The home of the Wildcats will host a feline frenzy between the Tomcats and Panthers in Round 1. Ashland (20-4) used up a pair of its nine lives to escape Morehead and advance to Rupp Arena, while Knox Central (18-5) knocked off 13th Region favorite North Laurel to claim its spot in the Sweet 16®. Both schools are riding a streak of three straight trips to the state tournament.

The Panthers' offense typically runs through high scoring and highly athletic guard Jevonte Turner (26 ppg/8 rpg), but forward Isaac Mills (15 ppg/7 rpg) is a sturdy #2 option. Turner has impressive hops and also shoots 47% from long range. 

Ashland relies on the perimeter trio of Cole Villers (23 ppg), Colin Porter (18 ppg), and Ethan Sellars (13 ppg) for the bulk of its scoring. Those three have combined for 162 made threes this season and shoot 42% from behind the arc as a group. 

Game time is set for 8pm on Thursday night, April 1st.

 

I like Ashland in a close one.  Tomcats by 6.

Don’t sleep on this Knox Central team. They shoot well and are good defensively plus they have athletes. Give me Knox Central here by 5.

Ashland and Knox Central are on the clock.

Starting lineups:

Ashland - Colin Porter, Cole Villers, Ethan Sellars, Sean Marcum, Zander Carter

Knox Central - Jevonte Turner, Isaac Mills, Gavin Chadwell, Abram Brock, Andrew Sizemore

Ashland dents the scoreboard first.

2-0 early

4-0 Ashland

Villers on the break for 2.

6-0 Ashland

4:25 in 1Q

Media timeout.

6-0 Ashland

2:59 in 1Q

Knox Central with nearly as many turnovers (5) as field goal attempts (6).

Villers with a strip and a bucket.

8-0 Ashland

1:17 in the 1Q

A pair of Chadwell FTs gets KC on the board.

8-2 Ashland

End of the 1Q

Ashland 10

Knox Central 2

KC was 0-9 from the field in the opening quarter. 

Ashland's Ethan Sellars has two early fouls. Something to keep an eye on.

Mills with KC's first FG.

10-4 Ashland