March 6, 2013 —
This has not been a season that West Carter has been accustomed to in the past few seasons.
They have had two 20-plus seasons and consecutive trips to the All “A” State Tournament.
However, this season came to an end last Tuesday at the hands of the Ashland Tomcats 56-48 at Ellis T. Johnson Arena at Morehead State University.
The Comets had trouble defending Ashland’s go-to player, Dikembe Dixon who had 24 points, six rebounds and six blocks to help the Tomcats advance to their seventh straight 16th Region semifinal.
“He's a difficult matchup for us because of his size and length,” Head Coach Jeremy Webb said. “Our guys were trying to alter their shots and we had a hard time putting the ball in the basket.”
The Comets came ready to play in the first quarter.
Down two with just seconds left, Dustin Black connected on a three-pointer just before the horn to give West a 12-11 advantage.
West then struggled in the second quarter, going 0-14 in the second period.
They got points from free throws just before the half.
West trailed Ashland 25-14 and did not look back.
“Ashland's a very solid team,” Webb said. “We just could not find a bucket in the second. You can't go 7:48 without a point in the second
quarter and expect to win.”
West’s all-time leading scorer Kyle Brown was held scoreless in the first half and finished the game with five points on just 2-for-16 shooting. His fellow senior, Dustin Black had 13 points in their final game in a Comet uniform.
“I did not shoot the ball really well and that kind of frustrated me,” Brown said. “I was a little nervous but Ashland is a good team and to finish my career in the regional tournament is special.”
“I love my teammates,” Black said. “We came up short here and that second quarter really hurt us. We just did not play like we are capable of.”
“Kyle and Dustin both have meant everything to our program on and off the court,” Webb said. “We haven’t had the season we wanted but those two guys left a huge impact on this team and this program. They will be missed.”
West Carter was led in scoring by Jacob Layne’s 13 points. He was named to the 16th Region All Tournament team.
The Tomcats lost to eventual 16th Region Champion Fleming County in the semifinals.
MacKenzie Bates can be reached at mbates@journaltimes.com or by telephone at 1-800-247-6142.
Local Sports
Related Photos
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West Carter senior Dustin Black puts this shot up over a defender in last week's loss to Ashland. Photo by MacKenzie Bates
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Comets senior Kyle Brown goes up for two in last week's loss to the Tomcats. Photo by MacKenzie Bates
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West Carter junior forward Jacob Layne was named to the 16th Region All Tournament Team.
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