Week 1 of the 2014-15 Boys' Basketball Season is in the books for the 15th Region and we still have alot of unanswered questions. Can Johnson Central overcome the injury bug? Is Lawrence County ready to compete with the best in the state? Has Jim Hicks reloaded at Shelby Valley? Is Sheldon Clark ready to take the reigns as the best in the team in the region? Many of these questions will be answered in week two, but first lets recap what happened in week 1.

 

Johnson Central - The consensus number one team in the region (as voted on by the coaches in the 15th Region) opened week one with an impressive wins at Greenup County 69-56 (Preseason top 3 in the 16th Region) and at home vs. Breathitt County 92-65 before falling to to Jackson County 66-64 at Jackson County. The biggest question for JC is how good are they with all their players healthy. Senior PF 6'5'' Truman Salyer (Union College Signee - Football) is out with an ACL/MCL/torn meniscus injury suffered during the football season, 6'2'' Senior Patrick Rice is still waiting on medical clearance to return to basketball related activities after straining his meniscus and MCL in football, and in the Jackson County game 6'7'' senior Kyle Gullett (Top Rated Player in the Region) went down with a severe ankle injury in the 2Q and did not return (status unkonwn at time of publication). JC will be tested in week two as they travel to Perry Central, Sheldon Clark, and take on Rowan County at Boyd County.

 

Lawrence County - The bulldogs opened the sesson with an impressive win over East Carter 94-59 but followed it up with a 10 point loss (85-95) vs. Conner in the "Above the Rim" Showcase. The bulldogs have a very talented starting 5 and two explosive athelets in Robert and Timmy Dalton, but have yet to show development of bench support. This week the Bulldogs will play Breathitt (11 Dec.) and Raceland (12 Dec.). LC should be heavily favored in both contest.

 

Sheldon Clark - The basketball community lost one of its own with the passing of Assistant Coach Frank Smith this past Tuesday night (Father to Head Coach Frankie Smith) as SC opened week one of the regular season. Sheldon Clark was able to defeat Cordia at home by a final of 65-57 but was forced to cancel its contest vs. Pike County Central (no make up date yet set) for the funeral of their Coach. Sheldon Clark will be tested this week as they host 15th region power Johnson Central and talent heavy Prestonsburg. How good is Sheldon Clark? More will be known after week 2.

 

Shelby Valley - Of the top 4 Preseason teams in the 15th Region, Shelby Valley was the only one to open up undefeated, beating South Floyd at home 81-54 and Lee County on the road 87-50. With all the new faces at Shelby Valley and injuries to two major contributors, we will know much more about the Wildcats when they get healthy and play stiffer competition. Week 2 will see SV play Jenkins on the road and Breathitt County at home, both in which the Wildcats will be double digit favorites.

 

Upsets around the Region:

 

South Floyd Defeated Paintsville at home 55-54 in a shocker. The Raiders were lead in scoring by Andrew Tackett (23 points). This is the first time South Floyd had beaten Paintsville since the 2010-2011 season when SF won 77-74. This was a suprise as Paintsville is expected to compete for a 15th Region crown this season.

 

Phelps Defeated South Floyd at South Floyd 69-68 in double overtime. For Phelps, this is the first win over any 15th Region team not named Piarist since the 2011-2012 season that saw them win the 60th District Championship. For the first time in Bobby Varney era, Phelps has opened the sesaon 2-0 and may be turning the corner in the 60th District.

Top 5 Rankings after week 1:

 

1. Johnson Central - Until Someone in the 15th Beats them!

2. Sheldon Clark - Passed the first test vs. Cordia, JC this week?

3. Lawrence County - Can their starting 5 get help?

4. Shelby Valley - Still untested but talented.

5. Betsy Layne - 2-0 this week to jump Paintsville and Pikeville (both of whom lost).

 

Games to Watch:

Johnson Central @ Sheldon Clark Thursday 11 Dec.

Betsy Layne @ Pikeville Tuesday 9 Dec.

 

Agree or Disagree?

When Hicks was up here in NKY I don't believe he played many of the big dogs. Likes to accumulate those easy Ws. Good coach but why play a weak schedule?

When Hicks was up here in NKY I don't believe he played many of the big dogs. Likes to accumulate those easy Ws. Good coach but why play a weak schedule?

When Hicks was at Grant County he wasn't overloaded with talent, good probability he didn't want to get trashed. Agree, a pretty coach.