article BluegrassPreps.com 6th Region Weekly Rankings (12/18)

1. Fern Creek (6-1): After the Trinity loss, Fern Creek went back to business with 2 wins in local games (Whitefield & Male) and one very significant win at the Ramey Showdown Showcase in St. Louis versus the #1 ranked team in Missouri, Webster Groves. Fern Creek entered the contest with their three top players fighting nagging ailments. Ahmad Price has a bad thumb on his shooting hand, Anthony Wales had been battling the flu bug most of the week, and Clint Wickliffe has a banged up shoulder. Wickliffe did not play, but Wales bounced back with 24 and Price added 15 in the upset of Webster Groves. It was the team effort around defense and rebounding that was the catalyst in holding the Statesmen to 10 first half points. Should that focus continue, it makes the Tigers a very tough team.

2. Butler (7-0): The Bears are a solid 2nd in the rankings right now as they easily beat Western and did the same to their Jefferson County traditional school rival Male. Next up for the Bears are holiday tournaments at Warren East and then after Christmas at South Oldham. Butler could very well be in line to enter the New Year with an unblemished record if they continue to play as they have so far. 3 players average double figures (Tolley, Wales, & Pendergrass) and big man Michael Burns might be the most athletic big in the region with his threat to block shots.

3. PRP (5-2): The Panthers went 1-1 this past week as they lost a close one to Valley, 54-57. They easily beat Holy Cross to bounce back after the tough road loss to Valley. Right now there is not a lot of difference between ranked teams in spots 3-6, but PRP should be ahead of the rest with 5 returning starters. Butler escaped with a close win at Valley in the season opener so PRP losing on the Vikings home court is not a indication of anything other than many teams are very competitive in the upper half of this very deep region.

4. Doss (6-2): Doss got back on the winning side with 2 back to back victories against Seneca and Evansville North. Stephon Franklin continues to show why he is one of the best PGs in the city if not the state as he leads his team in many offensive categories. He is scoring at a 14 PPG clip with 4 teammates all getting close to 10 PPG. Gridiron Star Terez Traynor who was transitioning into basketball readiness had an unfortunate foot injury that will sideline him an extended time if not the entire season. Feel bad for this very special young man whose athleticism would have helped Doss when he rounded into basketball form. Everybody needs to wish him speedy recovery as he prepares to play Division 1 football at WKU when he heads off to college.

5. Valley (4-2): The Vikings continue to rebound with another 2 straight wins after opening the season with two losses. We learned something about the Vikings after their midweek matchup with PRP this week that they won by 3. Don't count them out, especially at their home gym where the 6th Regional Championships are always held. Curt Lewis is playing very well and as he goes the Vikings go. Valley heads down to play in the Paducah Holiday event ready to represent the 6th region well against Western Kentucky programs that will be in attendance.

6. Fairdale (5-1): The Bulldogs take this spot convincingly as they jump Iroquois in the rankings in a 92-73 rout and are poised to move farther depending on their showing at the prestigious King of the Bluegrass which they host. They open with Bowling Green and the way Markelo Sullivan is playing they can compete with anyone at the KOB who can't slow him down. Along with Craig Ash, Mark Sullivan & Glenn Queen, this is a talented senior group that has made a statement they are to be reckoned with. They are 5-0 in the region, but soon they will be playing the other top tier teams and then a definitive idea on just how good Fairdale can become will be known.

7. Jeffersontown (4-2): The Chargers won their only game last week against Western and might be ranked a bit high based on only a 6 point win against a team that has only won a single game. Right now the Chargers are changing a culture and winning any game is a step in the right direction. Their only losses are to PRP and Valley so they have earned this spot for the time being. Coach Duncan is the right person for this team and should continue to change the culture to a winning program.

8. Iroquois (4-3): The Raiders beat North Bullitt easily, but had the tables turned against Fairdale to show how much separation there is from the Top 6 teams in the region. Iroquois is still getting great production from Keelan Kennedy and Davarrio Martin, but the lost to Fairdale illustrates that they are several players short from joining the elite in the region.

9. Holy Cross (4-3): Holy Cross beat Sayre, but was turned back by PRP in their attempt to close the gap in District 21. With Driscoll getting 6 PPG and 6 RPG it will not be the production needed to make the Cougars a threat. If they can get nightly double doubles out of the big guy, then perhaps the team will also make strides. They need to find a way to leverage the biggest post player in the region.

10. Bullitt East (3-5): Bullitt East had a good win against Taylor County, but lost on the road against Waggener. The loss was close though, 62-69, and Waggener is undefeated right now. This is Luke Ezell's team, but Thomas Wiseheart is also scoring for the best of the Bullitt County programs again this year.

11. DeSales (2-5): A huge win this week over Bowling Green solidifies this spot just outside the Top 10 in the region. I suspect DeSales will move up as the season continues, but right now they only have 2 wins and they also lost to Elizabethtown this week as well.

12. Moore (2-5): Beat Shawnee, but more impressive was a 13 point loss to Valley on the Vikings home floor. Progress will be coming soon for the Mustangs.

13. Southern (2-3): Lost bad in their only game last week to Manual.

14. Western (1-7): Western got their first win against Atherton of the 7th region this past week.

15. Bullitt Central (6-2): How can a 6-2 team be ranked at #15? They lost to Moore whose only other victory was against Shawnee.

16. North Bullitt (3-4): Lost big to Iroquois last week which is why they are not ranked higher, but they beat Shawnee and the best game they may have played all year was a 1 point loss to Collins from the 8th region. It shows you how one of the last ranked teams in the 6th region if moved to the 8th region may actually be very competitive.

17. Whitefield Academy (2-4): Whitefield may have lost big to Fern Creek, but the kids competed and played hard. There were moments they made some memorable plays.

18. Beth Haven (2-5): A win over Evangel Christian keeps Beth Haven from the bottom spot.

19. Evangel Christian (0-5): Loss to Beth Haven secures the last spot in the rankings.

6th Region is loaded....Fern Creek is tops but that region is ridiculously talented

I feel the Top 6 stand out from the rest, but those 6 are really good and could win or be at the top of just about any region in the state.

Very tough region coachlee very tough

I feel the Top 6 stand out from the rest, but those 6 are really good and could win or be at the top of just about any region in the state.

Top 6 can play with just about anyone