ASHLAND, Ky. – The 2000-04 Tomcat All-Stars followed the same script as the series opener in sweeping the 2005-09 Tomcats with a 117-97 victory in the Tomcat Shootout.

It was an identical instant replay.

The 2005-09 tried everything to slow Mark Surgalski – man-to-man, triangle-and-two, box-and-one, matchup zones, 2-3 zone, 1-3-1 zone – and nothing seemed to work. They even pulled down his trunks on one putback attempt.

Surgalski grabbed a rebound, went up for the dunk and his trunks were suddenly at his ankles. Danny Coleman was called for a technical foul, but claimed innocence when the ref blew the whistle and put the T in his face.

“Hey, guys, I didn’t do anything,” he said. “I’m a victim of circumstance just because I’m related to Bill Bradley. And, besides, Surgalski’s shorts were loose. Anybody could see that! I can’t believe you’re giving me a technical!”

Coleman happened to be behind Surgalski when he soared up for the dunk-putback.

“He was tugging at them,” Surgalski said. “Come on Danny, you know you did it.”

Coach Buddy Biggs of the 2005-09 Tomcats, did accomplish the goal of slowing Surgalski, who had “only” 15 points and 10 rebounds. Biggs never used the kitchen sink that was seen under his chair.

But the added attention on Surgalski opened things up for Arliss Beach, who was outstanding with 25 points and 12 assists. The muscular Beach was impossible to stop on drives to the basket and he hit some jumpers, too. He was 10 of 15 from the field. Jeremy Howell also found plenty of openings on the perimeter and scored 22.

The game was a carbon copy of the opener with the 2000-04 Tomcats never trailing. They led 31-18 after the first quarter and built a lead of 26 points.

“Two great games,” said 2000-04 Coach Mike Flynn. “They tried a little bit of everything on Mark but he hung in there with it, even when they pants-ed him. I gotta admit getting a chuckle out of how Danny Coleman reacted to that technical. He was doing anything he could to get into Mark’s head.”

Surgalski was a “human” 6-for-15 shooting so Coleman’s mental war may have done a little damage.

“Nah,” said Surgalski. “We were just having fun. My guys picked me up with some good games, too. This team isn’t just me.”

Six players scored in double figures and the 2000-04 Tomcats had 29 assists, led by Beach’s dozen.

Zack Davis had 14 points and nine rebounds and Matt Johnson collected 14 points and seven rebounds. Adam Howard added 12 points.

The second game of the series was a little closer throughout, hovering between 12 and 17 points most of the game. It grew to 26 points with three minutes to play when Howard drove for basket and the rest of the game was played in a near-empty Anderson gym.

“We had some edges on them because of the matchups,” Flynn said. “That happens sometimes although I’m not sure many teams can match up with Mark and Arliss. Most of these teams have some really good players but I wouldn’t trade those guys. We have some other shooters on this team too. It’ll be a tough team to beat.”

Biggs agreed that the Surgalski-Beach duo is a nightmare matchup for anybody.

“But try stopping them and Jeremy and Adam?” he said of the Tomcats’ guards. “Matt Johnson is so tough inside, too. Just a very well-rounded team and Coach Flynn is one of the best around. They dominated us.”

Meanwhile, Coleman was continuing to claim he didn’t deserve the technical foul.

“I guess it’s the ‘Bradley reputation’ that got me there,” he said. “I didn’t do anything, I swear! Why would I do that?”

Matt Thomas collected 19 points, six assists and five rebounds while Drew McDavid and Dylan Delaney scored 15 apiece for the 2005-09 Tomcats. Brett Miller hit 6-of-8 attempts and scored 13 and Ryan Bonner collected seven points and 10 rebounds,

For the second game in a row, the 2005-2009 team got off exactly 100 shots and outrebounded the 2004-05 Tomcats, 49-48.

Biggs also pointed to a large discrepancy at the foul line. The 2000-04 Tomcats were 25 of 40 from the line while the 2005-09 Tomcats were 10 of 19.

