ASHLAND, Ky. – Only a couple of years separated the 1973 and 1975 Ashland Tomcat basketball teams and they met similar disappointing fates in the 16^th Region tournament.

So a simulated redemption game between them seemed appropriate.

Both were coached by Steve Gilmore, so a volleyball referee standard was set up behind the scorer’s table at midcourt to allow him to be in control of both sides from a higher perch. It’s a good thing Coach Gilmore’s balance was above par because this game was a head-turner with points coming in rapid fashion from buzzer to buzzer.

They decided before the game to put the 3-pointer in play, which meant even more points. Both teams loved the long distance shot.

Dick Martin Sr. was calling the game until he lost his voice midway through the third quarter and son Dicky took over the play-by-play. The audition led him to take over the job in 1976, but that’s a story for another day.

This one was about a pair of run-and-gun teams who engaged in a catch-me-if-you-can game of basketball much to the delight of a packed house at Anderson gym who showed how much they appreciated these exciting teams.

“One good thing about it,” Gilmore said, “I wasn’t going to lose this game. But, then, I wasn’t going to win either. Well, either way, it was fun watching these guys run up and down the floor. I’m not sure what happened to either team’s defense. I was calling for timeouts but nobody would look up.”

Sure enough, it was a strange night all around. But it was offensive basketball at its finest.

Jimmy Mann of the 1975 Tomcats was on fire like nobody had ever seen him, finishing with a simulation record 37 points and 14 rebounds. He made 16 of 20 shots from the floor and even found a way to collect three assists.

“He was the Mann,” Gilmore said with a wink.

The game was extremely tight and that was expected from these evenly matched teams who were so familiar they had two players who played for both teams. More on that later. The fans packed the stands for what they figured to be a shootout. The Wild West had nothing on these teams.

It was tied 22-22 after the first quarter with neither team holding more than a four-point advantage. In the second quarter, the 75 Cats moved ahead behind Mann’s scoring. He had 26 points at the intermission, nearly half of the Tomcats’ 54-point total.

He left to a standing ovation from both sides.

“I’ve never shot the ball like that before,” admitted Mann, who didn’t miss his first 12 shots. Number 13 went around and around the rim before spinning out.

“I tell you what, Jimmy Mann put us in a hole all by himself,” said Steve Dodd of the 73 Cats. “I’ve never seen anything like it. We knew he could shoot but my goodness who shoots the ball like that?”

The 75 Cats built a 54-43 lead at the half and the offense seemed to know exactly what the defense was doing. The teams were so familiar with each other that the defenses almost never had a chance to stop them.

“We were running the same offenses and defenses,” Gilmore said. “This was almost more like an AAU game. Very little defense was being played.”

Neither team had the 3-point shot when they played in the early 70s – the rule didn’t come into play until 1987 – but they experimented with it in the simulation. They both had some good moments with it too.

The 75 Cats were 8-for-23 with Steve Kovach and Mark Collins swishing three apiece. Danny Evans nailed three-of-five for the 73 Cats. He hardly had to change his style, although Evans was caught looking down several times to make sure his feet were behind the arc when pulling up for the long shot at the end of fast breaks, a staple move for him.

“How many times have I watched Danny Evans make that shot,” Gilmore said. “I knew every time he stopped at the top of the key on that fast break it was going in. He got real comfortable with that shot.”

Evans finished with 15 points and 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals. He was one of four in double figures and two others scored nine for the 73 Cats.

“We got the offense moving but didn’t make many stops,” Evans said. “We’re better than that on defense. That part was disappointing but the game was fun.”

However, despite pulling within four points on several occasions in the second half, the 73 Tomcats had it down to a 60-58 deficit when Dodd scored on a putback. They trailed only 68-64 going into the fourth quarter.

“The 73 team had some momentum,” Gilmore said. “But that big run did them in.”

A 13-0 spurt ignited by a pair of triples from Collins and two surprising ones from the 6-foot-6 Kovach brought the score to 81-64 in favor of the 75 Tomcats.

