TCR

Impressive win on the road for GRC. Fleming usually plays really well at home too. GRC will be a force to deal with statewide, to do this to a Fleming County team that is definitely no pushover. GRC should be proud for what they have accomplished in recent years especially coming out of the 10th region which I would guess is one of the more loaded regions statewide when it comes to contending teams. I'm sure Fleming County will look back at the film and find some improvements to make after this. They will be a tough out in the 16th and likely will pick up some good wins representing against teams outside the region this year.

Elliott County now has tied their win total from last season. To top that off, it's against five opponents that defeated them last season. I realize graduations, transfers, etc. will impact who they play and these are different teams from last year but it's still a major improvement. Coach Adkins is making a great argument early on to be the coach of the year in the region.

Great win for Kentucky! Louisville may have had a couple players missing but when a team comes in with the firepower they did, and the program is clearly re-energized this season, this is a big win.. While Kentucky has had some discontent especially over the last couple of seasons, but during those last two seasons combined Kentucky had seven more wins than Louisville has in its past four seasons combined. Coach Kelsey has reignited the fan base and brought back a lot of determination to the point where many Louisville fans looked forward to competing against, if not hoping to pull out the win against Kentucky. The program has a lot to be proud of with how they have come in such a short time. Numerically, it may be a 6-4 team coming in but I think it was a nice win for Kentucky for the reasons mentioned above. Pope has brought a lot of energy to the position at UK and it's his style of ball that is the perfect fit for UK and the fan base. They want a team that shoots a lot of threes, that runs the court and brings the excitement the fans had in the 1990's. This team has already scored 100+ four times this season - something that (not counting last year's high scoring team which did it six times) was only done four times between 2017 and 2023. The base loves the high scoring, run and gun type offense and it's truly amazing, the job Coach Pope has done with this team. This man had 206 days between April 12 and his first game in November 4 - during that time he practically had to construct an entirely new team, then get all these guys assimilated. Change always happens under a new coach, but you think back to Tubby Smith who had some players returning from the 96 and 97 teams his first season, then Billy Gillispie had some of Tubby's players like Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford returning to bring stability with prized recruit Patrick Patterson deciding to keep his commitment to UK while John Calipari had players like Patrick Patterson, Darius Miller, and DeAndre Liggins returning from Gillispie's squad which helped with stability. Mark Pope had to go out and get an entirely new team. They start out with a big momentum booster with the Duke win on a comeback and would go on to make another big comeback on the road, down 16 at halftime against Gonzaga. That is toughness. Then they pull out a win at home against a gritty Louisville team. UK is leading the country in scoring and have moved up 141 spots compared to last season in points allowed per game. It will be so exciting watching these guys continue to grow. Looking forward to plenty of exciting games between these two schools in the future. Coach Pope, if you haven't met him and attend a game I encourage you to go down and do so when he sets up afterward for the meet and greets. I have not had the chance to do so but did meet him this summer and it was a memorable experience. He definitely has a gift with people. Coach Kelsey is also pleasant. I only have one time around him, at that same event, but was around him for a long time compared to Coach Pope. He has a laid back, warm personality although many are used to seeing his upbeat, fiery personality he brings to the court. Both great coaches and hopefully this will reignite what is one of college basketball's elite rivalries.

This one is going to be a real treat for any basketball fan. GRC is a great program and I'm sure will be a tough out for any opponent statewide that they face. Fleming County is always fun to watch, I love Buddy Ball as Coach Buddy Biggs emphasizes that fast paced offense combined with tough, gritty pressure defense. They have a real opportunity in this game and I'm sure will come out looking to be on fire. Fleming County is a TOUGH place to play and they seem to play better there. Both of their wins last season against Ashland and Boyd County, teams that they did not defeat since their second of a back-to-back regional championship run in 2014, came at home. Fleming has a great crowd that counts as a sixth and seventh man on the court with the energy their bring. Their crowd is enthusiastic and they love their Panthers. There is something to that place when it comes to shooting for opposing teams. They beat Rowan County and Ashland there by double digits and beat Boyd County in overtime last season on that court. Ashland shot an uncharacteristic 6/30 from three point range (20%, season average 36.0%) Rowan County shot 5/25 (20%, season average 37.8%) and Boyd County shot 13/37 (35.1%, season average 39.6% last season). Fleming County would not meet Boyd County again, but they did lose to Ashland in the regional tournament and lost twice to Rowan County at Rowan. Where Coach Cook succeeds at GRC is how his teams always seem to find a way to dictate the tempo of the game. If I'm GRC that's what I emphasize. They play fast themselves, and I anticipate they will look for ways to attack the class (Bartelson and Gay combine to average 14.8 rebounds per game) while pushing tempo to try to force turnovers and get easy buckets. If I'm GRC I focus more on attacking the teeth of the defense inside. The 10th region GRC comes from is loaded - you never know what you're going to get when it comes tournament time. Last season Campbell County would get hot and defeat GRC in the 10th region tournament semifinal and then win in overtime against Harrison County who started the season off 2-9 and clawed their way back to win their district and finish 17-15. Then in the Elite Eight Campbell County would be an overtime away from beating Harlan County who advanced to the state finals. Fun fact: George Rogers Clark opened in 1963 as a consolidation of Winchester and Clark County High Schools. Winchester had a lot of success in the 1910's and 1920's, making the state championship game in 1925. Clark County went on a run from 1947 - 1952 in which they won six regional titles in a row, including a state championship in 1951. If Ashland wins the region this year, they will break that 16th region record with their seventh in a row. Shortly after the merger to become George Rogers Clark in 1963, they would win a couple more regional titles in the 16th and then move to the 10th region where they have been ever since.

