15th Region

Halftime. JC 35 Lafayette 6

28-6 Johnson Central. 3:30 left 2Q.

A fine man and great basketball player. Grew up on his legend and was lucky enough to meet him on a few occasions. RIP Mr. Coleman. Prayers to the family.

I believe we are looking at the wrong numbers when considering attendance and equating it to whether the tournament is declining or not. Follow the money. With the NFHS network televising games for a fee, media members being charged to cover games, saved cost from putting program online instead of printing, etc. etc. the KHSAA may be making more or equal money when compared to previous years. Point: It's unlikely the KHSAA will make any changes as long as the total revenue is comparable or increasing from year to year. Despite decreased attendance in the arena, there may be increased exposure when you factor in all the other ways people can get their sweet sixteen experience. This increased exposure could still be filling the coffers for the KHSAA.

In the last six trips to Rupp Arena for the Golden Eagles, they have drawn the 7th region in the opening round four times. 2006 - JTown 2013 - Ballard 2015 - Ballard 2019 - Trinity JC has advanced to the Elite 8 twice in school history. You cant help but wonder if JC would have more state tournament wins if not for such difficult draws.

I agree that it would be a monumental upset for JC to beat Trinity. I do think JC will play better against them than most think however.

1.Knox Central 1.John Hardin 1.Owensboro 1.Trinity 1.Scott County 1.Butler 1.Madisonville N. Hopkins 1.Warren Central 2.John Hardin 2.Trinity 2.Scott County 2.Madisonville N.H 3.Trinity 3.Scott County 5.Scott County TB.113

JC has played two sweet sixteen teams: 1.They defeated Ashland on the road on their senior night (Bryant played for Ashland and Jacob Rice DNP for JC). JC won 64-44 as Isaiah May posted 18p and 9r to lead the Golden Eagles. 2. JC defeated Perry Central 78-68 at Prestonsburg after taking a 21-point lead into the 4th quarter. Cory VanHoose had 28p 8r and Isaiah May had 21p 5r in the game for JC.

2019 15th Region Champions – Johnson Central Golden Eagles – State Tournament Preview Season Overview: The Johnson Central Golden Eagles extended their own 15th Region record by advancing to their eighth straight regional championship game and have now won five of the last eight regional titles with a 66-61 victor over Pikeville. In fact, over the last eight seasons, Johnson Central is 21-3 in the regional tournament at the Pikeville EXPO Center, which begs to ask if they should change the name of the 15th Region Tournament to the Johnson Central Invitational. This year’s dominance was different though, as the Golden Eagles faced many hurdles throughout the season. JC finished their summer session with a 22-2 record that included pushing Scott County to the final minutes and winning a KBA Gold Bracket Summer Championship. The stellar play fueled what was already high expectations with the Golden Eagles. Johnson Central entered the season ranked #1 in the region on both BGP and in the CATS Pause (which is voted on by the 15th Region Coaches Association). Led by Senior Jacob Rice (voted as the region’s top overall player) and Isaiah May (voted as the region’s top sophomore and one of the best prospects in the state), JC had eyes on returning to Rupp Arena. The season began with an eye injury to one of the best all-around athletes in the school in Bryson Hackney. The seven-sport varsity star was running the point in the summer as a starter, had two in-game dunks, and was looking to build off a solid freshman campaign before suffering a detached retina and subsequently going through three reconstructive eye surgeries. Hackney would not see the floor until January and has played this season with no depth perception. One final surgery is still needed this summer. After opening 9-1, Johnson Central then saw one of the best shooters in the state in Gabe Ferrell go down for over a month with a knee injury. Ferrell is a 6’3’’ small forward who has signed to play baseball at EKU. Ferrell is shooting nearly 46% on 3FG for the season with a large enough sample size to make you say wow! As soon as Ferrell and a limited Hackney returned, Jacob Rice missed two weeks with an ankle injury late in the season, but was able to return to form for district tournament play as his minutes were monitored to allow for adequate healing. With the early injuries and inconsistent play at the beginning to middle of the season, JC had some eye popping losses. Shelby Valley beat them at home by 19. Paintsville beat them at home by 19. Pikeville beat them on the road by 23. The one underlying theme in the losses, however, is they did not have their full team. In fact, in games where Rice, Ferrell and Hackney all played at least one second, the team has only one loss and that was to Shelby Valley in final game of the regular season, on the road and on senior night by two points. With the up’s and down’s of the season, the Golden Eagles were able to stay steady with the stellar play of Isaiah May, Cory VanHoose and John King. The only players to appear in every game this season. This trio of sophomores play way above their years and are supremely athletic with the ability to play multiple positions. In fact, Isaiah May has started at all five positions this season, has had multiple 30 point games and is a team leader in rebounds and points while Cory VanHoose has produced a 40-point game that included going 19/20 from the field in one of the best shooting performances in state history. When you match the ability of these three, with a healthy Rice, Ferrell and Hackney, then throw in unselfish and unrelenting defense and bench energy from the likes of senior Braxton Bentley (who started half the season at guard when injuries hit and willing went to the bench to help his team), and big man Zach Russell you can see why early expectations were so high. Johnson Central was able to get everyone on the floor together at the right time and peaked when they needed it the most. This team is very well coached and very good as they avenged all the previous losses with relentless defense and excellent all-around play. The Golden Eagles have played in four tournaments this season. The Rebel Classic at Tolsia, WV, the Dan Swartz Classic at Bath County, the 57th District Tournament at Paintsville and the 15th Region Tournament at the EKY EXPO. They are have won them all! Quick Reference Guide Head Coach: Tommy McKenzie will be making his 7th overall trip to Rupp Arena as he won a regional title in 2000 as a player, in 2006 as an Assistant Coach and in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2019 as a Head Coach. All at Johnson Central. Head Coach Career Record: 255-129 (0.6641) (12th Season at JC) Enrollment: 1,078 Mascot: Golden Eagle Colors: Black and Gold Founded: 1968 (Consolidation of Flat Gap, Oil Spring, Van Lear, and Meade Memorial) District: 57th All Time Record: 892-605 (0.5959) Regional Titles: (10) 1972, 1975, 1984, 2000, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019 What to Expect at the State Tournament: Johnson Central has no set primary defense as they play what the game calls for, but like most teams they play man-to-man a majority of the time. You will see them play a 2-3 zone a 3-2 zone and even some half court trapping on occasion. You will also see them press in the full court as well, but this will likely be situational against Trinity. Jacob Rice will draw the toughest defensive assignment and will likely be on David Johnson at the tip, although they may run multiple looks at Johnson in an attempt to force someone else to beat them. Johnson Central has excellent guards and players with multiple skill sets that allow them to be position-less on the floor offensively. They have no true big and outside Ferrell, no designated shooters. In short, they can all dribble, pass and shoot and can all play inside and out depending on the defense. Sometimes, however, this gets them in trouble rebounding as they rely on their athleticism to make up for lack of height. JC prefers to play fast during the early and middle parts of the game, then once they have the lead, spread you out and make you either foul them or give up high percentage shots at the rim. Typically, JC turns the ball over very little and in the games they have lost, it’s been due to poor shooting. They have five kids that can and have played the point guard during the season and four kids averaging double figures with a fifth at nearly 9. It’s difficult for teams to key on one player to stop Johnson Central. Having said this, look for JC to move the ball around a lot and try to identify advantages to exploit. JC will make early observations on the flow of the game and adjust their offense accordingly, but regardless of what they run, it will be motion based with continuous five-out movement. They don’t play very much isolation basketball unless they have a distinct advantage at a position which is unlikely versus Louisville Trinity. Johnson Central Starters 1. Jacob Rice (Senior) PG 5’11’’ – The crafty point guard is a five-year varsity member and four-year starter. Jacob has played in more games at Johnson Central than anyone, holds the career start record and career assist record, and has scored over 1,600 points. Rice is also tied for the most wins in school history, having piled up 116 in his varsity career. Fresh off a 15th region tournament MVP, Rice is the best defender on the team and very strong in both his upper and lower body. He does not explode over defenders, but is very good dribbling the basketball and in very great cardiovascular condition (6-year varsity XC runner). He just wears you down on both ends of the floor with his tenacity and basketball IQ, taking advantage of your mistakes. Best described as “A coaches dream”, Rice is a true extension of the head coach on the floor and is getting looks from a few small colleges. Rice enters the game averaging 13.1 ppg, 5.2 apg and 4.2 rpg 2. Isaiah May (Sophomore) W 6’3’’ – May is the best player on the team with the ability to play all five positions on the floor. He shoots the ball well from deep, has several in game dunks to include catching it off lob’s and finishing with two-hands, and is deadly in the mid-range off the dribble. He can score in the post against smaller players, and beat big’s off the dribble. He will run the point at times and be a floor spacer as well. May has seen a box-and-one and chaser multiple games this season and will switch to facilitator role if needed, but he can score the ball well too. He led JC in the regional title game with 19 points and 8 rebounds and has been named MVP in two tournaments this season (Rebel Classic and Dan Swartz Classic). He became the first sophomore in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark this season and holds the school record for most points in an 8th grade and 9th grade season. May is getting a lot of collegiate looks with Marshall and UPike currently the hottest. If Johnson Central is able to score against the Trinity defense, he will have a lot to do with it. May enters the game averaging 16.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg 3.0 apg. 3. Cory VanHoose (Sophomore) G 5’11’’ – VanHoose is not related to assistant coach J.R. VanHoose, but has game that equals his size. Despite being under six feet tall, VanHoose plays way bigger as indicated by being the second leading rebounder on the team. He can also score at the rim in multiple ways against bigger defenders and to be honest it's kind of baffeling how he does it. VanHoose is excellent at finding angles for his shot release, has great footwork and is one of the strongest players on the team and in the weight room. His quickness and uncanny ability to score are amazing at times as he does against big’s, guards, very athletic defenders, etc. etc. He has had a 40-point game this season on 19/20 shooting and although he can shoot the three when open, prefers to score going at the basket in a slashing motion. VanHoose has improved greatly on the defensive end over the course of the season, providing another stopper for coach McKenzie when needed. VanHoose alongside May, is one of the top sophomores in the state and only 13 points away from reaching 1,000 for his career. VanHoose enters the game averaging 16.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.8 spg while shooting 56% from the field. 4. Gabe Ferrell (Senior) SF 6’3’’ – Ferrell is already a D1 athlete as he has signed to play baseball for EKU next season. On the hardwood, he is one of the best shooters in the state and he does it off a catch and shoot. Ferrell has over 100 3FG attempts and is hitting nearly 46% of them. Think of him as the Klay Thompson of the mountains. His ability to space the floor makes it difficult to play zone against JC and provides driving lanes for VanHoose, Rice, May and King. If you leave Ferrell to help, it will cost you as his teammates will find him. Other than shooting, Ferrell is a long and athletic defender. He plays above the rim and rebounds out of position. He is also known for his ability to get chase down blocks as he leads the team in that category. Ferrell missed a large portion of the season with a knee injury, but is back and playing extremely well, shooting 65% from three over his last 6 games! Ferrell enters the game averaging 10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 0.6 bpg while shooting 45.7% from 3FG on over 100 attempts. 5. John King (Sophomore) F 6’0’’ – Pound for pound King is the most athletic player on the team. He can dunk with two hands off two feet and has the ability to blow by defenders off the dribble. His second leap is tremendous and he strength is very good. This makes King play like his is 6’4’’ or 6’5’’. His quickness is very good as well. He doesn’t shoot from range often and don’t take bad shots, but if you give him space to size you up off the dribble, King will get to his spot and elevate well above the rim for a shot or dunk. He is the kind of player that makes it hard to guard all five of JC’s kids. King enters the game averaging 8.5 ppg 4.6 rpg and 1.2 spg while shooting 62% overall the field and is a team leader in double-doubles.

