Final from midway through the first quarter it was a game totally dominated by the Tomcats in what is probably the first of the 4 times they will play.

Carter led Ashland with 38 points. I believe they said he was 14-19 from the field, including 7-9 from 3 point range. 
 

Boyd County was without Cole Hicks and Griffin Taylor. That’s 2 big losses. 

Both teams with some key injuries tonight as Ashland missed Cam Davis and Braxton Jennings did play, but understandably Coach Bonner was cautious with how he used him. On Boyd County's end Griffin Taylor is still out and against Lanham Christian last week Cole Hicks went out for the second half and he did not play tonight.

Boyd County opened up leading 8-2, then Ashland got red hot from the outside. Boyd did a great job early on of giving themselves second and third chances to score which kept them in it, but it was just one of those nights where Ashland just was blistering from three point range and it stalled the momentum Boyd County had early. I would not be surprised if they had 15 threes as a team or maybe more, I know Zander Carter and Tyson LaLonde combined for 11 alone and there were multiple other players who hit three pointers. Rhett Holbrook hit a three pointer from 35 feet out before halftime to give Boyd a little bit of momentum and cut the Ashland lead to 17 but in the second half Ashland did a lot of what Boyd County did in the first half - attack the offensive glass and give themselves second and third opportunities to score.

Ashland has to be happy with how they shot the ball and Zander Carter has become an elite three-level scorer. He will be a fantastic addition to Ritchie McKay's squad at Liberty next season. Ashland also has to be thrilled with the ball movement and that they were able to hold Jacob Spurlock, another elite scorer, to zero in the first half. There were times when they started forcing three pointers, but it's hard to blame them with the success they were having and I anticipate they will build off this victory. Tyson LaLonde looked very comfortable and played, in my opinion, the best game he has played at Ashland. This has to be a great confidence booster for him.

Boyd County still had some positives. They have some players that can step up and hit the three - we saw that against a talented Lanham Christian squad over the weekend in the second half and they had some guys step it up tonight at times. As a team in their first three games they shot 80% from the line and I anticipate they will continue to be one of the better free throw shooting teams in the region and state. They showed flashes, but all in all if I'm Boyd with the exception of the lessons learned from the game I just shrug this one off and move on. They caught Ashland on a red hot night and on top of that were missing a couple of key players. It could turn into an unexpected benefit with the experience some of these other players will gain from having the opportunity to see the court in one of the great rivalries. 

Two seasons ago when the teams played the first time (At Boyd County) Ashland won by nine, but led by as much as 25 in the matchup. Boyd would go on to win the next two, including the district championship. Ashland won all four games in the 2020-2021 season - yet in all four games Boyd County led by at least nine points. This is a fun rivalry. Anything can happen.

It's scary to think this Ashland squad is only scratching the surface of its potential. Once they get everyone healthy and up to speed... ?.

Final stats. 
 

 

 

51 minutes ago, LRCW said:

Carter led Ashland with 38 points. I believe they said he was 14-19 from the field, including 7-9 from 3 point range. 
 

I think we'll see plenty of nights like this from him this season. With all of the shooters they've got, combined with Ashland's ability to spread the floor and move the ball, Carter will have plenty of room to work.

This is the front page for tomorrow's Daily Independent sports section. 

Carter's being hounded by Rhett Holbrook, one of the 16th's best defenders. Holbrook, like all other Lions tonight, found him indefensible.

Just watched this on Mytown. "Indefensible" is a good word to describe Zander's performance. He is going to be a match up problem all year long. The team as a whole started to click last night. Although Jennings played sparingly and is not 100% I think his leadership presence, whether on the bench or the floor, inspired confidence. The number of shooter's on this team just isn't fair. On a nightly basis it may just be a matter of finding the hot hand, and in those games where you have multiple hot hands the Tomcats will be hard to beat and fun to watch. 

15 hours ago, DevilMayCare said:

It's scary to think this Ashland squad is only scratching the surface of its potential. Once they get everyone healthy and up to speed... ?.

I know it's early but how does this version of Ashland compare to the 2020 team that was undefeated before Covid canceled the state tournament?

5 hours ago, gchs_uk9 said:

I know it's early but how does this version of Ashland compare to the 2020 team that was undefeated before Covid canceled the state tournament?

This year's team has greater offensive firepower and Carter is a more dynamic solo scorer than anyone they had in 2020. That team had Colin Porter at the point, who was the best PG the 16th has had in recent memory. I'm not sure this year's team has an equivalent, but they're guard heavy in general.

That's about all I can say at this juncture. 

Highlights, courtesy of Kool Hits TV.

 

9 hours ago, gchs_uk9 said:

I know it's early but how does this version of Ashland compare to the 2020 team that was undefeated before Covid canceled the state tournament?

Making a very, very early comparison based on what we have seen so far. Much could change with this team and the dynamic especially with multiple players out. This is a really good basketball team.

