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MOREHEAD The words weight and wait are homophones, as they sound alike but have different meanings.
But Tuesday night in the 16th Region championship game, Boyd County alleviated both by winning its first region title since 2018 and exorcising the last four years of falling in the finals with a 59-49 win over Ashland at Ellis T. Johnson Arena.
“I’m just really, really, really happy for this bunch,” Boyd County coach Randy Anderson said. “They’ve really worked hard, and I feel like we earned it. Nothing was given to us. This is hard … winning a region is really hard … but I couldn’t be a more blessed man than to be able to coach at Boyd.”
The 10-point margin was not indicative of the game, as it was back and forth all night and ultimately decided at the free-throw line.
“I thought through four quarters we did enough defensively to win the game, but unfortunately, shots weren’t falling,” Ashland coach Ryan Bonner said. “Watching this group progress from last April to October was really fun, especially considering what all we lost from last year’s team. There were no holes in leadership, and these guys were a joy to be around every single day.”
With 90 seconds to go in the contest, a 3 from Ashland’s Caleb Clarke put the Tomcats within two points of the Lions.
A quartet of free throws from Malachi Payne on the next pair of Boyd County possessions stretched the lead back out to 54-48.
Ashland made it to the line on the ensuing possession, but both attempts were missed. Gunnar Woods then went 1 of 2 on the Lions’ next trip to edge out even more.
Justin Hughes got the Tomcats’ final point from the charity stripe, but with time waning and Boyd County locked in at the line, there was no stopping the Lions.
Jacob Spurlock nailed the last four attempts and sealed the deal for the title.
“It’s just a blessing to see ‘Boyd County 16th Region Champions’ up there,” Spurlock said while looking at the video screen at Johnson Arena. “That’s a high school kid’s dream; it’s been my dream forever to do this, so I’m just beyond blessed.”
Spurlock led all scorers with 27 points and was named tournament Most Valuable Player. Elijah Neel led Ashland with 19.
Boyd County tallied a 9-1 run to end the game, with all points from both sides coming from free throws.
Not only did Ashland leave points on the board from the foul line, but it also struggled from the field compared to its usual performance.
The Tomcats entered the game averaging 76.3 points per game on 52.2% shooting, but hit just 38.9% on the night.
“We couldn’t really execute against their zone, and it’s a huge learning moment for me personally,” Bonner said. “The effort and the fight were there, but for us, the ball just didn’t go in the hoop enough times. Our guys just need to remember what this feels like and do whatever we can to put ourselves in a better position the next time we’re here.”
Neither team led by more than a handful of points until the Lions put it away.
Clarke hit a layup to close the first quarter that put Ashland up 15-13.
Ashland opened the stanza with a bucket and kept the lead at four, but a shift occurred a couple of minutes in as Boyd County locked in and held Ashland to just two points for the remainder of the quarter as the Lions pulled off a 14-2 run heading into the locker room.
“Our kids just did a great job of talking, and I think it slowed their pace down,” Anderson said. “I’m just happy for ‘Big Jake’ Carter here down the stretch, our big eighth-grader, and that he’s getting this experience. We’ve got a bunch of really good young kids, and they’re the reason why because they worked hard every day and pushed these guys.”
As the youngest guy in the rotation, Carter was happy to contribute and be there for his teammates.
“It was exciting because I’ve never played against Ashland before,” Carter said. “Coming in as an eighth-grader, it’s great to see these coaches trust me. Being part of this team has been amazing, and to bring a championship to Boyd, it’s been a long eight years.”
The Lions battled in all three of their tournament games in Morehead, something Anderson said helped the team.
“I think it was good that we didn’t have blowouts because we were in the fire,” Anderson said. “We knew it was going to be tough tonight, and I felt like those earlier games helped us in a way to be able to withstand that. This bunch is very resilient. As the season has gone along, the bond is really, really tight.”
Another aspect that went a long way for Boyd County was the cohesion seen not just on the night but throughout the season.
The unity came despite new faces on this year’s team.
Payne, Woods and Caleb Rimmer hit the ground running as transfer starters on this year’s squad and helped secure the championship Tuesday.
“It’s a lot easier for guys to play together when they know what they’re doing,” Rimmer said. “Summer ball and practice are where all that stuff comes together, then come game time, it’s a habit at that point. We realized during our first scrimmage how good we could be in this region and in this state, and I think that helped us come together.”
Woods is no stranger to the state tournament, having competed last year as part of Lawrence County’s 15th Region championship team.
“We didn’t overlook our competition in the tournament, but we knew eventually if we wanted to win, we had to beat Ashland,” Woods said. “It’s been about stacking days and going win by win. We have a strong group of guys that care for each other and not personal stuff, so we all came together to win.”
Woods knows that for the Lions to be successful at Rupp Arena, they have to keep playing their game.
“We have to continue to fight through adversity and trust each other,” Woods said. “We have to rebound and beat the bigger, stronger teams. We just practice through adversity, so we are going to strive through it. That’s what we’ve been doing all year.”
