LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky guard Kerr Kriisa has announced his departure from the Wildcats. 

Kriisa made the announcement on social media Monday, thanking Coach Pope, his teammates and Big Blue Nation for accepting him during his time in Lexington. 

The guard will have one season left of eligibility as he enters the transfer portal. 

UK signed 19-year old guard Kam Williams on Friday. Williams concluded his freshman season at Tulane, averaging 9.3 points and shooting 41.2% from 3-point range. 

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WMDJ) – One of eastern Kentucky’s best offensive squads struggled shooting the basketball on the state’s biggest stage as Lawrence County fell to 10^th region champion Montgomery County 98-72 in the opening round of the Boys’ Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena on Thursday afternoon.

Lawrence County came into the game ranked fourth in the state in scoring, averaging 77.7 points per game this season, yet scuffled to shoot just 41-percent from the field and 2-for-20 from 3-point range in the loss.

The Bulldogs traded the lead with Montgomery County early in the first quarter before the Indians settled in on a 3-pointer from Tyce Jarvis with 5:01 to play, giving them an 8-7 advantage.

Lawrence County would never lead again.

Montgomery County closed out the first quarter on an 8-2 run, leading 25-15.

The Indians would extend the lead by 20 in the second quarter, thanks to 10 points from Luke Fawns including two made 3-pointers and five points each from Cayden Reed and Dane Klute. Montgomery County led 50-30 at the half.

The lead would stretch to 32 by the 3:31 mark of the third quarter for Montgomery County as the Indians shot 56-percent in the period.

Lawrence County fought back in the fourth quarter to outscore the Indians 23-22, but it wasn’t enough to over the deficit as Montgomery County moved on to the quarterfinals with a 98-72 victory.

Four players scored in double figures for Lawrence County led by Kaiden Harris’ 18 points. Kaden Johnson scored 16 points, Gunnar Woods finished with 15 points and Hayden Perry netted 10 for the Bulldogs. Lawrence County forced 20 turnovers, resulting in 27 points, yet Montgomery County connected on 16 3-pointers (16-32) and shot 53.5-percent from the field.

Montgomery County will face North Laurel in Friday’s quarterfinals at 6 p.m. The Jaguars held off Breathitt County 54-53 to advance in the tournament.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The NCAA men’s basketball selection committee has chosen Kentucky as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, extending the program’s national record with a 62nd selection to the Big Dance. The Cats will open play on Friday, when they will face Troy in Milwaukee. Game time and television assignment are to be determined.

This is the fifth time that Kentucky has earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the second consecutive year. The team is 6-4 in the tournament as a No. 3 seed, including 2-1 in the first round. The third-seeded Cats reached the Elite Eight in the 1999 NCAA Tournament with wins over New Mexico State, Kansas and Miami (OH) before falling to Michigan State.

UK heads into March Madness with a 22-11 overall record in the program’s first season under head coach Mark Pope. For Pope, the NCAA bid is the third of his coaching career, having twice competed in the tournament while at the helm at BYU, including as a No. 6 seed last year.

The Wildcats finished sixth in the loaded Southeastern Conference, which earned a record 14 bids to the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky is coming off a quarterfinal appearance in the SEC Tournament this past week, where UK topped Oklahoma before falling to Alabama. For the first time ever, Kentucky earned two victories over No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament this season, defeating both Duke and Florida. UK racked up 11 Quad 1 wins and earned eight victories over Associated Press Top 15 opponents, tying an NCAA record for the most such wins.

In addition to the most appearances, Kentucky holds the NCAA Tournament record for most games played (185), while it ranks second all-time in NCAA Tournament wins with 130. The Cats own a 130-55 all-time record in NCAA action, winning eight NCAA championships and reaching 17 Final Fours.

Looking ahead to Thursday’s matchup, Kentucky is 49-12 in NCAA Tournament openers and has won 26 of its last 29 opening-round games.

