Ashland Daily Independent, March 22, 1948
Thousands of tired fans streamed from Louisville yesterday to points throughout the state following the completion of Kentucky's greatest sporting event - the high school basketball tournament, and those that weren't discussing the championship game or cussing the officials were singing the praises of Carr Creek’s great guard Don Miller.
Before going any further, we'd like to correct one of our statement made Friday night which said none of the teams reaching the semi-finals had an individual leader equal to the great of the past such as: Ellis Johnson, Warren Cooper, Wah Wah Jones and Ralph Beard. We mentioned Miller and a few others as the nearest approach to the all-time greats but after Saturday's games there is no doubt in our mind that Miller can be rank right along with the others. As a leader, ball handler and scoring threat, he was easily the best of the lot in Louisville last week.
Miller told us yesterday he received four college offers after Saturday night's consolation game. They came from: Murray, Morehead, Eastern and Georgia Tech. We believe his choice will be Eastern, because it's nearest his home and because some of Carr Creek’s great 1928 team went there.
Officials and writers who named Miller as the best player in the tournament, chose Coy Creason of Brewers second with Gus Stergons of Maysville third and Billy Puckett of Clark County fourth.
Ashland was discussed quite a bit along press row Saturday night because Maysville and the Brewers had reached the finals on consecutive years for the first time since the Tomcats did it in 1933 and ‘34 and also becaues Brewers was the first undefeated champion since Ashland in 1928. Brewers won 36 straight games this year and Ashland won 36 including their national tourney victories.
But for two personal fouls in the last 45 seconds, both so trivial they wouldn’t have been notice if the referees hadn’t blown their whistles, Carr Creek would have been in the final instead of Maysville. Fully half the fans and writers thought Carr Creek had the best team in the tournament and a few favored Clark County, but Brewers deserves all the credit in the world. When a team is put on the spot as the one to beat even before district play starts, and with every foe “pointed” to it, yet comes through with the crown, it can't be praised too much. Coach McCoy Terry’s team had everything a champion needs ….most of all a never-say-quit spirit.
Personally, we rank Brewers and Carr Creek just about even with Clark County the third best team of the sixteen and Maysville fourth, Owensboro fifth, Male sixth, Covington seventh, Fort Knox eighth, London ninth, Irvine tenth, Scottsville eleventh, Madisonville twelfth, Shelbyville thirteenth, Garrett fourteenth, Corbin fifteenth, and Hughes- Kirk sixteenth.
We omit the consolation final, which had the crowd laughing half of the time as Carr Creek toyed with Male. The Creekers stole the ball repeatedly and Miller put on a show that fans will long remember. He scored most of his tournament points on crips, rebounds and short one-handers, but occasionally drop one through from well out.
The Independent’s all-tournament team is as follows: Creason and Owens of Brewers, Don Miller, Morton and Frances of Carr Creek, Morrison of the Brewers, Gilvin and Stergeos of Maysville, Puckett of Clark County and Kendenbrock of Covington.
