15th Region Boys Basketball Preview:

First week in the 15th in the books, let's look at it! 

1. Lawrence County (3-0) - Three games, and three wins. Unfortunately there are no stats posted yet, but all the wins were pretty convincing except the Lewis County win. They won by 15, 7, and then blew out Betsy Lane by 43. Again, I think they’re the favorite to cut down the nets this spring. They have a busy week with Magoffin County, Pikeville, and Prestonsburg all looming. 

2. Martin County (3-0) - The Cardinals may end up being the favorite when it’s all said and done. They’re sitting at 3-0 after a 10 point win over Floyd Central, 26 point win over Perry Co Central, and a 37 point win over OBI. Braxton Keathley is doing what he does averaging right under 30 per game, and Bryson Dials is a heck of a Robin as he’s sitting at 25.7 per game. The recipe for success is to shut down those two, but it’s not been done yet. This week they will take on Huntington Expression Prep, and Harlan. 

3. Johnson Central (1-1) - An opening season win over Lewis County by 25 got things started off hot. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles came back down to life and were drubbed by 23 to Boyd County. Cooper Blair has been a bright spot averaging 20.5 through both games, with Brayden Shepherd and Austin Slone rounding them out with 18 and 15 respectively. They get most of the week off till Saturday, then they’ll take on Greenup County at home. 

4. Pikeville (2-0) - The Panthers are rolling to start the year with a 24 point win over Knott County Central and a 60 point win over Lee County. Neither of those stats are in yet. They have a chance to show if they’re for real or not this coming week with Lawrence County on Tuesday, and then Rowan County on Saturday. 

5. Paintsville (0-2) - The Tigers are struggling to start the season. They lost the first by 2 to Ashland, then lost by 13 to Chesapeake OH. Anderson Lauffer had a heck of a game with 36 in the loss to Ashland. This week they have Hazard on Tuesday in the WYMT Classic. Based on how they do then, we’ll see who they have the rest of the week. 

6. Floyd Central (2-1) - The Jaguars opened up the year with a doozy against Martin County. They only dropped the game by 10 and it was on the road, which I think says a lot about how Floyd Central may be this year. They bounced back nicely with a 29 point win over Prestonsburg, and then a 13 point win over Powell County. They keep it rolling in this week's games against Phelps and Betsy Lane. 

7. Pike County Central (3-0) - Coach Al Holland is 3-0 so far in his first year stint with the Hawks. A 12 point win over Wesley Christian, a 2 point win over Owsley County, and a 17 point win over Breathitt County. Freshman Owen Bowman leads the way in scoring with 16.7 per game, and William Rowe is putting up 15 in addition to it. Been a great start to life without Jaden Stewart. This week they open with Leslie County tonight in the WYMT Mountain Classic. 

8. Shelby Valley (1-1) - The Wildcats opened up the year with a 4 point loss to Knott Co Central at home, but then had a 20 point win over Mountain Mission School VA. This week they will take on Phelps, then a huge game with Great Crossing. If they can hang close in that one, it would say a lot about Shelby Valley this coming season. 

9. Phelps (1-1) - The Hornets had a nice region win to open the season when they knocked off Betsy Lane by 1. Tyler Weddington led the way with 28 and 20 on the game. What a stat line. They did drop the next game to Leslie County by 20. This week they take on Shelby Valley, Floyd Central, and Breathitt County. It should give more clarity to where the middle of the pack lands in the region. 

10. Belfry - The Pirates haven’t had their first game yet. They will open with Harlan County and Magoffin County this week. 

11. Betsy Lane (1-3) - A less than ideal start for the Bobcats. A 1 point loss to Phelps, a 10 point win over Magoffin County, a 43 point set back to Lawrence County and a 7 point loss to Middlesboro. They will look to flip the script with Floyd Central on the road Friday. 

12. Magoffin County (0-2) - A 10 point set back to Betsy Lane and a 19 point loss to Knott Co Central is how the year has started for the Hornets. This week they play Lawrence Co, Estill Co, Belfry, and East Ridge. 

13. Prestonsburg (0-2) - The Blackcats opened up with a 22 point loss to OBI and a 29 point loss to Floyd Central. Life post the Keathley era has been tough so far. This week they look to turn it around with Morgan County and Lawrence County on the schedule. 

14. East Ridge (1-2) - The Warriors are 1-2. They beat Hurley VA, but then lost to RIchlands VA and Chilhowie VA. I don’t know anything about VA basketball. This week they play their first in-state opponent as Magoffin County comes to town.