article BluegrassPreps.com 11th Region Week 5 Recap and Rankings

Christmas Break has come and gone and the New Year is upon us. The 11th Region had plenty of success and notable wins over the holidays and it continues to be a top region in the state of Kentucky. Lets get into this weeks discussion.

Team of the Week - Scott County

The Scott County Cardinals get our team of the week this week. The Cardinals are 11-1 this season with 0 losses to an in state team. Scott County dropped a game to Moeller out of Cincinnati in the opening round of the Beach Ball Classic but bounced back by winning the consolation bracket including a win over national power Bishop Gorman out of Las Vegas. Congrats to the Cardinals!!!

Player of the Week - Allen Feldhaus

I'm going to do something a little different this week and recognize a coach instead of a player. Last night with Madison Central's win over Dunbar, Coach Allen Feldhaus collected his 600th victory of his career. Congrats to Coach Feldhaus on this week's "Player of the Week"

Team Rankings

1. Scott County (11-1) - The Cardinals continue to roll into the new year sporting an 11-1 record with no in state losses. As mentioned above they had a nice showing at the Beach Ball Classic and now look to get back to regional competition. Michael Moreno and Cooper Robb continue to pace the Cardinals. This week Scott County travels to Henry Clay for a district game and then face Evansville Bosse out of Indiana at Central Hardin as part of the Kentucky/Indiana Challenge Series.

2. Bryan Station (13-1) - The Defenders of Bryan Station continue to make noise this season. Coach Johnson's squad lost their first game of the season to Rocky River of North Carolina in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic but have bounced back with some nice victories of late especially last night at Lafayette. Eric Boone continues to be my pick for 11th Region Player of the Year. Up next the Defenders host Madison Central in a rematch of the championship of the Berea Holiday Classic. Should be a great game.

3. Lexington Catholic (10-5) - The Knights are a team on the rise! After falling to Newport over the holiday break Lexington Catholic won 5 of their next 6 including a big win over district rival Lexington Christian last night. The Knights set at 2-0 in the always tough 43rd District standings and are set up nicely to get the 1 seed which is more important in the 43rd then anywhere else in the state. Up next the Knights head to St. Henry.

4. Lafayette (10-4) - The Generals are having a fine season with some wins over quality opponents and close losses to other big time programs around the state. Over the break Lafayette came away with the championship of the People's Exchange Bank Holiday Invitational at Henry Clay and then played well at the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic getting a win over Madison Central who had previously beaten them. They dropped a game last night to a good Bryan Station team on the road. Up next they head to district rival Tates Creek for an always important 43rd District match up.

5. Madison Central (12-3) - An argument could be made to have the Indians higher right now and as always with this seasons ratings so far they are always ever changing. Isaiah Cozart has missed some games recently which changes their team dynamic but the Indians will be fine. The Indians have a big chance to make some noise this week as they head to Bryan Station for a rematch of the Berea Holiday Classic championship and then end the week at Male. Also, Congrats to coach Allen Feldhaus on collecting the 600th win of his career!!

6. Woodford County (11-2) - The Yellow Jackets continue to be the surprise team of the region this year. Over the break they finished runner up in their own tournament and then went and won the Gateway Holiday Classic over a good Boyle County team in the championship. Up next Woodford travels to Frankfort for a HUGE 41st District matchup. The winner of that game will be the favorite to claim the 1 seed in the district tournament.

7. Henry Clay (9-3) - The Blue Devils continue to play well this season, unfortunately for them they are in a district with the top 2 teams in the region. The Blue Devils dropped a couple games over the break to Doss and Ballard so not terrible losses. Up next Henry Clay hosts Scott County.

8. Lexington Christian Academy (6-6) - I keep waiting for the Eagles to live up to the preseason hype but it just hasn't happened yet. Kyle Rode is back and playing but guard play continues to be a problem for LCA. They dropped a district game to Lexington Catholic last night and now have 2 losses in district play. Up next the Eagles head to Dunbar and then play Whitley County at South Laurel this weekend.

9. Frederick Douglass (7-6) - The Broncos are starting to get used to playing with each other and are coming off a nice 3 game win streak. Justin Mitchell continues to lead the way for the young team. Up next the Broncos host Harrison County and Newport Central Catholic.