That was as close as the 73 Tomcats would get to the 75 Cats, who pulled away for a 94-81 victory that had the fans buzzing.

Mann scored 11 in the second half for his 37-point total and Collins finished with 16 points. Bryan Salyers scored 12 with six assists. It was a scoring-fest for the 75 Cats, who shot a blistering 53 percent from the floor.

“That was a lot of fun,” said 75 Tomcat reserve Greg Estep. “When we got it moving, we really got it moving. It was good to get together with these guys again. We both hated how our seasons ended a lot sooner than either one of us thought it should have.”

The 75 Tomcats bowed out in the first round of the region against Greenup County after going undefeated against region competition during the regular season. The 73 Cats fell to Boyd County in the regional final.

Both of them had high hopes of a trip to the Sweet 16.

“I loved both of these basketball teams,” Gilmore said afterward. “They were outstanding teams who played well and competed hard. And let me tell you, I don’t know how those volleyball refs stand on those ladders for so long. My feet are killing me. So is my back. But it was a good view of a fun to watch basketball game, even if they never heard me much.”

Dodd and Evans, two future coaches, did much of the bench work for the 73 team. Dodd also finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. In another rare twist, Kovach was matched against himself on several occasions. The sophomore Kovach had 10 points and six rebounds and the senior Kovach finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Salyers also scored for both teams.

Only in simulation world will that happen.

The 73 Cats were forced into 26 turnovers in the high-flying game. Salyers and Estep had three steals apiece.

Meanwhile, Dicky Martin was breathless after calling a lot of the second half of the high-scoring game. “I love this,” he said. “I’m going to try and do a few more games.”

Pete Wonn, who did the color commentating, said the younger Martin was a natural.

“A star is born,” he said.

Real life

Ashland’s 1973 team compiled a 22-5 record and reached the finals of the regional tournament where the Tomcats fell to Boyd County, 73-64. A week earlier the Lions defeated the Tomcats 77-73 in Anderson gym. It was the first time Ashland had ever lost to Boyd County.

Ashland’s 1975 team was highly regarded with great overall size. The Tomcats were 19-9 and were undefeated against region competition until the loss to Greenup County that soured the season.

1973 ASHLAND (81) – Evans 5-11 2-3 12, G.Conley 4-11 1-1 9, Kovach 4-9 102 9, Dodd 5-9 0-1 10, Smith 3-7 3-3 10, Booker 3-5 4-5 11, Heffner 2-4 0-0 4, Wilcox 0-2 3-5 3, R.Conley 2-6 2-2 6, Salyers 0-1 2-2 2. FG: 28-65. FT: 20-26. 3FG: 5-13 (Evans 3-5, G.Conley 0-1, Smith 1-3, Booker 1-4). Rebounds: 32 (Evans 4, Kovach 2, Dodd 12, Smith 4, Booker 3, Heffner 4, R.Conley 1, Salyers 2). Assists: 18 (Evans 10, G.Conley 1, Kovach 3, Dodd 1, Smith 1, Booker 2). PF: 19. Turnovers: 26.

1975 ASHLAND (94) – Salyers 5-6 2-2 12, Small 1-3 0-0 2, Collins 6-19 5-8 16, Mann 16-20 5-8 37, Estep 2-5 1-1 5, Kovach 4-6 3-5 11, Craft 2-4 0-0 6, Fosson 1-4 3-4 5, King 0-2 0-0 0. FG: 37-69. FT: 12-18. 3FG: 8-23 (Small 0-2, Collins 3-9, Estep 0-1, Kovach 3-5, Craft 2-4, Fosson 0-2). Rebounds: 36 (Salyers 4, Small 2, Collins 5, Mann 14, Estep 2, Kovach 5, Fosson 4, King 4). Assists: 24 (Salyers 6, Small 1, Mann 3, Estep 2, Kovach 3, Craft 3, Fosson 4). PF: 24. Turnovers: 19.

1973 ASHLAND    22         21         21         17         –              81

1975 ASHLAND    22         32         14         26         –              94

ASHLAND, Ky. – A score-fest was expected when the 1954 and 2020 Tomcats tangled at Anderson gym, where the 3-point line would be in play.

