POW: Haywood's Boyd off to hot start

Expectations were high for Haywood senior Dedric Boyd coming into the season. He signed his letter of intent right before the season to play on the NCAA Division I level next year at Eastern Kentucky.

In the first three weeks of the season, Boyd has meet those expectations and has developed into the leader that the Tomcats need for another run at the Class AA state championship.

Haywood is sitting at .500 on the season with a 3-3 record, but Haywood coach Kendall Dancy wanted to make sure his team was tested early in the season so they were ready for the tough teams that will await in the postseason.

The Tomcats have losses to White Station Memphis Central and Sheffield so far, but through the first six games, Boyd has been that leading scorer.

In two games this week, Boyd scored 57 points. He opened the week with 20 points against Memphis Central when the Tomcats were within one point in the final minute.

He followed that up with 37 points on Friday in a win over South Side.

Haywood made rallies midway through the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter to extend its lead, and Boyd played a big role in those rallies with his drive to the basket and stops on defense.

The Tomcats have a rematch with Memphis Central on the road Monday before finishing out the week with a trip to Lexington on Tuesday and a home game against Bolivar next Saturday.

Michael Odom, 425-9754

Other standout performances

Keeton Bailey

Huntingdon

Bailey scored 45 points in a pair of games against Jackson Christian (24) and Crockett County (21).

Trey Moore

Milan

Moore scored 41 points in two games with 30 coming in a win over Adamsville.

Josh Welch

Crockett County

Welch scored 57 points in a trio of wins over Sacred Heart, Lexington and Huntingdon with 32 coming against Lexington.

Cullen Williams

Sacred Heart

Williams scored 37 points in two games with 22 coming against Crockett County and 15 against Fayette-Ware.