December 16th kicked off the 31st annual King of the Bluegrass basketball classic at Fairdale High School. The five-day hoops bonanza featured powerhouses (Ballard, Bullitt East, Pleasure Ridge Park, Central and Fairdale), middle of the pack teams (Moore, North Hardin, Butler, Rowan County, Eastern, Dixie Heights and Bardstown) and a strong selection of out-of-state schools (Orange Lutheran, Calif.; White Station Tenn.; Christ Presbyterian Tenn.; and Thomasville Ga.).
The King of the Bluegrass tournament championship trophy belongs to the Tennessee school Christ Presbyterian (11-1) as they defeated the unlikely finalist Butler Bears 73-60 Wednesday night. Craig Bradshaw led the way for the Christ Presbyterian lions with a game high 29 points. Butler Junior guard Demetrius McReynolds had 19 points and 8 rebounds in the loss. Going into the tournament, Butler (5-4) was far from a favorite and much closer to an afterthought team but that didn’t stop them from advancing with impressive wins over Eastern, Fairdale and Bullitt East.
In the 3rd Place game, Bullitt East edged Ballard 73-66. The Fairdale Bulldogs won the 5th place game by knocking off White Station 63-57 in overtime. Pleasure Ridge Park took home the consolation trophy by defeating Eastern 77-71.
Sophomore Jalen Lindsey of Christ Presbyterian and 2014 University of Louisville recruit was named Bob White MVP of the KOB tournament.
Photo: Courtesy of King of the Bluegrass