JC and Pikeville meet in the championship for the third straight season. JC advances to 8th straight regional title game. Pikeville defeated JC by 23 earlier in season but JC was without Gabe Ferrell. Who wins and why?

Pikeville enters as two time defending champions. Johnson Central enters having been to seven straight regional championship games. Phelps is in for the first time since 2012. Thoughts? Predictions?

District Tournament Recap: We were able to correctly predict 7 of the 8 regional tournament teams with one of the districts being perfect on winner and runner-up (57th). Competitive Balance has been the name of the game this season and didn’t seem to slow down during the first week of the tournament. This should be one of the best regional tournaments in years as the draw could set up one of the biggest nights in 15th Region semifinal history. Upsets happen, however, as survive and advance is the name of the game this week. Below we break down the 15th region tournament and every quarterfinal game. 15th Region Tournament Preview Tournament Location: East Kentucky EXPO Center (Pikeville, KY) Defending Champion: Pikeville Schedule: Session 1 Monday 25 February 2019: Johnson Central (57th Winner) vs. Prestonsburg (58th Runner-up) – 6:30 PM Phelps (60th Winner) vs. Shelby Valley (59th Runner-up) – 8:00 PM Session 2 Tuesday 26 February 2019: Floyd Central (58th Winner) vs. Paintsville (57th Runner-up) – 6:30 PM Pikeville (59th Winner) vs. Pike Central (60th Runner-up) – 8:00 PM Session 3 Friday 1 March 2019: Semi Final 1 – 6:30 PM Semi Final 2 – 8:00 PM Session 4 Saturday 2 March 2019: Championship – 7:00 PM (Winner will play Region 7 Champion) Overall Team Rankings Entering the Tournament (Record): 1 – Shelby Valley (27-5) 2 – Pikeville (21-8) 3 – Johnson Central (24-7) 4 – Paintsville (18-7) 5 – Pike Central (18-13) 6 – Prestonsburg (16-15) 7- Phelps (15-14) 8 – Floyd Central (6-24) Match-Up #1: Johnson Central [24-7: 12-5 in Region] vs. Prestonsburg [16-15: 11-10 in Region] Johnson Central took home their 21st district championship (4th consecutive) with an impressive 13-point win over rival Paintsville on the road. It was Paintsville’s largest and only double-digit loss of the season. Prestonsburg lost in the 58th district championship at Lawrence County to a surprise Floyd Central team, but are still dancing. For the Blackcats, they advance to the regional tournament for the second consecutive season and have locked up at least a .500 record for the first time since Jackie Pack was the head coach in 2008. It is without saying that Prestonsburg Coach Brent Rose has done an outstanding job in his first year back on the sidelines. As these two teams kick off the regional tournament, Johnson Central will be looking to advance to the championship game for the 8th straight year, extending their 15th region record. The Golden Eagles are 18-3 in the EXPO center over the previous seven seasons. Previous Match-Up’s: JC and Prestonsburg did not meet this season and last played in the 2017-2018 regional tournament quarterfinals. Johnson Central won 76-65 in a game they led by nearly 30 almost a year to the date. Phil Cornett led the way for Prestonsburg with 23 points (graduated) while Johnson Central put five players in double figures, led by Gabe Ferrell with 12 point. The Game: Expect Johnson Central to speed the game up with the fast break and full court defensive pressure. Expect Prestonsburg to play either sagging man or some sort of zone. It’s easier to slow a game down than speed one up and that’s what the Blackcats will try to do. With good shooting and a controlled style, Prestonsburg could hang around for a while, but every time Johnson Central scores, they will be able to press and for them, that leads to more scoring. The game could be close for a half, but JC should eventually pull away. Prestonsburg will need to play very well and hit shots to have a chance late as it will be difficult to stop a Johnson Central team that has four players averaging double figures. Regional Titles: Johnson Central (9) – 1972, 1975, 1984, 2000, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Prestonsburg (1) - 1989 Players to Watch: Johnson Central – Isaiah May (16.3 ppg 6.5 rpg) Cory VanHoose (16.3 ppg 5.8 rpg) Jacob Rice (13.4 ppg 5.2 apg) Prestonsburg – Blake Slone (14.3 ppg 5.2 rpg) Adam Slone (12.2 ppg 5.2 rpg) Graham Burchett (11.4 ppg 5.4 rpg) Prediction: Johnson Central 70 Prestonsburg 55 Match-Up #2: Phelps [15-14: 7-8 in Region] vs. Shelby Valley [27-5: 21-2 in Region] Shelby Valley has been the most consistent team all season long and are undefeated on the EXPO floor. They have led by one of the best players and best shooters in the state in Cody Potter, but also have superstar role players. They are disciplined, physical and well coached (Jim Hicks named KABC COY). They arrive in the regional tournament as 59th district runner-up’s having lost to Pikeville at East Ridge after leading by 8 points with under four minutes to play. Phelps has not been to the regional tournament since 2012 when they won the 60th district title. They arrive into the regional tournament as champions after knocking off both of their biggest rivals (Belfry and Pike Central) in district play on their home floor. The Hornets are led by Trey Francis, who alongside Cody Potter, comprise the two best juniors in the region. Francis is averaging a high double-double for the second straight season and can do it all on the basketball floor. Phelps, like Prestonsburg, is guaranteed at least a .500 record this season for Head Coach Jason Sanson and have already cut down the nets for a district title. Regardless of the outcome from this game, it has been a successful season. Previous Match-Up: Shelby Valley beat Phelps December 29th at Belfry in the Mountain School Boy Classic by a final of 53-44. Cody Potter led the way for the Wildcats with 18 points on 7/17 shooting. Trey Francis had 16 points for Phelps. The game was sluggish and slow for the most part as Shelby Valley never really put away Phelps, but rather let them hang around. The Game: Don’t expect Shelby Valley to let Phelps hang around this time. The big (NBA sized) EXPO floor gives Valley guards more space to operate and create for their teammates. It also allows Potter to find areas to release his jump shot, one of the best in KY basketball history. This creates another level of complexity on defense for the Hornets. For Phelps to keep it close, they have to very deliberate on offense and win the rebound battle. Trey Francis will need to produce on both ends of the floor and will likely see Shelby Valley’s Orbie McPeek face guarding him all night. Expect Valley to play straight man with perhaps no help on Francis at times. Expect Phelps to box up Potter. Like the first match-up, this will be a battle of two opposing styles. Regional Titles: Phelps (1) – 1988 Shelby Valley (7) - 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 (State Title), 2011 Players to watch: Phelps – Trey Francis (18.2 ppg 11.0 rpg) Dominick Francis (10.4 ppg 4.3 rpg) Shelby Valley – Cody Potter (22.8 ppg 9.5 rpg) Cameron Worrix (11.6 ppg 2.5 rpg) Prediction: Shelby Valley 81 Phelps 60 Match-Up #3: Floyd Central [6-24: 6-10 in Region] vs. Paintsville [18-7: 8-5 in Region] Floyd Central had one of the most tumultuous seasons ever in the 15th Region. They won their opening game, then had coach controversy that led to players quitting, went on a 20 game losing streak, had their head coach resign, saw the players come back with interim coach, then won the 58th district championship as a four seed beating one the better teams in the region in Lawrence County on their own floor along the way. The up’s and down’s have been polarizing to say the least. Paintsville has had another solid season and are looking to cap it off with the post season championship they have yet to find. This talented group has not won a district, region or All-A championship despite the expectations and talent level. The Tigers enter the regional tournament dropping two of the last three to include the district championship on their home floor to cross town rival Johnson Central. Make no mistake, however, as this team is more than capable of winning the regional championship. Previous Match-Up’s: Floyd Central defeated Paintsville 59-54 on February 2nd at home. The win snapped a 17 game losing streak for the Jaguars and saw Brady Conn go for 20 points and Ethan Smith-Mills tally 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tigers star Seth Williams did not play in this game (injury) and the game was played the day after an emotional meeting at home versus Johnson Central. Paintsville was led by Nick Keeton (17 points 12 rebounds). At the time this was one of the biggest upsets in the region. The Game: Floyd Central plays a controlled, half-court game while Paintsville likes to get out and run. Don’t expect Floyd Central to sneak up and surprise Paintsville this time around as Seth Williams will play in this game. The battle in the middle between Keeton and Conn will be interesting as Conn averaged nearly 25 and 12 in the 58th district tournament, but Paintsville is not a 58th district team. In the end, Paintsville has too many weapons and will likely be laser focused after losing the district championship on their home floor. Floyd Central will need to play their best game of year, win the rebound battle and hit timely shots to have a chance to win late. Expect Floyd Central to play zone, while Paintsville will go man with the occasional full and half court press/trap. Regional Titles: Floyd Central - None Paintsville (9) - 1933, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1995, 1996 (State Title), 1997, 1998, 2008 Players to watch: Floyd Central – Brady Conn (15.3 ppg 8.9 rpg) Ethan Smith-Mills (15.1 ppg 5.2 rpg) Paintsville – Colby Fugate (16.9 ppg 7.3 rpg) Seth Williams (13.6 ppg 3.0 rpg) Nick Keeton (11.8 ppg 12.0 rpg) Prediction: Paintsville 65 Floyd Central 57 Match-Up #4: Pikeville [21-8: 15-2 in Region] vs. Pike Central [18-13: 12-8 in Region] Pike Central has played little brother to Pikeville since the school’s inception in the early 90’s and this match-up will only reinforce that. The Hawks enter the regional tournament as runner-up in the 60th district and despite having 18 wins, their best win of the season is against a Magoffin County team that finished 15-15. Pikeville has the best defense in the region, are two time defending 15th region champions and are the only team to beat Shelby Valley in the region this season (split with Valley 2-2). Pikeville enters this year’s regional tournament as 59th district champs, winning their 3rd straight. This team has the experience and coaching to make it three straight as they are currently on a six game winning streak and have won ten of their last eleven overall. Previous Match-Up: Pikeville knocked off Pike Central 82-56 at home February 12th. Connor Roberts paced the Panthers with 20 points as eleven players scored in the game. Pike Central had no stats posted from that contest. Despite the 26-point win, the game was not that close. The Game: This game is a huge mismatch at almost every level. Pike Central goes long stretches without scoring the ball and Pikeville has an outstanding defense. Pikeville should take control of the game early then cruise to victory late. For Pike Central to keep it close, they will need to hit a ton of shots and hope Pikeville plays their worst game of the season. Regional Titles: Pikeville (11) - 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1974, 1999, 2017, 2018 Pike Central - none Players to Watch: Pikeville – Connor Roberts (19.0 ppg 3.8 rpg) Kyle Watkins (10.1 ppg 3.2 rpg) Pike Central – Dasean Penn (10.6 ppg 8.3 rpg) Brady Adkins (10.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) Prediction: Pikeville 75 Pike Central 56 Agree or Disagree? Feel free to respond and discuss!

