SALYERSVILLE Johnson Central punched its ticket to the 15th Region Tournament on Tuesday night with a 77-61 win over Paintsville in the opening round of the 57th District Tournament at the Magoffin County Fieldhouse.

The Golden Eagles, who won their 11th straight game, will play the winner of Sheldon Clark and Magoffin County on Friday for the district championship. The title game will mark the seventh straight for Central, which has won four district crowns since 2011 and is looking to win its fourth in five years.

Its a shame that either Sheldon Clark or Magoffin County will not be playing in the regional tournament, said Johnson Central coach Tommy McKenzie. Either one of those teams are good enough to win the regional tournament.

Centrals pressure defense set the tone early on. Paintsville turnovers quickly turned into easy transition baskets.

For a night that we didnt particularly shoot the ball well, we were fortunate to get some fast-break baskets, added McKenzie. Central (24-6)finished 39 percent from the floor on 26-of-67 shooting. It wasnt pretty, but it was a win.

Paintsville lost for the 11th straight time. Its a building process for Tigers coach Landon Slone, who led Paintsville (8-20) to its last 57th District title in 2008. That was the last time the Tigers played in the 15th Region Tournament.

Weve got a solid core of players, said Slone. The Tigers starting five included an eighth-grader, two freshmen, a sophomore and a senior.

Im proud of our players, and theyre going to write a new chapter in the history of our great program in time,he said.

Freshman Seth Williams had a game-high 26 points to lead the Tigers.

Johnson Central, which forced a running clock for most of the second half, had four players in double figures. Senior Cole Crace had 17 points. Senior Mason Blair followed with 12. He was issued a technical foul in the second quarter. Senior Austin Davis and sophomore Jacob Rice each finished with 10.

PAINTSVILLE 13 5 16 14 61

J. CENTRAL 28 21 15 13 77

Paintsville (61) Trent Vanover 0(2) 0-0 6; Seth Williams 4(5) 3-4 26; James Allen 0 2-2 2; Mason Moore 2(1) 2-4 9; Braxton Tharp 1 2-2 4; Ethan Hensley 1 0-0 2; Michael Prater 1(1) 2-2 5; Brandon Richmond 2 1-2 5; Ryan Moore 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11(9) 11-18 61.

Johnson Central (77) Leon Moshefy 2 2-4 6; Austin Davis 1(2) 2-2 10; Cole Crace 2(3) 4-4 17; Mason Blair 2(2) 2-3 12; Jacob Rice 2(2) 0-0 10; Caleb Price 1 0-0 2; Dalton Collins 1 1-2 3; Blake Delong 2 0-0 4; Gabe Ferrell 0(1) 0-2 3; Isaiah May 0 3-4 3; Jarrett Blair 1(1) 0-0 5; Cory VanHoose 1 0-2 2. Totals: 15(11) 16-23 77.

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57th District It's the Golden rule: J. Central moves into 7th straight finals - The Independent