Johnson Central is in the #1 spot for the 15th. Overview: Will the best team in the 15th Region please stand up? Week 8 results gave us a return to what our preseason rankings predicted, showed that a great team can play great and still get beat, saw a key player return to one of our contenders with a bang and reaffirmed that 15th Region middle of the pack teams are consistently inconsistent at best (Example: Allen Central upsetting Paintsville in OT then getting blown out the next game by a 5 win South Floyd team). With District Tournaments just a month away, bench rotations are beginning to shorten and possessions per game reduced as coaches’ prep their teams for a deep March run. A run that only the best teams in the 15th Region are capable of making. Let’s see who was able to answer the roll-call this week. Rankings after Week 8: 1. Johnson Central (14-8) – Make no mistake about it, Tommy McKenzie can flat out coach and now that he has his team healthy, the Golden Eagles return to the top after two decisive wins versus top 15th Region opposition. In week 8, JC defeated Lawrence County 81-59 and Sheldon Clark 82-71 improving their home record to 7-0 as both contest were played at Paul R. Setser Eagle Field House. In the Lawrence County game, the Eagles were paced by Kyle Gullett who had 28 pts, 13 rbs, 4 ast, 3 stls, 2 blks but got balanced contributions from Mason Blair (17 pts, 3 ast, 1 stl) Braxton Blair (11 pts, 9 rbs, 2 stls, 1 ast) Dalton Adkins (11 pts, 4 rbs, 4 ast, 2 stls) and Tyler Pack (8 pts, 13 rbs, 2 ast, 1 stl). Lawrence County did make a run in the 3rd quarter to tie the game (after trailing by 13 at the half) but lost the 4th Quarter 27-14. LC could not match JC’s size as the Eagles dominated the boards (winning 55-34 – 24 offensive) and took advantage of the Bulldogs lack bench production (Lawrence Scored only 1 bench point) to win easily. The Sheldon Clark game pitted the top two team in the 15th Region against one another as the Eagles looked to avenge an early December loss (A loss that featured no Kyle Gullett, no Patrick Rice, and a Braxton Blair that was battling illness). The SC game played out much like the Lawrence County game as the Eagles led by 11 at the half only to see Sheldon Clark make a run and take a brief 2 point lead in the 3rd. JC responded by closing out the game 46-33 (leading by as many as 17 late). The most impressive thing about the Sheldon Clark win, and the biggest reason Johnson Central is back in the top spot, is that Sheldon Clark played a great game and still got beat double digits. If you go inside the numbers, the Cardinals hit 16 3’s (shooting over 42% for the game as a team), had less than 10 turnovers against a pressing team, did not miss a FT, saw Dylan James hit a career high in 3’s (8/11 3FG) and Kaleb Sturgill hit a career high in 3’s (6/12 3FG) while both shooting over 50%, held Kyle Gullett to 0 points and 0 rebounds in the first half, and saw no major players in foul trouble. JC dominated the boards much like they did against Lawrence County (winning 44-23) as a hot shooting SC team launched 38 3’s. In the game the Golden Eagles saw a balanced effort as Braxton Blair scored 16 (6 ast, 3 stls), Mason Blair 15 (1 ast, 1 stl), Kyle Gullett 14 (9 rbs, 3 ast, 2 blks), Dalton Adkins 13 (1 ast, 1 stl) and Patrick Rice (knocking down two 3’s) punched-kicked-clawed-and stared in 8 (6 rbs, 5 ast, 1 stl). The Eagles do have 8 losses on the season, but that figure can be misleading with all the injuries and illness suffered earlier in the year. A more accurate depiction of JC would include the fact they are 12-2 with Kyle Gullett in the line-up (8 point loss to Warren Central / 1 point loss to Paintsville) and 9-1 since they begin having practice with all their players (1 point loss to Paintsville). Week 9 will see JC face Magoffin County at home Tuesday. 2. Sheldon Clark (15-2) – If you had told Sheldon Clark Head Coach Frankie Smith his team would have hit 16/38 3’s (42% for the game as a team), had less than 10 turnovers, would not miss a FT, have standout Dylan James hit a career high in 3’s (8/11 3FG: 33 pts, 6 rbs, 4 blks, 2 ast) and Kaleb Sturgill hit a career high in 3’s (6/12 3FG: 20 pts, 4 rbs, 1 stl, 1 ast) while both shooting over 50%, held Kyle Gullett to 0 points and 0 rebounds in the first half, and have no major players in foul trouble against Johnson Central, he would have told you he won the game easily and likely by 10-15 points. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they lost by 11 Thursday night at JC. One reason for the loss could be contributed to the defensive effort Johnson Central displayed against Senior PG Chase Parsley. Parsley finished the game 4/20 from the field (2/11 on 3’s) struggling against stout Golden Eagle double teams and fierce man-to-man pressure. Parsley finished the game with 12 pts, 9 ast, 4 rbs, and 1 blk which is not a bad game by no means, but not what he is accustomed to producing. Prior to the Johnson Central game, SC defeated fellow 57th District foe Magoffin County at home 78-60 in game they lead by as many as 30 in the 2nd half. In the Magoffin Game, the Cardinals saw balanced scoring led by Dylan James with 23 pts (Chase Parsley had 21, Kaleb Sturgill and Marvin Albrecht each had 10) as their half court execution proved too efficient for a poor shooting Hornet squad. In week 9, Dylan James and the Cardinals will face Breathitt County Tuesday at home, Paintsville Thursday on the road (look to wrap up at least a share of the top seed in the 57th District), and a very talented George Rogers Clark Saturday on the road. If Sophomore forward James were a Senior he would be the front runner for 15th Region Player of the Year (award only given to Seniors) as he is shooting an eye-popping 52/102 (51%) from the 3 point line while scoring 22.8 ppg and grabbing 8.8 rbp. The Cardinals will be tested this week, but along with Johnson Central, have clearly separated themselves as one of the top two teams in the region. 