“I’m not complaining, mind you, but that’s a pretty big gap,” Biggs said. “And Surgalski … well … let’s just say he gets away with a lot. That ‘star factor’ was at play for him. Ask Danny Coleman about that. He knows.”

“You tell ‘em Coach,” Coleman said. “They guy got away with murder out there!”

The 2010-14 Tomcats play the 2015-2020 Tomcats in the next series to determine the quarterfinalists.

It will not start until later in the week from Anderson gym.

2005-09 TOMCATS (97) – McDavid 6-13 2-2 15, Wilcox 4-10 0-3 10, Thomas 8-22 2-6 19, Delaney 6-17 3-4 15, Bonner 3-6 1-2 7, Skaggs 3-10 1-1 8, Miller 6-8 1-1 13, C.Johnson 1-4 0-0 2, Coleman 3-7 0-0 6, Cannoy 1-5 0-0 2. FG: 41-102. FT: 10-19. 3FG: 5-23 (McDavid 1-2, Wilcox 2-6, Thomas 1-5, Delaney 0-1, Skaggs 1-2, Coleman 0-2, Cannoy 0-3). Rebounds: 49 (McDavid 4, Wilcox 6, Thomas 5, Bonner 10, Skaggs 2, Miller 12, Delaney 4, C.Johnson 1, Coleman 5). Assists: 19 (McDavid 3, Thomas 6, Delaney 1, Skaggs 3, C.Johnson 2, Coleman 2, Cannoy 2). PF: 24. Turnovers: 15.

2000-04 TOMCATS (117) – Beach 10-15 4-7 25, Howell 9-16 4-6 22, Surgalski 6-15 3-4 15, M.Johnson 6-13 2-2 14, Davis 6-8 2-8 14, Salyers 1-4 1-2 3, Howard 4-5 3-4 12, Cooksey 1-2 4-4 6, J.Cook 1-2 2-3, C.Cook 1-1 0-0 2. FG: 45-81. FT: 25-40. 3FG: 2-7 (Beach 1-2, Howell 0-2, M.Johnson 0-1, Howard 1-1). Rebounds: 48 (Beach 4, Howell 6, Surgalski 10, M.Johnson 7, Davis 9, Salyer 3, Howard 5, Cooksey 2, J.Cook 1, .Cook 2). Assists: 29 (Beach 12, Howell 2, Surgalski 3, M.Johnson 2, Davis 2, Salyer 1, Cooksey 4, J.Cook 2, C.Cook 1). PF: 19. Turnovers: 9.

2005-09 TOMCATS         18      22      33       24        –            97

2000-04 TOMCATS         31      26       30      30        –            117

 

ASHLAND, Ky. – Mark Surgalski and Arliss Beach were one of the most formidable duos in Ashland Tomcat history.

The 2005-2009 Tomcats learned that the hard way in the Tomcat Shootout.

In a thoroughly dominating victory, the 2000-2004 Tomcats romped 110-96 in a game that wasn’t as close as it sounds. Surgalski scored 37 and Beach collected 15 points and 10 assists in the buzzer to buzzer victory.

The game was tied once at 4-4 but the 2005-2009 Tomcats never led for one second. Surgalski’s dominating play made sure of it. He was 12 of 23 from the field and sank all 11 of his free throw attempts. A big man with touch is a good thing.

It was a 3-pointer from Surgalski with 5:23 remaining that snuffed out any hope for the 2005-09 Tomcats, who had pulled within 97-89 on Dylan Delaney’s reverse layup.

Beach came right back and fired a skip pass to Surgalski who was set up behind the 3-point line. He fired and swished it to make it 100-89 and the advantage never dipped below double figures. And that’s when people started leaving Anderson gym and wondering if the 2005-09 Tomcats had any chance in the best-of-3 series.

“When Surgalski is bombing in threes and Beach is doing whatever he wants out there, there’s not much hope of winning,” said frustrated 2005-09 coach Buddy Biggs. “I tried everything against Surgalski. He abused us with whatever we tried. We surrounded him, we set up in front of him and behind him and he still scored. He owned us.”

Not only did they lead the entire way but the advantage once swelled to 28 points at 89-61 when Derek Cooksey used a stop-and-go move to zip around his defender.

