Colts

After being on their heels for much of the first half, the West Jessamine Lady Colts turned the tables on the Lexington Christian Lady Eagles after halftime Friday and nearly pulled an upset. But the Lady Eagles played stall-ball in the fourth quarter and took care of business from the foul line, winning 55-47. “I knew they were going to start trying to hold the ball, but I didn't think they'd start doing it with six minutes left in the game,” West coach Stephen Greene said.

West Jessamine swimmers are on the edge of competing in the state finals later this month. The 400-meter freestyle relay team of Michael Peck, Austin Pasch, Wyatt Lamb and Stefan Stryker is the first alternate for the state competition after their fifth-place finish in the Region 3 competition over the weekend. The West boys' team finished ninth out of 22 teams at the meet at Russell Springs High School. Peck, a freshman, was in three championship-final races. He came in fourth overall in the boys' 100-yard backstroke and teamed with juniors Lamb and Stryker and sophomore Pasch to place fifth in the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays.

Four West Jessamine players finished in double figures to help the Colts earn a home victory over the Woodford County Yellowjackets 66-62 on Tuesday. Daulton Peters led the Colts' attack with 25 points and collecting nine rebounds, including three offensive boards. Will Henderson added 16 points, while Rashawn Jackson and Robby Irgang dropped in 12 and 10 points, respectively. Irgang finished with eight rebounds. The contest featured 13 lead changes and seven ties. West captured the lead for good at 60-59, and the game turned into a foul-shooting contest, with West hitting six free throws down the stretch.

When the West Jessamine boys shifted into another gear in the second half Tuesday night, Boyle County just couldn't keep up. The Colts left the Rebels behind by scoring 13 straight points in the third and fourth quarters and went on to a 69-55 victory at Rebel Arena. They put up some impressive offensive numbers along the way, shooting 56 percent from the field in the second half. And they got a big game from Chase Fain, who had 30 points, including nine points during the 13-0 run, and a season-high 16 rebounds.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Lincoln County fans of music artist Colt Ford might be pleasantly surprised to see a familiar scene on the front of the country rapper's newest single, "Back. " Presented in sepia tones on the front of the single is a photo of Main Street in downtown Stanford. The photo was taken by Britta Coleman, an employee of the Nashville-based public relations outfit Average Joes Entertainment. Average Joes represents Colt Ford, as well as several other country artists, including Montgomery Gentry.

Damon Kelley has made two stops in his coaching career - Lafayette High School and West Jessamine High School. He became a General while he was still a Wildcat attending the University of Kentucky in the late 1990s. He spent seven years there as an assistant for Don Adkins before taking the head-coaching reins for the 2002-'03 season. Lafayette went 17-12 in Kelley's first season and was the runner-up in the 43rd District - they also posted a 53-52 win over West Jessamine. The 2008-'09 season would be Kelley's last in Lexington.

West Jessamine improved to 6-0 in region play with an 81-55 win over Somerset on Saturday. The Colts held the Briar Jumpers to only 23 second half-points as they cruised to their fourth win in a row. West was defensively sound for the second game in a row, holding Somerset to less than 60 points and 37.5 percent shooting from the field. Senior Chase Fain scored a season-high 31 points and was 13-for-20 from the field. He also collected 13 rebounds. Will Henderson had a double-double made up of 11 points and 13 assists.

West Jessamine made a statement with its first district game of the year Friday night. The Colts (6-2) trampled Mercer County 95-70. “If you told me coming into tonight that this would be the outcome, I would have been very pleased,” West Jessamine coach Damon Kelley said. “I thought we did a lot better job defensively tonight as a team.” Senior Chase Fain led the charge with 23 points, but it was the Colts defense that was so impressive. In the first quarter alone, West held the Titans (4-2)

The Lady Colts had what it took to compete and win against Madison Southern on Tuesday night, but late-game execution put West on the losing end of a 64-59 final. West Jessamine led 57-56 with 90 seconds remaining and had control of the ball. West put up a quick shot, giving the ball back to Southern with 1:12 remaining, and the Lady Eagles took advantage on the other end with a pair of free throws that gave them a 58-57 lead. Senior Emma Baxter worked her way to the free-throw line at the other end with a chance to tie or take the lead with 31 seconds remaining - but both free throws missed.

A first-year teacher at West Jessamine High School hopes the launch of a school newspaper will fuel students' passion for writing the same way his school paper pushed him toward a variety of careers. English teacher Charlie Cox is sponsoring Colt Nation, which he hopes will become West's first regular newspaper. The first issue of the monthly publication is expected before winter break. Cox attended Boyle County High School and worked on the newspaper there before attending Western Kentucky University.