Parker Throgmorton

Staff Writer

   The Lone Oak boys basketball team has surprised many fans with their strong performance this year. With seniors Mitch Jacobs(12) and Jack Coleman(12) leading the way, they began the season with victories over respectable teams early on. In much the same way that the team’s performance has increasingly improved, so has the support of the LOHS student section. With a season record of 13-16 going into the playoffs, the team had a better chance of bringing home the victory this year than they have had in several previous seasons.

    In the weeks before the playoffs, the team finished the season off with two giant wins against favored opponents, Graves and Heath. The win against Heath not only gave the team a giant morale boost, but also a preview of their competition in the approaching district tournament. After suffering two losses, the team bounced back and finished their season with a win against Graves County at home. Coleman stated, “The two victories gave us the confidence we needed to go into the district tournament feeling good about our chances.”

    Lone Oak and Heath were tied for the number two rank going into the district tournament. An unfortunate coin-flip gave Heath the second seed, making Lone Oak the District Tournament’s third seed. Tilghman was given the number one seed, and Reidland was placed last in the seeding. The first round games were determined to be Tilghman vs. Reidland and Lone Oak vs. Heath.

    As expected, Tilghman easily took down their opponent, but the Lone Oak and Heath game went a little differently. Heath had an older, more experienced team than Lone Oak, and because of this they were favored to win. However, LO surprised everyone with a victory, 69-63. Players like Kam Chumbler(10) and Zach Mckinney(11) shined with season-high scoring. Chumbler led the team with a monumental 28 points, and Mckinney scored 21 points, including 5 threes. He said, “This win has given us the momentum and confidence we need to be able to win the region.�

     In the District Championship, Lone Oak had the lead against Tilghman at halftime, but the Blue Tornados fought back, and ultimately came out with a 73-70 victory. Although the team lost, they played a great game that showed that they are playing the way they need to be going into the Regional Tournament.

    LO’s boys first game of the 2012 Regional Tournament is Wednesday night in the RSEC in Murray.  The Flash will take on the Fulton City Bulldogs at 6.