article 3rd Region Week 2 Review

Last week kicked off with a battle between #1 and #2 in Breckenridge County and Owensboro Catholic. The game lived up to the hype, as both teams battled it out until the very end. I came away with the impression that this region may not be as down as previously thought. Tim Riley has the Aces looking like a version of his old Warren Central teams, early on. They pressure the ball non stop and play at a very high tempo that is fun to watch. Speaking of Warren Central, Owensboro played the Dragons very well. The Devils actually led them heading into the 4th quarter before giving away late. As they get healthy, keep your eye on Owensboro. There are a lot of teams in the middle of the pack that you can expect to improve greatly as the season wears along.

1.Owensboro Catholic Aces (5-0) - UP 1

The Aces continued their hot start this week, knocking off 3 more 3rd region opponents. They started the week with a 79-73 win over previously top ranked Breckenridge County. Catholic put 4 players in double figures and brought a swarming defense to knock off the Tigers. On Tuesday, Catholic pulled away from Grayson County to get a 57-39 win. Again, the Aces placed 4 players in double figures in a total team win. Catholic rounded out the week with a dominate 60-31 win over Apollo. John Parker put up 16. Between the depth, balance and total team defense, Aces fans have to be excited with the expectations of this team. The only game for Catholic this week is a big district matchup at Daviess County on Friday.

2. Breckenridge County Tigers (3-1) - DOWN 1

The Fighting Tigers slip a spot this week after losing a hard fought game on the road at Owensboro Catholic. Breck showed a ton of heart in the loss, battling back from a double digit first half deficit to take the lead in the 4th quarter. A late technical foul took away their chance to steal one at the Sportscenter. Kobe Poole poured in 29, while Tanner Whitworth knocked down 5 3’s to finish with 20. They bounced back on Friday with a 70-50 win over Hancock County. Poole went for 28 more, while Whitworth again knocked down 5 3’s. He finished with 17. The Tigers have 2 interesting road games this week, at Whitesville Trinity Tuesday and Meade on Friday.

3. Owensboro Red Devils (2-2) - UP 3

Owensboro has played the toughest schedule of any team in the region this far, with losses coming to Central Hardin and Warren Central. They battled Central on Tuesday, until a late 15-0 run by the Dragons put them away. The Devils bounced back on Friday with a win against Daviess County 69-62. Darrion Wimsatt scored 28, while Greathouse added 14. The Devils should be getting some guys healthy soon, in the form of Brennan Williams and Tyren Hayden. That should add a lift to an already competitive team. Owensboro has 2 road games this week at Christian County and Apollo.

4. Whitesville Trinity Raiders (3-1) UP 4

Early in the season, the Raiders are showing they are more than just a good story. Their only loss came to a Henderson team that is undefeated thus far. Trinity had their game against Edmonson County snowed out on Tuesday. However, they did pick up a district win on Friday against Butler County, 54-44. Trenton Morris led a balanced attack with 12 points. Trinity has shown that they have 4-5 players that could lead them in scoring on any given night. They will have a chance to prove they are for real this week, with home games against Daviess County and Breck County. They’re on the road Friday, at Union County.

5. Daviess County Panthers (1-2) - DOWN 1

While the Panthers lost their only game this week, and hold a losing record, they have competed against great competition. They lost to Owensboro 69-62 but battled them until the end. Dakota Walden continues to show that he is one of the best players in the region, as he scored 29. As the role players continue to settle into their spots, Daviess County is only going to get better. They travel to Whitesville tonight before returning home for a huge district game against Owensboro Catholic.

6. Muhlenberg County Mustangs (2-2) DOWN 3

In their only game this week, the Mustangs lost a heartbreaker to Caldwell County, in overtime. It was a back and forth game throughout, but the Mustangs came up just short. Nolan Davis scored 19 and Nash Devine finished with 15. Results aside, Muhlenberg is showing to be a balanced team. Expect them to continue to improve every time out. They open district play at home on Tuesday against Ohio County. The #1 seed in the 10th district is huge because a 1st round bye will be on the line. The Mustangs close the week at home against Russellville on Friday.

7. Ohio County Eagles (3-2) SAME

The Eagles opened the week with a tough 59-41 loss to Logan County. No Eagle reached double figures in scoring. It shows early on, Coach Hopper’s group is still looking to find their identity. The good news is they bounced back with a big district win on Friday, knocking off Mclean County 68-53. Trey Lewis led the Eagles in a big performance. This week, they’re at Muhlenberg County, host undefeated Henderson team and close the week in Muhlenberg against Todd County.