16th Region: Week 2 Another exciting week of basketball in the 16th region! #1 Ashland and the team I ranked at 2A (with Fleming County at 2B) Boyd County faced off with Ashland winning 85-57 in a battle between two teams that both have battled injuries. Ashland would then win a trap game against Fairview and defeat Archbishop Alter of Ohio over the weekend. Archbishop Alter has R. J. Greer (NC State Signee) along with Brady Connor who is committed to Wright State and are a defending state champion. Whether it’s north, south, east, or west, it’s always good to see Kentucky teams represent against out of state opponents and I am sure Ashland is happy to pick up a couple of big wins over two talented district rivals and an out of state team. Boyd County went to Knoxville, Tennessee and lost two tough games against Springdale Prep of Maryland and Buckhorn, Alabama. I have called close to a handful of games for Springdale Prep. This year they had players on their team that were 6’7, 6’9, 6’10, 6’11, and 7’0. That didn’t intimidate 7th grader Jacob Carter who came in and bulled his way around against the bigger players. Boyd was down big in the third quarter and came back to threaten late before Springdale Prep held on to win 79-63. Boyd went stone cold shooting after their big run, but their effort was admirable especially without key players Cole Hicks and Griffin Taylor. Against Buckhorn of Alabama, the injury situation grew worse. Rhett Holbrook played the first quarter before a hand injury and had to come out. Jacob Spurlock would score 44 points against the defending state champion and Childers, Ross, and Carter stepped it up for the Lions who lost by seven. Fleming County continues their hot start. They have not defeated a team with a winning record, yet, but Buddy Ball sure looks to be clicking and they will have a real shot coming up this week as they host George Rogers Clark at home Tuesday night. Last season Fleming County knocked off both Ashland and Boyd County at home, the first time they beat either team since their regional championship run in 2014. Lewis County picked up a pair of 63rd district victories, first over Russell then over Greenup County. Raceland gets a nice win over Elliott County, who is 4-1 and one win away from tying their win total from last season. 1. Ashland – 3-2 (No change) Faced off against Boyd County this week and with both teams nursing several injuries, was able to pull off a great game with Zander Carter having a memorable 38 point performance, showcasing his skills at all three levels. Another good win followed in a trap game against Fairview Friday night, and Zander Carter would again put up 28 points against Archbishop Alter, a defending state champion from Ohio on Saturday. 2. Fleming County – (5-0, no change but am moving ahead of Boyd for now who they were tied at #2 with last week.) Fleming will play a tough opponent at home in George Rogers Clark Tuesday night, and while they don’t have a win over a team with a winning record at this point they have defeated East Carter and Greenup County who typically play strong basketball toward the end of the season. Regardless of the quality of the schedule, Fleming County is playing some rock solid basketball and three players are shooting at least 42% from three point range. 3. Boyd County (3-3, -1 Decrease) – Boyd lost three games this week but it was to Ashland who had a couple of quality wins including against Boyd County, Springdale Prep who is a power in Maryland, and Buckhorn, Alabama who is a defending state champion. The Lions have been racked with injuries yet still went on a trip to the Webb School in Knoxville and put on an impressive performance, including Jacob Spurlock who scored 44 points in a tight loss to defending state champion Buckhorn, Alabama. Boyd will be a threat to anybody when healthy, but right now are looking to get some guys back. They play again on the road Thursday, travelling to Dobyns-Bennett High School to play Winter Haven, FL. 4. Lewis County (3-1, +2 increase) – The Lions off to a rock solid start, last week threatening Boyd County before winning against Rowan County handily then this week picking up solid district wins over Russell and Greenup County. Julian Puente and Drew Noble provide a good inside/outside combo and Gerkie, Noble, and Bivens have been doing an excellent job rebounding as the three combine for 24.1 rebounds per game. 5. Raceland (4-1, no change) – A good start for the Rams despite multiple guys football players being integrated from Raceland’s run to the state finals. Defeated Elliott County and as the season goes along I think that will be a nice win for them. Lost to Lucasville Valley and then defeated a young Morgan County team. Connor Thacker highlighting for the team as he averages 14 points and 10 rebounds per game and I think we will see continued improvements from him as the season goes along. 6. Elliott County (4-1, -2 decrease) – A tight loss to Raceland this week but far ahead of where they were this time last year. Their four wins come by no less than 19 points. One more win and the Lions will have just as many wins as they did last year. Big game against Russell coming up this week along with a showcase in which they will play three games in three days. 7. Russell (3-1, -4 Decrease) – Tough loss against Lewis County where they shot only 37% as a team. With the loss of Elijah Neel this team is still looking to gather the chemistry at the point guard position and I think once they gel they will be a threat. 8. East Carter (2-3, no change) – A win against Fairview and a loss against Covington Holmes this week. Raiders playing better than expected despite several graduations. I expect this team, as typical under Coach Brammer, to improve and be a threat by the end of the season. 9. Greenup County - (2-4, no change) – Like East Carter, a nicely coached team that usually blooms later in the season. Picked up a win against Bath County but lost to Lewis County (who is exceeding expectations) and Johnson Central, who reached the regional finals last season and has been to Rupp Arena multiple times under Coach Tommy McKenzie. 10. Rowan County – (2-3, -3 decrease) – Solid win on Tuesday night against West Carter but then losses to Pike County Central and Floyd Central of the 15th region. This is a young team that is still figuring out the pieces after some key graduations from last season’s regional semifinal team. 11. Morgan County – (2-4, +2 increase) – The young Cougars picked up a win against Magoffin County who lost some key players from their Elite Eight appearance last season followed up by a win against Menifee County. Lost to Elliott County and Raceland, but played competitive with Raceland and Elliott County has exceeded expectations. Not a bad week at all for the Cougars considering the Cougars lost 58 of their 70 points per game from last season. 12. Menifee County – (2-4, +1 increase) - I am unsure the last time two players scored 30+ in a game, but it happened this week when the Wildcats defeated Bath County on the road as both Brevon Ricker and Aiden Manley scored 32 points each. Also defeated Lee County. Outside of Ricker and Manley the rest of the team shoots 37% and once Menifee can find a way to increase that they have potential with the scoring abilities of Ricker and Manley. 13. Bath County – (1-5, -2 decrease) – Four of their five losses are by seven points or less. The only big loss to Knox Central who is 3-1 and just four years removed from a state tournament appearance, having reached the regional semifinals last season. Good win over East Carter in week 1. Only one game up, West Carter, then ten days before the next. 14. West Carter – (1-4, -4 decrease) – Big loss to a young Rowan County team as they played their fifth game in a matter of eight days. The Comets will gear up with four games coming up this week against Powell County, Bath County, Lawrence County, and Betsy Layne to continue to improve. 15. Fairview – (0-5, no change) – The young Eagles struggling to shoot from the field and still adapting to a new coaching system which takes time. The Eagles will play four games in four days from Thursday – Sunday, but that will provide a good opportunity for this team to grow and possibly pick up a win somewhere.

