Rowan Co advances to take on GRC in the Finals of the AIT. Congrats to Rowan Co.

Nice win for Rowan! 16th looks to be wide open.

Nice win for Rowan! 16th looks to be wide open.

 

Hard to win at Ashland. Great win for Rowan Co.

Now this is a solid win for the Vikings. Great job!

[h=3][/h]Steady strokes lift Vikings

 

Rowan makes final 12 free throws to edge Ashland

 

"Where's that been all year?" said Rowan County coach Shawn Thacker. "The last three games, we were (35 of 67 from the foul line)."

 

Rowan County (7-4) splashed in its final 12 free throw attempts, which followed two key 3-pointers by Trevor Newsome, to hold off the Tomcats in a tussle of a contest.

 

D.J. Townsend was 4-for-4 and Adam Wing went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes — each senior finished with 20 points.

 

The last of 16 lead changes came at the 2:45 mark with a Wing putback. Newsome then drained his second 3-pointer of the fourth quarter, staking the Vikings with a 53-49 advantage.

 

Corey Gregg, last December's AIT Most Valuable Player, led all scorers with his second consecutive 35-point game. He added 13 rebounds.

 

"He scores so many different ways, he's such a hard guard," Thacker said. "He knows where to get to and his teammates know where to get it to him."

 

Ryan Whetsel scored 15 and Cody Withrow nine for the Tomcats, but it wasn't quite enough.

 

"When a team is zoning you, you're going to have some open 3-pointers," said Biggs, whose team went 6 of 21 from three-point range. "We've got to step up and knock some of those opportunities down."

 

Jason Egan and Newsome each finished with nine points for the Vikings. Egan missed some time with an undisclosed injury, but Thacker said "he should be fine" for today's AIT title game.

I enjoyed getting out to watch this game. Thanks to Mark Swift for providing the Ol Duckster with a quality seat.

 

Wing needs to want the ball! :idunno: He could be outstanding within this region but his team needs to go to him much more and expect him to deliver. Perhaps saving that for when it really counts?

 

Gregg is tenacious. If Wing played with his energy and confidence, who knows how great he could be.

I sat straight across from the Ol Duckster. Wing is overrated. He's inconsistent from behind the line. I don't want to hear the basketball shape excuse anymore. He's been in the gym for a month. Gregg is solid. He runs his chops too much. But he can score with the best of them. Wing finally tightened up the D on him in crunchtime. I was impressed with Hart and how active he was. He's a terrific jumper. What was wrong with Egan?

 

I think Townsend is the best player in the region.

Does Thacker have a son that plays for Rowan? If its Tyler then I remember he played AAU ball with Somerset 4-5 yrs ago. He played with Gover/Dishman. Sounds like they made the move to the Northeastern part of the state and brought DJ Townsend with them.

 

Is Rowan the favorite to repeat? I noticed West Carter got em by 1 but also lost by 1.

Yes Tyler is his son. First one off the bench for them or so it appears.

You should have said hello. I'd have sprung for a hot dog and a Pepsi. I believe I owe you lunch anyway.

 

Wing is not overrated, unless myself along with the Evansville coaches and several other college coaches can't scout. My money, for this time at least, is on the Ol Duckster's opinion.

Rowan Co and Ashland are atop the 16th with West Carter just behind, for now. But, my goodness the 16th region is extra weak this year. I expect Rowan and Ashland to continue to improve and separate themselves further. At least they should.