Boyd survives Round 1 against wounded Tomcats…. Fleming and Boyd have productive weeks in Owensboro… The Musketeers down the Devils… And Raceland retains All "A" title….

 

If the first meeting between Ashland and Boyd County can be categorized as an appetizer, the main course and dessert should have mouths watering.

A packed house at Ashland's Anderson Gym witnessed one of the best games in the rivalry's recent history. In a game of runs, the Lions would stretch a lead out, and Ashland would reel them back in. The Tomcats never led and played most of the game without the long range trigger of Tyson Lalonde, who left injured in the first half. Asher Adkins stepped up with 22 points and four threes, but was outdone by Cole Hicks’ 26 points and five treys. Boyd County ultimately prevailed, 73-67, in a back and forth game.

The tone may be set for what's to come between these two.

Top left: Boyd's Jacob Spurlock. Top Right: Ashland's Zander Carter (1) skies for a rebound. Bottom left: Ashland's Asher Adkins. Bottom right: Jason Ellis (3) and Braxton Jennings (11) fight for a rebound. All photos by Matt Jones for the Daily Independent.

 

Ashland recovered on the road to Madison County with wins over Southern and Central on consecutive days. Boyd County turned its attention to the “2A” State Tournament in Owensboro, where the Lions rallied from sixteen down to upend Bell County in the quarterfinals before losing to highly regarded Lexington Catholic in the semis. They were dominated on the glass, but otherwise competed well against a legitimate state title contender. 

Fleming County joined Boyd in Owensboro and actually advanced a round further than the Lions after dispatching LaRue County and pulling a bit of an upset in the “2A” semifinals over DeSales. Upon reaching the title game, the Panthers were no match for a long, athletic, hot shooting LexCath in a running clock defeat. That result indirectly reflects a gap between Boyd/Ashland and Fleming. It's still merely a perception, though. We'll have a more direct impression at the end of the week when the Panthers host Ashland.

In one of the week's more surprising results, Greenup County smacked Russell by 17 at 'The Marv'. The 63rd District is as competitive as any in the state, so the winner isn't the story here. How it played out, is. It appeared the long time rivals were in for another dog fight before Greenup's Eli Adkins unleashed his skill and athleticism in the second quarter. His rise and fire ability helped enable 16 of his game high 28 points during that eight minute stretch to leave the Devils in the dust. Russell had no answer at either end of the court. The Musketeers have won the last two games on Russell's home floor by a combined 33 points. 

Highlights:

 

 

In other 63rd related news, Raceland retained its status as top dog among the region's All “A” schools. The Rams handled West Carter by 18 in the tournament semifinals before defeating Menifee County by 13 to repeat as All “A” champions. Christian Large scored 22 and Conner Sutton came up big with 17 points and 10 boards to offset a 29 point night from Menifee's Aiden Manley. Raceland polished off a 3-0 week with a 17 point win over Lucasville Valley from Ohio, positioning the Rams as a team on the rise in this week's rankings. The Rams dive into district play on Tuesday when they host Greenup County. 

Raceland's Christian Large eyes the basket following a steal. Photo by John Flavell.

 

Sixteen For the 16th (Rankings)

1. Boyd County Lions

Record: 14-4

Weekly Results: beat Ashland (73-67) | beat Bell County (77-75) | lost to Lexington Catholic (59-74)

 

2. Ashland Tomcats

Record: 11-5

Weekly Results: lost to Boyd County (67-73) | beat Madison Southern (86-56) | beat Madison Central (62-57)

 

3. Fleming County Panthers

Record: 13-5

Weekly Results: beat LaRue County (62-56) | beat DeSales (63-61) | lost to Lexington Catholic (54-81)

 

4. Morgan County Cougars

Record: 12-3

Weekly Results: beat East Carter (58-42)

 

5. Rowan County Vikings

Record: 9-6

Weekly Results: Idle last week 

 

6. Raceland Rams

Record: 10-6

Weekly Results: beat West Carter (62-44) | beat Menifee County (75-62) | beat Lucasville Valley (OH) (87-70)

 

7. Greenup County Musketeers

Record: 10-9

Weekly Results: beat Russell (66-49) | beat Cabell Midland (WV) (66-35)

 

8. Russell Red Devils

Record: 8-6

Weekly Results: lost to Lawrence County (62-77) | lost to Greenup County (49-66) | beat Wheelersburg (OH) (66-59)

 

9. East Carter Raiders

Record: 8-8

Weekly Results: lost to Morgan County (42-58) | beat Bracken County (75-49)

 

10. Lewis County Lions

Record: 5-6

Weekly Results: Idle last week 

 

11. West Carter Comets

Record: 6-9

Weekly Results: lost to Raceland (44-62) | beat Elliott County (60-55)

 

12. Menifee County Wildcats

Record: 7-10

Weekly Results: beat Elliott County (78-60) | lost to Raceland (62-75)

 

13. Bath County Wildcats

Record: 5-12

Weekly Results: lost to Bluegrass United (73-80) | beat Fairview (72-61)

 

14. Fairview Eagles

Record: 6-14

Weekly Results: lost to Bath County (61-72) | beat Ross County Christian (OH) (76-47)

 

15. Elliott County Lions

Record: 2-14

Weekly Results: lost to Menifee County (60-78) | lost to West Carter (55-60)

 

16. Rose Hill Royals

Record: 4-7

Weekly Results: Idle last week 

 

Get To The Point (High Scorers For The Week)

Zander Carter (Ashland) - 30 against Madison Southern 

Aiden Manley (Menifee County) - 29 against Raceland 

Eli Adkins (Greenup County) - 28 against Russell 

Cole Hicks (Boyd County) - 26 against Ashland and 25 against Bell County 

Conner Sutton (Raceland) - 24 against Lucasville Valley (OH)

Am I the only one who thinks the region tournament will be wide open?

Ashland and Boyd are going to be there of course but teams like Morgan, Fleming, and Rowan can be anybody on a given night. 

58 minutes ago, TribeTime said:

Am I the only one who thinks the region tournament will be wide open?

Ashland and Boyd are going to be there of course but teams like Morgan, Fleming, and Rowan can be anybody on a given night. 

Definitely wouldn't be surprised to see someone other than Boyd or Ashland get to Rupp. Fleming, Morgan, and Rowan have the pieces. 

I want to see more results involving those five head-to-head. So far, we've only seen Boyd against Morgan and Rowan once each, with the Lions winning by 25 both times. Factor in how close Boyd and Ashland appear to be, combined with the optics of the 2A Tournament.... I think the other three have something to prove.

To your point, though, I agree that on a given night, anything could happen in Morehead.