King James

Johnson Central is going to have a SIGNIFICANT size advantage...

Campbell County is 1-1 against 15th region teams this year. They defeated Betsy Layne by 2, and lost to Lawrence County by 3. Johnson Central did not face Betsy Layne, but they defeated Lawrence County three times (2, 4, and 22).

Johnson Central has the ability to spread the floor with its bigs. Kyle Gullett and Truman Salyer can really shoot the three, which usually opens up the middle for Shane Hall. Hall is intent on getting to the basket. JC has solid guard play with Dalton Adkins and Slade McPeek. McPeek has played outstanding as of late. I don't know anything about Campbell County, but JC is tough to handle if Hall has a decent game. I expect big numbers from Gullett.

15th region teams usually face a distinct size advantage when playing at Rupp, but this JC team is likely to be bigger than any team they face...

Tomorrow...8 PM

 

Championship game of the 15th region tournament.

 

First meeting between these two

 

Johnson Central (24-6) averaging 72 PPG.....Shelby Valley (20-10) averaging 63 PPG

 

MP: Johnson Central 64-56

 

 

Predictions?

Johnson Central actually deafeated Shelby Valley earlier in the season by 3 at Valley...

I don't think this outcome is surprising. Those that saw Valley early this season with a healthy Tyler Carr knew they were a top team in the region. Valley struggled without Carr, but since his return have played much better. Johnson Central will be a tall task, but pulling off the upset is not completely out of the question...

Carr is back but not at full strength. Shelby Valley isn't playing its best ball of the season, so Hazard will be a test for them...

I think Johnson Central is clearly the #1 team in the region. Betsy Layne has a nice record, but their schedule has not been very tough. I see the top 5 as:

Johnson Central

Betsy Layne

Lawrence County

Shelby Valley

Sheldon Clark

East Ridge is a team on the rise, but I think the regional champion will be one of the top 5 teams...

Both teams struggled to get into any kind of rhythm. Shelby Valley led pretty much the entire way, but struggled to pull away. Nice game for the bigs from SV Belter and Newsome...

Shelby Valley has a good shot at winning the 15th, and Tyler Carr is the top All "A" player from the 15th...

This was a really competitive and intense game. Gullett led Johnson Central with 20 and Tyler Carr led Shelby Valley with 26. Key to the game was Johnson Central's defensive adjustments to limit Carr's looks in the 4th. Also, Johnson Central's bigs really shot the ball well from the perimeter. Carr shot lights out for most of the game. Hunter Swindall had a nice game for SV also...

This happened once before at Pike Central in 2001 (I think), when Shawn Scott shattered the backboard...

Fouls and FT's were heavily in Hazard's favor... SV had some key players spend lots of time on the bench...

Shouldn't be much of a surprise with 3 potential collegiate players on their team. In fact, it shouldn't matter who the coach is with that kind of talent.

It matters.

What schools are showing interest in Belter? You can't teach 6'10.

 

Also, where did the Silvers kid come from and what are both his and Carr's games like?

I understand that Shawnee State has shown interest in both Belter and Carr. Silvers came from Pikeville where he was a starter last season. He has a really nice outside shot, but needs to work on the other areas of his game. Carr should be the leading scorer for SV. He is really crafty with the ball and has the ability to create shots for himself and his teammates. SV has struggled with turnovers in the past and I think Carr will go a long way in correcting those problems. I think SV will surprise some people at how much better they will be than the past two years...

Shelby Valley has a new coach in Jim Hicks, formerly of Grant County. SV returns plenty of experience, but it's a group many feel have underachieved the past couple of years. Junior guard Dalton Richardson, junior forward Andrew Newsome, and senior center Cody Belter are the leading returnees. Added to the roster are senior guard Tyler Carr and sophomore guard Steve Silvers.

Look for SV to play with much more intensity under Coach Hicks. SV has very good depth in other returning players Hunter Swindall, Cory Hamilton, Lamont Wright, and Jesse Lucas. Johnson Central has won the region the past two seasons and is the favorite again this year, but look for a group of teams including Lawrence County, East Ridge, Sheldon Clark, and Shelby Valley to push them for the title.

#10 is Cody BELTER. Shelby Valley has two players on the list but not Tyler Carr, and he will very likely put up bigger numbers than both.

Ray Kasongo has some serious maturity issues. History tells me whoever takes this kid will later regret it...

Kid is a real headcase. I would be extremely surprised if he is able to play at the high D1 level, due to all the issues he brings to the table. He has talent, but can't see a high major program putting up with his antics...

Does SV have the talent to win the region this year?

Johnson Central is the clear favorite to win the 15th again. SV, along with a few others, have the talent to compete with them. SV hasn't gotten the most of their talent the last couple of years so hopefully Coach Hicks can turn things back in a positive direction...

There have been a few names linked to the job, with the most recent being Jim Hicks. Former Mr. Basketball Todd May was the first name to be mentioned, followed by Frankie Smith (Sheldon Clark), Josh Cook (Lawrence Co), Mark Hatcher (Logan WVa), and now Hicks. Booher has also been rumored to be interested in returning to the job, but not sure how valid that rumor is. Randy McCoy (East Ridge) has also been mentioned, but Hicks seems to be the one that has been mentioned most...

Probably not... Ballard puts so much pressure on the ballhandlers that I'm not sure Johnson Central will ever be able to get into a comfort zone on offense.

Belter from SV is 6'11" and has added quite a bit of weight and strength. Hopefully he shows well for himself...

Nice win for the Lawrence County youngsters...

Is he related to Elisha Justice?

No.

From the Shelby Valley preview... Cody Bentley and Logan Lucas graduated last year...