On this day 59 years ago, the 16th Region witnessed a scoring dual that will never be matched

Curtis Crye, the 16th Region statistical guru, reminds us that February 17 is a night in area basketball history where points come out in bunches.

One game particularly stands out though and here is a column written a few years ago about that individual scoring battle that will likely never be matched.

Grayson and Fairview met late in the season with little on the line. Neither team was above .500, and neither was expected to make postseason noise.

But for one February night in 1967, none of that mattered.

Grayson’s Charles Baker and Fairview’s Jim Day staged one of the greatest scoring duels in 16th Region history. Baker poured in 55 points. Day answered with 51. Fairview won, 118-97.

The outburst capped a strange week for Baker, who had scored just eight total points in his previous two games, dropping his average below 20 for the first time all season. Against Coach George Cooke — the original “Wizard from Westwood” — in Fairview’s old gym, Baker couldn’t miss.

The tiny gym was packed, helped by the presence of University of Kentucky assistants Harry Lancaster and Joe B. Hall, there to watch Day play for Adolph Rupp.

“They weren’t coming to see me,” Baker said. “But there was a buzz in the crowd.”

There was plenty to buzz about. Baker and Day matched each other shot for shot in a relentless, up-and-down showcase. In the end, Fairview pulled away with 64 second-half points.

Steve Whitt added 23 and Roger Lemaster 14 for the Eagles. Everett Pennington scored 21 for Grayson, giving Baker the support he needed.

“Looking back, I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of guys,” Baker said of his teammates. “They’d say, ‘We need you to win.’ We still have a good relationship today.”

Grayson coach Dick Vincent understood scoring, too. He once had 67 points in a game for Hitchins — a school record.

Baker remembers being completely in rhythm.

“Looking back, it was what everybody calls being in the zone,” he said. “It was going in. Day would turn around and shoot it, then I’d come back on the other end. It was like a fast-moving picture.”

The game was physical — the teams combined for 79 free throws — and it came during an era built for scorers. Pistol Pete Maravich was lighting up college basketball at LSU, and Oscar Robertson had recently dropped 46 for the Cincinnati Royals.

Day, the area’s leading scorer that season, had already scored 60 in a win over Wurtland earlier that month, breaking Brice Thornbury’s record of 58. The 6-foot-9 standout finished with 23 field goals and 14 of 16 free throws in that game.

“Jim Day was a tremendous player,” Baker said. “He had great hands and touch. Just a natural shot.”

Day went on to an outstanding career at Morehead State, earning All-Ohio Valley Conference honors. Baker also played in college, shifting from scorer to facilitator at Rio Grande.

“I was an assist man and defense man,” he said. “If I wanted to start, I had to find my role. We already had All-American scorers.”

Some players struggled with that adjustment.

“They wondered why they weren’t playing,” Baker said. “I knew the secret — sometimes you have to adjust your role.”

In high school, though, both Baker and Day had one job: score. They were part of a region loaded with offensive talent in 1967, a season that featured multiple players averaging 20 or more points per game even though the 3-point shot was still 20 years away.

Late in the 1967 high school season, the top 10 scorers included Day (30.2), Louisa’s Herb  Lemaster (22.9), Louisa’s Larry Edwards (21.1), Greenup’s Reece Stephenson (20.7), Hitchins’ Kevin Young (20.1), Raceland’s Mike Hewlett (20.0), Baker (19.6), Catlettsburg’s Roger Zornes (18.8), Boyd County’s Phillip Dowdy (18.1) and Blaine’s Roger Young (18.0).

Russell, which would go on to win the region, had five — Tookie Hilton (16.0), Roger Vanover (15.3), Tom Roberts (13.6), Lanny Miller (11.8) and Steve Radcliff (10.9) — scoring in double figures.

Ashland had four, led by Bob Lynch (17.9), Dan Owens (14.3), John Sieweke and Joe Conley (both 12.0).

Holy Family had four in double figures, too — John Layne (14.7), Tom Davis (13.2), Bucky Morris (12.5) and Maynard Thomas (12.1).

Dave Stultz was Greenup’s second-leading scorer at 12.

