When Justin Bollenbecker missed a layup in the first 15 seconds of Russellville's Fourth Region Tournament opener Wednesday, it signaled the start of a
frigid shooting night for the Panthers. Then when D.J. Quarles got his first foul in the first 20 seconds of the game in the aftermath of that botched
layup, the signs of impending doom were ominous.
After all, Bollenbecker is the best pure shooter among the starters, and Quarles, who plays point guard and yet almost invariably leads the team in
rebounding, is the guy RHS can't do without.
Those signs proved to be at least partially true. The Panthers hit just 20 percent in the first quarter (3 of 15), 30.8 percent in the first half (10
of 24) and 36 percent for the game (18 of 50). Bollenbecker was just 2 of 8 for the game, and Quarles was 2 of 9.
Quarles had only five rebounds all night.
Yet it was Bollenbecker who forced a Monroe County turnover with 35 seconds left in the game, who got an offensive rebound with 6.8 seconds remaining,
and who hit the clinching free throws in the Panthers' 49-45 win over the Falcons. And despite his shooting woes, Quarles led the team in rebounding
and added three steals and two assists.
The brightest spot all night for the Panthers was the play of junior guard Damien Elam, who had made the opening steal and gotten the ball to
Bollenbecker for that ill-fated layup attempt. He finished with 13 points and added four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Whenever the Falcons
appeared ready to gain control of the game, Elam kept finding a way to bring his team back. His 3-pointer with 3:32 tied the score at 43-43, and then
he made two straight steals. On the second one, Kevin Temple hit a shot to put the Panthers ahead.
Monroe guard Keaton Rich ht a jumper to tie it again with 2:28, and there was no more scoring for a minute and a half before Temple went to the line
with only 50 seconds showing. Temple, who finished with 11 points, hit both foul shots for what proved to be the winning points.
After Bollenbecker made the lead four, Coach Dennis Pardue had his team foul as the Falcons brought the ball up, since the Panthers had only five team
fouls. That sixth personal resulted in the Falcons having to inbound the ball with 4.6 seconds at midcourt. Rich got off a shot, and Panther senior
Trevor Clark pulled down the rebound to end the game.
The Falcons led 12-9 at the first stop when center Caleb Sheffield scored with two seconds. Sheffield was 7 of 9 from the field and had five rebounds.
Rich was 6 of 10 and reserve Chad Wilson 4 of 6, but the rest of the team went 3 of 19. Neil Wilson, who will attend Western Kentucky University as a
preferred walk-on in football, was the game's leading rebounder with 11.
Monroe upped its lead to 23-18 in the second quarter, but Elam hit two free throws and then Temple scored on a 3-point play with 3.9 seconds remaining
in the half. That play was the result of a steal by Elam and an assist by Clark.
Two facots in the game were the 20 turnovers which the RHS defense forced the slower Monroe County team to commit, and Russellville's 9 of 15 free
throw shooting. Monroe was just 4 of 8 at the line. Additionally, the Falcons were 1 of 7 from 3-point range while the Panthers were 4 of 14, including
2 of 6 by Bollenbecker.
The Panthers take a 19-8 record into Monday's 6:30 p.m. semifinal against regional favorite Warren Central, which edged the Panthers by a single point
at RHS in mid-season. The Falcons finished 13-12.
Score by quarters:
1) MCHS 12-9, 2) 23-23, 3) RHS 35-34, Final)
Russellville 49, Monroe County 45
RHS (49)
Damien Elam 13, Kevin Temple 11, Justin Bollenbecker 8, Victor Hampton 7, D.J. Quarles 6, Trevor Clark 2, Davonta Bryant 2, Darrin Murphy
MCHS (45)
Caleb Sheffield 15, Keaton Rich 13. Chad Wilson 10, Tanner Kendall 4, Neil Wilson 2, Cody Sheffield 2, Chip Anderson