Anderson agrees and said his team isn’t ready to quit playing ball just yet. They aim to work on boards and keep leaning on experience.
“If we can figure out this rebounding thing, we may be dangerous next week,” Anderson said. “I think the experience we have within our 30 games, winning the Kentucky 2A (state title) and playing Ashland four times, has collectively prepared us to go down there.”
All-Tournament Team:
Tyssen Crabtree (Elliott County)
Michael Cropper (Fleming County)
Asher Gamble (Morgan County)
Cameron Cross (Rowan County)
Charles Welch (Raceland)
Jonah Arnett (Raceland)
Ryder Burgess (Russell)
Tyler Cordial (Russell)
Elijah Neel (Ashland)
Alijah Owens (Ashland)
Caleb Clarke (Ashland)
Drew Smith (Ashland)
Gunnar Woods (Boyd County)
Malachi Payne (Boyd County)
Jacob Spurlock (Boyd County) – MVP
ASHLAND FG FT REB TP
Neel 9-17 0-2 10 19
Clarke 6-12 1-2 5 14
Smith 4-14 1-4 7 11
Hughes 1-3 1-2 4 3
Owens 1-8 0-0 3 2
Strader 0-0 0-0 0 0
Team 1
TOTAL 21-54 3-10 30 49
FG Pct.: 38.9. FT Pct.: 30. 3-pointers: 4-20 (Smith 2-8, Clarke 1-3, Neel 1-5, Hughes 0-1, Owens 0-3). PF: 19. Fouled out: Smith. Turnovers: 6.
BOYD CO. FG FT REB TP
Spurlock 9-16 8-8 10 27
Payne 2-12 8-10 2 12
Rimmer 4-6 2-4 7 10
Woods 2-5 1-2 2 5
Rardon 2-3 0-0 5 5
Huff 0-0 0-0 0 0
Carter 0-0 0-0 3 0
TEAM 4
TOTAL 19-42 19-24 33 59
FG Pct.: 45.2. FT Pct.: 79.2. 3-pointers: 2-11 (Rardon 1-1, Spurlock 1-2, Rimmer 0-1, Woods 0-2, Payne 0-5). PF: 16. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: 5.
ASHLAND 15 7 12 15 — 49
BOYD CO. 13 17 8 21 — 59
Officials: Roger Fairchild, Ralph Fugate, Ryan Napier
(606) 326-2658
[email protected]
Continue reading...
But Tuesday night in the 16th Region championship game, Boyd County alleviated both by winning its first region title since 2018 and exorcising the last four years of falling in the finals with a 59-49 win over Ashland at Ellis T. Johnson Arena.
“I’m just really, really, really happy for this bunch,” Boyd County coach Randy Anderson said. “They’ve really worked hard, and I feel like we earned it. Nothing was given to us. This is hard … winning a region is really hard … but I couldn’t be a more blessed man than to be able to coach at Boyd.”
The 10-point margin was not indicative of the game, as it was back and forth all night and ultimately decided at the free-throw line.
“I thought through four quarters we did enough defensively to win the game, but unfortunately, shots weren’t falling,” Ashland coach Ryan Bonner said. “Watching this group progress from last April to October was really fun, especially considering what all we lost from last year’s team. There were no holes in leadership, and these guys were a joy to be around every single day.”
With 90 seconds to go in the contest, a 3 from Ashland’s Caleb Clarke put the Tomcats within two points of the Lions.
A quartet of free throws from Malachi Payne on the next pair of Boyd County possessions stretched the lead back out to 54-48.
Ashland made it to the line on the ensuing possession, but both attempts were missed. Gunnar Woods then went 1 of 2 on the Lions’ next trip to edge out even more.
Justin Hughes got the Tomcats’ final point from the charity stripe, but with time waning and Boyd County locked in at the line, there was no stopping the Lions.
Jacob Spurlock nailed the last four attempts and sealed the deal for the title.
“It’s just a blessing to see ‘Boyd County 16th Region Champions’ up there,” Spurlock said while looking at the video screen at Johnson Arena. “That’s a high school kid’s dream; it’s been my dream forever to do this, so I’m just beyond blessed.”
Spurlock led all scorers with 27 points and was named tournament Most Valuable Player. Elijah Neel led Ashland with 19.
Boyd County tallied a 9-1 run to end the game, with all points from both sides coming from free throws.
Not only did Ashland leave points on the board from the foul line, but it also struggled from the field compared to its usual performance.
The Tomcats entered the game averaging 76.3 points per game on 52.2% shooting, but hit just 38.9% on the night.
“We couldn’t really execute against their zone, and it’s a huge learning moment for me personally,” Bonner said. “The effort and the fight were there, but for us, the ball just didn’t go in the hoop enough times. Our guys just need to remember what this feels like and do whatever we can to put ourselves in a better position the next time we’re here.”
