BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — The road to Rupp Arena begins Saturday at Martin County High School as the most prestigious preseason basketball showcase in the state—the Zip Zone Express Tip Off Classic—gets underway. Martin County boys basketball coach Jason James has packed this year’s lineup full of top-tier teams and star-studded players from Kentucky and West Virginia.
The top two ranked teams in Kentucky are headlining the event in No. 1 Lyon County and No. 2 Great Crossing. Lyon County brings star Travis Perry, who recently signed to play at the University of Kentucky.
As always, enthusiasts will enjoy a full day of basketball. Saturday’s lineup also includes No. 8 Evangel Christian, No. 20 Ashland, No. 21 Butler, No. 25 Boyd County, West Virginia state champion Chapmanville, 15th Region tournament and All “A” champ Martin County, Class A sectional and regional champ Tug Valley, and back-to-back 57th District champ Martin County Lady Cards.
Action gets underway at 10:40 a.m. with the Prestonsburg Blackcats, coached by Chase Parsley, taking on Coach Scott Castle’s Magoffin County Hornets. Prestonsburg is banking on Braxton Keatley and Connor Napier, while Magoffin County looks to Aiden Barnett for leadership.
At noon, the Pike Central Hawks, coached by Eric Ratliff, will challenge the 16th Region champion No. 20-ranked Ashland Tomcats. Ashland’s top scorer Zander Carter (Liberty commit) will tangle with Pike Central’s Jaylan Rigdon and Jaden Stewart.
The 1:20 p.m. game has Lawrence County versus Butler County. Butler County is ranked 21st and boasts one of the top guards in Louisville in Dayton Williams, along with scorers Ty Price and Lawson Rice. Lawrence County relies on Andrew Bloomfield, Hayden Perry and Blake Marcum.
At 2:40 p.m., the 8th-ranked Evangel Christian, under Coach Larry Miller, faces 25th-ranked Boyd County. Evangel Christian counts on Christian Doerr and Kyran Tilley, while Boyd County’s hopes rest on Jacob Spurlock and Cole Hicks.
The 4 p.m. game features No. 1-ranked Lyon County against No. 2-ranked Great Crossing. Lyon County’s Travis Perry (UK commit), the state’s scoring leader and Mr. Basketball frontrunner, is a key player, while Great Crossing has 7-foot-1 star Malachi Moreno, a top-rated junior prospect.
At 5:20 p.m., the Martin County Lady Cardinals, back-to-back 57th District champion, take on the Tug Valley Lady Panthers. Under Coach Robin Newsome, Martin County will count on top-20 scorer Laken Williams, Katie Marcum, Alyssa Allen and newcomer Maci Maynard. Under first-year coach Seth Ooten, Tug Valley looks to rebuild this year.
In the 6:40 p.m. game, Floyd Central faces the Tug Valley Panthers. Floyd Central’s key players are Ronnie Sammons and Braden Moore. Tug Valley, coached by Garland “Rabbit” Thompson, boasts a strong lineup including Brady Brewer, Ashton Davis, Kaden Hale, Buddy Marcum, Paul Preece, Carson Newsome, Bryson Elia and Braydun Ferris.
Tug Valley won both the Class A sectional and regional championships before being eliminated in the state semifinals last season.
The final game at 8 p.m. pits the Martin County Cardinals, 15th Region tournament and All “A” 15th Region champion, against the reigning West Virginia Class 2A state champion Chapmanville. Martin County, coached by Jason James, features Luke Hale, Brayden McKenzie, Jacob Sturgell, Drey Duff, Blake Maynard, Peyton Davis Devan Maynard. Chapmanville, coached by Brad Napier, brings championship experience from the previous season along with recent Tug Valley transfer Joey Gollihue, a Class A All-State First-Team selection with a 15.6 points per game average last season.
Zip Zone Express has sponsored the Classic for 35 years and donates 100% of the proceeds to Martin County student-athletes.
