The Ashland Tomcats finished the regular season undefeated, but it was not without some close calls along the way. Ashland is second in the state in free throw shooting (77.5%) and that has helped them come through in the clutch. Sophomore Cole Villers is averaging 18 points and making
SportsCenter Top 10 plays, sensational freshman Colin Porter is chipping in 15 points and running the show on offense, and senior Ethan Hudson is averaging 14 points and lighting it up from 3-point land. Coach Jason Mays is in his second season with the Tomcats. He led them to the quarterfinals of the state tournament last year.
Here is a look at 5 key moments during the Tomcats' perfect season.
December 17: Ashland 71, George Rogers Clark 66 (OT)
Ashland trailed by 2 points entering the 4th quarter. George Rogers Clark hit a shot late to force overtime and it appeared that the Cardinals had all the momentum Ashland was able to re-group in overtime behind the stellar play and clutch free throws of Colin Porter. Porter, Ethan Hudson, and Cole Villers combined to score 63 of the Tomcats' 71 points.
December 28: Ashland 59, Warren Central 55
Ashland trailed by 2 points at halftime and the game was back and forth in the 2nd half. Ethan Hudson's three pointer in the final minutes broke open a tie game and the Tomcats held on to win the Ashland Invitational Semifinals. Cole Villers finished with 19 points.
December 29: Ashland 67, Butler 58
In the Ashland Invitational championship game, the Tomcats trailed 20-9 at the end of the first quarter and 26-21 at halftime. Colin Porter and Cole Villers had big second halves to lead Ashland to a 67-58 victory. Villers finished with 25 points. Ashland senior Justin Bradley knocked down 5 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.
January 18: Ashland 66, Mason County 65
Ashland trailed 49-45 entering the 4th quarter. Colin Porter scored a driving basket with 25 seconds remaining and then stole the ball from the Royals to ice the win for the Tomcats. Ethan Hudson led the way with 23 points on six made 3-pointers.
February 18: Ashland 57, West Carter 54
Ashland trailed by double digits halfway through the 4th quarter before they stormed back to win in thrilling fashion. Cole Villers drilled a contested shot from beyond halfcourt to lead the Tomcats to a 57-54 win. The play was the number 1 play on
SportsCenter's Top 10. Villers finished with 26 points on six made 3-pointers.
https://twitter.com/AlexWalkerTV/status/1229983656489422849
Congratulations to Ashland on an undefeated season. With Porter, Villers, and sophomore starter Ethan Sellers all being underclassmen, expect the Tomcats to be in the mix for years to come.
Ashland plays Rose Hill Christian on Monday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the 64th district tournament. Don't expect this to be like the Arliss Beach and Mark Surgalski vs OJ Mayo and Marques Dawson type Ashland Rose Hill games of the early 2000s. This season Ashland won the two games by a combined 72 points.
The 64th district finals will be played on Thursday, February 27 at 7 p.m. Boyd County plays Fairview in the other semifinal. All three games will be played at Boyd County Middle School.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard