Three Russellville Panthers were named to the 15-man All-4^th Regional Tournament team after Tuesday’s championship game. Honored were  Kevin Temple, Damian Elam and D.J. Quarles.
     Elam was also the only Panther honored by The Sporting Times in its all-season regional team.
     The good news is that all three are sophomores, giving great hope for the team’s future. In fact, Coach Dennis Pardue didn’t start a senior in the semifinals. And regular starter Justin Bollenbecker, who missed the tournament with injuries suffered in an automobile accident on Feb. 28, is a junior who was named to the all-district tournament team.
     The other 13^th District representative, regional finalist Franklin-Simpson, also had three all-region selections. Junior Terry Bryant appears to have been the top vote getter in the tournament. Joining him were seniors Courtney Dalcourt and Jim Murphree, both of whom will play football for WKU.
     Bryant is a super player. He had taken his ACT the day of the finals and reportedly said he felt he did well on it. He looks like a Division I prospect to me.
     Franklin will also return the guy who was playing the best basketball for them before he was injured, junior guard Mickey Lewis. He and fellow sophomore Jerron Patterson went to the huddles during the tournaments on crutches. Sophomores J.T. Curtis, Ryan Randolph and Jalen Bell along with freshman Jerrell Wickware combined to play 85 minutes in the regional championship game.
     Champion Bowling Green led a charmed life in winning the region. The Purples face a tough test at state next Thursday when they play 11^th Region champion Lexington Catholic. The odds will be even greater against them if the officials at state call walks, a floor errors 1 ^st Region officials ignored in the 4^th Region tournament. Purple players tend to take a step before putting the ball on the floor.
     Terry Baldwin of Logan County and his partner, Will Jones of Bowling Green, are again calling the girls state basketball tournament at Diddle Arena this week. They also worked the state tournament last year. It’s rare for two officials from the same region to be chosen for state, and for the same duo to be selected two seasons in a row is really something to cherish.
     If you didn’t read the LIJ story about Terry’s ascension to become one of the state’s highest regard whistle blowers, you can still find it on this website. Go to the Articles section of the menu bar and then click on Older Stories. It’s near the bottom.
     Troy Winders of Todd County has been chosen for yet another boys state tournament at Rupp Arena next week. If Bowling Green loses in the early rounds, don’t be surprised to find Troy working the championship game. A college official much of the time, he is one of the state’s top ranked wearer of black and white uniforms.
     Franklin-Simpson lost in overtime to one of the favorites to open the state girls tournament. Three of the Lady Cats’ four losses this season were to Louisville Iroquois. 
     Franklin’s loss will hurt the total attendance at the tournament, since F-S fans follow their teams religiously. The next closest teams are from Ohio County and Elizabethtown.