Major upset on Lawrence Countys floor as well.

It will be revisited in Spring meetings. I would be surprised if it comes to fruition.

The super regional was scrapped this year due to the fact the basketball season was shortened by one week. Format is as usual.

Congrats to Bart William's and the Wildcats! Great team effort.

15th Region Overview: The region has been controlled by four teams all season and it would be a shock if one of those did not make it to Rupp Arena this March. Two time defending champion Pikeville, Johnson Central who has been to seven consecutive regional title games, a talented Paintsville squad and Shelby Valley who has shown consistent dominance throughout the season all have legitimate chances to punch their ticket at the EXPO if they can get out of districts. Aside from the big four, there are many other story lines that will take place in the district tournaments this week and there should be some outstanding atmospheres. Below is the season recap and team rankings. 2018-2019 Preseason Rankings (Released in November): 1. Johnson Central 2. Pikeville 3. Paintsville 4. Shelby Valley 5. Floyd Central 6. Belfry 7. Magoffin County 8. Lawrence County 9. Prestonsburg 10. Sheldon Clark 11. East Ridge 12. Phelps 13. Pike Central 14. Betsy Layne 15. Jenkins 16. Piarist 2018-2019 Final Regular Season Rankings (Record): 1. Shelby Valley (26-4) 2. Pikeville (19-8) 3. Johnson Central (22-7) 4. Paintsville (17-6) 5. Lawrence County (22-7) 6. Pike Central (17-12) 7. Magoffin County (15-14) 8. Prestonsburg (15-14) 9. Sheldon Clark (10-19) 10. Phelps (13-14) 11. Belfry (8-21) 12. Betsy Layne (13-15) 13. East Ridge (12-15) 14. Floyd Central (4-24) 15. Jenkins (3-26) 16. Piarist (0-28) Awards (Based solely on author opinion): Player of the Year: Cody Potter (Shelby Valley) Coach of the Year: Jim Hicks (Shelby Valley) All Region 1st Team (Regardless of Position): Cody Potter – Shelby Valley Isaiah May – Johnson Central Brady Whitaker – Magoffin County Connor Roberts – Pikeville Trey James – Sheldon Clark All Region 2nd Team (Regardless of Position): Jacob Rice – Johnson Central Colby Fugate – Paintsville Tyler Maynard – Lawrence County Trey Francis – Phelps Nick Keeton - Paintsville All Region 3rd Team (Regardless of Position): Keian Worrix – Shelby Valley Kyle Watkins – Pikeville Cody Maynard – Lawrence County Cory VanHoose – Johnson Central Seth Williams - Paintsville Honorable Mention: Gabe Ferrel (Johnson Central), John King (Johnson Central), Brady Dingess (Paintsville), Braxton Maynard (Sheldon Clark), Aiden Barnett (Magoffin County), Isaiah Salyer (Magoffin County), Chase Sartin (Lawrence County), Blake Slone (Prestonsburg), Adam Slone (Prestonsburg), Graham Burchett (Prestonsburg), Jordan Frazier (Betsy Layne), Brady Robinson (Betsy Layne), Ethan Smith-Mills (Floyd Central), Cameron Worrix (Shelby Valley), Orbie McPeek (Shelby Valley), Sam Stanley (Shelby Valley), Christian Billiter (Pikeville), Rylee Sammons (Pikeville), Payton Rose (Jenkins), Dalton Wellman (East Ridge), Cameron Hess (East Ridge), Brady Adkins (Pike Central), Dasean Penn (Pike Central), Dezmon Roblee (Belfry), Dominick Francis (Phelps) 57th District Preview Tournament Location: Paintsville High School Defending Champion: Johnson Central Schedule: Paintsville (1 seed) vs. Sheldon Clark (4 seed) Tuesday 7:00 PM Johnson Central (2 seed) vs. Magoffin county (3 seed) Wednesday 7:00 PM District Championship (Friday 7:00 PM) Match-Up #1: Paintsville [17-6: 5-1 in Districts] vs. Sheldon Clark [10-19: 1-5 in Districts] Paintsville won a share of the 57th District regular season title as they split with Johnson Central. Sheldon Clark won a share of 3rd place as they tied with Magoffin County. Paintsville won the flip with JC to attain the top overall seed and Sheldon Clark lost a flip with MC to get the four seed. In the regular season Paintsville went 2-0 against Sheldon Clark, winning 55-51 in Martin County and 62-48 at home. In both games, Sheldon Clark jumped out to early leads, playing extremely well into the fourth quarter. In both games, Paintsville’s depth and pressure wore down the Cardinals as they seemed to get tired. Late turnovers and missed opportunities decided the outcome of the first meeting as Sheldon Clark led with under a minute to play and had the ball. In the second game, they simply ran out of gas. Paintsville wants to play fast, while the Cardinals want to control the game and run everything through Trey James. James has controlled the middle in both contest, preventing driving lanes at the rim with his shot blocking ability. Where the Tigers have been successful is in their full court and half court pressure, allowing them to score in transition. If this game is played in the low 50’s the Sheldon Clark will be there with a chance to win. They cannot, however, get down early as the Cardinals lack firepower to score in bunches. Notes: (1) Sheldon Clark awaits news on the eligibility of transfer Uziel Muteba. If he gets eligible and is as good as advertised, this brings another scorer and ball handler to a team that needs just that. (2) Paintsville is 3-3 in their last six games with losses to Johnson Central, Floyd Central and Pikeville. (3) If Sheldon Clark does not win the 57th district championship and then state championship, it will be their 3rd 20-loss season in the last 4 years. Prediction: Paintsville 72 Sheldon Clark 60 Match-Up #2: Johnson Central [22-7: 5-1 in Districts] vs. Magoffin County [15-14: 1-5 in Districts] Johnson Central lost the flip for the top overall seed and Magoffin County won the flip for the third overall seed. In the regular season, JC went 2-0 against the Hornets, winning at home 82-62 and on the road 81-61. Johnson Central’s Isaiah May has averaged 19.5 ppg and 7 rpg against the Magoffin in the two contest, but it’s the Golden Eagles pressure defense, bench depth and hectic style of play that wears down the Hornets. JC has put at least three players in double figures in both games despite Magoffin standout Brady Whitaker scoring 32 and 28 in the two games respectively. In the later parts of both games the outcome was decided and the Johnson Central JV finished out the contest. Magoffin County will need to have another big game from Brady Whitaker and then get solid defensive performances from everyone else. Johnson Central finished the season 2-1 with wins over Floyd Central and Mountain Mission’s national team at home and a loss on the road at Shelby Valley by two. The Golden Eagles were the preseason #1 team and have played very few games with all their players healthy as Bryson Hackney (three eye surgeries), Gabe Ferrell (knee) and Jacob Rice (ankle) have all missed several games each. The good news is they are all back and available for the post season push. Magoffin County enters districts going 4-1 in their last five and outside a regular season finale loss to Pike Central, would have been undefeated since losing to Johnson Central on February 4th. If Magoffin County can hit their shots from the outside and Brady Whitaker can have a big game to include getting JC in foul trouble, then Magoffin has a chance. A lot of things have to go right, however, as JC is a heavy favorite. Notes: (1) Johnson Central has been in 7 straight 15th Region championship games. Jacob Rice became the all-time assist leader in school history this season. Isaiah May became the first ever Sophomore to score 1,000 points at JC. (2) Magoffin County’s Brady Whitaker was named KABC 15th Region POY. He joined Trenton Russell (2017) on this list as the only Hornets to win the honor. Prediction: Johnson Central 78 Magoffin County 62 58th District Preview Tournament Location: Lawrence County Defending Champion: Floyd Central Schedule: Lawrence County (1 seed) vs. Floyd Central (4 seed) Tuesday 6:30 PM Prestonsburg (2 seed) vs. Betsy Layne (3 seed) Tuesday 8:00 PM District Championship (Thursday 7:00 PM) Match-Up #1: Lawrence County [22-7: 5-1 in Districts] vs. Floyd Central [4-24: 0-6 in Districts] The Bulldogs finished tied with Johnson Central for the second best record in the region and enter the 58th District tournament as the host and top overall seed. Floyd Central has been through roller coaster of a season. In the Preseason they were in the top five. They won their first game easily then proceeded to lost 20 of their next 21 (the win was against Piarist). They saw half of their team quit, watched a coach resign mid-season, then seen half of their team come back, defeat a very good Paintsville team and finish the season with the third most losses in the region and one of the worst records in the state. Just a crazy season that also saw their best player, Brady Conn, go to Wesley Christian Prep, play basketball, then come back all in the same year. Lawrence County was 2-0 against Floyd Central this year, winning 75-54 at home and 53-50 on the road. In both games, the Jaguars had all their players back, but in the first contest, one might think they were still working their way into shape after a long lay-off. Lawrence County is playing good basketball right now, winning six in a row to include an overtime win at Johnson Central (Jacob Rice DNP for JC). Floyd Central is playing better than they have for most of the season. Floyd Central is not the same team that lost all those games in a row, but sometimes a team can get accustom to losing. If the game stays tight, this could be a barn burner, but if LC pushes out a lead, Floyd Central could fold early. Notes: (1) This is the third district Lawrence County has been in over the last six years (57th, 58th, and now 60th). (2) When consolidated, many thought Floyd Central would a basketball power in the 15th Region. Their program now sits well below .500 in just two years of competition. (3) The Floyd Central job is scheduled to be posted this summer. Prediction: Lawrence County 65 Floyd Central 56 Match-Up #2: Prestonsburg [15-14: 4-2 in Districts] vs. Betsy Layne [13-15: 3-3 in Districts] The Blackcats have had one of their better seasons in a long time under new coach Brent Rose. They will finish the season no worse than .500 for the first time since 2011-2012 when they were 16-16 and could get their first winning season since Jack Pack led them during the 2008-2009 season (finished 18-13). Betsy Layne has also had a nice season under new head Coach Brad Short (former Head Coach at Allen Central). The Bobcats are 13-15 against a weak schedule, but have shown steady improvement throughout the season. Prestonsburg and Betsy Layne split during the regular season with Betsy Layne winning on the road 46-52 and more recently Prestonsburg winning at Betsy Layne by the same margin 48-42. These teams know each other very well and both play a controlled, half-court game with the occasional pressure. This game will be played on a neutral floor in Louisa and should be one of the most competitive games throughout the region in the opening round. It will come down to who makes shots and who don’t. Who can hit free-throws late and who can secure rebounds. The will be a fun game to watch. Notes: (1) Prestonsburg is looking for back-to-back regional births for the first time in over a decade. (2) Brent Rose, Prestonsburg’s head coach, was once the Head Coach at Betsy Layne before returning to the sidelines this season. Prediction: Prestonsburg 55 Betsy Layne 49 59th District Preview Tournament Location: East Ridge High School Defending Champion: Pikeville Schedule: Shelby Valley (1 seed) vs. Jenkins (4 seed) Tuesday 6:30 PM Pikeville (2 seed) vs. East Ridge (3 seed) Tuesday 8:00 PM District Championship (Thursday 7PM) Match-Up #1: Shelby Valley [26-4: 6-1 in Districts] vs. Jenkins [3-26: 0-7 in Districts] Shelby Valley is the best team in the region going into the tournament and have the best player in the region in Cody Potter. The Wildcats finished with the best overall record in the region, won the All-A and made a deep run at All-A state and won the tie breaker after sharing the regular season 59th district title with Pikeville. They have beat Johnson Central twice, Pikeville twice and Paintsville once with their only loss in the region coming at Pikeville in overtime on a buzzer beater. Jenkins is one of the worst teams in the region and state. After going winless last season, they did pick up three victories this year, but two were against a winless Piarist team. In the two meeting this season, Shelby Valley won 81-32 and 70-20. Don’t expect a competitive basketball game as Shelby Valley hopes to come away injury free. Notes: (1) Jenkins is 3-57 since joining the 15th Region and has only defeated Piarist in regional competition. Piarist has never defeated any 15th Region opponent in school history (dating back to the 90’s). (2) Shelby Valley is on pace for the first 30-win season in Jim Hicks career and school’s first since 2010. Prediction: Shelby Valley 85 Jenkins 50 Match-Up #2: Pikeville [19-8: 7-2 in Districts] vs. East Ridge [12-15: 2-5 in Districts] Pikeville has experience, multiple 1,000 point scorers and the best team defense in the region with their physical play. They closed the season strong, winning 8 of their last 9 to include a current four game win streak as they knocked off Paintsville on the road in the season finale. East Ridge is still young and upcoming and will better next year and the year after. They play a controlled and methodically style of play. During the regular season the two teams met three times. Twice in district play and once in the All-A. Pikeville won all three contest as follows: 79-54 at East Ridge, 61-45 in the All-A, 69-46 at home. The games were not very competitive in the second half and don’t expect anything different in the fourth contest. The game is at East Ridge which will give the Warriors an advantage and they do play a style that can keep them in big games, but once Pikeville gets the lead, it will be difficult for East Ridge to come back. Notes: (1) Pikeville is the two time defending 15th Region Champion (2) East Ridge Head Coach Randy McCoy is expected to be on the sideline after having health concerns early in the season. Prediction: Pikeville 68 East Ridge 50 60th District Preview Tournament Location: Phelps High School Defending Champion: Belfry Schedule: Pike Central (1 seed) vs. Piarist (4 seed) Monday 8:15 PM Belfry (2 seed) vs. Phelps (3 seed) Tuesday 8:15 PM District Championship (Friday 7:00 PM) Match-Up #1: Pike Central [17-12: 5-0 in Districts] vs. Piarist [0-28: 0-2 in Districts] The Hawks punched their ticket to the regional tournament with by winning the regular season district title and drawing Piarist in the first round. Piarist has forfeited district tournament play in the past so it’s yet to be determined if they will even show up to play the game. Pike Central did defeat Piarist in the regular season by a final of 76-34. The Hawks best win this season came in their season finale as they defeated Magoffin County. Give them credit though, as they did win their district and will be a factor in the regional tournament. Notes: (1) Pike Central has some new faces that could be eligible for post season play. Prediction: Pike Central 86 Piarist 31 Match-Up #2: Belfry [8-21: 2-2 in Districts] vs. Phelps [13-14: 1-4 in Districts] This will be one of the best opening round games in the region outside of Betsy Layne and Prestonsburg. The game is at Phelps and they have the best player in the district in Trey Francis. The two schools don’t like each other as Phelps has lost several athletes over the years to Belfry. The two schools have seen their fans spill onto the court in heated contest before. This game will be a war. Belfry won both regular season contest defeating Phelps 38-37 in overtime on the road and then beating them again 50-45 at home. Belfry will show the press and try to speed the game up in spots, while Phelps plays more of a half court style that is reactive to their opponent. Look for Trey Francis to carry to scoring load against Belfry. If he stays out of foul trouble this could be a great win for the program. Notes: (1) Phelps is looking to advance to the regional tournament for the first time since 2012 when they won the 60th district tournament on their home floor. (2) Belfry is trying to right the ship after a poor regular season by making it back to the regional tournament yet again. Prediction: Phelps 53 Belfry 52 District Championship Predictions: 57th - Johnson Central 65 Paintsville 63 58th – Lawrence County 71 Prestonsburg 65 59th – Shelby Valley 67 Pikeville 64 60th – Pike Central 63 Phelps 60 Agree or Disagree on anything? Feel free to respond!

