The local high school football season ended locally Friday. The high school basketball season opens Monday.
Both Logan County varsity and junior varsity teams play their first games that count Monday night. The Cougars will entertain Warren East while the Lady Cougars go to Edmonson County. The jayvee games will begin at 6 p.m.
When the Cougar varsity tips off, Coach Lonnie Mason will set a record. He is the first boys basketball coach at LCHS to be the team’s bench boss for five seasons. The late Gerald Sinclair coached the first four seasons of the school’s history while Dick Webb and Harold Tackett were both on the job a quartet of seasons, too.
This is Finley Baird’s fourth season as coach of the Lady Cougars. Her first three years on the job have been great successes. Logan has won not only the district championship each of those seasons but also a game at region each year. Major changes face this year’s team, which lost all five starters to graduation this spring. Additionally, veteran assistant coaches Zach Simpson and George ‘Voodoo’ Vanderpoole did not return. Simpson is now the head coach of the Greenwood Lady Gators.
Both Mason and Baird are LCHS alumni and were part of successful programs. Baird was a senior standout on the first Lady Cougar team in 1983. She helped Coach Jim Thompson’s team reach the regional finals before losing to eventual state champion Warren Central. Stars of that Lady Dragon squad, Clemette Haskins and Melinda Carlson Logic, became her teammates on WKU’s 1086 Final Four Lady Topper squad, which featured Olmstead grad Lillie Mason.
Lonnie Mason, who was a multi-sport athlete at LCHS, was a member of Coach Dick Webb’s 1993 regional runner-up Cougar team. Mason, who had served as an assistant under a number of former LCHS head coaches, had his greatest success two years ago when he coached the Cougars to their first district championship since that ’93 season.
Athletic Director Greg Howard has also released the school’s swim schedule. Coach Rachelle Wharton’s teams made history last season when both a Cougar and a Lady Cougar reached state for the first time. One of them, Riley Wharton, returns. The Lady Cougar who made it to state, Lilly Morris, is now a member of Coach Dee Wilkins’ state contending Bowling Green High program.
Russellville Athletic Director Calvin Head has not released winter sports schedules to the local media, but the KHSAA website says his Lady Panthers will also open their season Monday against visiting Warren Central. Veteran guard Loreal Cheaney has been selected as a Preseason All-Region player.
John Brett Reynolds of WRUS has announced that Coach Phil Todd’s Panthers will not start their season until next week. Although their two more experienced players, seniors Pedro Bradshaw and Micah Naylor, have been practicing, most of the others who will see a lot of playing time have just finished their football seasons.
Logan County schedules follow
2016-2017 Lady Cougar Basketball Schedule
Date Day Opponent Teams Times
Nov. 29 Tuesday @ Edmonson County JV-V 6
Dec. 1 Thursday Muhlenberg County F-JV 6
Dec. 2 Friday @ Russell County JV-V 6
Dec. 3 Saturday Hopkinsville F-JV-V 4:30
Dec. 5 Monday @ Bowling Green F-JV 6
Dec. 6 Tuesday @ Ohio County GV-BV 6
Dec. 8 Thursday @ Franklin-Simpson F 5
Dec. 9 Friday Franklin-Simpson GV-BV 6
Dec. 10 Saturday @ Owensboro Catholic V 7:45
Dec. 12 Monday Warren Central JV-V 6
Dec. 13 Tuesday @ Daviess County JV-V 6
Dec. 16 Friday Todd County Central GV-BV 6
Dec. 19,20,21 M,T,W Lady Hawk Classic @ Larue Co. GV TBD
Jan. 2 Monday Russellville F-JV 6
Jan. 6 Friday @ Russellville GV-BV 6
Jan. 7 Saturday Greenwood F-JV-V 4
Jan. 9 Monday @ Owensboro JV-V 6
Jan. 10 Tuesday @ Allen County-Scottsville GV-BV 6
Jan. 13 Friday @ Todd County Central GV-BV 6
Jan. 17 Tuesday Butler County JV-V 6
Jan. 19 Thursday Franklin-Simpson F 5
Jan. 20 Friday @ Franklin-Simpson GV-BV 6
Jan. 21 Saturday @ Glasgow F-JV 10
Jan. 21 Saturday Clarksville-Northeast GV-BV 5
Jan. 23 Tuesday @ Bowling Green F-JV 6
Jan. 24 Tuesday @ Barren County GV-BV 6
Jan. 27 Friday Russellville GV-BV 6
Jan. 28 Saturday Owensboro JV-V 2
Jan. 30 Monday Allen County-Scottsville F-JV 6
Jan. 31 Tuesday Apollo JV-V 5:30
Feb. 2 Thursday @ Muhlenberg County F-JV 6
Feb. 4 Saturday @ Glasgow GV-BV 6
Feb. 7 Tuesday Edmonson County F-JV 6
Feb. 9 Thursday Todd County Central F-JV 6
Feb. 11 Saturday Autism Classic in Owensboro V TBD
Feb. 13 Monday Russellville F-JV 6
Feb. 14 Tuesday South Warren JV-V 6
Feb. 16 Thursday @ Greenwood GV-BV 6
Feb. 18 Saturday @ Todd County Central F TBD
Feb. 19-25 District Basketball Tournament V TBD
2016-2017 Cougar Basketball Schedule
Date Day Opponent Teams Times
Nov. 28 Monday Warren East JV-V 6
Nov. 29 Tuesday Greenwood JV-V 6
Dec. 3 Saturday @ Muhlenberg County JV-V 6
Dec. 5 Monday Bowling Green F-JV 6
Dec. 6 Tuesday @ Ohio County GV-BV 7:30
Dec. 8 Thursday @ Franklin-Simpson F-JV 6
Dec. 9 Friday Franklin-Simpson GV-BV 7:30
Dec. 10 Saturday @ Webster County V 2:30
Dec. 13 Tuesday Warren Central JV-V 6
Dec. 15 Thursday @ Todd County Central F-JV 6
Dec. 16 Friday Todd County Central GV-BV 7:30
Dec. 17 Saturday South Warren F-JV-V 3:30
Dec. 19,20 M,T Kenwood Classic V TBD
Jan. 3 Tuesday Monroe County JV-V 6
Jan. 5 Thursday Russellville F-JV 6
Jan. 6 Friday @ Russellville GV-BV 7:30
Jan. 9 Monday Allen County-Scottsville F-JV 6
Jan. 10 Tuesday @ Allen County-Scottsville GV-BV 7:30
Jan. 12 Thursday Todd County Central F-JV 6
Jan. 13 Friday @ Todd County Central GV-BV 7:30
Jan. 14 Saturday @ Springfield F-JV TBA
Jan. 19 Thursday Franklin-Simpson F-JV 6
Jan. 20 Friday @ Franklin-Simpson GV-BV 7:30
Jan. 21 Saturday Freshman Tournament F 9
Jan. 21 Saturday Clarksville-Northeast GV-BV 6:30
Jan. 24 Tuesday @ Barren County GV-BV 7:30
Jan. 26 Thursday @ Russellville F-JV 6
Jan. 27 Friday Russellville GV-BV 7:30
Jan. 28 Saturday @ Warren Central F-JV 10
Feb. 4 Saturday South Warren F-JV 10
Feb. 4 Saturday @ Glasgow GV-BV 7:30
Feb. 7 Tuesday @ Bowling Green JV-V 6
Feb. 13 Monday @ Rossview JV-V 6
Feb. 16 Thursday @ Greenwood GV-BV 7:30
Feb. 19-25 District Basketball Tournament V TBD
LCHS 2016/2017 swim meets
November 19 AWAY Rick Cohn Invitational
November 29 AWAY at BGHS with RHS
December 6 HOME vs. RHS and Hopkins Co begins at 5:30
December 10 AWAY Hilltopper at WKU
December 17 AWAY Murray Invitational
January 7 AWAY Best of the West Invitational at BGHS
January _____ HOME Senior Night with RHS and Franklin High
February 10/11 AWAY *REGIONALS* at Owensboro Healthpark