15th Region Boys Basketball Preview:

First things first.. You know I have to show love for the 15th and the super regional! Thanks to this format, we found our region champion Lawrence County. They lost the first round of district, then dug in deep and made a run. Knocked off a favorite in Johnson Central by 12, had a buzzer beater against Pikeville in OT to win by 1, knocked off Pike County Central by 17, and then took down the region favorites Martin County by 13. They were ultimately beaten by Montgomery in the first round of the Sweet 16, but what a run they had. 

I’m going to give it my best shot. Anyone with more info and more facts on the 15th please don’t hesitate to chime in! The great part of the 15th is because all of the teams are so close in proximity to each other, most end up playing each other multiple times. We should have a really good idea of where the favorites are and who stands where by the end of the season. From what I remember last year, Lawrence, Johnson Central,  and Martin County are going to be the favorites. 

1. Lawrence County - The Bulldogs are the kings till they get knocked off. Kaiden Harris (18.8).. back. Gunnar Woods (18.7)... back. Hayden Perry (15.7)... back. Kaden Johnson (10.9)... back. Not only do they bring back tons of scoring, they bring back that gritty edge that led them to go on a run and win the region last year. Although they got blown out by Montgomery County in the Sweet 16, I think a deeper run can be attained this next season based off of their draw. I look for them to repeat. 

2. Johnson Central - If anyone is going to unseat Lawrence, it very well could be the Golden Eagles. JC had a very up and down year last year going 15-11, but the plus side is besides one player, their entire team was made up of freshmen and sophomores. Austin Slone and Brayden Shepherd will be a great 1-2 punch and together they averaged 47.4 points per game. Add in guys like Mason Mckenzie and Kyle Rose into that, and you have the makings for a team that is poised to make a deep run. 

3. Martin County - The Cardinals had a very disappointed end to last season. They were the favorites all season to come up short at the very end. Gone are Watts and Davis, but the cupboard is not bare. Bryson Dials and Devan Maynard return who put up 14.6 and 9.3 points per game. They also had one of the biggest additions in the 15th over the offseason. Braxton Keathley (34.3!!!) is now wearing Martin County red instead of Prestonsburg red and black. He will be a huge asset to the cardinals and will help in pushing Martin County to the next level. 

4. Paintsville - Ethan Cole (19.7), Anderson Lauffer (13.3), and Brock Woods (12.7) are all upperclassmen now. Losing glue guy Jase Kinner hurts, but they bring back more than enough production to make a run at it. Last year they finished 19-9, but seemed like they lost to all the bigger names in the region towards the end of the year. With those three being a year older, it might give them the experience and edge they need to make a run. 

5. Pikeville - Pikeville loses Ian Onkst, EB Walters, and Ethan Sykes off a squad that looked like they’d make a real run at it before they lost off a heartbreaker. They do bring back Jason Keene (14.7) and Cole Slone (8.8). Pikeville has a great feeder program and they do things the right way over there. There’s no doubt in my mind Coach Justice will have them playing hard and improving throughout the season. If I’m not mistaken I believe they added Carter Parsons who is a really nice player as well. 

6. Shelby Valley - Sometimes at these mountain schools and smaller schools, your talent comes in waves. This may be Shelby Valley’s shot to be a dark horse in the 15th. They bring back top four scorers who averaged over 12 points per game. Can this be enough production to help them make a run? Only time will tell. Gavin Hamilton, Caden Johnson, Brady Johnson, and Jonah Bartley are all solid players. 

7. Floyd Central - Besides Lawrence County, no one ended the year hotter than Floyd Central. After a sub .500 regular season and a loss in the first round of districts, the season looked to be short lived. They then went on a run and won the first three rounds of the 15th region, including avenging a loss to Betsy Lane in the district, before losing to Martin Co to end their season. Dylan Boyd and Wesley Buck are both back after putting up 14.3 per game last season. The Jags are another dark horse for me in the 15th. 

