The Adair County Indians punched their ticket to the semifinals of the KHSAA Fifth Region Boys Basketball Tournament Thursday night with a strong 71-59 victory over the Bardstown Tigers.
Adair County came out firing and controlled the pace early, jumping out to a 21-10 lead after the first quarter. Bardstown battled back in the second quarter, but the Indians still held a 36-29 advantage at halftime.
The Tigers tried to keep things close in the third, but Adair County continued to execute offensively and limit Bardstown opportunities. The Indians carried a 51-42 lead into the fourth quarter before closing the game out to secure the 12-point win.
Adair County was led by a pair of big scoring performances. Landon Blakey and John Sheehan each poured in 22 points to lead the Indians offensively. Blakey was extremely efficient, knocking down 9 of 12 shots from the field while also contributing 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Sheehan added a strong performance at the free-throw line, hitting 12 of 14 attempts.
Kylan George also had a big night with 21 points, including two three-pointers, while adding 10 rebounds to record a double-double. George also contributed defensively with two steals.
Adair County shot 44 percent from the field and was solid at the free-throw line, converting 22 of 28 attempts. The Indians also dominated the glass, outrebounding Bardstown 44 to 33.
With the victory, Adair County advances to the regional semifinals where they will face the North Hardin Trojans on Monday night at the Green County High School.
Tipoff for the semifinal matchup is set for 7 p.m. Central Time as the Indians continue their pursuit of a Fifth Region championship.