Even though the 54 Tomcats didn’t play with that luxury, they had enough players who could launch from there with good success and the 2020 Tomcats simply feasted behind the stripe. A high-scoring game was expected and that may be why the stands were full early.

Just watching the teams in warmups was satisfying enough. It was like watching Barry Bonds take batting practice. Bill Gray of the 54 Tomcats got real comfortable real fast behind the arc, hitting 10 consecutive triples during one shooting session. It was quite a show to watch and even the kids in the stands were in on the countdown. When the 11th one spun out, a loud “awwww!” could be heard.

On the other end of the floor, the 20 Tomcats went through their normal routine which included a lot of attempts from 3-point land and most of them not even moving the net. They called Anderson gym the Splash Pad during the undefeated season for a reason.

Nobody had seen this many times before in Anderson gym, but the fans were on their feet cheering during warmups!

It helped too that the always prepared public address announcer Chuck Rist was spinning songs from the 1950s and every other era leading up to the 2000s in a rotating basis that only he could do. The place was absolutely bumping and his infectious music was one of the reasons why. It was part basketball, part rock concert.

Meanwhile, 2020 Tomcat coach Jason Mays was sitting on his bench taking in the pregame like it was a giant Slurpee. He couldn’t get enough of the basketball sweetness he was watching.

“Can we just send everybody home now?” he asked. “I mean, this is a show right here. Do we need to mess that up by playing?”

Mays was right. It was a show with a lot of shooting stars. Literal shooting stars. An all-night game of H-O-R-S-E would have been worth the admission. But both teams were itching to play this virtual shootout.

The 54 Tomcats are part of Ashland Tomcat lore, a team that some say overachieved in making it to the state semifinals where they lost a close one to Newport and then finished in third place during a time when consolation games were played.

George Conley was in his last season as coach of the Tomcats in 1954, but the Senator still had a fire burning in his belly and he relayed that competitive edge to his players and to anybody within ear-shot.

Conley was intently watching the 2020 Tomcats swish in shot after shot after shot in pregame. He couldn’t take his eyes off them.

“Do those guys ever miss?” he asked. “Well,” answering his own question, “they will after we knock a few of them on their as…”

He was interrupted by a manager who said he was needed at the scorer’s table, something about the starting lineup. (Good thing since this is a family publication).

Rist quickly pulled up the song “That’s All I Want From You” as Conley walked over to check on the book. He followed that up with “Mister Sandman.”  The fiery coach scowled at him after that one.

“Do we have to play that infernal music?” he asked.

The crowd was worked into a frenzy as the teams headed to the respective dressing rooms with Rist switching to “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet.” They had sized up each other, received some final instructions from coaches and were ready to go for a rip snorting game.

They may have been too amped. Neither team was able to make a 3-pointer in the first quarter, although both fired them up. The 2020 Tomcats did get the offense moving though and led 20-17 when Cole Villers scored on a putback at the buzzer.

The 54 Tomcats began finding the range from downtown in the second quarter with Gray zeroing in from long range. He drilled 3 of 6 on triples in the second quarter, but rolled his ankle when he came down awkwardly on a rebound. Gray was having a dominating game, scoring 14 with eight rebounds, when he was forced to leave.

There was more firepower behind him. Jerry Henderson, Darryle Kouns and Mike Jones weren’t missing many either.

“They got that running game going and we couldn’t do much with them,” Mays said. “I had to figure out a way to slow them down.”

The 54 Tomcats led 43-41 at the half but only because the 2020 Tomcats closed the first half on an 11-2 run. And they were nailing the triples too.

Rist played “Three Coins in the Fountain” as the teams were leaving the floor.

It promised to be an exciting second half.

The teams were so evenly matched and that’s how the second half began playing it. Back and forth they went, shots flying in from everywhere. It seemed like everybody was hot.

“Some Like It Hot” fittingly blared over the loudspeakers during one timeout. Rist was on his game, too.

