Jordan Hickman scored six straight points in the third quarter Wednesday, sparking an extended 17-1 run by Bardstown to put away Caverna 58-39 in the "All A" Classic 5th Region semifinals. "I can expect it out of me and my team," the junior guard said. "We still need to work on playing all four quarters." Hickman had 18 points in the first half to help the Tigers (13-4) build a big lead, and finished with 27 points on the night to set up Bardstown with a chance to make a third consecutive trip to the "All A" State Tournament in Richmond next week. The Tigers face Campbellsville (8-11) at 8 p.m. tonight. After neither team could score for the first two minutes of the game, Bardstown finally got rolling, taking a 15-4 lead after the first quarter. Damien Edelen came off the bench to provide the spark that got the Tigers going, scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds and a steal. "Damien played well in the first half," Bardstown coach Gary Goode said. "When Caverna made their run (in the third quarter) he made some big plays." The Tigers stretched their lead in the second quarter as Hickman began to assert himself. Caverna had no answer for the 6-2 lefty, who repeatedly slashed his way into the paint for short jumpers and layups. The Tigers took a 30-16 lead into the locker room, but like many of their games of late, they went flat after taking a big lead. "We did some good things at the start," Goode said. "We had a lull in the third quarter but really finished strong in the fourth." The Colonels changed to a man-to-man defense in the second half and it gave the Tigers trouble, as cold shooting prevented Bardstown from setting up its press. Caverna took advantage, going on a 17-7 run to cut the Bardstown lead to 37-33 with two minutes left in the third. Caverna had a handful of chances to cut it to two, but couldn\'t knock down the big bucket. That\'s when Hickman took over again, dropping in three buckets the Tigers desperately needed to finish out the third quarter on a high note, up 43-34. Sean Edelen came off the bench for the Tigers in the fourth and kept the run going, scoring off an offensive rebound. Rashaun Phillips did not allow any second chances for the Colonels grabbing five defensive rebounds during the run, which put Bardstown back up comfortably, 54-34. "We did a great job of showing the ball and Rashaun and Sean did a great job of crashing the boards during the run," Hickman said of the Tigers\' decisive run. Goode sees tonight\'s game as a big challenge for his team. "Campbellsville is really playing well," he said. "They are a very athletic team that is strong and quick and they compete hard. They have been a big player in the classic for a long time. They will be a good test for us."
"All A" Classic 5th Region semifinals Bardstown 58, Caverna 39 C 4 12 18 5-39 B 15 15 13 15-58 C (39) - Curry 9, Adams 2, Briggs 11, Boles 12, Jor. Rice 2, Josh Rice 3. B (58) - Hall 8, Hickman 27, R. Phillips 1, D. Phillips 6, L. Edelen 4, D. Edelen 6, S. Edelen 4, Osborne 2.
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