Coming up just short of the region title is bound to sting.
Coming up just short while watching your rival capture its fifth straight region title stings a little more.
That’s the position Boyd County found itself at the end of last season.
Despite taking down Ashland twice in the month of February, the Lions were on the bad end of the scoreboard at Ellis T. Johnson Arena in March when the Tomcats once again punched its ticket to the state tournament.
Having one program stand above the rest for such a steady period of time creates a tough task for all the other teams in the region. But for that standard bearer to be your district rival? Boyd County coach Randy Anderson summed it up quite simply.
“It’s huge,” Anderson said. “It’s hard to explain. It’s almost like Kentucky vs. Duke, that type of pride. It’s 15 minutes away, one gym to the other. The rivalry is still the rivalry.”
Despite coming up short in the region tournament, Boyd County still had a lot to celebrate last season, finishing the season 27-6 and the Lions took home the 64th District championship.
Another big positive from last season will be on the court this season. The Lions have a solid array of talent returning this year, including three pillars from three different classes.
Senior Jason Ellis, junior Cole Hicks, and sophomore Jacob Spurlock create a unique dynamic for Boyd County. All three players were proud of their accomplishments last year, but know there’s still work to be done.
“We won the district championship for the first time in a while, but I think we got a little bit ahead of ourselves,” Ellis said. “We didn’t perform the way we wanted to at regions, but this year we want to get back there and win.”
“It left a sour taste in our mouth,” Hicks said. “We had a great regular season, but it didn’t finish the way we wanted it to. We want to come back hungry. We’ve worked hard this offseason for it.”
“It was crazy last season,” Spurlock added. “I thought we had it, but some bad things happened. We’re going to come back stronger this year.”
Anderson believes all three of those guys are leaders on this squad and will play a big part in any success the team has this season.
“Jason is a five-year guy,” he said. “He understands. He’s been a worker since Day 1. You know you have stability with him. Then, Cole’s a junior but it seems like he’s been here five years. He’s just such a stable guy. and Jacob is so mature as a sophomore. He’s really produced and played well since his eighth-grade year.”
The drive and determination have been with this team all throughout the offseason as the players have put in the work to better themselves for the task at hand.
“Everybody is working hard in the weight room,” Ellis said. “We’ve had that unfinished business so we push each other every day.”
“We all have a good work ethic,” Hicks said. “We’re motivated for that goal of punching that ticket to Rupp.”
When it comes to the subject of Ashland, all three players understand how important it is for the team to get past its rivals in order to have the success they crave.
“We all know, with Ashland, it’s a big game between us,” Spurlock said. “We didn’t come out well in our first meeting with them last year. I think the lights were too bright for us. But we were ready in our next two meetings after that, we came out strong. But that region championship just happened how it did.”
“We’ve been lifting real hard this offseason,” he added. “We’ve been practicing without our football guys right now, but since then we’ve been playing a lot of open gym.”
The desire to get past the Tomcats and to get back to the state tournament is not just an expectation from the team, but also from the Boyd County faithful who pack the stands every home game in hopes of seeing their team get to the finish line.
“Last year, that game we lost by 20,” Ellis said of the region title game. “I think that set the tone. This year, going into it, we know what to expect at region. We’ve all been playing together and we’re all getting tighter with each other.”
“We have the mindset of ‘refuse to lose,’” Hicks added. “We can’t take losing for an answer this year. We need to have our mindset on that one thing and stick together.”
Anderson says that community support is a big part of what motivates his team.
“We always tell them that you’re representing yourself, your family, and Boyd County High School and the community,” Anderson said. “I tell them not to take it for granted and to enjoy every day. These people love them and believe in them. They’ll give us that support, so we need to give them that effort.”
“I can’t wait to get out there with my brothers,” Hicks said. “They’re family to me. All the work we put in and the hours we put in will show when we start to play.”
Ultimately, the Lions are ready to put the talk behind them and get onto the hardwood.
“I’m just ready to play with my friends,” Ellis said. “It’s fun to play with them, we play hard together, that’s one of the things I love about this team.”
“All those unseen hours this summer,” Spurlock said. “It’s going to be showing this year. I’m so excited to play with these guys. We’re making a statement this year.”
