article Inside the 4th Region (1/19/15)

Fourth Region Top 10

1) Monroe County (17-2) - 1/16 64-54 W at #4 Barren County, 1/17 68-33 W at Metcalfe County

Previous Rank: 2

This Week: 1/22 vs. TBA (4th Region All "A")

2) Warren Central (12-6) - 1/13 66-16 W Glasgow, 1/16 64-58 OT W #1 Bowling Green

Previous Rank: 3

This Week: 1/20 at #8 South Warren, 1/23 vs. Greenwood

3) Bowling Green (14-4) - 1/13 68-62 W #5 Russell County, 1/16 58-64 OT L at #3 Warren Central

Previous Rank: 1

This Week: 1/20 vs. Christian County, 1/23 vs. Warren East

4) Clinton County (13-6) - 1/13 68-45 W at Cumberland County, 1/16 48-44 W #5 Russell County

Previous Rank: 6

This Week: 1/19 at Todd County Central

5) Russell County (7-7) - 1/13 62-68 L at #1 Bowling Green, 1/16 44-48 L at #6 Clinton County

Previous Rank: 5

This Week: 1/20 vs. Southwestern, 1/22 vs. Adair County, 1/23 vs. #8 South Warren

6) Logan County (12-4) - 1/13 61-46 W at #7 Allen County-Scottsville

Previous Rank: 9

This Week: 1/20 vs. Edmonson County, 1/23 at Franklin-Simpson

7) Barren County (13-6) - 1/13 69-68 W #10 Warren East, 1/16 54-64 L #2 Monroe County

Previous Rank: 4

This Week: 1/20 vs. LaRue County, 1/23 at #9 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/24 at Edmonson County

8) South Warren (9-9) - 1/13 72-61 W Edmonson County

Previous Rank: 8

This Week: 1/20 vs. #2 Warren Central, 1/23 at #5 Russell County

9) Allen County-Scottsville (11-6) - 1/13 46-61 L #9 Logan County, 1/16 81-56 W Glasgow

Previous Rank: 7

This Week: 1/20 vs. #10 Russellville, 1/23 vs. #7 Barren County, 1/24 at Caverna

10) Russellville (7-9) - 1/13 68-67 W at Greenwood, 1/16 60-52 W at Franklin-Simpson

Previous Rank: NR

This Week: 1/20 at #9 Allen County-Scottsville

Last Week's Game of the Week - Could it be anything else other than Bowling Green at Warren Central? Annually these teams are the ones to beat for the region title (though as you can see Monroe has something to say about that this year), so any time they meet, it's big. And round 1 went to the Dragons via 64-58 win in OT in one of the most tense, nerve-wracking games you'd ever see. Incredibly though it made it to OT, Bowling Green never led. They were tied several times and possessed the ball on numerous occasions with a chance to take the lead, but could never climb the mountain all the way. The Dragons managed a 25-15 lead in the first half, but once that was closed the game was never led by more than 6 the rest of the way. Most of the second half and OT was spent with the Dragons maintaining a lead between 1-4 points. Just when you thought it was over, the script flipped. The Dragons had gotten out to a 6 point lead with less than a minute left and at the line to go up 7. That free throw was missed, and after the Purples cut it to 4 they forced a turnover and cut it to 2 with just over 10 seconds remaining. After Jared Savage missed the front end of a 1 and 1, Logan Riehn rebounded a missed three pointer for the win and tied it to send it to the extra session. But again the Dragons did not let go of the lead, gaining a crucial district victory. We'll do it again in two weeks.

A New Sheriff - You can see it plainly in the rankings above, but it is worth drawing your attention to that Monroe County now heads up our ranks for the region, dethroning Bowling Green which had held the position since the preseason. The Falcons entered the year as the #3 team, and while not quite a favorite at the time were by no means a dark horse. We've had them pegged from the beginning as a serious threat and they have proven it on the court. They're unbeaten in 4th Region play, are the only region team to defeat Warren Central, which is the only region team to beat Bowling Green. It is highly unlikely that the Falcons will lose a region game before their matchup with Bowling Green on January 31st, so expect that this will be the status quo until at least then. Monroe County is a serious player in the region this year.

Holding Server At Home - It's no secret who will come out of the 16th District this year as Metcalfe County and Cumberland County just aren't on the level of their district mates. But it's always interesting to watch the games between Clinton County and Russell County, and the two split their regular season matchups in the last two weeks, each winning at home, necessitating the formality of a coin toss for their district seeding. Ultimately these teams will meet a third time in the all important district game.

Keifer Dalton Makes History - Keifer Dalton recently broke Chuck Conner's all-time scoring record at Clinton County, surpassing his 1,887 point mark that had stood for 52 years. Conner was on hand for a ceremony recognizing the achievement earlier this month during a girls' varsity game.

Upcoming Games of the Week

1/20 - #2 Warren Central at #8 South Warren - It's another chance for the Spartans to get that elusive first victory over the Dragons. They were within 5 points twice last season.

1/23 - #1 Monroe County vs. #4 Clinton County - This is a bit of a gamble as this isn't a scheduled game. These two are heavy favorites to win their games in the All A tournament to play each other in the title game. If they do meet, it will be their second of the year, after a two point Monroe County win on the road earlier this year.