Thank you for the kind words! The coaches, players, fans, and staff take a lot of pride in that special place that they can sure be proud of. I knew Trinity had a large team but 100+, wow. That says a lot, and it's something bigger than numbers. Although I come from Eastern Kentucky, just across the river are a few West Virginia Schools that would likely be 6A if they were in Kentucky. Huntington High, Cabell Midland, and Spring Valley are not just large schools but excellent programs that are in contention for a state title every year and I don't think even they that level of turnout. They are as talented and well coached as anybody, but historically I recall them playing their stars both ways most of the time. It would be extremely difficult to compete with a team that can consistently bring different players out for offense, defense, and special teams. Technical and meticulous sure seems to get it done and that schedule has to provide excellent preparation for a game like this, especially having seen, historically, some of the opponents the Shamrocks have strongly represented Kentucky football against. Although it's a different sport, it was in 2019 when Ashland competed against the Shamrocks in the state tournament. That was considered a historical team in many eyes given the level of talent they had (They won it all) but what stood out to me more was how disciplined they were. Defensively, they were always where they needed to be. Same way the following year after losing the five starters. Ashland ended up winning that game, but that was such a fundamentally disciplined team on the court that played. I mention that because the times I have seen Trinity in football, the bits and pieces I have seen, it reminds me of that basketball experience. The talent is great no doubt, but it's the discipline that stood out even moreso.

There were some outstanding coaching jobs done this season, in my opinion it would either be Chad Pennington of Sayre or Mark Spader of Bowling Green. Coach Pennington did a great job with Sayre this season and deserves recognition for guiding that team through some tough moments, especially defeating a rock solid team in Raceland that ended their season the year before. One situation in particular I think of in that game where Sayre could have folded came when Raceland was moving the ball and had it 1st and 10 on the Sayre 26 near the end of the game, but they didn't. The defense came up with a big stop. That's toughness and Coach Pennington did a great job instilling that in them. Mark Spader coached a defending state champion in Bowling Green, but they had more challenges this season. Last year the only team that came close to threatening them in the state tournament was Cooper, and they defeated Cooper by two touchdowns despite having four turnovers in the game. This year Bowling Green had to defeat a South Warren team in the semifinals that defeated them during the regular season and they came into the state finals as underdogs against a very talented Cooper team that had some great wins coming into that matchup. Either one is great and I'm sure there are more names that will come up. These are the first two that came to mind.