And his song choice was true, at least on the basketball court.

Gray returned late in the third quarter, but was mostly ineffective. His ankle was heavily taped and he tried to play but was hampered by the injury. He had five points and two rebounds in the second half and didn’t play in the fourth quarter as he sat with an ice pack on the ankle.

“Losing Gray was a tough deal for us to overcome,” Conley said. “He can get hot like he did tonight. The guy is a pure shooter. We missed that in the second half.”

Villers, meanwhile, was lighting up like a Christmas tree. He finished 7-of-9 from behind the arc to lead an explosion for the 2020 Tomcats. All five starters finished in double figures with Villers collecting 25 with 14 rebounds.

The problem wasn’t scoring, it was stopping the 54 Tomcats from scoring.

“We had a lot of trouble guarding Gray in the first half and Henderson in the second half,” Mays said. “Gray is as good a shooter as we’ll ever face and Henderson is hard to cover. He gave us fits. They are a lot like us with a lot of talented players. It’s no wonder it was such a good matchup.”

The 2020 Tomcats were leading 57-56 when Hunter Gillum scored on a drive. Ethan Sellars zipped him a no-look pass as he was moving toward the basket. He caught it in stride and laid in the bucket.

In a game that was tied a dozen times with eight lead changes, the 2020 Tomcats were trying to finish it off. Justin Bradley, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds, drilled a turnaround jumper and Colin Porter popped in a step-back 12-footer to make it 75-70 with 1:45 remaining.

Conley took a timeout, rallied his players around him, and set up some strategy to get back in the game. And it worked.

They came out to “Shake, Rattle and Roll” playing in the gym as Rist kept pushing the right buttons. The crowd was dancing in the aisles. They really were!

54 Tomcat Bill Kazee drilled his only 3-pointer to make it 75-73. Villers scored again for a 77-73 advantage, but Henderson came right back scored on a putback, then forced a turnover that allowed Kouns to get off a 15-footer at the buzzer that was all net and it was 77-77.

In the overtime period, Villers struck with his seventh 3-pointer to make it 80-77 and again the 54 Tomcats answered. When Kouns rebounded his own miss and put it back in, the game was tied again at 83 with only 15 seconds to play.

Mays called a timeout to set up strategy and set up a last-second play for Porter. But the 54 Tomcats had countered with a defense that trapped Porter before he could drive. Despite a double-team, he was somehow able to kick it out to Bradley who was open in the far corner. The 2020 Tomcats had already made 11 of 24 from behind the arc. Bradley never hesitated, not for a split second, and let it fly … swish! The 2020 Tomcats had won 86-83 with the last-second thriller.

And Rist was ready with “Celebration” already queued up.

Gray area

Bill Gray only played a few minutes in the second half but he still finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The 54 Tomcats obviously missed his presence.

“It’s part of the game,” Conley said. “I like this little shooters on this 2020 team. They’re some tough kids, tougher than I thought. Good win for them. They represent the Tomcat tradition well.”

Henderson collected 14 points and 15 rebounds and Kouns 16 points and 11 boards.

Villers and Hudson were backed by Sellars with 12 points and Porter with 10 points and seven assists.

Real life

Ashland’s 1954 team won 28 of 34 games and reached the Sweet 16 semifinals where Newport knocked them off 73-69. The Tomcats won the consolation game against Adair County.

Ashland’s 2020 team went 33-0 – the perfect season – but didn’t get to play in the Sweet 16 because of the coronavirus.

1954 ASHLAND (83) – Bailey 3-13, Kazee 2-7 0-0 7, Gray 8-18 0-1 19, Henderson 7-12 0-1 14, Kouns 7-12 2-3 16, Jones 4-12 5-6 13, Hopkins 2-6 0-0 4, Ware 1-3 1-2 3, Conley 1-2 0-0 2. FG: 35-85. FT: 9-14. 3FG: 4-11 (Kazee 1-3, Bailey 0-1, Gray 3-6, Hopkins 0-1). Rebounds: 58 (Kazee 4, Bailey 5, Gray 10, Henderson 15, Kouns 11, Jones 2, Hopkins 2, Ware 7, Conley 2). Assists: 18 (Jones 7, Kazee 1, Bailey 3, Gray 1, Hopkins 4, Conley 2). PF: 23. Turnovers: 17.

