11TH DISTRICT BOYS' BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: Meade rolls past Hancock, 82-36 (2/22)

This game took Meade County coach Jerry Garris by surprise.

After picking up an overtime win and a blowout victory over Hancock County in the regular season, the longtime Green Wave coach didn’t know what to expect from his team Tuesday night.

But Meade County took the sting out of the Hornets early and coasted into the championship game of the 11th District Tournament.

Senior forward Thomas Wilson scored 16 points to lead four players in double figures as the host Green Wave cruised to an 82-36 win in the second semifinal.

“I wasn’t expecting this. I was surprised at the final,” Garris said. “I wasn’t surprised we won, but I thought we’d be up by eight or 10 at the half. But to get done what we got done tonight in the first half, I’m really tickled with our focus tonight.

“We were ready for that box-and-one, and that’s how I would’ve played us,” he added. “We prepared for it Saturday and yesterday and worked on a few things in practice. But we got the ball to where we wanted. When we’re in a groove and everybody’s shooting like that, I think we can be a dangerous team. I’m pleased with our balance and our execution on both ends of the floor.”

The Green Wave (15-12) took the drama out of this game early.

Hancock County (12-17) scored the first two points of the game, but Meade County went on a 33-9 run to take a 33-11 lead with 4:32 left in the second quarter. The Green Wave extended their lead to 45-20 at the half.

“We knew coming into the game that we didn’t have to be great, but we had to be good,” said Meade County junior guard Bryce Garris, who scored 13 points. “We seem to struggle at the very beginning of games, so getting that first shot to go down was a big momentum booster. Our team feeds off what other people do. When one shot goes down, everyone is going to be confident.”

Their confidence spilled over in the second half. Senior guard Bo Wilson and Bryce Garris each hit 3s and Thomas Wilson had a layup to push the lead to 53-22.

Hancock County used a 6-0 run to pull within 53-28, but that was as close as the Hornets would get the rest of the way as Meade County went on an 11-2 run to end the third period.

“I knew we had the potential to win by this much, but you never know,” said Thomas Wilson, who also had six rebounds, three assists and three steals. “You can’t go into a game thinking you’re going to walk over someone by 40. I knew if we came out and got after them that we had the potential.

“It’s always tough (to beat a team three times) because they know what we have and they know what we have,” he added. “But we came out and executed and won.”

Meade County advances to face Breckinridge County (18-11) at 7:30 Friday night. The Fighting Tigers breezed past Cloverport Frederick Fraize (6-17), 72-25 in the first semifinal.

Junior forward Stephen Compton finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two blocks and one assist, while reserve sophomore forward Charles Mattingly chipped in with 10 points, seven rebounds, three steals and one assist.

Bo Wilson scored eight points, and sophomore guard Zeb Wilson scored six.

All but one player scored for Meade County.

“We needed that (scoring output),” Jerry Garris said. “I was hoping for it, but you never know. Tonight’s a tough game no matter where you are. But our kids have had a few good days of practice and we got off to a good start. We got things done, and I think that helped us. We were able to score and get into our press and put some pressure on them.”

Josh Claywell can be reached at (270) 505-1752 or at jclaywell@thenewsenterprise.com