Making a very, very early comparison based on what we have seen so far. Much could change with this team and the dynamic especially with multiple players out. This is a really good basketball team. Similarities Anybody that's on that court can shoot the three. Has the potential to have the same ball movement, especially when they can play Braxton Jennings or Cam Davis at the point and keep Zander on the wing more to where he doesn't have to do double duty in running the point and be the explosive scorer at the same time. He can do both, but it's better for him and the team when he doesn't have to. That explosive scorer. The 2020 team had multiple guys that could do it, but Cole Villers was the one the team leaned on in big situations. For example, in West Carter when the team trailed by 12 in the second half. Cole Villers is known for hitting the big shot that got #1 on ESPN SportsCenter, but in the second half of that game he scored every Ashland point between 28 and 44. Cole had a sense of willpower that was unreal. In his final game in 2022, on an injured knee, he went in against Covington Catholic and scored 25 points. Zander Carter has stepped up and grown in so many ways, and this Boyd County game was another example of that. Sure, it was a depleted Boyd County team due to injuries, but as @DevilMayCare mentioned, that was Rhett Holbrook defending him - and Rhett is one of the toughest, most disciplined players one could compete against. Right now, it looks like this will be a team that can hit free throws but did miss a couple late against Great Crossing that would have likely sealed it. The 2020 team was one of the best in the state shooting free throws. Multiple players that can step it up and make needed plays. The 2020 team had some nagging injuries at times. For example, against George Rogers Clark the team went on the road without Ethan Sellars playing and won in overtime against the eventual 10th region champion. Against Rowan County Justin Bradley was missing and Nolan Phillips came off the bench with several blocks and some great defense in that game to propel the Tomcats to victory against the 26-game winner on the road. In the regional tournament Hunter Gillum's defense and running the court took this team to another level as they won all three games by an average of 24 points. It was especially effective against Rowan County. Differences Not really a big, bulky body. They have good length, but for example in 2020 Ryan Atkins came off the bench and provided that in 2020 and in the past couple of years Nate Freize filled that role. He was also an excellent screen setter. Zander Carter is highly mature and an excellent leader. I think they will need even more leadership though. That 2020 squad had the leadership and maturity of a college team. That's an area Cole Villers especially was wise beyond his years as the seniors trusted him and he earned the spot of captain as a sophomore. Scheduling. Ashland's 2020 team had a tough schedule, no doubt about it. I mentioned the tough games on the road against the likes of 10th Region champion George Rogers Clark and then home games against 4th Region champion Warren Central and Rowan County who had 26 wins along with a very talented Trinity team and a couple others. However, this team opened up playing the #1 ranked team in the state that returned many players from their final four team last season and has tournaments like King of the Bluegrass and to top that off, games all around the state against teams that will be in contention to win their region. Barring any tournament games, I only saw seven games on their schedule that were in-region. Last season Ashland played three of the four teams that made the final four at some point in the year. I anticipate this season they will have one of the state's toughest schedules. To get to the 2020 team's level There were times against Boyd County they played excellent defense, but that end will need to improve over the course of the year. Great Crossing and Hazard exposed many deficiencies in that area. Part of that, though, is with more players who are newer to the system and will need some time to gel. When things aren't going, finding a way to win. Here's an example from the 2020 team. In the semifinal of the Ashland Invitational Tournament Ashland played against Warren Central, who made the final four and returned almost the bulk of that squad. Ashland shot 8/34 from three (42% overall), 7/12 from the free throw line, and was outrebounded by 11. To top that off, Warren Central had a 50/40/90 game. 50% from the field, 44% from three point range, and 90% from the free throw line. When I throw those numbers out, you would think Ashland would have lost. However, they ended up making the needed plays to win the game. Warren Central had great length and defended Ashland as tight as any team that played them that season. It was hard to get around that man to man defense and in the first half it looked like Warren Central was in control before Ashland would go on a run. Ethan Hudson would hit a big three with two minutes to go to put Ashland ahead. The next night, they played against Louisville Butler in the AIT championship. They had three of their top scorers returning from the prior season in which they made the elite eight. Ashland was down 11 in the first half, then came back. Justin Bradley was the one to step it up, scoring 19 points, at one point scoring three straight three pointers in the second half. Leadership. This team has good leadership, Zander is mature beyond his years as I mentioned earlier. Every team has a different identity and this team's may be rallying around the strong leadership of Zander Carter. Which, with his maturity may be what will get them to where they need to be. The 2020 team, they had incredible maturity and took it to another level. Maturity far beyond any high school team I have encountered and this includes many team in and out of Kentucky. Recently I conducted an interview with the seniors from that 2020 Ashland team. When I brought the idea up to them to talk about the events leading into that season, they loved it but also wanted to have Cole Villers there. Which was happy to accomodate. Cole was a sophomore then. But that goes to show you how special Cole was to that team. Chemistry. Again tying back to the last point, these guys meshed well on and off the court. Behind the scenes, Cole Villers and Colin Porter grew up together from the time they were very young - almost babies. Cole Villers played up for much of his childhood, hence part of the reason he had such a strong bond with that senior class. Everybody rallied (and still does) rally around Luke Maze as the team's manager and on Saturday when everybody could have been sleeping in, they were volunteering at the Challenger League events. While this is something that continues to today, that year Luke got to coach a game when the team played Rose Hill on senior night. That environment was indescribable and was a special moment for Luke. It's neat seeing the pictures that were taken, with him and the seniors prior to that game. This group has that potential, but just has a lot more new faces on the court than the 2020 team did.

Nice takes on both posts! Elliott County does have a lot of heart, it's a basketball community for sure. I'm beginning to wonder more and more about Raceland if they are/will be better than advertised. This is a team that still has several players who have played football and given their deep run, it will take a little longer for Raceland to gel where on the other end Elliott County, at this time, does not have a football team. They Lions came out blazing this year and this is definitely a win that can be a confidence booster for Raceland. I also note you mentioning the future may get here sooner rather than later and that does make a lot of sense! Reminds me of the days in the 2000's when they had the Faulkner twins (Both of whom are coaching at Youngstown State now), Jonathan Ferguson, and that bunch. 2006 wasn't their time to shine but they were able to make it to the regional finals. 2007 wasn't their time to win the region with Russell having nearly everybody back from their championship team the prior year and the addition of Austin Robinson but it really hurt them when Jonathan Vanhoose got hurt. Elliott, however, still had to get through an Ashland team that had a lot of strength on the inside with Drew McDavid (Who scored 43 points in a game that year against Knox Central) along with Ryan Bonner who is now a 2-time regional champion as Ashland's head coach. After a tight game throughout, Elliott County pulled away late in the second half to take an 85-68 win and go to what would be their first of three trips in a row to Rupp Arena - a year earlier than expected. As for Lewis, your statement that you can never truly count them out couldn't be more accurate. Thinking back to some of the years like 2000, they took eventual 16th region champion Boyd County to overtime. Boyd would win the region, lose 52-50 to Antwain Barbour and Elizabethtown and afterward E-town would win two of the next three games by double digits on the way to the state championship. It seems like no matter what their record is (Two of their three regional finalist teams finished 18-16) they have always caused problems for their opponents. One of my all-time favorite games of theirs is in 2004. After defeating Rowan County (Who would win the region the next year) they played against Ashland and it took two overtimes for the Tomcats to defeat Lewis County. Tyler Clark was an amazing scorer and I believe he is still involved heavily with the school today. Ashland was led by point guard Adam Howard who is now an assistant at Nebraska. In 2019 they were a tip-in away from ending Ashland's run, a run where they pulled a massive upset of Elliott County in the next game and ended up in the elite eight of the state tournament. Then the following season would defeat a Russell team that beat them twice in the regular season by a combined 36 point to win the district and make it to the regional tournament where they would beat Boyd County with one of the all-time greats in Blake Stewart and make the regional finals. Then in 2023 they took Boyd County to overtime in a classic. I could go on and on. They're so much fun to watch. Starts for each Lewis County team I mentioned: 2000 (5-14 after an 0-7 start, finished 11-15) 2004 (6-6 - finished 20-11) 2019 (11-9 - finished 21-10) 2020 (3-9 - finished 18-16) 2023 (6-17 - finished 12-19) This is an interesting start for Lewis and I think the win over Russell was big in part because Puente, who averaged 24.5 points over the first two games - had an off night yet they still pulled out a nice win. Even with figuring some areas out I still think Russell is a tough out for anybody. Lastly, a fun fact on Lewis County since Ashland was brought up a couple of times. It was Bob Wright who was known for leading the Tomcats to the 1961 state championship and later on coaching at Morehead State University. But it would be Bob Wright who had two separate runs at Lewis County (Then Vanceburg High School) in the 1950's leading them to a 26-11 season in 1953, the most wins the school has achieved in a season that would also involve one of their three regional finals appearances. Ironically that team would lose to Ashland, who came two points short of knocking out eventual state runner-up Paducah Tilghman in the first round.