2020 ASHLAND (86) – Porter 5-9 0-0 10, Sellars 4-13 0-0 12, Bradley 5-9 6-6 17, Hudson 5-11 2-4 12, Villers 9-20 0-0 25, Phillips 2-5 0-1 4, Gillum 1-1 0-0 2, Adkins 1-2 0-0 2, Atkins 1-2 0-0 2, Davis 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 33-72. FT: 8-11. 3FG: 12-25 (Porter 0-2, Sellars 4-5, Bradley 1-4, Hudson 0-3, Villers 7-9, Phillips 0-2). Rebounds: 52 (Porter 3, Sellars 2, Bradley 12, Hudson 9, Villers 14, Phillips 5, Gillum 4, Adkins 1, Atkins 2, Davis 1). PF: 16. Turnovers: 18.

1954 ASHLAND      17       26       13        21       6       –           83

2020 ASHLAND      20       21       16         20       9        –         86

 

 

 

ASHLAND, Ky. – When Paul Patterson became Ashland’s new basketball coach in 1976, he made one thing clear. The Tomcats were going to win with defense.

Tough, make-the-opponent-miserable man-to-man defense. Patterson instituted a goal of allowing no more than 49 points per game. He put it on practice jerseys and he drove it into his players’ minds.

Patterson’s defensive philosophy would alter the coaching mindset in the 16^th Region. Instead of freewheeling offense and high-scoring games, defense was about to take center stage. Teams went away from zones and it became a man-to-man region with hard-nosed defensive teams becoming the norm.

Of course, it took some proving.

The 77 Tomcats did just that, going 30-2 and allowing only 59 points per game. They held opponents under 49 in 19 games. They won the state quarterfinal game over Shelby County, 44-42, in an absolute physical war.

Defense was always the cornerstone for Patterson, who won four consecutive regional championships and never lost a game against any regional opponent in regular season or postseason during his four seasons on the Tomcat bench. He also had his detractors who feared the slow pace would be boring to fans who were used to run-and-gun basketball. Nobody seemed to get bored with winning though.

So why not match up one of Ashland’s greatest defensive teams with its greatest offensive team? Get ready for the showdown between the 77 Tomcats and the 61 Tomcats in Anderson gym.

The talk leading up to this one was how many points would be put up on the scoreboard in Anderson gym, home of the 77 Tomcats. The 61 Tomcats averaged 85 points per game on the way to a 36-1 record. They were under 60 only one time – the 59-58 loss to Lafayette.

So this was going to be good.

The 77 Tomcats were methodical, always controlling the pace of play, and the 61 Tomcats never stopped running, Both teams had size and college-level talent with outstanding coaches. With 6-foot-7 Jeff Kovach, 6-4 Jim Harkins and 6-3 Mark Swift, the 71 Tomcats matched up well inside.

“If we don’t dictate the pace and limit fastbreak opportunities, they will blow us out of the gym,” Patterson said before the game. “We must control the game.”

It was going to be a tug-of-war of wills. The 61 Tomcats used their fullcourt trap to push the tempo and create scoring opportunities. While they were a high-scoring team, it was because of an extremely effective defense that forced turnovers that quickly became baskets. Patterson knew they had to limit the runs.

Wright said it was important to be patient but take the opportunities because in the halfcourt situation, he hadn’t seen a better defense. “And I’ve seen a lot of good ones,” he said.

There was a nervousness in that statement. Wright knew what the 61 Tomcats were up against in this strong Tomcat team.

Patterson was just as nervous about controlling the 61 Tomcats. “You just don’t see teams with this kind of talent. And Larry Conley’s ability to do everything so well makes him tough to defend. Harold Sergent is one of the best guards I’ve ever seen. We won’t change what we do well though.”

