Montgomery County sets Boys’ Sweet 16 3-point record, rolls against Lawrence County
Montgomery County followed up a buzzer-beater with a beatdown.
The Indians defeated Lawrence County 98-72 in the first round of the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 on Thursday. An announced crowd of 12,774 poured in for the afternoon session at Rupp Arena, and the majority wore feathers on their chests.
A breezy opener couldn’t have been further removed from Montgomery County’s last trip out; it won a thrilling 10th Region championship game over George Rogers Clark last week on its home floor thanks to a 3-pointer from Cayden Reed at the final horn.
Reed, whose varsity career began at Bracken County before a stint at Mason County last season ended with the dismissal of him and older brother Blake from the program in late January, lost an appeal for eligibility at Montgomery County. He had to sit out until Jan. 24, a year and one day after the last time he played for the Royals.
The first game for which Reed was eligible? January 25 against his former squad. He scored nine points for the Indians in an 82-42 rout, the first of now 14 wins over the last 16 games. Montgomery County lost its first three games — the first two to Bryan Station and Great Crossing, top-five programs in the state — en route to a 9-8 start before Reed entered the mix.
“He’s important,” Montgomery County head coach Jason Mays said. “And the reason he is important is because we have embraced who he is as a person, and I think he was really hungry for that. His strength comes from his moxie.”
Reed wasn’t finished with the buzzer-beaters: He made his only 3-pointer against Lawrence County as the horn blew to end the first half. He finished with 15 points and 10 assists in a little over 19 minutes of action.
“I just trust everybody on the team to make shots,” Reed said. “I think we’re one of the best shooting teams in the state, I’ve thought that all year.”
Montgomery County finished 16-of-32 from beyond the arc as a team Thursday, breaking the previous record for made 3-pointers in a single Sweet 16 game (Male, 2023). The Indians assisted on 27 of their 38 baskets, including their first 10 makes.
Lawrence County twice led briefly and stayed within striking distance for most of the first quarter but trailed by 10 once it was completed and could get no closer. The Bulldogs made state history by virtue of winning the 15th Region’s “super-regional” tournament; they were the first region champion to have lost in the district semifinals, which traditionally means the end of the season.
Instead, they won four region-tournament games — the last three against district champions — to earn the right to have their season end, win or lose, in Lexington.
“We went through a gauntlet to win the 15th Region and that’s a testament to these guys and their togetherness and sacrificing for each other,” Lawrence County head coach Chandler Thompson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Bob White/Mike Fields Media Service Award
The KHSAA at halftime recognized Ivan Rice, a longtime sportswriter for the Bourbon County Citizen, as the inaugural recipient of the Bob White/Mike Fields KHSAA Media Service Award.
Rice covered his first event for the newspaper, a youth baseball game in a local park, 41 years ago. He’s worked for the paper of record in his hometown, Paris, ever since.
Locally, the Paris High School graduate is known as “The Doctor of Sports.”
“To be associated with the two names on this special award is truly amazing,” Rice said. “I would like to thank the KHSAA for this prestigious award, as well as the Bourbon County Citizen for giving me the opportunity to be part of their newspaper family. I will cherish this forever.”
The award is named after the two men who for more than four decades guided high school sports coverage for the Courier Journal and Lexington Herald-Leader, respectively. Fields helped present the award; White died in December.
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 5:28 PM.