ASHLAND —
Back-to-back wins over defending region champions have the Tomcats cracking a few smiles.
Ashland put away Johnson Central, 62-55, with a decisive fourth-quarter spurt on Friday night at Anderson Gym, just three nights after the Tomcats downed defending 16th Region titleholder Rowan County on the road. Johnson Central won the 15th Region a year ago and is one of the favorites again.
“We’re finally coming together as a whole team,” said Ashland senior Logan Salow. “You can see it out there. We’re having fun, playing together.”
Division-I prospect Shane Hall rose up and splashed in a short jumper to close Johnson Central’s deficit to 37-35 at the third-quarter buzzer.
Ashland (19-8) didn’t let the Golden Eagles seize one iota of momentum, though.
“We just bore down and got the hustle plays we needed,” Salow said.
Just moments after capping off a 7-2 surge with a key 3-pointer, Salow came up with one of those hustle plays. The ball was stolen from him at midcourt before he jetted to the basket in defense, grabbed a rebound off a missed shot and scooted all the way back downcourt for a bucket to put his team ahead, 48-41.
Ross Thompson and Salow both finished off baseline drives through traffic for layups in the closing minutes, with Salow’s becoming a three-point play, to keep a cushion against the Golden Eagles. Salow had 13 points in all.
Dikembe Dixson turned in a game-best 22 points for the Tomcats, who are riding a seven-game winning streak. The sophomore was 8 of 17 from the free-throw line, but missed his first five foul shots.
Ashland made 11 of its final 14 free throws, including 4 of 4 by Thompson, to help seal a defeat of Johnson Central for the second straight season.
“It’s been a great week, a great week of practice too,” said Ashland coach Buddy Biggs. “There’s always a point (in the season) where you’re going to go one way or the other. We were 12-8. We were looking at 12-15 or 19-8. We’re at 19-8, and we’ve got something good rolling.”
Biggs credited his team’s openness to change as a factor during this hot stretch.
“We’ve tinkered a lot defensively,” Biggs said. “We’re not doing the fullcourt trapping as much. We’re playing more zone than normal.”
The zone worked on Friday.
As a team, the Golden Eagles (14-10) shot 39.6 percent from the floor and hit just four 3-pointers in 18 tries.
Hall, who has scholarship offers from Tennessee, Butler and Xavier, among others, was held to no points in the first quarter before tallying 15 total to go with 10 rebounds. He is still working his way fully back from a high ankle sprain.
Johnson Central coach Tommy McKenzie would like to see more involvement from the 6-foot-9 junior.
“We’ve got to look for him more, but he’s got to work harder to get those touches,” McKenzie said. “I think a lot of times he’s content with allowing other guys to make plays. He knows what we’ve got to have out of him and he’s got to bring that every night.”
Johnson Central played without starting guard Slade McPeek (throat infection). McPeek leads the team in steals and averages double figures in scoring.
The backcourt duo Braxton Blair and Dalton Adkins never sat out. They combined for just 15 points on 6-of-20 shooting.
Truman Salyer had 12 points and Kyle Gullett added 11 for the Golden Eagles.
Zach Hart chipped in 11 points for Ashland, as much of the Tomcats’ early offense came from him and Dixson.
Both coaches pointed to Dixson’s free throw numbers as a difference-maker. Ashland was 17 of 29 overall from the charity stripe compared to Johnson Central’s 9-of-12 mark.
“The way he plays is a more physical brand,” McKenzie said. “He creates a lot of contact.”
Both also agreed that this is a natural game to be played annually.
“We are going to re-up (the series) because we want to keep playing,” Biggs said. “And I love where it is on the schedule. It’s a good team out of region late in the season.”
Johnson Central will take part in the Ashland Invitational Tournament next season, said McKenzie.
AARON SNYDER can be reached at asnyder@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2664.
Local Sports
’Cats keep shining
Hustle plays help Ashland beat Central
- Local Sports
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Locals struggle to make impact
Some days you are the windshield and some days you are the bug.
It is a saying that proved to be all too true for Rowan County on Friday night at the KHSAA Class 2A State Track and Field Championships at the University of Louisville’s Owsley Frazier Cardinal Park. -
Rough Ending
Fairview senior Kennedy Womack wasn’t her consistent self in Saturday morning’s state tennis semifinals at the University of Kentucky’s Hilary Boone Tennis Complex.
As a result, the top seed fell to Lexington Sayre sophomore Madeline Rolph 6-1, 6-0.
Womack was obviously disappointed with her finish, especially after losing in last year’s state finals, but she was happy for her good friend Rolph. -
FLYING HIGH
If Fairview could have fielded a combined track and field team at Saturday’s Class A State Track and Field Championships, the Eagles and Lady Eagles would have had a record day. Instead, the Fairview girls had to “settle” for fifth, while the boys’ claimed 10th.
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Womack eliminated in semifinals
Top-seeded Kennedy Womack was eliminated in the semifinals of the State Tournament on Saturday at the University of Kentucky tennis courts.
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Big-inning Dawgs
It looked for a while that a questionable call may have determined the outcome of the game, but in the end, it was just an afterthought.
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Boyd County finds senior spark
Losers of four straight, Boyd County was searching for something positive Friday night before beginning postseason play Monday night.
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Doubles teams head to semis at state tourney
With rain staying away, the KHSAA State Tennis Tournament got into full swing on Friday afternoon.
Semifinals and finals will be held today at the University of Kentucky Boone/Downing Tennis Complex for boys and girls singles competitions. -
McKnight hurdling to Georgetown
Fairview’s Paige McKnight is known for jumping hurdles. She cleared a pretty big one on Thursday.
In front of friends and family at Fairview Elementary School, McKnight signed a letter of intent to run track for Georgetown College. -
Several area schools will be represented at State Track and Field championships
Local track and field athletes are ready to try to carry region competition success onto the state stage.
Several area schools will be represented at this weekend’s State Track and Field championships at the University of Louisville. The Class 2A meet is set for today at 3:15 p.m. and Class A competition is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 8:15 a.m. -
EAST KENTUCKY BASKETBALL HISTORY: Reflections on 'The Shot'
Paintsville High School legend J.R. VanHoose is also an eastern Kentucky basketball sports historian. This is one in an ongoing series of stories.
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