The Medical Leader

Pikeville Medical Center will host its annual sunrise service at 7 a.m. Sunday, April 4, on the helipad of the May Tower.

Brad Smart, pastor of the Pikeville United Methodist Church, will be the keynote speaker.

“This is an opportunity for the community to join us in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” said Jane Robinson, director of chaplaincy services at Pikeville Medical Center. “We take great pride in this event, and it caps off our Holy Week activities.”

The hospital celebrated Holy Week with daily services in its chapel. This year, hospital employees delivered the message during each service. Groups from across the region also participated with special singing. The services were also broadcast throughout the facility to all patient rooms via closed-circuit television.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved into the second-floor atrium.

By TEDDY PAYNTER

Staff Writer

PIKEVILLE – Three area high school basketball teams will begin their quest to capture state basketball championships starting next Wednesday.

The Tug Valley Panthers, who captured the Class AA, Region 4 championship on March 17, will open play at the Charleston Civic Center as the No. 4 seed against fifth-seeded Magnolia (16-3).

Tug Valley, 16-5, knocked off Poca for the second straight year to earn a berth in the state tournament. Magnolia advanced by beating defending champion Ravenswood.

The winner will advance to face either top-seeded Wyoming East (20-2) or No. 8 Frankfort (13-10).

Meanwhile, the Shelby Valley Wildcats (28-4) begin play in the Sweet Sixteen Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 18 when they face Paducah Tilghman (27-6) in a 1:30 p.m. tipoff.

Shelby Valley captured the 15^th Region Tournament championship with a 69-61 win over Betsy Layne.

The winner will advance to face the West Jessamine (26-7) and Muhlenberg County (20-10) game at 6:30 p.m. on March 13.

The Gilbert Lions (12-9) are back in the state tournament for the fourth time in five years.

Gilbert advanced with a 51-42 victory over Huntington Saint Joe. The Lions will face top-seeded Charleston Catholic (19-4) at 5:30 p.m. on March 18.

By TEDDY PAYNTER
Staff Writer

NAUGATUCK, W.Va. – Tug Valley dominated every phase of the game in defeating Poca and punching its ticket back to the state tournament next week in Charleston.

The Panthers (16-5) landed four players in double-figure scoring en route to a 67-39 win over the Dots before a packed house on March 11.

Tug Valley will play next Wednesday against an opponent to be named later today.

Channing Preece and Austin Vance led the way with 15 points each, while Michael Evans and Nathan Brewer chipped in 10 each.

Poca was led by Jason Cuffee’s game-high 27 points.

At Naugatuck, W.Va.
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
Poca (15-10)………………10 8 8 13 – 39
TVHS (16-5)………………14 19 18 16 – 67
Scoring:
Poca (39) – Tanner Spencer 1 0-0 2; Jacob Sisson 1 0-0 2; Hunter Hawley 1 2-3 4; George Hamrick 0 0-1 0; Jason Cuffee 10(1) 4-4 27; Clinton Parsons 1 0-0 2; and Matt Perkins 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15(1) 6-7 39.
Tug Valley (67) – Michael Evans 4 2-2 10; Channing Preece 3(3) 0-0 15; Austin Vance 4(2) 1-1 15; Nathan Brewer 4 2-4 10; Mason Pack 4 0-0 8; Cody Varney 1 1-2 3; Justin Runyon 1 0-0 2; Justin Kirk 1 0-0 2; and Austin Brewer 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23(5) 6-9 67.
Next up: Tug Valley (16-5) vs. TBA, Wednesday, Charleston Civic Center.

The Medical Leader for Friday, March 12, 2010 has just been published. To read it,  please visit:  http://bit.ly/3S4o2c

Fourth Quarter

FINAL: Scott County 66, Belfry 54. Jillnell J.J. Bevins outstanding with 24 points.

Violation……free throw taken away….SC 63, BHS 54.

Time running out on Lady Pirates…SC 63, BHS 55…1 minute left.