Kentucky is set to play Troy for the second time in program history. UK owns a 1-0 record in the series all-time, the lone meeting coming in 2018. Troy is 23-10 on the year and won the Sun Belt Tournament by defeating Arkansas State in the final.

Troy is averaging 73.9 points per game this season while allowing opponents to score 65.4 points per game. The Trojans are shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 29.9 percent from 3 on the season. Troy has a +5.6 rebounding margin and +0.2 turnover margin. Senior guard Tayton Conerway leads the team this season averaging 14.3 points per game while dishing out 158 assists. Thomas Dowd paces the team with 6.8 rebounds per game.

If Kentucky defeats Troy, the Wildcats play Sunday against the winner of No. 6 seed Illinois (21-12) and the play-in game between Texas (19-15) and Xavier (21-11). UK leads the all-time series with Illinois 11-4 and is 4-0 against the Illini in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are 2-1 all-time against Texas, including 0-1 this season, and 37-2 vs. Xavier. UK has not faced the Longhorns or the Musketeers in NCAA Tournament action.

Ticket information:

• Public tickets for the first and second round games in Milwaukee can be purchased by visiting NCAA.com/MBBTickets. Fans will find complete ticket information for all NCAA sites, including information on the NCAA Ticket Exchange (NCAA.com/Exchange), the official secondary marketplace for authentic NCAA Tournament tickets.
• Kentucky receives a limited allotment of tickets from the NCAA. Eligible K Fund members who requested first and second round tickets in advance of Selection Sunday will receive a confirmation email on Monday evening, March 17 from the UK Ticket Office with information on whether or not their request has been fulfilled.
• More information about requesting tickets for all possible rounds of the NCAA Tournament is available here and will be updated as Kentucky advances. Those who are eligible to request NCAA tickets will be notified by email from the UK Ticket Office.
• Student tickets are not available for first and second round games, and information for later rounds will be available at UKStudentTix.com as Kentucky advances.

BUCKLEY’S CREEK, Ky. (WMDJ) – The two highest scoring teams in the 15^th region both advanced to Tuesday night’s championship of the regional tournament with convincing wins in semifinal play.

Game one saw the Lawrence County Bulldogs blister the nets, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range, to go along with 6-for-6 free throws in a 28-14 first quarter advantage over the homestanding Pike County Central Hawks.

Lawrence County would lead by as many as 30 points by the third quarter before Pike County Central cut the lead to 15 with less than three minutes remaining in the game. The deficit proved to be too much to overcome as Lawrence County won 93-76.

Senior Jaden Stewart, the 15^th region player of the year from Pike County Central, finished a stellar high school career scoring 39 points on 16-for-24 shooting from the field, 4-of-8 from behind the line and 3-for-5 on the free throw line, to go along with seven rebounds and four steals.

In game two, Martin County sank six first quarter 3-point baskets and held off a pesky Floyd Central effort to win 103-85.

The Cardinals would shoot 17-for-34 from 3-point range, led by senior Peyton Davis, who connected on his first six shots from the outside and finished 7-for-9 from behind the arch and scored 26 points.

Senior Parker Watts led all scorers with 29 points. Freshman Bryson Dials tallied 24 points for Martin County, which shot 58% from the field on the night.

Floyd Central nearly doubled the rebounding effort of Martin County and racked up 29-second chance points, but the quickness of Martin County caused 21 Jaguar turnovers, resulting in 29 points for the Cardinals.

Five players scored in double figures for Floyd Central, led by junior Chris Spriggs with 21. 8^th grader Lucas Howard recorded his 12^th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Dylan Boyd scored 13, while freshman Wesley Buck and junior James Samons contributed 12 and 10 points respectfully.

Lawrence County and Martin County will face off in Tuesday’s championship set for 7 p.m. from Pike County Central High School.

BUCKLEY’S CREEK, Ky. (WMDJ) – Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “Four times the effort, four times the reward.”

