Tom Terrific

This garbage migrates over here from another site where there is no control and this type of stuff is commonplace. And that is the main reason that this site maintains integrity. They don't allow the stupid stuff.

By the way, I hate the format of 3 games in 3 days. Whomever voted for that should be tazed.

Great first half for Russell. Boyd pressed, and Russell got easy basket after easy basket. Skaggs was outstanding in the first half with 21. Hunt took the game over for Boyd in the 2nd half with 25. Good luck to Russell vs. Rowan.

Stone was the biggest factor in this one. I thought Barnard really was effective on the boards. Great game plan by Coach Thacker.

So, now that the draw has been held here are the match-ups that we'll see at Johnson Arena on the campus of Morehead State University starting on Tuesday Feb.26th. Tuesday 6:00 Ashland vs. West Carter Tuesday 8:00 Fleming County vs. Lewis County Wednesday 6:00 Russell vs. Boyd County Wednesday 8:00 Morgan County vs. Rowan County How They Got Here Ashland-the Tomcats are the district winners in the 64th after barely breaking a sweat in the first round vs. Rose Hill winning 83-25, then with a sound beating of the Lions of Boyd by a score of 67-48. Ashland has won 9 of their last 10. Season record stands at 22-9. They average 69.8ppg and give up 59.5ppg. Ashland has a region record of 14-3. West Carter-the Comets are the district runners-up of the 62nd after beating East Carter on their home floor in the opening round 45-39, then losing in a closely contested final to Morgan by the score of 64-58. West has won 4 of their last 10. Season record stands at 9-19. They average 56.6ppg and give up 61.5. West Carter has a region record of 9-14. Fleming County-the Panthers are the district winners of the 61st after a relatively smooth first round win over Bath Co. 82-49, and a closer battle with Rowan in the championship 66-58. Fleming has won 8 of their last 10. Season record stands at 25-6. They average 67ppg and give up 57.7ppg. Fleming has a region record of 17-1. Lewis County-the Lions are the district runners-up of the 63rd after defeating Raceland on their home floor 71-67 in a close one, and losing to Russell in the final 62-43. Lewis has won 5 of their last 10. Season record stands at 15-14. They average 65ppg and give up 62.4ppg. Lewis has a region record of 9-11. Russell-the Red Devils are the district winners in the 63rd after defeating Greenup in the first round by 69-59, then soundly defeating Lewis 62-43 for the title. Russell has won 7 of their last 10. Season record stands at 25-7. They average 65.4ppg and give up 54.4ppg. Russell has a region record of 21-3. Boyd-the Lions are the district runners-up of the 64th after defeating Fairview in the first round 69-59, and losing in the final to Ashland 67-48. Boyd has won 8 of their last 10. Season record stands at 21-11. They average 68.4ppg and give up 61.6ppg. Boyd has a region record of 15-5. Morgan County-the Cougars are the champions of the 62nd district after defeating Elliott in a tight one in the first round 63-60, then in comeback fashion defeating West Carter 64-58 for the title. Morgan has won 8 of their last 10. Season record stands at 22-7. They average 66.3ppg and give up 55.1ppg. Morgan has a region record of 16-3. Rowan County-the Vikings are runners-up in the 61st after squeaking out a 64-63 victory over host Menifee in the first round, then falling to Fleming 66-58 in the final. Rowan has won 6 of their last 10. Season record stands at 18-13. They average 63.2ppg and give up 62.3ppg. Rowan has a region record of 12-7. First Round Match-ups Ashland vs. West Carter- these teams met at Anderson gymnasium on Feb 12th with Ashland the victor 63-50. Ashland will have a definite size advantage. Dikembe Dixson at 6'6" will be a difficult matchup for West along with Nick Miller and Stephen Friley in the post and Zach Hart out front. Look for Ashland to challenge every shot at the rim and take control of the boards. We could look at numbers but at this point, those don't mean much. For West, can coach Webb get enough from his star Kyle Brown and enough from his supporting cast to keep Ashland from advancing? If there's a coach in the region able to game plan to maximize his talent, it's Jeremy, and Brown has been outstanding all season. In the end, however, look for Logan Salow to be the difference maker. His pressure on the defensive end and ability to just make plays on the offensive end are the key to Ashland's success. (Ashland advances by double digits) Fleming County vs. Lewis County-these