ASHLAND, Ky. – Even after the champion is crowned in the inaugural Tomcat Shootout, they will be talking about this game.

It will immediately be a part of Tomcat lore, an instant classic. Years from now, people will say they were there because the story had been told so much.

Dicky Martin, the defacto voice of the Tomcats, couldn’t have found the words to describe it and neither could his father Dick, who called the game on WCMI.

“Speechless,” he said in a raspy tone after the game.

Even the fans shuffling out of the gym after it was over could do nothing but whisper to each other about what they had seen because it had never happened before and would never happen again.

“Did that just happen?” they asked.

It was a game within a game, a scoring duel between two Tomcat stars and a battle of all-stars made up of the great 1960s era. It was the second of a best-of-3 series between the 1960-64 Tomcats and the 1965-69 Tomcats.

There were signs something big was going to happen.

“Hey, Bobby,” teammate Benny Spears said to Bobby Lynch during warmups. “Are you ever going to miss one?”

It was an elimination game for the 1965-69 Tomcats, who dropped the opener in the series 111-106 in a game where they trailed by 18 points. The favored and ultra-talented 1960-64 Tomcats wanted to end the series and move on. They had allowed the 1965-69 Tomcats to get close after scoring 102 points in three quarters.

“That game should have never been that close,” said Ditto Sparks. “We started lollygagging around and let them back in. We’re going to blow them out of the gym tonight. Wait and see.”

This game would be different. It was tied 16 times and had 17 lead changes. The biggest lead of the night belonged to the determined 1965-69 Tomcats at 15 points. But that’s not what was most memorable.

Bobby Lynch and Larry Conley put on a spectacular scoring show, an unending display of basketball fireworks that had fans in the stands looking at each other with wide eyes. There were short shots, long ones, reverse layups, behind-the-back moves, deep corner 3s and everything else imaginable.

“You just started watching them,” said Lynch’s teammate and Conley’s brother, Joe Conley. “I’ve seen them both hot but never hot like this. We all wanted to just go over to the stands and join the fans in watching and cheering.”

Lynch, taking a page out of Pete Maravich’s book, scored 50 on 15-of-26 shooting. He swished three triples and was 17-for-17 at the foul line. Lynch also claimed seven rebounds and even had three assists.

Conley matched him practically basket for basket, scoring 40 points on 16-for-23 shooting and 5-of-7 free throws. He had 11 rebounds and seven assists.

They both played every second of a pulsating game and it was Lynch’s 1965-69 Tomcats who came out the victor, 131-128, in overtime. The extra period belonged to Lynch too with 13 of the 16 points scored.

“Bobby Lynch,” said 1965-69 Tomcat coach Harold Cole shaking his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The absolute best individual performance I’ve ever seen. To do that against these guys?” his voice trailed off. “I’m not sure who else in Tomcat history could do it. When he got hot, they couldn’t stop him from scoring. They tried everything. He was unstoppable tonight.”

Bob Wright, the 1960-64 Tomcat coach, said even with the defense focusing on Lynch, it didn’t seem to matter.

“He scored against everything we threw at him,” Wright said. “And so did Larry for us. Watching those two guys go at it like gunslingers made me want to go buy a ticket. We were witness to basketball greatness tonight.”

Cole made a lineup switch, putting Randy Williams at point guard and it reaped dividends and took pressure off Lynch. Williams collected 10 points and 12 assists. Roger Baldridge also started in Game 2 and had 14 points and 13 rebounds, battling fiercely with the 1960-64 frontline.

“Big game for those two guys,” Cole said. “There’s nobody on this team I’m afraid to put in the game. Whatever five you put out there, they’re all All-Stars and they’re all going to perform like it.”

The game trended toward a blowout early when the 1965-69 Tomcats raced ahead 40-25 by the first minute into the second quarter. But by halftime it was almost all equal, with the 65-69 Tomcats leading 58-57.

“They came at us with everything they had in the first half,” Conley said. “We had to get up from a wheelhouse punch.”

The 1960-64 Tomcats got up and punched back. Ditto Sparks and Harold Sergent, who scored 26 and 22 respectively, got them back in the game.