Neither team led by more than a handful of points until the Lions put it away.
Clarke hit a layup to close the first quarter that put Ashland up 15-13.
Ashland opened the stanza with a bucket and kept the lead at four, but a shift occurred a couple of minutes in as Boyd County locked in and held Ashland to just two points for the remainder of the quarter as the Lions pulled off a 14-2 run heading into the locker room.
“Our kids just did a great job of talking, and I think it slowed their pace down,” Anderson said. “I’m just happy for ‘Big Jake’ Carter here down the stretch, our big eighth-grader, and that he’s getting this experience. We’ve got a bunch of really good young kids, and they’re the reason why because they worked hard every day and pushed these guys.”
As the youngest guy in the rotation, Carter was happy to contribute and be there for his teammates.
“It was exciting because I’ve never played against Ashland before,” Carter said. “Coming in as an eighth-grader, it’s great to see these coaches trust me. Being part of this team has been amazing, and to bring a championship to Boyd, it’s been a long eight years.”
The Lions battled in all three of their tournament games in Morehead, something Anderson said helped the team.
“I think it was good that we didn’t have blowouts because we were in the fire,” Anderson said. “We knew it was going to be tough tonight, and I felt like those earlier games helped us in a way to be able to withstand that. This bunch is very resilient. As the season has gone along, the bond is really, really tight.”
Another aspect that went a long way for Boyd County was the cohesion seen not just on the night but throughout the season.
The unity came despite new faces on this year’s team.
Payne, Woods and Caleb Rimmer hit the ground running as transfer starters on this year’s squad and helped secure the championship Tuesday.
“It’s a lot easier for guys to play together when they know what they’re doing,” Rimmer said. “Summer ball and practice are where all that stuff comes together, then come game time, it’s a habit at that point. We realized during our first scrimmage how good we could be in this region and in this state, and I think that helped us come together.”
Woods is no stranger to the state tournament, having competed last year as part of Lawrence County’s 15th Region championship team.
“We didn’t overlook our competition in the tournament, but we knew eventually if we wanted to win, we had to beat Ashland,” Woods said. “It’s been about stacking days and going win by win. We have a strong group of guys that care for each other and not personal stuff, so we all came together to win.”
Woods knows that for the Lions to be successful at Rupp Arena, they have to keep playing their game.
“We have to continue to fight through adversity and trust each other,” Woods said. “We have to rebound and beat the bigger, stronger teams. We just practice through adversity, so we are going to strive through it. That’s what we’ve been doing all year.”
Anderson agrees and said his team isn’t ready to quit playing ball just yet. They aim to work on boards and keep leaning on experience.
“If we can figure out this rebounding thing, we may be dangerous next week,” Anderson said. “I think the experience we have within our 30 games, winning the Kentucky 2A (state title) and playing Ashland four times, has collectively prepared us to go down there.”
All-Tournament Team:
Tyssen Crabtree (Elliott County)
Michael Cropper (Fleming County)
Asher Gamble (Morgan County)
Cameron Cross (Rowan County)
Charles Welch (Raceland)
Jonah Arnett (Raceland)
Ryder Burgess (Russell)
Tyler Cordial (Russell)
Elijah Neel (Ashland)
Alijah Owens (Ashland)
Caleb Clarke (Ashland)
Drew Smith (Ashland)
Gunnar Woods (Boyd County)
Malachi Payne (Boyd County)
Jacob Spurlock (Boyd County) – MVP
ASHLAND FG FT REB TP
Neel 9-17 0-2 10 19
Clarke 6-12 1-2 5 14
Smith 4-14 1-4 7 11
Hughes 1-3 1-2 4 3
Owens 1-8 0-0 3 2
Strader 0-0 0-0 0 0
Team 1
TOTAL 21-54 3-10 30 49
FG Pct.: 38.9. FT Pct.: 30. 3-pointers: 4-20 (Smith 2-8, Clarke 1-3, Neel 1-5, Hughes 0-1, Owens 0-3). PF: 19. Fouled out: Smith. Turnovers: 6.
BOYD CO. FG FT REB TP
Spurlock 9-16 8-8 10 27
Payne 2-12 8-10 2 12
Rimmer 4-6 2-4 7 10
Woods 2-5 1-2 2 5
Rardon 2-3 0-0 5 5
Huff 0-0 0-0 0 0
Carter 0-0 0-0 3 0
TEAM 4
TOTAL 19-42 19-24 33 59
FG Pct.: 45.2. FT Pct.: 79.2. 3-pointers: 2-11 (Rardon 1-1, Spurlock 1-2, Rimmer 0-1, Woods 0-2, Payne 0-5). PF: 16. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: 5.
ASHLAND 15 7 12 15 — 49
BOYD CO. 13 17 8 21 — 59
Officials: Roger Fairchild, Ralph Fugate, Ryan Napier
(606) 326-2658
[email protected]
Continue reading...