But on that February night, there were no better scorers in the 16th Region — and probably not in the state — than Jim Day and Charles Baker.

It was a night to remember.

The toughest job in the 16th Region this season

The toughest job in the 16th Region this season had nothing to do with coaching, handling the basketball or knocking down shots from beyond the arc.

It had everything to do with following a familiar voice—one that had become iconic.

Tyler Rowland stepped into the enormous shoes of the late, great Dicky Martin. When Dicky passed away toward the end of the high school football season, the question of who could follow him wasn’t really meant to be answered.

Who could replace him?

The answer then—and now—is nobody.

Dicky Martin was an original. One of one. A voice so memorable that replays of his calls still circulate on Facebook, and people still stop to listen. He is missed, without question, and things simply aren’t the same.

Tyler Rowland has taken on the toughest job in the 16th Region – the challenge of replacing the legendary broadcaster Dicky Martin as the Voice of the Ashland Tomcats. He is near the end of his first season.

But the man who stepped into his place has done a remarkable job.

Tyler Rowland isn’t Dicky Martin—and expecting him to be would be unfair to anyone. What Tyler has done, though, is begin to grow comfortable in a seat Dicky occupied for more than 50 years of Tomcat sports. Dicky was loud, proud, and unmistakable—a voice even rival fans couldn’t help but hear night after night. He was must-listen radio.

Times have changed, even during Dicky’s era. High school sports once lived exclusively on the radio. Now, fans can watch games from their living rooms through streaming services like My Town TV and Kool Hits. I’m thankful for both. Watching is fun, though I hope radio never disappears. There’s a charm to it that pulls you back in time.

This region has produced a Hall of Fame list of broadcasters—so many that naming them risks leaving someone out. Tyler Rowland has the potential to belong in that conversation.

For Ashland fans especially, radio remains a lifeline. Whether it’s listening live during a game or tuning in afterward for Ryan Bonner’s postgame analysis with Tyler, people are still listening. And if you’ve tuned in, what you’ve heard is a polished broadcaster who improves with every call.

Tyler considers himself a disciple of Dicky, and it shows—especially in his preparation. An accountant by day, his command of numbers is impressive. He’s a savant with statistics. While he has years of broadcasting experience, including time with My Town TV, radio is a different animal. Early on, Tyler was known for his loud excitement on TV. As his voice has matured, it’s grown softer—but also stronger—on the radio.

Tomcat radio is unlike most broadcasts. The tradition built by the Martin family—Dicky and his father, Dick—set the standard for 75 years. Imagine being the person tasked with replacing that kind of history.

It’s overwhelming. But Tyler never let it swallow him, largely because of how much he admired the man who came before him.

The advice he heard most was simple: Don’t try to be Dicky. Be Tyler.

That’s exactly what he’s done. And by doing so, he’s validated the decision made by Tomcat athletic director Jim Conway to hand him the microphone. Tyler’s play-by-play is descriptive, his knowledge sound. You always know the score, the time on the clock, and how far that corner jumper really was. He paints a clear picture without being overly excitable. His strong vocabulary and statistical awareness make his calls both informative and entertaining.

I’ve listened to several of his broadcasts and come away impressed every time. Even when things aren’t going Ashland’s way, he doesn’t rush to blame officials. You might hear, “I’m not sure about that one,” and then he moves on. It’s professional broadcasting—with just the right tint of maroon.

I listened to his call of the most recent Ashland–Boyd County game, a high-scoring Tomcat win. I watched on YouTube while listening to Tyler’s call—barely a second of delay—and he didn’t miss a thing. What he described matched exactly what I was seeing. It was impressive.

If you haven’t listened to this young man yet, give him a chance.

Replacing Dicky Martin was a mission impossible. Everyone knew nobody could truly do it.

But Tyler Rowland is the next man up—and he is the right man to handle the toughest job in the 16th Region, and maybe in the entire state of Kentucky.

And I know this much: Dicky would approve of the job that Tyler has done.

‘Legend’ perfectly describes Bob Kouns

If the word “legend” has ever been fitting for anyone, it certainly applies to Bob Kouns.

