The opening night of Owensboro’s 46th Dust Bowl could not have begun in much more dominating fashion, with the Big Game Hunters proving why they are one of the top youth travel teams in the country.
The Big Game Hunters — with a loaded roster comprised of rising 6th-graders — easily dispatched DC Thunder 53-7 in the boys’ 5th-6th Grade Division in the first game of the annual outdoor basketball tournament at Kendall-Perkins Park.
Led by versatile point guard Jonathan Moss, BGH turned a 10-4 first-quarter lead into a 23-5 halftime advantage before winning the second half 30-2.
“We’re blessed with a good group of kids,” said coach Jermaine Lee. “We’ve got them from here, Clarksville, Madisonville and Hopkinsville. When we started we had to add pieces. We didn’t have any big men, and our bigs aren’t here tonight.”
That didn’t stop a dominant performance all the way around. Moss — ranked in the top 10 in Kentucky in his age group — added a handful of rebounds, assists and steals. Cam James led the team with 15 points, and Xavier Conrad put up 11.
Much of the group has been playing together for a couple of years, and they’ve already played in about 10 tournaments this year.
After playing competitively across the nation in high-level events, Lee said his team’s performance Friday was nothing unexpected.
“That’s no surprise,” he said. “That’s what they do.”
BGH has another game in the Dust Bowl before turning attention to an invite-only national tournament in Atlanta next week. Lee said after spending months trying to make a name for themselves — hence their team name — they are now the ones being sought out.
“We’re the Big Game Hunters,” he said. “That’s what we do. But now we’re hunted. That’s how it goes.”
