SPORTS HEADLINES 12.16.11

High School Basketball

Thursday scores

Boys: Russellville defeated Barren County 76-70, Mayfield over Lone Oak 55-39, Graves County over Calloway County 41-37.

Girls: Ashlee Cole had 19 points and Christy Soldo added 14 as Hopkinsville defeated Franklin Simpson 56-36.

For the second straight game, Kimberly Hyde led Christian County in scoring with 10 points, but the Lady Colonels fell at Daviess County 38-30.

Elsewhere: Hopkins Central defeated Trigg County 65-58 in overtime, Paducah Tilghman over Caldwell County 60-38, Calloway County edged Graves County 56-54, Lone Oak over Mayfield 45-41, McLean County over Warren East 61-48.

Tonight’s games

Boys: The Toyota of Hopkinsville Shootout begins at Hopkinsville High School’s Tiger Gym. The first game at 5:30 matches Hopkinsville against Warren Central, with Christian County to play University Heights at 7, with Bowling Green to meet Muhlenberg County at 8:30. Coverage of the first two games begins with the Heritage Bank pre game show at 5:15 on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP and whopam.com.

Other games: Trigg County hosts Lyon County, Todd Central at Logan County, Russellville at Warren East, Caldwell County hosts Union County, Dawson Springs welcomes Madisonville, Livingston Central at Crittenden County, Henderson County hosts Webster County, South Warren is at Greenwood, Mayfield hosts Carlisle County, Ohio County entertains Christian Fellowship, Marshall County at Murray,

Girls: University Heights hosts Fort Campbell in 8^th district action, Trigg County welcomes Lyon County, Todd Central at Logan County, Russellville hosts Springfield, TN, Dawson Springs hosts Madisonville, Crittenden County hosts Livingston Central, Ohio County at Muhlenberg County, Marshall County at Murray, South Warren at Greenwood, Community Christian hosts Ballard Memorial.

High School Football

Christian County offensive lineman Rayshawn Wallace was named to the second team Associated Press All State offensive team announced Thursday.

Kentucky Mr. Football for 2011 is Kentucky commitment Patrick Towles of Fort Thomas Highlands. The grandson of former major league pitcher and U-S Senator Jim Bunning threw for 3,820 yards and 42 touchdowns and only one interception in 15 games as Highlands won its 21^st state championship.

College Basketball

Ed Daniel and Ivan Aska each scored 16 points as 24^th ranked Murray State rolled over Lipscomb 89-65. The win was the 14^th consecutive non conference victory for the Racers dating back to February, 2009.

Anthony Hickey, Jr. scored four points for LSU in its 66-59 win over Cal Irvine. The Tigers improved to 7-3 on the season with the victory.

Following a week off, the Kentucky Wildcats return to action tomorrow hosting Chattanooga, with pre game coverage at 5:30 on Lite 98.7.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino says newcomer Kevin Ware will see playing time tomorrow when the Cardinals face Memphis. Ware had been declared ineligible by the NCAA in August, but was cleared last month and had to wait for the first semester to end before joining the team.

NFL

Tennessee Titans cornerback Courtland Finnegan says he thinks his time with the Titans is over. Finnegan tells the Tennessean his agent has not been contacted about a new contract. Finnegan can become a free agent following this season.

Meanwhile, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was back in practice Thursday and says he expects to start Sunday when the Titans play at Indianapolis.   Hasselbeck missed practice Wednesday due to a left calf injury suffered in the first half of last week’s game against New Orleans.

NHL

Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber scored two goals in a three minute span of the third period to rally the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 come from behind win over the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators are back in action tomorrow night in St. Louis against the Blues.  

While we’re on the Predators, they along with Bridgestone Americas announced Thursday a five year extension on the naming rights for Bridgestone Arena. The Bridgestone name will be on the downtown arena through 2019.

The Tennessean reports the Predators and Bridgestone Americas are pursing bringing the NHL All Star game to Bridgestone Arena. The Predators have already had informal discussions about hosting the game in 2014 or 2015.

SPORTS HEADLINES 12.15.11

High School Basketball

Boys: Russellville hosts Barren County, Lone Oak welcomes Mayfield, Graves County travels to Calloway County.

Girls: Christian County plays at Daviess County, Hopkinsville travels to Franklin Simpson, Trigg County welcomes Hopkins Central, Caldwell County hosts Paducah Tilghman, Calloway County hosts Graves County and Lone Oak hosts Mayfield.

College Basketball

The Tennessee Vols lost their fourth straight game at Charleston 71-65. Jordan McRae led the Vols with 19 points. Tennessee lost for the sixth time in their last seven games.

Tonight’s games: 24^th ranked Murray State puts its 10-0 mark on the line hosting Lipscomb, LSU welcomes Cal Irvine to the Maravich Assembly Center.

The Bowling Green Daily News reported Wednesday Western Kentucky junior guard Caden Dickerson is done for the season due to injury. Coach Ken McDonald says Dickerson will have surgery on his left shoulder. Dickerson played in every game for the Hilltoppers the past two seasons. McDonald says Dickerson will apply for a medical redshirt and have two years of eligibility remaining.

College Football

Former Christian County High three sport star Keith Tandy has been named to the All Big East first team defense. Tandy had three interceptions from the cornerback position for West Virginia during the regular season. The senior will lead the Mountaineers against Clemson in the Orange Bowl to be played January 4^th. The game will be televised by ESPN.

The Courier Journal reports Western Kentucky has received a commitment from linebacker Daqual Randall from Palmetto, Florida. Randall had announced earlier this week he was not coming to the University of Louisville. The six foot 230 pound linebacker had committed to the Cards in July.

WPSD-Paducah—citing a report from a Hattiesburg, Mississippi TV station—says Southern Mississippi athletic officials will interview Murray State football coach Chris Hatcher about its head coach opening. Larry Fedora left Southern Miss to become the new coach at North Carolina. Hatcher’s interview is expected to take place sometime next week. Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is also expected to be interviewed. WPSD was not able to reach Hatcher for comment.

NFL

The Kentucky New Era reports former Fort Campbell and University of Kentucky standout Micah Johnson has signed a contract to play on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. Johnson was signed earlier this year by Kansas City, but was released in early September. Johnson played briefly for the Miami Dolphins in the 2010 season after being signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants.

The Tennessee Titans did not have either Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker in practice Wednesday according to the Tennessean. Third stringer Rusty Smith took snaps during workouts, however coach Mike Munchak is optimistic Hasselbeck’s calf injury—suffered in Sunday’s loss to New Orleans--will improve enough for him to start Sunday at Indianapolis. Locker sat out after a hit he received in the chest in Sunday’s loss to New Orleans.

NHL

The Nashville Predators are back in action this evening, hosting Central division rival Detroit at the Bridgestone Arena. First puck drops at 7 pm.

SPORTS UPDATE 12.14.11

Heritage Christian Academy's boys basketball team is ranked number one in this week's Kentucky Christian Athletic Association PowerPoll.  The Lady Warriors are ranked third in the girls KCAA PowerPoll this week.  Both teams host Jo Byrns Monday night, with the broadcasts on NewsTalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP and worldwide at whopam.com.

Christian County boys basketball coach Tyler Smithart has informed WHOP Sports the Colonels game with Dyer County, TN December 21st at Kenwood High School has been changed from a 6:30 pm tip off to a 5 pm tipoff.

Arkansas State has named Gus Malzahn as its new football coach today.  Malzahn has been Auburn's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the last three years.  He was part of last year's national championship team.  Malzahn replaces Hugh Freeze who left A-State last week to become the new coach at Ole Miss.  The 10-2 Red Wolves will meet Northern Illinois in the GoDaddy.com Bowl January 8th.

SPORTS HEADLINES 12.14.11

Sports Weekly presented by Toyota of Hopkinsville airs at 5:08 this evening on NewsTalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP. Todd Hamilton’s guests will include Hopkinsville native and University of Kentucky assistant football coach Steve Pardue and a preview of this weekend’s Toyota of Hopkinsville basketball shootout.

High School Basketball

Boys:   Hopkinsville led by as many as 19 points in the second half in downing Henderson County 63-49 Tuesday night. The Tigers had a trio in double figures with Lawrence Smith leading the way with 15 points, Jordan Majors added 13 and Darius White with 10. The 5-0 Tigers meet Warren Central in the first game of the Toyota of Hopkinsville Shootout Friday night at 5:30 in Tiger Gym.

Elsewhere: Community Christian beat Fort Campbell 65-50, Butler County defeated Todd Central 53-50, Glasgow edged Logan County 69-65, Madisonville over Hopkins Central 63-56, Webster County defeated Apollo 53-46, St. Mary defeated Graves County 56-41, Murray over Fulton County 73-23, Ohio County edged Muhlenberg County 53-51, Greenwood over Franklin Simpson 65-59, Warren East over South Warren 50-34, Bowling Green over Grayson County 60-49.

Girls:   Christian County’s Lady Colonels erased a 24 point halftime deficit against Franklin Simpson, but fell to the Lady Wildcats 60-51 at Colonel Gym. Kimberly Hyde had 13 points to lead the Lady Colonels scoring. Christian County is 3-2 on the season .

Christy Soldo had 25 points in leading Hopkinsville to a 74-39 win over Crittenden County. The Lady Tigers improved to 5-1 on the season.

University Heights got a double-double of 16 points and 22 rebounds from Cache Richardson as the Lady Blazers defeated Caldwell County 56-44. UHA improved to 4-1 on the season and beat Caldwell County for only the second time in school history.

Elsewhere: Webster County defeated Trigg County 78-53, Community Christian over Fort Campbell 55-38, Todd Central rolled over Butler County 67-27, Hopkins Central over Madisonville 64-44, Lyon County over Dawson Springs 51-42, Murray over Paducah Tilghman 69-61, Mayfield over Reidland 54-34, Marshall County defeated Carlisle County 68-40, South Warren defeated Warren East 41-33, Glasgow over Logan County 64-26, Apollo edged Union County 42-39, Allen County Scottsville over Russellville 55-30.

Heritage Christian Academy’s Lady Warriors rolled over Lighthouse 58-19 Tuesday night. Grace Waldron led the Lady Warriors with nine points. HCA is now 4-3 on the season and will play Jo Byrns next Monday night at Warrior Gym as part of a boy-girl doubleheader, with both games on NewsTalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP.

College Basketball

Women’s action saw 6^th ranked Tennessee defeat 11^th ranked Rutgers 67-61. The Lady Vols scored 13 straight points in the second half after trailing 54-51 with over eight minutes to play to get the victory. Tennessee is now 6-2 on the season.

Tonight’s games: Tennessee takes on Charleston.

College Football

Former Louisville football coach Vince Gibson has been diagnosed with ALS—better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gibson’s wife said Tuesday Gibson has lost use of his upper body and his ability to stand. The 78-year-old Gibson had a 75-98-2 record as a head coach.

NHL

The Nashville Predators picked up a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames in Bridgestone Arena. The Preds have won their last three games, all at home by one goal. Nashville meets Detroit tomorrow night at seven in Bridgestone Arena.

NFL

The Tennessean reports the Tennessee Titans have placed linebacker Barrett Ruud on the injured reserve list. Ruud has missed four of the last five games with a groin injury. The Titans have signed Kevin Malast to replace Ruud on the 53 man roster.

SPORTS HEADLINES 12.13.11

High School Basketball

Boys: Trigg County defeated Fort Campbell 83-75, Caldwell County over Dawson Springs 75-54, Mayfield edged Heath 64-62, Livingston Central over Fulton City 64-60, Hickman County defeated Community Christian 54-48 in overtime.

