Redbirds are coming off a lopsided loss Friday at Herrin, 73-35.

The JV game begins at 6 p.m., and Varsity game approximately 7:45 p.m.

Both games can be heard online at www.wfschools.org

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Tigers hand Redbirds big loss

December 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By BRUCE A. FASOL

General George Custer got a warmer reception at Little Bighorn than the Redbirds received Friday night at Herrin. Entering the game, both teams had won only once. Pre-game talk among the fans was a close game was expected. Then, reality set in. Final score: Herrin 73-West Frankfort 35.

A relentless trapping zone defense forced the Redbirds into three consecutive turnovers to begin the game. Still, early, the Redbirds held it close as Herrin struggled offensively. In fact, Nick Korolenko’s jumper tied the game at a bucket apiece three minutes into the contest.

However, Herrin corrected their offensive mistakes – and the ‘Birds never did. At the end of the first quarter Herrin held a commanding 17-2 lead. Still, there was hope. A week ago, Irvin Lukens’ club held a huge lead over Benton. But, the Rangers came back to win that game in overtime. The Redbirds would not be as lucky. Mistakes continued to haunt the “Birds into the second quarter and by half Herrin’s lead had ballooned to 38-8 .

In the second quarter, the ‘Birds offense did show some signs of a slight pulse. That continued in the third quarter.  Quarter Three was the most productive quarter of basketball for West Frankfort  Friday night. The Redbirds put 17 points on the Memorial Gym scoreboard in that frame. This was in part aided by two three-point shots from sophomore Braxton Koehl and a pair of buckets by sophomore Christian Dunning.

But, by then, the Redbirds also had quit defending the lane,and were giving up easy buckets off drives and entry passes. Herrin’s Jeril Pirtle used that quarter to knife his way through the porous defense for 9 third quarter points. teammate Justin Lukens had 8 in the quarter as Herrin substituted freely. Both teams finished the long ago decided game with bench personnel.

Herrin was led by the 26 points from Justin Lukens, son of the Herrin varsity basketball coach, Irv Lukens. Justin Lukens had quarters of 9,9 and 7 points, sitting out much of the fourth quarter. Pirtle ended up with 15 points for the game. No other Tiger scored more than 6 points.

Christian Dunning was the lone Redbird in double figures with 14 points. Korolenko had 7 points. Koehl had the two three-point shots mentioned earlier for a total of 6, senior Trenton Easley had 3 points, Drew Maller and Zack Fort had 2 points apiece and Gage Williams had a free throw for a single point.

The major statistic in the game was turnovers. Herrin committed 8 for the game. West Frankfort had 23 turnovers, as they were helpless against Herrin zone defenses and extended court pressure. The inability to even get shots attempted negated any hope of a comeback  for Dan Dewerff’s team.

The win improves Herrin to 2-5, 1-1 in conference play for the season. And, the Redbirds fell to 1-5, 0-2 in the Ohio Division of the River-to-River Conference. If there is any good news for the ‘Birds it is that they have time to regroup. Saturday night is an idle night for the Redbirds- a chance to forget one of those inevitable nights in the gym when nothing seems to go right – which happens to most every team.
Herrin easily won the junior-varsity contest, keeping the JVs winless with a 54-26 victory.
Next up for the Redbirds is a visit from Carmi-White County. That game will be Tuesday night, with the JV game set to begin at 6 p.m.
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