Courier-Journal & Times

 

With Murray No. 11, Toon Proud, Wary

 

By Roy Walter, Courier-Journal & Times Correspondent

 

​At first glance you would expect Bobby Toon to beat on his chest, let out a roar and then drag his knuckles on the ground when he heard the news about his Murray High basketball team.

 

All season long you see, Murray has had to take a back seat in the First Region behind Mayfield.  Murray has been close, but never had cracked the Top 25 of the Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings.

 

Now things are different, though.  Murray has done a Bob Seagram jump in the ratings and is this week’s No. 11 team.  Mayfield climbed, too, but only one notch to No. 20.

 

But while Toon didn’t try to hide his exuberance about the situation, he did point out that it is still too early to develop a King Kong complex.

 

“I’m just extremely happy that we moved up in the ratings,” the Murray head coach said by phone yesterday.  “I don’t know how the ratings work, but I am real pleased that we did it.  And to be able to move up to the No. 1 spot in the region is great.  It gives my kids a little more pride.

 

“But I wouldn’t go out on a limb and say that we are the regional favorite,” Toon added.  “I would like to consider us one, but we haven’t really shown enough to be an all-out favorite.  I would leave that to somebody else to say.”

 

That news was the second early Christmas present for Murray, which earned its first one Saturday night by nipping Carlisle County 69-65 in  three overtime periods to take home the first-place trophy of the Mayfield Invitational Tournament.

 

“You ought to see that trophy,” boasted Toon.  “It’s beautiful.  It's really big, too.  It looks like a State Tournament trophy.”

 

And that final-game victory had added significance for Murray because it avenged a 75-66 loss to Carlisle County back on Dec. 11.  That defeat is the only black mark on Murray’s 7-1 record.

 

The name of the game at Murray is run, and as a result the team is averaging 77 points a game.  Guards Glenn Jackson and Ray Lane run the show, and each throws in slightly more than 20 points per outing.

 

Center Tyrone McCuiston adds 11 points and 13 rebounds, and at forward are Danny Hudspeth (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Bob Wilder (nine points).  The sixth man is John Shelly (seven points, nine rebounds).

 

“I always felt we had the talent, but I just didn’t know when we would come around,” said Toon, who is in his 10th year at the Murray helm.

 

“Really, I guess I’d have to say that I’m surprised that we’re 7-1 because we’ve played a tough schedule.  And we usually aren’t ready this early.  I’m not surprised now, though, now that I’ve seen us play some.”

 

Murray has never won a First Region title, and Toon can’t remember a Murray team ever being in the Top 25 of the Litkenhous Ratings.

 

“I’d say this is the highest we've been since I’ve been at Murray High,” he said.  “I know my kids will be real happy, and that’s good.  A kid has to have some pride.

 

“I just hope it doesn’t affect their play,” he added.  “But I don’t think it will.  This is a mature group of kids as far as this kind of thing goes.  I think they can handle it.”

 

The state’s No. 1 and 2 teams could meet this week in the Ashland Invitational, which starts Wednesday.  If they do, the ratings say Louisville Central should triumph over Lexington Henry Clay by four points.

 

And No. 3 Lexington Bryan Station will face No. 4 Owensboro in the Owensboro Invitational if both win first-round games Thursday.  If they meet Friday, the ratings say Bryan Station by five.