article 6th Region Week 1 Review

Every 6th Region boys' basketball team made its 2018-19 debut in the new season's opening week. The early 6th Region rankings follow.

1. Butler (3-0): Preseason favorite Butler opened the 2018-19 season with close single-digit wins over 6th Region rival Valley as well as Seneca and Franklin County. The Bears, under the direction of head coach Kentreal Goodin, edged Valley 63-61 in a season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Butler is set to Bullitt East, Moore and Frankfort during the second week of the 2018-19 season.

2. Fern Creek (1-1): Fern Creek didn't have an ideal start to its latest hardwood campaign. Two-time defending 6th Region champion Fern Creek dropped its season opener in overtime as Ballard, a rival from the neighboring 7th Region, pulled away to win 83-76. But the Tigers bounced back, defeating Huntington (W.Va.) 87-54 on Saturday. Fern Creek is due to face Seneca, Doss and Trinity in the second week of the 2018-19 season.

3. Jeffersontown (2-0): The Chargers opened the 2018-19 boys' high school basketball season with back-to-back wins over Moore and Pleasure Ridge Park. Jeffersontown pulled away to defeat Moore 61-45 in a season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 27. In a closer contest, Jeffersontown topped Pleasure Ridge Park 54-51 on Friday night. The Chargers' week two schedule will include games versus Atherton, Eastern and Valley.

4. Valley (0-3): Don't let Valley's record fool you. The Vikings suffered single digit losses to Butler, Wagener and LaRue County during the first week of the 2018-19 season. The three losses were by less than 10 points. Host LaRue County outlasted the Vikings 64-60 in overtime in the Corky Cox Classic on Saturday. Under the guidance of head coach DeJuan Wheat, Valley has games on tap versus Beth Haven, Brown and Jeffersontown in the second week of the 2018-19 season.

5. Pleasure Ridge Park (0-2): Pleasure Ridge Park suffered a pair of single digit losses during the first week of the 2018-19 season. Region rival Jeffersontown outlasted the Panthers 54-51 in a season opener on Friday. Then, less than 24 hours later on Saturday, Seneca spoiled Pleasure Ridge Park's home opener, topping the Panthers 61-52.

6. Doss (1-3): Doss opened the 2018-19 season with a hard-fought four-point win over Southern but dropped games to Bullitt East, Moore and University Heights later in the week. Bullitt East defeated Doss handily, pulling away to beat the Dragons 68-52. In the week ahead, Doss has games scheduled versus Iroquois, Fern Creek and Christian County.

7. Bullitt Central (1-1): Splitting its first two games in the 2018-19 season, Bullitt Central dropped an opener to Taylor County but beat claimed a 20-point win over Bethlehem. Taylor County topped Bullitt Central 72-65 in a game which served as a season opener for each boys' high school basketball team. Through two games, Jacob Mann is averaging 28 points for the Cougars.

8. Moore (2-1): Following a 16-point loss to Jeffersontown in a season opener, Moore posted wins over Doss and Whitefield Academy. The Mustangs, under the direction of head coach Roy Sutton, defeated Doss 57-47. The second week of the 2018-19 season has Moore scheduled to host both Shawnee and Butler.

9. Bullitt East (2-1): The Chargers suffered a 20-point loss to Trinity in a season opener before notching back-to-back wins over Doss and Rock Creek Academy (Ind.). Bullitt East beat Rock Creek Academy 83-58 in the Love My Neighbor Classic at Spencer County. The Chargers are slated to face Butler and Marion County in the second week of the season.

10. Southern (1-1): The Trojans split games with Doss and Western during the first week of the 2018-19 season. Following a four-point loss on the road at Doss in its 2018-19 debut, Southern bounced back to beat Western 70-64 in a home opener. Through Southern's first two games, Isaiah Jackson is averaging 22 points. In the same stretch, Tobias Thompson is averaging 17 points and 14.5 rebounds.

11. DeSales (1-0): The Colts defeated visiting South Oldham 79-64 in a season opener. Following a week-long break, DeSales is scheduled to visit Bardstown. DeSales has additional games scheduled versus Henry County and Christian Academy-Louisville in the second week of the season.

12. Fairdale (2-1): The Bulldogs posted back-to-back wins over Western and Holy Cross (Louisville) before suffering a 12-point loss to much-improved Grayson County, an opponent out of the 3rd Region. Fairdale is slated to host both Louisville Collegiate and Southern during the second week of the season.

13. North Bullitt (2-1): The Eagles notched back-to-back wins over Shelby County and Bardstown before falling to Waggener on a neutral court in the Love My Neighbor Classic. North Bullitt has upcoming games scheduled versus Southern, Holy Cross (Louisville) and DuPont Manual.

14. Holy Cross (1-3): The Cougars excelled in their season opener, upending host St. Fancis 68-44. But Holy Cross dropped games to Beechwood, Fairdale and North Oldham later in the week. Following an overtime loss to Fairdale, Holy Cross suffered a 16-point loss to North Oldham at Spencer County.

15. Iroquois (1-1): The Raiders split a pair of games during the first week of the 2018-19 season. After suffering a 10-point loss to North Oldham in a season opener, Iroquois topped Atherton 48-40. The second week of the season will afford Iroquois games versus Doss, DuPont Manual and Gallatin County. The Raiders are scheduled to host DuPont Manual in a home opener on Friday (Dec. 7).

16. Whitefield Academy (1-2): The Wildcats opened their latest campaign with a win over Beth Haven. However, Whitefield Academy couldn't carry any momentum from the season opener into its next matchup. Western dropped back-to-back games to Louisville Collegiate and Moore during the first week of the 2018-19 season.

17. Western (1-2): The Warriors started the 2018-19 season with back-to-back losses to Fairdale and Southern. But Western managed to land in the win column over the weekend, defeating Kentucky Country Day 74-56 on Saturday.

18. Beth Haven (0-2): The Bearcats are 0-2 after opening the 2018-19 season with back-to-back losses to Whitefield Academy and Kentucky Country Day. Beth Haven is set to face Valley and Danville Christian this week.

19. Evangel Christian (0-4): The Eagles struggled during the first week of the 2018-19 season, dropping games to Shawnee, Lee County, Owsley County and Berea. Evangel Christian is scheduled to visit Portland Christian for its lone game in the second week of the season.

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