3. Lawrence County (10-8) – Coach Travis York and the Bulldogs got dismantled in their one and only meeting with Johnson Central this season, losing 59-81 on the road (out rebounded 55-34 and scoring only 1 bench point – Robert Dalton did not start and scored 21 in the game but he played starter minutes). In the game, LC had no answer for Senior standout and 15th Region POY candidate Kyle Gullett as he scored 28 pts and grabbed 13 rbs. In fact, LC had little answer for JC’s size on a whole as Junior PF Tyler Pack also pulled down 13 rbs off the bench for the Golden Eagles. The Bulldogs were without the services of Timmy Dalton, but he was in street clothes and with the team on the bench. Lawrence was able to bounce back with a win at home vs. Russell 73-55 (Robert Dalton again led the way with his brother Timmy still in street clothes on the bench). LC finished out the week by defeating Shroder (Cincinnati), OH on the road 84-83. Shroder is a solid team, but not ranked in any Ohio polls for any class (follow link, click on AP rankings - OHSAA Boys Basketball Information). In the Shroder game Timmy Dalton returned with a bang by scoring a game high 31 points (Robert added 25) as the Bulldogs were able to hang on late in hostile environment. When LC has all their players, stay out of foul trouble, and play as 1 unit they have the talent to beat any team in the 15th on a given night. But questions still remain with respect to rebounding and bench production and whether or not LC can overcome this come in March. In week 9, the Bulldogs will play Pike Central on the road Tuesday (Chance to avenge a home loss in the 60th District), Phelps on the road Friday, and Perry Central @ Jackson City on Saturday (Great match-up between two extremely fast and athletic guards in Robert Dalton and Braxton Beverly). They may have 8 losses but they have all their players back and are looking to turn the page on their season. 4. Paintsville (13-7) – Bill Mike Runyon and the Tigers might consider avoiding the 58th District (one of the weakest districts in the state) next season as they suffered their second upset in the form of an Allen Central 53-54 OT loss on the road (Allen Central outscored Paintsville 1-0 in OT – Paintsville lost to South Floyd on the road 54-55 in December). The Tigers were able to bounce back with a win at Wolfe County 72-57 as they were led in scoring and rebounding by Senior PG Luke Daniels. Paintsville did have a game vs. Clay County scheduled between the Allen Central and Wolfe County games, but it was cancelled for no defined reason and is not expected to be made-up (would have been an interesting matchup). On the season, it seems the Tigers have troubling getting motivated for inferior opponents as they sometimes play to the level of their competition, but there is no doubt they have the talent to knock off the best the 15th Region has to offer, validated by their 1 point win over a healthy JC. We will see if Coach Runyon can motivate the Tigers in week 9 as they will play Sheldon Clark Thursday at home and Lee County in the Appalachian Wireless Kentucky Prep Showcase (various sites) on Friday. If they can run the table in the 57th (Still have to beat JC on the road and Sheldon Clark at home), Paintsville still has a chance to obtain the 1 seed and avoid both Johnson Central and Sheldon Clark in the first round of Districts. Needless to say, the Sheldon Clark game should be a good one this week. 5. Betsy Layne (14-7) – In week 8, Coach Keathley and the Bobcats defeated Shelby Valley 54-44 (avenging the All-A Classic Championship game loss 11 days earlier) and 58th District rival Prestonsburg 73-68 (both on the road). Senior G and 15th Region Player of the Year candidate Peyton Case led the Bobcats in scoring in both games (20 pts vs. Shelby Valley / 23 pts vs. Prestonsburg) as he is averaging 21.8 ppg on the season (two 40 point games). Senior G Dalton Maldonado tied Case with a career high 23 vs. Prestonsburg as well. Betsy Layne has to shoot the ball extremely well to play with the best in 15th Region, but as they say “on a given night…”. Week 9 will see Betsy Layne host Magoffin County at home Monday and travel to South Floyd (last meeting BL won in double OT 68-66) Friday night. Upsets in the Region: Allen Central defeats Paintsville at home 54-53 in Overtime January 20th. South Floyd defeats Allen Central on the road 89-66 January 23rd Games to Watch in Week 9: Magoffin County @ Betsy Layne Monday, 26 January Pikeville @ Shelby Valley Tuesday, 27 January Lawrence County @ Pike Central Tuesday, 27 January Magoffin County @ Johnson Central Tuesday, 27 January Allen Central @ Prestonsburg Tuesday, 27 January Sheldon Clark @ Paintsville Thursday, 29 January Sheldon Clark @ Clark County Saturday, 31 January Agree or Disagree? bluegrasspreps/ky-boys-basketball/inside-15th-region-297203.html
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:49:21 +0000
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