SC 60, Belfry 53.  3 minutes to play.

Jackelyn Stack nails third trey of quarter. SC 54, BHS 51, 6 minutes.

Here comes Belfry……6:33 to go…….SC 54, Belfry 48.

Third Quarter

Third quarter ends. SC 52, Belfry 40…J.J. Bevins leading the Lady Pirates with 23 points.

Lady Cardinals getting back on track……6-0 run to now lead by 10 at 42-32 with just over 2 minutes to play in quarter.

5:05 to go….MO in Belfry’ favor. SC 36, BHS 32 timeout on the floor.

Second Quarter

SC 34, BHS 26 at the half…. Belfry rallies. Trailed by as many as 15 in the first half.

:31 Amy McCoy basket… SC 32, Scott 26… Lady Bucs making a run

4:10 SC 30, BHS 17

First Quarter

SC 22-13 after one… JJ Bevins 9, Staten and Howard 2 apiece.

2:48 SC 16, Belfry 7… Scott County shooting 86 percent from the floor. Wow! JJ Bevins scores all of Belfry’s points.

Scott County races out to a 6-0 lead.

10:00 to tipoff…. Phelps High School assistant coach Marty Casey is working as a ball boy during the girls’ Sweet Sixteen at E.A. Diddle Arena. Casey will also work the boys’ Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena next week.

Click on the images below to get a closer view. Get tomorrow’s pages today. How cool is that?

See ya at the games…

JOSH

Central’s little girls grew into fan darlings

I have watched Holly Harris and Hannah Thompson grow up on the basketball floor.

It is hard to believe that it has been six years since I first met these two Pike County Central athletes.

Holly and Hannah were sixth-graders at Johns Creek Middle School when they joined the Lady Hawks on the 2004 state tournament team.

Six years later, the two little girls on the end of the bench had moved to the front of the program, leading the Lady Hawks into the 15th Region tournament finals.

Both played a big part in Pike Central’s 2007 run to the Final Four in the Girls’ Sweet Sixteen Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on the campus of Western Kentucky University.

Holly and Hannah have been blessed with success. Most girls never get the opportunity to play for one state championship, let alone two. Both girls even came within seconds of playing for a third.

Throughout the season, Pike Central flew under the radar. Not many people gave the school much of a chance at winning a berth in the regional finals.

Holly and Hannah made it happen. These girls have turned heads, thanks to the support cast of Reagan Clark, Taylor Murphy, Mia Coleman, Savannah Fields, and others.

Coach Gary Fields may have done his best coaching job ever. He prepared this team to make a run.

It started with a strong regular-season schedule. It ended with a heart-breaking loss to Belfry (40-39) in a game that appeared to be well in hand for the Lady Hawks.

The 15th Region championship game came down to the final seconds. Holly Harris and Hannah Thompson both missed free-throw chances in the closing seconds that could have sealed a victory.

Both were devastated by the missed free throws, and both deserved better.

“I would not have wanted it to play out any other way,” Fields said. “They (Holly and Hannah) were the main reason we had a chance to win a regional title.”
Indeed, they were.

Six years of hard work came down to the final seconds for two of the county’s most lovable and respectable players.

It will take some time for the hurt to go away. But these two ladies will be known for the success they brought this program and the everlasting memories they leave with their fans.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT: Attendance for the girls’ 15th Region tournament was at an all-time high, and fans were treated to two buzzer-beater games. Belfry’s last-second shot and win over Pike Central gave the Lady Pirates their sixth regional crown. Earlier, Shelby Valley’s Brittany Swindell converted a three-point play with no time left to beat favored Betsy Layne.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Letcher Central standout Brittany Sexton, who led the Lady Cougars to a 25-5 season, was named 14th Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches.  She will be recognized at a reception given by the KABC on March 12 at Western Kentucky University. She averaged 13 points this season and scored more than 1,300 points in her career.

See ya at the games…

— Teddy Paynter can be reached at (606) 218-4932 or by e-mail at [teddy.paynter@pikevillehospital.org].