Overview: Shelby Valley’s Jim Hicks and Magoffin County’s Brady Whitaker took home KABC Coach and Player of the year honors respectively while the top tier teams in the region remained the same. District tournaments are a week away as the 15th Region prepares for what is expected to be one of the most competitive post seasons in many years. Listed below are the rankings and reviews after eleven weeks of play. Rankings (overall record): 1. (-) Shelby Valley (25-4) The Wildcats were perfect in week eleven, going 3-0 against Belfry, Pike Central and Jenkins with an average winning margin of 30 plus. Cody Potter will finish the regular season averaging 25 plus points and 10 plus rebounds regardless of performance in their final game at home vs. Johnson Central in week twelve. Valley ended with the top overall seed in the 59th district and will face Jenkins in the first round at East Ridge. 2. (-) Pikeville (16-8) - The Panthers went 1-1 in week eleven as they lost a return game at Clay County 68-75 in OT after defeating the Tigers by 34 just four days earlier and won at home over Sheldon Clark 72-61. Pikeville has the best half-court defense in the region and solid, experienced guards against pressure. When they score the ball efficiently, they are extremely difficult to beat. Pikeville closes the regular season with Floyd Central and Pike Central at home then Paintsville on the road. The Paintsville game could carry a lot of tension after the way the two teams closed the regular season last year. 3. (-) Johnson Central (20-6) - The Golden Eagles went 2-1 in week eleven with a pair of twenty point wins on the road over Magoffin County and Ashland and a loss at home in OT to Lawrence County. Senior star Jacob Rice did not play in the Ashland or Lawrence County game as he nurses a sprained ankle from last Thursday’s practice as he expects to return before districts. In the Lawrence County Sophomore Cory VanHoose had one of the greatest shooting games in KHSAA history, going 19/20 from the field and finishing with a career high 40 points. Sophomore stud Isaiah May scored his 1,000th point in the Ashland win as played all five positions on both offense and defense for JC in the game. Johnson Central will flip a coin with Paintsville for the top overall seed in the 57th District tournament this week as the finish out the season with Floyd Central and Mountain Mission, VA at home, then Shelby Valley on the road. 4. (-) Paintsville (16-5) – The Tigers picked up two wins this week over Belfry and Letcher Central as they close the season on a four game home stand. The last two games come this week against Raceland and Pikeville. Paintsville does not yet know their opponent in the 57th district tournament they will host, but they do know it will be either Magoffin County or Sheldon Clark, both of whom they went 4-0 against collectively. The Tigers will look to close strong with Pikeville at home as they head into the post season. 5. (-) Lawrence County (20-7) – The Bulldogs picked up three key wins this week all on the road versus Sheldon Clark, Johnson Central (OT) and Paris (OT). Cody Maynard went for 30 points in the JC game as this young team is a strong sleeper in the region. They would have been moved up in the rankings had JC not beat them badly twice earlier in the season and due to the fact JC did not have one of their best players in senior Jacob Rice. Nonetheless, this team has 20 wins and is capable of getting hot and beating any team in the region on a given night. 6. (Up 1) Magoffin County (14-13) – The Hornets lost their first game of the week, but reeled off three straight to get above .500 after a four game losing streak. Magoffin lost by 20 to Johnson Central the beat Prestonsburg, Sheldon Clark and East Ridge. Along with the wins, Senior Brady Whitaker was named KABC Player of the year and will be a Mr. Basketball finalist next week. Magoffin will play either Paintsville or Johnson Central in the first round of the 57th but will have to wait until Tuesday’s flip to see which it will be. Prior to that they will travel to June Buchanan and Pike Central to close out the season. 7. (Down 1) Sheldon Clark (9-18) – Sheldon Clark was 0-4 in week eleven and have dropped five or their last six overall. Trey James continues to play well, but the supporting cast is hit and miss on a nightly basis. Sheldon Clark will learn of their appeal on their D1 transfer this Wednesday as they await a coin flip to find out if they play Johnson Central or Paintsville in the 57th District opening round. Sheldon Clark will close with Huntington St. Joseph and Red Bird as they hope to pick up two wins and avoid their third 20 loss season in the last four years. 8. (-) Pike Central (16-11) – The Hawks were 1-2 with losses to Letcher Central at home and Shelby Valley on the road and a win over Phelps in district play. Pike Central has locked up a trip to the regional tournament as they won the 60th District regular season and earned an opening round match-up with Piarist. Pike Central will close out the regular season with Pikeville on the road (should be a great crowd) and Magoffin County at home. 9. (Up 1) Prestonsburg (13-13) – Prestonsburg was 1-1 this past week with a loss on the road at Magoffin County and a win over Floyd Central as they wrapped up a four game road trip 2-2 overall. They will play Betsy Layne in the 58th District opening tournament and close out the season with East Ridge and Jenkins both on the road. This could be the first winning season in a very long time for the Blackcats. 10. (Down 1) Phelps (11-13) – The Hornets were 1-1 in week eleven as they beat Jackson City and lost to Pike Central. This team will play Belfry in the 60th District tournament at home in what should be a great game. Before then, they will have Betsy Layne, Piarist and Morgan County as they try to get to .500 before districts. Trey Francis continues to play well as one of the more underrated players in the region. 11. (-) Belfry (8-19) – The Pirates dropped two more games this week, winning only one. They will lose 20 games this season after winning 20 games last season. The good news is they could still get in the regional tournament with a district tournament win over Phelps on the road. That won’t be easy as the Pirates look to prepare with Floyd Central and East Ridge in the final week. 12. (-) Betsy Layne (12-14) – The Bobcats have dropped four of their last five with the only win coming against Jenkins. The Bobcats schedule well to get wins, but are no real threat to the top half of the region. They will close with Phelps and June Buchanan at home before playing Prestonsburg in the 58th District tournament at Lawrence County. 13. (-) Floyd Central (3-22) – The Jaguars are improving as their players are getting in better shape since their return to action, but they did drop both games in week eleven as both Prestonsburg and Boyd County knocked them off at home. Floyd Central is locked into the 4 seed in the 58th District and a date with Lawrence County on the road. Prior to that Floyd Central closes with a three game road trip against tough competition as they travel to Pikeville, Johnson Central and Belfry in that order. 14. (-) East Ridge (10-15) – The Warriors went 1-2 this week with losses to Letcher Central at home and Magoffin County on the road. They did beat Piarist at home by 25 for their lone win. East Ridge will host the 59th District tournament where they play Pikeville in the first round. The will close the season with two games at home versus Belfry and Prestonsburg. 15. (-) Jenkins (2-24) – The Cavaliers picked up their second win of the season over Piarist in week eleven and should be beat them again when they play this week. This will be the only three wins on the season, however, as Jenkins gets Lawrence County and Prestonsburg before facing Shelby Valley in districts. 16. (-) Piarist (0-23) – Piarist went 0-3 in week eleven and are expected to remain winless on the season. The best change to get a win will be Jenkins on the road but Jenkins has already beaten the Knights handily. Agree or Disagree?

