Congratulations to the Paintsville Junior High CmPS team! They are Paintsville’s first ever middle school CmPS STATE CHAMPS and they have won bids to compete at the International competition in Massachusetts this summer!
We are so proud of their achievements and dedication to provide for a better future!
(Featured Image) Paintsville’s Emilea Preece shows off her Paintsville Tigers jersey after the Lady Tigers knocked off Johnson Central 44-41 in the opening round of the 57th District Tournament. (Paintsville Herald photo by Mike Muncy)
Post written by Mike Muncy Sports Writer
This game is what postseason basketball is all about.
Both teams left everything on the court with their seasons on the line.
Despite beating Paintsville twice in the regular season, it was Paintsville getting its revenge and ending the Lady Golden Eagles season in the opening round of the district tournament. The Lady Tigers defeated Johnson Central with a final score of 44-41.
The Lady Tigers just had to make their free throws, with six trips to the charity stripe in the fourth quarter locking it up for Paintsville.
Kylie Kinner came alive in the fourth quarter, hauling in nine points in the final frame – seven of which were free-throws.
The eighth-grader’s toughness and athletic ability was on full display at the 2:57 mark when she went up for a shot, missed, grabbed her own rebound and made the shot only to get fouled again to make the plus one, forcing a Johnson Central timeout and giving the Lady Tigers a 38-34 lead.
With the win, Paintsville advances to the 57th District championship game Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. as the Lady Tigers will host Martin County. The win also means that Paintsville secures a spot in the 15th Region Tournament next week at the Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville.
Johnson Central finished the season with a 21-7 record in Coach Jim Hicks’ first year as Lady Golden Eagles’ head coach.
Johnson Central nabbed the first points of the game with Becca Wright finishing off a drive with a layup.
The Lady Tigers quickly went to work, forcing a turnover and pulling ahead 4-2. The Lady Golden Eagles pushed back, and at the end of the first quarter it was tied up at 6-6.
Kayllyn Vannoy made her presence felt in the second quarter in an emotional game for as she spent the first part of her career at Johnson Central.
The Johnson Central transfer (Vannoy) was integral for the Lady Tigers when she hit back-to-back treys and forced a turnover to catapult her team ahead, 12-6 just a minute into the second quarter.
A trey by Kaylyn McKenzie later in the frame allowed Johnson Central to get back within one, but Paintsville maintained the advantage and finished the half with a 17-13 lead.
Momentum looked to swing back in favor of the Lady Golden Eagles at the five minute mark of the third quarter when Taylor McKenzie went for a contested layup and got the foul. She nailed the plus one to give Johnson Central its first lead since the start of the game, now 22-19 and forcing Les Trimble to call a time out.
That lead was short lived however when Kali Mulcahy stole the lead back on a trey to make it 25-22 at the 2:45 mark of the third quarter.
At the end of three, it was Paintsville holding a slim 29-27 lead.
Sophie Younce tied things up for Johnson Central to start the fourth quarter at 29 all-around.
The two teams battled it out throughout the first half of the last quarter until Kinner’s three-point play took the one point advantage to a four point lead.
Kinner scored the next point as well, stretching the lead to five when she knocked down the first of two free-throws.
At the 1:45 mark Kinner was able to extend her teams lead when she knocked down both free-throws. That elevated the Lady Tigers to a 41-35 lead.
Johnson Central and Coach Jim Hicks gave a valiant effort, closing the gap to just two points with 30 seconds left in the game. With the ball in possession of the Lady Tigers however, they simply ran out of time to steal the win.
Paintsville Weekly Update 2/13/2023
Congratulations to 2 of our bass fishing team members, Ethan Elliott and Bryce McDonald. They have achieved greatness on and off the water. These 2 have been offered and have accepted scholarships to Kentucky Christian University to join their fishing team. “Being juniors, they have already achieved so much and I couldn’t be more proud of them. Their hard work and many hours on the water have paid off. Thanks to everyone who have supported them along the way and continues to do so.” said Tara Elliott.
Upcoming Events:
Men’s basketball:
Monday Paintsville Tigers will host Shelby Valley at 6pm.
Tuesday they will be traveling to Tolsia (Fort Gay), WV to compete for their 2nd time this season. Their previous encounter resulted in a Tigers win 97-60.
Friday they will be traveling to Pikeville for their final season game before the district tournament. Their game will start after the girls game.