10. Frankfort (5-7) - The Panthers are REALLY good when they have everyone healthy playing for them. When they don't they struggle. Over the break the Panthers caught the injury/illness bug and dropped some games I feel like they should've or would've won at full strength. HUGE district game up next as they host Woodford County. The winner of that one is in the drivers seat for the 1 seed in the 41st District.

11. Sayre (7-6) - Sayre has won 5 of their last 6 games including the Bracken County Christmas tournament and are starting to play their best in the new year. They dropped a game to Henry Clay last night but are still on the rise and look to continue that going into the ALL A Region Tournament. Up next the Spartans head to Marion County and Boone County for two winnable games.

12. Paul Laurence Dunbar (2-9) - Dunbar has only 2 wins on the season but the combined win/loss record of their opponents currently is 107-40!! I'm not sure you are going to find a team in the 11th who has played a tougher in state schedule. Due to their schedule and a win over LCA I have to put them one spot ahead of Tates Creek for the time being. Up next the Bulldogs host LCA.

13. Tates Creek (4-9) - The Commodores are starting to play better basketball and the return of Amari Taylor is coming soon. He is 2 weeks out from what I have been told and that will bolster their lineup significantly. Tates Creek has 3 straight 43rd District games coming up which will give them a chance to prove they belong higher on this list. First up is a home game with Lafayette.

14. Franklin County (5-9) - The Flyers are one of the most up and down teams this season. Just when they look like they are about to make an upward turn they lose a game I feel like they should win. They did pick up some nice wins at the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic and finished 2-2 in the event. Big games upcoming within the district for the Flyers. Up next they travel to crosstown "rival" Western Hills. I use the term rival loosely because Western Hills hasn't beaten FC in 10+ years. Don't expect it to change anytime soon!!

15. Madison Southern (7-8) - The Eagles are another up and down team. They have some nice wins and then some not so nice losses. I do think they are a team that will continue to improve and will make the region tournament. So expect them to be one of the last 8 standing. Up next Madison Southern heads to Montgomery County.

16. Model (11-2) - Model is 11-2 but haven't played exactly Murder's Row of a schedule but they are Model and they play teams on the same level as them especially this year as young as they are. Up next is rival Berea.

17. Berea (9-3) - Berea, is a lot like Model, they have a nice record but still haven't played a challenging schedule. Up next they play Model to see who has bragging rights in this rivalry.

18. Western Hills (4-9) - The Wolverines continue to struggle. In the offseason I heard they wanted to make more of a statement but they have yet to do that. The combined record of the teams they have beaten is 12-40. Up next they host Franklin County. If you want to show us you want to make a statement here is your chance.

Games of the Week

Thursday Jan. 4th

Madison Central @ Bryan Station

Friday Jan. 5th

Scott County @ Henry Clay

Woodford County @ Frankfort

Saturday January 6th

Scott County vs. Evansville Bosse @ Central Hardin

I had not seen Bryan Station this season until last week, where did this team come from, I had seen them last season. Pretty good coaching job, not that they are not a tough out, but if they could shoot the ball a little better they would be a VERY tough out.

As always thanks for the write-up, it looks good to me:thumb:. Thursday at Bryan Station will be a great game to watch. I am interested in seeing what Coach changes for Madison Central on this go around with them after the Berea Tournament match up.

My congrats to Coach Feldhaus as well. My son enjoys playing for him, and 600 wins is a whole lot of winning over the years.

The 11th region battle royal continues as we move closer to the finish line.

I had not seen Bryan Station this season until last week, where did this team come from, I had seen them last season. Pretty good coaching job, not that they are not a tough out, but if they could shoot the ball a little better they would be a VERY tough out.

I agree, shooting the ball is the weakness of their game. But when they shoot well, they are as tough as anybody in the state. Defensively they are relentless, and really cause a disruption to the flow of the opposing teams offense. Eric Boone is one of those players most people say "Who" too. But the kid can flat out play.

This season has been difficult to rank the teams. Their is just so much parody at the top. I really believe you could make a case for 5-6 teams to win the region. Scott County is the clear favorite in my opinion but after that any of those next 5-6 could be #2. I try to look at quality of wins and strength of schedule more then anything. I don't think just because you've won more games then someone else you deserve a higher ranking. Anyways, should be a great next couple of months.