Overview: The District tournaments are quickly approaching and Lawrence County is still the team everyone is shooting for in the 15th Region. Shelby Valley, Magoffin County and Johnson Central are the front runners to pull the upset, but it would take an outstanding performance. This upcoming week will likely decide district tournament seeding in the 57th through 60th Districts as many key games will be played. Let’s see how the rankings pan out after nine weeks of action.

 

1. Lawrence County (19-4) – The Bulldogs continue to roll, going 2-1 in Week 9 with their only loss coming to an undefeated Huntington, WV team on the road. LC will travel to Pike Central in 60th District action then host long-time nemesis Johnson Central in Week 10. Don’t look for the Bulldogs to slip up anytime soon.

 

2. Magoffin County (13-5) – The Hornets have won 6 in a row to include a week 9 contest against Johnson Central (their first win against JC since 2011 – 11 straight losses). Magoffin will face Allen Central on the road and Greenup and Morgan County at home in week 10. With Trenton Russell continuing to score near 30 points per a game and role players playing their part, Magoffin could give Lawrence a run for their money come tournament time. Top to bottom, this may be the most complete team in the 15th as they have every key position covered.

 

3. Johnson Central (11-8) – The Golden Eagles dropped a key district game to Magoffin on the road in week 9, but can still force a coin flip for the #1 seed in the 57th if they win out. Week 10 will let us know if that is going to happen as the 6 game road stretch continues for JC. They will travel to Sheldon Clark (57th), South Floyd, Paintsville (57th), and Lawrence County this upcoming week. District play will be completed by the end of this week and we will know if JC is a serious threat to 5-peat in the region.

 

4. Shelby Valley (14-5) – The Wildcats lost to Green County in their only contest in Week 9 (All State Tournament first round), but will be back in action in week 10 with games against Phelps and East Ridge at home and Pikeville and Belfry on the road. The Pikeville and East Ridge games may determine the #1 seed in the 59th District tournament which is huge considering the top seed faces Piarist in the playoffs.

 

5. Pike Central (9-12) – The Hawks lost to Lawrence County and to June Buchanan on the road in Week 9 but are getting healthy and could still be a scary team come tournament time. They play fast and have key players in the post, wing, and at point. Week 10 will see Pike Central host Belfry and Lawrence County before traveling to Sheldon Clark. This is a big week for 60th District seeding for Pike Central.

 

6. Pikeville (9-12) – Pikeville seems to have finally developed an identity by playing their best defensive lineup. The scoring may be down, but the ability to stop opponents and win games is up. With Wyatt Battaile finally getting his basketball legs (football QB) Coach Williams and the Panthers could be peaking at the right time. Week 10 will see Pikeville play Piarist and Shelby Valley at home (59th District) and South Floyd on the road. If this team starts playing to their potential, look out!

 

7. South Floyd (9-9) – The Raiders lost to Hazard but defeated Betsy Layne in week 9. They are getting healthy and have nice players in all key positions. In week 10 they host Johnson Central and Pikeville and travel to Allen Central and Prestonsburg. South Floyd has shown they can play Pikeville and this week we will find out if they can play with JC.

 

8. East Ridge (11-9) – The Warriors went 2-1 in week 9 with wins over Prestonsburg and Belfry and a blowout loss to Pikeville in 59th District action (after defeating Pikeville handily in the All-A: this loss, however, was for seeding). Week 10 will see East Ridge travel to Shelby Valley then host Pikeville in big 59th District seeding action.

 

9. Sheldon Clark (7-13) – It difficult to explain how Sheldon Clark can lose to Paintsville then take Hazard (with their transfer from OBI eligible -he had a few nice dunks in the game) into overtime out of region and at Hazard. We still have them ranked above Paintsville and may get some flack as they have been beaten by the Tigers twice, but this SC team is better than their record indicates. In week 10 they will host 15th Region power Johnson Central, Powell County, Pike Central, and Greenup County as the Cards are in the middle of a 5 game home stretch. One thing has been determined though, anyway you slice it, Sheldon Clark is the 4 seed in the 57th this year.

