Basketball Game Preview: Johnson Central Golden Eagles vs. Magoffin County Hornets

The Johnson Central Golden Eagles will face off against the Magoffin County Hornets at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Johnson Central knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past nine games -- so hopefully Magoffin County likes a good challenge.

Last Saturday, Johnson Central came up short against Pineville and fell 95-86.

Austin Slone

Field Goal Percentage

02/15/25 vs Pineville	59%
02/14/25 @ Martin County	65%
02/08/25 @ Magoffin County	100%
02/06/25 vs Paintsville	57%
02/04/25 vs Expression Prep Academy	65%
+ 4 more games

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Austin Slone, who on his way to 30 points and six assists. He is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 53% in the last nine games he's played. Another player making a difference was Brayden Shepherd, who en route to 25 points.

Meanwhile, Magoffin County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat. They fell 75-64 to Betsy Layne. While losing is never fun, the Hornets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kentucky basketball rankings (they are ranked 226th, while the Bobcats are ranked 100th).

Johnson Central's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-9. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 82.3 points over those games. As for Magoffin County, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-20.

Everything came up roses for Johnson Central against Magoffin County in their previous matchup on February 8th, as the squad secured a 68-31 win. Will Johnson Central repeat their success, or does Magoffin County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.