Late in the third quarter, Spears scored from 15-feet for an 82-76 lead. But an 8-0 run gave the 1960-64 Tomcats an 84-82 advantage and the game remained tight to the end.

Spears drove for a basket to make it 111-108 with 2:09 remaining but Sparks and Sergent answered with baskets and Conley made one of two free throws for a 113-111 lead for the 1960-64 Tomcats.

Spears again had the answer, tying it at 113, and Lynch was knocked to the floor after getting a steal. He dusted himself off and hit two free throws with the net barely moving to put the 1965-69 Tomcats in front 115-113.

After a timeout by Wright, the 1960-64 Tomcats went to Conley who, after being double-teamed, dished it out to Hilton in the corner where he nailed a 12-footer at the buzzer to tie it up and force overtime.

“That was so discouraging to have the game there,” Spears said. “But Hilton hit a clutch shot and Conley showed unselfishness with that pass. We had three people collapsing on him. He didn’t force it. The guy must have eyes in the back of his head. I don’t know how he could see Bob was open in the corner.”

Lynch and Conley had a similar dual in the overtime with Lynch holding a 13-11 edge.

“You’d think they would have cooled down by the overtime,” Joe Conley said.

Neither did.

They tried fouling Lynch in the overtime, but he never missed. His 17^th consecutive free throw made it 128-120 with 2:06 left in overtime. Conley scored six to cut the deficit to 130-128 but they could get no closer. Williams hit a free throw with .05 left to set the final margin, setting off a celebration where Lynch was carried off the floor on the shoulders of fans.

“Well, that was a tough one to lose but what a performance to witness from two of the greatest Tomcats ever,” Wright said.

The fans agreed and the buzz was already starting for Game 3.

“I can’t wait,” said Joe Conley, who was eating from a bag of popcorn on the way out of the gym. “I’m ready now.”

1965-69 TOMCAT ALL-STARS (131) – Williams 2-14 5-6 10, Jackson 4-5 0-0 9, Lynch 15-26 17-17 50, Spears 6-9 2-4 14, Baldridge 6-16 3-3 16, Kleykamp 1-2 2-3 4, Wheeler 3-5 0-0 6, M.Griffith 2-7 2-2 7, Owens 4-7 0-0 9, Conley 2-4 2-2 6. FG: 45-95. FT: 33-37. 3FG: 8-25 (Williams 1-6, Jackson 1-2, Lynch 3-7, Baldridge 1-3, Wheeler 0-1, M.Griffith 1-3, Owens 1-3). Rebounds: 44 (Jackson 5, Lynch 7, Spears 3, Baldridge 13, Kleykamp 4, Wheeler 6, Owens 1, Conley 1, M.Griffith 4). Assists: 26 (Williams 12, Jackson 2, Lynch 3, Spears 1, Baldridge 2, Kleykamp 3, M.Griffith 3). PF: 23. Turnovers: 13.

1960-64 TOMCAT ALL-STARS (128) – Sparks 10-25 6-6 26, Hilton 4-10 2-2 11, Conley 16-23 5-7 40, Sergent 8-15 4-6 22, Smith 1-5 0-4 2, Beam 5-7 1-1 11, Branham 0-3 2-2 2, Cram 2-5 2-2 6, Wright 0-1 2-3 2, McKenzie 3-7 1-1 8. FG: 49-101. FT: 23-31. 3FG: 7-26 (Sparks 0-7, Hilton 1-4, Conley 3-5, Sergent 2-5, Beam 0-2, McKenzie 1-2). Rebounds: 52 (Sparks 3, Hilton 5, Conley 11, Sergent 10, Smith10, Beam 2, Branham 1, Cram 5, Wright 3, McKenzie 2). Assists: 27 (Sparks 7, Conley 7, Sergent 3, Smith 3, Beam 2, Branham 1, Wright 1, Cram 2, McKenzie 1). PF: 27. Turnovers: 16.

1965-69 TOMCATS    38      20      30      27       16       –         131

1960-64 TOMCATS    25      32      34      24       13        –       128

ASHLAND, Ky. – It took only three quarters for the 1960-64 Ashland Tomcat All-Stars to flex their considerable basketball superpowers.

