Published: November 29, 2008 10:31 pm      

MARK MAYNARD: It’s hoops time

Take a deep, deep breath.

We’re going from shotgun formation and blitzing linebackers to 3-point bombs and uptempo running styles.

It’s basketball season, already.

Raceland and Johnson Central gave us one last thrill last weekend in football, the Rams losing a heartbreaker to Lexington Christian Academy 27-20 and the Golden Eagles falling to powerhouse Highlands 35-21.

While the sting of defeat is still fresh, the memories that these teams and others in the area provided fans during the 2008 football season will not be forgotten.

Now it’s time to make some basketball memories.

And it could well be a season to remember.

For the first time in several years, the 16th Region has a legitimate contender to win the state championship.

Elliott County, the two-time defending regional champion, is that team.

The Lions are loaded, returning the top seven players from last year’s 32-game winner that took eventual champion Mason County to the wire in the opening round of last March’s Sweet Sixteen.

Of course, it’s a long time between now and March with plenty of basketball to be played.

The season officially gets under way on Monday and ramps its way through December with holiday tournaments galore.

It used to be the Ashland Invitational Tournament was one of the few holiday tournaments in the area but now more and more teams are adding to the fun. It will make for a hectic month.

Elliott County will even be having some fun in the sun in December with an appearance in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It’ll be good for the Lions, who are one of the biggest regional favorites in recent memory.

East Carter is the team most likely to challenge Elliott County. Those teams have a Dec. 23 matchup in Sandy Hook that’s worth circling on the calendar.

Don’t miss out on a chance to watch Elliott County play this season if it’s against your favorite team or somebody else. It’s a special team that has already made its place in region history.

You’ll leave impressed with their skills, their savvy and their will to win. It’s going to be a tough team to handle for anybody.

Elliott County will take nothing for granted. It’s a blue-collar team despite the enormous amount of success over the past three years (two regional championships, one runner-up finish). Their mission is to be playing on the last Saturday night of the high school season in Rupp Arena.

It’s been 47 years since the 16th Region stood as boys’ champions of Kentucky — the famed 1961 Ashland Tomcats being that team.

Elliott County, if it can avoid injuries, has the talent to make its dream come true.

But let’s take it one dribble at a time.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.