Three-pointers rain as Boyd County, Daviess County reach Classic tourney finals
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Boyd County and Daviess County dominated semifinals with heavy 3-point shooting.
- Jacob Spurlock and Jonathan Moss get huge contributions from teammates.
- Both teams advance to holiday tournament finals, which could be a Boys’ Sweet 16 preview.
The roof leak that delayed part of Sunday’s White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic quarterfinals perhaps foreshadowed Monday’s rain of 3-pointers as both Boyd County and Daviess County showered their semifinals opponents with a barrage of 3s in blowout victories at Lexington Catholic.
In Monday’s first semifinal matchup, Boyd County, ranked No. 20 in the Herald-Leader’s preseason coaches poll, knocked down 11 3-pointers against the tournament hosts, the No. 21 Knights, in a 74-60 win the Lions controlled from the outset.
In the nightcap, No. 10 Daviess County dropped 13 3-pointers on No. 6 North Laurel in a surprising 68-47 rout.
Boyd County (7-3) and Daviess County (10-2) are early favorites to win their respective regions and return to Lexington in March for the Boys’ Sweet 16 state tournament at Rupp Arena. The Holiday Classic’s championship game at 7 p.m. Tuesday should be a thriller.
“I feel like we have a chip on our shoulder coming in here,” said Boyd County’s Jacob Spurlock, the Lions’ leading scorer last season who notched 16 points against Lexington Catholic. “I feel like we don’t get as much respect as we should get, you know, being from Eastern Kentucky, but I’m glad we’re coming down here and putting on a show for everybody.”
Boyd County hopes to end Ashland Blazer’s seven-year stranglehold on the 16th Region. Daviess County is the defending 3rd Region champion and has almost everyone back for another run.
“I think it’s going to be a fast game, and it needs to be a defensive game for us,” said Daviess County point guard Jonathan Moss, who scored 16 points against North Laurel.
In the tournament’s early rounds, Spurlock and Moss, seniors expected to be in the running for this season’s Mr. Basketball award, lived up to their preseason hype with standout performances. On Monday, they shared the spotlight as their teammates stepped it up.
Daviess County’s DeAaron Watkins, a 6-8 senior forward, led the Panthers with 19 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 effort from the 3-point line. Many times, he was matched up with North Laurel’s Herald-Leader preseason player of the year Reece Davidson.
“The challenge was a good opportunity for me to play and show out,” said Watkins, who scored the Panthers’ last eight points of the first quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers.
Daviess County limited Davidson to eight points as they blew open a game in the second and third quarters with a 33-14 run. Lemontae Ratcliff, another senior, added 17 points, including five 3-pointers.
“I said yesterday if we shot good, it’s going to be hard for us to be beat,” Moss said. “And we shot pretty good today.”
Boyd County jumped to a 29-17 lead over Lexington Catholic (8-4) in the first quarter. The Knights could not get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
“We battled. We just couldn’t get over the hump and put a little pressure on them,” Lexington Catholic coach Brandon Salsman said. “We just need to stop making mental mistakes and I think we’ll be right there. That’s what all this stuff is for: trying to get better.”
Boyd County point guard Malachi Payne carved up Lexington Catholic with 26 points, including three 3-pointers. He also had a game-high eight assists.
“I was just feeling it. Every shot was going in,” Payne said. “So just give me the ball and let’s go to the hoop.”
Caleb Rimmer added 10 points for the Lions. Gunner Woods chipped in nine points, all on 3-pointers.
“It feels good as a leader on the team having our guys step up and knowing I can trust them to step up in big-time games,” Spurlock said. “It makes it a lot easier.”
White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic
At Lexington Catholic
Tuesday’s final
No. 10 Daviess County (10-2) vs. No. 20 Boyd County (7-3), 7 p.m.
Tickets: $10
Live stream: $14.95 at Go.PrepSpin.com
This story was originally published December 30, 2025 at 9:35 AM.
