PAGE B1 It’s Selection Sunday! Could Marshall clinch an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament? Which teams boosted PORTS their resumes for today’s bracket selection? S  COLLEGE / PAGES B2, B3  THE INDEPENDENT / SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012 SEC TOURNAMENT MARCH 8-11  NEW ORLEANS ARENA  NEW ORLEANS, LA.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Ernest “Junebug” Rakes, a former Boyd County basketball standout who now serves as a Bullitt East assistant coach, stands alongside son Trey, a junior for Bullitt East. GOODNESS RAKES! Bullitt East junior, son of AP PHOTOS Kentucky guard and forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist fight for a with Florida guard during the first half of Saturday’s SEC semifinal game in New Orleans. Kentucky won 74-71. BELOW: former Boyd Co. standout, signals “three-goggles” after hitting a long ball. makes big splash on ESPN By ROCKY STANLEY The Independent The March to Rupp The Boys Sweet Sixteen His heralded junior team- tournament tips off, with The Late Show mate is already a University Bullitt East part of the action, of Kentucky basketball com- mit, but it's Trey Rakes who on Wednesday at noon. has celebrity status this week See Monday’s Independent Strong finish allows Kentucky to withstand for Bullitt East. Rakes, also a junior, nailed for a Q&A session with 11 3-pointers, 48-percent shooting by Florida a running 35-footer at the Rowan County’s “Big Three.” buzzer Tuesday night to win the Sixth Region champi- of the Best on ESPN. Over By BRETT MARTEL onship against Pleasure AP Sports Writer 3,000 people voted for Trey's Ridge Park. shot. As you can imagine, it's Bullitt East's third-year NEW ORLEANS If 's Vandy been a lot of fun.” starting floor general is the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats The matchup with PRP at son of Chargers' assistant Bellarmine University went encounter late-game adversity in coach Ernest “Junebug” the NCAA tournament, they'll back and forth. Rakes, one of Boyd County's Rakes made a to know how to handle it. scoots all-time great point guards. even the score for the last had 15 points and Trey's straight-through- 12 rebounds, and Kentucky held off time. PRP took a timeout to the-hoop bomb not only gave set up a final shot, but stand- Florida 74-71 on Saturday in the his team a 47-44 victory and semifinals of the Southeastern Con- out Max Clemons was called past return trip to this week's for a charging foul with 3.5 ference tournament. Boys Sweet Sixteen, it be- "I've got this team that has that seconds remaining. came the Play of the Day on Bullitt East, faced with will to win. They want to win. They ESPN's SportsCenter that have great pride," said Calipari, having to go the length of the night. court, called its own timeout. whose team has trailed in the sec- Rebels “LeBron (James) was No. 3, A designed play didn't pan ond half of each of its first two SEC and Dwyane Wade was No. tournament games and never led ei- NEW ORLEANS (AP) Vander- out. bilt's John Jenkins has a phi- 2,” Junebug Rakes said. “The ther by more than single digits. next day, it was named Best See RAKES / Page B6 "We're just really a young team losophy on 3-point shooting that — every one of these experi- that doesn't require much of a ences is good for my team." conscience. Terrence Jones added 15 points added 15, with each It does require confidence. and nine rebounds for the Wildcats hitting a pair of key free throws in And the Commodores' most (32-1), who've won 24 straight and the last 15 seconds to secure the win prolific long-range bomber is- play next in today's tournament fi- against a Florida team which shot n't lacking it, which is the nal against Vanderbilt, a 65-53 win- 48 percent, including 11 of 22 from 3- main reason Vanderbilt rallied ner over Mississippi in the other point range. to beat Mississippi 65-53 and semifinal. advance to the program's first Doron Lamb scored 16 points and See UK / Page B2 tournament final in more than 60 years. SEC CHAMPIONSHIP "I'm not going to just stop shooting when I'm missing Kentucky has 28 SEC shots," Jenkins said. "I'm a Tournament titles; Vanderbilt shooter, and the team needs me to make shots, so that's has one (1951). Today’s game Kentucky (32-1) vs. what I did the second half." SUBMITTED PHOTO tips off at 1 p.m. on ABC. Vanderbilt (23-10) See VANDY / Page B2 Rakes takes a shot during a game earlier this season. Owners, Carter scores Manual 28 as Ironton DuPont Manual holds off takes district By BRAD LAUX free throws. However, For The Independent Carter answered by con- Marion to complete run verting his next four foul BOWLING GREEN (AP) Goodwin-Rogers tip-in ATHENS, OHIO Junior Zac shots over the game’s final April Wilson scored 23 with 5:30 to play. Howev- Carter made 8-of-8 free 24.7 seconds to seal the vic- points, including four in er, a win in the Lady throws in overtime to help tory and snap Eastern the final minute, and Knights’ first trip to the Ironton capture its second Brown’s 17-game win DuPont Manual held off state championship game district title in the last six streak. Marion County 58-54 Sat- wasn’t to be. years and 13th in school “Definitely (hitting free urday night for its first Wilson, the tourna- history with a 66-61 win throws) was the differ- girls state championship. ment’s Most Valuable over Eastern Brown in the ence,” Ironton coach Mark The Region 7 champi- Player, hit a layup out of Ohio Division III boys’ bas- LaFon said. “That and get- on Lady Crimsons (37-2), a timeout with 51 seconds ketball tournament Satur- ting the ball in the right who fell in overtime in left, pushing the Lady day night at Ohio Universi- guy’s hands.” last year’s title game, fin- Crimson lead to three. ty’s Convocation Center. The Fighting Tigers led ished their season on a 22- She added a pair of free Ironton opened the extra by five with 1:05 to play in game winning streak. throws with 9 seconds to period on a 9-0 run, before regulation, but the War- Makayla Epps scored go to seal it. surrendering its first points riors scored off an offensive JOE IMEL / AP 23 points to lead Region 5 DuPont Manual defeat- — a Blake Doss 3-pointer — rebound and then sank a Paul Laurence Dunbar's Jordin Fender, right, tries to the champion Marion Coun- ed Perry County Central, with 1:13 to play. Eastern foul shot. They stole the ball from Manual's Kara Wright during Saturday morning’s ty (34-5), which erased an Montgomery County and Brown’s Chase Lawson ball off the ensuing in- semifinal game at Diddle Arena in Bowling Green. Manual 11-point first-half deficit Paul Laurence Dunbar to closed the Warriors within bounds pass and converted moved on to defeat Marion County in the championship game. and led 47-46 on a Kyvin reach the finals. four after nailing a pair of See IRONTON / Page B6

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