 

10. Paintsville (6-11) – The Tigers up and down season continues. They picked up a win against Sheldon Clark and lost to Wolfe County at home. They are young and learning to compete and have locked themselves into the 2/3 in the 57th District. Week 10 will see Paintsville travel to Morgan County and Knox County then host Johnson Central.

 

11. Allen Central (9-10) – The Rebels lost to Pikeville in blowout loss in week 9. Week 10 will see Allen Central host Magoffin County, South Floyd, Betsy Layne, and Phelps as they begin a 6 game home stretch. The Rebels could make a run in the regional tournament run as they continue to get healthy.

 

12. Belfry (5-12) – The Pirates lost to East Ridge on the road by 8 in week 9. They will travel to Pike Central and Phelps before hosting Shelby Valley in week 10. This team could pose serious problems in the post season with their size and athleticism.

13. Betsy Layne (7-13) – The Bobcats went 1-3 in week 9 and will host Riverside Christian before going to Prestonsburg, Allen Central, and Jackson County in week 10. This team has a very good big man, but struggle against pressure. Look for them to get better in the years to come as they are very young.

 

14. Prestonsburg (5-15) – The Blackcats picked up a rare win in week 9 albeit against Phelps and suffered a heartbreaking loss to Betsy Layne 50-49 in 58th District Action. Prestonsburg will rum the gambit in the 58th in week 10 as they have Betsy Layne and South Floyd at home then travel to Allen Central. Can Prestonsburg get a win against one of these opponents to get out of the 4 seed in districts?

 

15. Phelps (4-15) – The Hornets had 3 losses in Week 9 and will play four games in week 10 to include two in one day vs. Allen Central and Riverside Christian. Phelps is young and believe it or not, getting better as the season progresses. They will be relevant in a few years.

 

16. Piarist (0-15) – Two more losses in week 9 for the Knights. Don’t look for a win to come in week 10, but they will have a chance later in the season.

 

Agree or Disagree?

1.Lawrence County (19-4):

The Bulldogs didn’t get much of a break over the past couple of weeks due to a winterstorm that ran rapid on KY. The Bulldogs had won 9 of their previous 10 games heading into Saturday’s game with Huntington WV in the Huntington Invitational at the Big Sandy Arena. The Bulldogs would give the Highlanders all they wanted but in the end, it would be Huntington pulling out the 76-70 vicotry.

Lawrence County will travel to Pike Central on Thursday and return home for Johnson Central on Saturday.

 

2.Johnson Central (12-8):

The Golden Eagles are hot right now, extremely hot, winning 9 of their last 10 including an 8 game win streak that was snapped by Magoffin County. Johnson Central was able to sneak past Sheldon Clark 75-74 in OT.

Johnson Central travels to South Floyd on Tuesday, Paintsville on Thursday and Lawrence County on Saturday.

 

3.Magoffin County (14-5):

Hornets have been rolling as of late winning 7 straight and 8 of their last 10 ball games with wins over Johnson Central, Sheldon Clark, Paintsville and Pikeville.

The Hornets will look to continue their winning ways, as they hosts Greenup County (Tues), Morgan County (Thurs).

 

4.Shelby Valley (15-5):

Shelby Valley had won 7 straight, including winning the 15^th Region All “A” classic, heading down to the KHSAA All “A” State Tournament at the Frankfort Civic Center. The Wildcats would open with Green County and that’s as far as they would get as they would get beat by the Dragons 79-66.

Shelby Valley defeated Phelps tonight, will travel to Pikeville (Tues), host East Ridge (Fri) and travel to Belfry (Sat)

 

5.East Ridge (13-10):

The Warriors have cooled off a lot since their hot streak in December/beginning of January. The Warriors had 8 of their previous 9 games during that stretch but since January 12^th, the Warriors have only won 2 of their last 7 games and those are their current wining streak.

East Ridge travels to Shelby Valley on Friday.

 

6.Pikeville (10-12):

The Panthers have won just 4 of their last 7 games. The Panthers do own wins over Sheldon Clark and East Ridge.

Pikeville defeated Piarist School tonight, host Shelby Valley (Tues), travel to South Floyd (Fri).

