16th Region Week 13 Review and District Tournament Preview

[DevilMayCare]

Panthers pick themselves up… Morgan closes strong… Boyd's offense in high gear… And we take a peak at district tourneys

 

Looking Back

Fleming clinches #1 | The Panthers shook off the Mason County loss with a pair of sixteen point wins in the regular season's final week. They would gladly trade their current poll position for a region crown, but they've earned the distinction of #1 as we move into the prove it, or lose it portion of the season. On a personnel front, leading scorer Seth Hickerson appears to be good to go after missing the Mason game. 

Cougars continue winning ways without sharpshooter | No one in the 16th has more momentum rolling in their favor than Morgan County. The Cougars are unbeaten in February, having run off nine straight wins. That run includes a six point victory over Rowan County in West Liberty without the services of leading scorer Preston Hoskins. He's missed five straight games now, and his availability is of paramount importance if Morgan is going to make a push for Rupp Arena. 

Lions flirt with triple digits | Boyd County has been one of the state's best offensive teams this season, averaging 83 points per game, good enough for #2 statewide and leads the region by a whopping 14 points over Fleming County. The Lions nearly eclipsed the century mark in both games this past week, dropping 99 against Johnson Central and 96 on Greenup County. They've scored 80+ in nine of their last eleven games and haven't failed to hit 70 in six weeks. A driving force behind their offensive proficiency has been ball movement and perimeter shooting. In particular, that of Jacob Spurlock, who recently broke his own region record for three point baskets in a season. 

 

Chairmen of the “boards” | Fleming’s Isaac Frye became the school's all-time rebounder against Lewis County. He's the unsung hero of a region championship contending squad, doing the dirty work while the scorers grab the headlines. Ditto for Boyd's Jason Ellis, who continued to add to his decorated resumé by grabbing his 1,000th career rebound against Greenup County, good for second all-time in program history. He's already a member of Boyd's 1,000 point club, stands alone as their all-time leader in blocked shots, and has played in more consecutive games than anyone to ever wear a Lions uniform. The Frye's and Ellis’ of the world are an invaluable ingredient to a championship recipe.

 

 

Looking Ahead

With district tournaments coming at us fast, let's take a snapshot of the four encompassed by the 16th Region. 

61st 

Location: Rowan County High School 

Seeds: 1. Fleming County 2. Rowan County 3. Menifee County 4. Bath County 

On paper, this looks pretty straight forward; the Panthers and Vikings have been in the upper third of the region since day one, while Menifee and Bath have occupied the bottom third. Fleming should take care of business, but Bath County has made strides recently with the addition of Mou Riiny, a long rim protector and rebounder. If the chalk holds, we'll be treated to the region's second most eagerly anticipated district final. When they met on February 2nd, Rowan handed Fleming its only in-region loss so far this season, and did it by 18 points.

 

62nd 

Location: West Carter High School 

Seeds: 1. Morgan County 2. East Carter 3. West Carter 4. Elliott County 

Morgan should advance past Elliott with little trouble. Any potential for drama resides in the other semi. You have to toss aside the records when East and West collide. The Raiders have been the better team all season, but the Comets got the jump on them when they met a month ago, leading big early before East rallied for a six point win. It wouldn't be wise to spot your arch rival and underdog a double digit lead in a win or go home scenario.

 

63rd 

Location: Greenup County High School 

Seeds: 1. Greenup County 2. Russell 3. Raceland 4. Lewis County 

Russell and Raceland open postseason play for the whole region on Monday night. The Devils won both regular season encounters, but have struggled a little down the stretch while the Rams are playing some of their best basketball at the most opportune time. Even the 1v4 game is up in the air, as Lewis County handed Greenup its only district loss ten days ago. Buckle up, because there may be more twists and turns in this tournament than the other three combined.

 

64th 

Location: Boyd County Middle School 

Seeds*: 1. Boyd County 2. Ashland 3. Fairview 

With all due respect to Fairview, we know where this one's headed. The Lions and Tomcats have decided the last seven straight district finals and ten of the last eleven. No reason to think those numbers won't increase by one in the next few days, unless Ashland is rusty after ten days off. The other side of that coin is that a well rested and healthy Tomcats squad is all business when they see the court again. Fairview played Ashland to a respectable thirteen point loss in December. It was arguably Ashland's worst perimeter shooting performance of the season, and they still won by a comfortable margin. Assuming the Boyd/Ashland final comes to fruition, they'll be hard pressed to top the first two meetings. 

*Rose Hill has opted out of postseason play.