Led by unflappable Larry Conley’s 34 points, the 1960-64 Tomcats piled up 102 points before the start of the fourth quarter and then had to hold on for an 111-106 victory over the 1965-69 Tomcats in the first game of a best-of-3 series between 1960s teams at Ashland High School gym.

With Conley, Ditto Sparks and Harold Sergent taking turns dominating play, the 60-64 Tomcats led from nearly start to finish and once had an 18-point advantage. The 65-69 team’s only lead was 2-0.

“That was some kind of shooting display from those three,” said 65-69 coach Harold Cole of Conley, Sparks and Conley. “They didn’t miss much.”

The trio went a combined 28-for-46 from the field with Sergent scoring 23 and Sparks added 20 points. Jim McKenzie wasn’t far behind them with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting.

Larry Conley and his little brother Joe went after each other like they were playing in the driveway in the first quarter. When Joe intentionally pushed his brother in the back as he was going in for a layup it nearly became more than brotherly love.

Joe Conley was called for an intentional foul and technical and it ended up a seven-point play that took the lead to 34-22. Larry Conley made the basket, then swished three free throws – one for the foul, two for the technical – and the 60-64 Tomcats inbounded it to Gary Wright, who sped in for a layup for the 12-point bulge.

“You don’t see seven-point plays very often,” said 60-64 coach Bob Wright. “In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it. Joe was just having some fun with Larry. But when he plastered him into the mat on the wall, they had to do something. I hated that it happened and hope it doesn’t affect other games in the series.”

The 60-64 Tomcats scored 36, 30 and 36 in the first three quarters to build the 102-85 advantage.

“These guys are All-Stars,” Wright said. “I didn’t expect them to back down.”

They came back with a fury behind Bobby Lynch, who scored eight consecutive points on an assortment of baskets. He finished with 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, practically matching Larry Conley stat for stat.

“I’ve never seen more of a competitor than Lynch,” Wright said. “That boy could play for me anytime.”

It took nearly the entire fourth quarter for them to catch up but they were within 108-105 after Clint Wheeler tipped in a shot. The 60-64 Tomcats turned it over but Benny Spears’ 3-pointer from the deep corner ticked off the rim and Gene Smith pulled down the last of his nine rebounds.

“We came all the way back and had a chance to tie,” Cole said. “That’s a good sign for the rest of the series. Our backs are to the wall but if we can play defense like did in that fourth quarter, we can beat those guys.”

Both teams used the 3-pointer with the 65-69 Tomcats hitting 10 of 28 and the 60-64 Tomcats making 7 of 25.

“I’m still not sure about the 3-pointer,” Larry Conley said. “I need a little more practice at it.”

Larry and Joe Conley were laughing off the brotherly push in the back that triggered the seven-point play.

“You better push a little harder next time little brother,” Larry said.

“Don’t worry,” Joe shot back with a snicker. “That was just a love tap. You won’t get up the next time.”

Game 2 in the series will be Thursday night.

1965-69 TOMCAT ALL-STARS (106) – Lynch 11-23 7-7 32, Jackson 5-13 0-0 12, Spears 9-22 1-4 21, Conley 3-12 2-2 9, Wheeler 5-11 3-3 13, Owens 3-5 1-1 8, Williams 2-3 0-0 5 , Kleykamp 0-1 0-0 0, M.Griffith 2-2 0-0 4, Baldridge 1-2 0-0 2. FG: 41-95. FT: 14-17. 3FG: 10-28 (Lynch 3-6, Jackson 2-7, Spears 2-4, Conley 1-6, Owens 1-2, Williams 1-2, Kleykamp 0-1). Rebounds: 47 (Lynch 7, Jackson 4, Speaks 6, Conley 7, Wheeler 12, Owens 3, Williams 1, M.Griffith 5, Baldridge 2). PF: 25. Turnovers: 13.