From his days as an eighth-grader at South Portsmouth — when he scored the first 11 points of what would become a 1,853-point career — Kouns established himself as a major figure in 16th Region athletics. He excelled as a player, thrived as a coach and later built a remarkable legacy as a three-sport official. Along the way, he mentored countless officials and earned the respect of coaches, players and even fans across the state.

Calling Bob Kouns a legend is not an exaggeration. It’s simply accurate.

Kouns estimated he officiated more than 2,500 basketball games during a 47-year career with the whistle. He spent 53 years as a baseball umpire and another 50 years working football fields as a referee.

Bob Kouns was an athlete, coach and legendary three-sport official in northeastern Kentucky.

Kouns passed away Friday at the age of 85. As word spread, tributes quickly filled social media. With each post came another story highlighting a man whose life was devoted to high school athletics.

A two-sport standout at South Portsmouth High School, Kouns graduated in 1958 before earning a full scholarship to play both baseball and basketball at William Carey College (now William Carey University) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

One of the most influential figures in his life was legendary South Portsmouth basketball coach Sid Meade. Meade helped Kouns secure his opportunity at William Carey and later encouraged him to begin officiating.

“When (Meade) was superintendent at Lewis County, he said, ‘Son, I need umpires for home baseball games. Go get your license,’” Kouns recalled in a story written by Aaron Snyder of The Daily Independent.

A year later, Meade asked him to officiate junior varsity basketball games.

“That’s how I got started,” Kouns said. “Sid was like a second father to me.”

Kouns was a prolific scorer during his playing career, ranking second on South Portsmouth’s all-time scoring list behind Johnny Stephenson and just ahead of Reese Stephenson. As a senior, he averaged 24.3 points per game to lead the Eastern Kentucky Conference. He was equally talented in baseball, which earned him the opportunity to compete at William Carey.

While his playing and coaching accomplishments were impressive, Kouns may be best remembered for his officiating style and approachable personality. Known for allowing games to flow, he rarely let coaches’ frustrations rattle him. During one official’s banquet, a guest speaker jokingly accused Kouns of not having a pea in his whistle.

Still, coaches knew they would get fairness when Kouns walked into the gym.

He officiated the prestigious Ashland Invitational Tournament for 30 years and was honored during the event’s 59th anniversary by receiving a commemorative basketball engraved with “Bob Kouns, 30, AIT.” The tournament also marked the final season of his basketball officiating career.

Kouns worked the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen state tournament five times, most recently in 1997. He officiated 43 consecutive district championship games and 43 straight regional tournaments. His final basketball assignment came during the 2014 9th Region Tournament at Northern Kentucky University.

Some photos of Bob Kouns shared on Facebook. From top left: Kouns listens to Raceland coach Randy Vanderhoof who disagreed with a call. Bob during his playing days at South Portsmouth. Bob cleans off the plate as Don Hardin gives him an earful. Bottom from left: Kouns with the 1968 NEKC champion McKell Bulldogs. Kouns with the 2019 Greenup County Hall of Fame class.

In his first state tournament appearance, he officiated a matchup between Kentucky’s top two teams at Louisville’s Freedom Hall — an early sign of the trust placed in his abilities.

Beyond high school athletics in Kentucky and Ohio, Kouns also worked college games. He spent 10 seasons officiating basketball in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and umpired college baseball in the Mid-South Conference for 15 years.

His career produced numerous honors, including induction into the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004, recognition as a Kentucky Sports Legend in 2007, Outstanding Umpire of the Year in 2007 and induction into the Greenup County High School Hall of Fame in 2019.

Kouns officiated seven state baseball tournaments and five state football championship games. He called his final baseball contest in 2019 during the regional tournament at Raceland.

As a coach, he guided McKell High School teams that included future Major League pitcher Don Gullett. He later led Greenup County High School to its first 16th Region baseball championship in 1980, defeating Ashland 8-2 in the title game and helping establish the Musketeers’ baseball tradition.

Bob Kouns left an undeniable mark on the 16th Region — as a player, coach, official and, above all, as a man known for integrity and character.

“Legend” fits him perfectly.

Roger that: Robinson takes Ashland ties with him into baseball coaches Hall of Fame

An Ashland native who cut his baseball teeth in his hometown was elected to the Kentucky Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday night.

