Kentucky Reach 152, Small-College Select 135
April 17, 2005 - World Basketball Association (WBA)
Kentucky Reach News Release
Elizabethtown, KY â It was showtime at Central Hardin High School's Bruin Gymnasium on Saturday night when Kentucky Reach held an impromptu scrimmage with a Small-College Select team consisting of players from Lindsey Wilson College and Campbellsville University.
Kentucky Reach, a member of the World Basketball Association (WBA) based in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, exploded for 40 second-quarter points and coasted to a 152-135 victory. The Reach connected on 16 three-pointers and featured a balanced attack that included seven players scoring 16 points or better. Lamar Rice, a former Clemson and Georgetown College product, poured in 34 points and seven rebounds to pace the Reach.
Kentucky Reach trailed for much of game's opening stanza, but got tremendous inside-outside play from the combination of Marshall Sanders and Chris Shumate in the second stanza. Sanders, a chiseled 6-7, 260-lb. power forward who played at Kentucky Wesleyan College, scored 12 of his 16 points in the second quarter. Shumate, a 6-6 smooth-shooting guard from Murray State, made four consecutive shots during one stretch and collected nine points in the stanza. The Reach connected on 14 of 17 free throws in the quarter, including four apiece from former University of Texas guard Terrell Ross and Georgetown College big man Josh Grant.
The Reach collected its 100th point of the game at the 2:20 mark in the third quarter when Ross scored on a lay-up. Ross scored 20 points on the night, including three 3-pointers.
"I don't think we're going to have a problem putting points on the board," said Reach general manager Roger McCurry. "We've got some tremendous scorers and I was really pleased with our balance as a team. Terrell (Ross) and Lamar (Rice) really stood out, but overall I was proud of all the guys' effort."
Buoyed by the strong play of Calvin Cummings however, the Small College Select team made the game interesting. Cummings, a Lindsey Wilson College product, scored 16 of his game-high 39 points in the third stanza and helped the Select team close the gap to eight points (104-96) at the end of the quarter.
It was the dynamic duo from Georgetown College and sharp-shooting guard Jared McCurry of Bellarmine University that dominated play in the final stanza. Rice, a slender 6-7 swing man, showed glimpses of brilliance from the inside and connected on three 3-pointers in the quarter as well. Rice scored 19 of his 34 in the quarter.
"He's quite a player," said Small College Select coach Robby Speer of Rice. "He put on a pretty good show at the end of the game. We couldn't stop him."
George Baker, Rice's college backcourt mate, added nine of his 18 in the final quarter and his old-fashioned three-point play at the 8:30 mark extended the Reach's lead to 120-104 and from that point on maintained control.
Jared McCurry, a former all state player from Elizabethtown High School standout, scored seven of his 20 points in the final quarter and had two consecutive steals late in the game that led to easy fast break baskets for his Reach teammates, one in which he intentionally through the ball off the backboard as Rice trailed for the easy throw-down.
Kentucky Reach will play a scrimmage game on Tuesday night in Owensboro against a collection of college-age players and will tip off their real season on Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. against the Birmingham Magic. The Reach will play all of their home games at Central Hardin High School in Elizabethtown, KY. Feel free to visit the franchise's website at www.kentuckyreach.com. Roger McCurry, the team's general manager, can be reached at (270)304-9062
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World Basketball Association Stories from April 17, 2005
- Kentucky Reach 152, Small-College Select 135 - Kentucky Reach
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