teams met in Vanceburg on Feb 5th with Fleming in a relatively close contest winning by a score of 70-61, in overtime no less. That game, like it or not, will go down in infamy because of a Fleming assistant losing his mind on an official at the end of the contest resulting in technical fouls being shot to send that one in overtime. If not for one missed FT, they'd have lost that one. But this one is on a different stage with more marbles at stake. Darion Burns and Troy Steward will be matchup nightmares for Lewis and Austin Crisp is always steady. Coach Starns has his kids playing well, and maybe most importantly the defensive improvement over last season is the difference maker. Can Coach Hampton get enough from Brett Ruckel and Sammy Holder and Wade Adams and company to stave off Fleming for what would be the biggest upset in the regional tournament? Tough task to say the least. (Fleming also advances by double digits) Russell vs. Boyd County-these teams split this season with Russell opening their season on their home floor with a defeat of Boyd 68-62 back on Nov. 27th, then Boyd defeated Russell on their home floor by a score of 79-59 on Jan. 22nd in Summit. There's several story lines in this one. The biggest one is that Russell has gotten a huge boost from former BC Lion Lance Evans. Boyd is led by former Russell Devil, Austin Hunt. This game will come down to execution and who makes shots. In the first contest, Russell made several shots from the perimeter and Boyd didn't score well inside. In the second meeting, Boyd scored from everywhere on the floor and Russell shot it poorly. The teams are relatively evenly matched. Russell relies on Kyle Skaggs as their backbone offensively. Jacob Porter has been steady on both ends of the floor and Lance Evans has been a force in the paint. Boyd has been very balanced. Hunt has been the leader in the scoring column, but they are best when the scoring is balanced. Brandon Taylor has been steady underneath and Grayson Griffith and Todd Stacy provide solid shooters from the perimeter. This is likely not the draw Russell wanted in the first round, but they get to avoid Fleming until the final if they advance that far. This one should be a close game. (Russell advances with a narrow victory) Morgan County vs. Rowan County-these two met on Feb 9th in West Liberty with Morgan narrowly winning 56-53. You want big men? Rowan has 6'11" Matt Brown. Morgan has 6'6" Alexsander Malinic. Both occupy space and are solid if you let them catch it in the paint. You want talented guards? Rowan has Tyler Thacker and Jalen Stone who can both stroke it. Morgan has Jordan Perry and Jordan Whitt who can both fill it up. At this point you have to wonder who has more bullets. Sam Agguire runs the show for Morgan, and unsung Josh Barnard battles in the middle for Rowan. This game has all the pieces to be the most intriguing of the first round. Rowan has experience. Those kids know what it's like to be battle tested and the lights won't be too bright for them with the playoff experience that they've enjoyed over the past 2 seasons. Morgan hasn't had much success in the postseason lately, and is primed to make a run. 2 coaches that will be active on the sidelines for sure. (Morgan also wins by a narrow margin) Random Thoughts The Tuesday games, while likely competitive are hard to see much chance of the favorites not advancing to the round of 4. Wednesday, however, is a different story. I don't think anyone would be shocked to see the runners-up both advance to face one another in the semi-final. Some really great players in the region this year are about to sail off with one last hurrah. Kyle Skaggs, likely as solid a scorer we have seen since the Elliott County crew dominated the region. Kyle Brown, West's all time leading scorer, has knocked down treys at will in every gym in the region. Austin Hunt, already with his basketball future determined in college has been the key in making Boyd relevant again. Logan Salow just keeps making plays, what he's always done. What about those juniors? Darion Burns, Troy Steward from Fleming. Brett Ruckel from Lewis. Tyler Thacker from Rowan. Very solid class that will be leading the charge again next year. And the Sophomores? Well, Ashland's Dikembe Dixson and Nick Miller are already outstanding. And the frosh? Hard to discount the already 1000pt scorer from Morgan, Jordan Perry. There's plenty of talent in this tourney with lots of great stories to be written. Good luck to all of the teams. Here's hoping that everyone is healthy and plays to their best ability.

