Photo credit: Ray Justice Photography
Betsy Layne put together a furious second-half comeback to rally past defending 15th Region champion Paintsville, 65-55, in the boys’ semifinal matchup played at the Appalachian Wireless Arena on Thursday night.
The Tigers led by 13 points with five minutes left in the third period. They were outscored 46-28 over the final two quarters.
Jordan Frazier finished with a game-high 32 points as the Bobcats moved to 23-7. Chase Mims followed with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Brady Robinson added 11.
Braxton Tharp and Colby Fugate scored 17 each in the loss. Connor Fugate added a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards.
Betsy Layne will face Pike County Central in Saturday night’s semifinals after the Hawks squeezed past East Ridge, 65-62.
Josh du Toit paced Central, now 14-12, with 22 points. Jaylan Rigdon tallied 18 and Jaden Stewart tossed in 10.
Eli Sykes had 22 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double in the loss. Jonathan Mills finished with 11.
Betsy Layne……65
Paintsville………55
At Pikeville
(15th Region quarterfinals)
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
PV (19-9)….12 15 18 10 – 55
B (23-7)…….9 10 22 24 – 65
Scoring:
Paintsville (55) – Braxton Tharp 6 5-6 17 Connor Fugate 0(5) 0-0 15; Colby Fugate 6 5-8 17; and Baron Ratliff 3 0-0 6. Totals: 15(5) 10-14 55.
Betsy Layne (65) – Jordan Frazier 5(4) 10-13 32; Shawn Howell 1 0-0 2; Andrew Kidd 2 0-2 4; Brady Robinson 3(1) 2-3 11; and Chase Mims 7 2-3 16. Totals: 18(5) 14-21 65.
Pike Central…….65
East Ridge………62
At Pikeville
(15th Region quarterfinals)
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
ER (16-16)….14 13 16 19 – 62
PC (14-12)….18 9 17 21 – 65
Scoring:
East Ridge (62) – Jonathon Mills 4(1) 0-0 11; Eli Rose 2 2-2 6; Isaac Woods 2(1) 2-2 9; Eli Sykes 8(1) 3-4 22; and Braxton Stanley 1(2) 0-0 8. Totals: 20(5) 7-8 62.
Pike Central (65) – Jaylan Rigdon 8 2-6 18; Josh du Toit 4(3) 5-6 22; Peyton Compton 0(2) 1-2 7; Justin Adkins 0(2) 2-2 8; and Jaden Stewart 4 2-2 10. Totals: 16(7) 12-18 65.