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MARSHALL SPORTS
Game gets serious when Herd loads team
Marshall's Mark Dorris lays the ball in during the University of Kentucky alumni basketball players annual barnstorming tour against a Marshall alumni team Thursday at Boyd County Middle School.
Purchase this photoSUMMIT, Ky. -- Boyd County Middle School scheduled an appearance by University of Kentucky men's basketball alumni players and an actual game broke out.
UK's alumni group led by Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, the seniors on last season's team, played a Marshall University alumni team Thursday night. It wasn't prettiest game played since Dr. Naismith put up the first peach basket, but it certainly was competitive.
Bradley didn't score 102 as he did last week in a similar game in Hazard, Ky., but he did score 42 and the Wildcats needed them all in a 109-101 overtime victory.
Typically, barnstorming squads of former college stars play against teams made up of faculty members and others from the school they're visiting.
Not this time.
Frank Martin, a Marshall guard in the early 1990s who works as the Boyd County Schools facility and events coordinator, put together the best Thundering Herd lineup he could find.
Mark Dorris, the leading scorer for last season's Marshall team with a 13.6 average, led with 23 points. Forward Travis Aikens (2005-07) scored 21 and J.R. VanHoose (1998-02) scored 17. Joda Burgess (1997-01) followed with 15 and Jean Francois Bro Grebe from last season's Herd added 10.
"I think they came out right from the beginning and let us know they wanted to win the ball game," said Crawford, who along with Bradley is an NBA Draft hopeful. "We weren't prepared for that, but we put them away."
The crowd of about 300 mostly blue-clad fans of the Wildcats didn't pay much attention while the Herd players warmed up. But, when the UK contingent filed onto the court the fans made it very clear who was the home team.
Faces in the crowd included Marshall team members Markel Humphrey, Tay Spann, Chris Lutz and Pierre-Marie Altidor Cespedes. Spann, who was in a vehicle accident one week ago, was walking with a limp.
Other than that the Herd had about two dozen supporters in the stands.
"We're from Huntington, 15 minutes away, and we were getting booed," said VanHoose, a Paintsville, Ky., native who is coaching the girls basketball team at Phelps (Ky.) High School.
The game became a bit intense after Marshall jumped to a 31-18 lead. Bradley and Crawford began making shots and carried their team to a 52-49 halftime advantage.
Kentucky was ahead 81-79 after three quarters, but Aikens scored on a strong move to the basket with about two minutes remaining to force overtime at 99-99.
The Wildcats finished the night Bradley's layup and a dunk by fan favorite Lukasz Obrzut, the 7-foot-1 former UK center from Poland.
"When you get guys together like that it's going to be competitive," VanHoose said. "Just because you've got Kentucky on your chest, we're not going to lay down for you. I'm from Kentucky, but I'm from Marshall first."
Things became a little bit chippy along the way.
Marshall players were unhappy about many of the officials' calls.
Bradley reacted angrily after getting fouled hard.
Perry was flattened by VanHoose going for a rebound and didn't like it.
"That's how it's got to be," Bradley said. "It's competitive out here on the court."
MARSHALL 101
J.R. VanHoose 17, Mark Patton 9, Joda Burgess 15, Travis Aikens 21, Mark Dorris 23, Frank Martin 6, Jean Francois Bro Grebe 10, Greg Gayle 0.
KENTUCKY 109
Ramel Bradley 42, Joe Crawford 30, Bobby Perry 20, Lukasz Obrzut 8, Brandon Stockton 6, Osh Green 2.
Marshall 31 18 30 20 2 -- 101
Kentucky 18 34 29 18 10 -- 109