Shelby Valley coach Jason Booher

coach-b

Shelby Valley’s Ashley Hatfield

hatfield

Shelby Valley’s Elisha Justice

justice

Betsy Layne coach Junior Newsome

newsome

At Pikeville

(15th Region Championship)

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

SV (28-4)…19  20  11  19 — 69

BL (20-7)..13  13  19  16 — 61

Scoring:

SV (69) — Elisha Justice 5(1) 5-7 18; Ashley Hatfield 3(1) 0-0 9; Taylor Newsome 5 1-2 11; Cody Varney 1(1) 6-8 11; Tyler Newsome 6 1-1 13; Zach Ramey 1(1) 0-0 5; and Trey Roberts 1 0-1 2. Totals: 22(4) 13-19 69.

BL (61) — Nathan Martin 3(3) 2-2 17; Derek Tackett 4 0-0 8; Bryce Adkins 1(2) 2-2 10; Jordan Newman 8 2-3 18; Adam Howell 0 2-2 2; Steven Johnson 0(1) 1-2 4; and Andrew Roberts 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17(6) 9-11 61.

MVP: Elisha Justice

All-Tournament: Cody Varney, East Ridge; Trent Maynard, Phelps; Tyler Lafferty, Sheldon Clark; Michael Burchett, Prestonsburg; Wade Skaggs and Lucas Frasher, Lawrence COunty; Joey Pinson and Jordan Hairston, Belfry; Jordan Newman, Bryce Adkins and Casey Adkins, Betsy Layne; Cody Varney, Tyler Newsome, Taylor Newsome and Ashley Hatfield, Shelby Valley.

Next up: Shelby Valley (28-4) vs. Region 1 winner, TBA, Thursday, opening round of Sweet Sixteen.

Fourth Quarter

SV 69, BL 61 Final

5:41 Tyler Newsome…. SV 53, BL 47

6:35 Ashley Hatfield fourth foul…. out of game

7:11 Ashley Hatfield 3-pointer… SV 53, BL 47

7:26 Taylor Newman layup… SV 50, BL 47

7:45 Taylor Newsome charge… fourth foul… out of game

Third Quarter

SV 50, BL 45 after 3

:34.8 Elisha Justice 1 free throw…. SV 50, BL 45

:58 Derek Tackett jumper…. SV 49, BL 45

1:38 Taylor Newsome shot…. SV 49, BL 43

1:50 Bryce Adkins 3…. SV 47, BL 43

2:15 Elisha Justice 2 free throws… SV 47, BL 40

3:11 Jordan Newman 3-point play… SV 45, BL 40

4:36 Nathan Martin 3… SV 43, BL 35

5:28 Jordan Newman score… SV 43, BL 32

5:44 Elisha Justice jumper…. SV 43, BL 30

6:09 Jordan Newman jumper…SV 43, BL 30

6:48 Elisha Justice layup… SV 41, BL 28

7:34 Derek Tackett jumper…. SV 39, BL 28

HALFTIME NOTES: Pikeville College honored scholarship winners at the half.

Tournament officials honored the 1984-85 Paintsville High School 15th Region team. The team, which featured former Kentucky standout and current Arkansas head men’s basketball coach John Pelphrey, put “basketball back on the map in Paintsville,” according to former Paintsville head coach Bill Mike Runyon.

