2/10/2012
Rowan Co. 67
Boyd Co. 56
Rowan Co. 12 16 17 22 67
Boyd. Co. 11 12 20 13 56
Rowan Co. (18-6) -- Townsend 17, Wing 14, Egan 20, Thacker 11, Hodge 4, Barnard 1.
Boyd Co. (10-16) -- Mayse 12, Gamble 2, Jarrell 8, Lowe 13, Taylor 8, Stacy 13
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http://www.kentucky.com/2009/12/02/10403...rylink=cpy
RC gets four players in double figures.
SUMMIT — State runner-up Rowan County is getting everybody’s best shot around the 16th Region this season.
Boyd County took its turn Friday night, reeling off the first 13 points of the second half for an eight-point lead at Boyd County Middle School.
Rowan County responded like a champion behind returning State Tournament starters D.J. Townsend, Adam Wing and Jason Egan.
Wing came to life in the last half of the third quarter, Townsend provided a huge spark to start the final period and Egan finished with 20 points for a 67-56 victory.
“Whether we have a bull’s-eye or don’t have a bull’s-eye, there are a lot of quality teams and coaches in our region,” Rowan County coach Shawn Thacker said. “It was good for us to come down here and have to fight and claw. I thought our kids responded well after Boyd County made a big run.”
At the outset, nobody could have blamed the Lions for going through the motions.
The Lions were missing starters Jordan Blevins and Jesse Wallace due to sickness, and earlier in the day the team attended the funeral of assistant coach Rick Griffith’s father, Rob.
But instead of an easy night for Rowan County, the Lions (10-16) made it difficult with a gritty and inspired performance.
“I’m really proud of the way our kids battled under the circumstances,” Boyd County coach Randy Anderson said. “You want to win them all, but the main thing is ‘Are you competing?’ I thought we had great effort.”
Trailing 28-23, the Lions went on a roll to start the second half. Todd Stacy, Brandon Lowe and Marcus Jarrell hit consecutive 3-pointers to cap the 13-0 spree, during which Rowan County missed five floor shots, two free throws and committed three turnovers.
“Boyd County is a very well-coached team,” Wing said. “They run their sets. “(Jacob) Mayse and Lowe keep coming at you inside. They are warriors.”
Wing, practically unstoppable in last year’s State Tournament, managed only two points in the first half Friday while missing five 3-point attempts. But the 6-foot-4 senior found his range following the Lions’ third-quarter surge.
Wing bunched 10 points into a span of just over three minutes as Rowan County stormed back for a 45-43 lead after three quarters. Wing hit a 17-footer and then nailed two treys from beyond the top of the key.
“During that time I tried to put the team on my shoulders and get us back in the ballgame,” Wing said.
Townsend, the Vikings’ talented senior point guard, took over at the start of the fourth quarter. He orchestrated an 11-2 run by scoring eight points, including two layups off his own steals, and also pitched the ball out to Tyler Thacker for a 3-pointer.
“D.J. had a couple of key steals there,” Wing said. “He was tenacious all night.”
Stacy made a triple to get Boyd County within 56-48 with 4:20 remaining, but Egan countered with a 3-pointer and also made two free throws as Rowan pushed the margin out to 13.
Townsend finished with 17 points, while Wing scored 14 and went over 1,000 rebounds for his career. Thacker added 11 points as the Vikings improved to 18-7.
For Boyd County, Lowe and Stacy each put in 13 points and Mayse scored 12.