Overview:

With 7 Weeks Down and District Tournaments quickly approaching, the 15th Region is shaping up to be a wild race to the finish with many big games still to come. Some highlights from the past week include Sheldon Clark remaining top dog with a 3-0 mark (winning in impressive fashion), Paintsville defeat Johnson Central for the first time in 5 years, and Lawrence County open 60th District play with a 1-2 mark. Week 7 produced the most upsets thus far this season (4) as some of the favorites were reeling from injury/sickness or simply didn’t match the opponents’ intensity. Outside of Sheldon Clark, consistency has been an issue for the top 15th Region teams as many opened/returned to district play. You could see a handful of teams get hot and make a run to RUPP this post-season, but for now let’s see how the rankings have changed.

 

Rankings after Week 7:

1. Sheldon Clark (14-1) – Senior PG Chase Parsley and Sophomore F Dylan James continue to lead the way for the Cards as they went 3-0 in week 7 to retain the top ranking in the 15th Region. During the week they defeated Betsy Layne on the road 88-56 (running clock), Breathitt County 96-76 on the road (Dylan James had 37 and Chase Parsley had 39 in the game), and Valley View, OH @ South Williamson, WV 62-54 in a back and forth contest. Week 8 will see Sheldon Clark return to 57th District play as they host Magoffin County on Tuesday, travel to Johnson Central on Friday (possible 15th Region Final Preview), and host Greenup County on Saturday. The Cardinals have lived up to their preseason billing with James and Parsley bringing their “A” game night in and night out, but it has been the play of Kaleb Sturgill and Marvin Albrecht that has allowed SC to reach the level they are at. SC is a serious contender to return to RUPP for the first time since 1983. In other news, Week 7 also saw Chase Parsley score his 2,000th career point for the Cardinals (Dylan James is also approaching the mark).

 

2. Johnson Central (12-8) – Week 7 saw Johnson Central go 1-1 with a loss to cross town rival Paintsville 56-57 (snapping their 7 game win streak) and a win at home vs. Pikeville 72-58 in their annual Hall of Fame Game (A game in which JC welcomes new Hall of Fame inductees). In the Paintsville game, JC could not find consistency in their half-court defense (allowing 18 offensive rebounds) and shot the ball poorly from the field and from the line. Nonetheless, up 1 point with 1 minute to play, Johnson Central allowed 5 shots by Paintsville, the final one falling and giving the Tigers victory. The loss was the first in 5 year for the Golden Eagles and Head Coach Tommy McKenzie to their cross town rival. A loss Coach McKenzie will surely use to motivate his team as they prepare for a post-season push. An interesting tidbit on the JC/Paintsville game is that with district seeding it most likely means Paintsville will now meet JC in the opening round of the 57th District Tournament (scheduled to be played at Johnson Central). If that happens, expect 4,000 plus at the game as this rivalry is one of the best in the state. JC was able to bounce back and remain undefeated at home with a win vs. Pikeville Saturday night. In the game, Senior PG Braxton Blair became the All-Time assist leader in JC history, surpassing the 36 year old mark of 428 assist set by Terry Branham in 1979 (Terry played with David Couch and David Couch played for Mike Krzyzewski at West Point). Week 8 looms large for the Golden Eagles as they host two 15th Region Favorites in Lawrence County (Tuesday night) and Sheldon Clark (Friday night). JC will close out the week in the 14th Region as they make the trip to Breathitt County (A team they defeated 92-65 earlier in the year). This week will tell us if JC has what it takes to win their 4th Consecutive 15th Region Title as they will be tested.

 

3. Paintsville (12-6) – The Tigers made the biggest jump in the rankings by rolling through Week 7 with a 3-0 mark against tough competition. Paintsville defeated cross town rival and 57th District foe Johnson Central at home 57-56, Magoffin County at home 65-46, and Greenup County at home 79-57. In the Johnson Central game, Paintsville showed good situational defense and the occasional press by playing a controlled game that gave them a chance to win late (which they took advantage of by overcoming an 11 point 1st half deficit). Paintsville used the momentum from their first win vs. Johnson Central in 5 years to blow out Magoffin County and Greenup County. For the week, the Tigers shot well from behind the arc (hitting 12 3’s in the Greenup County game alone) and have gotten consistent play from big man Quinton Hensley (19 pts 12 rbs and game winning put back vs. Johnson Central) and PG Luke Daniels (16 pts 10 rbs vs. Johnson Central). Luke is one of the best rebounding guards in the mountains. When Paintsville plays with confidence they have all the tools to win the 15th Region and they are playing with confidence. In Week 8, the Tigers will Travel to Allen Central (Tuesday), host 13th Region power Clay County (Thursday), and travel to Wolfe County (Friday). If the Tigers can remain consistent after a great week, you may see them climb the ranks even higher. As mentioned in the Johnson Central section, the Tiger win over JC likely means a JC/Paintsville clash in the first round of the 57th District tournament (to be played at Johnson Central). If it happens, it would be an electric, standing room only, game!