 

Sixteen For the 16th (Rankings)

1. Fleming County Panthers

Record: 22-8

Weekly Results: beat Augusta (83-67) | beat Lewis County (76-60)

 

2. Boyd County Lions

Record: 24-6

Weekly Results: beat Johnson Central (99-57) | beat Greenup County (96-60)

 

3. Ashland Tomcats

Record: 19-9

Weekly Results: Idle

 

4. Morgan County Cougars

Record: 21-6

Weekly Results: beat Rowan County (70-64) | beat Paintsville (80-58) | beat Powell County (88-78)

 

5. Rowan County Vikings

Record: 20-10

Weekly Results: lost to Morgan County (64-70) | beat Elliott County (64-43) | beat Russell (73-63)

 

6. East Carter Raiders

Record: 16-11

Weekly Results: beat Russell (57-42)

 

7. Greenup County Musketeers

Record: 16-14

Weekly Results: beat West Carter (60-48) | lost to Boyd County (60-96)

 

8. Russell Red Devils

Record: 16-11

Weekly Results: lost to East Carter (42-57) | lost to Rowan County (63-73)

 

9. Raceland Rams

Record: 15-14

Weekly Results: beat Fairview (104-67) | lost to Lawrence County (87-88)

 

10. Lewis County Lions

Record: 9-17

Weekly Results: lost to Bourbon County (52-65) | lost to Fleming County (60-76) | lost to Bath County (47-52)

 

11. West Carter Comets

Record: 9-18

Weekly Results: lost to Greenup County (48-60) | beat Menifee County (53-52) | beat Fairview (61-54)

 

12. Menifee County Wildcats

Record: 9-20

Weekly Results: beat Elliott County (62-57) | lost to West Carter (52-53)

 

13. Bath County Wildcats

Record: 8-20

Weekly Results: beat Robertson County (82-44) | lost to Nicholas County (52-67) | beat Lewis County (52-47)

 

14. Fairview Eagles

Record: 8-22

Weekly Results: beat Adams County Christian (OH) (100-47) | lost to Raceland (67-104) | lost to West Carter (54-61)

 

15. Elliott County Lions

Record: 5-24

Weekly Results: lost to Menifee County (57-62) | lost to Rowan County (43-64) | lost to Phelps (50-63)

 

Get To The Point (High Scorers For The Week)

Jacob Spurlock (Boyd County) - 36 against Greenup County 

Christian Large (Raceland) - 34 against Fairview 

Adam Hargett (Fleming County) - 33 against Augusta

Gatlin Griffith (Morgan County) - 32 against Powell County 

Tamel Smith (Fairview) - 25 against Adams County Christian 

Evan Goodman (East Carter) - 24 against Russell 

Montana Brashear (Bath County) - 24 against Lewis County 

Brevon Ricker (Menifee County) - 24 against West Carter 

[The Professor]

I’m going to predict a Boyd County-Ashland regional championship game. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb doing that. The title game could go either way. Boyd has clipped Ashland twice by 6 points this season. So the finals will be close. Ashland has won five straight regional championships. Boyd has a slim edge but the Tomcats will not go down easily. Don’t be surprised if they aren’t playing in Rupp for the sixth consecutive time. 

[DevilMayCare]

1 hour ago, The Professor said:

I’m going to predict a Boyd County-Ashland regional championship game. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb doing that. The title game could go either way. Boyd has clipped Ashland twice by 6 points this season. So the finals will be close. Ashland has won five straight regional championships. Boyd has a slim edge but the Tomcats will not go down easily. Don’t be surprised if they aren’t playing in Rupp for the sixth consecutive time. 

I would love to disagree with you, because the region could use a breath of fresh air. But I have a feeling that Boyd or Ashland one will stand taller than the rest when the dust settles. And if it's Boyd, does that qualify as fresh air?

Fleming obviously has the goods to beat them both. The Panthers and Morgan County are who I'll be pulling for among the real contenders, but Morehead in early March is showtime for the two biggest basketball brands in the region, especially Ashland. 

[DevilMayCare]

63rd District Update

Russell defeated Raceland last night in the semifinals, 65-43.

Greenup County plays Lewis County Wednesday night to fill the other finalist slot.

 

Tonight's Schedule 2/27

61st District Semifinals - Fleming County vs. Bath County & Rowan County vs. Menifee County 

62nd District Semifinal - Morgan County vs. Elliott County 

64th District Semifinal - Ashland vs. Fairview 

[DevilMayCare]

61st District Update

Semifinals:

Fleming County routed Bath County, 90-54

Rowan County blew out Menifee County, 84-55

Finals: The Panthers and Vikings meet Thursday night in Morehead. 

 

62nd District Update

Semifinals:

Morgan County advances past a surprisingly game Elliott County, 79-70

East Carter defeated West Carter, 50-38

Finals: The Cougars and Raiders meet Friday night in Olive Hill. 

 

63rd District Update

Semifinal:

Greenup County blew out Lewis County, 61-29

Finals: The Musketeers meet Russell Friday night in Lloyd. 

 

64th District Update

Semifinal:

Ashland beat Fairview, 73-48

Finals: The Tomcats face Boyd County Thursday night in Summit.

[DevilMayCare]

61st District Update

Rowan County held on to defeat Fleming County for the title.

64th District Update

Boyd County edged Ashland in an OT classic to repeat as district champs.

 

Tonight's Schedule

Morgan County vs. East Carter for the 62nd District Championship at West Carter High School - Tip-off at 6:30pm

Greenup County vs. Russell for the 63rd crown at Greenup County High School - Tip-off at 7:00pm