Overview: Johnson Central knocked off Paintsville on the road in a game they never trailed, Pikeville dominated Clay County at home, Shelby Valley cruised to easy wins and Magoffin County welcomes back the return of their suspended players. These are just a few of the headlines after ten weeks of play. Rankings and reviews are as follows: Rankings (overall record): 1. (-) Shelby Valley (22-4) – The Wildcats remain in the top spot after going 2-0 this week with comfortable wins over Magoffin County (72-33) and East Ridge (61-35). Cody Potter is averaging 23.7 ppg and 10.0 rpg while shooting an impressive 43% from deep on 221 attempts. Match that with the energy and effort Shelby Valley’s role players bring night in and night out and you have an exceptional team. Expect Valley to roll in week eleven with home games versus Belfry and Pike Central and a road game versus Jenkins. 2. (Up 1) Pikeville (15-7) – Pikeville defeated Clay County 89-55 at home in their only contest of the week, extending their current win streak to four games. In the game, Connor Roberts paced the Panthers with 35 points on 12/16 shooting as Clay County had no answer for the half-court 1-2-2 pressure. Rylee Sammons, J.T. Orem and Christian Billiter also hit double figures in the win. Pikeville is the best defensive team in the region with their physical strength and size and will be tested in week eleven as they travel to Clay County before hosting Sheldon Clark. It will be a much different test playing Clay County in Manchester this week, expect the game to be much closer. 3. (Up 1) Johnson Central (18-5) – The Golden Eagles posted a 2-1 record this week with a home win over Sheldon Clark 67-38, a road win over cross town rival Paintsville 68-62 and a road loss at Clay County 59-72. In the Paintsville game, Johnson Central led by 16 points late in the third quarter and had a fast break dunk attempt that was missed that could have extended the lead. Paintsville immediately got 3FG’s on back to back possessions cutting what should have been and 18-point lead to 10 points and making a game out of it. In the end, JC would never trail and hit enough FT’s late to hold on despite multiple starters fouling out. The Golden Eagles will have a chance to tie for the 57th district regular season crown in week eleven with a win at Magoffin County. They will also have Lawrence County at home and Ashland on the road. 4. (Down 2) Paintsville (14-5) – Disappointing week as the Tigers went 1-2 with a win over Huntington St. Joe’s regional team and back-to-back losses versus Johnson Central at home and Floyd Central on the road. Colby Fugate and Seth Williams continue to be the statistical leaders on the team as the Tigers have hit a rough spot in their season, losing three of the last five overall. In the loss to Floyd Central, Seth Williams did not play, but it’s still a head scratcher as Floyd Central entered the game 2-20 overall. Both Paintsville and Johnson Central lost the night after playing one another in an emotional rivalry game and both lost on the road. The Tigers will look to regroup in week eleven as they open what will be a three game home stand versus Belfry and Letcher Central. 5. (-) Lawrence County (17-7) – The Bulldogs went 1-1 in week ten as they played the first two games of what will be a five game road trip. The loss came at Russell 71-77 as both Cody and Tyler Maynard hit the 20-point plateau. The win came on the road at Floyd Central 53-50 and locked up the top overall seed for the Bulldogs in the 58th District. That seed means they will play Floyd Central in the opening game on their home court. Week eleven might be the toughest so far this season as Lawrence County travels to Sheldon Clark, Johnson Central and Paris. 6. (-) Sheldon Clark (9-14) – Sheldon Clark’s transfer is still not eligible and the Cardinals went 1-1 in week eleven as they await an appeal ruling. A loss on the road at Johnson Central 38-67 and a win on the road at Belfry 65-59 is how the week played out. With the Johnson Central loss, Sheldon Clark is assured to play either JC or Paintsville in the opening round of the district. In week eleven, SC will host Lawrence County and Breathitt County then travel to Magoffin County and Pikeville. If they win at Magoffin County, they will be the three seed, if they lose, they will flip with Magoffin County for the three seed unless Magoffin County defeats JC. 7. (-) Magoffin County (11-12) – The Hornets went 0-2 this week but it was without the region’s leading scorer Brady Whitaker, or their big man in the middle Randy Bailey as both were suspended for two games following their ejections in the Paintsville game. With both out, Magoffin lost to Letcher Central 52-56 and Shelby Valley 33-72 both on the road. The week the Hornets will play four home games versus Johnson Central, Prestonsburg, Sheldon Clark and East Ridge. Magoffin is assured to play either Paintsville or Johnson Central in the opening round of the 57th district tournament at Paintsville. 8. (-) Pike Central (15-9) – The Hawks locked up the top seed in the 60th district and a virtual guarantee to be in the regional tournament (play Piarist in opening round) in week ten as they went 1-1. The win on the road at Belfry 62-44 gave Pike Central that top spot. They also lost at home to Letcher Central 39-49 as the offense went into another drought. If Pike Central can get consistent scoring, they can play with the upper level teams in the region but that has not been the case thus far as their best win on the season is at home versus Prestonsburg. 9. (Up 1) Phelps (10-12) – The Hornets went 2-1 this week and move up one spot. Wins on the road versus River View, WV and Twin Valley, VA were sandwiched around a loss on the road to Belfry in a competitive game (lost 45-50). With the outcomes around the district, it is assured that Phelps and Belfry will play in the opening round of the district tournament at Phelps in what should be a great game. In week eleven, the Hornets will face Man, WV Pike Central and Jackson City. 10. (Up 1) Prestonsburg (12-12) – The Blackcats had a 3-1 week to get back to .500 on the season with wins over Piarist, Leslie County and Betsy Layne and a loss on the road to Buckhorn. With district play set, Prestonsburg will play Betsy Layne at Lawrence County in the opening round of the 58th district tournament. In week eleven the will wrap up their four game home trip by playing Magoffin and Floyd Central. 11. (Down 2) Belfry (7-17) – The Pirates went 1-2 in week ten, breaking their five game losing streak with a home win over Phelps 50-45 then starting a new one with a home loss to Sheldon Clark 59-65. Belfry will play 60th district host Phelps in the opening round of post season play and will look to improve before and negate a ton of negative energy around the team. Shelby Valley, Paintsville and Betsy Layne are on the schedule for week eleven. 12. (-) Betsy Layne (11-11) – Betsy Layne’s best win this season is against Prestonsburg and/or a twenty loss Floyd Central team. They lost at home to Prestonsburg in week ten 42-48 and will now play them at Lawrence County in the first round of the 58th district tournament. Jenkins, Buckhorn, Belfry and Lynn Camp will be this week’s opponents. 13. (Up 1) Floyd Central (3-20) – It’s difficult to move a team up that has twenty losses on the season, but all of Floyd Central’s players are back and they defeated a very good Paintsville team who was heavy favorites despite Seth Williams not playing. The win snapped a 16 game losing streak this season after Lawrence County defeated the Jag’s on Friday. Floyd Central is locked into the four seed in the 58th district and a date with host Lawrence County. Prestonsburg and Boyd County are on the schedule for this week as Floyd Central closes out a five game home stand. 14. (Down 1) East Ridge (9-13) – The Warriors defeated Hurley, VA and got thumped by Shelby Valley in their only two contests this week. They will host the district tournament and play Shelby Valley in first round in a two weeks. This week they have Letcher Central, Piarist and Magoffin County. 15. (-) Jenkins (1-21) – The Cavaliers dropped their only game this week to Barbourville 29-65. The good news is they will get a win this coming week as they have Piarist on the schedule and could be competitive with June Buchanan at home. 16. (-) Piarist (0-20) – Four more losses this week for the Knights with the closest game being a 22-point loss to Burgin. Expect three more losses in week eleven as it’s almost certain Piarist will not win this season. Agree or Disagree?

Great atmosphere tonight and very nice tribute before game to Paintsville principal as he recovers from illness. JC never trailed in game and led by 16 late in 3rd. Paintsville came back to tie it late in 4th, but JC pulled away. The tie in the 4th was only tie of game other than 0-0. These two teams are favorites to meet again in 57th championship back at Paintsville in a few weeks. Will be an exciting game if it happens as both are capable of winning the region along with Shelby Valley and Pikeville.

