Published: March 19, 2008 02:50 pm            

Raiders gain final with convincing final-four win

MOREHEAD - East Carter led from wire-to-wire to earn its first berth to the 16th Region boys' basketball Tournament finals since 1991 with a 46-36 victory over Ashland Paul Blazer on Tuesday night at Morehead State University's Ellis T. Johnson Arena, while Elliott County used its patented mid-game surge to take a lead and then held off a late Rose Hill Christian rally to capture a 67-60 win.

East Carter (24-7) used a strong run in the second quarter to help the Raiders topple Ashland Paul Blazer (14-17). Both teams got off to a slow start as East Carter took a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Raiders went on a 13-0 run to grab a 14-point advantage in the second quarter, before heading into halftime with a 26-14 edge.

East Carter was able to build its lead by shooting 55 percent from the field and holding a 17-9 edge in rebounds in the opening half. The Tomcats were able to cut the deficit down to six points after out-scoring the Raiders 11-5 in the third period. However, Ashland was unable to get closer than four points in the fourth quarter, which it did 15 seconds into the period, as East Carter pulled away for the victory.

The Raiders finished the game continuing their advantages in field goal percentage (47.4 to 27.9) and rebounding (31 to 23) in the win. Colt Barnhill led East Carter with 13 points, five blocks and four rebounds. Devin Kawada added 12 points and three blocks. Mark Pemberton led the team with seven rebounds, while Tyler Jackson notched a game-best five steals. Matt Thomas topped Ashland in scoring with 17 points, while Danny Coleman added 11 points and eight rebounds.

Elliott County (25-3) also overcame a slow start with a 19-point second quarter to capture the win over Rose Hill Christian (20-11) in the nightcap.

The Lions fell behind 18-9 by the end of the first period, but surged ahead behind a 19-4 advantage in the second quarter to take a 28-22 lead at halftime. Rose Hill stayed close throughout most of the third period, but Elliott County stretched the advantage to 15 points, before settling for an 11-point lead by the end of the quarter (46-35). The Royals rallied in the fourth period, using a 12-0 run to close within three points with 4:14 to play. However, the Lions were able to keep Rose Hill at bay by hitting 8-of-10 free throws in the game's final minute and 14 seconds.

Ethan Faulkner led four Lions who scored in double figures with 18 points. He also added eight points and seven rebounds. Evan Faulkner added 15 points and five assists. Timmy Knipp finished with 10 points, six rebounds and six blocks.

Chad Jackson followed up his semifinal game triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Dakotah Euton added 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Elliott County committed just nine turnovers and held the edge in shooting from the field (45.1 percent to 40.0 percent), while Rose Hill won the battle on the boards 35-30.

        

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