Boys All-Area basketball team: Supplying a shooter's touch: Spurlock breaks records, reaches goals, shares honors with Anderson

CANNONSBURG Jacob Spurlock forced himself to take a night off.

It’s not a natural decision for him because he lives in the gym and never strays too far from it.

But after another record-breaking season, culminating with Boyd County cutting down the nets after the region championship in Morehead, the senior didn’t have much time to reflect. He got right back to work.

“I took a couple of days off after the season,” Spurlock said. “But after about a week, I was already back in the gym. I work out two or three times a day. It just really never stops for me.”

Lions coach Randy Anderson wanted his team to have no nights off during this year’s schedule. He would travel wherever he could find strong, physical opponents to prepare his crew for the postseason. Boyd County also won the Kentucky 2A state championship in Owensboro, along with its first 16th Region title since 2018.

“It’s always the ultimate goal, and it is for every team in Kentucky,” Anderson said. “These guys just had a different stance on defense in the way they approached it and in the weight room. We played competitive teams all summer long. Jake was hurt, but you could see the team forming at that time.

“I thought our schedule was very competitive,” he continued. “We traveled over 4,000 miles to put these guys in situations where they could play really good competition in showcases and tournaments. It’s humbling to hear they wanted to win a region title for me. I was just along for the ride. These guys were really good and one of the most talented teams in my era.”

The Lions had one goal, and no one would stand in their way. The players wanted to end their season at Rupp Arena and the state tournament, but also to see their beloved coach get one more day on the big stage.

Spurlock, the school’s all-time leading scorer, ascended to the top of the 16th Region scoring list this year. He holds the school mark in made 3s and stands in second place among region sharpshooters.

Spurlock collected Most Valuable Player honors at the Kentucky-Ohio All-Star game on April 11. He will join another All-Star roster during the annual Kentucky-Indiana game in early June. The Daily Independent named Spurlock its 2025-26 All-Area Player of the Year.

Anderson recently announced his retirement after 42 seasons on the sideline. The illustrious coach was named All-Area Coach of the Year.

“Ever since I started playing for coach A, I wanted a region championship,” Spurlock said. “By my senior year, I wanted to play at Rupp. We want to get coach there too. He hasn’t been there since 2018. To see him happy, we know that our hard work paid off.”

Spurlock led the Lions’ scoring with 27.3 points a night. He splashed 349 triples and nearly grabbed 10 boards every game. He was joined on the All-Area team by teammates Malachi Payne (17.0 ppg), who recently signed with Glenville State, and Gunnar Woods (11.0).

“This bunch was so good defensively,” Anderson said. “They responded well and understood how we scout our opponents. I am blessed with the best coaching staff in the world. They are really good with film scout and preparation in practice. They have really good relationships with our guys.”

Spurlock, a Youngstown State signee, acknowledged the strides the team made on defense and showed they were capable of winning games in every manner, whether it was a slow, methodical contest or an up-and-down game.

Spurlock’s numbers are impressive, but Anderson, at times, just stood and watched how his senior guard adapted his game around any situation.

“I wish I had a dime for every time I turned and asked one of my assistants, ‘You realize what we are watching right now?” Anderson said. “He’s one of the best to ever put a uniform on here. It’s the shots he makes and the plays that he makes and creates. It’s been great to watch him physically mature and know that at the next level, you have to guard the basketball and be physical.

“He ranks right up there at the top,” he added. “It’s amazing to have a front row seat to watch him practice and in games. It’s great for me to be part of our kids’ lives. It’s very special to me.”

Ashland also placed three players on the team. Seniors Caleb Clarke (20.6 ppg) and Drew Smith (18.6) provided leadership in the locker room and steady play on the court. Junior point guard Elijah Neel added 15.4 points a game and continues to be the Tomcats’ top facilitator.

Elliott County (Lake Adkins 15.2 ppg, Tyssen Crabtree 15.2, 10.8 rpg), 15th Region champions Johnson Central (Brayden Shepherd 19.7, Austin Slone 21.1), Lawrence County (Kaiden Harris 21.6, Hayden Perry 15.6), Lewis County (Daylen Bivens 18.0, 9.9, Julian Puente 21.4), Raceland (Jonah Arnett 17.0, Charles Welch 10.2) and 63rd District champion Russell (Ryder Burgess 17.1, Tyler Cordial 12.0) each had two representatives on the All-Area roster.

Greenup County’s Kasey Gammon, Morgan County’s Asher Gamble, Paintsville’s Anderson Lauffer, Rowan County’s Cameron Cross and West Carter’s Nathan Webb round out the All-Area team.

Coaches’ votes comprised the All-Area roster. The Daily Independent staff chose the player and coach of the year.

2025-26 The Daily Independent Boys All-Area Basketball Team

Lake Adkins (Elliott County)

Jonah Arnett (Raceland)

Daylen Bivens (Lewis County)

Ryder Burgess (Russell)

Caleb Clarke (Ashland)

Tyler Cordial (Russell)

Tyssen Crabtree (Elliott County)

Cameron Cross (Rowan County)

Kasey Gammon (Greenup County)

Asher Gamble (Morgan County)

Kaiden Harris (Lawrence County)

Anderson Lauffer (Paintsville)

Elijah Neel (Ashland)

Malachi Payne (Boyd County)

Hayden Perry (Lawrence County)

Julian Puente (Lewis County)

Brayden Shepherd (Johnson Central)

Austin Slone (Johnson Central)

Drew Smith (Ashland)

Jacob Spurlock (Boyd County)

Nathan Webb (West Carter)

Charles Welch (Raceland)

Gunnar Woods (Boyd County)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jacob Spurlock (Boyd County)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Randy Anderson (Boyd County)

HONORABLE MENTION

Aiden Barker (Morgan County), Bentley Barnett (Rowan County), Kaiden Benge (Russell), Cooper Blair (Johnson Central), Brody Boggs (West Carter), William Burton (East Carter), Cameryn Chaffins (Greenup County), Ethan Cole (Paintsville), Ethan Copley (Elliott County), Cooper Cox (Bath County), Michael Cropper (Fleming County), Eli Cummings (Fairview), Brody Detillion (Lewis County), Drew Epling (Rowan County), Eli Evans (Raceland), Conner Gerike (Lewis County), Ian Griffith (Elliott County), Justin Hughes (Ashland), Keiron Jenkins (Greenup County), Kaden Johnson (Lawrence County), Cannon Kielman (Fleming County), Wade Lawson (West Carter), Colton McGuire (East Carter), Mason McKenzie (Johnson Central), Alijah Owens (Ashland), Brodey Parks (Menifee County), Gabe Pridemore (Russell), Caleb Rimmer (Boyd County), Ethan Rardon (Boyd County), Parker Trusty (Morgan County), Isaac Ulery (Bath County), CJ Waller (Lawrence County), Jake Waller (Raceland), Brock Woods (Paintsville).