8. Pike County Central - Jaden Stewart was as good as they come and was well worth the price of admission. In many games he put the team on his back and willed them to victory. Unfortunately, he is gone. Peyton Owens is back as the only other starter to put up double digits. They have added Hall of Fame Coach Al Holland though and I think he will be a great addition for PCC. 

9. Betsy Lane - Losing Cameron Pente to graduation hurts, but losing Carter Parsons to transfer hurts just as bad. The Bobcats will have to reload. They’ll look to Brayden Hall (15.0) and Isaiah Allen (8.3) to lead the charge. Last season they won the 58th but fizzled out quickly in the first round of region. They’ll look to increase off of that run. 

10. Belfry - The Pirates go into year 2 under coach Brent Perry. They lose a few of their bigger names to graduation, but they bring back Matthew Little who will lead the back court. Carter Jude will also man the point and will be a nice player in the 15th. We will see what kinda strides they make in year two. 

11. Phelps - Phelps is coming off a season where they finished two games over .500. They knocked off Belfry in the district before getting drummed by PCC in the district championship. They did win their first round of region, but then got steam rolled by Martin County. 

12. Magoffin County - The fighting Hornets are two years off of a sweet 16 run, but are still rebuilding from that solid senior class they had that year. They did manage to win their first round game in the region over East Ridge, but they got edged out by Phelps to finish the year. They look to make a run this season. 

13. Prestonsburg - The Blackcats were decimated by graduation and transfers. They return under 10 points per game and 5 boards per game. It’s going to be a tough year P Burg. Hopefully the young guys buy in quick and they right the ship as quick as their football team has been able to. 

14. East Ridge - East Ridge had a tough year last year only winning seven games. They lost the first round of district, and then got knocked off by Magoffin in the first round of region. East Ridge isn’t the easiest job in the world and it’s tough to see them advancing much further.

Gunnar Woods is at Boyd County now from Lawrence. 

1 minute ago, TribeTime said:

Gunnar Woods is at Boyd County now from Lawrence. 

Thank you!

Lawrence County should dominate this year. What a run the Bulldogs are having athletically.

On 11/6/2025 at 11:24 AM, DearToday said:

15th Region Boys Basketball Preview:

First things first.. You know I have to show love for the 15th and the super regional! Thanks to this format, we found our region champion Lawrence County. They lost the first round of district, then dug in deep and made a run. Knocked off a favorite in Johnson Central by 12, had a buzzer beater against Pikeville in OT to win by 1, knocked off Pike County Central by 17, and then took down the region favorites Martin County by 13. They were ultimately beaten by Montgomery in the first round of the Sweet 16, but what a run they had. 

I’m going to give it my best shot. Anyone with more info and more facts on the 15th please don’t hesitate to chime in! The great part of the 15th is because all of the teams are so close in proximity to each other, most end up playing each other multiple times. We should have a really good idea of where the favorites are and who stands where by the end of the season. From what I remember last year, Lawrence, Johnson Central,  and Martin County are going to be the favorites. 

1. Lawrence County - The Bulldogs are the kings till they get knocked off. Kaiden Harris (18.8).. back. Gunnar Woods (18.7)... back. Hayden Perry (15.7)... back. Kaden Johnson (10.9)... back. Not only do they bring back tons of scoring, they bring back that gritty edge that led them to go on a run and win the region last year. Although they got blown out by Montgomery County in the Sweet 16, I think a deeper run can be attained this next season based off of their draw. I look for them to repeat. 

2. Johnson Central - If anyone is going to unseat Lawrence, it very well could be the Golden Eagles. JC had a very up and down year last year going 15-11, but the plus side is besides one player, their entire team was made up of freshmen and sophomores. Austin Slone and Brayden Shepherd will be a great 1-2 punch and together they averaged 47.4 points per game. Add in guys like Mason Mckenzie and Kyle Rose into that, and you have the makings for a team that is poised to make a deep run. 