To even assert that no one pays attention to NKY basketball is absurd. Totally absurd. No one gives them any credit. Good night, just one time, wouldn't it be refreshing to just say, hey, congratulations to those kids that were selected. Nope, some were just outright cheated is the common refrain.

Didn't take a psychic. Took a stopwatch. Matter of time.

I knew that one was coming.

Congratulations. Not bad for sitting out his entire junior season.

Now that the drama has unfolded, seems like there's something new, yet something very familiar about this district tournament. Schedule Games to be played at East Carter High School Feb 18th (1)Morgan vs. (4)Elliott Feb 19th (2)East Carter vs. (3)West Carter Championship game Feb 21 The Skinny Morgan County seems to be the favorites, obviously, with a 6-1 record within the district yet has to face the one district foe that has defeated them in the first round in Elliott County. Seems not too long ago the roles were reversed and it was Elliott the regional favorite with Morgan in the cellar of the district. And it just wouldn't seem like basketball season without a matchup of the directional Carters to determine a trip to the regional tourney. Morgan - the Cougars come into this tournament with an impressive 18-6 mark in the region. They've won 5 of the last 6 with the only loss at home to an upstart Lawrence Co. squad and managed to thwart Rowan County at home as they finish up the regular season. Freshman guard Jordan Perry can seem to light it up from the perimeter and consistent PG play from Samuel Agguire have Morgan very formidable down the stretch. Jordan Whitt has filled the scoring column as well and the post play of big body Alexsander Malinic make Morgan a complete package to deal with as they look to rack up a district championship and face a district runner-up in Morehead. East Carter - the season has been one of attrition for the Raiders. Gone is talented senior guard Jordan Burchett with a season ending ankle injury. And it seems that the Raiders have played as many games without big man Kyle Stewart as they've played with him. Coach Baker has to hope he gets his big man back in time for the matchup with West. In the meantime, Quin Huddle has assumed the leadership role and seems to do whatever East needs. He guards, rebounds, scores and has kept East very competitive. Look for the battle with West to be a classic. West Carter - another season goes by and another matchup with East seems to be commonplace. However, this one is for a win or go home scenario for coach Jeremy Webb and his long time sharpshooter Kyle Brown. Brown has shouldered the scoring burden, the rebounding burden and most haven't figured out a way to stop him from doing it. It appears to be a good old good one brewing for the right to go to Morehead and West will only make it if they can get significant contributions from the supporting cast. Elliott County - While the Lions bring up the caboose in the district, I don't think anyone, namely Morgan County, will overlook them. Not only have they already beaten Morgan in the All-A, they have a 12-13 record and aren't afraid to let the 3's rain. When they are on, they are seriously dangerous. Logan Nickell seems to be in range with he enters the gym. Lots of shot attempts can spell doom for Morgan in the first round if they fall. You can die by the three, but can live by it also. And that is where the hope lies for Elliott, beyond the arc. How We See It Morgan should advance, simply for the fact that they are more talented and that the odds of Elliott being able to shoot them out of it aren't likely. And East and West will undoubtedly be an epic battle. Both coaches are solid, both know each other's roster as well as their own. The fact that the game is at East has to have some bearing, but you can bet that most of the county will be in attendance, just in different colors. Prediction Morgan will defeat Elliott, West will upset East. And in the final, it'll be Morgan 64 West 54.

The pairings are set now that district play has been completed and the post season schedule has been "flipped". Game Schedule for 64th District (games held at Boyd County Middle School) Tuesday Feb. 19th 6:00 (1)Ashland vs. (4)Rose Hill 8:00 (2)Boyd vs. (3)Fairview The Skinny Both Ashland and Boyd finished the season with a 5-1 record and split the games with one another, each winning on the other's floor. The tie resulted in a coin flip that was won by Ashland who by virtue of the flip assumes the #1 seed in the tournament. Ashland - The Tomcats have reeled off 7 straight wins since their loss to Boyd on their floor nearly a month ago. With 2 big wins at Rowan on the road and vs. Johnson Central at home, Ashland has the most momentum in the district, perhaps the region. Led by standout sophomore Dikembe Dixson who has been a double-double machine and the hot shooting of Logan Salow, the Tomcats look to cruise thru the opening game and be rested for the final on Friday. The point guard play of Ross Thompson has been key and with consistent play from both Stephen Friley in the post and Nick Miller's versatility, the Tomcats are solid. If Zach Hart contributes like he's able, the Tomcats will be tough to beat. Boyd County - Coach Randy Anderson has to like the position he's in at this point considering the loss of big man Brandon Lowe with a season ending ACL injury. What have the Lions done since? They've won 7 of 8, largely in part to the consistent production of senior Austin Hunt. He gets his teammates involved and the distribution has been even and effective. Todd Stacy, Grayson Griffith, and Tristan Burgess have all been effective beyond the arc, and Brandon Taylor has been consistent down low. Another key has been the 2-headed point guard play led by senior Jesse Wallace and frosh Bobby Anderson. If Boyd distributes it and shoots it well, they will similarly difficult to deal with. Fairview - The Eagles have had a couple of games lately where they just couldn't finish. They gave Boyd and Ashland both fits in the firs halves of their games but couldn't hang on to the lead in either. Currently they've lost 4 straight and 7 of the last 10. That doesn't mean that Boyd will overlook them in the first round. Senior Elijah King can score in spurts and has been aggressive on the glass. The absence of Devon Turner, who quit to concentrate on football, has put the ball in Isaiah King's hands much more and he's been very productive. Tanner Dolen has been stout on the glass and effective down low also. The question is can the Eagles put 4 quarters together to upset Boyd and send them home in the first round? Rose Hill - Rose Hill has one win on the season, and it was no secret that both Ashland and Boyd would have preferred to win the coin toss and get this one out of the gate, essentially guaranteeing a trip to Morehead. However, it needs to be said that first year head coach Justin Maynard has his kids playing better as the year has progressed. They've developed as a team and have improved. Not yet ready for prime time competition, but headed in the right direction. How We See It Ashland should cruise past Rose Hill obviously in the first round. Barring a significant upset, Boyd should win the nightcap against Fairview setting up a rubber match for all the marbles in the district. A district championship will be vital for seeding and making a run at a regional title. Prediction: Ashland 68 Boyd 64 for the district title.