 

7.South Floyd (9-9):

5 of the 9 wins for the Raiders have came against region opponents, however, 6 of their 9 losses are against region teams. Raiders are, however, 3-1 in district play.

South Floyd will host Johnson Central (Tues), @ Allen Central (Wed), host Pikeville (Fri) and travel to Prestonsburg (Sat.)

 

8.Paintsville (6-12):

Paintsville can’t get anything going, losing 5 of their last 7 games and getting blown out by the top half of the region.

Tigers will look to get on track and stay on track this week when they host Johnson Central on Thurs, and travel to Knox Central on Saturday.

 

9.Sheldon Clark (7-14):

Despite being 7-14, Sheldon Clark has hung around with some of the top teams in the region, Johnson Central, Pikeville and East Ridge. The Cardinals own a victory over the 14^th Region’s Breathitt County.

Sheldon Clark will host Powell County (Wed), Pike Central (Fri) and Greenup County (Sat).

 

10.Betsy Layne (8-13):

Betsy Layne is struggling has been struggling since Dec. 20^th, in fact, the Wildcats are 4-11 in their last 15 games dating back to the Dec. 20^th game with Elliott County.

Betsy Layne travels to Prestonsburg (Wed), Allen Central (Fri) and Jackson County (Sat)

 

11.Pike County Central (9-12):

The Hawks are 4-3 in their last 7 games but are currently on a 2 game losing streak.

Pike Central will host Belfry (Tues), Lawrence County (Thurs), travel to Sheldon Clark (Fri).

 

12.Allen Central (9-11):

The Rebels also are 4-3 in their last 7 games and are on also on a 2 game losing streak.

Allen Central will host South Floyd (Wed), Betsy Layne (Fri) and Phelps (Sat)

 

13.Belfry (5-12):

The Pirates have struggled all season but they do have wins over East Jessamine and Pikeville and have even played 14^th region powerhouse, Letcher Central close.

Belfry travels to Pike Central (Tues), Phelps (Thurs), and host Shelby Valley (Sat)

 

14.Prestonsburg (5-15):

The Blackcats are 3-9 since December 20^th.

 

15.Phelps (4-16):

The Hornets have dropped 4 games and have only won 1 out of their last 6 games.

 

16.Piarist School (0-16):

Piarist School continues to struggle to put up points and still looking for win #1

Should I quit writing articles with weekly rankings on the 15th?

Just a thought.

Crap. I'm sorry I meant to do the 16th region....

Crap. I'm sorry I meant to do the 16th region....

 

All good! I look forward to seeing your 16th rankings!!

Magoffin County just beat Johnson Central right?

Magoffin County just beat Johnson Central right?

 

yes..they split regular season and will likely flip for the #1 seed in the 57th. Both are favored to finish 5-1 in districts. SC will be the 4 seed and Paintsville will be the 3 seed.

14-5 Magoffin County > 12-8 Johnson Central

14-5 Magoffin County > 12-8 Johnson Central

 

Did you read my rankings I put out earlier today? Look a few threads down.

Did you read my rankings I put out earlier today? Look a few threads down.

 

I'm confused. First, why are their two rankings? Second, why are they different?

I'm confused. First, why are their two rankings? Second, why are they different?

 

Do you read the threads? All State Baseball accidently rated the 15th Region when he should have rated the 16th region. Which was noted in previous post. I rate the 15th Region on a weekly basis and have for two years now (Released every Monday).

 

Nonetheless its good to get chatter about the 15th Region. Great we are debating the mountain teams as my threads rarely get input.

I read the threads when I can. So, I might as well ask...what justifies Johnson Central at No.2 in your rankings when they just lost to Magoffin County?

Ah, I see what you're saying now. You have Magoffin at No. 2. All State Baseball had then at No. 3. Correct?

Ah, I see what you're saying now. You have Magoffin at No. 2. All State Baseball had then at No. 3. Correct?

 

Correct. This is All State's thread, not mine. This thread is the accidental weekly rankings that should have been the 16th. I believe All State is filling in as a regional coordinator and made an honest mistake. Sucks really, because Im sure he put alot of work into this and now has to do it all over again for the 16th.

 

My weekly rankings are just below!