Overview: Shelby Valley made a deep run in the All-A state tournament despite losing their first game to regional competition while Paintsville, Pikeville and Johnson Central all went undefeated. Lawrence County picked up three more wins and Magoffin County saw double ejections in a heated rivalry game. No changes in the rankings after nine weeks of play. Reviews are as follows: Rankings (overall record): 1. (-) Shelby Valley (20-4) – The Wildcats went 2-2 in week nine to include their first loss to an opponent within the region in the form of a 62-65 loss to Pikeville in OT (3FG at buzzer) after defeating the Panthers two days earlier on a buzzer beater of their own. The wins came in the All-A state tournament over Clinton County (66-63 in OT: Cody Potter 34 points on 9/14 3FG) and a very good Danville squad (47-30) before falling to eventual All-A State Champions UHA 47-57 in a game they led by double figures at the half (scored only 11 points in second half). It’s safe to say Shelby Valley is the favorite in the region at this point as they have separated themselves from the other contenders, but the gap is not as wide as many may think. It’s also without a doubt that Cody Potter is the best player in the region as the state got to see his abilities on display at the All-A. Due to the deep run in the All-A, the Wildcats will eventually have to drop at least one game from their schedule but as it stands for week ten they have Magoffin County at home and East Ridge on the road. It should be two more wins for Valley with little resistance. 2. (-) Paintsville (13-3) – The Tigers improved to 5-0 in 57th District play by knocking off Magoffin County on the road 83-62 in their only contest of the week. The game was much closer than the score indicates as Paintsville trailed by 5 at halftime before a plethora of technical fouls and emotional outburst came from Magoffin County to inflate the final margin (see Magoffin County for more details). Braxton Tharp led all Tigers with 18 points in the game as the Tigers locked up no worse than a share of the 57th District regular season (could tie with Johnson Central and flip for the top overall seed). The Tigers are under-scheduled as they only have 24 games currently contracted. They will face Huntington St. Joe’s regional team, Johnson Central and Floyd Central in week ten. The Johnson Central game will draw an extremely large crowd. 3. (-) Pikeville (14-7) – The Panthers finally got over the Shelby Valley hump after dropping the first two contests, beating the Wildcats 65-62 in overtime on a buzzer beating 3FG from Kyle Watkins. Pikeville is very good defensively with their athleticism and size and it showed against Valley as the physical play kept Cody Potter contained. The Panthers would round out the week with East Ridge and Jenkins in 59th District play where they would record blow-out wins. Pikeville will look to go 5-0 as they close out their current home stand with Floyd Central and Clay County this week. 4. (-) Johnson Central (16-4) – The Golden Eagles went 3-0 in week nine with wins over Tolsia, WV, Cross Lanes Christian, WV and Belfry in what is a current four game home stand. Isaiah May continues to impress as he posted 30 points and 9 rebounds versus Belfry to include two four-point plays in the game. Johnson Central is still without sharp shooting senior Gabe Ferrell (knee injury in December) but are rounding into form as they wait his return which should be the week before district play (bone bruise). Jacob Rice, Cory VanHoose and May seem to be clicking in week nine as all posted double figure scoring games in all three contest to include a double-double for VanHoose. The Golden Eagles will have a chance to avenge their only district loss in week ten as they travel less than one mile to cross town rival Paintsville. Prior to that game they will host Sheldon Clark and after that game they will travel to Clay County, but all the focus could be on Friday night. This is a big week for Johnson Central as they look to correct errors made in previous games. 5. (-) Lawrence County (16-6) – The Bulldogs quietly sit in the five spot and continue to rack up wins. Week nine saw victories over Betsy Layne and Prestonsburg in 58th District play and a win over their biggest rival across the river in Tolsia, WV. The district wins almost assured that LC will be the top overall seed in the district tournament they host, which gives an easier path to the regional tournament. This team is very overlooked with the ability to knock off any of the big four above them on a given night. The Bulldogs will look to stay sharp against Russell and Floyd Central in week ten as they play the first two of what will be a five game road trip. 6. (-) Sheldon Clark (8-13) – The Cardinals still have no word on whether their new player is eligible and we still don’t know what kind of skill set and ability he has, but it week nine Sheldon Clark rolled on to a 1-1 record with a home loss to Hazard and a win at Lawrence County over Calvary Baptist Academy, WV. Three road games wait in week ten as the Cardinals travel to Johnson Central, Magoffin County and Belfry. Sheldon Clark will be favored to win all but the Johnson Central game, but all should be close contests. 7. (-) Magoffin County (11-10) – The Hornets went 2-1 this week with wins over Floyd Central and Jenkins before a 21-point loss to Paintsville at home in a game they led at the half. In the Paintsville game, star Brady Whitaker (one of the region’s leading scorers) was ejected after receiving two technical fouls and will miss the next few games per KHSAA rules. The play that got Whitaker ejected went like this. Whitaker was driving the lane on a fast break and made a lay-up on what appeared to be a bang-bang block/charge call. The call went against Whitaker as the official signaled player control foul. Whitaker can be seen on video very adamantly arguing his case to the official as he made his way to the scorer’s table to call in the foul. A technical was assessed. Whitaker appeared to continue pleading his case, despite his coach stepping in to defuse the situation. A second technical and ejection was assessed and Whitaker had to be retrained by his team. It’s unclear what was said on video. Another ejection also occurred in the game as Magoffin County center Randy Bailey was given his second technical foul for something said while shooting a foul shot. Both Bailey and Whitaker will have to sit out a few games and the technical fouls helped led to the final score of a much more competitive game than many may think. This was the second time in as many games that Magoffin County held a lead on Paintsville well into the second half, but could not hold one. As it stands now, Paintsville and Magoffin will play each other in the first round of districts should seeding hold. The Hornets will have Letcher Central, Sheldon Clark and Shelby Valley in week ten without two key players. 8. (-) Pike Central (14-8) – The Hawks went 1-1 and in week nine with a district win over Phelps and a road loss to East Ridge. As it currently stands, Pike Central is in the driver’s seat in 60th district play with a 3-0 record but still need to go to Belfry and Phelps. It’s critical to get the one seed in the 60th district because Piarist is the always the four seed. This year districts is at Phelps and which is always a tough place to play. Should Pike Central knock off Belfry on the road this week, they will almost guarantee the top overall seed in the 60th and a trip to the regional tournament. 9. (-) Belfry (6-15) – The Pirates have lost three in a row and four of their last five, but still control their own destiny for the top overall seed in the 60th district, a seed which almost guarantee’s a trip to the regional tournament as Piarist would be your district opponent. Belfry lost on the road to Johnson Central and on the road to Prestonsburg in week nine and will have Pike Central, Sheldon Clark and Phelps all at home in week ten. If Belfry can beat Phelps and Pike Central then they would be no worse than tied for the top overall seed in the 60th. This is a big week for the Pirates. 10. (-) Phelps (8-11) – The Hornets went 1-2 in week nine with a win over Hurley, VA on the road and losses to Man, WV whom they beat earlier in the year and Pike Central. Phelps seems to have digressed lately as their scoring and defense are going in opposite directions. They should get back around .500 this week with River View, WV, Grundy, VA and Twin Valley, VA on the schedule. The key game, however is Belfry on the road in a heated rivalry game they lost by one in overtime at their place. 11. (-) Prestonsburg (9-11) – The Blackcats lost to Lawrence County in a very close game on the road and beat Belfry at home in week nine. It’s almost certain Prestonsburg will be play Betsy Layne in the 2/3 game when the 58th District Tournament begins as the Blackcats look to improve leading up to that point. In week ten they will get a chance to see where they are as they travel to Betsy Layne who defeated them at home by six earlier in the season. They also host Piarist and Leslie County in what could be a 3-0 week weather pending. 12. (-) Betsy Layne (11-10) – The Bobcats got blowout out by Lawrence County and then beat Floyd Central on the road by four in week nine. The district games this past week likely put Betsy Layne into the 2/3 game against Prestonsburg and those two will play this week at Betsy Layne. Other than the Prestonsburg game, Letcher Central is on the schedule for week ten. 13. (-) East Ridge (8-12) – The Warriors were 2-1 in week nine with wins over Piarist and Pike Central and a loss to Pikeville. This team has the ability to play with anyone for stretches of games with their pace of play, but sometimes struggle to put four quarters together. Cameron Hess is evolving into a play maker for East Ridge and their go to guy down the stretch. In week ten, East Ridge will have Hurley, VA and Shelby Valley. 14. (-) Floyd Central (2-19) – Many of the players who left have returned to include big man Brady Conn (came back from Wesley Christian after playing a few games with them), but the results have not changed as the Jaguars went 0-2 in week nine. Floyd Central lost to Magoffin County by 30 plus but were more competitive with Betsy Layne, only falling by four. As many of the players work their way into shape, this team should get better. Don’t expect the next win to come in week ten, however, as Floyd Central has Pikeville, Lawrence County and Paintsville in that order. 15. (-) Jenkins (1-20) – The Cavaliers went 0-3 in week nine but were very competitive with Lee County. The good news is they will pick up a win in week ten as they face Piarist. Letcher Central and Barbourville will be much tougher tests. 16. (-) Piarist (0-16) – Week nine produced two more losses that once again were not very competitive. The Knights have Prestonsburg, Jenkins and Jackson City in week ten. Despite the records Jenkins and Jackson City have, don’t expect competitive games. Agree or Disagree?

