Mason County’s Amirah Reed charges down the court.
Both Mason County and Fleming County teams played their first games in the Kentucky 2A Section 6 tournament this past Saturday.
The Mason County Royals and Lady Royals took a trip to Morehead Saturday evening to tip off against Rowan County in their first-round 2A sectional games, while Fleming County hosted the Boyd County Lions and Lady Lions, each looking to make their return to the 2A state championship bracket later this month.
The Lady Royals entered on a three-game winning streak, having bounced back after their 61-58 loss to Boyle County on Saturday, Dec. 30, in the Mike Bromagen Lady Cat Legend Classic. After failing to defeat the Rowan County Lady Vikings in first round of the 2A sectional in 2024 62-60, the girls took to the court this weekend, ready to avenge themselves.
However, although the Lady Royals clung to a narrow lead for much of the contest, a late-game push from the Lady Vikings secured them another two-point victory, defeating Mason County 54-52.
Amirah Reed put up 24 of the Lady Royals’ points, followed by Kyleigh Kirk with 13 points. Kelbie Ford led Rowan County’s offense with 22 total points, led by Kassi Perkins with eight points.
The Royals entered their game with the Vikings hoping to snap a five-game skid that began on Thursday, Dec. 18, with a 64-59 loss to Scott County. Although Rowan County had previously defeated them 86-74 in their first game of the season, Mason County’s athletes hoped the progress they had earned since then would be enough for a comeback.
Unfortunately for them, the Vikings pulled ahead early and maintained their lead throughout the match for a 20-point, 98-78 victory, eliminating the Royals in the first round.
Mason County’s Ben Brookbank led the team in scoring with 21 total points, followed by Jace Merz, who added 13 points.
The Fleming County Lady Panthers headed into their game with the Boyd County Lady Lions hoping to bring an end to a two-game losing streak, after recently suffering a pair of losses in the Kelly Holiday Classic to Lyon and Adair County. However, by the end of Saturday’s game, Boyd County had built up a 30-point lead, defeating Fleming County 78-48.
Ava Watson and Mallory Price were the Lady Panthers’ lead scorers, with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Boyd County’s Jada Ray scored 24 points, followed by Kollyn Groves with 17 points.
The Panthers were also looking to snap a skid heading into their game against the Lions, having gone 0-3 in the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge with losses to Paul Laurence Dunbar, South Laurel and Knox Central. During the preseason, Fleming County head coach James Biggs said the Lions would be a tough team to beat in the first round of the sectional, saying “If we can somehow get by them, we could possibly be looking at another state championship run, for sure. I’d say they’re the favorite.”
By the end of the contest, Boyd County had proved him right, building up a 44-point lead and defeating the Panthers 99-55. That game, Michael Cropper scored 14 points for Fleming County, followed by Evan Conley with 13 points. Boyd County was led by Jacob Spurlock, with 32 points, as well as Malachi Payne with 14 points.
Boyd and Rowan County faced off in the 2A Section 6 semifinals at Estill County on Tuesday, Jan. 6, with the Section 6 championship game scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 8 at Estill County. The Section 6 champions will then go on to compete in the Kentucky 2A State Championship, with quarterfinal games scheduled for Friday, Jan. 16 against the Section 5 champions.
