rerun

Tough assignment to rank the top three. I believe Boyd has been a hair more consistent than the other two but I also believe Ashland may have the highest ceiling...and yet...Fleming has beaten both of them. Based on what has happened lately I believe you're correct for the current week. But...I can't get past the past so I still believe the regional champion hails from the 64th district. Hard to remember when but I believe we have to go back to the Elliot County days to buck the current trend...

Just watched the game on Mytown. I expected Crossing to shoot a high percentage in the paint but their performance at long range was exceptional. Just looking at the game stats I would've figured an embarrassing loss for the Tomcats. Ashland stepped up their game and although after the first quarter the outcome was never in doubt, it was still a fun game to watch.

I feel you but late January and early February losses to Montgomery and Rowan keep me from going all in. It's easy to get motivated for Ashland and Boyd. I take nothing away from Fleming, but catching a favorite off guard at home on a weeknight is not the same as being at the top of the region and taking everyone's best shot every game. But hey, "to be the man you have to beat the man", and they did. Now let's see if they can do it in Morehead where they will take no one by surprise...and... with all the chatter going on about them they will have to shoulder a lot more pressure. I think it's at least a four horse race....

Moral victories are not sweet but at the same time this loss should translate to a confidence boost heading into March for Rowan County. The Vikings are a quality team. The Tomcats had their second February overtime game and they stepped up in this one. Ashland's next game at Lawrence County is going to be a tough out and then follow that the next day with Great Crossing. Hoping for a win on Friday and one of those "moral" victories on Saturday, we'll see.

Go-o-o-o-llee!! Buddy is flexing his Panther muscle as of late. Taking down the region favorites in two consecutive weeks is impressive. With Rowan pushing Ashland to overtime it seems we can throw the idea of a two horse race out the window. Let's see if this is for real or if it has just snapped the two giants from their late season slumber. Fun times!

Nice win for the Musketeers. On any given night Greenup can make noise within the region. They will be a tough draw come tournament time. And if you don't know already, Russell's young talent pool will translate to a regional contender and maybe even a favorite within a short period of time. Great kids and one of my favorite coaching families will make for many wins down the road.

Surprise! Surprise! Buddy must've done his homework. Tough one for the Tomcats at this point in the season. Consistency has been an issue. Hard to believe at this point that they can string together enough good shooting nights to win the region. Hope I'm wrong.

Zander Carter was the difference. I believe he finished with 35. After being down at the half he took matters into his own hands. GW had no answer.

"Nip it in the bud"....that's all you have to do....no one ever did. Now this.

Ashland didn't have a good shooting performance in the second half and they couldn't buy a free throw. In the end the better team won. Good luck down the stretch to both teams.

Ashland has no answer for Miller. To stay in the game Ashland has to shoot lights out in the second half and be more aggressive with Miller. I don't claim to be a basketball strategist but slowing him down may begin with fouling earlier and sending him to the line more often.

If Ashland plays a complete game on defense and has a great shooting performance they can keep it respectable but unfortunately I don't see them winning. The short turnaround and the bus ride may initially impact the Colonels but with the blowout last night they should have plenty left in the tank to take care of the Tomcats. But...bigger upsets have happened which is why you play the game.

Winning ugly is still better than losing. Grinding it out when things aren’t going your way and finding a way to win is a good thing.

I do agree that Ashland is the one, at least for now, as we awkwardly debated (my fault) last week. In the end I think Boyd wins the region but at this point in time they are just a tick behind the Tomcats...but... as sure as the wind switches direction that tick can shift the other way. And as Reno said, Morgan County is definitely capable of beating Ashland or Boyd on any given night. The recent loss to Danville Christian keeps them, in my mind, out of the top two spots.

Nice tournament win for the Tomcats. Not their best shooting performance...but.... as was stated in the post, their defense was top notch.

Maybe I'm mistaken you for another Russell advocate who has openly expressed their "disdain" for anything Ashland. If that's the case then my "disdain" comment was misplaced. And I don't think you denied them anything, this is just a simple message board with opinions, I doubt we make locker room fodder for either team. I do appreciate the time you take in preparing this weekly review.

Boyd County lost two games to two mountain teams in which they were clear favorites. Ashland lost two games to quality northern Kentucky teams and managed a win against a good Louisville team. Giving Boyd the "benefit of the doubt" is hilarious, especially considering Ashland blew out the team that blew out Boyd County. Boyd County was and still is my pick to win the region, but they should not be the "one" right now. I guess how you perform during the "week" has no bearing on "weekly" rankings. Hey, Devil, I appreciate the work you put into this but don't let your disdain for the Tomcats keep you from being objective. Yes, I believe Boyd will end up on top but they are a struggling group right now and clearly not the top team in the 16th at this point in time. Heck, I would be more comfortable putting Fleming at the one right now versus Boyd. You're just rewarding them for mediocrity. Not that these rankings mean anything but if we're going to play the "weekly" game then do it from a "weekly" perspective, not how you or I think the region will end up at the end of the season.

Didn't see this one coming. Congrats to Pike County Central.

Just finished watching this game. My thoughts; first of all, if you consider yourself to have one ounce of basketball "fandom" in your body, go to mytowntv.com and watch this one. Going into the game I couldn't have named one player on either team, I just wanted to watch a high school game. This one didn't disappoint. Definitely a fun game and a clinic on character by both teams; Greenup being down 31-3 and finishing the game by outscoring Mason 65-43, and then Mason pulling out the win after Greenup closed to within three points in the 4th quarter. In the end the best team won but Greenup added a new fan. Another game or two like this and I may have to travel to the "Greenhouse" for a live viewing.

I quit watching the livestream a few minutes into the game because it looked like an average middle school team playing a good high school team. Very surprised by the final score, I may have to go back and watch the rest of the game.

I don't see the image of Ashland, Highlands, and Lexington Christian in KCD's mirror. Even though losing to these teams rewarded Raceland with road games in the playoffs via RPI, they are now reaping the benefits on the field. KCD appears to be a quality team, Raceland is just too much this season.

Not a Raceland fan or a dis-fan here. As a program, I agree, they are not in the same league as Pikeville. However, as a team, this year they beat Pikeville. So yes, at least for this year they should be mentioned in the same league as Pikeville. In my opinion it's a two horse race, and what do those two horses share in common, they played better teams and elevated their game by doing so. If Sayre beats Raceland then more power to them, I'll be one of the first to congratulate them. But I'm not planning on eating crow just yet.

The talented QB for Sayre will will connect in the end zone a time or two but in the end Raceland puts this one away quite comfortably. The Sayre schedule is not the fault of the football players. The administration needs to "schedule up" in order to put their kids in a position to compete in these games. All they achieved with the schedule was to guarantee (via RPI) the last game of the season would be at home. I mean no disrespect to Coach Pennington or the program, your kids just need to see strength and speed before the playoffs in order to compete with the Raceland and Pikeville's of this world.

True, he is a beast. The Tomcats are very young, including the rider, who is a freshman. A grown man and a kid, literally and figuratively. Good luck to Cov Cath, with all the talk centered around Boyle and Corbin, I hope to see the Colonels crash the party. The young Tomcats also played a nice game and have a bright future. Definitely nothing to hang their heads about.

Ashland has a quality offense, they will score a time or two. Their defense, sans one or two games, has been porous. Their kicking game allows short fields which puts even more pressure on the "bend but don't break" defensive philosophy. It would be a stretch to say they have a better defense that Beechwood. I hope you're right but I don't see it in this one. Covington Catholic rolls somewhere in the 42-14 range.