16th Region News and Notes

• A primal roar is what you expect to hear from a Lion on the attack, but Boyd County's offense was, instead, humming last week.

It began with a visit from Russell that saw the Lions pour on 50 points spanning the mid 3Q to the final buzzer. Boyd's lead quickly ballooned from five in a competitive game to 36 in a second half bloodbath. The mess was all on the Devils’ end, with Boyd keeping its own sheet virtually spotless with zero turnovers until the final minute of the game.

Jackson Childers led four Lions in double figures with 23 followed by Jacob Spurlock with 20. Childers’ role has grown into an invaluable dimension for the Lions: a 6’8” deterrentin the paint that can also stretch the floor as a reliable shooter. He's averaging 19 ppg and shooting 57% from three over the last six games.

They put all five starters in double figures against Fleming County the following night as Boyd ran wild in a 109-82 win over the Panthers in Summit.

Cole Hicks led the pack with 31, with Spurlock netting 29 to go with 13 rebounds.

The game was played at a break-neck pace with Boyd getting off 81 shots, including 46 threes, 21 of which found the bottom of the net. The Lions were feeling generous amongst themselves, dishing out 25 assists.

As they have all season, Seth Hickerson and Bradley Robinson shouldered the offensive load for Fleming County, scoring 33 and 22 respectively. 

Knocking down 13 threes and scoring 82 points will win you a lot of games, but it wasn't beating Boyd County on this night. Not many teams could when the Lions are firing on all cylinders. 

The week, however, ended in disappointment, as Boyd's twelve game win streak was snapped by South Charleston (WV). After averaging 91 ppg over the previous four games, the Lions were limited to 64 by the Black Eagles, the #6 ranked team in West Virginia. 

• It was another productive week for the Tomcats, as Ashland handled an 18 win Lawrence County team from the 15th Region, 84-69.

The Bulldogs held their own in the first half, leading the Tomcats on a few occasions and only trailing by three at halftime. It wasn't until late in the 3Q that Ashland was able to gain and maintain separation.

Zander Carter's fingerprints, as they always seem to be, were all over the game, as he scored 34 points, corralled 8 rebounds, and dished 5 assists. He was dialed in, in all phases with shooting splits of 78/83/87. 

Freshman Justin Hughes showed flashes of what's in store for the Ashland faithful with 12 points on 5/5 shooting. 

The following night, they entertained West Virginia power George Washington, who made the trip from Charleston on short notice.

The game was close throughout, with the Tomcats holding on for a 60-52 win.

It's Ashland's second win over the #3 Patriots, with the two games representing both of GW's losses this season. They're a top contender in WV's largest classification. 

Carter led the way with 20 points, but Tyson Lalonde's second half was crucial for Ashland getting the W. Following a scoreless first half, Lalonde scored 13 points, mostly from behind the arc with four threes.

The two schools have built a mutually beneficial, interstate relationship that's carried over from the football field to the hardwood. GW is on the schedule again, slated for Anderson Gym this coming Wednesday. 

• To the surprise of no one, it was another wild week in the 63rd District. 

The ‘Greenhouse’ was the scene for a dramatic finish between the homestanding Musketeers and visiting Lions of Lewis County. Lewis looked dead on arrival in Lloyd, scoring just 17 points in the first half and trailing by 17 late in the 3Q. They quickly got it together, eracing that deficit by the middle of the 4Q. Deadlocked at 54 with seconds remaining, Julian Puente launched a three that missed the mark. Daylen Bivens put himself in the right place in the nick of time, tipping in the miss just before the buzzer to send Lewis County off a winner.

Meanwhile, Raceland throttled Russell 67-26 at the ‘Palace’ with 62% shooting from the field, 53% from behind the arc, and a 33-11 advantage on the glass. It was the most shocking result in the region last week. Not that Raceland won, but the fact that they owned every facet of the game. The Rams improved to 11-0 at home this season and ended Russell's 11 game win streak in the series.

As we speak, Lewis County, Raceland, and Russell are locked in a three way tie atop the district, with the Lions sitting in the RPI driver's seat for the tournament one seed.