1960-64 TOMCAT ALL-STARS (111) – Sparks 7-15 1-2 20, Smith 0-8 0-0 0, Conley 10-15 13-17 34, McKenzie 7-12 1-2 16, Sergent 11-16 1-2 23, Beam 1-4 4-4 6, Branham 1-5 0-0 2, Cram 0-6 2-2 2, Hilton 0-3 1-2 1, Wright 3-3 1-1 7. FG: 40-87. FT: 24-33. 3FG: 7-25 (Sparks 5-11, Conley 1-3, McKenzie 1-2, Sergent 0-2, Beam 0-2, Branham 0-1, Cram 0-3, Hilton 0-1). Rebounds: 45 (Sparks 7, Smith 9, Conley 7, McKenzie 4, Sergent 9, Beam 2, Branham 2, Cram 2, Hilton 3). Assists: 21 (Sparks 4, Smith 1, Conley 6, McKenzie 2, Sergent 4, Beam 3, Branham 1). PF: 18. Turnovers: 13.

1965-69 TOMCATS     28         32         25         21      –      106

1960-64 TOMCATS     36         30         36          9       –      111

ASHLAND, Ky. – It was back to the Ashland High School gym for the deciding game between the 1950-54 and 1955-59 Ashland Tomcat All-Stars.

The teams had split two previous games in the best-of-3 series and the winner will advance in the Tomcat Shootout featuring the best of the best Tomcats from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s.

The game was supposed to be at the Ashland Armory again, but 1950-54s coach George Conley balked at the venue. He said George Carroll had an unfair advantage playing in the gym with the fan-shaped backboards.

“That boy must sneak in there and play all the time,” Conley said after Carroll scorched his team for 37 points in a Game 2 victory. “No way we’re playing that game where he has such an advantage. We’re moving it back to the high school.”

They agreed to the switch but it seemed as if the 1955-59 Tomcats, who were decided underdogs when the series began, had at least gotten in the heads of the 1950-54 Tomcats.

Earl “Brother” Adkins, one of the stars on the 1950-54 team, wasn’t completely healthy after spraining his ankle in the Game 2 loss. But he was going to play.

“We weren’t sure we could play with them when this series started,” said Larry Castle, who is the second-leading scorer for the 55-59 All-Stars. “Now we know we can.”

It was bold talk.

The game was all the buzz in Ashland with a big buildup. The lines were long at the ticket booth even before the teams arrived for a pre-game shootaround. Nobody had seen this kind of crowd in years. The radio talk shows couldn’t get enough of it either. Dick Martin, who had called the first two games, said the third game would be epic and “I like those young kids from 1955-59.”

That statement started a fight in the barber shot on Greenup Avenue.

“They shouldn’t have won that second game,” one fan said.

“That’s bullcrap, what do you mean? Carroll lit them up,” came the answer.

After some pushing and shoving, they rolled out the door and into the street before it was broken up. Emotions were running high, to say the least.

Both coaches said the team that plays the best defense will come out on top.

“I’ve never had a team give up 100 points and we’ve done it twice in a row now,” said an agitated Conley. “I know we’re playing more minutes but giving up 100 points is something that I’ll ever get used to happening. And its not happening tonight.”

This was different with both teams loaded with great shooters. The 1950s era championship was going to be decided most likely with offense.

For the first time in the series, the 1955-59 Tomcats were the aggressors, jumping ahead 22-21 in the first quarter and 49-41 at the half. The lead was 13 points at one time with Castle’s 15 points leading the surge before intermission.

“We had a lot different feeling going in ahead at halftime,” said 55-59 coach Bob Lavoy. “We may have started celebrating a little too soon.”

The message on the other side of the court was loud and with some fury as the fiery Conley let his players have it for the first 10 minutes. He did settle down and made some changes that worked almost immediately.

Adkins was struggling on the bad ankle, but he remained in the game. He gutted out a 22-point performance, practically playing on one foot, but was only 8-for-23 shooting. He also committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers.

The third quarter was dominated by Jerry Henderson and Bob Emrick. They not only erased the eight-point deficit but went ahead 54-53 on Bill Gray’s 18-footer from the corner. Henderson and Darryle Kouns seemed to bring down every rebound in sight. Henderson’s two free throws pushed the lead to 58-54 with five minutes to play in the third quarter and took momentum into the last quarter with a 70-64 lead.

