The Wildcats played in the preseason event last season and had a respectable showing against Scott County — one of the top teams in the Bluegrass State.
Shelby Valley, last year’s Kentucky state champion in the All “A” Classic, will give Logan another tough test this year.
The Logan-Shelby Valley game is the eighth and final contest of the day.
Shelby Valley, also nicknamed the Wildcats, is located in the western Pike County hamlet of Robinson Creek, Ky., about 10 miles southwest of Pikeville. Shelby Valley has a rich basketball tradition and has advanced to the Kentucky state tournament at Rupp Arena many times.
Shelby Valley High School was formed with the consolidation of the former Virgie and Dorton high schools, which were also strong in basketball, before the two merged in 1990.
The SV Wildcats beat No. 1-ranked Elliott County in last year’s All “A” state finals. The team is led by first-team all-state guard Elisha Justice.
Logan coach Mark Hatcher said Shelby Valley will give his team a good measuring stick heading into the season opener which is set for Dec. 15 at home against rival Man.
“It’s a team that has been practicing for six weeks,” Hatcher said. “I think most of their team’s players play basketball only. They are six weeks ahead of us and they are a top five-ranked team in the state of Kentucky which is a pretty big deal. They have some great players such as Elisha Justice, who is an all-stater who is supposed to be going to Louisville to play. They also have Ashley Hatfield, who is a good player as well. We’re playing the prime time game and they bring a great crowd. Shelby Valley has a very basketball-oriented town just like we are, so it will be very interesting.”
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