Ladies basketball:
Monday evening, the lady tigers will be traveling to Hazard for a Varsity game at 6.
Tuesday they will be hosting Lawrence county for their last regular season home game. Tip-off at 6.
Friday they travel to Pikeville to compete in their final season tip-off at 6:00pm.
Wrestling:
Saturday, the Paintsville wrestling team will compete in Winchester.
Academic:
The academic team will be heading over to Johnson Central for their Saturday meet.
GO TIGERS!
Paintsville Weekly Update 2/6/2023
Friday afternoon our very own Paintsville Tiger, Harris Phelps, signed for Centre College to continue on with his football career. We are super excited for him and know that he will achieve great heights for his new team. He may become a colonel next year, but he will always be a tiger to us!
We also want to shine light on some of our younger tigers and their achievements this past weekend. 8th grader, Crayson Lafferty, came in 2nd place in the middle school wrestling tournament and 6th grader, Blake LeMaster, placing 6th place. Congratulations on your hard work this year! We are excited to see how they improve for next season.
Upcoming Events:
Senior Night event starts at 5:45pm. Please arrive by 5:30pm.
Men’s basketball:
Tuesday hosting Lawrence County at 7:30pm
Wednesday hosting Mountain Mission (Grundy), VA at 7:30pm
Friday hosting Martin County at 7:30pm (Senior Night)
Ladies basketball:
Monday hosting Morgan County at 7:30pm
Tuesday traveling to Prestonsburg, 7:30pm tip-off
Wednesday hosting Pike County Central at 6:00pm (Senior Night)
Friday traveling to Floyd Central, 7:30pm tip-off
Paintsville Weekly Update 1/30/2023
Over the weekend the high school had a full day of basketball games. The lady tigers hosted Phelps and beat them 90-59. The mens team followed the ladies footsteps and defeated Lewis County 71-53.
Lady tigers will be on the road today for a 7:30 tip-off against Raceland. Tuesday, they’ll be hosting Ashland Blazer at 7:30. That’s not all for this packed week of basketball. Friday evening at 7:30, the cross town rivals will be head to head again for the 2nd time this season. This time it will be on Central’s territory.
The mens team will be playing at Magoffin County on Tuesday. They will then be heading to Central on Thursday for a 2nd showdown at 7:30.
Paintsville Weekly Update 1/23/2023
Over the weekend several of our Tigers made notable accomplishments! Here at Paintsville Independent we are known for tradition which these young ladies and gentlemen are here to continue those traditions but also create new ones. We are excited for what their futures hold for them and as they continue to grow and become better than what they were yesterday. This week our PHS students and athletes have competed in numerous competitions.
Frist, we would like to announce our Academics team accomplishments.
PHS Academics competed today at the District competition and the results were:
– Nicholas Hazelett 5th place in Social Studies
– Maggie Blevins 5th place in Arts and Humanities
– John Zeidan 5th place in Written Composition
– Jordan Castle 1st place in Written Composition
These students will move on to regional competition in February. Congratulations!
Second, our middle school wrestling team competed in their Regional tournament at GRC High School.
Congratulations to Paintsville Middle School Wrestler, Crayson Lafferty, for becoming Paintsville middle’s 1st Regional Champion in the 152lb weight class. Such an amazing accomplishment from one of our young Tiger athletes!
Also– Congratulations to Paintsville Middle School Wrestler, Blake LeMaster, for his 3rd place finish in Regionals.
Upcoming Events:
Lady Tigers Basketball will be hosting Prestonsburg Tuesday at 7:30pm.
This Thursday’s game has been rescheduled for this Wednesday. They will be hosting Raceland at 7:30pm.
Men’s Basketball will be traveling to Floyd Central on Tuesday for a 7:30 tip-off.
Saturday they will host Lewis County for a 3:00pm tip-off.
2022 All-Area Volleyball: Blackburn builds back up for Tigers
Bella Blackburn has been a centerpiece of the Paintsville volleyball team since her freshman year.
Blackburn was looking to build off a successful first two seasons with the Tigers entering her junior campaign in 2021.
However, her hopes were sidelined in a preseason scrimmage when she tore her ACL and had to miss the entirety of the season.
Blackburn worked hard and came back for a strong senior season that led to her being named The Daily Independent All-Area Player of the Year.
