article Inside the 15th Region (1-11-15)

[15th Region]

Overview:

Week 6 in the 15th Region has come to a close and with it half the season is in the books. Week 6 saw Shelby Valley win the 15th Region All-A Classic (Their 4th overall and first since 2010 when they won the All-A State Title), Sheldon Clark bounce back with 2 wins despite missing 3 key players (suspension), Lawrence County snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the WYMT Mountain Classic, and Johnson Central continue to roll (Won 7 in a row) as they are healthy and quickly turning into the team they projected to be in the pre-season. Week 7 brings key games within the region that could determine district and regional seeding as teams’ position themselves for a post-season run. Below is how the top 5 rank at the midpoint of the season.

 

1. Sheldon Clark (11-1) – After losing their opening round game in the 15th Region All-A Classic to East Ridge (who was subsequently upset by South Floyd), Sheldon Clark bounced back with wins against Pike Central 65-46 and Phelps 76-22. Despite not having the services of Sophomore standout Dylan James, fellow starter Trevor Blackburn, and one bench player (All suspended in relation to the fight with East Ridge), Chase Parsley was able to step-up his game by scoring 33 against an athletic Pike Central team and 22 in the first half against Phelps. The Cardinals have a big week 7 as they travel to fellow contender Betsy Layne Tuesday, compete in the 14th Region at Breathitt Thursday, and travel to Williamson, WV for the Hatfield McCoy Shoot out (TBA) Saturday. With James and the rest of the gang back, don’t expect to see the Cardinals fall this week as well.

 

2. Johnson Central (11-7) – Winners of 7 in a row, Head Coach Tommy McKenzie has the Golden Eagles rolling and the black and gold express doesn’t look to be stopping any time soon. In week 6, JC defeated Pike Central 82-69 (Star Point Guard Braxton Blair did not play due to illness), East Ridge 75-57 on the road, and Belfry 88-65 at home. All of the games were not as close as the scores indicate as the Golden Eagles were able to get some of their younger players’ valuable experience. In week 7, JC will travel to cross town rival Paintsville on Tuesday night in a huge 57th District match-up and host Pikeville on Saturday in their annual “Hall of Fame” (A game in which the Class of 2015 JC Hall of Fame members will be inducted). Some tidbits on week 7 is that Paintsville holds the all-time series edge against Johnson Central 52-53 but JC has not lost to Paintsville very often in the Tommy McKenzie era (12-1 against them since 2008-09 season: won 8 in a row). In the Pikeville game, JC welcomes back 1988 graduate Bart Williams (Pikeville’s Head Coach who scored 1,412 points while at JC and is in the Hall of Fame at the school). The father of Bart Williams, Paul Williams, also has Johnson Central ties as he was the first Head Coach of the Boys’ Basketball Program and led the Golden Eagles to their first Regional Title in 1972. JC will be favored in both games are looking like the team they expected to have before the injury bug hit them early in the season. Kyle Gullett and Mason Blair are both averaging over 20 ppg since Gullett’s return in late December (Braxton Blair averaging 18 ppg during the same stretch) and defensive efficiency has increased as well. Don’t look for JC to lose anytime soon as they make their way back to the top of the 15th Region rankings.

 

3. Shelby Valley (11-4) – Week 6 saw Shelby Valley win the super regional that is the 15th Region All-A Classic by defeating Phelps 65-56, Belfry 68-55, South Floyd 56-53, and Betsy Layne 66-51 (All games were in the 15th Region All-A). This was the 4th All-A Crown for Shelby Valley in their history and first since they won back-to-back All-A state titles in 2009 and 2010. Shelby Valley welcomed back All-State football mention in 6’5’’ PF Andrew Newsome and it has paid dividends in their performance. Although their schedule is suspect (Lee County twice and South Floyd three times just to name a few), Shelby Valley does have the talent to beat anyone in the region on a given night and are finally starting to live up to their preseason ranking. Shelby Valley will play the All-A winner from region 5 on Thursday, January 29th in Frankfort, but in the meantime have Pikeville on the road in a 59th District matchup (Tuesday), East Ridge at home on Thursday (another 59th District matchup), and host Perry Central (Saturday) in week 7. Needless to say, the schedule is getting tougher for the Wildcats as we should find out more about their potential in week 7.

 

4. Lawrence County (7-5) – Coach York and the Bulldogs went 1-2 in week 6 with losses to George Rogers Clark 52-72 in the Marvin Meredith Classic and Buckhorn 61-64 in the first round of the WYMT Classic. The Clark County Cardinals were much too athletic for the Bulldogs as full court pressure and LC’s lack of depth and size contributed to the blowout loss. Lawrence County then traveled to the WYMT Classic at Perry County Central were they played Buckhorn. In the game, stand-out Junior Guard Robert Dalton poured in 33 points despite having flu like symptoms in a back and forth contest that seemed to be in the bag late for the Bulldogs. LC had a 6 point lead and the ball with 90s to play before committing 3 turnovers, going 0-2 from the line and 0-1 from the field, and watching Buckhorn close the game on a 9-0 run. LC bounced back in the consolation bracket of the WYMT by defeating Knox Central by a final of 90-87 (Robert Dalton did not play in the game due to illness, but LC was able to get big performances from Brandon Richardson and Austin Chaffins in the game). There is no doubt Lawrence County is missing the services of leading scorer Timmy Dalton (not expected to return to the team) but still have the talent to compete with the best in the 15th Region. Look for them to climb back into the top 3 soon, but right now they have to find a new identity with a personnel change the caliber of young Mr. Dalton. In Week 7 LC will try to run the gambit in the 60th District as they play all 3 members. Pike Central on Tuesday at home, Phelps on the road on Thursday, and Belfry at home on Friday.

 

5. Betsy Layne (11-6) – Betsy Layne used the momentum from an overtime win against Perry County Central (Peyton Case 47 points) to propel them into the 15th Region All-A Championship as they went 3-1 in Week 6. Opening the All-A tournament, Betsy Layne defeated fellow 58th District opponents Prestonsburg (52-36) and Piarist (80-50) in the first two rounds. They then meet Pikeville in semifinals (A team that had beat them earlier in the season by 16) and squeaked out a 52-49 victory. In the championship, Coach Keathley and the Bobcats ran into a determined Shelby Valley team that finally played to their potential, suffering the loss 51-66 and surrendering their 15th Region All-A crown. In the tournament Senior Guard Peyton Case and Senior Forward Charles “Lako” Daniels played outstanding but seemed to get tired against the 2-2-1 press of Shelby Valley. Week 7 will see BL host top rated Sheldon Clark (Tuesday) and 58th District opponent South Floyd (Friday). The Sheldon Clark game should let us know if Betsy Layne is a real contender for the 15th Region crown, expect an exciting game.

 

Upsets in the Region:

None

 

Games to Watch in Week 7:

Johnson Central @ Paintsville Tuesday, January 13th (One of the state's best rivalries as the school's are separated by less than 1 mile)

Sheldon Clark @ Betsy Layne Tuesday, January 13th

Shelby Valley @ Pikeville Tuesday, January 13th (Could determine who gets a bye in the 59th District Tournament)

Magoffin County @ Paintsville Thursday, January 15th

East Ridge @ Shelby Valley Friday, January 16th

Pikeville @ Johnson Central Saturday, January 17th

[citycat]

I am very worried for LC. I do not know any of the details but a team losing their leading scorer from a promising young team is a bit of a red flag for me. Its a shame since I think they were on the verge of making the Sweet 16 this yr or next year for the first time in school history.