article BluegrassPreps.com 5th Region Weekly Rankings (12/31/17)

1. John Hardin (12-2): John went 3 and 1 this week in the Lake Cumberland Holiday Hoops Classic. Started it off with a 72-70 win over Paducah Tilghman in overtime. They lost to Pulaski 82-76, beat Clay County 93-67, and beat Dupont Manuel 63-53. John played a lot of good teams, and their one loss was to a very good Pulaski County team. Mickey Pearson had a 47 and 15 game vs Clay County. He continues to show why he is a Mr. Basketball candidate. If John could get Witherspoon back, good luck to the rest of the 5th region.

2. Larue County (11-1): The Hawks continued their winning ways as they went 3 and 0 in the Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic. They beat Grayson 66-42, beat Cumberland 92-33, and beat Livingston Central 68-44. Larue dominated their competition, as their big 3 Adkins, Cox, and Goode continue to be giving teams fits, at what they do. Larue has had a great start to the season, but there are some questions about them. Larue hasn’t had a signature win yet, so we will learn how good they are very soon.

3. Elizabethtown (7-4): Panthers didn’t have the best week, as they went 1 and 2 in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic. They lost to Male 76-55, beat Russel 96-71, and lost to North Oldham 71-64. Lost to a good Male team, but losing to North Oldham was a surprise. Darius Harding had 24 in the win versus Russel. E-town has shown that they can contend in the 5th region. There biggest question mark is inside play and rebounding.

4. Adair County (6-6): The Indians went 2 and 1 this week in the Rafferty’s/ Double Dogs Caveland Classic. They beat Edmonson 66-58, they beat Franklin Simpson 80-60, and lost to Jeffersontown 83-70. The Indians had a decent week, the one toss up game they had ,they lost. They did get a 20-point game from Hunter Cundiff versus Edmonson. Harmon got hurt versus J-town, but seems to be fine going forward. The Indians have beat who they were supposed to beat, but they have yet to have a good win this year.

5. Central Hardin (8-4): Central went 2 and 1 this week in the NAS Tournament. They beat Clinton County 55-54, lost to Southern 59-55, and beat Carroll County 65-61. Central Hardin has some nice wins as they beat a solid Clinton County team. This is a team that isn’t talked about a lot for 5th region, but they have been as good as most teams this year. Any given night, you never know who will lead them in scoring. Central’s big problem is, that district is so tough.

6. North Hardin (4-9): North went 1 and 2 in the Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament. They beat Sheldon Clark 75-63, they lost to Knox Central 77-65, and lost to Mercer County 62-61. North played some great teams in this tourney and was competitive in every game. North only has 4 wins, but they have lost to all good teams. Most districts, North would be a favorite, but in the 17th making region is a tough task.

7. Marion County (8-6): The Knights went 2 and 1 this week in the Nelson County Classic. They beat Caverna 89-65, beat Shelby County 61-44, and lost to Nelson County 74-61. Losing to Nelson was a big surprise. Marion has had some injuries lately, but I didn’t see that loss coming. Mason Sullivan had 16 versus Caverna. When Sullivan and Epps are playing well inside, it helps Means not have to do as much. If Marion can get healthy, they can be a top team in the 5th.

8. Bardstown (7-5): Bardstown went 3 and 0, and won the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic. They beat Lincoln 65-62 in overtime, beat Danville 63-53, and beat Campbellsville in finals 59-58. The tigers started off slow, but they have improved all year. JT Galloway led Bardstown in the finals with 17 points. This is a very balanced Bardstown team. This isn’t the normal Bardstown team when it comes to talent, but I’d still pick them in their district.

9. Taylor County (2-7): Taylor went 1 and 3 in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic. They lost to Lafayette 71-31, beat Pikeville 78-56, lost to Franklin County 63-50, and lost to Elliot County 65-54. Taylor has continued to struggle, but the Pikeville win was a very good win for the Cardinals. Trevon Smith has continued to be great as he scored 36 vs Pikeville. He has been the 3rd best player in the region so far, this year.

10. Bethlehem (5-5): They went 2 and 1 in the NAS Tournament. They beat St. Francis 66-52, beat Carroll County 52-45, and lost to Southern in the championship game 59-52. This is a team that has continued to get better. Jacob Taylor had 28 and 14 versus St. Francis. With having a new coach, things are different, but this is a team to watch out for as the season continues. Improved as much as anyone in the region from the start of the year.

11. Green County (5-6): Went 1 and 2 in the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic. Both games they lost was one possession games. Continue to be very competitive.

12. Washington County (6-9): Went 1 and 2 in the Campbellsville High School Holliday Classic. Continues to struggle in close games as they could easily have double digit wins by now.

13. Campbellsville (6-7): Went 2 and 1 in the Campbellsville High School Holliday Classic. The Eagles played well and was very close to winning the tourney. They have won 3 out of their last 4 games.

14. Hart County (6-7): Won all 3 games in the Louisville Collegiate Classic. Hart had been struggling, but they may have turned the corner after this classic.

15. Caverna (5-8): Went 2 and 1 in the Nelson County Classic. Played well in the tourney, and Jobby Howard scored at least 30 in every single game in the Classic.

16. Nelson County (4-9): Went 2 and 1 in the Nelson County Classic. Had a big win with the upset of Marion County. Nelson will try to build off that win.

17. Thomas Nelson (2-11): Went 1 and 2 in the Louisville Collegiate Classic. They have been competitive, but would like to add some more wins than what they have.

18. Fort Knox (1-7): They did not play this week. It hasn’t been a good year so far, but for a team like Fort Knox, you must try to get better as the season goes on.

Great job @Sportslover32 and thanks for your time in writing the article.