“Being named All-Area Player of the Year means everything to me,” Blackburn said. “It feels extremely rewarding after working so hard to come back from injury. I couldn’t have done it without being blessed with such a talented team.”
Over the course of her three-year playing career, Blackburn amassed more than 2,500 kills. In her final run as a senior, Blackburn had 1,030 assists, 236 digs, 51 aces, 35 kills and 17 blocks.
Paintsville coach Dawn Kinner said Blackburn “came back better than she was before she was injured.”
“The pain that you see a kid go through and then the work that she put in outside of the physical therapy just to be able to come back and play is just a great thing to see as a coach,” Kinner said. “That’s why I’m so proud of her, to see the success that she had this season and the level that she came back at.”
Blackburn credits her teammates for helping her get the motivation to come back as well as receiving the Player of the Year honor.
“I give all the credit to my teammates,” Blackburn said. “It all starts with a pass. By getting a good pass, I can do my job and help set my teammates to get kills.
“We have outstanding hitters and I especially couldn’t have done it without them. Being surrounded with such talented players make it easy for me to do my job.”
Paintsville went 38-3 and won the All “A” Classic state championship, dropping just one out of 13 sets in that tournament. That run was made possible by a come-from-behind effort against Covington Holy Cross.
“I will remember winning the All ‘A’ state championship the most,” Blackburn said. “Being down by a set and almost losing the second set, we came storming back to win it all. That took grit.
“It was the perfect example of hard work paying off. I’ll never forget the last point of that game.”
Kinner and Boyd County coach Katee Neltner were named Co-Coaches of the Year.
While the two have been pivotal in the push to the top for their respective programs, both coaches credit their players and those around them for their successes.
“I think it’s just a testament to the work that our girls put in,” Kinner said. “They make my job easy, when you have kids that buy in to your program and parents that buy in and a community that buys in.
“I have a great assistant in Jessica Davis. We just work so good together. I think it’s just a testament to what we’ve built here, and the buy-in from these girls and the hard work they’ve put in.”
Neltner said much of the same about her Lions.
“My girls have allowed me to love them, and they trusted me to do what was best for them and the program, which allowed me to coach them and coach them hard,” Neltner said. “They made themselves available to be molded and corrected, even when it wasn’t fun or pretty, and when you have athletes that trust the process and buy in to the mentality you try and establish in a winning program, the sky is the limit.
“These girls made this program what it is today and are the reason I am the coach I am today.”
Both coaches also pointed to the focus that area schools are putting on developing volleyball players at a younger age as a turning point for the sport in northeastern Kentucky.
“I think that once anyone sees what volleyball looks like when it is played and played well – there’s a switch that flips,” Neltner said. “There’s no other sport like volleyball and I am just proud to be a small part of teaching young girls to love this sport and play it properly.”
Boyd County had the most All-Area representatives with four: Taylor Bartrum, Lyndsey Ekers, Carly Mullins and Emma Sparks.
Bartrum was last year’s All-Area Player of the Year. She finished with 351 kills, 73 service aces and 20 blocks.
Mullins was named to the all-state tournament team following Boyd County’s loss to Paul Laurence Dunbar. She had 246 kills, 86 digs, 32 aces and 26 blocks.
Ekers has been the Lions’ leader defensively throughout her career. She accumulated 401 digs.
Sparks led the team in kills (365), blocks (32) and aces (78). She also racked up 157 digs.
Raceland finished with three Rams on the All-Area list. They won the district championship for the first time since 2016 and finished as 16th Region Tournament runner-up.
Elizabeth Rigsby led Raceland with 281 kills and was tied for the team lead with 64 blocks. Rigsby also had 73 aces.
Reagan Mackie’s 439 digs were first most for the Rams. She also had 110 kills and 19 blocks.
Kody Haddix had a complete season for Raceland, racking up 626 assists, 303 digs and 108 kills.
Paintsville, Ashland, Fairview and Rowan County also had multiple All-Area honorees.
Hailey Little was an offensive threat throughout the season for Paintsville. Little’s 409 kills and 76 aces were most for the Tigers. Her 39 blocks were second.
Ashland finished with the 16th Region’s second-most wins at 30.
Sophomores Grace Clark and Khia Robinson represent the Volleycats.
Clark had 950 assists, 303 digs and 125 kills. She also posted 98 aces.
