Boy Basketball
The Calloway County Laker boys' basketball team is 13-4 at the time of writing this and has been on a dominant run as of late, securing a huge win over Paducah Tilghman. The team has not lost a game at home or away, with their only losses at neutral sites. The team has been led by the dynamic duo of Eli Finley and Jonah Butler.
Finley is averaging 23.2 points a game, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Finley has shown much improvement from last year when he averaged 16 points per game. The main thing that has been different for him is his shot selection. He realized passing the ball can create more scoring opportunities for him. If an offense is run properly, the best player on the team will have the opportunity to average the most points. Eli looks like a brand-new player out there, running Coach Cleaver’s offense to perfection.
The Laker’s big man is Jonah Butler, who is currently averaging 12.1 points per game, 10.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.9 blocks per game. Jonah is playing a different role than last season, as now he is down in the paint more often. He has adapted well, blocking shots left and right and leading the team in rebounds. Jonah also did something never done in program history - - he recorded a triple double, not just once, but three times. This shows how much of an all-around player Butler is and how key he is to the Lakers' success. Without Jonah, we do not have a dominate force down low that makes players debate on driving in on him. Jonah makes the most of his opportunities and does not try to do too much. He will get his touches and capitalize on them.
The team has two guys on the perimeter who can shoot the lights out, Aidan Clinton and Conner Lockhart. Lockhart is averaging 10.6 points per game and 4.6 rebounds a game with Clinton averaging 11.1 points a game. They both play their roles really well as the sharpshooters and play smart basketball. Conner plays with extreme hustle on both ends of the court and has fought through a broken nose. The Lakers also get key minutes from Cole Lockhart, Steven Lane, and Kolt Bazzell. All of them bring a spark to the game that can be much needed at time. This team is showing potential in March.