Both teams with some key injuries tonight as Ashland missed Cam Davis and Braxton Jennings did play, but understandably Coach Bonner was cautious with how he used him. On Boyd County's end Griffin Taylor is still out and against Lanham Christian last week Cole Hicks went out for the second half and he did not play tonight. Boyd County opened up leading 8-2, then Ashland got red hot from the outside. Boyd did a great job early on of giving themselves second and third chances to score which kept them in it, but it was just one of those nights where Ashland just was blistering from three point range and it stalled the momentum Boyd County had early. I would not be surprised if they had 15 threes as a team or maybe more, I know Zander Carter and Tyson LaLonde combined for 11 alone and there were multiple other players who hit three pointers. Rhett Holbrook hit a three pointer from 35 feet out before halftime to give Boyd a little bit of momentum and cut the Ashland lead to 17 but in the second half Ashland did a lot of what Boyd County did in the first half - attack the offensive glass and give themselves second and third opportunities to score. Ashland has to be happy with how they shot the ball and Zander Carter has become an elite three-level scorer. He will be a fantastic addition to Ritchie McKay's squad at Liberty next season. Ashland also has to be thrilled with the ball movement and that they were able to hold Jacob Spurlock, another elite scorer, to zero in the first half. There were times when they started forcing three pointers, but it's hard to blame them with the success they were having and I anticipate they will build off this victory. Tyson LaLonde looked very comfortable and played, in my opinion, the best game he has played at Ashland. This has to be a great confidence booster for him. Boyd County still had some positives. They have some players that can step up and hit the three - we saw that against a talented Lanham Christian squad over the weekend in the second half and they had some guys step it up tonight at times. As a team in their first three games they shot 80% from the line and I anticipate they will continue to be one of the better free throw shooting teams in the region and state. They showed flashes, but all in all if I'm Boyd with the exception of the lessons learned from the game I just shrug this one off and move on. They caught Ashland on a red hot night and on top of that were missing a couple of key players. It could turn into an unexpected benefit with the experience some of these other players will gain from having the opportunity to see the court in one of the great rivalries. Two seasons ago when the teams played the first time (At Boyd County) Ashland won by nine, but led by as much as 25 in the matchup. Boyd would go on to win the next two, including the district championship. Ashland won all four games in the 2020-2021 season - yet in all four games Boyd County led by at least nine points. This is a fun rivalry. Anything can happen.

