Woodford County takes down No. 1 Madison Central 72-64 at Ed Stepp Classic

While Kentucky men’s basketball battled Arkansas on the road, Woodford County hosted the Ed Stepp Classic back in the Bluegrass on Saturday, Jan. 31, with four games showcasing schools across the Commonwealth:

• Lafayette 62 – Frankfort 35
• Dunbar 53 – Louisville Collegiate 35
• No. 16 Ashland Blazer 79 – Montgomery County 68
• Woodford County 72 – No. 1 Madison Central 64

Montgomery County vs. No. 16 Ashland Blazer

MoCo (10-9) battled their second ranked opponent in under 24 hours, losing a heartbreaker at No. 5 GRC 71-70 the night prior. Ashland Blazer (14-4) took the longest drive here of all eight teams, and came off an upset victory over No. 13 Boyd County 93-86.

The Tomcats jumped out of the gates hot with a 6-0 run that eventually developed into a 24-8 first-quarter lead. Their defense was on point: picking pockets, deflecting passes, and blocking shots, which got them points out in transition.

“We wanted to try and be as disruptive defensively as we stood, just make it difficult for them to run their offense,” said Ashland coach Ryan Bonner. “I felt like it created some early and some easy buckets for us.”

Ashland’s Elijah Neel, the game’s MVP, outscored the entire MoCo team in the first quarter alone with 10 points. He finished with a double-double, notching 18 points and 10 assists.

“He’s a do-it-all kind of player,” said Bonner on Neel. “He’s a guy that can create offense for himself, but also creates high-quality shots for everyone around him.”

In the second quarter, MoCo woke up when Austin Sears and Tyce Jarvis scored all of the team’s 19 points. Ashland kept up the pace, though, and went into the break with a 41-27 lead.

The third quarter was a similar story, with MoCo slowly chipping away at the lead. The Indians got a solid contribution from Andrew Terry, with a 16-point second half, including 10 in the third.

Ashland’s Drew Smith hit a buzzer-beater at the end of the quarter to get the Tomcat lead back to double digits, 58-47, then hit some nice layups at the beginning of the fourth, giving Ashland some spark to cruise to a 79-68 win.

Smith finished with 22 points with four three-pointers.

For the Indians, Sears and Jarvis finished with 22 apiece, with Jarvis also contributing seven boards.

No. 1 Madison Central vs. Woodford County

As a last-minute matchup, Woodford County (11-5) took the challenge to host the new number one team in Kentucky: Madison Central (20-2).

It paid off.

The Yellow Jackets set the tone early, playing physical defense against Mr. Basketball candidate and double-double threat Jake Feldhaus. This rattled the Indians, as Woodford grinded out a 14-10 first-quarter lead.

“We got to be physical against him [Feldhaus],” said Woodford coach Jaron Brown. “He’s one of the most physical players in the state.”

In the next quarter, Woodford’s Omari Jointer would steal the show, for good. He scored 10 points in the quarter as the Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 32-24 by halftime.

It didn’t stop there either, as Woodford exploded for a 13-2 run midway through the third quarter, capped off by a Jointer steal and slam, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

WOODFORD CO DOES IT!!

Omari Jointer 28 pts as they upset #1 Madison Central 72-64 pic.twitter.com/33N4nhpSxN

— SterlingVision (@sterlingvis1) February 1, 2026

The Yellow Jackets’ run would end there, though, as the Indians got back within single digits by the end of the quarter, and continued to chip away at the lead for most of the fourth, getting within five with just under two minutes to play.

But then a foul-ridden stretch of basketball ensued, allowing Woodford to hold on and complete the upset 72-64.

“Man, everybody doubted us,” said Jointer. “Just a big win for us, but we got St. X tomorrow so we can’t sit on this one.”

In what is probably the hardest 24-hour stretch all season, for any team, Woodford gained much-needed momentum as they host No. 3 St. Xavier on Sunday, Feb. 1 (6:00 p.m. ET)

Jointer led the game in points with 28. His teammates, David Chong and Josh McKee, finished with 14 and 12, respectively.

For the Indians, Feldhaus scored 23, with Grayson Burton and Cam Steele adding 16 and 10, Steele’s points coming all in the second half.