• Bath County's Montana Brashear went off for 55 against Robertson County. It's the most points ever in a single game in Bath's history, one of the highest totals in region history, and possibly the most in the state this season??? Someone correct me if I'm wrong there. Brashear reached double nickels without hitting a single three. He was 24 of 33 from the field in the 101-33 annihilation of the Black Devils.

• Fleming's Seth Hickerson can't boast a single game output as high as Brashear's, but he's been torrid in his own right over his last seven games. He's scored at least 20 in each contest, averaging 28.4 per outing. Hickerson's made 31 threes during this stretch, connecting at a 52% clip.

• Rowan County grinded out a 39-31 win over East Carter, an altogether unspectacular event on the surface, save for one milestone detail. The win marked the 500th of coach Shawn Thacker's career. He's accrued 339 wins in Morehead after 161 at Somerset. 

Courtesy of X.

• Elliott County sewed up the 62nd District one seed with a 83-75 win over Morgan County. The Lions raced to an early double digit lead and appeared on the verge of running away with it before the Cougars stormed back to tighten the game up. Sophomore Lake Adkins scored his 1,000th career point for Elliott.

• It's been a long season in Grayson, but the Raiders still have a little fight left in them. Six win East Carter stunned Lewis County in Vanceburg, outshooting the Lions 51% to 40%. Colton McGuire, a 27% three point shooter coming  in, was 4 of 5 from long range and led East with 16 points. The Raiders have won six of the last seven in the series, but not many saw this one coming. The two teams held true to the defense oriented dynamic of their recent meetings. The winning team has only broken 60 points once in the last eight encounters.

Ranking The Region

1. Boyd County (19-9) ?

2. Ashland (18-7) ?

3. Fleming County (18-10) ?

4. Lewis County (17-9) ?

5. Rowan County (14-13) ??

6. Raceland (18-8) ?

7. Elliott County (16-6) ?

8. Russell (12-12) ?

9. Bath County (9-12) ??

10. Greenup County (9-18) ??

11. Morgan County (10-13) ??

12. East Carter (7-15) ??

13. West Carter (5-22) ☄️

14. Menifee County (4-21) ??

15. Fairview (4-19) ?

Player Of The Week 
Seth Hickerson (Fleming County) - He averaged 27 points and 6 boards for the week across three games, while hitting on 14 of 25 attempts from deep and shooting 63% from the field overall. This was previously overlooked, but Hickerson reached the 2,000 point mark for his career earlier this season and became Fleming's all-time leading scorer against West Carter last Thursday. 

Courtesy of X.

Good write up. I have a feeling the 16th is going to end up with the same Final 4 as last year. 
 

Boyd, Ashland, Fleming, and Rowan. 

On 2/16/2025 at 2:27 PM, DevilMayCare said:

16th Region News and Notes

Zander Carter's fingerprints, as they always seem to be, were all over the game, as he scored 34 points, corralled 8 rebounds, and dished 5 assists. He was dialed in, in all phases with shooting splits of 78/83/8

Freshman Justin Hughes showed flashes of what's in store for the Ashland faithful with 12 points on 5/5 shooting. 

The following night, they entertained West Virginia power George Washington, who made the trip from Charleston on short notice.

The game was close throughout, with the Tomcats holding on for a 60-52 win.

It's Ashland's second win over the #3 Patriots, with the two games representing both of GW's losses this season. They're a top contender in WV's largest classification. 

Carter led the way with 20 points, but Tyson Lalonde's second half was crucial for Ashland getting the W. Following a scoreless first half, Lalonde scored 13 points, mostly from behind the arc with four threes.

The two schools have built a mutually beneficial, interstate relationship that's carried over from the football field to the hardwood. GW is on the schedule again, slated for Anderson Gym this coming Wednesday. 

 

If I'm not mistaken the Saturday game served as a substitution for the upcoming Wednesday game. I believe GW has a big in-state game against Spring Valley Tuesday and was therefore in favor of playing Saturday.  Ashland had the opening due to Menifee County canceling so it worked for both teams. 

Two more games between Ashland and Boyd County is a more than good guess. They have split their season games, each winning on the other’s courts. Two very good teams. Last season Boyd won the district tournament and Ashland won the region at Morehead State, their sixth straight championship. I think Ashland will ride the talents of Zander Carter to their seventh consecutive title.