Cumberland took to the road this past weekend to participate in the program’s first KHSAA sanctioned event at Buckhorn. Nine teams competed in the Buckhorn Lake Christmas Classic with Harlan beating Buckhorn 61-50 in the championship game on Saturday. Cumberland took on four teams in the three day classic.
Cumberland Athletic Director Dr. Bruce Jung stated that he “was thrilled to be able to witness the Blazers first basketball competition against KHSAA schools this past week. The young men played their hearts out, showed determination, and courage and perseverance. I was really impressed with their accomplishments and improvements in skill and court presence.”
Thursday started off with a play-in game where the Blazers took on Piarist for a 69-56 win. Cumberland took an early lead and led by 20 at halftime. Tanner Pilarski led the Blazers with 36. Micah Stargel pitched in 15. The Knights were led by Seth Hall with 28 and Kyle Price with 12.
Later on Thursday, Cumberland matched up against tournament host Buckhorn for a 7pm tip. The Blazers kept the first quarter tight only trailing the Wildcats by 5 at the end of the period. The second quarter brought full-court pressure by Buckhorn. Cumberland was unable to handle the pressure and was outscored 22-10 in the second. The Wildcats continued to outscore the Blazers throughout the second half for a 86-43 final score. Tanner Pilarski and Ben Pruette dropped in 21 and 10 respectively for Cumberland. Twelve players scored for Buckhorn with Kobe Bowling leading the charge with 28.
The loss to Buckhorn knocked the Blazers into the consolation bracket to take on June Buchanan on Friday morning. The Blazers were overwhelmed in the first quarter by the Crusaders and ended the period down 24-3. Cumberland never recovered and lost with a 74-35 final score. Tanner Pilarski scored 13 for the Blazers with Ben Pruette adding 11. Izaryah Dotson dropped in 19 and Grant Varney 12 for the Crusaders.
Cumberland returned Saturday morning to take on Lee County in their last game of the classic. The Blazers took a commanding start and led 27-10 at the end of the first period. Cumberland led 48-30 at halftime. The Bobcats came out and attacked in the third quarter outscoring the blazers 29-14. Poor defense and foul trouble plagued the Blazers and allowed Lee to tie the score at 87 to go into overtime. Cumberland finished the game with 4 players due to fouls and lost the contest 104-90. Tanner Pilarski scored a career high 44 points. Cameron Mitchell, Ben Pruette, and Micah Stargel added 15, 13, and 11 respectively. Zack Watterson put up 65 points for the Bobcats.
“The loss to Lee County was tough. I think it was a great lesson for our guys of what happens when you let a team come out and beat you in the third quarter,” said Blazers head coach Justin Hensley after Saturday’s game. “I’m excited that we were able to come compete in our first KHSAA event. I felt like our guys showed that we can play at this level if we continue to work hard. We got a win and played some tough teams that will help us be better in conference play. I’m very thankful for all the people who made [House Bill] 290 possible so that we can play KHSAA events.”
Cumberland (5-11, 2-5) will take to the road again for several conference games at the Battle on Mustard Seed Hill Tournament at Bourbon Christian Academy in Millersburg. The first game against Clays Mill will tip at 10:30am Friday 1/4 and the Blazers continue play through Saturday 1/5.
Cumberland Homeschool Athletic Teams, Inc is a 501c3 nonprofit organization designed to provide opportunities for K-12 student athletes to participate in competitive athletics principally in the Cumberland Valley region of Southeast Kentucky.