Saturday night, the Floyd Central Jaguars faced county rival Betsy Layne for the fourth time this season and in the end, the effort given in the first three losses to the Bobcats was worth the reward, as the Jaguars emerged victorious with a 63-56 in the quarterfinals of the 15^th Region Boys’ Basketball Tournament.

Floyd Central capitalized on a 12-plus rebounding advantage, while an extended matchup 2-3 zone defense held Betsy Layne to 5-for-24 shooting from the outside.

Four Jaguars scored in double figures, led by junior guard Dylan Boyd’s 14 points. 8^th grader Lucas Howard recorded a double-double, with a 12-point, 11-rebound effort.

Because of the new super regional format, it was the first time since 1967 that two teams from the 58^th District faced each other in the quarterfinals of the region tournament. The last time, Maytown defeated Betsy Layne in the quarterfinals, avenging a loss the Wildcats suffered to Betsy Layne in the district tournament the week before.

History has a way of repeating itself.

Betsy Layne led early enjoying a 16-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bobcats had their largest lead of the game at the 4:10 mark of the second quarter, when senior guard Cameron Pente knocked down a pair for free throws, giving Betsy Layne a 26-19 advantage.

Floyd Central would close the gap, going on a 9-3 run fueled by sophomore Christian Johnson, who came off the bench scoring a layup and a 3-pointer in back-to-back trips. Johnson would also create a steal, resulting in Howard scoring on the other end, making the score 29-28 Betsy Layne at the half.  

The Jaguars would keep the momentum rolling in the third quarter with an 11-2 run to begin the second half. Howard gave Floyd Central the lead with a drive to the basket to start the quarter, followed by junior guard James Samons knocking down a shot from the elbow. Floyd Central led 32-29.

After a made bucket by Betsy Layne’s Brayden Hall, Floyd Central answered with a 3-pointer in the corner by freshman Wesley Buck, 35-31.

Buck would follow that with a fast break pass to Samons for a layup, giving the Jaguars a 37-31 lead with 5:47 remaining in the quarter. The Jags would extend the lead to eight on two free throws from Buck, giving Floyd Central their largest lead of the game at 39-31.

Floyd Central started the fourth quarter with a 46-40 advantage, but Betsy Layne stormed back to cut the lead to one with 6:05 left in the game. The Jaguars would not relinquish the lead however, as Buck tossed another assist to Howard for a layup and junior Logan Meade sank a 3-pointer from the corner, pushing the lead back out to 51-47 with 4:18 remaining.

Pente would connect on a floater down the lane, cutting the Jaguars lead to 51-49. Junior Chris Spriggs’ layup then a Spriggs pass to Howard for another layup, pushed Floyd Central back to 55-49 with 2:36 left and the Bobcats wouldn’t recover.

Pente finished with a game-high 22 points and led Betsy Layne with six rebounds. Isaiah Allen scored 12 points for the Bobcats.

Floyd Central advances to their first-ever appearance in the regional semifinals, where they’ll face Martin County on Monday night. The Cardinals soared past Phelps 100-72 in the quarterfinals. Floyd Central and Martin County played on February 1^st with the Cardinals squeaking out a 93-90 win at Eastern.

(Photo credit: Stacy Shannon)

FLOYD CENTRAL (63) – Spriggs 3, (1) 4-8 11. Boyd 4, (1) 5-5 14. Samons 5, 10. Howard 6, 0-1 12. Buck 2, (1) 3-4 8. Meade 1, (1) 3. Johnson 2, (1) 5.

FG Pct: 45.1%. FT Pct: 66.7%. 3-PT (Spriggs 1-2, Boyd 1-6, Howard 0-1, Buck 1-4, Meade 1-1. Johnson 1-1). Fouls 17. Fouled out: Buck. Rebounds 39. Assists 19. Turnovers 9.

