article BluegrassPreps.com 6th Region Weekly Rankings (01/15/2018)

By now everyone is well aware that the big news of this past week is about the games that were not played rather than the results of those that were played. The LIT is supposed to crown the mythical City Champ at the halfway point of the season but this year we just have to wait a bit longer as the weekend snow and ice postponed the Final Four to next Saturday where it is moved to Manual to be completed. We did gain some insight as two rounds were completed. The 6th region had 11 teams participating which seems like a record of some sort, but only 4 advanced to the 2nd round (Fern Creek #2 seed, Doss #3, Butler #5 and Bullitt East #10). Fern Creek, Doss, and Butler all advanced to the semi-finals as the Chargers dropped out after losing to the Tigers. For now there is a distinct top 3, but the next grouping of teams (4-9) has little separation between them. So here are the rankings for now.....

1. Fern Creek (14-3): Fern Creek continues to sit at the top as they now have went 21 straight games without losing to another 6th region program, but there is no question that they are flirting with a loss which gets more likely as they have Butler & Doss coming up this week. They beat Southern by 22 in game one by jumping out early, but never delivered that KO punch. In game two they escaped with a two point victory over Bullitt East as they were torched for 31 points by the Charger's Luke Ezell. During the first half their own PG, Anthony Wales, rolled an ankle to miss most of the game. Their other top scorer, Ahmad Price, only had 7 points in the game during which he wore 3 different jerseys due to suffering a bloody nose and a cut on his head that required several stitches after the game. But they just seem out of sync and need to regroup as a team. They will need to do so quickly or that first loss in a long time may be this week when they travel to Butler on Tuesday night or the LIT game versus Doss on Saturday.

2. Doss (14-4): The Dragons won both LIT games, beating Iroquois by 10 and then Waggener by 18. That strong showing continues their trend of playing well as they seem to be more comfortable with their new coach, Blake Stone, each time out. They are starting to get more balanced scoring as well. They deserve the 2nd spot in the rankings and the LIT semi-final matchup with Fern Creek could be the opportunity to switch spots at the top. Doss plays Ballard on Tuesday in a great game between the 6th and 7th regions powers.

3. Butler (16-1): For now Butler is 3rd with a region loss to DeSales being their only blemish on the season. Butler rebounded after their first loss of the season by winning two games in the LIT against 7th region opponents, St. Xavier and Ballard. The Ballard win was without a doubt the best win on the season for the Bears as they recovered from a double digit halftime deficit to advance to a semi-final meeting with Trinity. A big week ahead with Fern Creek on Tuesday and Iroquois in a District 22 game. Balance for the Bears is also making them very hard to stop with a gameplan to shut a single player down. Big man Michael Burns is the key to a strong inside game with his ability to potentially get a triple double in points, rebounds, and blocked shots as he continues to improve.

4. Pleasure Ridge Park (11-5): The Panthers hold their spot despite losing a first round game in the LIT to Bullitt East by the score 64-66. PRP held a 17 point lead at one time in the game, but could not hold on as they gave way at the end. PRP did rebound with a win over Southern later in the week 88-68. When the Panthers are healthy they still are a threat to win on any given night against anybody. A big 21st District game is on the line for PRP as they host Fairdale this week.

5. Valley (8-6): The Vikings get the good fortune of playing the LIT and the 6th Region finals at home but against Male they lost on a last second layup after tying the score with just seconds left. This was the second consecutive loss since the Holiday events ended, but Valley's schedule gets much more friendly as they play Western this week and continue to have an easy road until they get their rematch with Male again at home on January 26. They should not lose for a while until they get into late January.

6. Bullitt East (10-8): The Chargers get moved up after they came very close to crashing the LIT final four with a close loss to Fern Creek 50-52. They did upset Pleasure Ridge Park in the first round and after a really slow start the Chargers are showing as much improvement as anyone in the region. It doesn't hurt to have one of the most dynamic players in the region leading your team, Luke Ezell. He was simply unstoppable in the LIT game versus Fern Creek finishing with 31 points. If you have not watched him play, take the time to find a game and have a great seat to watch him give you everything he has in the tank. He is very skilled. The Chargers have a game against 8th region opponent, South Oldham, this week.

7. Iroquois (11-6): The Raiders only had a single game in the LIT as they lost a second time to District 22 foe, Doss 60-70. It was a close game until Doss pulled away at the end. Iroquois gets a shot at another District 22 rival, Butler, later this week. Iroquois is 11-6 on the season, but only 1-3 in the region and 0-2 in the tough 22nd District.

8. Fairdale (8-7): The Bulldogs drop to the 8th spot as they have now lost 4 games in a row, but only two of those games were to Kentucky competition. After losing to Doss before the LIT, Fairdale lost in the first round to Waggener 61-75. A very big district game looms on January 19th as the Bulldogs travel to Pleasure Ridge Park where a victory would put Fairdale at 2-0 in district play to tie Valley for the lead.

9. DeSales (8-8): After the Colts upset Butler they came into the LIT as a dangerous team winning their last 4 times out, and 7 of their last 9 games. Trinity did not leave unimpressed as the Colts gave them all they wanted before falling 52-62. Next they play St. X this week as they look to stay above .500.

