article Inside the 1st Region (12/5/16)

The team that made the biggest move this week was Paducah Tilghman, shooting up to the top of the chart due to Graves County Chris Vogt being injured and limited in play. It sets up a matchup next week with #1 vs #2 in the region for current bragging rights. Another team making a move is St. Mary. They have conjured up some scoring and will need that to continue to move up. Some of the teams have yet to play in state and some have yet to play a game. The top teams got a reality check by playing some of the state’s top teams. Region 2 teams Hopkinsville and Christian County defeated Graves and Marshall, while Bowling Green destroyed McCracken. Tilghman will have their chance against those Region 2 teams later in the season.

 

1. Paducah Tilghman – Blue Tornado

Overall record: 3-0

Weekly Record: 3-0

Key Contributors: Jerome Reed (14.3 ppg/8.3 rpg), Rodriguez Thomas (16.8 ppg/), Joe Workman (16.3 ppg)

 

Tilghman has looked pretty darn good the first three games of the year. They lost some big time players last year and needed Reed and Thomas to step up, and boy have they. Add newcomer Joe Workman to the offense and they have clicked to an early 3-0 record.

Reed has been great down low and is looking like the player many were hoping he would become. He dominated the boards so far and has a realistic opportunity to average a double/double for the season. Rodriguez Thomas has had a major increase in output going from 6.8 ppg in 15-16 to 16.8 ppg in 16-17. Workman is the surprise as he exploded on the scene with 27 points in the opener against Butler.

In the Tornado 3 wins this year, they have had a different top scorer in each game. That spells trouble for the rest of region 1 and vaults Paducah Tilghman to near the top of this week rankings. A big game with Graves County looms next Monday, especially if Vogt is a full go. For now they will with Ballard Memorial and defending region 1 champ Murray. Both should be wins for PT.

 

2. Graves County Eagles (BGP No. 20)

Overall record: 1-1

Record this week: 1-1

Key Contributors: Ryan Mathis (11.0 ppg), Jordyn Noranjo (9.5 ppg)

 

The Eagles are already starting the year on a sour note. Chris Vogt, a Mr. Kentucky candidate and NKU commit has been limited due to injury. The Eagles coaching staff does not believe that it will affect the Eagles, long term, but in the short term, not having the big man on the floor will. An example of that was at the Marshall County Hoopfest. Graves County played the #7 team in the BGP rankings Christian County. They kept it close and ended up losing by 11 points. Vogt didn’t play the full game and when he did, he was ineffective in large part due to his injury. If the Eagles were at full strength, the game would have been much tighter.

 

On a positive note, Ryan Mathis and Jordyn Noranjo pulled their weight in both games this season. They are a very good compliment to Vogt. Expect this team to make some noise come February if Vogt can make a full recovery. The Eagles take on Murray and Calloway County this week in region play.

 

3. McCracken County Mustangs

Overall record: 1-1

Record this week: 1-1

Key Contributors: Cameron Cartwright (13.5 ppg), Nathan Stonecipher (12.5 ppg), William Sivills (13.5 ppg)

 

McCracken exceeded expectations last year and proved they can play with any of the teams in Region 1 and are looking forward to competing for the region 1 championship. However the Mustangs got a big dose of reality when they played BGP #1 Bowling Green at the Marshall Co. Hoopfest. The Purples had their way with the Mustangs and completely dominated the game winning 99-67. While games like this will allow McCracken to grow, it is a tough pill to swallow.

 

Some good signs to take away is the balance in scoring among the team and how anyone can step up and score at any point during the game. Teams won’t be able to gameplan on just one or two players. This will be a big advantage against most teams in region 1 which is why they will still compete for the R1 championship by Feb. The Mustangs will play Calloway County, Marshall County, and Webster County this week.

