After a terrific start to the season it's time to start to glean some things now that teams have had an opportunity to display some of what you'll see this season in the 16th. These are just a few notes about what we think about the first official week of basketball in our corner of the Commonwealth.

 

1. Kyle Skaggs sets the Russell H.S. all time scoring mark. And it was no surprise, but he did it in consecutive 30point fashion. He has the Red Devils undefeated and looking like a serious contender to win the region.

2. Fleming County also has the feel of regional favorite with Burns and Steward lighting up the scoreboard. The EKC final vs. Russell will be the first step in sorting out the very top of the rankings for the 16th.

3. Ashland starts off hot with a key district win on the road against Boyd County and there may no bigger pleasant surprise in the region so far than Ross Thompson. His 18 point effort while running the Tomcat offense was outstanding. The sturdy PG is a significant factor for Ashland, and will make them even better with the return of Logan Salow from a lower leg injury in the near future.

4. Lance Evans seems to be filling the void left by graduation last year in the post for Russell. It appears Lance may be the key cog for Russell as they pursue Rupp.

5. Morgan County and the new faces via foreign exchange are the real deal. It seems that the additions to the Cougars are not only legit, but didn't have much problem blending into the parts already there.

6. In his best Mark Twain, Shawn Thacker can claim that the news of their death has been greatly exaggerated. The Vikings are indeed a factor this season with improved play in the middle from Brown and the defensive intensity from young Thacker. That district may be the best in the region again this year.

7. Disappointing start for Boyd. Two difficult opponents to start the season, but no one in Summit was expecting the Lions to start 0-2. It's early, but starting 0-1 in the district isn't ideal obviously. They're hoping for a turnaround and in quick fashion.

8. Can Fairview pull some magic with the Huntington transfers? They get to see this weekend with Raceland and Russell on the slate.

9. Equally puzzling is the 0-3 start by Jeremy Webb's Comets. A lopsided loss to Fleming may not tell the tale, but a 10 point defeat at the hands of Lewis county is surprising. Look for them to right the ship soon.

10. Lastly, the Lewis County Lions, while 1-2 can't feel too bad about their start. After losing to Ashland in a foul-fest at home to open the season, Coach Hampton and his men narrowly lost to Rowan by 4, then turned around to beat West Carter by 10. We'll categorize them as a pleasant surprise.

 

 

Stay tuned, this region is really wide open. One coach said that he thinks there could easily be a couple of surprises down the stretch and we'll see some surprises in the regional tournament. We can't say we disagree.

Edited December 10, 201213 yr by Randy Parker
Added prefix

Good stuff, Tom! :thumb: And everything you've said here looks pretty good to me. Excited to see how that Russell/Fleming County battle works itself out.

Hope Boyd County decides to start there season soon, seems there on auto-pilot and not showing up to play , they are a lot better than they have played.

Good observation's Tom.....

Any truth to Elliott County having a chance to make some noise in about two or three years when their 7th and 8th grade teams start wearing the Lions varsity uniform?

Logan from Ashland was still in a boot last night. I was impressed with Dixion. Didn't do much first half, but turned it on second half.

You did a very good job!

Any truth to Elliott County having a chance to make some noise in about two or three years when their 7th and 8th grade teams start wearing the Lions varsity uniform?

 

 

Looks like one you was on to something!

Tom was sure a smart dude.