Roger Robinson, a 1984 graduate of Ashland where he played for Frank Sloan, was recognized for building the Bethlehem baseball program for nearly 20 seasons. He has accumulated 327 victories despite being the smallest school in the Fifth Region. That’s an average of 20 wins per season in a program that, before his arrival, had only one district tournament victory.

He has changed the attitude and expectations for Bethlehem since taking over in 2007. That’s 18 seasons in 19 years with the COVID year included when no games were played. He starts season No. 20 in the spring.

Ashland native and Bethlehem High School coach Roger Robinson was inducted into the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.

Bethlehem, a private school, has a boy-girl enrollment of about 300 so his pool of players to choose from is around 150. Compare that with Central Hardin Elizabethtown and Taylor County who have enrollment in the thousands, and it has been an uphill battle, Robinson said.

However, he guided them to the regional championship game in 2013, falling to perennial power Elizabethtown 2-1. He was named Fifth Region Coach of the Year that season.

“That’s as close as we’ve been to winning the region but historically, we go to the region (since his arrival) every year,” said Robinson, who also credited longtime assistant Billy Lyons with the program’s success.

Robinson’s baseball knowledge comes through some good genes. His father, also named Roger Robinson, was a highly successful youth league baseball coach in Ashland for many years. He coached in Little League (major and minor), Babe Ruth and Senior Babe Ruth. The elder Robinson was on the ground floor of getting Babe Ruth baseball started in Ashland in the 1950s.

Roger played for his father throughout his youth career and said the experience was a great one.

“A couple of stories I can think about dad and baseball and the differences of then and now, back when he was coach, they got the practice field on first-come, first-serve basis,” he said. “He’d work the midnight shift at Armco, get off work at 6 a.m. and take the bat bag and put it on the diamond. We’d have early-morning practices.”

It was a baseball family for the Robinsons. Roger’s late mother, Margie, learned to keep the scorebook for her husband and his little sister, Jill, learned how to spend her free time at the ballpark, too.

When Roger Sr. was coaching Armco in the Senior Babe Ruth, Roger Dean was a batboy from 4 years old to 8, taking in the experience of being at the ballfield and around some elite Ashland players. Five decades later, the love of the game has not faded and he’s still on the ballfield.

He has translated that into a successful high school coaching career at Bethlehem. As a professional, he was a physical therapist until he retired. Now he helps with medical assistance for high school teams.

His wife, Cindy, attended private schools and they enrolled their four children at Bethlehem. Roger watched the team play when his boys were young and it wasn’t always pretty. He became an assistant coach and a year later was promoted to the head coach and the rest is history, including have both of his son play for him – like father, like son.

They have won the All “A” regional tournament four times.

“It was a start-from-nothing kind of process,” he said. “A lot of fundraising, an indoor facility and a much nicer field than they used to have made a difference. One of the things I’m most proud of is that we have a full varsity, junior varsity and freshmen teams. To have teams on all three levels for a school our size is tremendous.”

Robinson started the Bethlehem Prep Baseball Program that develops players from K-8th grade for students attending a Bethlehem feeder school.

In his speech on Friday, Robinson said it’s not all about wins and losses at Bethlehem.

“The biggest reason I got into coaching, and one of the things that drives me, and the person I thank most is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said. “I’m trying to represent the Lord when I’m out on that field. It’s what we try to do every time we play at Bethlehem. That is the reason I continue to coach.”

Hearing some of the other speeches about their playing days, Robinson said he once pitched a no-hitter as an 8-year-old on the Foodland Rockets that drew some laughs.

“What I didn’t tell them was I walked 17 and gave up 15 runs,” he said.

Roger played for the White Sox in Ashland American, the Eagles in Babe Ruth, the Tomcats in high school and for Post 76 under Frank Wagner and Paul Reeves.

Robinson thanked his father, his coach throughout his youth baseball days, for instilling in him a love for the game.

“He certainly doesn’t agree with all my philosophies, but that’s OK, he will learn,” Robinson said.

He also thanked his wife for putting up with him and always being supportive. Besides the four grown children, he also has seven grandboys so that means more coaching in his future.

“I had them in the (batting) cage yesterday,” he said.