Overview: Week three saw Shelby Valley’s Cody Potter drop 48-points and join the 2,000-point club, Johnson Central’s Isaiah May average nearly 30 and 10 in a dominant performance in Gatlinburg and Paintsville and Martin County struggle with top tier competition. Listed below is a break of play in the 15th Region after three weeks of competition.

 

Rankings (overall record):

1. (-) Johnson Central (4-2) – In week three, the Golden Eagles went 2-1 at the Smoky Mountain Classic in Gatlinburg, TN. Stellar play from junior guard Isaiah May got the attention of East Tennessee coaches as he dropped 32, 32 and 23 in three games in the tournament (also averaged 8 rebounds and 3 assists during the trip). In opening game, the Golden Eagles were knocked off by Union, VA on a buzzer beating three from the top of the key by a final of 70-73. In the second game, JC defeated Oneida Baptist 82-76 as May poured in another 32 points to go with 12 rebounds. The final game saw JC defeat Bell County 64-61 as May (23) and junior 1,000-point scorer Cory VanHoose (24) led JC against a very physical squad. In week four Johnson Central will travel to Belfry for the Mountain School Boy Classic where they will play Harvest Prep, OH, Perry Central and Sayre in that order.

 

2. (-) Shelby Valley (7-2) – The Wildcats went 4-0 in week three with a home win over Pike Central and wins over Wolfe County (previously undefeated), Betsy Layne and Morgan County in the Hi-Tech Holiday Classic at Prestonsburg. The average margin of victory for the week was 22.5 points with the closest game being a 16-point win over Morgan County. During the Betsy Layne game, Mr. Basketball candidate Cody Potter scored a school record 48 points on a school record 12 made 3FG’s. Potter also joined the 2,000-point club for Shelby Valley. The accolades were bitter sweet for the Wildcats, however, as senior Jacob Caudill broke his hand on an attempted dunk attempt when he fell to the ground after being pushed (no foul called – video clearly shows hard contact). It is unclear if he will return as surgery is scheduled. The competition will pick up a bit in week four, but not much, as Shelby Valley will travel to the Mountain School Boy Classic at Belfry where they face West Carter, Harvest Prep, OH and Perry Central. They will be favored in every game.

 

3. (-) Pikeville (4-4) – Pikeville remains in the three spot after three weeks of play despite going 2-2 over the past seven days. The Panthers demolished Jenkins by 40 points then won their opening game in the Smoky Mountain Classic over Livingston Academy, TN 77-68. That win was followed by losses to Saltillo, MS 33-49 and Logan, WV 51-61. In the losses, Pikeville struggled to get separation from the defense with the dribble or pass and attempted to use physicality to get open. This led to offensive fouls and early foul trouble in general. In the end, the inability to get open looks and increase in foul trouble took the Panthers out of their game. In week four, Pikeville will host the Pikeville Invitational where they open with Covington Scott.

 

4. (-) Martin County (4-6) – After opening the season 3-1, the Cardinals have lost five of their last six games to include three in a row at the prestigious King of the Bluegrass Tournament in Louisville. In the two tournaments Martin County has played, they are combined 1-5 with their only win coming against Harlan Independent in the WYMT Classic. Brady Dingess has been leading the offensive charge while Trey James has been anchoring the defense with his rebounding and shot blocking. It only gets tougher moving forward, as the third tournament of the season has the Cardinals opening the Traditional Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic with Lexington Catholic. To compound matters, senior Braxton Maynard (averaging double figures) has reportedly quit the team. If they can hold it together, the Cardinals will be more than battle tested come post season.

 

5. (-) Paintsville (2-4) – The Tigers went 1-3 in week three and could easily be 0-6 on the season. Before going to PRP this week (where Paintsville suffered losses to PRP, Seneca and Glasgow), the Tigers stole a victory on the road in a heated 57th district matchup with Magoffin County. In the Magoffin County game, Paintsville trailed by 12 points with just under four minutes to play as standout Colby Fugate picked up a technical foul for hitting an opposing player in the head with the ball (followed a common foul called on Paintsville). Fugate was benched the remainder of the game and the Tigers offense came alive as they outscored Magoffin County 17-4 down the stretch to win 61-60. Fugate continues to lead the Tigers in scoring, but as a volume scorer, dropping 35 in a loss following the Magoffin win. Despite the losses, Paintsville remains at number five this week with a head to head win versus Lawrence County on the road in overtime (week two). Week four will see the Tigers travel to Lexington Catholic for the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic where they open with Beechwood in what should be a very competitive game. If they continue to struggle, look for them to drop in the rankings.

