PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WMDJ) – Aiden Barnett scored 35 points on 14-of-21 shooting as Magoffin County rallied in the second half for a 78-68 victory over Floyd Central in the quarterfinals of the boys’ 15th Region Tournament at Appalachian Wireless Arena Thursday evening.

 

Barnett, who was chosen by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches as 15th Region Player of the Year and a finalist for Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball distinction, scored 22 in the second half, carrying the team on his back to Saturday night’s semifinals.

 

The win places the Hornets in the semifinals for the first time since 2016. It was Magoffin County’s 9th win ever in the quarterfinal round.

 

Barnett set the tone from the start as the Hornets claimed the opening tip with the ball finding Barnett, who connected on a floater in the lane along with a free throw after a Floyd Central foul by Brody Buck to give Magoffin a 3-0 lead.

 

Floyd Central’s Dylan Boyd tied the game 3-3 with the first of a pair of outside shots he would hit in the first quarter.

 

Barnett and Buck were both hot early as both players traded baskets back and forth. Buck connected on three consecutive baskets to give Floyd Central a 9-7 lead with just over 5 minutes to play. The Jaguars would hold a 19-16 edge at the end of the first period with Buck leading the way with eight points.

 

The Jaguars increased their lead in the second quarter as senior Ronnie Samons dumped in 10 points in the period, complimented by fellow senior Braden Moore who finished with 12 first half points. Floyd Central enjoyed a 38-29 lead at the break.

 

Buck would start the third quarter with a layup off a Magoffin turnover to give the Jaguars their largest lead of the night 40-29.

 

The Hornets would answer with a 7-0 run starting with a put-back by Walker Russell off a miss from Zane Whitaker, followed by a 3-pointer by Ethan Salyer to cut the lead to 40-34. Magoffin’s Russell cleaned up another miss on a transition bucket to make it 40-36 Jaguars with 6:02 to play in the third.

 

Magoffin County would enjoy a 22-10 run up to the 1:37 mark in the third to take a 51-48 lead on a 3-pointer by Barnett, who scored 11 during the Hornets’ run.

 

Buck would convert a basket on the post making it 51-50 Magoffin. A miss from Whitaker from the outside resulted in a run-out by Moore, who was fouled with 32 seconds left. Moore would hit both free throws to give Floyd Central a slim 52-51 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

 

Both teams exchanged baskets to start the fourth quarter. Magoffin would retake the lead 55-54 on a 3-pointer by Russell with 5:48 to play. Jaguar senior Dawson Moore would match Russell with a 3-pointer of his own, pushing the Floyd Central back in front 57-55, yet a transition 3-pointer by Russell put Magoffin back out 58-57 with 5:12 left.

 

Barnett would go on a 6-0 run on his own with two layups which resulted in being 3-point plays on two Floyd Central fouls as Magoffin County increased their lead 64-57 with 4:07 remaining and the Hornets would not give up the lead again.

 

Barnett would score 11 points in the fourth quarter to pad his 35-point total. The Hornets also would make 14-of-16 free throws in the final period to seal the victory.

 

The Hornets outscored the Jaguars 49-30 in the second half.

 

Floyd Central is now (0-3) in quarterfinal round matchups with all three losses coming at the hands of a 57th district opponent.

 

Magoffin County (19-13) will face Johnson Central (15-13) for the fourth time this season in Saturday’s second semifinal game. The Golden Eagles shocked 60th District champion Pike County Central 87-79. With the win, Johnson Central became the first 3-seed to clinch a spot in the semifinals of the new super regional format.

 

Magoffin County has beaten Johnson Central in all three previous games this season.

 

MAGOFFIN COUNTY (78) – Barnett 12 (2) 5-7 35. G. Whitaker 2 (1) 4 9. Salyer 3 (2) 4-4 12. Russell 6 (1) 3-6 16. Z. Whitaker 1 2-4 4. Samons 1 2.

 

FG Pct.: 54.0. FT Pct.: 72.0. 3-PT 7-20 (Barnett 2-5, G. Whitaker 2-9, Salyer 2-3, Russell 1-1, Z. Whitaker 0-2). Rebounds 29. PF 11. Fouled out: none. Turnovers 4. Assists 4.

 

FLOYD CENTRAL (68) – B. Moore 6 (2) 5-6 19. Spriggs 3 6. Boyd 2 (2) 6. Samons 7 (1) 2-2 17. Buck 8 1-1 17. D. Moore 1 (1) 3.

 

FG Pct.: 47.3. FT Pct.: 88.8. 3-PT 6-20 (B. Moore 2-9, Spriggs 0-2, Boyd 2-3, Samons 1-3, Buck 0-2, D. Moore 1-1). Rebounds 23. PF 16. Fouled out: Spriggs. Turnovers 8. Assists 12.

 

MAGOFFIN COUNTY            16 13 22 27 - 78

FLOYD CENTRAL                   19 19 14 16 - 68