16th Region boys finals -- The SIXth Sense: Ashland rocks rival en route to Rupp again

Mar. 12—MOREHEAD — Someone at Morehead State University might consider adding a Tomcat to the court of Ellis T. Johnson Arena.

Ashland claimed its sixth consecutive 16th Region championship on that court Tuesday, defeating Boyd County, 61-47.

"I'm just tickled to death with our defensive effort this week," Ashland coach Ryan Bonner said. "We held every opponent to 50 or less. Our guys have been sold out on it all year — on sitting down and guarding in the halfcourt. They faced a lot of adversity because of our strength of schedule this year. It paid off tonight."

The loss is the third straight in the region finals for Boyd County.

"Their intensity, defensively, made the difference," Boyd County coach Randy Anderson said. "We really struggled. I think we went three or four minutes or something like that without even scoring in the third. and they killed us on the boards. I just thought they were more physical than we were."

A pair of early 3s from Braxton Jennings gave the Tomcats an early 8-2 lead.

"I'm so excited right now," Jennings said. "All I can think about now is playing at Rupp."

Boyd County got some production in the paint from Jason Ellis that got the Lions back into things offensively, though they trailed 12-8 at the media break.

The Lions continued to chip away at Ashland when Jacob Spurlock hit a long-range 3 to pull to within one point.

A pull-up jumper at the buzzer kept the Tomcats up three, 16-13 to close the first quarter.

Asher Adkins opened the second frame with a trey for Ashland.

Cam Davis added another two possessions later to give the Tomcats a 22-15 lead.

Boyd County again battled back, thanks in part to a well-timed 3 from Drew Smith, which led to the Lions trailing 25-21 with 2:20 to go in the second quarter.

Alex Martin put the ball in from the paint at the two-minute mark to cut the margin to two.

That's where the offense ended in the first half, as both squads' defenses locked down to close the second frame with Ashland up 25-23.

"Throughout our whole regular season, we're getting everybody's best game, Adkins said. "We know how to prepare and we know what it takes to win these type of games."

Ashland opened the second half with a 9-0 run, highlighted by a 3 from senior Nate Freize.

"I could come back another year and win another one," Freize said with a laugh. "I love this stuff. It never gets old."

Boyd County finally got on the board thanks to basket from Spurlock, but the Tomcats continued to overwhelm the Lions throughout the quarter.

To make matters worse for the Lions, they picked up their fifth foul with 3:24 left in the frame, opening the door for Ashland to get six points from the line before the quarter's end.

Fouls were an issue for Boyd County for the game. The Lions were assessed 20 fouls to Ashland's nine.

On top of that, Boyd County never attempted a free throw on the night.

"We spent a lot of time this tournament, each and every game on film," Bonner said. "Scouting report, walkthroughs, focusing on the teams. What are they running? How are they trying to score? and really breaking things down in a really detailed manner. I think that helped them with their focus and I'm a believer in, and our team is a believer in the idea that, when you're prepared, it eliminates a lot of pressure."

The end result was a Tomcats 42-29 lead going into the final quarter.

The Lions' offense picked up some to start the fourth quarter, with Spurlock and Rhett Holbrook draining 3s, but Ashland kept producing as well.

"This circle has been really special this year," Anderson said. "It's hard when you win 26, 27 games and I know the disappointment tonight. We have two really special seniors Jason Ellis and Alex Martin. I mean, you don't replace guys like that. They were awesome in our circle, in our locker room, and on the floor. They accomplished a lot but not finishing here. It really hurts."

The lead was the same halfway through the fourth quarter, with the Tomcats leading 52-39.

With the Tomcats firmly in the driver's seat, Ashland cruised to the finish line to claim the 14-point victory.

Ashland will meet the 2nd Region champion Lyon County on March 20 at 1:30 p.m. at Rupp Arena.

"We have to keep going the way we've been this tournament," Bonner said. "We can't let up. I truly believe that if we continue to guard the way that we have in the halfcourt that we'll have a chance."