TribeTime

Holiday tournaments and events are in full swing during Christmas break. Many teams are playing some competition they usually wouldn’t face and living life in the NBA. Wake up and play ball, no school to worry about. 1. Ashland (7-2) W vs. Huntington Expression 93-70 L at Pikeville 77-65 W vs. St. Mary 90-66 L vs. Henry Clay Tomcats started the week at PIT in Pikeville. They made it to finals after a win over Huntington Expression where they fell to the host Panthers in the finals. Drew Smith led the Cats with 27 in the finals. After a little break the Tomcats are hosting the 70th annual AIT. As of this writing, Ashland will play in the 3rd place game vs. Simon Kenton after falling to Henry Clay in the semi-finals on Sunday night. 2. Boyd County (6-3) W vs. McCracken Co. 90-82 W vs. North Oldham 75-64 The Lions made their way to Lexington to play in WGM Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic. As of this writing, the Lions are in the Semi-Finals on Monday night vs. host Lexington Catholic. They got to the finals with two impressive wins over McCracken County and North Oldham. Jacob Spurlock is averaging 28.5 PPG in the two wins. 3. Russell (7-2) W vs. Rockcastle Co. 74-52 L at South Laurel 62-46 W at LCA 74-51 L vs. Conner 71-60 Coach Cooksey’s Devils continue to make their claim at the top challengers to Ashland and Boyd. They finished off the week at South Laurel with a win over Rockcastle before falling for the first time to South Laurel. From there they headed to LCA and the Jim Rose Classic. As of this writing, they will be playing Ryle for third place on Monday after beating host LCA and falling to Conner. The Devils are very balanced with three players averaging double figures (Burgess, Pridemore, and Cordial). 4. Raceland (8-4) W vs. Prestonsburg 74-54 W vs. Holmes 76-45 W vs. Bullitt Central 67-64 W vs. Logan Co. 66-53 L vs. Barren Co. 59-53 Busy week for the Rams who move back up to 4. Four straight wins before falling to an 8-2 Barren County team. Jonah Arnett continues to get into basketball shape and show why he’s one of the most underrated players in the region. 5. West Carter (8-2) W vs. Holmes 67-47 W vs. Prestonsburg 73-48 W vs. Ludlow 78-52 W vs. Doss 65-47 A big rise this week for Coach Webb’s Comets. They finished a 4-0 week and will play Monday night for a championship in the Dan Swartz Classic at Bath County. They easily defeated Ludlow and Doss so far in Owingsville. West is going to have a lot to say about the All-A championship coming up soon. Nathan Webb is back after missing last season with injury and averaging 18 PPG. 6. East Carter (4-3) W vs. Symmes Valley (OH) 69-53 Raider fall to 6 despite having defeated Raceland previously. This is due to the Rams having a great week and East only having played once. They will remain off until January 5th. 7. Greenup County (4-2) W at Chesapeake (OH) 75-66 Musketeers won their only game this week across the border in Ohio. Kasey Gammon has been a rock for the young Musketeers averaging 19 a game. Greenup with play 3 games this week at East Jessamine. 8. Elliott County (4-3) Idle all week Lions will head to Belfry for the Mountain Schoolboy Classic where they will open with Betsy Layne. Lake Adkins and Tysen Crabtree pace the Lions at 14 PPG each. 9. Morgan County (3-4) W vs. Russell Co. 85-82 The Cougars finished their trip to Berea 2-1 with a victory over Russell County in overtime. This week they travel to Gatlinburg where they will open with Lake Oconee (GA) on Monday. 10. Lewis County (3-6) L vs. Floyd Central 65-62 W vs. Harrison Co. 80-61 L vs. Marion Co. 68-61 Just when it looks like the Lions are about to off, something bring them back down. Played Floyd Central close and defeated Harrison County before a loss to Marion County at Bath County. They’ll finish up in Owingsville in the 3rd place game vs. Doss on Monday. 11. Fleming County (3-4) L vs. South Laurel 72-43 L vs. Knox Central 84-40 A rebuilding year for Coach Biggs has the Panthers taking some lumps. They are off until January 3rd when they will host Boyd County. 12. Rowan County (4-7) L vs. Hazard 83-64 W vs. OBI 79-65 L vs. Marion Co. 67-65 W vs. Harrison Co. 61-55 Inexperience all around for the Vikings has them showing some growth as well as some frustration. The four teams the Vikings have defeated have won a combined 7 games. They are still looking for that signature win. Cam Cross leads the Vikes at 24 PPG. They are playing for 5th place on Monday vs. Ludlow at Bath County. 13. Bath County (4-6) L vs. Doss 71-41 L vs. Ludlow 57-46 The Wildcats are another team looking for a signature win this season. So far the four teams they’ve defeated are a combined 2-31 on the season with St. Pat being the only team with a win. They were running clocked in the opening game of their own tournament and lost the second day to Ludlow in a game they were never really in. They will play for 7th place on Monday vs. Harrison County. 14. Menifee County (0-8) Idle all week The Wildcats were scheduled to play in Berea but backed out due to lack of players. They will travel to Russellville this week to take on host Russellville, John Hardin, and Heritage. 15. Fairview (0-9) Idle all week Eagles might get off the last spot if they can defeated Rose Hill on Monday night and gain some momentum going into the All-A the next week.