 

4. Marshall County Marshalls

Overall record: 2-1

Record this week: 2-1

Key Contributors: Dylan Walters (21.3 ppg), Aaron Reed (11.0 ppg)

 

The Marshalls need to have Dylan Walters fill Pigg’s shoes form last year. So far so good this season. In fact he has exceeded expectations and has solidified himself as the leader on this team. Walters has looked very good this year so far and the Marshalls have as well. They cruised to victory against Ballard Memorial and has a solid win against Massac Co in Illinois. They were outgunned however when they played BGP #11 Hopkinsville as they lost at home 86-61. Walters may have had his best game of the year, scoring 24 points, however much of those were in the second half one the game was out of reach.

 

Walters will be relied on to do just that in tandem with fellow junior Aaron Reed. If Marshall County is gonna go deep into the region 1 tournament, they are going to need to find another person or two to step up in the big games. Only Walters reached double digits in the loss to Hopkinsville.

 

Looking at the schedule for Marshall County they have a winnable game at Carlisle County, and a big early season matchup with McCracken County.

 

5. Mayfield – Cardinals

Overall record: 0-0

Weekly Record: 0-0

Key Contributers:

 

The Cardinals were last year’s biggest mover in Region 1. They were ranked 12th to start the year and worked their way up to as high as 5th. They had some big wins last year (University Heights, Graves County, Marshall County) but also some bad losses. This year they feel like they can take the next step forward and compete at a higher level than they did last year. Of course due to Mayfield’s presence in 2A football, some of their team won’t be ready at the beginning of the season, so we may not know what the Cardinals are really made of until after the new year.

While Mayfield lost some key players to graduation, they return their top two scorers in sophomore Carson Guthrie and senior Lumson. They also have a few players who are ready to step up and try to fill those shoes. These guys had some significant playing time last year and should provide a good core for this year. Sophomores Connor Guthrie and Kent Trey Matthews both hope they can fill that roll.

Mayfield has yet to play a game this season, but open with Hickman County, Caldwell County, and Murray this week.

 

6. Murray Tigers

Overall record: 0-1

Weekly Record: 0-1

Key Contributors: Preston English (36 ppg/ 14 rpg), Zach Flener (15 ppg, 5 rpg)

Murray starts the year with a bang and a heartbreak. The Tigers dropped a close game to Westview, Tn

74-72. Preston English threw down 36 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a “Boone-who” effort. Zach Flener added 15 points and 5 boards, but they needed just a little more to get over the top. With this kind of output from English and Flener, the Tigers just need some other contributors to step up and they will be contenders. We will have to wait and see if the English/Flener tandem can keep the ball rolling this week.

Murray plays host to preseason Region 1 favorite Graves County. If Vogt for GC plays, it will be a tough win, however, if he is limited or doesn’t play, Murray has a great chance to pull the upset. They then have to go to Paducah Tilghman. That may be even a tougher matchup for the Tigers. They finish the week with a good Mayfield team. It could be a tough week for the Tigers, or it may be a great one!

 

7. Calloway County Lakers

Overall record: 2-0

Weekly Record: 2-0

Key Returners: No Stats

 

Last year was a tough pill to swallow for the Lakers who were coming off a 30 win season with a region 1 championship and a surprise run at the Sweet Sixteen. Coach Birdsong knew they would be in a rebuild mode and they finished with only 8 wins. This year has started off much better. It was anticipated that this group would improve over the summer, and they have. Victories at home against Livingston County and St. Mary’s have given the Lakers hope for this season. We will see if those results continue this week against some tougher competition in McCracken County, Graves County, and Hickman County

 

8. St. Mary Vikings

Overall record: 2-1

Weekly record: 2-1

Key Returners: John MacCauley

 

The Vikings came out firing against Carlisle County and Hickman County. John MacCauley poured in 35 points to open the season and show that they do have some scorers after losing so much in the off season. Calloway County tempered that excitement by defeating the Vikings soundly. St. Mary has a good chance to win most if not all their remaining games in 2016 before starting into the heart of the top teams in the region.