BETSY LAYNE (56) – Parsons 3, (1) 7. Pente 6, (2) 8-11 22. Allen 3, (1) 5-6 12. Lance 1, 2. Hall 3, (1) 7. Jarrell 1, 4-4 6.

FG Pct: 34%. FT Pct: 81%. 3-PT (Parsons 1-10, Pente 2-6, Allen 1-3, Hall 1-5). Fouls 13. Fouled out: Pente. Rebounds 27. Assists 12. Turnovers 6.

SCORING BY QUARTERS
TEAM                                      1^st        2^nd       3^rd       4^th       TOTAL
Floyd Central                         15        13        18        17        63
Betsy Layne                           16        13        11        16        56

BUCKELEY’S CREEK, Ky. (WMDJ) – The Johnson Central press caused 31 Prestonsburg turnovers as the Lady Eagles ended Prestonsburg’s season with a crushing 62-36 win in the 15th Region Girls’ semifinals on Thursday.

Senior Kaylyn McKenzie led the way with an 18-point performance, while seniors Adyson Burchett and Maddie Prater chipped in 11 and 10 points respectfully. McKenzie nailed four 3-pointers in the first half as Johnson Central ran up a 28-7 advantage over Prestonsburg in the second quarter, owning a 41-16 lead at the half.

Prestonsburg was unable to withstand the jumping traps and relentless pressure Johnson Central applied throughout the first half, as the Lady Blackcats attempted only 17 shots in the first half.

Junior guard Jade Fitzpatrick led Prestonsburg with 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field. Senior point guard Audrey Prater concluded her career with a nine point performance, while senior teammate Ashley Tackett was held to one rebound and two points.

Prestonsburg’s (19-13) season ends in the semifinals for the second-consecutive season. Johnson Central moves on the Friday’s championship where they’ll face Lawrence County.

PRESTONSBURG (36) – Prater 2, (2) 3-6 9. Tackett 2-4, 2. Fitzpatrick 4, (3) 11. A. Howard 1, 2-5 4. Newsome 2, 4. K. Stephens 2, 2. Wright 1-2 1. W. Howard 1, 2. Goble 0,0. Allen 0,0. Layne 0,0. L. Stephens 0,0. S. Slone 0,0. P. Slone 0,0.

FG Pct: 28.2%. FT Pct: 47.4%. 3-PT (Prater 2-4, Fitzpatrick 3-5, A. Howard 0-1, W. Howard 0-1, Wright 0-2). Fouls 12. Fouled out: none. Rebounds 33. Assists 11. Turnovers 31.

JOHNSON CENTRAL (62) – Stanley 3, (2) 8. Prater 4, (1) 1-2 10. Marsillett 3, 6. K. McKenzie 6, (4) 2-2 18. Burchett 3, (1) 4-5 11. Conley 1, (1) 3. Slone 2, 4. Blanton 1, 2. Seagraves 0,0. Duncan 0,0. Williams 0,0. Ferguson 0,0. E. McKenzie 0,0. Cantrell 0,0. Blair 0,0.

FG Pct: 40.4%. FT Pct: 77.8%. 3-PT (Stanley 2-2, Prater 1-3, K. McKenzie 4-8, Burchett 1-2, Conley 1-2, Slone 0-1, E. McKenzie 0-1). Fouls 18. Fouled out: none. Rebounds 34. Assists 17. Turnovers 19.

SCORING BY QUARTERS

TEAM                                      1st            2nd           3rd            4th            TOTAL

Prestonsburg                           9               7               14            6               36

Johnson Central                     14            28               14            6               62

BUCKELEY’S CREEK, Ky. (WMDJ) – In a battle that featured teacher versus pupil, the student got the best of her mentor as Melinda Feltner’s Lawrence County Lady Dawgs defeated Densie Campbell’s Pikeville Lady Panthers, ending their reign of rule in the 15^th region.