True to his words, the 77 Tomcats jumped in front 17-9 with Jim Harkins scoring seven. It was a stunning start. Fans of the 61 Tomcats kept waiting for the eruption but it hadn’t come yet. The fundamentally solid 77 Tomcats boxed out with ferocity and kept Gene Smith and Bob Hilton from back-tipping rebounds and ignited the fastbreak. Game tempo had successfully been established.

And that’s how they controlled the game.

The 61 Tomcats couldn’t put a run together but did manage to pull within 27-22 on Sergent’s drive past Greg Swift with 34 seconds to play in the first half and that would be the halftime score.

“We were frustrated at halftime,” Conley said. “They had set the tempo and we couldn’t get it away from them.  The little Swift handled our pressure so well. He made some nice passes to get out of some double teams. That’s a well-coached team.”

Kovach’s two free throws made it 34-28 but a 7-0 run – the best the 61 Tomcats had mustered – put them ahead for the first time since early in the first quarter at 35-34. Patterson took a timeout to settle down his team that seemed out of sorts for the first time.

“We missed a couple of easy shots and didn’t take care of the ball on a third possession,” Patterson said. “We had to get back to what we could do well.”

Wright said he thought the 61 Tomcats were about to take off.

“They came back to the huddle more excited than I’d seen them all night,” he said. “They were confident.”

The 77 Tomcats came out of the timeout with the ball and held onto it for two minutes before Dale Dummit buried a 10-footer after following a hard screen from Mark Swift.

However, Cram and Conley scored on back-to-back trips to make it 39-36.

“We had them right there, we had them,” Conley said.

But then they didn’t. Mark Swift scored off a nice pass from his brother Greg and then tipped away the inbound pass, which Dummit ran down and flipped back to Mark Swift for a layup and a 40-39 lead entering the last quarter.

The 1977 pep band started playing “Jet Airliner” and the crowd started getting loud. They were proud of what their team had accomplished. They had held the mighty 61 Tomcats under 40 through three quarters, something nobody was able to do in 1961.

Hilton tied the game at 45 with four minutes remaining on a short jumper, but the 77 Tomcats gained a better grip with back-to-back baskets from Harkins and Kovach to make it 49-45. They never trailed again although the 61 Tomcats pulled within 54-52 with 1:45 remaining on another Conley drive.

The 77 Tomcats finished on a 7-2 run, including three for three on free throws in the last 15 seconds, to secure the 61-54 victory.

Fans rushed the floor to celebrating this hard-fought win over the team most consider the greatest in Tomcat history.

“They played their butts off,” Wright said. “I have no complaints. Coach Patterson had them ready for us and they controlled the pace the whole game. It was a chess match and he got me this time. We’d so some things different if we get a rematch.”

Conley scored 14 with seven rebounds and he made all 10 of his free throws. Smith collected 11 points and five rebounds.

Kovach led the 77 Tomcats with 17 points and Harkins scored 16 and Mark Swift 12. That trio combined for 14 rebounds.

“All my life, those guys were the ones,” Mark Swift said. “Nobody was better. To get the chance to even be on the same floor with them is something I’ll never forget. To actually beat them, well, that just tells you something about my teammates. I’m proud to be a Tomcat.”

Real life

Ashland’s 1961 team finished 36-1 and captured the state championship, the fourth in school history. They are regarded as one of the greatest teams in Kentucky high school history.

Ashland’s 1977 team had a 30-2 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 semifinals before losing to Louisville Valley. These Tomcats may have been the best defensive team of the modern era.

 

1961 ASHLAND (54) – Sergent 4-10 0-1 8, Cram 4-9 1-1 9, Hilton 3-6 3-4 9, Conley 2-4 10-10 14, Smith 5-6 1-1 11, Sexton 0-2 1-2 1, Daniel 0-1 0-0 0, Fairchild 1-2 0-0 2, Johnson 0-2 0-0 0. FG: 19-42. FT: 16-19. Rebounds: 26 (Sergent 1, Cram 3, Hilton 4, Conley 7, Smith 6, Sexton 3, Daniel 1, Fairchild 1). Assists: 11 (Sergent 3, Cram 3, Hilton 1, Conley 2, Smith 1, Daniel 1). PF: 24. Turnovers: 16.

