BY JOSHUA BALL

Close games write themselves.

Paintsville’s thrilling 37-34 win over Eden had many storylines.

First, both teams had two losses.

Second, Eden was an obvious underdog, having lost to Paintsville, 43-17, earlier in the season.

For a half, it looked like the Wildcats were gonna flip the script.

That’s when Graham Cox showed up.

Cox, a sixth-grader for Paintsville, scored six points in the span of just over a minute in the fourth quarter to slam the door shut on any comeback for the Wildcats.

“I didn’t know what to think,” Graham said following the win. He admitted this was the first time (and certainly not the last) he will be interviewed. “I just wanted to make shots and help my team.”

He did just that.

Cox had a chance for a three-point play, but after a missed free throw, teammate Mikey Vannoy rebounded the miss and kicked it back to him. It was nothing but net.

That was four points in six seconds. It extended Paintsville’s lead to 33-27.  Less than a minute later, Cox hit another jumper and extended the Tigers’ lead to 35-27 with just 3:47 remaining.

“We wanted to add something to the trophy case,” added Cox, noting that winning a title was a goal of the sixth-grader players on the team. “It’s nice to know we did that.”

INTRODUCING THE TRIPLE-DOUBLE: I (almost) didn’t cover this year’s tournament. On Thursday of last week, I got a late Facebook message from Melissa Phelps.

Melissa’s son, Hunter, plays for Eden Elementary School.  Eden had just defeated South Magoffin on Thursday to claim a spot in Saturday’s championship game.

I had met Hunter during last year’s tournament, and I was referred to as “dad and mom’s friend who writes games.”

I’m fine with that. Really, I am. I’m thrilled that a grade-schooler is thinking about newspaper coverage (insert smile here).

Hunter is 11 years old and is the son of Eric and Melissa Phelps.

He joined me on the sidelines prior to Saturday’s B Team Championship for a conversation.

The triple-double is a five-pack of questions.

We had to get something out of the way first. He agreed to give me 5% of his NBA salary.  Accounting for inflation and the salaries of Lebrun and Steph Curry, I figure I’ll be in good shape.

Hunter then smiled and said, “Mom and Dad can get .5%.” I didn’t continue that conversation, but Eric and Melissa have some negotiating to do. The good thing is time is on their side.

Now, to the questions.

Favorite pregame food? Chicken nuggets with no sauce. Hunter said he didn’t like to eat too much before a game.  He also did not mention his favorite nuggets.  I think that was a wise move considering it could impact potential endorsements down the road.

Favorite NBA player? All-time is Michael Jordan. As for a current NBA player, Hunter says Tyrese Halliburton of the Indiana Pacers.

Hunter and his family have been to an NBA game. In 2022, they went to Charlotte to watch the Hornets play the Brooklyn Nets. Hunter snagged an autograph from Kevin Durant.

If you could have only one topping on a pizza, what would it be? “That’s easy,” says Hunter. “Pepperoni.”

Favorite flavor of ice cream? Chocolate. I did warn Hunter that when he gets older, he’ll hear about dark chocolate. I advised him to stay away.

Favorite video game? Hunter is an Xbox person and his favorite game is, not surprisingly, NBA2K.

Thanks to Hunter for participating in the first-ever Triple-Double.  I think we are on to something here.

MY WHY: My very first job was as a sports writer.  I was 15.  I didn’t know what I was doing.  Some may say that hasn’t changed, but my connection to sports is somewhat unconventional.

Let me (attempt) to explain.

I played sports as a kid.  I played basketball, baseball, and football through elementary and middle school.  Basketball was, by far, my favorite.  It was the only sport I played that I thought I could compete.  I was in the starting five at Warfield Elementary and Warfield Middle School.  I scored a few points and have a few distinctions, one being the original hefty lefty. That’s a conversation, or column, for another day.

I’m not what you call a rabid sports fan.  I mean I have some favorite teams and watch games when I can, but sports — and sports writing — shaped my life.  As a player, coaches became my family.  The late Ronnie Smith was a father figure to me and, to this day, one of the proudest moments of my life was being able to eulogize him at his funeral and spend hours with him during his final months talking about life and a little about basketball.

When I became a full-time sports writer (weeks after graduating high school), I didn’t just start a profession. I started a journey that would shape me as a person and as a professional.  The pen and paper have afforded me the opportunity to share stories… some of triumph and even some of heartbreak.  The stories I’ve told do not compare to the friendships I have made.

That’s why I kept writing even as my professional life took a few turns (thanks to a lot of luck, mercy, grace, and a little bit of hard work), sports kept following me.  When I moved to Johnson County more than 15 years ago, I joined Facebook and got a friend request from Mark Maynard.

Mark, who is with Kentucky Today, spent the majority of his career at the Ashland Daily Independent as sports editor and later editor.  I had worked with Mark and his team during my time at the Williamson Daily News, often seeing one another in the high school football playoffs when Russell and Belfry seemed to collide almost annually.

Mark asked if I would be up for doing some stringer work.  Stringers are folks that cover games on an as-needed basis.  I said yes and for more than a decade, my bylines were pretty regular in football and basketball season. Covering games didn’t get me back into the game; it reminded me of something bigger.  It was about the ability to share stories, interact with people, and simply be good to children.  You see, I’ve learned so much in life because of a ball.  None of it was about points, rebounds, assists, or wins and losses.  It was about sharing stories and being good to one another.

If you are good to someone’s kid, you have a friend for life.

Writing games has given me friends for life, and because I am much older, I have generations of friends as the former players I covered are now parents.

That, too, is a story for another day.

Until next time… See ya at the games.