As they did in 2023, Lawrence County stopped Pikeville chance to repeat as regional champions, this time taking down the Lady Panthers in the 15^th Region Girls’ semifinals 65-40.

Feltner played under Campbell at Alice Lloyd College in the late 1990’s and got avenged a regular season loss to Pikeville with last night’s win.

15^th Region Player of the Year Sophie Adkins and rising star Jada Patton combined for 57 of Lawrence’s 65 points in the victory. Adkins recorded a double-double, notching 24 points and grabbing 10 boards, while Patton enjoyed a stellar night tallying 33 points on 13-for-22 shooting from the field.

Lawrence County used a tight 2-3 zone to force Pikeville into miscues from the outside. The Lady Panthers combined to shoot 5-for-25 from 3-point range and 16-for-64 from the field.

The Lady Dawgs jumped on Pikeville early with Adkins and Patton scoring the team’s first 13-points.

Lawrence would extend their advantage to 29-14 by halftime, stunning the Pikeville crowd on hand at Pike County Central Gymnasium.

The Lady Dawgs dominated the glass, with a plus-17 advantage on the glass and 19 offensive rebounds, resulting in 13 second chance points, while pounding the paint with 38 points as Pikeville was unable to slow down Lawrence attacks inside.

Lawrence County will face Johnson Central in Friday’s championship, searching for their second championship in three seasons.

LAWRENCE CO. (65) – Adkins 8, (2) 6-9 24. Maynard 0,0. Artrip 1, (1) 3. See 0,0. Patton 13, (1) 6-7 33. Bloomfield 0,0. Woods 2, (1) 5. Fitzpatrick 0,0. Stinnett 0,0. Murphy 0,0. Kitts 0,0. Brown 0,0.

FG Pct: 42%. FT Pct: 75%. 3-PT (Adkins 2-5, Artrip 1-6, Patton 1-2, Woods 1-1). Fouls 12. Fouled out: none. Rebounds 52. Assists 11. Turnovers 19.

PIKEVILLE (40) – Alvin 4, (2) 2-2 12. Walters 5, (3) 13. Lin 2, 1-2 5. Woods 1, 2. Jackson 3, 6. Stone 0,0. Ch. Compton 0,0. Ca. Compton 0,0. Oliver 0,0. Rogers 0,0. Mulkey 1, 2. Patton 0,0.

FG Pct: 25%. FT Pct: 75%. 3-PT (Alvin 2-10, Walters 3-8, Lin 0-4, Woods 0-1, Jackson 0-1, Oliver 0-1). Fouls 18. Fouled out: none. Rebounds 35. Assists 12.

SCORING BY QUARTERS:

TEAM:                                      1^st            2^nd           3^rd            4^th        TOTAL

Lawrence Co.                        13            16            22            14            65

Pikeville                                 9               5              10            16            40

BUCKLEY’S CREEK, Ky. (WMDJ) – If one thing is true in local sports over the past couple seasons, it’s that you can never count out the current group of young ladies that make up the Prestonsburg Lady Blackcats, when it comes to postseason play.

As they did last year, Prestonsburg disposed of a 60^th District team to advance to the semifinals of the 15^th Region Girls’ Tournament, this time taking care of district champion Phelps 61-30 on Tuesday.

The last time Prestonsburg advanced to back-to-back appearances in the semifinals was 2015 and 2016.

Prestonsburg enjoyed a big performance from junior guard Jade Fitzpatrick, who finished with 18 points. The Lady Blackcats also got another gutty performance from injured senior guard Audrey Prater, who chipped in 13.

Phelps kept the action close despite committing 10 turnovers in the first quarter, trailing Prestonsburg 14-11 early. The Lady Blackcats would go on a 13-3 run in the second quarter to take control, with Fitzpatrick scoring eight of her team-high 18 points, while forcing seven additional Phelps turnovers. Prestonsburg led 27-14 at the half.