People thought it was a forgone conclusion that Nicholas would win that district. I think Pendleton will have something to say about that.

Championship of the Gateway Holiday Classic at Montgomery County.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Holiday tournaments and events. Most of the region played some games then are jumping into these events while out of school. You get matchups you usually would see in some near empty gyms. Time to see where you are after almost a month of the marathon of a season. 1. Ashland (5-0) W vs. OBI 99-50 Tomcats took the week off until the PIT kicked off on Saturday in Pikeville and they came out dominant with a 49 point drubbing of Oneida. They will finish up the PIT Sunday and Monday before hosting their own AIT next weekend. 2. Boyd County (4-3) L vs. Maryville (TN) 66-61 W vs. Lincoln Co. 85-64 L vs. GRC 75-74 Lions had a tough week against some good competition. They travelled to Tennessee and played a Maryville team that is currently 11-1 in Tennessee and had a good showing. They finished in Winchester by defeating Lincoln County easily before losing a 19 point halftime lead to fall to the host GRC Cardinals. 3 Russell (5-0) W vs. Corbin 65-55 Coach Cooksey’s Devils just keep getting better and keep winning. They only played one game this week and it was an impressive win over Corbin at South Laurel. They will finish up at South with games against Rockcastle and the host Cardinals before playing at LCA next Saturday. 4 East Carter (1-2) W at Raceland 52-49 W vs. Fairview 89-52 L vs. Floyd Central 71-64 Basketball is a results driven game and it seems nobody wants to step up and be #4 in our rankings so the biggest risers this week are the Raiders. These defeated our previous #4 Raceland. They finished 2-1 this week with a close loss to currently 5-2 Floyd Central. 5 Raceland (4-3) L vs. East Carter 52-49 W vs. West Carter 58-42 The previously mentioned Rams falls a spot after falling at home to East Carter. The football guys seem to be getting their basketball legs under them as they followed with a decisive win over West Carter in their Derby Classic on Saturday. 6 Greenup County (4-2) W at Fleming Co. 71-50 W vs. Bath Co. 89-56 Another results based mover. The Musketeers are a fun group to watch and got great results this week by beating up on the 61st District divisive wins over Fleming and Bath. They’ve already beaten Rowan this year as well. Maybe Greenup can petition a district move? 7 Elliott County (3-1) Idle all week The Lions are taking 16 days between games according to KHSAA. Their best game isn’t until 12/29 at Belfry. 8 Lewis County (2-4) W vs. Morgan Co. 76-68 L vs. Wheelersburg (OH) 84-72 Another head to head mover. This was Morgan County last week but Lewis defeated them head to head so it is only right they jump them. A 1-1 week for the Lions with their victory over Morgan and loss vs. Wheelersburg at East Carter. 9 Morgan County (3-4) L at Lewis Co. 76-68 L vs. Boyle Co. 61-54 W vs. Mercer Co. 65-37 The Cougars are still waiting on their first big win of the season. So far their 3 wins has been against teams with a combined 3 wins. Some big chances await them before the calendar flips to 2026. 10 West Carter (4-2) L at Raceland 58-42 As of this writing, the Comets only game this week was a loss at Raceland in the Derby Classic. The Comets started off hot at 4-0 but have dropped two straight. Some winnable games remain at Raceland and next week in Bath County. 11 Fleming County (3-2) L vs. Greenup Co. 71-50 W vs. Augusta 84-53 L vs. Dunbar 75-56 Coach Biggs seems to be in rebuild mode and looked to be starting hot but cooled off this week with two disappointing losses to Greenup and Dunbar. They did find their way in a win against an always well coached Augusta team. Some tough games against South Laurel and Knox Central await them Sunday and Monday. 12 Rowan County (2-5) W vs. Menifee Co. 87-37 L at Lawrence Co. 81-51 L at Pikeville 102-51 Hard times have fallen up the mighty Vikings. Started the week off with a dominant 50 point win over Menifee only to get running clocked in the next two games. The Vikings are young with inexperienced and have a coach who is still gaining experience. It will get better. 13 Bath County (4-4) W vs. Trinity Christian 66-40 L vs. Estill Co. 74-61 W at St. Pat 67-63 L at Greenup Co. 89-56 So far it has been up and down for first year coach Jared Gambrel. They are 4-4 but their four wins have come against teams with a combined 1-28 record. 14 Menifee County (0-8) L at Rowan Co. 87-37 L at Lee Co. 81-54 Wildcats still searching for that first win. They were scheduled to play in Berea this weekend but cancelled due to lack of players so they will be off 12 days between games. 15 Fairview (0-9) L vs. Notre Dame (OH) 76-36 L at East Carter 89-52 The race for #15 in the region will come down to who can crack the win column. The Eagles are off until 12/29 when they have a good chance to get that win against Rose Hill.