1977 ASHLAND (61) – G.Swift 3-4 0-0 6, M.Swift 3-7 5-7 11, Smith 2-6 2-3 6, Harkins 5-11 6-10 16, Kovach 4-7 9-10 17, Allen 1-1 0-0 2, Dummit 1-2 1-2 3, Welch 0-1 0-0 0, Henderson 0-0 0-0 0. FG: 19-39. FT: 23-32. Rebounds: 22 (G.Swift 1, M.Swift 4, Smith 2, Harkins 4, Kovach 6, Allen 3, Welch 2). Assists: 12 (G.Swift 5, M.Swift 3, Smith 2, Harkins 1, Kovach 1). PF: 14. Turnovers: 13.

1961 ASHLAND       9          13       17       15            –           54

1977 ASHLAND       17       10       13       21            –           61

ASHLAND, Ky. – When Joe Swartz ran onto the court before the 1962 Ashland Tomcats took on the 1971 Tomcats, he sent some good vibrations through the old Ashland High School gym with his famous cheer.

“When you’re up, you’re up,

when you’re down, you’re down;

when you’re up against the

Tomcats you’re upside down!”

The fans went crazy. That was all it took. This place was jacked-up. Their beloved 62 Tomcats are one of the forgotten teams even though they achieved more than almost any of them.

Almost.

Their biggest problem? They came after the 61 Tomcats. It’s tough to follow the GOAT even if you still have the GOAT on the roster.

Despite 32 victories and a state runner-up finish, it’s never talked about as one of Ashland’s greatest teams. But they still had Larry Conley, maybe the best Tomcat of them all. Who else was instrumental in 68 wins, a state championship and state runnerup over two years?

The 71 Tomcats were another team that’s not spoken of much even though they won 26 and reached the Sweet 16 quarterfinals. It was a team of great balance, well-coached by the venerable Harold Cole. This was the last of his three 16^th Region championships in a row.

So everybody had a lot to prove when the 62 Tomcats hosted the 71 Tomcats. It was easy to see during the pregame warmups. Nobody had seen such intensity before a tipoff. The place was absolutely electric with the 1971 pep band playing “The Horse” and everybody was on their feet. It was a special sight to see for these teams. The game was bigger than most people imagined and both sides thought they were going to win.

The coaches in the game, Bob Wright for the 62 Tomcats and Harold Cole for the 71 Tomcats, both did nothing but win. They were alike in some ways and very different in others. Their success was what was demanded in those days.

The idea of Tomcats vs. Tomcats wasn’t easy for everybody.

Joe Swartz did a double-take when he saw the opponents jersey had Ashland on the front. But the fans in the stands on either side sure knew their favorite Tomcats. But it didn’t matter. He’d already done his part.

Now it was time to play.

Maybe the 71 Tomcats were too pumped up as they struggled out of the gate. The 62 Tomcats raced ahead 18-7 with Conley scoring seven, the last coming on an offensive rebound that would be a sign of things to come.

Rebounding proved to be a big difference in this one. The 62 Tomcats crashed the boards hard with Conley pulling down 17 himself, including seven offensive.

“Larry can play anywhere on the floor and do it well,” Wright said. “I’ve never seen a more complete player or a better rebounder. He knows how the ball is coming off the rim.”

Conley said it would look up through the net to determine which way the ball was going. His instincts were frightening.

But if the 62 Tomcats thought it was over after building they 11-point lead, they thought wrong.

The 71 Tomcats were a team of great balance and it showed up again. They began fighting back but another surge from the 62 Tomcats pushed the lead to as much as 13 points at 32-19 when David Hall scored off a Fastbreak.

The 62 Tomcats settled for a 37-26 lead at the half.

“We couldn’t keep them off the boards,” Cole said. “I knew we needed to make some adjustments at half. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do with Conley. He was so active and they knew to get the ball to him. He was hard to handle.”