Similarities

• Anybody that's on that court can shoot the three. 
• Has the potential to have the same ball movement, especially when they can play Braxton Jennings or Cam Davis at the point and keep Zander on the wing more to where he doesn't have to do double duty in running the point and be the explosive scorer at the same time. He can do both, but it's better for him and the team when he doesn't have to.
• That explosive scorer. The 2020 team had multiple guys that could do it, but Cole Villers was the one the team leaned on in big situations. For example, in West Carter when the team trailed by 12 in the second half. Cole Villers is known for hitting the big shot that got #1 on ESPN SportsCenter, but in the second half of that game he scored every Ashland point between 28 and 44. Cole had a sense of willpower that was unreal. In his final game in 2022, on an injured knee, he went in against Covington Catholic and scored 25 points. Zander Carter has stepped up and grown in so many ways, and this Boyd County game was another example of that. Sure, it was a depleted Boyd County team due to injuries, but as @DevilMayCare mentioned, that was Rhett Holbrook defending him - and Rhett is one of the toughest, most disciplined players one could compete against.
• Right now, it looks like this will be a team that can hit free throws but did miss a couple late against Great Crossing that would have likely sealed it. The 2020 team was one of the best in the state shooting free throws.
• Multiple players that can step it up and make needed plays. The 2020 team had some nagging injuries at times. For example, against George Rogers Clark the team went on the road without Ethan Sellars playing and won in overtime against the eventual 10th region champion. Against Rowan County Justin Bradley was missing and Nolan Phillips came off the bench with several blocks and some great defense in that game to propel the Tomcats to victory against the 26-game winner on the road. In the regional tournament Hunter Gillum's defense and running the court took this team to another level as they won all three games by an average of 24 points. It was especially effective against Rowan County. 

Differences

• Not really a big, bulky body. They have good length, but for example in 2020 Ryan Atkins came off the bench and provided that in 2020 and in the past couple of years Nate Freize filled that role. He was also an excellent screen setter.
• Zander Carter is highly mature and an excellent leader. I think they will need even more leadership though. That 2020 squad had the leadership and maturity of a college team. That's an area Cole Villers especially was wise beyond his years as the seniors trusted him and he earned the spot of captain as a sophomore.
• Scheduling. Ashland's 2020 team had a tough schedule, no doubt about it. I mentioned the tough games on the road against the likes of 10th Region champion George Rogers Clark and then home games against 4th Region champion Warren Central and Rowan County who had 26 wins along with a very talented Trinity team and a couple others. However, this team opened up playing the #1 ranked team in the state that returned many players from their final four team last season and has tournaments like King of the Bluegrass and to top that off, games all around the state against teams that will be in contention to win their region. Barring any tournament games, I only saw seven games on their schedule that were in-region. Last season Ashland played three of the four teams that made the final four at some point in the year. I anticipate this season they will have one of the state's toughest schedules.

To get to the 2020 team's level

• There were times against Boyd County they played excellent defense, but that end will need to improve over the course of the year. Great Crossing and Hazard exposed many deficiencies in that area. Part of that, though, is with more players who are newer to the system and will need some time to gel.
• When things aren't going, finding a way to win. Here's an example from the 2020 team. In the semifinal of the Ashland Invitational Tournament Ashland played against Warren Central, who made the final four and returned almost the bulk of that squad. Ashland shot 8/34 from three (42% overall), 7/12 from the free throw line, and was outrebounded by 11. To top that off, Warren Central had a 50/40/90 game. 50% from the field, 44% from three point range, and 90% from the free throw line. When I throw those numbers out, you would think Ashland would have lost. However, they ended up making the needed plays to win the game. Warren Central had great length and defended Ashland as tight as any team that played them that season. It was hard to get around that man to man defense and in the first half it looked like Warren Central was in control before Ashland would go on a run. Ethan Hudson would hit a big three with two minutes to go to put Ashland ahead. The next night, they played against Louisville Butler in the AIT championship. They had three of their top scorers returning from the prior season in which they made the elite eight. Ashland was down 11 in the first half, then came back. Justin Bradley was the one to step it up, scoring 19 points, at one point scoring three straight three pointers in the second half. 
• Leadership. This team has good leadership, Zander is mature beyond his years as I mentioned earlier. Every team has a different identity and this team's may be rallying around the strong leadership of Zander Carter. Which, with his maturity may be what will get them to where they need to be. The 2020 team, they had incredible maturity and took it to another level. Maturity far beyond any high school team I have encountered and this includes many team in and out of Kentucky. Recently I conducted an interview with the seniors from that 2020 Ashland team. When I brought the idea up to them to talk about the events leading into that season, they loved it but also wanted to have Cole Villers there. Which was happy to accomodate. Cole was a sophomore then. But that goes to show you how special Cole was to that team.
• Chemistry. Again tying back to the last point, these guys meshed well on and off the court. Behind the scenes, Cole Villers and Colin Porter grew up together from the time they were very young - almost babies. Cole Villers played up for much of his childhood, hence part of the reason he had such a strong bond with that senior class. Everybody rallied (and still does) rally around Luke Maze as the team's manager and on Saturday when everybody could have been sleeping in, they were volunteering at the Challenger League events. While this is something that continues to today, that year Luke got to coach a game when the team played Rose Hill on senior night. That environment was indescribable and was a special moment for Luke. It's neat seeing the pictures that were taken, with him and the seniors prior to that game. This group has that potential, but just has a lot more new faces on the court than the 2020 team did.

Great breakdown, @TCR! I look forward to watching them later in the season.

TCR, that is as good of a report and breakdown as I have ever read. ?