“We needed something to happen for us,” Lavoy said. “And then it did.”

The 1955-59 Tomcats had been outscored 29-15 with nobody able to find the range in the third quarter. Carroll’s shots weren’t falling and Castle was off the mark too. Humphreys’ shooting and Dale Griffith’s rebounding kept it close.

They were still trailing 72-68 when Adkins drove to the basket and collided with Griffith, who was standing his ground. The officials called a charge and Conley went into a rage. He ran onto the floor contesting the call and was given a technical foul. Conley returned to the bench, still angry, and then turned around, going after the referee again. The second technical foul meant he was tossed from the game with the help of a police escort.

Conley was able to give some quick instructions to his manager, Jim Host, who had to take over the coaching duties. Host was no ordinary manager. He was more like an assistant coach who knew the game well. The 1950-54 Tomcats huddled around him and his instructions were clear: “We’re going to win this for Coach Conley,” Host said. “He fought for you guys now it’s time to fight for him.”

When the game resumed, though, momentum had clearly shifted.

It took another three minutes, but the 1955-59 Tomcats regained the lead when Humphreys banked in a 12-footer for a 79-78 lead. Humphreys played a key role with 18 points. Bill Kazee followed that basket with a steal and breakaway layup for an 81-78 advantage.

The 1950-54 Tomcats had another empty possession and Castle came down and scored on a slick drive to the basket and, just like that, the margin had swelled to 83-78.

“When we got the lead to five, we started feeling like this could really happen,” Castle said. “But we knew they were coming after us.”

Playing with urgency and some good bench strategy from Host, who employed a 1-3-1 press, they pulled within 85-84 on John Eggleston’s score from 5 feet. The 1950-54 Tomcats had three chances to regain the lead, but Emrick had a jumper spin out, and two point-blank putbacks fell off the rim, too.

Adkins scored on a 15-footer to get them within 87-86 but Carroll was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all three attempts for a 90-86 lead with only 22 seconds remaining. Gray scored from outside to make it 90-88, but Carroll hit another free throw and the 1950-54 Tomcats missed a pressured 20-footer at the buzzer.

The improbable had happened. The 1955-59 Tomcats had won the game 91-88 in a shocking upset that clinched the series.

“I can’t believe it,” said Carroll, who scored 25 but was only 8-for-19 shooting. Castle scored 24 and Griffith pulled down 10 rebounds. David Patton had four points and six rebounds in a key reserve role.

“I’m so proud of these guys,” Lavoy said. “Nobody gave them much of a chance against these guys and maybe for good reason. We were fortunate. Defense won this game. These guys played their (butts) off in all three games.”

Adkins scored 22 with seven assists to lead five in double figures. Gray scored 17, Emrick 14 and Henderson and Darryle Kouns 12 apiece. Henderson and Kouns also collected a combined 38 rebounds – 20 for Henderson and 18 for Kouns.

However, the 1950-54 Tomcats were forced into 27 turnovers and shot only 38 percent from the field.

“It wasn’t our best effort,” Adkins said, his ankle wrapped in ice. “Those 55-59 guys came at us hard. This was the toughest game of the three as far as being physical. We wish them the best.”

Castle said Adkins wasn’t himself because of the sprained ankle. “He didn’t have that extra gear, like he normally does, because of the ankle. That was a break for us.”

Host was given kudos from both teams for filling when Conley was thrown out.

“I tell you what,” Humphreys said, “when he had them go to that 1-3-1 trap it really bothered us. That was a good move that almost won it for them. They didn’t lose because Coach Conley got tossed.”

Conley agreed, giving the 55-59 Tomcats their due. “What a great team,” he said. “Castle and Carroll can shoot with anybody. They can win this thing.”

Carroll was named the Most Outstanding Player. The 1955-59 Tomcats advance to the quarterfinal round of the Tomcat Shootout.