Robinson had a team-leading 400 kills to go along with 310 digs, 62 aces and 13 blocks.
Fairview’s Kiera Loving had some spectacular stats. The senior had 771 assists, 198 kills, 176 digs, 101 aces and 45 blocks.
The Eagles also had Graycin Price selected. Price’s 452 kills were a team-best, as were her 133 aces. She also got 311 digs.
Rowan County’s All-Area selections are Madison Roar and Destiny Utterback.
Roar had 696 assists from her setter spot. Her 86 aces led the team, and she added 76 kills and 25 blocks.
Utterback was the Valkyries’ leader in kills (275) and digs (350).
Sarah Paige Weddington was Lewis County’s selection. She had 437 kills and 325 digs, which was the team’s most. Weddington also had 21 blocks and 40 aces.
Zoe Stidham of East Carter collected 231 digs and 230 kills. Along with that, Stidham had 31 blocks to lead the team and 77 aces.
TK Ellis rounds out the All-Area picks. The Lawrence County selection had 126 kills, 108 aces and 221 digs.
Northeastern Kentucky coaches’ votes composed the All-Area team. The newspaper’s sports department selected the Player and Co-Coaches of the Year.
2022 The Daily Independent All-Area Volleyball Team
Taylor Bartrum (Boyd County)
Bella Blackburn (Paintsville)
Grace Clark (Ashland)
Lyndsey Ekers (Boyd County)
TK Ellis (Lawrence County)
Kody Haddix (Raceland)
Hailey Little (Paintsville)
Kiera Loving (Fairview)
Reagan Mackie (Raceland)
Carly Mullins (Boyd County)
Graycin Price (Fairview)
Elizabeth Rigsby (Raceland)
Madison Roar (Rowan County)
Khia Robinson (Ashland)
Emma Sparks (Boyd County)
Zoe Stidham (East Carter)
Destiny Utterback (Rowan County)
Sarah Paige Weddington (Lewis County)
Player of the Year
Bella Blackburn (Paintsville)
Co-Coaches of the Year
Dawn Kinner (Paintsville) and Katee Neltner (Boyd County)
Honorable mention: Sophie Adkins (Lawrence County), Reanna Brown (West Carter), Kenzie Burton (East Carter), Aly Caldwell (Boyd County), Emily Clark (Russell), Carleigh Conley (Boyd County), Carmin Corey (Russell), Mayson Delong (Johnson Central), Randi Delong (Johnson Central), Kameron Fry (Fairview), Sophia Gifford (Boyd County), Sydney Hallock (Rowan County), Isabel Hensley (Rose Hill Christian), Mallory Hicks (West Carter), Shaelee Holbrook (Raceland), Gracen Layman (Ashland), Abby Malone (Lewis County), Shelby Marcum (Fairview), Brittany McCarty (Johnson Central), Blair Ratliff (Paintsville), Gracie Reed (Raceland), Kynzi Slone (Paintsville), Alexis Thompson (East Carter), Kara Ward (Paintsville), Alexis Williams (Fleming County)
https://www.dailyindependent.com/sports/2022-all-area-volleyball-blackburn-builds-back-up-for-tigers/article_3232d196-7c0e-11ed-8cf1-3bc3c19954da.html
Ben Spicer | For The Daily Independent Dec 14, 2022
Paintsville Lady Tigers
The Paintsville Lady Tigers are coming off a great season, going 19-13 before falling to Lawrence County in the 15th Region semifinals.
Luckily for Coach Les Trimble and his Lady Tigers, he returns virtually an entire team this season after losing just one senior to graduation – Ava Hyden.
That’s not to say that one person is easy to replace, however. The loss of Hyden makes a big hole in both offense and defense. She averaged 7.7 points per game and had 268 rebounds last year, or 8.4 per game. Hyden was a tough, physical player that Paintsville will surely miss. They’ll have to find young players to step up into the role Hyden leaves behind. And although Paintsville loses just one senior, they’re still pretty young overall.
The Lady Tigers will dress two seniors, Kali Mulcahy and Camryn Helton this season.
Helton is a big piece of the puzzle for Paintsville. She is a floor general who averaged 7.7 points per game last season. She also had 136 rebounds last season. Helton is arguably the best free-throw shooter on the team as well with a 68.6 percent rate on shots from the line.