 

9. Fulton County – Pilots

Overall record: 3-1

Weekly Record: 3-1

Key Contributors: Davis Major (14.0 ppg), Andreous Smith (14.5 ppg), Kahari Miller (12.5ppg)

 

The Pilots are a hard team to judge right now. They have 3 wins, all against out of state opponents. However they played a pretty decent Trigg County team and played them very close for the game, but didn’t get the win. This week won’t help us judge a whole lot either. They will play Community Christian. Time will tell what they are made of. It looks like the schedule won’t see any big challenges until after the new year.

 

10. Ballard Memorial Bombers

Overall record: 1-1

Weekly record: 1-1

Key Contributors: Jamarrion Williams (12.6 ppg)

 

The Bombers played a lot of players in their first two games. A total of 10 Bombers scored at least one point in the first two games, many of those players are averaging 4 or more points. One game was a blowout loss to Marshall, so that should give a good measuring stick to this team, but they did defeat Fulton City at home. They will play Paducah Tilghman and St. Mary this week. One of those may be winnable, the other is not.

 

11. Hickman County Falcons

Overall record: 1-1

Weekly record: 1-1

Key Returners: Dalton Jewel (25.5 ppg), Logan Pittman (13.5 ppg)

 

Dalton Jewel had two great games to open the year. The Falcons will need all the scoring they can get. They lost their top two scorers last year and will have a tough time keeping up this year with most teams in the region. They played St. Mary close for a while, but the Vikings ended up being too much for them. We will see how they fare against Mayfield and Carlisle County this week. If they play well enough to win, they can move up in these rankings.

 

12. Fulton City Bulldogs

Overall record: 0-3

Weekly Record: 0-3

Key Contributors: Devontae Alexander , Brenden Walker

 

The Bulldogs are hoping things will go better the rest of the season than they did this week. They looked pretty good in their opener with Alexander (20 points) and Walker (17 points) both having great games, but falling just short of a win. They looked decent against Ballard Memorial as well, but then Todd County Central exposed their lack of offensive power. They could get their first 2 wins of the year this week as they host Christian Fellowship and Greenfield, TN.

 

13. Carlisle County Comets

Overall record: 0-2

Weekly record: 0-2

Key Contributors: Trey Wilson (20 ppg), Michael Thomason (14 ppg)

 

The season of rebuilding has begun. Carlisle which was a contender for the region 1 title last year, find itself hurting for offense. They were soundly defeated by St Mary and Paducah Tilghman. Things won’t get much easier against Marshall County, however, they should beat Community Christian, and have a good chance to win against Hickman.

 

14. Community Christian Warriors

Overall record: 0-3

Weekly record: 0-3

Key Contributors: Logan Browning (16.7 ppg), Jonathan Rogers (11.3 ppg)

 

The Good news from the Warriors, they are scoring more points than they did last year, however they still are not competitive in the region. The Warriors have only won 2 games over the past two seasons the same results can be expected this year as the Warriors just don’t have the talent to keep up with the public schools, especially considered they have a number of 7th and 8th graders on their roster. They will play St Mary, Fulton County, and Carlisle County this week.

 

 

Top 5 Performances of the Week

 

Preston English, Murray

English scored 36 points and pulled down 14 boards for the Tigers in their season opener.

 

John MacCauley, St. Mary

MacCauley scored 35 points to lead the Vikings over Carlisle Counter in their season opener.

 

Dalton Jewell, Hickman County

Jewell scored 25 points and 26 points respectively in the first two games of the season. Someone to watch out for when they play tougher competition.

 

Dylan Walters, Marshall County

Walters had a good first three games averaging over 21 points in those contests, including a 24 point display against the BGP #11 Hopkinsville.

 

Joe Workman, Paducah Tilghman

Workman gave quite a performance for his first game in a Tornado uniform. The junior scored 27 points against Butler County.

 

 

Games to Watch:

 

Graves County @ Murray – 12/6

Murray @ Paducah Tilghman – 12/9

Marshall County @ McCracken County – 12/9

Paducah Tilghman @ Graves County – 12/12