1955-59 ASHLAND (91) – Humphreys 8-17 1-1 18, Kazee 4-8 0-0 8, Castle 10-18 3-4 24, Griffith 3-7 0-0 6, Carroll 8-19 9-12 25, Meeks 0-2 2-2 2, Wright 0-3 2-2 2, Church 0-1 0-0 0, Campbell 0-2 0-0 0, Patton 2-2 2-3 4. FG: 35-80. FT: 19-24. 3FG: 2-7 (Castle 1-5, Humphrey 1-1, Carroll 0-1). Rebounds: 38 (Humphreys 3, Kazee 1, Castle 7, Griffith 10, Carroll 4, Meeks 2, Wright 1, Patton 6). Assists: 18 (Humphreys 3, Kazee 3, Castle 2, Griffith 2, Carroll 4, Meeks 1, Wright 2, Campbell 1). PF: 22. Turnovers: 22.

1950-54 ASHLAND (88) – Adkins 8-23 4-6 22, Gray 7-16 1-1 17, Emrick 5-17 3-4 14, Henderson 4-12 4-6 12, Kouns 6-10 0-4 12, Lowe 0-1 0-0 0, Rice 1-2 0-0 3, Jennings 2-7 0-0 4, Eggleston 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 1-2 0-0 2. FG: 35-92. FT: 12-21. 3FG: 6-18 (Adkins 2-7, Gray 2-4, Emrick 1-4, Rice 1-1). Rebounds: 61 (Adkins 6, Gray 4, Emrick 6, Henderson 20, Kouns 18, Lowe 1, Rice 1, Jennings 3, Eggleston 2). Assists: 16 (Adkins 7, Gray 2, Emrick 2, Henderson 1, Kouns 1, Jennings 2, Eggleston 1).

1955-59 ASHLAND       22         27         15         27      –         91

1950-54 ASHLAND       21         20         29         18       –         88

ASHLAND, Ky. – The second game of the Tomcat Shoot between 1950s era All-Stars was supposed to be played at Ashland High School but it was moved to the Ashland Armory to accommodate more fans.

The only problem: The Rattling Brothers Circus was in town the day before and the elephants, uh, left their signature behind. The court was a mess, including some sticky spots from where sno-cones had been split and not cleaned up.

The All-Stars came in for the shootaround and found the mess.

“What the heck is this?” shouted 1950-54 Coach George Conley. “My team can’t play in this pig sty!”

“Uh, Mr. Conley, sir, uh, we’re going to be cleaning it up,” said one of the workers at the Armory.

“You’ll clean it up or I’ll use your head as a mop!” Conley shot back.

It was only two hours before tipoff and one side of the court still needed a lot of work. All 20 players – each of the 10-man rosters – had a shootaround on one side of the court. The 50-54 players noticed that George Carroll never seemed to miss.

“What’s with this guy?” asked Brother Adkins.

Carroll had one of the best games ever at the Armory in 1956 when he scored 52 points in a win over Carr Creek. Larry Castle, an All-Star teammate, remembered watching the game with his father. When Carroll’s long bombs would scorch the net, it would flip up and get caught on the rim. Coach Bob Lavoy, who was also the 1955-59 All-Star coach, went out onto the court and fixed it every time. He was 6-foot-9.

The net was flipping up again every time Carroll put up a patented bomb.

“We better watch this guy,” Adkins said. “I never thought anybody could shoot like that.”

“Except you,” said teammate Jerry Henderson.

The stage was being set for another shootout in the Tomcat Shootout. The 50-54 All-Stars had won the opener 116-109 the previous night. A standing-room-only crowd watched the action from start to finish and they were already lined up to get inside.

Most of them had their money on the 1950-54 All-Stars to finish the sweep.

Swish!

Swish!

Swish!

Three more bombs from Carroll found the bottom of the net. It was hard to believe.

“We’ll see once the game begins,” said Jim Meeks, a 50-54 All-Star. “If he shoots like that during the game, Coach Conley will have all our (butts).”

The game started with a rush as both teams hurried it up and down the floor. Adkins pulled up and buried an 18-footer to put the 50-54 Tomcats in front, 19-10. But by quarter’s end, the 55-59 Tomcats had recovered and led 28-27.

“We were teetering there in the first quarter,” Lavoy said. “George and Larry kept us in the game right there.”

Carroll knocked down a 3-pointer from about 25 feet out to put the 55-59 Tomcats in front for the first time at 21-19.