The 71 Tomcats went to a 1-3-1 and made sure they knew where Conley was at all times. Meanwhile, on offense, they began chipping away at the deficit. It was down to 49-43 when they went on a 12-1 run to take their biggest lead at 55-50.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know what happened,” said 62 Tomcat Jim McKenzie, who scored 16. “We were cruising along and then all of the sudden we’re down five. How did that happen?”

It was two minutes into the fourth quarter when the 71 Tomcats seemed to gain control of the game. Then the 62 Tomcats took a timeout and Joe Swartz made a rare second appearance with his famous cheer.

“When you’re up you’re up,

when you’re down you’re down;

when you’re up against the

Tomcats you’re upside down!”

It was like a bomb went off in that place.

McKenzie caught fire from the corners, making the 1-3-1 ineffective. When they went back to man-to-man, Conley began taking over again.

Before anybody knew it, the teams were dead even at 60 with 2:56 remaining.

Gerry Whitlow’s basket at the 36-second mark was the last score for the 71 Tomcats, who turned cold just like that.

Larry Fairchild’s drive had put the 62 Tomcats in front for good at 62-60 as they finished the game on a 9-2 run. Conley made five consecutive free throws after Whitlow’s basket cut the lead to 64-62.

Conley was the dominating factor with 27 points and 17 rebounds. The 62 Tomcats held a whopping 51-25 rebounding advantage, and that included 19 offensive rebounds.

“That 1-3-1 was giving us fits but Jim broke it open for us with those corner bombs,” Conley said. “I’m not sure we’d have won it without him getting hot.”

Whitlow had 12 points and three rebounds and Paul Hixson collected 11 points and six assists.

The last time anybody saw big Joe Swartz that night he had his arms around two cheerleaders leaving the gymnasium.

His 62 Tomcats had indeed turned things upside down, but  everything was sunny-side-up for him.

Real life

Ashland’s 1971 team was 26-4 and were regional champion. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sweet 16 before losing 72-62 to Louisville Central. It was coach Harold Cole’s second-winningest team.

Ashland’s 1962 team finished 32-6, won the regional title and then surprisingly to everybody but them played their way into the championship game. They came close, falling 62-58 to heavily favored St. Xavier for what would have been a second consecutive state title.

1971 ASHLAND (62) – Hixson 4-7 3-4 11, Salyer 1-2 1-2 3, Lynch 4-11 1-2 9, Farrow 3-10 1-2 7, Whitlow 4-11 4-6 12, Kleykamp 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 2-7 0-0 4, Griffith 1-5 4-4 6, Dodd 2-2 0-0 4, Hall 2-3 2-2 6, Brown 0-2 0-0 0. FG: 23-61. FT: 16-22. Rebounds: 25 (Hixson 3, Salyer 2, Lynch 5, Farrow 5, Whitlow 3, Williams 3, Griffith 5, Dodd 1. Assists: 14 (Hixson 6, Salyer 1, Lynch 1, Kleykamp 3, Williams 2, Dodd 1. PF: 23. Turnovers: 12.

1962 ASHLAND (69) – Stewart 1-3 0-0 2, Johnson 2-8 4-5 8, Fairchild 3-8 0-0 6, McKenzie 6-14 4-4 16, Conley 9-18 9-12 27, Hall 2-5 0-2 4, Barrow 1-4 2-3 4, Turpin 0-1 0-2 0, Yancey 1-1 0-0 2, Wheeler 0-1 0-2 0. FG: 25-63. FT: 19-30. Rebounds: 51 (Stewart 2, Johnson 4, Fairchild 10, McKenzie 10, Conley 17, Hall 1, Barrow 3, Turpin 1, Yancey 1, Wheeler 2). Assists: 10 (Johnson 4, Fairchild 2, McKeiznie 1, Conley 3). PF: 21. Turnovers: 21.

1971 ASHLAND 13         13         21         15         –              62

1962 ASHLAND 20         17         13         19         –              69