District Recap

61st

?Fleming County Panthers

Fleming made short work of Menifee County in the semifinals, rolling to a 51 point win. The loss brought an end to the career of one the region's most prolific scorers. Menifee's Brevon Ricker and his 2,616 career points won't soon be forgotten in Frenchburg.

Rowan County managed to advance over Bath County in the other semi despite shooting 42% from the floor, 3 of 17 from three, 52% from the free throw line, and no one reached double figures. But a rose by any other name is still a rose, so Shawn Thacker will take it.

Rowan's offensive woes continued in the finals, as Fleming demolished the Vikings by 30 for the district championship. The margin is Fleming's largest over Rowan since 2009, and it seemingly came out of left field. The Vikings took two of three from the Panthers in the regular season, including a fourteen point win the last time they shared the court.

62nd

?Morgan County Cougars

Pre-tournament favorite Elliott County and two time defending champion Morgan County got four quarter pushes from West and East Carter, respectively, in the semifinals. Defense was the name of the game, as Elliott's 50 points were the high mark for that round.

That defense first motif carried through to the finals, with Morgan holding off Elliott for a 53-50 win.

It appeared we were witnessing a transition year in the 62nd, as the budding Lions were set to take back control of the district from the Cougars. Elliott had won both regular season games with a roster perhaps younger than any team in the region. Instead, Morgan made it three straight titles, staving of Elliott's advances for another season. Though, it should be noted that the Cougars, too, are wet behind the ears. 

63rd

?Raceland Rams

The host Rams opened tournament play with a wire to wire battle with a county rival. Reece Hicks drove a dagger through the heart of the Musketeers with a three in the final seconds to send Greenup into the waiting arms of baseball season. 

The other half also lived up to the 63rd standard, with Russell and Lewis County battling into overtime. The Lions recovered from a fourth quarter double digit deficit to force extra time, where the Devils took over from there. Ryder Burgess played a starring role in Russell's eight point win, scoring a game high 23 and grabbing 8 rebounds as a 6’ freshman guard.

Raceland emerged as district champs after thwarting the Devils for the second straight time. The Rams gave Russell little space to operate, smothering the Devils for long stretches. It's the first district crown of Joe Bryan's coaching career and Raceland's first since 2018.

 

64th

?Ashland Tomcats

Everything pre-finals is a formality in this district right now and has been for over a decade. The semis brought about a merciful end to a long season in Westwood, leaving only the meat and potatoes on the plate.

It's all about the Tomcats and Lions.

In the case of this year's final, we can reduce that to one. Ashland mauled its rival by 31 with Zander Carter scoring 28 to lead the six time defending region champs to their first district title in a couple of years.

Jacob Spurlock didn't shy away from the spotlight, scoring 29 and snatching 10 boards. 

The two could very likely meet again, with Boyd forced back to the drawing board to figure out what went right a few weeks ago and what went wrong the other night. 

 

Regional Preview

Wednesday, March 5

Russell vs. Morgan County at 6:30
The Cougs and Devils kick off what looks like a great slate of first round games, at least on paper. Both squads are young with bright futures, but one will sew up a region semifinal berth on Wednesday. The bulk of the talent for each team lies mostly in the sophomore classes. With so much youth on the floor, this game is wildly unpredictable and could go a number of ways. The two haven't met in the region tourney in twenty years. 

Boyd Coounty vs. Fleming County at 8:00
The crowned jewel of round one. Boyd went off for triple digits when the two met on February 11th, with Jacob Spurlock and Cole Hicks combining for 60 points. Fleming can score with the best of them, but they were thoroughly outgunned that night, despite Seth Hickerson and Bradley Robinson teaming for 55 points. Don't be surprised if the scoreboard melts down. Boyd could be ripe for the picking here, coming off a demoralizing loss to Ashland. 

Thursday, March 6

Elliott County vs. Ashland at 6:30
The Lions will be a force to be reckoned with in another year or so, but this game could/should get away from them. The Ashland team that waxed Boyd County in the 64th final will romp to another region title. Everyone in their path will need the Tomcats to have an off night. I don't see it happening here, as Zander Carter and Co. look laser focused.

Rowan County vs. Raceland at 8:00
The third and final contender for best game of the first round. The Rams will hit Morehead with a full head of steam, fresh off their first district title in seven years. Only Ashland is hotter at the moment. Rowan might be just the team to put out that fire, featuring a coach with 18 region tournament wins leading a team that should be motivated to atone for the blowout loss in the 61st District final. These two don't meet often, this being just the fifth encounter in the last ten years. Raceland hasn't beaten Rowan County since 2009.

The semifinals will be played on Monday, March 10th at 6:30pm and 8:00pm.

The championship game is slated for Tuesday, March 11th at 7:00pm.

Give me a Boyd vs. Russell and Ashland vs. Rowan semi final Monday.

On 3/3/2025 at 9:53 AM, TribeTime said:

Give me a Boyd vs. Russell and Ashland vs. Rowan semi final Monday.

The semifinals are set….

Monday, March 10th

Boyd County (22-11) vs. Russell (15-13) at 6:30pm

Ashland (21-7) vs. Rowan County (16-14) at 8:00pm

 

The Tomcats are the only district champion still standing.

Semis are Monday Night. Finals Tuesday.