Louisa East Elementary teams win during the EKEBC Conference Tournament
Louisa East finished as the Eastern Kentucky Elementary Basketball Conference A-Team Tournament Runner-up on Friday, Jan. 23. photo curtesy of Louisa East Elementary School
STAFF REPORT
BSN
Louisa East Elementary continued their amazing season during the EKEBC Conference Tournament. Louisa East entered with around a 94% winning percentage for grades 2-5. They competed in the KBC Elementary State Tournament where they won 1st place in 3rd grade, Final Four in 4th grade, and runner-up in 5th grade. Louisa East is made up of players from 2nd-5th grades. All the other Elementary schools in the conference have students up to 6th grade. This makes the Bulldogs the youngest team in the conference. This year’s conference tournament was played at Magoffin County.
Louisa East C-team is made up of 2nd/3rd graders. They went undefeated in conference play during the season and won the end of the year conference tournament. The Bulldogs earned the #1 seed. They first faced Fallsburg where they defeated the Dragons 30-12. This set up a championship game with rival Paintsville. The young Bulldogs raced out early and lead 17-0 at half. The second half was cruise control as the Bulldogs won by a final of 20-4. The C-team roster is as follows, 2nd grade: Carson Newsome, Case Fitzpatrick, and Paxton Pinson- 3rd graders: Cory Keeton, Ryder Endicott, Sawyer Laney, Maddox Parker, Mikhail Mills, Jase Rollins, Waylon Raines, Tyson Muncy, and Eli Block. They are coached by Casey Fitzpatrick, Bobby Keeton, and Jordan Raines. The EKEBC has been in existence since the 2022-2023 season. Louisa East has won every C-team championship, making this a 4-PEAT. This is the same team that won the KBC State Championship.
Louisa East B-Team followed suit and went undefeated in the conference season and won the end of the year conference tournament. The Bulldogs also earned the #1 seed and received a bye in the first round. This put them facing North Magoffin at North Magoffin Elementary. The Dawgs had no trouble winning the game 28-5. This also set up the championship game with rival Paintsville. This game was tight in the first quarter before the Bulldogs pulled away to a convincing win 26-8. This is the 2nd B-team title in as many years. The B-team roster is made up of 3rd and 4th graders. They are: 3rd grade- Tyson Muncy and Eli Block, 4th graders- Charlie Spillman, Easton Davis, Colton Bentley, Lucas McDaniel, Easton Osborn, and Rylan Spillman. They are coached by Bobby Keeton, Jordan Raines, Casey Fitzpatrick. This is the 2nd B-team title in the last 4 years for the Bulldogs. This is the same team that made the Final Four in the State Tournament.
Louisa East A-team lost 2 regular season games in the conference, both to North Magoffin Elementary. This gave them the #2 seed and a first-round bye. In the second round, the Bulldogs played rival Paintsville. The Bulldogs took the lead in the first and never looked back, winning 38-30. This set up the championship game against North Magoffin at their host site. North Magoffin again proved to be the Bulldog’s kryptonite as they knocked them off 32-28. The A-team is made up of 5th graders: Aiden Newsome, Jaxon Chafin, Gunner Cornwell, Gunner Blevins, Tucker Dixon, Jake Vanhoose, Foster Cline, Noah Stewart, Tucker Muncy, Brayson Raines, Brooks Parker, and Lucas Block and Team Manager- Jake Ash. They were coached by Jordan Raines and Eddie Dixon.
The Bulldogs have had a great run in the EKEBC since its conception in the 2022-2023 season. Out of 12 possible championships, the Bulldogs have won 8 titles. The Bulldogs look to build on this season’s success and come back hungrier than ever next season.