Overview: Shelby Valley claimed their sixth All-A title in school history despite Cody Potter going 0-12 from the field, Johnson Central dropped two in less than competitive fashion, Paintsville lost their first game in region and Sheldon Clark picked up what is reported as a major D1 transfer. Rankings and reviews after eight weeks of play are as follows: Rankings (overall record): 1. (-) Shelby Valley (18-2) – Shelby Valley stands alone as the only undefeated team to in-region competition as they captured their 6th All-A regional title and 3rd in the Jim Hicks era with a 50-48 win over Pikeville on a Keian Worrix layup at the buzzer. Shelby Valley won despite star Cody Potter going 0-12 from the field (8 points) and not leading at the end of any quarter except the fourth. Valley has now defeated Johnson Central, Paintsville and Pikeville twice, leaving no doubt as who the team to beat in the region is. The Wildcats will face Clinton County from region four in the All-A state tournament at Eastern Kentucky University and in an odd twist of scheduling, will face Pikeville again on the road in week nine. 2. (-) Paintsville (12-3) – The Tigers went 1-1 in week eight, defeating Betsy Layne 70-44 and then losing to Shelby Valley 55-61 in the All-A classic. In the Shelby Valley game, Paintsville went 1-21 from deep and Colby Fugate was held to 10 points with 8 of those coming very late in the game as the Tigers tried to make a comeback. Paintsville had hopes of making a deep All-A run, but will have to wait until districts for their shot at the next championship. In week nine the Tigers have an open date on the 22nd and then travel to Magoffin County in a key 57th District match-up. 3. (Up 1) Pikeville (11-7) – Pikeville went 3-1 in week eight, defeating Johnson Central, Jenkins and East Ridge by 20 plus then losing to their biggest rival, Shelby Valley, in the All-A championship (2nd loss to Valley this season). Despite great defense on Valley star Cody Potter, Pikeville’s role players and bench could not match the production of the Valley’s. The Panthers will close out district play this week as they begin a five game home stand with Shelby Valley, Jenkins and East Ridge. It will be interesting to see if Pikeville can get over the Shelby Valley hump in their third attempt this season. 4. (Down 1) Johnson Central (13-4) – The Golden Eagles had their first losing week of the season going 1-2 with blowout losses to Pikeville 44-67 and George Rogers Clark 56-75 and a blowout win versus Magoffin County 82-62 sandwiched between. Johnson Central has yet to find its identity against good teams and struggle to score the ball against size and length. Look for this team to get back on the winning track in week nine as they open what will be a four game home stand against Tolsia, WV, Cross Lanes Christian, WV and Belfry. It should also be noted that senior Gabe Ferrell has been out for three weeks with a knee injury (returned for Magoffin County game – inflammation) and will be out another two and that guard Bryson Hackney is still recovering from three eye surgeries for a detached retina. If this team can healthy, they will be one that no one wants to play come post season. 5. (-) Lawrence County (13-6) – The Bulldogs went 1-1 in week eight with a 75-54 win against a struggling Floyd Central team and a head scratching 66-78 loss to Buckhorn at Fleming County (Coach Lake Kelly Classic). Lawrence County remains as the best team outside the top four. They will have Betsy Layne, Prestonsburg (both 58th district seeded games) and Tolsia, WV all at home. With good play this week, the Bulldogs can take a huge stride to obtaining the overall number one seed in the district. 6. (Up 3) Sheldon Clark (7-12) – The Cardinals went 2-1 in week eight with a home win over Magoffin County after jumping out to a 15-0 lead then holding on, a win in the All-A classic over Phelps 61-32 and an overtime loss to East Ridge 72-75 after the Warriors hit a buzzer beating three to force the extra frame. Sheldon Clark also got a big time transfer with what is reported to be Division 1 talent (interest from Gonzaga and Nebraska) in the form of Uziel Muteba. If the kid is good as advertised and can get eligible then this could make the Cardinals a contender in the district and region. If not, Sheldon Clark may be looking at their third twenty loss season in the last four years. In week nine, the Cardinals will host Hazard, travel to Magoffin County and play Calvary Baptist Academy, WV at Lawrence County. 7. (Down 1) Magoffin County (9-9) – Magoffin County dropped both games in week eight as both were in 57th District play. The Hornets were defeated by Sheldon Clark 53-59 on the road in a game they opened down 0-15. Magoffin County fought back to take a lead late in third quarter and the game was nip and tuck through the entire fourth. The Johnson Central game, however, was not as competitive as Magoffin County never really challenged. As it stands now, the Hornets are in the four seed slot in the 57th which would earn them an opening round matchup with Paintsville at Paintsville in the district tournament. This week they will host Floyd Central, travel to Jenkins then host Sheldon Clark. The Sheldon Clark could determine who will be the four seed in district. 8. (Up 2) Pike Central (13-7) – The Hawks went 2-1 this week with and overtime win over their 60th district rival Belfry at home and loss by 26 to Knott Central (Piarist win in between). The soft schedule will harden down the stretch, but not this week as East Ridge and Phelps are the opponents. 9. (Up 2) Belfry (6-13) – Belfry moves up two spots after week eight losses to Pike Central (overtime) and Knott Central 50-58 and an overtime win Phelps on the road 38-37. This is a team that has size and athleticism and if they figure it out could surprise some people. Their record is not and indicator of how good they can be. 10. (Down 3) Phelps (7-9) – The Hornets drop two spots after an 0-3 week. Sheldon Clark and Raceland were two losses that were not very close (average loss by 30 plus) and Belfry knocked off the Hornets 37-38 in overtime. Phelps will be favored against Hurley, VA and Man, WV and will have a toss-up versus Pike Central in week nine. 11. (Down 3) Prestonsburg (8-10) – The Blackcats lost all three games in week eight and have dropped four of their last five contests. This week Morgan County, Shelby Valley and Betsy Layne all picked up wins over Prestonsburg. The first two was expected, but allowing Betsy Layne to get a district win on your home court could set the Blackcats in reverse from what they had built on coming out of December. Belfry, Jackson City and Lawrence County come calling in week nine. Prestonsburg will only be favored in the Jackson City game. 12. (-) Betsy Layne (10-9) – The Bobcats went 3-1 in week eight, but play one of the weakest schedules in the eastern part of Kentucky. Having said that, the Prestonsburg win was not enough to elevate above the Blackcats, but instead effected Prestonsburg more by dropping them. If Betsy Layne can back up the Prestonsburg win with one on the road versus Lawrence County in week nine, then they will move up. They are expected to win on the road at Floyd Central this week. 13. (-) East Ridge (6-11) – The Warriors went 1-1 in week eight with an overtime win in the All-A versus Sheldon Clark (Cameron Hess hit 3FG at the end of regulation to force OT) and a 45-61 loss to Pikeville. The Sheldon Clark win was the best win of the season for East Ridge, but they still struggle to play with the teams at the top of the region. Week nine will have Pike Central and Pikeville home and away respectively as East Ridge is likely locked into the three seed in the 59th District. Who they will play (Shelby Valley / Pikeville) is yet to be determined, but we do know they will host the tournament. 14. (-) Floyd Central (2-17) – New Head Coach Shawn Hagar lost his only contest in week eight at the hands of Lawrence County 54-75, pushing the Jaguar losing streak to 13 games. The team also saw the transfer of 6’8’’ Center Grant Blackburn back to Sheldon Clark (where he is originally from). This team has players on it that were not on the original team and is still in disarray after the Spurlock fall out. Hopefully the community can come together down the stretch. 15. (-) Jenkins (1-17) – Week eight saw three more losses, but Jenkins was more competitive with June Buchanan. Two more wins do loom this season as Piarist is on the schedule in the coming weeks. Week nine will most likely see two more losses, but the Lee County game to close the week could be interesting. 16. (-) Piarist (0-14) – Week eight closed with three more losses for the Knights and a coaching change as Kevin Tackett stepped down to focus on administrative duties. New Head coach Josh Hall is now at the helm. Agree or Disagree?

Overview: All-A action tips off in the region this week as a huge Shelby Valley/Paintsville game looms with the winner likely facing Pikeville in the finals, Johnson Central picked up two more wins behind stellar play from Isaiah May and Jacob Rice and every team in the region now has at least two losses. Listed below are the rankings and summaries after seven weeks of play. Rankings (overall record): 1. (-) Shelby Valley (14-2) – The Wildcats remain in the top spot this week despite dropping their second game of the season to South Charleston, WV 42-46 in the Hatfield-McCoy Shootout at Williamson, WV. Cody Potter had a monster game versus South Charleston with 22 points and 18 rebounds, pushing his averages to 26.2 ppg and 10.7 rpg on the season. Prior to the South Charleston loss, Shelby Valley picked up wins over Magoffin County 76-66 and East Ridge 77-34. In week eight, the Wildcats will begin the All-A where they open with Piarist. They will likely face Paintsville in a semifinal appearance. 2. (-) Paintsville (11-2) – In their only game of the week, the Tigers picked up a 62-48 win at home over district rival Sheldon Clark. Braxton Tharp led three players in double figures with 15 points while Nick Keeton posted another double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Like most other schools in the 15th region, Paintsville plays in the All-A this week, opening with Betsy Layne. If all goes as expected, you should see a Paintsville vs. Shelby Valley semifinal. 3. (-) Johnson Central (12-2) – The Golden Eagles bounced back nicely after losing to Paintsville in week six with two double digit wins in week seven. JC got a blow-out win at Sheldon Clark 85-59 in a game where Isaiah May (23) and Jacob Rice (21) shot a combine 7/9 from deep and a ten-point win over 16th Region defending champion Boyd County 82-72. In the Boyd County game, May again led all scorers with 20 points to include two 2-handed dunks from the guard position. A challenging week eight awaits as the Golden Eagles travel to Pikeville, host Magoffin County and then make their way to Clark County where they face a talented Clark County team. 4. (-) Pikeville (8-6) – The Panthers went 1-1 in week seven with a win on road at Belfry 71-59 and a loss in double overtime to Tug Valley, WV in the Hatfield-McCoy shootout at Williamson, WV 68-70. In the Tug Valley game, Pikeville erased a ten-point deficit with one minute to play in regulation to force overtime and had a chance to win at the end of the first overtime, but missed an open 3FG. Pikeville is a very physical team that is streaky shooting the ball from deep and limited on their scoring options outside of Connor Roberts. The Panthers will host Johnson Central then began All-A play in week eight. They open with Jenkins in the All-A and are favored to meet the winner of the Paintsville/Shelby Valley game in the regional final. 5. (-) Lawrence County (12-5) – The Bulldogs went 1-1 in week seven as they represented the 15th Region in the 2A sectionals. In their first game of the week, LC defeated Sheldon Clark at home 59-52 in game which they trailed for more than three quarters (down 13 at half) and closed on a huge run to put the game away. The Bulldogs would then make their way to the 2A sectional tournament versus Morgan County where they would fall 60-77. It was the second loss to Morgan County on the season. In fact, Morgan County and Johnson Central represent four of the five losses on the year for Lawrence County. At this point in the year, it’s becoming clear that Lawrence County is the best team outside the big four mentioned above. Magoffin County, Floyd Central and Buckhorn are on the docket for week eight. The Magoffin County will be an interesting contest on the road as the Hornets are playing much better as of late. 6. (-) Magoffin County (9-7) – The Hornets completed a four game home stand in week seven, going 1-1 on the week and 2-2 overall during the stretch. Magoffin played the region’s top ranked team, Shelby Valley, to a 66-76 loss and were able to beat Belfry at home 66-52 for the second time in six days. In both games this week, the Hornets were led in scoring by Brady Whitaker with 20 plus and Isaiah Salyer with 20 and 16 respectively. This is a scary team as they begin to find their stride midseason. Week eight is huge for their district seeding as the travel to Sheldon Clark and Johnson Central while hosting Lawrence County in between those games. 7. (Up 1) Phelps (7-6) – The Hornets went 2-1 in week seven with wins over Mingo Central, WV (winless) and Man, WV (both games in the Hatfield McCoy Shootout at Williamson, WV). The loss came on the road at Letcher Central 55-72. Junior standout Trey Francis continues to average 20 plus points and 11 plus rebounds a game and will led his Hornets into the All-A this week as they face Sheldon Clark (winner gets East Ridge). This could be a semi-final run for Phelps, as the Sheldon Clark game will be very competitive. Sheldon Clark did beat Phelps easily in a preseason scrimmage. 8. (Up 1) Prestonsburg (8-7) – The Blackcats won their only contest of the week as they easily defeated Jenkins 90-63 at home. Prestonsburg has not won more than two games in a row this season, nor have they lost more than two in a row. Brent Rose is eyeing the first winning season for the program in a very long time and will be tested in week eight as he plays Morgan County and then participates in the All-A (drew a bye) before hosting district rival Betsy Layne. 9. (Down 2) Sheldon Clark (5-11) – Tough week for the Cardinals as they went 0-4 with all but one game resulting in a single digit margin. Paintsville, Lawrence County, Wyoming East, WV and Johnson Central all knocked off Sheldon Clark. To be fair to Sheldon Clark, all four teams were favorites to win and standout Trey James played well, nearly recording a triple double against Johnson Central (1 block short). Sheldon Clark will face Phelps in the All-A and could then potentially face East Ridge and Pikeville in week seven. Prior to that, Sheldon Clark will host Magoffin County for the first time this season in a huge 57th district seeded game. 10. (-) Pike Central (11-6) – The weak schedule continues for the Hawks as they knocked off Betsy Layne 68-55 in their only contest of the week. Belfry comes calling in week eight in what will be a heated rivalry game. That will be followed up with Knott Central at Clark County so the schedule gets a bit better. The Belfry game will be Pike Centrals first district game of the season and the first district game for any team in the 60th. 11. (-) Belfry (5-11) – Belfry picked up two wins and two losses in week eight. The two wins (Jenkins and Mingo Central, WV) snapped a three game skid and gives the Pirates momentum going into their next contest versus Pike Central, their biggest basketball rival, but the teams they beat have a combine one win on the season. Belfry will play Phelps and Knott Central to round out week eight. This team has plenty of athletes and pass the eye test in warmup’s but are still looking for an identity on the court. This could be the week they put it all together. 12. (-) Betsy Layne (7-8) – The Bobcats lost their only contest of the week to Pike Central 55-68. They will play two games on the same day this coming Tuesday as they host both Piarist and Jackson City. They will end week eight by playing Paintsville in the opening round of the All-A Classic. 13. (-) East Ridge (5-10) – The Warriors lost both contest in week seven, getting beat by 43 at the hands of Shelby Valley and then losing to Scott, WV 67-171 in the Hatfield McCoy Shootout at Williamson, WV. East Ridge should get back on track in week eight as they host Mountain Mission, VA before opening All-A play where they drew a bye to play the winner between Sheldon Clark and Phelps. 14. (-) Floyd Central (2-16) – Shawn Hagar is at the helm for Floyd Central and some of the players that quit have returned, but the nightmare season continues. Week seven saw two more losses against Perry Central 31-63 and North Laurel 50-70. Floyd Central now has the second longest losing streak in the region behind only Piarist (dating back to last season) and will not be favored to win another game this year. Hard to believe that this team was ranked in the top five in the preseason and opened with an impressive win. 15. (-) Jenkins (1-14) – Three more losses in week seven for the Cavaliers. This week they will play Pikeville in the All-A before traveling to Owsley County. Good news is they already have a one win on their schedule and could pick a few more later in the season. 16. (-) Piarist (0-11) – The Knights were 0-1 in week seven and with only eight games left on the season will likely finish winless yet again. Agree or Disagree?

