Stunner in Sweet Sixteen as Ashland, barely above .500, advances to quarterfinals
A second-half three-point barrage from Ashland Blazer helped the Tomcats knock out Owensboro, 58-50, Wednesday night in the 102nd Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet Sixteen in Rupp Arena.
The Tomcats nailed seven of 11 three-pointers in the second half to help turn a nine-point deficit into an eventual nine-point lead in the span of a few minutes and send them to Friday’s quarterfinals.
“The moment wasn’t too big for them,” Ashland Blazer first-year Coach Jason Mays said of the second-half swing. “You hope, you dream, you wish that you could go to the state tournament, that you could be 16th Region champs ... Guess what? When that moment happens, it’s right there on top of you.”
The key, Mays said, is simply focusing on the next possession. “Playing possession by possession, you don’t think about the aura in the arena or being 17-16 coming into Rupp Arena.”
BOX SCORE: Ashland Blazer 58, Owensboro 50
For a while, it looked like Owensboro had seized the moment, going up by nine on an Adante Greer layup at the 3:17 mark in the third period.
But Ashland Blazer stormed back thanks to the three-point shot. Threes from Cole Villers and Devaunte Robinson got the rally started, helping narrow the Red Devils’ advantage to 36-35 at the final scheduled break.
Before Wednesday, Robinson had made only 11 three-pointers all season on 47 attempts.
“Usually, when I shoot a three, it’s kind of special and if it goes in? It’s kind of crazy,” Robinson said. “I knew I had to keep the momentum going for my team, so I just shot it.”
The Tomcats weren’t done. Villers, Hunter May, Justin Bradley and Villers, again, all hit three-pointers in a 16-8 run that put the Tomcats ahead 53-44 with 2:57 left in the game.
Owensboro tried to put the game in the hands of its leading scorer, Darrion Wimsatt, who didn’t start the game due to a shoulder injury. But it soon became clear that trading contested twos for Ashland Blazer threes wasn’t going to work. Wimsatt came into the game a couple minutes into the second period and provided a defensive boost. He then started the second half.
Ashland came into the game shooting 35.3 percent from three-point range. They hit 56.3 percent Wednesday night.
Robinson led the Tomcats with 16 points. Isaac Humphrey led the Red Devils with 12. Wimsatt finished with eight points.
The game went back and forth in the first half with Owensboro gaining a slight edge thanks to its 2-1-2 full-court press. A pair of Wimsatt free throws with four seconds left in the half pushed the Red Devils’ lead to five, but Ashland Blazer executed a perfect full-court play for Ethan Sellers’ layup to beat the buzzer, making it 27-24 Owensboro at the break.
The Tomcats have four titles in 33 trips to the state tournament. This is their first appearance in the Sweet Sixteen since 2002.
Ashland Blazer next faces Trinity at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
This story was originally published March 6, 2019 at 10:19 PM.