As January comes to a close, and old man winter has gotten a grip, the 16th is just warming up. Let's begin district by district as those tournaments are looming and the seeds are playing out as the season slowly comes to a pinnacle. 61st District 1. Fleming - no surprises here. They are still looking like region favorites despite taking one on the chin last night at Mason County, who has a substantial win streak over the Panthers and once again barely snatched the victory at home. Burns seems to be back to form and Steward and Crisp are potent and consistent. It's possible Rowan could upset them in the tourney and capture the crown, but unlikely. 2. Rowan - starting to hit their stride. 5-2 in the month of January with the only losses to Russell on the road and Fleming at home. Big man Brown in the middle has stepped up his game and the Vikes are poised to get back to the region and will likely do so from the 2seed in this district, and again, could upend the Panthers in the final. 3. Menifee - slight advantage over Bath for this seed so far and will have a shot at upsetting Rowan but will take a Herculean effort. 4. Bath - with some winnable games left on the schedule, Bath has to hope to get some valuable experience, but will have a very tough time with Fleming right out of the chute in the district. 62nd District 1. Morgan - the Cougars sit atop the district and in the driver's seat for the top seed once the tournament starts. Big man Malinic and freshman Perry, who recently eclipsed the 1000pt plateau, lead the charge with games with East and West left on the slate. It's not out of the question, but highly doubtful Morgan will let loose of the hold they have on the top seed. 2. East Carter - sitting at 3-1 in the district, they have a solid spot in this district with a game against Morgan to determine supremacy. A healthy Kyle Stewart is a big deal for the Raiders, but why does it feel like the district game of the year will come down once again to an East/West battle to go to Morehead? 3. West Carter - while their record may not reflect their position, the fate of the Comets lies in their hands with tilts remaining with East and Morgan remaining. It's possible, not likely, that they could slip up to the 2, but doesn't really matter if that plays out, because once again, it'll be the Carter Co. battle for Morehead. I have a feeling Coach Webb and Kyle Brown will be prepared. 4. Elliott - the Lions are way more than capable of launching enough bombs to blow the regional hopes of the top seed out of the water. They already have once. 63rd District 1. Russell - stranglehold on the top spot and it would take a miracle to beat them in the opening round. Evans, Skaggs, Porter and crew are headed to Frankfort and the regional representative in the Touchstone Energy All-A Classic. Coming off a fairly sound beating at the hands of Boyd, the Devils look to rebound and get the train rolling again in the capital. 2. Lewis - the Lions seem to be on a collision course with Raceland for the chance to go to Morehead. With Ruckel back from an injured ankle, they seem to be molding into post season form. 3. Raceland - the young Rams will be charged to face Lewis in the first round and with that much time to prepare, it wouldn't be a stretch to see coach Trimble come up with something to confound the Lions. With some winnable games left on the docket, look for the Rams to be ready. 4. Greenup - the Musketeers, like most 4 seeds will have a mountain in front of them. This year will have to suffice, likely, as a building block for the young team to mold and get better. 64th District 1. Ashland - at this precise point in time, the Tomcats are the 1 seed, by virtue of head to head margin with Boyd. While they do have to take care of business at Fairview this weekend, it appears likely the Cats will again get the best draw. Salow seems to be in the best shape of the year and Dixson is a double-double machine. If Ashland gets more scoring punch from Miller and Hart, they are very capable of winning the whole thing. 2. Boyd - as we speak, there's not a team hotter than Boyd. Ironically, the loss of big man Brandon Lowe has made the Lions change philosophy. Hunt is solid night in and night out, and maybe all of the parts are better than most thought. Stacy, Griffith, Taylor all seem to be contributing in different ways. The Lions seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. 3. Fairview - while they are destined to be in the 3 slot, they are definitely capable of playing spoiler having played Ashland to a very narrow margin at Ashland. And the close quarters in Westwood is never an easy place to play, who knows? 4. Rose Hill - the Royals are basically just trying to get better. They are definitely improved, but still lack the horses to get it done. It may be a bit premature to get these district discussions going, but this is just a little preview of what to expect as the rest of January rolls into February and we stare down the barrel of district play. Top 10 1. Fleming - still the cream of the crop 2. Russell - despite the loss to Boyd, they have what it takes 3. Boyd - not sold on Morgan, and Boyd has all the parts. 4. Ashland - still lots of work to do, but like Boyd, have the pieces. 5. Rowan - could have easily been in the 3 spot, and experienced. 6. Morgan - more than capable, solid season to date. 7. East Carter - up and down season so far, but more than capable of a run 8. Fairview - have the athletes to confound opponents 9. Lewis - now that leading scorer returns, much better production 10. Elliott - the bombers can hurt you if they're on target

1/22/2013 Mason Co. 56 Fleming Co. 54 Fleming Co. 10 21 8 15 54 Mason Co. 17 13 13 13 56 Fleming Co. (15-3) -- Crisp 12, Burns 22, Saunders 2, Steward 18. Mason Co. (12-7) -- Frame 2, Stahl 6, S. Johnson 22, Chambers 4, Gibbs 4, Greenhill 14, Henry 2, D. Johnson 2.