Prestonsburg would close the game out strong in the second half, outscoring Phelps 34-16.

Phelps junior guard Carleigh McCoy led the Lady Hornets with 15 points, as Phelps made its first appearance in the 15^th Region Tournament quarterfinals since 2009.

Prestonsburg (19-13) will face Johnson Central in the second semifinal game on Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. at Pike County Central High School.

PRESTONSBURG (61) – Prater 4, 5-5 13. Fitzpatrick 7 (2) 2-4 18. Tackett 2, 4. A. Howard 2, 2-4 6. Newsome 1, 2. Slone 1, 2. Wright (2) 6. K. Stephens 2, 4. L. Stephens 1, 2. W. Howard 1, 2. Layne 1, 2. Allen 0,0. P. Slone 0,0. Goble 0,0.

FG Pct: 36.3% FT Pct: 69.2%. 3-PT (Prater 0-1, A. Howard 0-3, Fitzpatrick 2-6, K. Stephens 0-2, Wright 2-4, W. Howard 0-1). Fouls 19. Fouled out: none. Rebounds 28. Turnovers 17.

PHELPS (30) – McCoy 5, 5-6 15. Weddington (1) 2-2 5. Slone 2, 4-8 8. Ma. Dotson 0,0. Mounts 2-2 2. Norman 0,0. Yates 0,0. Wallace 0,0. Mo. Dotson 0,0.

FG Pct: 18.6%. FT Pct: 62.5%. 3-PT (McCoy 0-4, Weddington 1-4, Slone 0-2). Fouls 11. Fouled out: none. Rebounds 26. Turnovers 30.

BUCKLEY’S CREEK, Ky. (WMDJ) – The Floyd Central Lady Jaguars saw their season end Tuesday, succumbing to suffocating pressure from title favorite Johnson Central in a 79-40 defeat in the quarterfinals of the Girls’ 15^th Region Tournament at Pike County Central High School.

Johnson Central forced 15 first half turnovers and doubled Floyd Central’s score by halftime, 40-20. The Lady Eagles used a 21-9 run in the second quarter to open up the game.

Senior Kaylyn McKenzie connected on two 3-pointers and scored eight points, while freshman Karlea Stanley added five points and a 3-pointer during the second quarter push for Johnson Central.

Floyd Central’s struggles continued into the third quarter, committing eight more turnovers in the period and failed much of the night to get into an offensive rhythm.

Johnson Central (25-3) will face Prestonsburg in the semifinals, Thursday at 8:15 p.m. Floyd Central’s season ends at (19-11) after defeating Magoffin County and Shelby Valley in super regional play to reach the quarterfinals.

FLOYD CENTRAL (40) – Engle 2, 4. R. Laferty 3, 3-6 9. Crase 2, (1) 3-4 10. H. Lafferty 1-2 1. Rackey 2, 4-6 6. Moore 2, 0-2 4. Garcia 2, (1) 5. O’Bryan 1-2 1. Hamilton 0,0. Younce 0,0. Wright 0,0. Stumbo 0,0.

FG Pct. 42%. FT Pct. 54.5% 3-PT (Crase 1-2, H. Lafferty 0-1, Moore 0-1, Garcia 1-2). Fouls 14. Fouled out: none. Rebounds 26. Turnovers 27.

JOHNSON CENTRAL (79) – Stanley 3, (1) 3-4 10. Prater 2, (2) 6. Marsilett 4, 3-5 11. K. McKenzie 4, (2) 10. Burchett 8, (3) 3-4 22. Slone 2, 0-2 4. Duncan 2, 2-3 6. Blanton 1, 2. E. McKenzie 1, 1-2 3. Blair 1 (1) 3.

FG Pct. 54.7%. FT Pct. 50%. 3-PT (Stanley 1-2, Prater 2-3, K. McKenzie 2-4, Burchett 3-3). Fouls 18. Fouled out: none. Rebounds 25. Turnovers 17.