Overview: Shelby Valley and Paintsville passed two huge tests with double-digit wins, Magoffin County saw a school record in points, Kevin Spurlock resigned from Floyd Central after stating he would not and Lawrence County will represent the region in the 2A sectionals. The 15th Region is getting exciting as regional and district play is in full effect. Rankings and summaries after week six are as follows: Rankings (overall record): 1. (-) Shelby Valley (12-1) – The Wildcats continued their dominance of regional competition going 2-0 in week six to include a double digit win over 59th district rival Pikeville. Shelby Valley was able to knock off Betsy Layne on the road 76-39 and then defeat Pikeville 53-43 in front of a packed house. In the Pikeville game, standout Cody Potter led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds. The win improved Shelby Valley to 8-0 in the 15th and makes them one of two remaining unbeaten teams in regional play (Paintsville: 3-0). Week seven will see Shelby Valley travel to a hot Magoffin County team, then host East Ridge in district play and finish out with South Charleston, WV at South Williamson in the Hatfield-McCoy shoot-out. 2. (Up 1) Paintsville (10-2) – The Tigers pushed their win streak to ten games with an impressive 73-54 on the road at cross town rival Johnson Central. Junior multi-sport star Seth Williams led all scorers in the game with 27 points while Nick Keeton added 14 points and 11 rebounds despite limited minutes due to foul trouble. Paintsville along with Shelby Valley is one two remaining unbeaten teams in regional play after the win and hold a commanding 3-0 record in 57th district action. The Tigers will host Sheldon Clark and the travel to Central Hardin in week seven. This team seems to be improving game-by-game and will be a force come tournament time. 3. (Down 1) Johnson Central (10-2) – The Golden Eagles saw their nine game win streak snapped at the hands of their cross town rival in week six as Paintsville came away with a 54-73 win. After winning two holiday tournaments, Johnson Central lost their second straight home game by the same 19-point margin (Shelby Valley – Week Two). For reason JC doesn’t seem to shoot the ball well at home, going 1/20 from deep against Paintsville and 5/10 from the foul line. The lack luster effort at home to a rival may be exactly what was needed to refocus this team as in the Paintsville game, Johnson Central was outplayed, out coached and out hustled en route to losing every statistical facet of the game. Week seven will see the Golden Eagles travel to Sheldon Clark and then host 16th Region power Boyd County as they look to get back on track. 4. (-) Pikeville (7-5) – The Panthers went 1-1 in week six with a 79-54 blowout of 59th district foe East Ridge and a 43-53 loss on the road to Shelby Valley. Pikeville has played a tough schedule and is still the defending champions, but will have to beat the teams above them to move up the rankings. The Panthers have dropped three of their last four despite stellar play from senior guard Connor Roberts and will complete their current 10 game road trip in week seven as they travel to Belfry then play Tug Valley, WV at the Williamson Field House in South Williamson, WV. The record may not be great, but this is still a scary good team that will only get better. 5. (-) Lawrence County (11-4) – The Bulldogs went 3-0 in week six to include winning the 15th Region 2A championship over Magoffin County (face Morgan County out of 16th Region in sectionals). Lawrence knocked off Pike Central and Magoffin County on their way to the 2A regional title. Lawrence County also knocked off Betsy Layne prior to competing in the 2A. This is a talented team who has scorers at every position. In week seven, the Bulldogs will host Sheldon Clark and then face Morgan County in the 2A sectionals as they look to build on their current five game win streak. 6. (Up 1) Magoffin County (8-6) – The Hornets saw a school record tied as Brady Whitaker matched Trenton Russell’s school record of 47 points in a game versus Belfry. If fact, Whitaker scored more points than the entire Belfry team as the Hornets won 71-44. The win advanced Magoffin County to the 2A regional championship game versus Lawrence County that they would drop 62-71. This team is on the rise, but has a tough test in week seven with Shelby Valley and Belfry returning back to Hornet arena. 7. (Down 1) Sheldon Clark (5-6) – The Cardinals snuck in two games in week six that were not originally on the schedule, going 1-1 for the week with a win over Silver Grove 95-53 and a loss to Cordia at home 52-74 (Cordia’s second win of the season). Trey James continues to lead the team with double-double’s every night as he makes his way around the state for several high profile college visits. Sheldon Clark has a tough week seven with Paintsville, Lawrence County, Johnson Central and Wyoming East, WV. 8. (-) Phelps (5-5) – The Hornets got back to .500 in week six, going 2-1 with an overtime loss. Phelps beat Prestonsburg 49-48 at Prestonsburg, lost to Grundy, VA in overtime 67-69 on the road and defeated Betsy Layne 55-47 at home. Trey Francis is still averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and might be the most underrated player in the region. Phelps has Letcher Central, Mingo Central, WV and Man, WV in week seven as they are looking to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2012. 9. (-) Prestonsburg (7-7) – The Blackcats went 1-1 in week six with a one-point loss to Phelps and a narrow three-point win on the road at June Buchanan. The June Buchanan score is somewhat surprising as they are very down this season. Jenkins at home is the only game scheduled for week seven as Prestonsburg remains on the one seed line in 58th district play. 10. (-) Pike Central (10-6) – The Hawks have ten wins, but play one of the weakest schedules in the state and are thus ranked where they are. This week Pike Central defeated Jenkins and Wolfe County before losing to Lawrence County in the 2A. The schedule does eventually get tougher, but not in week seven as the only game is versus Betsy Layne on the road. 11. (Up 1) Belfry (3-9) – The Pirates opened the week six by blowing out Floyd Central in the first round of the 2A Classic at Magoffin County 69-39 but could not build on that momentum and lost to Magoffin County in the second round 44-71 in a game where Magoffin County star Brady Whitaker outscored the entire Pirate team 47-44. Belfry has plenty of athletes that pass the eye test, but the cumulative product seems to be missing something. A tough week seven awaits with Pikeville, Magoffin, Jenkins and Mingo Central await. 12. (Down 1) Betsy Layne (7-7) – The Bobcats went 0-3 in week six with losses to Lawrence County, Shelby Valley and Phelps. The only game that was competitive was the Phelps game. Jordan Frazier continues to lead the team in both points and rebounds per game as this scrappy team looks to claw out wins against a very weak schedule. Week seven will see Piarist, Jackson City and Pike Central all come to Betsy Layne. In fact, they will play Piarist and Jackson City on the same day. 13. (-) East Ridge (5-8) – The Warriors lost to Pikeville 54-79 and beat Jenkins 80-51 in week six. Both games were in 59th district seeded play and keep East Ridge in the three spot for now. Shelby Valley and Scott, WV are on the docket for week seven. 14. (-) Floyd Central (2-14) – Floyd Central lost their inaugural game in the 2A classic as Belfry dominated them 39-69 at Magoffin County. A few days after the game, head coach Kevin Spurlock resigned from coaching and Shawn Hagar was named interim for the rest of the season. Coach Hagar is now the Head Coach for Football, Basketball and Baseball for the Jaguars. This week there will be open tryouts for the remainder of the season so there is potential that some of the players that originally quit could return for the remainder of the season. In the meantime, Floyd Central has lost ten in a row with North Laurel in week seven. 15. (-) Jenkins (1-11) – The Cavaliers were blown out by Pike Central and East Ridge in week seven. Prestonsburg, Belfry and Lee County wait in week six. There is a chance they could be competitive with Lee County but don’t get your hopes up with this young team. 16. (-) Piarist (0-10) – Two more losses for the Knights as they returned to play after a long layoff. Don’t expect any wins this season although some games may be close. Agree or Disagree?

Confirmed by multiple sources. No interim had yet been named.