The 2024-2025 season got started off with a big bang in the 16th region with lots of excitement. Ashland, despite missing three players, went into state ranked #1 Great Crossing and took them to overtime in a thriller then played a Hazard team that many are projecting to win the 14th and some are also saying will win the All A. Fleming County came out of the gate looking impressive with Hickerson hitting an amazing full court shot in the last seconds of the first quarter against Greenup. Elliott County picked up their third win three months and one day earlier than they did last season. I expected them to be tremendously improved, but not looking as good as they have been so far. Lewis County played impressive against Boyd County, giving them a great run at Boyd County and then turned around and picked up a 24 point win over Rowan County. Not a bad start at all for them and they'll be another to keep an eye on. Boyd County, in addition to Lewis County, defeated Greenup County and then a multi-time defending state champion from Maryland in Lanham Christian. This week all eyes will be on Boyd and Ashland who play Tuesday night at 7:30 PM. The game will be streamed live on My Town TV. That should be a great game. Last season Boyd won three of the four meetings, but Ashland won the one in the regional finals. Two of the games they played, including the 64th District championship, went into overtime. If Boyd beats Ashland, no question they will move into the number one spot. Elliott County, with their hot start, will be tested against a 2-0 Raceland team with several football players that are being integrated at the moment from the team's state runner-up finish. Raceland defeated Elliott County by 35 last season. Russell plays Lewis County this Tuesday night, the game being played at East Carter. This one will feature two great big men in Drew Noble of Lewis County and Caleb Rimmer of Russell. Lewis County had a good first week and Russell finished 2-0 and looks to be putting the pieces together after the departure of Elijah Neel. Friday night Greenup County plays at Johnson Central who finished in the 15th Region semifinals last season and has always been a threat under coach Tommy McKenzie, with multiple appearances in Rupp Arena. Greenup County made some improvements over week one and that should be a fun matchup. 1. Ashland (0-2) - No change from preview - - A tough opener for Ashland taking the #1 team in the state in Great Crossing to overtime follow by a loss to Hazard on the road, a Hazard team that avenged a loss to a Breathitt County team that beat them twice in overtime last season, is 3-0, and expected to make some noise this season. Big test coming up against Boyd County on the 10th and if they drop that one or any other game this week, then their regional ranking will change. 2A. Boyd County (3-0) - No change from preview - Won against a scrappy Lewis County team 72-65 that may be better than expected. Won big against Greenup County who typically starts slow and is a late bloomer. A big win was picked up against Lanham Christian from Maryland this weekend, a physical team that has won six of the last ten championships in their division of the Maryland Christian Schools State Tournament. Boyd trailed by two at halftime and then in the second half grew as a team, going 11-16 during the field during a stretch to seal the win. Big opportunities this week for Boyd with Ashland along with a tournament in Knoxville coming up. 2B. Fleming County (3-0) - Instead of ranking 3rd like in preview, ranked as 2B - Took care of business this week. Defeated an East Carter team that lost some key players from last season but typically is a late bloomer. Same with Greenup County. Menifee County, although they're 0-3, has Brevin Ricker who is one of the region's best scorers and had 36 and 37 in his first two games. He has had big games against some of the regions best and Fleming was able to hold him to 11. Having seen Fleming County play, they're a team that will be in contention to try to dethrone Ashland. 3. Russell (2-0) - No change from preview - Defeated Menifee County after Brevin Ricker went off for 36 points. Tyler Cordial stepped it up with 17 points and 10 rebounds and freshmen Kaden Benge and Ryder Burgess combined for 35 points. Remember, not a single senior on this roster and it will take time for them to develop after the losses of strong leadership to graduation in Noah Quinn and Tatum Fleming. The loss of point guard Elijah Neel to transfer didn't help matters but Russell could be a serious threat if they get solid point guard play. Also picked up a nice win against West Carter. 4. Elliott County (3-0) - +6 increase - What a turnaround to start the season. 5-25 last year, already 3-0 winning by 19 against Fairview, 23 against Menifee, and 23 against Phelps. Elliott County was 0-5 against these teams combined last season. I had a feeling they would make some major improvements, but didn't expect them to jet out like they have. It's still early, though, and this team is still young with only one senior. Will have Raceland and Morgan County coming up. Elliott County picked up their third win three months and one day earlier than last season. 5. Raceland (2-0) - +3 increase - Solid wins over West Carter and Letcher County Central to start the season. This while getting multiple football players acclimated due to Raceland reaching the state finals this season. 6. Lewis County (1-1) - +1 increase - Played Boyd County tough to start the season at Boyd County losing 72-65. Julian Puente with an impressive 30 points in that game, followed up by a nice 68-44 victory at home against Rowan County. Historically, Lewis County has been a late bloomer. Two of their three teams that have reached the regional finals (The 2009 and 2020 teams) were both 18-16. The 2009 team lost their first six games while the 2020 team started 3-9. Joe Hampton is back on the sidelines as an assistant to Scott Tackett, who is no stranger to the state tournament. The two have great chemistry and I'm sure will have Lewis County in contention late in the year as usual. 7. Rowan County (1-1) - -1 Decrease - Defeated Mason County, but had a big loss to Lewis County. Coach Thacker had nine players graduate from last year's 23-11 team that reached the regional final. It's expected they will take their lumps early in the year, but this is not a new situation to Coach Thacker and it's likely they will be peaking at the right time. 8. East Carter (1-1) - +3 Increase - Loss to one of the region's best in Fleming County, followed by a win over Model. Lost some key players from last season to graduation but like some of the other quality coaches in this region, Cole Brammer has his teams playing their best ball at the right time. 9. Greenup County (1-2) - -4 Decrease - Losses to two of the region's best with Fleming County and Boyd County, followed up by a win over Fairview. Corey Allison started 3-12 in his first year before concluding 8-6 and last season started 7-9 before finishing the year 11-6 and winning the 63rd district championship in a tough field which features Greenup County, Lewis County, Raceland, and Russell. Expect this young team to make noise at some point in the year. 10. West Carter (1-3) - +2 Increase - The only team in the region to open up playing four games. A tough start for the Comets who have struggled in the last three seasons. After playing Rowan this Tuesday, their fifth game in eight days, they will have a few days off before being scheduled to play Powell on the 16th. They did play a tough schedule this week with Lawrence County being one of the best in the 15th (scoring at least 80 points in each of their first three) and Russell who is a top five team in the 16th. 11. Bath County (0-2) - +3 increase - Two losses by a combined ten points for the Wildcats. One against Estill who finished 21-11 last year and is 3-0, one of the wins against a team that beat them last year. Bourbon County last year was in the middle of the back in a loaded 10th region and is 2-1 so far. 12. Menifee County (0-3) - -3 Decrease - Brevon Ricker goes for 36 and then 37 in his first two games, but still looking to get some help around him. Defense has struggled, giving up at least 83 points in their losses. They were against Fleming County, typically high scoring and a top team in the region. Russell is not far behind them and Elliott County has been a surprise team to start the year so it's not like Menifee struggled against weaker competition. They played three tough opponents. 13. Morgan County (0-2) - No change from the preview - Lost big to Lawrence County who is a top team in the 15th, then to Jackson who is 3-0. The Cougars looking to replace several seniors from last season. 14. Fairview (0-3) - No change from the preview - The Eagles with a bright young coach in Cameron Conley and still looking to gel. Lost close ones at home against West Carter and then on the road at Greenup County. It's still early, and given how some of these teams are likely to gel late in the season to put together a tough run I anticipate we will see a lot of changes in the rankings.

@#RockNation Nice post and I have a question. Coming from Eastern Kentucky my only deep knowledge of the schools like Trinity and St. Xavier come from the 1970's, when Ashland competed against St. Xavier for the 1975 championship and then two years later Greenup County would compete against Trinity for the championship so I know little on it, but is it typical for Trinity every year to play a completely different lineup for offense, defense, and special teams with nobody going both ways? I was curious. Have heard about it in the past but the only two years I know about in particular are the two in the 1970's that were mentioned. I know Highlands did that quite a bit during the Dale Mueller era but wasn't sure if that was typical for Trinity. It is hard, no doubt, to keep up with a team that has different players going each way and it factored into both of the state championships I mentioned in 1975 and 1977, with Ashland and Greenup County very talented but playing guys both ways and St. X. and Trinity also very talented and playing different players each way. I have never been to a game at Trinity but have driven by the stadium and I'd say that I would echo many at how impressive it is. Hopefully, "never been to a game at Trinity" will change at some point.