10. Jeffersontown (10-6): Jeffersontown had a good opportunity to make a statement under their first year leader, Coach Duncan. However, Ballard was never seriously threatened and the final score was 57-79 as the Chargers missed out. Jeffersontown did rebound with a win over CAL 66-43. This week they have games against Southern and also a chance to upset Fern Creek.

11. Holy Cross (10-6): After going 1-1 against two teams in the 7th region that traditionally field solid teams it appears Holy Cross is finding success this season versus teams they have not in the past. They beat Eastern and lost to Manual. They are off this week.

12. Southern (7-8): The Trojans took a first round exit in the LIT after falling to Fern Creek 34-56. They also traveled to PRP where they again lost by 20. Southern has a chance this week to make some noise and bring forth an argument to rise in the rankings should they beat Jeffersontown.

13. North Bullitt (7-9): North Bullitt won their only game in an out of region contest. A big district game is played this week as they take on Moore.

14. Moore (5-10): Moore lost to Seneca last week, but has a chance to flip with North Bullitt in the rankings as they play this week.

15. Bullitt Central (12-6): Went 2-0 last week, but they face 6th region opponents this week in both Iroquois & Southern. If they want to rise in the rankings despite a glossy record, they must beat 6th region opponents ranked in front of them.

16. Whitefield Academy (9-6): Soundly beat Evangel Christian last week and open the 7th Region All "A" Classic in a rematch with Brown on January 16th. They beat Brown by 16 in early December.

17. Western (1-15): Lost to Central 62-77 and it does not get any easier playing Doss and Valley this week.

18. Beth Haven (5-9): Beat Walden last week and play in the 6th Region All "A" Classic this week

19. Evangel Christian (1-11): Lost to Whitefield Academy last week and play in the 6th Region All "A" Classic this week.

Real descent in-depth report "coachlee."

Quite a challenge trying to rank this region at this particular point...( With the exceprion of FC still has to be the favorite) Looks to be a battle in the 2nd half of the season, as many teams are rising up...Props also for giving Bullitt East PG Luke Ezell his deserved praise, he is a joy to watch!

Looks like Fairdale has regrouped with a convincing win over Central 87-65 and a huge win over PRP 57-56 on a night when the Panthers named their court after Coach Dale Mabrey. Winner of the Fairdale/Valley game will get the #1 seed in district play. That game will be on Feb. 6th

Looks like Fairdale has regrouped with a convincing win over Central 87-65 and a huge win over PRP 57-56 on a night when the Panthers named their court after Coach Dale Mabrey. Winner of the Fairdale/Valley game will get the #1 seed in district play. That game will be on Feb. 6th

Big district win for the Dogs and on the road is very impressive given the ceremony for Coach Mabrey. District 21 is a very hard district this year in particular. Getting the Top seed is big as the matchup between #2 & #3 seeds will be a season ending game for somebody who does not win that game. With Fairdale and Valley at 2-0 each, their game should determine the #1 seed, but I don't see them scheduled to play. How will they determine the #1 seed @dawgs83?

The 6th is so wide open this year with about 7-8 teams capable of getting hot and making a run in the regional championship.

Big district win for the Dogs and on the road is very impressive given the ceremony for Coach Mabrey. District 21 is a very hard district this year in particular. Getting the Top seed is big as the matchup between #2 & #3 seeds will be a season ending game for somebody who does not win that game. With Fairdale and Valley at 2-0 each, their game should determine the #1 seed, but I don't see them scheduled to play. How will they determine the #1 seed @dawgs83?

The 6th is so wide open this year with about 7-8 teams capable of getting hot and making a run in the regional championship.

Fairdale plays Valley at Fairdale on Feb. 6. Another team playing really well is Desales

Should be a great game on 2/6 out at Fairdale. That determines the regular season district championship and the coveted #1 seed. Agree that DeSales is playing well winners of 6 games in their last 7. The 22nd District will also be a battleground come tourney time. Iroquois, Doss, Butler, and DeSales are all tough outs this season.

Fairdale plays Valley at Fairdale on Feb. 6. Another team playing really well is Desales

I saw DeSales play St. X earlier this week and was impressive. They shot the ball extremely well. I don't know where they fit in within the Sixth Region, but they are a nice team.

I saw DeSales play St. X earlier this week and was impressive. They shot the ball extremely well. I don't know where they fit in within the Sixth Region, but they are a nice team.

They won at Bullitt East last night. East is down this year, but still solid. Good win for Desales.

With Fern Creek struggling and also having a nasty run of the injury bug, this 6th region is wide open to who comes out on top of the regional tournament. Doss, Fern Creek, and Butler are all in the FF of the LIT, so they probably get the nod as co-favorites. However, there are several more teams that are capable of putting a 4-5 game winning streak together when District and Region play begins.

In no order PRP, Fairdale, DeSales, Valley, and even Bullitt East or Iroquois also could be threats or dark horses. Which teams are playing well and have a healthy roster come late February will be a big factor.