“I tell you what, we played some good basketball tonight and I don’t mean just Mark and Arliss,” said 2000-04 coach Mike Flynn. “These guys were ready to play. There was some smack talk going on in pregame warmups. That was a bad idea. Surgalski and Beach came into the locker room before the game with fire in their eyes.”

Danny Coleman tried to get in Surgalski’s head during the game, with some digs at him that nobody else heard, but it obviously backfired. The mental warfare became fuel for one of the best bigs in Tomcat history. He also had 10 rebounds.

“Those guys were running their mouths a little too much,” Surgalski said. “I was pumped. I’m ready to play the next game now. Quit the talking and play the game.”

Coleman, who had nine points, said he was just having some fun with Surgalski. “But it sure wasn’t fun for us when he put 37,” he said. “I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on. I was just trying to continue a Bradley family tradition of badgering opponents. It’s part of my DNA.”

Beach was super too with some pinpoint passing that freed up Adam Howard and Jeremy Howell for open jumpers. They scored 11 and 13, respectively. Zack Davis also had 11 points.

“Five in double figures is a lot when one guy has 37 points,” Flynn said. “Any of those five can have a game like Mark had tonight. I like this team a lot. We can challenge anybody in this series.”

Cooksey put the 2000-04 Tomcats into a double-figure lead the first time at 25-14 with 1:31 remaining in the first quarter.

“We have to put this one behind us,” Biggs said. “We’re better than we played tonight but it will take a super effort to beat these guys. We can’t let Surgalski and Beach have their way against us. I’ll be up all night trying to figure it out.”

Drew McDavid and Ryan Bonner scored 17 apiece and Matt Thomas added 12 points and nine rebounds for the 2005-09 Tomcats.

Bonner and Brett Miller found themselves in foul trouble trying to slow down Surgalski.

One encouraging note for the 2005-09 Tomcats: They had a 54-36 rebounding advantage and launched 100 field goal attempts.

The 2000-04 Tomcats shot 52 percent from the field and made all 15 of their free throws.

“That rebound statistic is puzzling but something we can build on,” Biggs said.

2000-2004 TOMCATS (110) – Beach 7-12 0-0 15, Howard 4-8 0-0 11, Surgalski 12-23 11-11 37, Howell 5-12 2-2 13, Davis 5-10 0-0 11, Salyer 1-6 2-2 4, Cooksey 3-3 0-0 6, M.Johnson 4-5 0-0 8, J.Cook 1-1 0-0 2, C.Cook 1-2 0-0 3. FG: 43-82. FT: 15-15. 3FG: 9-25 (Beach 1-6, Howard 3-6, Surgalski 2-5, Howell 1-3, Davis 0-1, Salyer 0-2, M.Johnson 0-1. C.Cook 1-1). Rebounds: 36 (Howard 5, Surgalski 10, Howell 7, Davis 6, Salyer 3, Cooksey 2, M.Johnson 3). Assists: 26 (Beach 10, Howard 3, Surgalski 2, Howell 4, Davis 1, Salyer 2, Cooksey 2, M.Johnson 2). PF: 13. Turnovers: 10.

2005-2009 TOMCATS (96) – McDavid 7-14 2-3 17, Wilcox 4-14 1-2 9, Bonner 7-14 3-4 17, Miller 4-7 0-2 8, Thomas 5-14 2-2 12, Cannoy 2-9 1-1 5, C.Johnson 2-7 0-0 4, Coleman 4-6 0-0 9, Skaggs 3-7 0-0 8, Delaney 3-8 0-0 7. FG: 41-100. FT: 9-14. 3FG: 5-13 (McDavid 1-2, Wilcox 0-2, Bonner 0-1, Cannoy 0-1, Coleman 1-2, Skaggs 2-4, Delaney 1-1). Rebounds: 54 (McDavid 7, Wilcox 5, Bonner 9, Miller 7, Thomas 9, Cannoy 2, C.Johnson 6, Coleman 1, Skaggs 4, Delaney 4). Assists: 23 (McDavid 5, Wilcox 2, Bonner 4, Thomas 5, Cannoy 4, C.Johnson 2, Delaney 1). PF: 15. Turnovers: 15.

