article 16th Region Week 12 Review: Win or Go Home

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It is postseason time in the Bluegrass. The region has been Elliott County and everyone else throughout the season. Now it is time to see if anyone can knock off the Lions. Here is a look at the final regular season rankings of the 2018-19 season:

 

1. ELLIOTT COUNTY (22-3) The Lions finished off their unbeaten run through the 16th region with a home win over Ashland last Thursday. Korbin Spencer now hopes to nab a fourth region title for Elliott County in the past five seasons.

 

2. ROWAN COUNTY (23-5) The Vikings have stumbled down the stretch with losses to East Carter, Morgan County, and Mason County. Coach Thacker will try to right the ship in the postseason behind the play of Mason Moore and Brady Madden.

 

3. BOYD COUNTY (20-10) The Lions lost their season finale to East Carter at home. The defending region champs will lean heavily on Blake Stewart and Talbott Taylor in postseason play.

 

4. LEWIS COUNTY (19-9) The Lions are on an eight-game winning streak heading into the district tournament at The Hampton Inn. Seth Wright and Sam O'Keefe will be vital to LC's postseason run under Coach Joe Hampton.

 

5. EAST CARTER (12-13) The Raiders finished the season by winning 10 of their last 12 games including wins over Boyd County, Morgan County, and West Carter. Jordan Brooks has been a double-double machine for Coach Brandon Baker's squad.

 

6. MORGAN COUNTY (18-11) The Cougars finished off a strong season with a win over Phelps. Blake Evans and Jake Helton need big nights for the Cougars to upset Elliott County in round 1 of the 62nd District.

 

7. WEST CARTER (15-11) The Comets finished off their season with a convincing win over Bracken County Friday night. A balanced attack will be needed in their 62nd District showdown with county rival East Carter Tuesday.

 

8. ASHLAND (13-15) The up and down Tomcats dominated West Carter on Tuesday but then lost back-to-back road games to Elliott County and rival Russell. Cole Villers will be pivotal in how deep the Tomcats can go in the postseason.

 

9. RACELAND (15-12) The Rams finished strong down the stretch and got a huge win over Greenup County last week. The Rams are dangerous offensively but face Russell in round 1 of the 63rd District tournament, a team they have lost to twice this season.

 

10. RUSSELL (9-17) The Red Devils pulled off a mild upset Friday over Ashland behind 14 points from seldom used guard Donovan Moore. Now they will try to knock off rival Raceland

for a third time this season with a region berth on the line.

 

11. BATH COUNTY (11-19) The Wildcats ended the season on a six-game losing streak against solid region teams. Chandler Otis and Jake Porter will try to help Bath turn the tables on Fleming County in Round 1 of the 61st District Tournament on Monday.

 

12. FLEMING COUNTY (11-18) The Panthers had a tough week with losses to Sayre and Greenup County. Cole Saunders hopes to lead the Panthers to a third victory over Bath County in district play Monday.

 

13. GREENUP COUNTY (11-18) The Musketeers ended the season with two wins over Piarist and Fleming County. Greenup County will now face the tall task of playing Lewis County in Vanceburg on Tuesday.

 

14. FAIRVIEW (10-19) The Eagles defeated Tolsia to end their regular season. Noah King and Garrett Greene hope to lead an upset bid against Boyd County Tuesday.

 

15. MENIFEE COUNTY (9-21) The Wildcats ended the season at 9-21. They will face Rowan County Monday in the 61st District.

 

16. ROSE HILL (4-24) The Royals made great improvements this season with four wins. They will face host Ashland in district play Monday.

 

61st District at Rowan County

 

Monday February 18th

 

Rowan County vs Menifee County

Fleming County vs Bath County

 

Prediction

Winner: Rowan County

Runner Up: Bath County

 

62nd District at West Carter

 

Monday February 18th

Elliott County vs Morgan County

 

Tuesday February 19th

East Carter vs West Carter

 

Prediction

Winner: Elliott County

Runner Up: East Carter

 

63rd District at Lewis County

 

Tuesday February 19th

Greenup County vs Lewis County

 

Wednesday February 20th

Russell vs Raceland

 

Prediction

Champion:Lewis County

Runner Up: Raceland

 

64th District at Ashland

 

Monday February 18th

Ashland vs Rose Hill

 

Tuesday February 19th

Fairview vs Boyd County

 

Champion:Ashland

Runner Up: Boyd County

 

Ten Players to Watch:

1. Korbin Spencer Elliott Averages a region-best 29.6 points per game. Can dominate a game in many ways.

2. Mason Moore Rowan The Paintsville transfer has been as good as advertised averaging 19.7 an outing

3. Blake Stewart Boyd The veteran junior guard averages 21.8 and is also the Lions' leading rebounder.

4. Jordan Brooks East Carter The versatile Brooks has blossomed his senior season averaging 16.1 points for the resurgent Raiders.

5. Sam O'Keefe Lewis The silky smooth lefty combines a toughness that has led the Lions to a 19-9 record while averaging 18.5 a contest.

6. Tanner Dickerson Elliott The sharpshooter has played Robin to Batman with Korbin Spencer. His scoring makes a big difference for the Lions.

7. Kirk Pence Raceland The combo guard recently took over ball handling responsibilities and the Rams have been on a roll.

8. Devaunte Robinson Ashland The athletic Robinson needs to step up his game like he did last season during the Tomcats run to the region finals.

9. Brady Madden Rowan The physical post player will have to dominate the paint for the Vikings to make a deep postseason run.

10. Cole Villers Ashland His presence on the perimeter makes the Tomcats a definite dark horse threat in March. is he healthy enough to be difference maker?

[DevilMayCare]

61st - Can Rowan regain it's winning form in the district tournament and surge into regionals?

 

62nd - Morgan ended its late season skid with three straight wins. They're a dangerous first round opponent for Elliott. Does East Carter's incredible turnaround come to an abrupt end against rival West Carter? Both opening round games in this district could go either way.

 

63rd - Over the course of the season, Lewis has emerged as the favorite here. Expect Russell vs. Raceland to go down to the wire again. The regular season games were decided by a total of three points.

 

64th - As is always the case, it would take a big upset to prevent Boyd County and Ashland from meeting again to settle this district. Anything can happen when those two get together.