Matt Fultz
Grayson — East Carter coach Brandon Baker was worried about a letdown after a spirited win over Ashland on Tuesday night.
And for a half, it looked like East Carter was still thinking about that win. But after halftime the Raiders regained their focus and took care of business, defeating Boyd County 62-42 Friday night at East Carter High School.
“Anytime you have a big win like that, I think it’s just the human part of us that you are going to drop off a little bit, but we didn’t let it linger the entire game,” Baker said. “We didn’t play as sharp as we had been, but we were able to get it going when we needed to.”
The Raiders (15-4) led by five at halftime, but struggled to get into an offensive rhythm, thanks to nine turnovers and Boyd County’s pressure defense.
“They came out with a lot of intensity and energy and were taking us out of the things we like to do offensively,” Baker said. “You have to credit them; they forced us to play without rhythm.”
Boyd County coach Dave Wooten also thought his team played well defensively.
“We’re coming along,” he said. “We played really good defense tonight.”
The Raiders used a 12-4 run early in the third quarter to push the lead out to double digits and the Lions were never able to mount a serious comeback attempt.
Colt Barnhill tallied 10 of his team-high 19 points during the third quarter. Barnhill got some offensive help from teammate Kyle Bair, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.
“Kyle had a sensational game,” said Baker. “He has put a string of games together where he has played really well on both ends of the court.”
Boyd County’s Jacob Mayse led all scorers with 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting. The sophomore also had seven rebounds. Mayse showed he could score in a variety of ways, from getting points in transition to a right-handed jump hook.
Eric Gindlesperger chipped in with seven points, all coming in the first half for the Lions, who fell to 1-15. Only four players scored for Boyd County.