2000-2004 TOMCATS     31         27         31         21     –        110

2005-2009 TOMCATS     16         30         20         30     –         96

 

 

ASHLAND, Ky. – The 1990-94 Tomcat All-Stars looked to be home free.

They may have already started thinking about the next round of the Tomcat Shootout. The 90-94 team led the stunned 1995-90 by 20 points at halftime and by 23 points with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter. Rob Lynch’s long jumper made it 80-57.

Public address announcer Chuck Rist was looking for his “Celebration” disc at the scorer’s table.

But basketball can be a funny game. Better hold that song, Chuck. Maybe find “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

The lead was double figures at 97-84 with 4:35 to play, but the 95-99 Tomcats were coming. Kyle Umberger and Darrell Arbaugh were banging inside and the momentum had clearly swung.

Coach Jeff Hall had already used all of his timeouts to blunt the rally but nothing seemed to be working.

“I was just hoping we could hang on,” he admitted later.

Fifteen consecutive points later and the 95-99 Tomcats had done the unthinkable and regained the lead at 98-97 when Michael Lynch drilled a 15-footer with cousin Rob’s hand in his face.

The crowd was going bonkers, the loudest anybody had ever heard them. The locked down chairs were coming unbolted from all the stomping. The stands were literally shaking. The lid was about to come off James A. Anderson Gymnasium.

Tomcat radio voice Dicky Martin was speechless. Can you imagine that? It’s true. There was dead air after Lynch put one in over his cousin. It the 15-0 run that nobody saw coming.

“I was flabbergasted,” he said. “How could they make that kind of a comeback? These two teams are just great. But I wouldn’t have given the 95-99 a chance in million when it was 13 points with four minutes to play. This was a Tomcat classic.”

But it wasn’t over. The teams were tied at 101 with 45 unbelievable seconds to play.

It was the third game of the series with the winner moving on to the quarterfinals of the Tomcat Shootout and both of them wanted it bad because they each thought there was a good chance of winning it all.

An incredible start, though, made it look like it was the 90-94 team’s game to win in a walkaway.

Hall used a different strategy with trying to play more of a two-man game with Thomas and Rob Lynch. He kept the sharpshooting Lynch on the perimeter and posted up Thomas down loan. The 95-99 Tomcats were willing to take a chance on Lynch, who missed 10 of 13 shots in Game 2.

But he found the range on the way to 25 points, making 10 of 13 attempts. Meanwhile, Thomas got his shots too and the 95-99 Tomcats’ plan was to be more physical with him. He made 8 of 11 free throws and pulled down 11 rebounds while scoring a game-high 27 points.

The two-man game combined for 52 points. That allowed Nathan Kirk to collect 11 points and 10 rebounds and Jason Strader, always the playmaker, had nine points and 12 assists.

The game was fairly tight for a quarter but the 90-94 Tomcats had put up 30 points. Then they matched that total in the second quarter and led 60-40 at the half.

Coach Wayne Breeden’s voice could be heard through locked doors and it sounded like a few items were being thrown too.

“It was kind of scary in there,” Umberger said. “I’ve never seen him so mad.”

They didn’t want to face that wrath again. So the comeback started. The deficit was a manageable 81-68 after three quarters.

“That’s when we knew we could win it,” Michael Lynch said. “We wanted to get it under double figures halfway through the last quarter.”

The 15-0 run saw the normally strong floor game of the 90-94 Tomcats begin to erode. Eventually, Hall put Ryan Robinson in to help Strader break the press that was causing turnover after turnover.

“They forgot everything they were ever taught and even during the timeouts, I could read panic on their faces,” Hall said. “I mean, these are great ballplayers and they were literally falling apart.”

The 95-99 Tomcats caught them and then took the lead and then fell behind again before Michael Lynch’s clutch shot evened it again at 101.

Thomas made two free throws for a 103-101 lead and Chris Lynch set up on the block and drove in for a basket that tied it again at 103 with only 10 seconds remaining.