 

6. (-) Lawrence County (6-4) – The Bulldogs almost won the Derby Classic at Raceland in week three, falling just short to the host school 58-68 in the championship. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs went 3-1 in week three with wins over Belfry (undefeated at the time – on the road) and Elliott County / Campbell County in the first two rounds of the Derby Classic. If Lawrence County can continue to build depth from the bench, they will be a scary team come post season. In week four, Lawrence will travel to Ashland for the A.I.T. where they open with the host school. They will be substantial underdogs in the game but could get hot and give the Tomcats a scare.

 

7. (-) Betsy Layne (5-3) – The Bobcats went 2-2 in week three with wins over Morgan County and a solid Wolfe County team and a loss to Shelby Valley (all games in the Hi-Tech Classic at Prestonsburg). This young squad really gets up and down the floor as is a fun team to watch. They will need to continue to develop their bench if they want to compete with the upper echelon teams in the region. In week four, Betsy Layne will travel to Buckhorn for a Christmas tournament where they open with Raceland.

 

8. (-) Prestonsburg (6-1) – The surprise team of the year so far might be Prestonsburg. In week three they went 3-0 with wins over Floyd Central, Morgan County and Pike Central. The competition is not top notch, but the Black Cats do have a win over Knott Central. It will be interesting to see how the team develops moving into the new year and beyond. In week four, Prestonsburg will travel to Dayton, FL for the Sunshine Classic where they open with Archbishop McCarthy, FL.

 

9. (-) Phelps (4-6) – The Hornets went 0-3 in week three with losses to Forest, FL, Muscle Shoals, AL, and Livingston Academy, TN in Gatlinburg. The teams they played were very good and thus we will not drop the Hornets in the rankings. Phelps did almost pull out a win over Livingston, TN, falling 65-67 on a last second shot. Trey Francis continues to lead the way as he is averaging a double-double (points and rebounds) for the favorite in the 60th district. The Hornets will be at the Mountain School Boy Classic at Belfry in week four where they take on Sayre and Whitley County.

 

10. (-) Belfry (4-2) – After opening the season 3-0, Belfry wen 1-2 in week three with losses to Lawrence County at home and Whitley County at the Kentucky Bank Challenge at Rowan County. They picked up a win over St. Francis at Rowan County as well. Balanced scoring from Sal Dean, Austin Hager and Tyler Chaffin has been the calling card so far this season. The Pirates play hard and should continue to get better as the football players round into basketball shape. In week four, Belfry will host the Mountain School Boy Classic where they play Perry Central, Twin Valley, VA and West Carter. They will have a chance to win every game.

 

11. (-) Magoffin County (3-3) – Magoffin County is a young and talented team that is still learning how to win. They have good guard play, good size and post play and an excellent coach. In week three they lost a 12-point lead to Paintsville with less than four minutes to play due to poor free throw shooting and what is best described as “nervousness” when Paintsville started pressing. They should figure this out moving forward and it showed as they bounced back with a 57-38 win over Pike Central and an 80-40 win over Jenkins following that loss. In week four, Magoffin County will travel to Belfry for the Mountain School Boy Classic where they face Whitley County, West Carter and Sayre. They will have a chance to win every game.

 

12. (Up 1) East Ridge (2-6) – The Warriors went 1-3 in week three with losses to Grundy, VA, Raceland and Knox Central and a win over Rose Hill. The Raceland and Knox Central games were not competitive. They open with Harlan County in the Hyden Bank Classic in week four. The Warriors could be in for a long year.

 

13. (Down 1) Pike Central (2-7) – The Hawks were 0-3 in week three and have dropped six in a row. Losses to Shelby Valley, Magoffin County and Prestonsburg rounded out a week to forget in the Hi-Tech Classic at Prestonsburg. In week four, Pike Central will travel to Floyd Central in a winnable game, before making the short drive to Pikeville for the Pikeville Invitational where they open with Southern.

 

14. (-) Floyd Central (2-5) – The Jags went 1-1 in week three with a loss at home to rival Prestonsburg in a seeded 58th District game and a win over Jenkins. Week four will see them face Pike Central at home in what should be an even contest before traveling to Pigeon Forge for the King of the Smokies Tournament after Christmas.

 

15. (-) Jenkins (0-7) – Jenkins was 0-4 in week three but did get close to a win against Rye Cove, VA, losing 67-69 on the road. The other three games during the week were all loses by 40 or more points. Jenkins is off until the new year (Week five), but it will be much longer until they have a legitimate chance at a win.

 

16. (-) Piarist (0-1) - The Knights have yet to play a game this season and it is still unclear if they have fielded a team or not (loss by forfeit). Their schedule continues to dissolve on the KHSAA website as they have only four games listed for the remainder of the season.

 

Agree or Disagree?

Bump.