Final from The PIT.

Final from Mt. Sterling.

One middle school should be an advantage. The coach can input all exactly what they want and have a staff of who they want to make sure they are ready when they reach the high school. A little tougher with multiple high schools. That isn’t an excuse for numbers or lack of being prepared unless the coaches aren’t taking advantage of it.

Is he MoCo bound?

News/Notes: The big showdown of the week between the two favorites in the 16th turned out to be much of the same. Ashland led wire to wire in a commanding 82-69 victory over Boyd County. Last season they met 4 times and we’re on pace for that again unless someone else rises up from the ranks. Speaking of rising from the ranks, a big mover this week is the Russell Red Devils. The Red Devils were able to convincingly win the EKC Tournament 68-51 over West Carter and a wire to wire victory over Montgomery County 63-45 on Saturday afternoon. Coach Nathan Sutton of Greenup County got his first career win in a 57-53 victory over Rowan County. Congrats Coach! Ole Mother Nature played a role in a few games at the end of the week. Some games cancelled, some changed. By the time Fleming County plays its next game, it will be 8 days between games. Holiday events will kick off at the end of the week. Ashland will host the AIT while Raceland will host the Derby Classic. East Carter will also host the Heart of The Parks Christmas Classic. Some great hoops all week (weather permitting). Team Rankings: 1. Ashland (4-0) W vs. Boyd Co. 82-69 2. Boyd County (3-2) L at Ashland 82-69 W vs. Next Level Academy (GA) 88-86 L vs. Maryville (TN) 66-61 3. Russell (4-0) W vs. East Carter 76-47 W vs. West Carter 68-51 W vs. Montgomery County 63-45 4. Raceland (3-2) W at Elliott Co. 52-38 L vs. Chesapeake (OH) 68-66 5. Elliott County (2-1) L vs. Raceland 52-38 6. Morgan County (2-2) W vs. Prestonsburg 93-67 7. West Carter (4-1) W at Lewis Co. 64-59 L vs. Russell 68-51 8. East Carter (1-2) L vs. Russell 76-47 L vs. Powell Co. 86-75 9. Fleming County (2-0) W vs. Harrison Co. 68-56 10. Greenup County (2-2) W at Rowan Co. 57-53 W vs. Fairview 77-40 L at Johnson Central (83-65) 11. Rowan County (1-3) L vs. Greenup County 57-53 12. Lewis County (1-3) L vs. West Carter 64-59 13. Bath County (2-2) W vs. Fairview 70-36 W at Menifee Co. 55-45 14. Menifee County (0-6) L at Bracken Co. 83-58 L vs. Bath Co. 55-45 L vs. Anderson Co. 73-28 15. Fairview (0-6) L at Bath Co. 70-36 L at Greenup Co. 77-40 Looking ahead to Week 3: Monday 12/15: Boyd Co. vs. West Carter Russell vs. Elliott Co. Morgan Co. at Greenup Co. Tuesday 12/16: Raceland vs. East Carter Morgan Co. at Lewis Co. Rowan Co. vs. Menifee Co. Bath Co. vs. Trinity Christian Fairview vs. Notre Dame (OH) Wednesday 12/17: Fleming Co. vs. Greenup Co. Menifee Co. at Lee Co. Thursday 12/18: East Carter vs. Fairview Fleming Co. vs. Augusta Friday 12/19: Boyd Co. vs. Lincoln Co. (at GRC) Morgan Co. vs. Boyle Co. (at Berea) West Carter vs. Greenup Co. Bath Co. at St. Pat Menifee Co. vs. Model (at Berea) Saturday 12/20: Ashland vs. OBI (at Pikeville) Boyd Co. vs. GRC/Collins (at GRC) Russell vs. Corbin (at North Laurel) Raceland vs. West Carter Morgan Co. vs. Mercer Co. (at Berea) East Carter vs. Floyd Central Fleming Co. vs. Dunbar (at South Laurel) Greenup Co. vs. Bath Co. Rowan Co. vs. Pendleton Co. (at Pikeville) Lewis Co. vs. Wheelersburg (OH) (at East Carter) Menifee Co. vs. Frankfort (at Berea)

Is this a showing of how good Russell is or how not good MoCo is right now?

Is this streaming?

After a long week of rumors and uncertainty. Former girls coach Dustin High has agreed to become the interim Tribe coach for 2025/2026.

