Male smacks Breathitt County 94-59 in Sweet 16 Day Two opener

The opening day of the 2023 UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 on Wednesday saw more thrilling finishes than not, but day two started off on the complete opposite foot.

During the first game of Thursday’s action, the No. 6 Male Bulldogs had little issue dismantling the Breathitt County Bobcats, cruising to a 94-59 win inside Rupp Arena. Five different Bulldogs finished in double-figures as the team shot 56 percent overall, including an efficient 15-33 clip (the most made triples in Sweet 16 history) from beyond the arc.

Breathitt County didn’t shoot poorly, finishing 50 percent from the floor, but 20 turnovers compared to just six for Male spelled doom for the Bobcats. Male, which came to the tournament sporting “3 > 2” t-shirts, made it a point to get up as many shots from deep as possible. That strategy worked to perfection.

“When we shoot the ball, it’s just like everything is a good shot,” Senior guard Demetris White said postgame. “I don’t think we took any bad shots between everybody on the team.”

Breathitt County, which made the Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years, came out looking like a team ready to make a state championship run, racing out to an early 12-5 lead before anyone could blink. The fast-paced energy would always favor Male, but the Bobcats were hitting all the right buttons in the opening minutes. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.

After Breahitt County jumped out to a seven-point lead with 3:09 left in the first quarter, Male began to make its mark over and over again. The Bulldogs rattled off 13 straight points over the next couple of minutes to take control of the game before closing the opening frame with a 20-14 lead. It would only get worse for Breathitt County from there.

Male struck first, second, and third to begin the second quarter, building a 15-point lead not even three minutes into the period. The three-pointers were flying left and right as the Bulldogs continued to control the tempo. Male led by as many as 29 points at one point before settling on a 54-27 halftime lead, doubling up the Bobcats through one half of action.

Male can’t miss from deep right now. Freshman Cole Edelen now 4-5 from deep. Male a combined 9-17 from 3. This is already getting out hand at Rupp.

Male leads 48-22 with 2:25 until half. Breathitt County calls timeout. pic.twitter.com/1idTlfwjlQ

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) March 16, 2023

The Bulldogs shot 9-18 from beyond the arc in the first half and was powered by a trio of players in double-figures: Freshman Cole Edelen (12), sophomore Jayson Gasaway (12), and senior Jack Edelen (11). Breathitt County was led by 10 points from senior Luke Bellamy. Male’s constant ball pressure didn’t help the Bobcats’ cause either, forcing Breathitt County into 13 first-half turnovers.

“I felt like our advantage was to try to speed it up,” Male head coach Tim Haworth said. “I felt like if we could get the game into the 70s, 80s, or 90s, it was gonna be hard for them to beat us. But (forcing turnovers) definitely helped us get some transition shots and some different things like that.”

To open up the third quarter, Breathitt County made sure to keep the game semi-competitive, but Male’s advantage was far too much to overcome. The Bulldogs ballooned its lead to 30-plus for most of the period as the Bobcats couldn’t do enough to chip away. After a double-technical foul was called on Male’s Shammi Gates and Breathitt County’s Austin Sperry with roughly 20 seconds left in the third, there wasn’t much drama left in this one.

With only eight minutes separating Male from a berth in the Sweet 16 quarterfinals, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way for the Bulldogs. Male was able to bring in the reserves halfway through the fourth quarter, which fired up the Bulldogs’ jam-packed student section even more, and held onto its massive lead. In fact, Rupp Arena was at its loudest when a handful of Male bench players entered the game and hit some tough shots down the stretch.

In the end, Male cruised to the 35-point victory, securing a spot on Friday night where they’ll face the winner of No. 2 Frederick Douglass and Martin County.

In spite of the loss on the hardwood, Breathitt County should still be credited for the entire team’s ability to overcome plenty of adversity. The eastern Kentucky-based school was part of the area hit by devastating floods back in the summer of 2022. To make matters worse, Bobcats’ first-year head coach, BB King, passed away just four games into the season. For the program to still make it this far is a testament to everyone involved.

“It’s hard to put into words how I feel about this team,” Breathitt County head coach Kyle Moore, who is also the school’s football coach but filled in this season for King, said. “They’re just an unbelievable group of young men. Battled a lot of adversity. We sometimes forget these are teenagers and a lot of that is because they act like men… I don’t think I’ve ever been more group of a group.”