Congratulations to the Shamrocks on an amazing run and to Ryle on their season! Looks like this was a great game, closer than the final score indicated. The Shamrocks are the gold standard for Kentucky football and they deal with the target on their back admirably. A couple of the challenges they faced, including from this tough Ryle bunch, show how resilient this team is. After shutting out Ballard in the season the Shamrocks trailed at halftime in the regional finals before eventually winning, then beating Frederick Douglass who has not finished anywhere less than the state semifinals in this decade. This Ryle team they played, they were tested. What a schedule they had. Covington Catholic, Cooper, Highlands, CAL, avenging a loss against storied St. Xavier in the second round, very impressive run for the Raiders. Congratulations to Trinity on winning the championship and also for their strong representation against out of state competition like Cincinnati St. Xavier who finished 10-4 and then over Carmel, Indiana. Congratulations to Ryle for a great run which included avenging a loss to a tough St. X team in the second round, a strong showing in the finals, and some great wins in the season.

Hats off to both teams and really to the 4A class as a whole for a historical state tournament. This caps off some great, great games that were played. It seems like every time Tilghman has won the title (Especially take a look back at some of their teams from the late 1980's) defense was their foundation and this year was no different. Franklin County was actually the first team to score 20 on them this season. Very impressive defense by Tilghman this year and that comes against teams such as Corbin, John Hardin, Franklin County, and other teams that put nice offensive numbers on the board this season. The most difficult part about Franklin County (and I know I'm repeating this from other threads) but they can come out and attack an opponent using the wishbone or they can attack them spreading it out. They have so many different elements to their offense and that's what makes them so difficult to defend. Franklin County had a great year and a tremendous run. There are very, very few schools that get to the state semifinals five years in a row and have two title game appearances where, despite not winning, they still have a strong showing. Congratulations to Paducah Tilghman on the win and to both teams on a great season. And again, major cap tip to both teams who did a great job representing 4A!

Congratulations to Bowling Green on a big win against a great program and congratulations to Cooper on a great season as well. Deuce Bailey is special. It has been a long time since I have seen him play and that was in basketball - it was three years ago but he made a memorable mark and I would like to share that story. Deuce was only a freshman and while his tremendous amount of athleticism stood out, he took some fearless steps to make plays as a leader on his team. Bowling Green played Pikeville in the Ashland Invitational and with seconds on the clock, eventual Elite Eight Pikeville team was up one. A missed shot was going out of bounds. Pikeville tried to seal it off. Deuce Bailey hustled in between the Pikeville players, threw it off one of them, giving Bowling Green an extra chance to win. The next play, M.J. Wardlow would hit a game winning three pointer. At the time Bowling Green was going through a rough stretch after a tornado did damage. Deuce, who made that hustle play to secure possession for his team, emotionally talked about the impact of the tornadoes afterward and that was what he was playing for. His maturity was light years ahead of where it should have been as a freshman. Especially with basketball not even being his main sport. Having kept up with him for his career, it's great (but not surprising) to see him have continued success on and off the field and what a way for him to shine in the state championship. Two fantastic programs that do an excellent job representing Kentucky Football and what it's about!

Congratulations to Sayre on a big win and to Raceland on another deep run. Two tough programs going at it! Being a Marshall graduate myself I am happy for Chad Pennington and I know he has a great bunch at Sayre that has worked hard for this moment. Raceland has done a tremendous job representing Eastern Kentucky over the years whether that's against a team higher in class, having a deep run in the state tournament, or playing an out of state opponent and I'm sure they will continue their attack at a state championship. @Randy Parker Raceland has been four times but has never won. For many years they were stuck in a region having to deal with powers like Beechwood, Newport Central Catholic, or Bellevue but after their region realigned their first state semifinal run came in 2013 (although it still wasn't easy!) under then-coach T.J. Maynard and then in 2017 they reached the state finals for the first time under Mike Salmons, losing against Beechwood. In the last eight seasons Raceland is 0-4 in the title game and they're actually not the only one that has happened to in a span of eight seasons. It reminds me of Boone County between 1987-1994 when they reached the state finals four times, losing in each. They had a couple of crushing losses in 1987 to Shelby County by a score of 17-14 and then again in 1992 when they lost 3-0 to St. Xavier. This one came down to which team established their brand of football. Sayre did a great job doing that on the first drive and it just felt like they took advantage of a couple of mistakes Raceland made down the line. That being said, both school had fantastic seasons. Sayre coming through winning the title over a team that defeated them the prior season, and Raceland making it back to the state championship game despite several graduations from what many have called the most talented senior class to come through the school.

This may be a situation where Raceland goes for it. Nope, looks like they chose to punt and will trust their defense.

It was a special experience, being at UK. But the times I went were during a highly anticipated 2019 matchup between Johnson Central and Boyle County where both sides brought enormous crowds. The next year I would be there as well and it was neat to get to watch from the sidelines for Ashland's game. Of course that was the COVID year so crowd sizes were limited. But it was an incredible experience.

Looks like a great game so far. Coffman's 25th and 26th touchdown receptions of the season. Coffman needs 11 receptions to make it to 100. Not undoable for him.

I'm not sure who kicked it (I am watching updates from the office) but typically QB Jacob Waller has handled the kicking duties. He has made a field goal this season.

This is the first lead Raceland has held in their four state championship appearances.