Mulcahy was solid in her junior season, netting 136 points in 32 games. She also pulled down 46 rebounds.
Three juniors – Kaylyn Vannoy, Emilea Preece, and Kat Balwin make up a loaded junior class.
Vannoy is a new face to the Paintsville program, but she might look familiar. She suited up for Johnson Central ever since her seventh-grade season, back in 2017-18. She averaged 3.9 points per game for the Lady Eagles last season with 3.4 rebounds per game.
Preece is the heart and soul of the offense when it comes down to it. She scored 502 points last season, by far the most on the team. A rebounding machine as well thanks to her size, she brought down 263 boards last season. She can get it done from behind the arc too, shooting 29 percent from the three-point line last season.
Bailey Porter and Emma Keeton are the only two sophomores this season. Neither played last season, but Keeton has ties to the program, as her sister Anna was a key player for the Lady Tigers before graduating in 2019.
Four freshmen are included on the roster this season, and four eighth graders including last year’s standout player, Kylie Kinner.
As a seventh-grader Kinner lit up the scoreboards last season, putting up numbers worthy of the second highest scorer on the team with 351 points, 11 per game average. Kinner does a lot of her work behind the arc, making 58 three-pointers last season to lead the team. Despite her age and size she was also the third highest rebounder on the team last season. Kinner is only an eighth-grader, but her potential is unmatched and she should have another stellar season.
Overall, the Lady Tigers have the coaching and the talent to make another deep playoff run this season.
Written by Mike Muncy Sports Writer
Paintsville Tigers
Paintsville loses a few key players, but still has a deep talent pool to choose from.
It’s been the Colby Fugate show in Paintsville for the past few years, so this year, Coach Landon Slone will have his work cut out for him replacing his leading scorer from the last few seasons.
The Tigers also lost Braxton Tharp and Baron Ratliff to graduation.
We won’t know until the season opener against Prestonsburg how things will look for the Tigers, but there’s plenty of returning talent that should be stepping up into bigger roles this season.
Connor Fugate – Fugate is the younger brother of Colby Fugate, and is a stellar athlete in his own right. He’s already signed with the University of Kentucky to play baseball, but on the hardwood Fugate is as good as anyone.
He was second to only his brother in scoring last season, with 403 total points. He was also the leading rebounder for the Tigers. Look for Fugate to continue what he’s known for, scoring a lot and pulling down boards.
Jase Kinner – Kinner started last season as a freshman and his impact was immediately felt. On offense last season Kinner was solid with 130 points, trailing only the three seniors and Fugate. It’s safe to say his production should pick up quite a bit, especially with another year under his belt as he enters his sophomore season.
AJ James – James is another player who saw playing time last year that will help lead the team this year. James was stellar on defense last season, playing with a lot of aggression. He averaged 4.8 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game in his first season back last year.
The Tigers have three juniors, Ethan Ward, Bryce McDonald and Carson Holbrook. All three had limited playing time last year, but bring back valuable experience to help the Tigers.
Brock Woods – Woods is young, but had six rebounds and nine points in just six games last year as a seventh-grader. The 6 foot 6 eighth-grader returns this year and adds some much needed size for the Tigers.
Overall, Coach Slone and the Tigers should be fine. They have a great mix of returning talent and young upcoming players with a lot of promise.
Written by Mike Muncy Sports Writer
BOE Recognizes Paintsville Volleyball Team
The Paintsville Board of Education took time to recognize the Paintsville volleyball team at their latest regular meeting. “We’ve had a remarkable season,” said Superintendent David Gibson.
Gibson along with Kay Hall said the team won 38 games this season which is a school and region record.
“They won the All “A” State Championship and it was something to behold, we had our backs against the wall and the grit that came through brought us back to win the state championship,” said Gibson.
The Lady Tigers led by Coach Dawn Kinner who took over the program in 2010, went undefeated in the 15th region this year while also winning their 11th district championship and becoming All “A” champions.
“We are only the second public school in the state to get that accomplishment of becoming All “A” champions,” said Hall.
According to Hall, no public school has ever won the All “A” tournament.
Hall said along with the standout season this year, the team also received other accolades including player of the year and coach of the year in the 15th region.
“What you accomplish this year you will remember for the rest of your life,” Gibson said. “It’s something that is very remarkable, so be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Coach Kinner has done a phenomenal job building this program up.”