Final from Morehead.

News/Notes: Just as everyone predicted, it appears at least right now to be a two horse race. Boyd County raced to 2-0 averaging 95 PPG while Ashland went to 3-0 with a road win at Paintsville and neutral site win against Lloyd. These two match up Tuesday night at Boyd County. After those top 2, we seem to have big drop off where you will find honestly 3-10 able to beat each other on any night. We have Raceland at #3 this week based on what we think they will be once the football players get their hoop legs under them. They feel to West Carter by 4 but that was without some important pieces playing in the State Football Championship. Jacob Spurlock has started his Mr. Basketball candidacy in a big way this week. Spurlock averaged 29.5 PPG and 9 RPG while making 10/20 from three point range. In news that went under the radar was a coaching change at Elliott County. Coach Adkins retired a few weeks ago and left the reigns to former Lion Korbin Spencer. He started his coaching career in a big way with two wins while holding opponents to 19.5 PPG. Team Rankings: 1. Boyd County (2-0): W vs. Morgan Co. 96-52 W vs. Johnson Central 94-71 2. Ashland (3-0): W at Paintsville 76-74 W at Fairview 85-38 W vs. Lloyd 65-61 3. Raceland (2-1): L at West Carter 77-73 W at Ross County Christian (OH) 77-44 W vs. Letcher County Central 80-73 4. Morgan County (1-2): L vs. Lawrence Co. 79-64 W vs. Lee Co. 77-23 L at Boyd Co. 96-52 5. Elliott County (2-0): W vs. Fairview 71-18 W vs. Menifee Co. 77-21 6. Russell (1-0): W at Rowan Co. 49-45 7. East Carter (1-0): W vs. Greenup Co. 56-52 8. West Carter (3-0): W vs. Raceland 77-73 W at Fairview 69-38 W vs. Bath Co 84-55 9. Rowan County (1-2): W vs. Mason Co. 86-74 L vs. Nicholas Co. 86-69 L vs. Russell 49-45 10. Lewis County (1-2): L vs. Johnson Central 78-53 L vs. Lawrence Co. 69-62 W vs. Fairview 86-44 11. Greenup County (1-0): L at East Carter 56-52 12. Fleming County (1-0): W at Menifee Co. 62-23 13. Bath County (0-2): L vs. Madison Southern 78-31 L at West Carter 84-55 14. Fairview (0-4): L at Elliott Co. 77-18 L vs. West Carter 69-38 L vs. Ashland 85-38 L at Lewis Co. 86-48 15. Menifee County (0-3): L at Elliott Co. 77-21 L vs. Fleming Co. 62-23 L vs. Boone Co. 67-43 Looking ahead to Week 2: Monday: Fleming Co. at Scott Tuesday: Ashland at Boyd Co. Raceland at Elliott Co. Morgan Co. vs. Prestonsburg Russell vs. East Carter at Lewis Co. West Carter at Lewis Co. Fleming Co. vs. Harrison Co. Menifee Co. at Bracken Co. Wednesday: Thursday: Raceland vs. Chesapeake (OH) Greenup Co. vs. Fairview Friday: Ashland vs. Powell Co. at Rowan Co. Morgan Co. at Rowan Co. East Carter vs. Letcher Co. Central at Rowan Co. Bath Co. at Menifee Co. Saturday: Raceland vs. Glenwood (OH) at Fairview Elliott Co. vs. Rock Hill (OH) at Fairview East Carter vs. Powell Co. at Rowan Co. Rowan Co. vs. Pikeville Fleming Co. vs. Ludlow at Mason Co. Greenup Co. at Johnson Central Fairview vs. Tolsia (WV) Menifee Co. vs. Anderson Co.

After a whirlwind week, the Indians prevail in Campbellsville in OT. For the record, Neil Terry coached the Tribe.

57 points for Anderson? That’s lighting up the scoreboard for them.

Told they offered O’Hearn but he has declined.

Coach Ford is a good guy and I am sure he is a great coach but let be honest, 4 wins in 3 seasons isn't acceptable at a school the size and location of Rowan.

I know it’s early but this was supposed to be the best Nicholas County team in school history?

Mays will make his scheduled appearance on a local podcast tonight.

Been told it’s open as of this afternoon.

1. Hartline (National Champion who is a known recruiter of the same pipeline Kentucky has had success at. Brother played at UK and is on staff) 2. Will Stein (Kentucky guy who grew up a UK fan with deep ties to the school) My personal preference is Hartline for the reasons I gave but I’m fine with either. I don’t think they will get past Stein when they reach out.

You know a move this far away doesn’t just happen overnight. Probably a case of not wanting to burn the bridge with North or give a heads up about the move.

If Sumrall does go to Florida, Will Stein will get the first call and probably accept with his connections to the program. If not Stein, they’ll go for Dan Mullen or Brian Hartline.