Hall was out of timeouts, having used them to blunt the rally. Dicky Martin was standing up calling the game he was so excited and the normally collected Rist kept fumbling around for the song that was going to fit the ending. Everybody in the place was on their feet.

Jason Strader hurried it down the floor. He was looking for Thomas but he wasn’t in his usual spot on a block. He had slipped to the deep corner with Chris Lynch trailing him. He gathered in the high pass, stopped and launched a shot with the 6-7 Lynch rushing at him, hand outstretched. He looked like he got a finger on the ball but it didn’t throw off the trajectory much. Thomas was a foot in front of the 3-point line at the end of the floor closest to the lobby when he let it fly with the game in the balance.

The doorways were full of people watching. Everybody’s eyes followed the ball as it left Thomas’ hand, ticked off Lynch’s finger and then rattled back and forth on the rim three times before dropping through for a 105-103 victory.

As the 90-94 Tomcats rushed the floor and breathed a sigh of relief, the crushed 95-99 Tomcats fell to their knees in defeat, pounding the gym floor. A remarkable comeback had ended with a devastating loss.

“You can’t console them when they lose a game like this,” said Breeden, whose team outscored the 90-94 Tomcats 63-45 in the second half. “They showed what they’re about with that comeback. I’m proud of them.”

Michael Lynch scored 22 and Umberger had 19 points and nine rebounds. Tate Tolbert, playing strong again at the point guard, had 15 points and 10 assists. Arbaugh collected 11 points and 15 rebounds.

“Incredible game,” Breeden said. “I have to go find Marty and shake his hand.”

Thomas was named the series MVP after scoring 43 and 27 in the last two games.

“I’ll take Marty Thomas or Robby Lynch shooting from anywhere at any time,” Hall said. “But did we ever almost choke that game or what?”

Rist cued up Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” as a salute to both teams and Dicky settled down after smoking half a pack of cigarettes.

Next up: The 2000-2004 Tomcats vs. the 2005-2009 Tomcats.

1995-99 ASHLAND (103) – Tolbert 6-20 3-4 15, M.Lynch 9-21 2-3 22, Umberger 8-14 2-4 19, C.Lynch 4-11 4-4 12, Arbaugh 5-7 1-2 11, Estep 2-3 0-0 4, Barrow 2-7 2-2 6, Cooksey 2-4 0-0 4, Stakely 3-7 0-0 7, Johnson 0-1 1-2 1, B.Strader 1-1 0-0 2. FG: 42-96. FT: 15-21. 3FG: 4-18 (Tolbert 0-4, M.Lynch 2-8, Umberger 1-1, C.Lynch 0-1, Stakely 1-2, Cooksey 0-2). Rebounds: 46 (Tolbert 2, M.Lynch 2, Umberger 9, C.Lynch 10, Arbaugh 15, Estep 2, Barrow 2, Cooksey 4. Assists: 27 (Tolbert 10, M.Lynch 1, C.Lynch 2, Arbaugh 4, Estep 2, Barrow 2, Stakely 1, Strader 5). PF: 18. Turnovers: 14.

1990-94 ASHLAND (105) – J.Strader 3-11 3-3 9, Young 3-8 0-0 7, Thomas 9-18 8-11 27, R.Lynch 10-13 5-5 25, Kirk 5-10 1-2 11, Keeton 3-10 1-1 9, Robinson 2-7 1-1 5, Greene 2-3 1-2 5, Gray 2-6 0-0 4, Smith 1-2 0-0 3, Salyers 0-3 0-0 0. FG: 40-91. FT: 20-25. 3FG: 5-25 (Young 1-6, Thomas 1-2, R.Lynch 0-2, Kirk 0-3, Keeton 2-4, Robinson 0-2, Greene 0-1, Gray 0-2, Smith 1-1, Salyers 0-2). Rebounds: 53 (J.Strader 4, Young 5, Thomas 11, R.Lynch 5, Kirk 10, Keeton 6, Robinson 5, Greene 4, Gray 1, Smith 1). PF: 20. Turnovers: 17.

1995-99 ASHLAND     25       15       28         35        –            103

1990-94 ASHLAND     30       30       21         24         –           105