Former Logan County boys basketball and baseball coach Chris Souder and his Mercer County team earned respect last week.

In the girls state tournament in Bowling Green, the Lady Scotties played a highly talented Christian County team down to the wire before losing 70-67.

Christian County went on to the semifinal before losing to repeat champion Louisville Sacred Heart.

Souder's team finished 28-6, and three of the losses were to the Lady Colonels. Mercer fell to Christian County 77-76 in a Lexington tournament and 78-69 and six days later in the Lady Invitational of the South at Scottsville.

Christian County coach Don Dilliard complimented Souder, who had his girls press the lightning quick girls from Hoptown. "Very few teams have the courage to press us. Maybe two or three all year," he told The Courier-Journal."

In both of those earlier games, Mercer trailed by 20 points and came back. "There was no fear in their eyes," Dillard said.

They didn't play each other this year, but one of those which pressed the past two years, of course, was Logan County, which presses everybody. Christian is still smarting over Logan scoring over 100 points over them two years ago in Coach Paul McNeal's first season here.

Meanwhile Souder is building a solid program in his native Harrodsburg. He said his team is "very goal-oriented and I think it will drive them back here."

Eight of the top 10 players return for the Lady Scotties, who finished the regular season as the seventh-ranked team in the state by The Courier-Journal. The junior varsity has lost only one game in two years, and the freshman team was undefeated this year.

Souder came to Logan County as an assistant to new Cougar coach Dick Webb, who was also from Harrodsburg. They were in charge when Logan went to the regional finals in 1993.

In fact, I can still here Chris saying firmly, "GIVE the ball to J.J." while the Cougars were losing the finals in overtime because other people besides point guard supreme J.J. Sydnor were handling the ball.

That was to be Webb's last game to coach. He became a principal in Harrodsburg after that. Souder became the Logan coach.

One of his last games here may have been his finest when the Cougars rode the performance of Michael Williams to a win over Russellville in the district tournament in 1996. His team also split with the Panthers during that regular season.

Those stood as the last wins (at all) and in the county until the past couple of years, and he's still the last Logan coach to beat the Panthers in the district tournament.

Back to the state tournament, fourth Region champion Clinton County handled itself well, winning two games before joining Christian County as the top public school in the state. The Lady Bulldogs reached the semifinals before losing to 2001 state champ Lexington Catholic. Clinton finished 34-2.