 

4. Lawrence County (8-7) – Sophomore stand out and leading scorer Timmy Dalton has left the team, Junior athletic freak Robert Dalton is out with sickness, and Junior PG Austin Chaffins is not 100% after suffering a knee contusion in the WYMT Classic, but the show goes on and LC went 1-2 against a poor 60th District in week 7. The Bulldogs hosted Pike Central on Tuesday and lost 73-81, traveled to Belfry on Thursday and lost 93-95 in overtime (trailed by as many as 20 in the first half before taking a late lead: very questionable “no call” on a foul in OT that could have tied the game), and bounced back with a win at home vs. Phelps 80-44. This was supposed to be the year Lawrence County would win their first regional title, but it seems lack of size and bench production has proved to be their kryptonite. If any starters are not bringing their “A” game and/or are out of the lineup, its very difficult for LC to win against even average teams. The Bulldogs will have a chance to right the ship this week by playing their first game against the upper echelon in the region as they travel to Johnson Central on Tuesday night, host Russell on Thursday, and travel to Shroder (Cincinnati) on Saturday. Lawrence County has the talent, the question is can they get them all back on the floor and playing to their potential. The Bulldogs did see Austin Chaffins score his 1,000th career point this week, making him the 3rd LC starter to crack the 1,000 point mark this season (Robert Dalton / Brandon Richardson). Since this group of young men has been starting (3 years now) the bench has scored less than 300 points combine over the same time span.

 

5. Shelby Valley (12-6) – Week 7 saw the current 15th Region All-A Champion lose on the road to Pikeville in a 59th District showdown 61-67 (game was tied at 61), defeat East Ridge at home 60-44 (another 59th District foe), and get crushed by Perry Central at home 70-95. Against suspect competition Shelby Valley has a decent win/loss differential this season, but has lost to every team they have played that has a winning record with the exception of Betsy Layne in the All-A Championship. Week 8 will see the Wildcats host Betsy Layne (Tuesday) then travel to Scott County High School for three games in the Toyota Classic where they open against Casey County (Thursday). Big man Andrew Newsome is back in action for the SV, but it seems they cannot find an identity on offense against good competition. The most consistent player thus far this season has been Junior F Hunter Swindall. If Valley can peak late and get their transfer from Corbin eligable, they still have the talent to make some noise in the 15th Region post-season.

 

Upsets in the Region:

Paintsville defeated Johnson Central at home 57-56 Tuesday, January 13th

South Floyd defeated Magoffin County on the road 66-54 Tuesday, January 13th

Pike Central defeated Lawrence County on the road 81-73 Tuesday, January 13th

Belfry defeated Lawrence County at home 95-93 (OT) Thursday, January 15th

 

Games to Watch in Week 8:

Lawrence County @ Johnson Central Tuesday, January 20th

Betsy Layne @ Shelby Valley Tuesday, January 20th

Clay County @ Paintsville Thursday, January 22nd

Pikeville @ East Ridge Thursday, January 22nd

Sheldon Clark @ Johnson Central Friday, January 23rd (Possible 15th Region Regular Season Game of the Year)

Allen Central @ South Floyd Friday, January 23rd

 

Agree or Disagree?

Pike Central right behind Johnson Central.

Lawrence County is no longer top 4 in this region.

LC had so much promise and an excellent chance to make the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history but something is definitely amiss in Louisa.

LC had so much promise and an excellent chance to make the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history but something is definitely amiss in Louisa.

 

Definitely stinks. This could have been their year.

Pike Central has a chance to be very good but they have lost to Betsy Layne, Lawrence County (Timmy Dalton did not play), Pikeville, Johnson Central (Braxton Blair did not play), Sheldon Clark and Paintsville. Their best wins were against Pikeville and Lawrence County (Robert and Timmy Dalton did not play). Perhaps by District Time they may be back in the top 5 as Shelby Valley is barely hanging on to the 5th spot.

Lawrence County is no longer top 4 in this region.

 

You might be right, we will find out on Tuesday who plays and how they perform in a hostile environment. Who would you replace them with at this point?