Second Quarter

SV 39, BL 26 at half

at buzzer Andrew Roberts 3-pointer…. SV 39, BL 26

:36.2 Trey Roberts basket and missed free throw…. SV 39, BL 24

1:56 Steven Johnson free throw… SV 37, BL 24

1:56 Ashley Hatfield picks up third foul

2:28 Cody Varney free throw…. SV 37, BL 23

2:48 Derek Tackett basket…. SV 36, BL 23

3:00 Zach Ramey 3-pointer…. SV 35, BL 21

3:32 Cody Varney free throws…. SV 33, BL 21

3:36 Adam Howell free throws… SV 31, BL 21

4:33 Jordan Newman free throw…. SV 31, BL 19

4:41 Cody Varney 3-pointer…. SV 31, BL 18

5:00  Derek Tackett layup….. SV 28, BL 18

5:23 Taylor Newsome…. SV 28, BL 16

5:34 Ashley Hatfield jumper…. SV 26, BL 16

5:59 Steven Johnson 3-pointer… SV 24, BL 16

6:10 Justice picks up second foul…. Taken out of the game

6:11 Tyler Newsome 3-point play….. SV 24, BL 13

6:35Tyler Newsome post move…. SV 21, BL 13

First Quarter

SV 19, BL 13 after 1

:47 Nathan Martin layup…. SV 19, BL 13

1:05 Zach Ramey basket…. SV 19, BL 11

1:17 Jordan Newman basket…. SV 17, BL 11

Timeout BL…. Taylor Newsome has 11 of SV’s 17 points

1:39 Taylor Newsome off turnover… SV 17, BL 9 10-2 SV run

1:48 SV’s Taylor Newsome putback…. SV 15, BL 9

2:18 Jordan Newman layup SV 13, BL 9

2:18 Jordan Newman layup SV 13, BL 9

2:33 Elisha Justice jumper SV 13, BL 7

BL hanging on early… SV 11, BL 7 3:00

Tonight’s 15^th Region championship features the best of the present (Shelby Valley) and perhaps the future (Betsy Layne).

There’s no question that defending 15^th region champion Shelby Valley is the favorite when the two teams collide tonight with a berth to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.

After all, the Wildcats (27-4) has made easy work of their regional opponents this season, posting an unblemished 15-0 mark. The only team in the 15^th Region to come close to even competing with Shelby Valley was Johnson Central, a team that failed to even get out of its district (57^th).

The result? A 20-point win (89-69) in January.

The Bobcats and SV met earlier this season.

The result? Much of the same domination. Valley cruised to a 76-53 win at Betsy Layne on December 23, 2009.

Betsy Layne (20-6) is playing in its first regional title game since 1988 and a win would earn the school’s first trip to the Sweet Sixteen since 1980 (the year I was born).

The common theme in all of this is Bobcat head coach Junior Newsome. The veteran coach led the Bobcats to the regional title in 1980 and was on the sidelines in 1988. He returned to Betsy Layne two years ago and has rebuilt the program in a hurry, instilling his old-school basketball habits of discipline, stifling defense and transition baskets.

Betsy Layne, which won the 58^th District title two weeks ago, is led by led senior Bryce Adkins (15 ppg.), junior Nathan Martin (14 ppg.) and senior Jordan Newman (10 ppg.).

The Bobcats earned a spot in the championship game by ousting last year’s regional runner-up, Lawrence County, 64-58. Newman and Casey Adkins led three BL players in double figures with 16 points. Newman also hit 5-of-6 attempts from the free-throw line. Bryce Adkins finished with 10.

Regardless of tonight’s outcome, it will be the last hoorah for a group of Shelby Valley seniors that have wowed crowds and brought national attention to the tiny community of Robinson Creek and surrounding areas.

Senior Elisha Justice could perhaps land the state’s most coveted honor as Mr. Basketball, but this team is much more than Elisha Justice. It is a group of seven seniors, including Ashley Hatfield, who by many accounts is the front runner for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor coming into tonight’s matchup, Taylor Newsome, Cody Varney, Tanner Tackett, Tyler Newsome and Dillon Tackett.

Over the past four years, this group has compiled an impressive 111-16 record, including two regional championships (2009 and 2007). This group was a part of 53 consecutive home wins/ The streak was snapped on January 22 by Christian County, 69-66.

Averaging 90 points per game in their two regional tournament wins, it will be hard for Betsy Layne to slow down what many fans see as something destined to happen.

But that’s why you play the games.

We are hours from tipoff.

Enjoy!

See ya at the game…