16th Region Week 11 Review

16th Region Week 11 Review

 

Rivals Ashland Blazer and Boyd County are back in a tie atop the rankings after Boyd lost to Harlan County last week. No other changes in the top nine although some jockeying moves were made. Hot Fairview moves into the top 10. At the top, Ashland and Boyd have split their two meetings, each getting a win on the road. Boyd County won the last meeting. It raised the question: Has Boyd finally caught up to its nemesis or was the win against Ashland an outlier. They have delivered each other's only regional and district losses, but Ashland won the district seeding game and earned the top seed at the district tournament. These teams are closer than their KHSAA RPI suggest (Boyd .633, Ashland .598). Elsewhere, Russell finally took a tumble after putting together a long winning streak, but the Red Devils don't fall in the rankings. Fleming County is now the hottest team in the region but there were several teams that put together unbeaten weeks.

 

Regional Rankings:

 

1. Ashland Blazer (18-10): The Tomcats went 2-0 with wins against Rowan County and Huntington Spring Valley (WV). Zander Carter scored 24 points against Rowan County. They are 8-1 versus the region, the only loss coming against Boyd County, and 3-1 vs. the 64th District, the lone loss coming to Boyd. They have a nine-point win at Boyd County and a 22-point win over Fleming County. They have beaten nine Kentucky teams with winning records. Three of their losses have come against state powers CovCath, George Rogers Clark and Great Crossing, so they have been tested a little more than Boyd. The Tomcats also have a lot of recent history on their side, compared to Boyd, going 4-0 against the Lions in 2021-22. They have beaten Boyd in two of the last four regional championship games since Boyd beat Ashland in the 2018 final, all under former coach Jason Mays, who was let go just before the season started, leaving a new less seasoned head coach to navigate some uncharted waters. That's a big question. Will the Tomcats be coached as well as previous postseasons come tournament time.

 

1. Boyd County (21-5): The Lions started the week 3-0, extending their winning streak to 10 but ended the week with a 71-63 loss to Rowan County. They defeated Raceland 93-50, Elliott County 96-43 and needed overtime to beat a 14-13 Perry County Central squad 71-70. Jacob Spurlock scored 25 against Perry County Central. They have scored at least 90 points nine times with three other games at 89, 88 and 87. They average a state-leading 84 points per game and now have 11 wins against state teams with winning records including Pikeville, Eastern, Lawrence County and Campbell County. They remained 8-1 against the region, the only loss coming against Ashland, and 3-1 versus the 64th District, the only loss to Ashland. They are the district's No. 2 seed with some terrible tournament history against Ashland, which is seeking a fifth straight regional title and 36th overall.

 

3. Fleming County (19-8): The Panthers went 2-0 for the second straight week, beating Robertson County and Ryle. The winning streak sits at seven. They have won 10 of their last 11. They remain 10-2 vs. the region and 5-1 vs. 61st District foes. Beat Russell by 21 earlier this season.

 

4. Russell (22-4): The Red Devils' streak of 16 consecutive wins and seven straight unbeaten weeks ended with a 58-42 district loss to Greenup County. They went 2-1 last week with victories against Elliott County and Bath County. Zaylen Carter had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds against Elliott County. They are 17-2 vs. the region and 6-1 vs. the 63rd District, earning the district tournament's No. 1 seed. The last previous team to beat them was Fleming County, accounting for their other regional loss.

 

5. Morgan County (19-6): Beat Buckhorn and West Carter for a 2-0 week. Preston Hoskins erupted for 29 points against West Carter. They are 7-2 against the region including a 27-point win against Bath County, and 5-1 vs. the 62nd District.

 

6. Rowan County (13-14): The Vikings went 0-2, losing to Ashland Blazer and East Carter. They had won seven of their previous 10. They are 9-6 vs. the region with two wins over Bath County and 4-2 vs. the 61st District. Just two non-region wins against state teams with winning records (Somerset, Montgomery County).

 

7. Bath County (14-12): Lost to Scott and Russell, making them 6-11 since the 8-1 start. Still just two wins against Kentucky teams with winning records since Dec. 13 (Estill County, East Carter). The Wildcats are 8-8 against the region, with two close wins against East Carter, and 3-3 vs. 61st District foes.

 

8. East Carter (17-9): The Raiders put together a 4-0 week, beating Elliott County, Menifee County, Nicholas County and Rowan County, earning a season split with Rowan. Ty Scott scored 21 against Elliott. Evan Goodman had 20 vs. Menifee. Blake Hall had 24 vs. Rowan. They are 11-3 over the last 14 games but have just two wins against Kentucky teams with winning records (Bethlehem, Morgan County). They are 13-5 vs. the region, with two wins vs. Greenup County, and 5-1 against 62nd District opponents.

 

9. Greenup County (11-15): The Musketeers went 2-0, beating West Carter for the second time with 18 points from Bradley Adkins and taking down Russell 58-42 in a 63rd District upset. They are 8-8 vs. the region with a split against Fairview, 2-2 vs. district foes.

 

10. Fairview (14-14): The Eagles evened their overall record with their first 3-0 week that included second wins of the season against both Rose Hill Christian and Lawrence County plus a win over Raceland for the first time in three tries. Steven Day scored 25 against Rose Hill. They have won four of their last six. They are 7-10 against the region, 2-4 vs. the 64th District. They are the district's No. 3 seed.

 

11. Lewis County (9-17): The Lions enjoyed a 3-0 week for the first time this season, beating West Carter, and both Rose Hill Christian and Raceland for the second time. They are 6-4 over the last 10 games. They are now 8-7 against regional opponents with two wins over Raceland. They are 3-3 against 63rd District competition.

 

12. Raceland (12-16): An 0-3 week dropped the Rams to 7-12 in the region. They are 0-6 vs. the 63rd District. After a 10-5 start, they have lost 11 of 13 in a major nosedive. They have beaten Menifee County. They are 2-1 in three meetings with Fairview.

 

13. Menifee County (9-18): The Wildcats went 0-2 with losses to East Carter and Powell County. They are 5-10 against the region and 0-6 against the 61st District. Have beaten Fairview by 10 but just 2-9 over the last 11 games.

 

14. West Carter (5-19): The Comets went 0-3 last week, including a road loss to Lewis County. They are 3-14 in the region with two wins against Rose Hill Christian and one vs. Elliott County. They are 1-4 vs. the 62nd District.

 

15. Elliott County (2-23): The Lions finished the week 0-3, extending their losing streak to 17. They are 0-17 against the region and 0-5 vs. 62nd District foes.

 

16. Rose Hill Christian (4-22): The Royals went 0-4. The losing streak is at 11. They are 0-10 in the region and 0-2 against the 64th District They have the district tournament's No. 4 seed.