King of the Bluegrass: Manual rallies for win; LaRue County junior scores 41

It may not be pretty all the time, but Manual High School boys basketball coach Miquel Coleman is embracing his team’s identity.

“We have discovered this year that we’re going to win ugly a lot,” he said.

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The Crimsons got it done again Friday night, going on an 8-0 run in the final 51 seconds to beat Woodford County 73-67 in the opening round of the Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic at Fairdale.

Manual improved to 5-3 and is now 3-2 in games decided by five points or fewer.

“I still think this is one of the deepest teams I’ve coached … but we’re inexperienced,” Coleman said. “We’re learning how to win.”

Brady Hurley had 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks to lead the Crimsons, who will face Warren Central in Sunday’s 9 p.m. quarterfinal. Damone King added 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

Woodford County (3-4) led most of the game despite playing without a pair of NCAA Division I prospects. John McCrear, a 6-foot-9 senior who has signed with East Carolina, remained out with an injury. Jasper Johnson, considered by many the state’s top player in the Class of 2025, will miss the entire tournament as he goes through concussion protocols, Yellow Jackets coach Jaron Brown said.

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Makhi Smith’s free throw gave Woodford County a 52-47 lead with 1:04 left, but Malachi Coleman and Justice Decker hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Crimsons a 53-52 lead.

King drew a charging foul on Woodford County’s next possession, and Decker’s layup made it 55-52 with 6 seconds left. Aden Nelson’s 3-point try at the buzzer missed.

Despite his team’s relative inexperience, Coleman has high hopes for this tournament.

“I don’t want to come here and learn; I want to come here and win,” he said.

Manual                             13          14          12          16 – 55

Woodford County           12          15          14          11 – 52

Manual (5-3) – Justice Decker 6, Darin Wells 6, Malachi Coleman 7, Brady Hurley 13, Donavyn Knox 2, Josh Darst 9, Damone King 12.

Woodford County (3-4) – Santonio Waide 10, Makhi Smith 12, J.J. Jenkins 12, Aden Nelson 15, Layton Starks 3.

Warren Central 63, DeSales 57

Junior guard Kade Unseld scored 24 points to lead the Dragons (6-0) – last year’s state runners-up – over the Colts (4-4).

Unseld added six rebounds and three steals as Bellarmine University coach Scott Davenport watched. Bellarmine has offered Unseld a scholarship.

Izayiah Villafuerte (15 points, five assists), Omari Glover (13 points) and Chappelle Whitney (11 points, six rebounds) also had big nights for Warren Central, which never trailed and took its biggest lead, 33-21, late in the second quarter.

Will Gibson has 17 points and four assists to lead DeSales. Julian Bunton added 11 points and six rebounds in his first game with the Colts after transferring from Butler.

DeSales               12          16          9            20 – 57

Warren Central 21          13          12          17 – 63

DeSales (4-4) – Julian Bunton 11, Tyler Klein 4, Will Gibson 17, Crew Gibson 12, Brady Cummins 13.

Warren Central (6-0) – Izayiah Villafuerte 15, Kade Unseld 24, Omari Glover 13, Chappelle Whitney 11.

LaRue County 73, Fairdale 67

Junior guard Daniel Allen, who entered the game averaging 15 points, scored 41 to lead the Hawks (5-2) over the host Bulldogs (3-3).

Allen hit 16 of 19 shots overall and was 5 for 6 from 3-point range.

Carson Childress and Jagger Mardis both pitched in 12 points for LaRue County, which shot 61.4% (27 of 44). The Hawks will face the Lyon County-Harlan County winner in Sunday’s 6 p.m. quarterfinal.

Dalton Hicks scored 24 points to lead Fairdale, which shot just 21.7% from 3-point range (5 of 23).

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LaRue County    21          19          12          21 – 73

Fairdale              13          17          15          22 – 67

LaRue County (5-2) – Carson Childress 12, Luke Trumbo 4, Jagger Mardis 12, Jaxson Thomas 4, Daniel Allen 41.

Fairdale (3-3) – Cameron Croney 10, Dalton Hicks 24, Jake Dewboys 5, Joe Hurt 13, Jacob Tucker 11, Brandon Smith 4.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: King of the Bluegrass: Manual rallies for win; LaRue junior scores 41