Thank you for the kind words! It will be interesting with Ashland and their case. Despite missing three key players, they made a strong showing against Great Crossing and Zander Carter shined having to carry more than his usual heavy load. Carter can handle the basketball, but is most effective when he is playing on the wing but the situation left the Tomcats with little option. They're certainly the favorite this year, but strange things have happened. Take 1972, when Russell pulled a massive upset over Ashland and if I'm correct it was when Ashland was ranked #1 in the state. Boyd County will face a young Greenup County team Friday and will be tested heavily Saturday against a multi-time defending state champion in Maryland, Lanham Christian. Although a smaller school, they are coached by Byron Mouton who was one of the captains on Maryland's 2002 national championship team and he has turned that program into a power. I think it's a great test for them in their Roundball Classic. Lanham Christian is 0-3 right now - but probably one of the best 0-3 teams out there. Their star point guard, Diego Joy, transferred prior to the season and two of the three losses are against rock solid teams that would compete for the 16th region title. They were able to pick up another point guard who has been solid so far - note that Maryland plays under different rules from Kentucky. The third, Bullis School, I had the opportunity to see at DeMatha Catholic this summer. They have Eric Reibe who is committed to UConn and a powerhouse team ranked in the top 15 nationally. Fleming is looking impressive. It's not like Fleming was lacking heavily, but Buddy Biggs would find a way to keep that team competitive after the graduations they had. They looked like the mature team they are early on, but faced two teams in East Carter and Greenup County that are typically late bloomers. Like you mentioned the Take Greenup County for example. Corey Allison in his first season started 3-12 but finished 8-6. His second season, they start 7-9 and then he finishes 11-6 with a district championship. East Carter has given Boyd County a good run in the regional tournament the past couple of seasons when they met. The Robinson kid for Fleming looked great as did Johnson. Hickerson had an amazing full court shot hit at the end of the first quarter against Greenup County that is worth a look. I would agree about Russell - I thought the trio of Neal, Pridemore, and Rimmer would be a force for the next four seasons but Neal's departure changes that. It's especially a big blow to the team losing their point guard. But, the Cooksey's have won in some tough situations before and I'm sure will find a way to navigate this one to keep Russell competitive. Russell was heavily questioned early in the year after the graduation of 16th Region Player of the Year Brady Bell and I'm sure they will find some way or another to be competitive. The 63rd, like you said, is interesting. You never know who could pop out of that district. Just two seasons ago a 5-16 Lewis County team would get hot late in the season and avenge two regular season losses to Russell to win the district championship. That was a 26-7 Russell squad, one that won the King of the Smokies Tournament during the season in the midst of a 16 game winning streak and turn right around and avenge a loss to Fleming County in the first round of the regional tournament. This century, only one Russell squad I know of met that and only one exceeded it. That being the 2013 squad under the late great Merle Kidwell and the 2007 squad under Steve Dodd (Who, ironically was on the Ashland team from 1972 I mentioned earlier) and would have had a great case for winning the region back-to-back before an unfortunate injury to Jonathan Vanhoose. It's all about hitting your stride at the right time and Greenup County, Lewis County, Raceland or Russell could do just that. It was similar in volleyball this season as Greenup County had a fantastic team that was one of the region's best but didn't get to make the regional tournament due to colliding with eventual regional finalist Raceland in the first round. Going to be a fun year for basketball!

This game reminds me a lot of the 1996-1997 matchup between the schools in which Clemson also shocked Kentucky. This Kentucky team has averaged over 90 offensive points per game. Even when Kentucky had their chance to strike, I felt like Clemson was in control of the pace. Although these are two different scenarios (The 1997 Clemson Tigers were ranked 20th, finished in the sweet 16, ironically Rick Barnes was their coach) I feel like the flow of the game was similar as they slowed it down and were able to keep Kentucky from getting into their rhythm, as other posters have mentioned with this game. I was concerned about this game from the beginning due to being on the road but even if UK won, it's likely we would have seen this team exposed at some point. They have some challenging games coming up and this will provide them an opportunity to adjust. In the grand scheme, this is an entirely new UK team with the only returning player being Walker Horn and it's remarkable how they have gelled to the point they have in such a short amount of time. Mark Pope has done a great job but faced the challenge of being a new coach. Think of Billy Gillispie when he came in as he still had Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford, Jodie Meeks or John Calipari who had Patrick Patterson, Ramon Harris, Perry Stevenson, Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, Mark Krebs in his first season, at least some stability to start out with whereas Pope had to go out and get an entirely new team in a short time. So far they have picked up a strong win over Duke and I think by the end of the year will be in position to make a deep run. One neat tie from this game if you're from the Eastern Kentucky area, is Clemson guard Del Jones once played at nearby Huntington Prep for a season. Jones has cracked the rotation for Clemson this season and had a bucket against Kentucky.

Congratulations to Great Crossing on the win and to both teams on a great, entertaining game. Always liked great Crossing's program. Every time Great Crossing and Ashland play it always has to be on a night I am unable to attend. ? It has to be a confidence booster for Ashland missing some key players, and in another way for Great Crossing. They certainly got a boost making the big plays late (As seen above) that #1 teams need to make to win against a tough, eager challenger coming in. Great Crossing reminds me an awful lot of the Louisville Ballard teams that had Maker Bar, Gabe Sisk, the bunch that reached the final four of the state tournament in 2021. Fun to watch and have a lot of speed and length that will give their opponents problems. Ashland had a great showing as well. On the road against a final four team from last season that returns several key players. They play nicely as a team and Zander Carter made some nice defensive plays at times with the challenge of guarding the taller Moreno (although Ashland switched up to a zone defense multiple times in the game) and also scoring plenty himself. Even with the talent returning, Ashland has some new players they are looking to get fully integrated and this was good challenge for them to start out with. Both Great Crossing and Ashland have loaded schedules this season, taking on tough opponents that are both in and out of state. Excited to get basketball season going!

For the following Eastern Kentucky schools: Ashland Boyd County Greenup County Russell Live stream is provided on https://www.mytowntv.com at no charge. For road games with these four schools there is also My Town Radio which can be accessed via the website. If you would prefer an alternative to the website for the four schools, there is a phone app and games can also be accessed on YouTube and Facebook along with X/Twitter. Games for the four schools can also be accessed on Apple TV and Roku. YouTube is @MyTownTVHD, Facebook is @MyTownTV, X/Twitter is @Mytowntvhd.