By AARON SNYDER / The Independent
I was on my way back from a game Friday night, and I pass a fire engine parked in front of a school bus, thinking something was wrong.
I looked a little closer and saw that it was a Fairview bus.
Come to find out, Fairview’s basketball team was just getting set for a mini-parade through Westwood at 11:00 that night. Nothing wrong with that. The Eagles had just knocked off two-time defending tournament champion Elliott County to win the 16th Region All “A” Classic, their first such title in four years.
It was party time for the Eagles, and they’re taking it all the way to Richmond Thursday, where they will face Owensboro Catholic at 6:30 p.m. in the opening round of the state tournament.
Russell’s Kayla Parsley continued her impactful return to action. In just her fourth and fifth games back following knee surgery, Parsley recorded 25 and 16 points in the All “A” semifinal and final games, respectively.
The Lady Devils will face Lexington Christian Wednesday at noon.
Both the boys’ and girls’ All “A” State Tournament games will be played at Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena.
The Dime
‰The Point Guard took in a double-dose of East Carter-West Carter action Friday and Saturday. Not the prettiest basketball I’ve ever seen, but East’s streak is now eight combined wins in the rivalry between the girls’ and boys’.
‰The quest for the boys’ 61st district title could be a rat race. Menifee County, led by the Greene twins (Patrick and Blake), Rowan County, with multi-sport stars Adam Wing and Darrell Cross, Bath County, paced by Taylor Maze and company, and Fleming County, an experienced squad led by seniors Josh Gray, Matt Jolly and Preston Dugan, will all make for an interesting tournament in a few weeks. The Panthers might be making the most significant strides of the four, with a nice win at East Carter this past week.
‰Before a loss to Fairview in the All “A” Championship, Elliott County put together one of its most complete performances of the season with a 76-45 blowout of Russell. Swarming defense led to a bundle of points on offense. Jacob Ison and Timmy Knipp combined to shoot 19-for-27 from the field.
“(Elliott County’s) defense was volumes better than when we played them in December,” said Russell coach Merle Kidwell following the game.
‰Speaking of Ison, Knipp believes his teammate is the most improved player in all of the 16th Region this season. Check out the area statistical leaders for rebounding, and you’ll find Ison atop the rundown with 11.4 boards per game. The junior is averaging a double-double.
‰West Carter had to deal with a couple big blows this past week. First of all, the Lady Comets were ever-so-close to a spot in the region All “A” title game. After they battled back to send the game to overtime, Russell was able to send them home. And, if that gutwrencher wasn’t enough, West Carter learned that junior Miranda Holbrook is likely out for the year with either a torn MCL or torn meniscus in her knee. An MRI is scheduled for this week, according to Lady Comets coach Tex English.
‰Two of Ashland’s three losses this season have now come at the hands of the Mason County Royals. With the exception of Cody Withrow, Ashland suffered from a poor shooting night in Maysville on Tuesday, but two close defeats to Mason County isn’t so bad. One thing you can say about the Tomcats is that they challenge themselves. The state’s no. 7 team, Clark County, will host Ashland this Friday night, not to mention the Tomcats’ Tuesday tussle with East Carter and Saturday showdown with Fairview, depending on if the Eagles are back from the state tournament.
‰On the same night the boys’ squandered a 13-point lead, the girls’ sustained a lead after being up by 13 points, with the help of Katelyn Connor. Connor’s 26 points, 16 boards and five blocks not only filled up the stat sheet but helped Ashland hold on to beat Mason County. The Coastal Carolina University-bound senior continued her dominance Saturday, with 19 points and 18 rebounds against Boyd County.
‰East Carter coach Hager Easterling was surprised two months ago when Lady Raiders junior forward Lakota Burge did not make the preseason list of top ten players in the region. Maybe his astonishment can be understood — Burge is averaging more than 13 points per contest, shoots nearly 46 percent from the floor, and brings down six rebounds per game. She scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds in a 45-38 win over West Carter Saturday.
‰Greenup County coach Tim Fraley returned from a two-week suspension for undisclosed reasons, and the Musketeers may be on the right track. A roller-coaster team so far this season, Greenup County handled Raceland with ease Saturday, 58-43.
‰I’ve racked my brain and wrapped up this week’s rankings. With a loss, Ashland swapped spots with Fairview, but I realize that could be up for debate. As for the girls, East Carter, while not impressive, was good enough to remain on top even though Rowan County obliterated Russell on Saturday.
Snyder’s Super Seven
Boys
1. Fairview (14-2)
2. Ashland (15-3)
3. East Carter (13-4)
4. Fleming County (10-4)
5. Elliott County (14-6)
6. Menifee County (9-6)
7. Greenup County (10-8)
Girls
1. East Carter (15-3)
2. Rowan County (13-4)
3. Ashland (12-3)
4. Russell (8-8)
5. West Carter (6-7)
6. Raceland (10-7)
7. Boyd County (7-6)
30-Point Club
Elliott County’s Timmy Knipp stops by for yet another appearance, as he has every week this season. The junior fired away for 34 against Fairview in the All “A” final.
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AARON SNYDER can be reached at asnyder@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2664.