3. Martin County - The Cardinals had a very disappointed end to last season. They were the favorites all season to come up short at the very end. Gone are Watts and Davis, but the cupboard is not bare. Bryson Dials and Devan Maynard return who put up 14.6 and 9.3 points per game. They also had one of the biggest additions in the 15th over the offseason. Braxton Keathley (34.3!!!) is now wearing Martin County red instead of Prestonsburg red and black. He will be a huge asset to the cardinals and will help in pushing Martin County to the next level. 

4. Paintsville - Ethan Cole (19.7), Anderson Lauffer (13.3), and Brock Woods (12.7) are all upperclassmen now. Losing glue guy Jase Kinner hurts, but they bring back more than enough production to make a run at it. Last year they finished 19-9, but seemed like they lost to all the bigger names in the region towards the end of the year. With those three being a year older, it might give them the experience and edge they need to make a run. 

5. Pikeville - Pikeville loses Ian Onkst, EB Walters, and Ethan Sykes off a squad that looked like they’d make a real run at it before they lost off a heartbreaker. They do bring back Jason Keene (14.7) and Cole Slone (8.8). Pikeville has a great feeder program and they do things the right way over there. There’s no doubt in my mind Coach Justice will have them playing hard and improving throughout the season. If I’m not mistaken I believe they added Carter Parsons who is a really nice player as well. 

6. Shelby Valley - Sometimes at these mountain schools and smaller schools, your talent comes in waves. This may be Shelby Valley’s shot to be a dark horse in the 15th. They bring back top four scorers who averaged over 12 points per game. Can this be enough production to help them make a run? Only time will tell. Gavin Hamilton, Caden Johnson, Brady Johnson, and Jonah Bartley are all solid players. 

7. Floyd Central - Besides Lawrence County, no one ended the year hotter than Floyd Central. After a sub .500 regular season and a loss in the first round of districts, the season looked to be short lived. They then went on a run and won the first three rounds of the 15th region, including avenging a loss to Betsy Lane in the district, before losing to Martin Co to end their season. Dylan Boyd and Wesley Buck are both back after putting up 14.3 per game last season. The Jags are another dark horse for me in the 15th. 

8. Pike County Central - Jaden Stewart was as good as they come and was well worth the price of admission. In many games he put the team on his back and willed them to victory. Unfortunately, he is gone. Peyton Owens is back as the only other starter to put up double digits. They have added Hall of Fame Coach Al Holland though and I think he will be a great addition for PCC. 

9. Betsy Lane - Losing Cameron Pente to graduation hurts, but losing Carter Parsons to transfer hurts just as bad. The Bobcats will have to reload. They’ll look to Brayden Hall (15.0) and Isaiah Allen (8.3) to lead the charge. Last season they won the 58th but fizzled out quickly in the first round of region. They’ll look to increase off of that run. 

10. Belfry - The Pirates go into year 2 under coach Brent Perry. They lose a few of their bigger names to graduation, but they bring back Matthew Little who will lead the back court. Carter Jude will also man the point and will be a nice player in the 15th. We will see what kinda strides they make in year two. 

11. Phelps - Phelps is coming off a season where they finished two games over .500. They knocked off Belfry in the district before getting drummed by PCC in the district championship. They did win their first round of region, but then got steam rolled by Martin County. 

12. Magoffin County - The fighting Hornets are two years off of a sweet 16 run, but are still rebuilding from that solid senior class they had that year. They did manage to win their first round game in the region over East Ridge, but they got edged out by Phelps to finish the year. They look to make a run this season. 

13. Prestonsburg - The Blackcats were decimated by graduation and transfers. They return under 10 points per game and 5 boards per game. It’s going to be a tough year P Burg. Hopefully the young guys buy in quick and they right the ship as quick as their football team has been able to. 

14. East Ridge - East Ridge had a tough year last year only winning seven games. They lost the first round of district, and then got knocked off by Magoffin in the first round of region. East Ridge isn’t the easiest job in the world and it’s tough to see them advancing much further.

Very well done. I really appreciate stuff like this. 

Nice graphic into 15th region guys by D&D.