The 50-54 All-Stars went on a rampage in the second quarter, outscoring the 55-59 All-Stars 29-17 to hold a decisive 56-45 lead. Much like the first game in the series, they had taken control.

Carroll was doing his part, scoring 14, but it only kept the 55-59 Tomcats close. But something happened in the third quarter and it had everything to do with Carroll. He caught fire, scoring 21 points in the quarter with some textbook shooting. No matter who they tried guarding him, he scored. Carroll was automatic and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

“He was hotter than a pistol,” Conley said. “I stopped being mad about it and just watched him. But, by gawd, he wasn’t going to do it to us in the fourth quarter.”

Carroll wasn’t effective in the fourth quarter but still finished with a game-high 37 points in an incredible performance. The 50-54 Tomcats essentially double-teamed him but Castle picked up the slack, scoring 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.

“When you have two shooters like those guys, it’s hard to lose,” Lavoy said. “I hadn’t seen Carroll shoot like that since that ’56 game here against Carr Creek. It was a similar kind of game, too.”

Carroll put the 55-59 Tomcats ahead for the first time in the second half at 74-73. The game was tight the rest of the way. Adkins missed about five minutes of the fourth quarter after slipping on the sticky spot where the sno-cone spilled. It seemed the janitors cleaned up the elephant mess, but not the mess from the kids.

“I was able to come back in and play, but it’s bothering me now,” Adkins said.

After the 50-54 Tomcats regained the lead at 104-103 on Bob Emrick’s jumper off the baseline, Dale Griffith came up with the play of the game. He rebounded a miss from Carroll with one hand, gathered it in and did a drop-step dunk to put the 55-59 Tomcats in front 105-104. Howard Humphreys stole the inbounds pass and flipped to David Patton for another basket and a 107-104 advantage with 42 seconds remaining. Castle finished it off with a free throw after another turnover for a 108-104 victory.

“Two turnovers inside the last minute,” fumed Conley. “That’s not winning basketball.”

Humphreys collected 15 points and eight rebounds and Bill Kazee had 10 points and 13 assists.

Five players were in double figures for the 50-54 Tomcats, led by Adkins with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The 50-54 Tomcats were 0-for-8 on 3-pointers while the 55-59 Tomcats shot 3-for-16 from behind the arc.

Game 3 in the series will be Wednesday.

1950-54 ASHLAND (104) – Henderson 4-9 6-6 14, Gray 5-14 3-4 13, Eggleston 4-14 3-4 11, Adkins 11-20 3-3 25, Emrick 9-23 0-2 18, Kouns 3-5 0-0 6, Lowe 2-11 2-2 6, Jennings 2-5 0-0 4, Jones 1-3 1-2 3. FG: 43-107. FT: 18-23. 3FG: 0-8 (Henderson 0-3, Adkins 0-4, Lowe 0-1). Rebounds: 54 (Henderson 12, Gray 2, Eggleston 8, Adkins 6, Emrick 3, Kouns 13, Lowe 6, Jennings 2, Rice 2). Assists: 24 (Henderson 8, Gray 4, Eggleston 4, Emrick 3, Kouns 1, Lowe 1, Jennings 2, Jones 1). PF: 15. Turnovers: 20.

1955-59 ASHLAND (108) – Humphreys 5-12 5-6 15, Carroll 15-30 4-4 37, Griffith 2-14 0-0 4, Kazee 4-16 2-2 10, Castle 8-20 4-8 20, Patton 4-11 0-0 8, Wright 2-7 0-0 4, Meeks 2-4 2-2 6, Campbell 1-1 0-0 2, Church 1-3 0-0 2. FG: 44-118. FT: 7-22. 3FG: 3-16 (Humphreys 0-4, Carroll 3-11, Wright 0-1). Rebounds: 73 (Humphreys 8, Carroll 4, Griffith 9, Kazee 13, Castle 1, Patton 1, Wright 1, Church 1). PF: 18. Turnovers: 24.

1950-54 ASHLAND    27         29         17         31     –            104

1950-59 ASHLAND    28         17         33         30      –           108