[kywldcat01]

5. Shelby Valley:

Shelby Valley ran through Region 15 last season and all the way to Rupp Arena for the KHSAA Sweet 16. With several key players returning, including leading scorer Elisha Justice, the Wildcats look poised to win Region 15 again. They check in at No. 5.

Justice will anchor the back court and play point guard. The 5-foot-11, 167 pound senior-to-be averaged 17.1 points last season. He is a great shooter, good ball handler and he's pretty athletic.

He's also a great defender. Justice is on pace to break the state record for steals. The record is 499 and Justice will enter the season with 413.

Justice has Division I potential. He's hearing from several schools, including Arkansas, Marshall, Liberty, Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State.

Joining Justice in the back court will be Tyler Newsome. The 6-foot-5, 190 pound senior-to-be averaged 7.7 points per game coming off the bench last season. Cody Varney will get minuets at the guard position as well.

The front court will take a hit, after 6-foot-10 Devin Adams graduates. Adams averaged 10 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. His size will be missed.

The best front court player returns. Ashley Hatfield averaged 12.9 points per game last season. The 6-foot-6, 185 pound senior-to-be has the potential to play college basketball. He is a good shooter, who can go inside or outside and be productive.

Also returning to the front court is Taylor Newsome. The 6-foot-3, 203 pound forward averaged 8.6 points per game last season and a team high 8.5 rebounds per game.

Justice and Hatfield are the two best players in Region 15. They should have no trouble winning another Region 15 championship in 2010. This team, however, has bigger goals than just winning another regional championship. Their goal is to make a deep run in the KHSAA Sweet 16 and there's no question they have the talent to play on Saturday night.