MOREHEAD, Kentucky - Like all teams who endured lost opportunities in 2020 due to COVID-19, Ashland's boys basketball team and Russell's girls basketball team came into the season with a chip on their shoulder.
After winning the 16th Region Tournaments in 2020, they had their chance to play on Kentucky's biggest stage ripped from their grasp due to last year's cancellation of the state tournament because of the pandemic.
While it hurt them, it also hardened them and made them stronger.
That strength played out this week as both took the floor in Morehead, Kentucky, for the 2021 16th Region Tournament.
Each repeated as region champs and will finally get their chance to represent the 16th Region at Rupp Arena over the next two weeks.
Ashland will meet Knox Central at 8 p.m. on Thursday in the first round of the Boys Sweet 16 while Russell will meet the Ninth Region winner - either Dixie Heights or Notre Dame - at 8 p.m. on April 8.
"Not getting to play last year at Rupp, we all wanted to get back there and get to play this time," said Russell point guard Shaelyn Steele, who won tournament MVP honors. "We did have a lot of motivation to win it."
The scenario and disappointment of last year was not just trying for the players. It also was for the coaches, who faced the struggle of trying to get 14 to 18-year-old kids to understand why this disappointment happened.
It was a struggle that Mays outlined following his team's comeback win on Saturday over Rowan County.
"How are we as adults supposed to teach them to handle that disappointment last year the right way?" Mays said. "I’m learning that the best way to teach them how to do that is to give them the next success. That next success was this season."
Ashland's journey back to Rupp was "almost divine" as Mays put it because of the scenarios faced this week to clinch their third straight 16th Region title.
In Thursday's semifinal, the Tomcats got a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Colin Porter to force overtime in the semifinals against West Carter before emerging victorious.
Then, Ashland had to play without Porter - their star point guard - over the final 6:24 of regulation while overcoming what was once an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to earn the 62-58 win over Rowan County to stay atop the 16th Region.
"That's not at all how we drew it up, but we got it done," Ashland's Cole Villers said. "We're all together and we were playing for a greater cause at that point."
The scenarios for Ashland's boys and Russell's girls were very different in defending their region crowns, however.
While Ashland's boys had the target on their back all season long as the favorite, Russell was considered the underdog to the senior-laden group of Boyd County, who added former Huntington St. Joe players Laney Whitmore and Hannah Roberts to an already-stout lineup from last season.
After splitting the regular season series, the Devils had a chance to break the tie while also keeping their Rupp dreams in tact.
Russell led for 29:18 of the 32-minute contest to leave no doubt in the 72-61 win.
In addition to Steele, Russell seniors Kaeli Ross and Aubrey Hill made the most of their final chance to potentially play at Rupp Arena.
"After last year with what happened and that we didn't get to go, they've just meant so much to our program," Russell coach Mandy Layne said. "They just brought it to a whole new level. I'm just so happy that they get to play at Rupp Arena."
Mays said that, after the pain of not getting that chance at Rupp Arena after the 33-0 season in 2020, getting back is a tribute to last year's talented seniors who never got to see it through.
"It still doesn't make it sit well with me for Ethan Hudson, Justin Bradley and Nolan Phillips - the seniors off last year's team," Mays said. "But heck yeah, we deserve to be there because of what we've gone through. I'll say that from the highest mountaintop."
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March 29, 2021 at 06:30AM
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Ashland boys, Russell girls make up for lost opportunity - Huntington Herald Dispatch
"make up" - Google News
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