1/22/2013 Boyd Co. 79 Russell 59 Russell 15 13 20 11 59 Boyd Co. 15 16 24 24 79 Russell (18-6) -- Hayes 2, Evans 15, Porter 12, Skaggs 27, Kennedy 3. Boyd Co. (14-9) -- Hunt 25, Wallace 9, Stacy 12, Taylor 2, Griffith 18, Jerrell 2, Anderson 2, Burgess 4, Mullins 2, Rowsey 3.

Here's a look at what we can expect from the teams participating in this year's version of the All-A Classic where the semi-finals and finals will be held at Raceland on Jan. 17th. Schedule Thursday Jan 10th @ Fairview Fairview vs. West Carter 7:30 Saturday Jan 12th @ Elliott Elliott vs. Menifee 7:30 Saturday Jan. 12th @ Morgan Morgan vs. Rose Hill Saturday Jan. 12th @ Russell Russell vs. Bath Saturday Jan 12th @ Raceland Raceland vs. Winner of Fairview/West Carter Semifinals @ Raceland for top half of bracket Monday Jan 14th @7:30 Semifinals @ Raceland for lower half of bracket Tuesday Jan 15th @7:30 Finals @ Raceland Thursday Jan 15th @7:30 Players to watch Kyle Skaggs-leading scorer in the region and the Devils go as he goes. Currently he has suffered a broken nose, and we have no idea how that will effect his participation or play. Assuming there's no effect, he'll be the key for Russell with his ability to put points on the board. Kyle Brown- another dynamic scorer for West Carter who will have his hands full to get West past the play in vs. Raceland. If they get by Fairview and Raceland, Brown could pull one out of his hat if for some reason Russell falters. Jordan Perry- the addition of the transfers has allowed Perry some room to score and takes the bulk of the ballhandling duties from his shoulders. He could put up some significant numbers for Morgan and they'll need them if they want to contend for that title. Alexander Malinic-post presence and a banger for Morgan who will likely be a major factor the first two games with his size advantage over the first two opponents, assuming they advance. It'll be a "taller" order for them to get past Russell, also assuming they advance. Lance Evans- the Russell big man has started to fit into his role as a post player for the Devils. His play on both ends of the floor have proven to be the major difference maker for Russell this season. Likely he'll be a huge factor for Russell if they end up in what most presume as a final vs. Morgan. Top Teams Russell- the Red Devils are playing as well as anyone in the region. Guard play has been outstanding with Porter, Skaggs, Hayes and the improved play of Steven Estep along with Lance Evans has made Russell a force in the 16th regardless of size. A big win over Ashland has them rolling right now. Morgan- minus the loss to Russell earlier in the EKC, the Cougars are undefeated within the region and look to redeem themselves with a run here. Aguire, Perry and Malinic lead Morgan and provide consistent performance on both ends of the floor for Coach Perry. Expect to see them in the finals. Elliott- you simply can't count out the Lions of Elliott when they make a ton of treys. One thing is for sure, they are gonna shoot 'em. Can Nickell and company make enough? West Carter- While they haven't played terribly well, it's hard to count out a Jeremy Webb coached club when he has a scorer like Kyle Brown. The question is and has been, can he get enough help? Fairview- a team full of fine athletes who simply haven't put it all together yet. Devin Turner is as fast as anyone in the region from baseline to baseline, but the cast seems out of sorts. Can coach Cooksey get them on track in time to make a run? How we see it Barring a monumental upset, this regional title and a trip to Frankfort will likely come down to a highly anticipated rematch between Russell and Morgan. While it's not a home game for Russell, Raceland would be the next best thing as you can expect a full house of Devil fans for the rematch if it comes to fruition. The first game in the EKC between the two was nip and tuck with Russell coming out on top by a slim margin. Unless there is an issue with Skaggs and his injury, we expect the Devils to be the 16th representative in the small school state tourney. I suspect that coach Perry and Morgan would love to play spoiler and represent the 16th on their own, and maybe, just maybe there's a sleeper out there who can get hot enough to make a run? Elliott and their 3 barrage? Should make for an exciting tourney. We want to wish all of the teams good luck and the best to whomever represents the 16th.