Valley tops Panthers

Shelby Valley remains perfect in district play

BY Randy White

Staff Writer

ROBINSON CREEK — It was the first, but it won’t be the last meeting between rivals Shelby Valley and Pikeville this season.

The Wildcats came away with a 67-52 win against 59th District rival Pikeville on Friday before a packed house.

The two met in 15th Region finals last season, and could see each other Friday in the 15th Region All “A” Classic and could possibly meet each other a total of five times before the season ends.

“They did a better job in the second half of not letting us get easy looks,” said Pikeville coach Bart Williams. “You just have to step up and hit shots and they did that and we didn’t. Hopefully, we’ll run into them a few more times down the road and hopefully we’ll learn from this and be ready for them next time.”

Wildcat fans hope Friday’s win was a sign of things to come.

“We haven’t been playing regular Shelby Valley basketball the last couple of games,” Shelby Valley coach Jason Booher said. “Our last two practices were really intense and it carried over tonight. These guys played their hearts out tonight. They did a good job of being patient and finding the open man.”

Jacob Bryant and Ashley Hatfield each had a big game to lead the way for the Wildcats. Bryant finished with a game-high 20 points and five rebounds. Hatfield added 18 points four rebounds and four assists.

“Ashley (Hatfield) was really the only one who came to play against Pike Central and he carried that over into tonight,” Booher said. “I thought Ashley played a really good offensive game in the first half and then Jake (Bryant) had a really big game, especially in the second half. All of the guys played well, though. We wanted this win. These seniors want to go out winning on their home floor.”

With Shelby Valley clinging to a one-point lead midway through the third quarter, Jonah Justice knocked down a three to push the lead to 39-35. Tyler Newsome also hit a big three at the end of the third quarter to give the Wildcats an extra boost. Newsome’s trey with three seconds left in the third pushed the lead to 53-44; Pikeville knocked down a three, but the referees ruled that it came after the buzzer.

“He (Newsome) did the same thing against Pike Central,” Booher said. “He hit that shot at the end of the third quarter and it gave us a lot of momentum. He’s done that his whole life. He’s a really good 3-point shooter when he’s set and he stepped up tonight with that three.”

Hatfield opened the fourth with a three and Shelby Valley’s lead grew to 12. Jacob Bryant took the ball at the top of the key and drove past Deven Adams. Jacob Bryant pulled up and dished off a no-look pass to Hatfield to push the lead to 58-44 with 5:19 left.

“It’s frustrating when you play hard and I think we went up by one in the third quarter, then they go on a big run,” Williams said.

Matt Clevenger knocked down a pair of free throws for the Panthers with 5:02 left to cut the lead to 58-48; that would be as close as Pikeville would get.

“They are a good team,” Williams said. “They haven’t been shooting the ball that well from the perimeter. They hit six threes tonight. They play better here (at home) and they’re hard to defend. When you try to go man on them, they are hard to defend and they started beating us one-on-one. They are smaller and quicker and a smarter basketball team.”

The win puts Shelby Valley at 2-0 in district play, while Pikeville is 1-1 and East Ridge is 0-2. The winner of the 59th District regular season gets the No. 1 seed in the district and an automatic spot in the 15th Region Tournament.

“In a three team district, that No. 1 seed means everything,” Williams said. “We know that every district game is going to be a battle. You’ve got to step up every night and be mentally prepared.”

Clevenger led the way for Pikeville with 15 points. Gatlin Clark had a big game with 13 points and Adams also reached double figures for the Panthers with 12. Tim Honaker added nine points and seven rebounds.

Both teams return to action Wednesday in the opening round of the 15th Region All “A” Classic at Betsy Layne.

Shelby Valley (14-2, 2-0 district) is scheduled to meet Betsy Layne at 8:15, while Pikeville (9-6, 1-1) will take on Phelps at 6:30 p.m.

If both Shelby Valley and Pikeville advance, they will meet Friday night in the 15th Region All “A” Classic semifinals.

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Pikeville 14 16 14 8 — 52

Shelby Valley 18 16 19 14 — 67

Pikeville (9-6) — Matt Clevenger 15, Gatlin Clark 13, Deven Adams 12, Tim Honaker 9, Jordan Bell 2, Patrick Keene 1.

Shelby Valley (14-2) — Jacob Bryant 20, Ashley Hatfield 18, Jonah Justice 10, Elisha Justice 8, Curby Tackett 6, Tyler Newsome 3, Logan Bryant 2.