Girls: Logan County edged Fort Campbell 43-39, Russellville edged Warren Central 52-50, Henderson County defeated Webster County 59-43, Calloway County over Carlisle County 75-46, Community Christian over Hickman County 64-44, Greenwood over Butler County 66-35, Livingston Central rolled over Fulton City 63-15.

Tonight’s games

Boys: 2^nd region powers Hopkinsville and Henderson County meet at Colonel Gym in Henderson. Tip off at 7:30, with the Heritage Bank pre game show at 7:15 on News Talk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP and whopam.com.

Elsewhere: Todd Central hosts Butler County, Fort Campbell welcomes Community Christian, Logan County hosts Glasgow, Webster County hosts Apollo, Muhlenberg County travels to Ohio County, Murray hosts Fulton County, Graves County hosts St. Mary, Mayfield goes to Fulton City, Lone Oak hosts Ballard Memorial, South Warren welcomes Warren East, Greenwood welcomes Franklin Simpson, Bowling Green hosts Grayson County.

Girls: Hopkinsville hosts Crittenden County, Christian County hosts Franklin Simpson, University Heights goes to Caldwell County, Fort Campbell hosts Community Christian, Trigg County at Webster County, Todd Central meets Butler County, Logan County welcomes Glasgow, Dawson Springs hosts Lyon County, Russellville travels to Allen County Scottsville, Madisonville at Hopkins Central, Graves County hosts St. Mary, Marshall County hosts Carlisle County, Mayfield hosts Reidland, Lone Oak welcomes Ballard Memorial, Murray hosts Paducah Tilghman, South Warren hosts Warren East.

There’s been a change in the site for the Saturday games in the Toyota of Hopkinsville Shootout. Instead of being played at three sites, the Saturday games will move to Christian County High School. University Heights plays Warren Central at 3, Christian County takes on Male at 5 and Hopkinsville goes against Muhlenberg County at 7 pm.

High School Soccer

Christian County Lady Colonel senior Brittany Mason signed a letter Monday to play collegiately at Brescia University in Owensboro. Mason was a two year player for the Lady Colonels.

College Basketball

Murray State is ranked 24^th in the Associated Press college basketball poll this week, while being ranked 27^th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. The Racers put their 10-0 mark on the line Thursday night against Lipscomb at the CFSB Center.

Kentucky fell to third in both major polls, with Louisville number four. Syracuse is at the top of both polls this week.

Austin Peay senior Josh Terry received a couple of honors Monday. The senior from Henderson was named the Ohio Valley Conference player of the week, and the mid major player of the week from the website College Sports Madness. Terry’s late game play led to two Governor wins last week over Arkansas State and Tennessee.

Tonight’s game: Tennessee’s Lady Vols take on Rutgers.

College Football

As the Louisville Cardinals begin preparations to play North Carolina State in the Belk Bowl December 27^th, coach Charlie Strong says the Cards don’t have any respect in the Big East due to the fact only three players were selected all conference. The Cards have also not won bowl games in consecutive years. Louisville won the Beef O Brady’s Bowl last year in Strong’s first season as coach.

The Tennessean reports seven University of Tennessee football players have had surgery since the end of the season. Sophomore offensive lineman Alex Bullard, junior linebacker Greg King, freshman running back Marlin Lane, and sophomore defensive lineman Marlon Walls all have had arthoscopic knee surgery and are expected to return by spring practice.

Sophomore defensive lineman Daniel Hood, freshman linebacker Curt Maggitt, and junior defensive back Prentiss Waggner underwent shoulder surgeries. The trio are expected to be limited to non contact drills in spring practice, but will be able to participate in full summer workouts.

NFL

Rookie Jake Locker received rave reviews for his performance in the Tennessee Titans loss to New Orleans Sunday, however, the Tennessean reports if quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is healthy, he will start this Sunday at Indianapolis. Hasselbeck left last week’s game in the first half with a left calf injury.

NHL

The Nashville Predators return to the ice tonight to face the Calgary Flames. First puck at Bridgestone Arena drops at 7 pm.