8. Grayson County Cougars (2-3) DOWN 3

It was a bit of a rough week for Grayson County, going 0-2. On Tuesday they battled Owensboro Catholic until giving away in the 4th quarter. McHenry was impressive in defeat, scoring 20. The Cougars we unable to put that loss behind them, suffering a tough district loss to Edmonson County. After 3 straight road games, Grayson returns home this week for 2 tough games against Elizabethtown and Central Hardin.

9. Meade County Greenwave (1-4) SAME

While the Waves did pickup their first win of the season this week against Cloverport, they couldn’t keep the momentum alive. On Friday, they let another lead slip away in a road loss to Campbellsville, 76-72. Meade has been banged up to start the season, so expect this team to get better as the season wears along. The talent is there for this to be a top 5 team in the region but right now they are still working to put it together. They are at Shelby County on Tuesday before returning home for a huge district game against Breckenridge County.

10. Edmonson County Wildcats (2-4) UP 4

Edmonson County was a bit of an unknown heading into the season, but Coach McClintic is getting the most out of his team early. They make the jump from 14 to 9 this week because they have 2 impressive wins over Warren East, and then against Grayson County this past Friday. Mason Pierce led the Cats with 13 while Dalton Decker chipped in 12. They did drop a game to South Warren on Saturday but based on wins alone, Edmonson deserved a boost in the rankings. They have games this week against Barren County, Butler County and Hancock County.

11. Butler County Bears (1-3) DOWN 1

The Bears battled Whitesville until falling by 10 on Friday. Butler County has one of the best front courts in the region but are still transitioning from losing their 2 top scoring guards. Through 4 games, Parker Rice is averaging 23 points per game and 9 rebounds. Jaden Hurt is putting up 18 and 8 through the first 4. They host Apollo and Edmonson County this week before traveling to Walden on Saturday.

12. Mclean County Cougars (1-3) UP 1

The Cougars got their first win of the season on Monday, beating Hancock County 61-52. Logan Patterson scored 28 in the win. Friday, they dropped a district game to Ohio County, 68-53. Patterson gives the Cougars a chance to compete on any night. This week they have 3 straight road games against Russellville, Webster County and Hopkins Central.

13. Apollo Eagles (1-6) - DOWN 2

Since opening the season with a road win in Hancock County, the Eagles have lost 6 straight. The alarming part is, they haven’t been competitive in the defeats. They got behind early in losses to Webster, Owensboro Catholic and Warren East this past week. Right now, they just need to find out who is going to step up and lead this team. They will try to right the ship at Butler County on Tuesday before returning home against Owensboro on Friday.

14. Hancock County Hornets (1-4) DOWN 1

The Hornets scored their first win of the season on Tuesday, with a 76-30 win over Cloverport. Jaxson Gray scored 15 in the win. Hancock dropped games against Mclean County and Breckenridge County this week. Right now, it is a work in progress for Coach Mike Orr. They have games this week against Lighthouse Christian Indiana, Edmonson County and Daviess County.

15. Cloverport Aces (0-5) SAME

Cloverport continued to struggle this week, losing games to Hancock, Meade and Birgin. Their lone game this week is at Louisville Irqouis.

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

MONDAY - Daviess County at Whitesville Trinity

TUESDAY - Breckenridge County at Whitesville Trinity, Ohio County at Muhlenberg County

FRIDAY - Breckenridge County vs Meade County, Owensboro Catholic at Daviess County,

As a member of Apollo High School's first ever graduating class, it pains me to see the Eagles ranked 13th. But it certainly seems they have earned it.

As a member of Apollo High School's first ever graduating class, it pains me to see the Eagles ranked 13th. But it certainly seems they have earned it.

It's really hard to explain. With such a productive senior class last year, you would expect them to hit a rebuilding season, but not like this. Normally there is always that next group of kids who eat sleep and breathe basketball but that doesn't seem to be the case this year. Most all of the kids who are varsity level players are freshman and inexperienced sophomores. Add in the fact that 2 of the guys they were going to depend on as leaders are currently ineligible and its a bad combination. I do like that Sargent is back coaching the JV and helping Barker on the bench. Apollo has a solid staff and I would expect them to work their way out of it eventually, but baring a transfer or transfers its going to be at least a couple of years before they can compete with the top of the region again.

Muhlenberg should still be in the 3 slot. With the upset season opener over Marshall county, regional win over Grayson county at Grayson Co. and the only 2 losses against a very big/lengthy Madisonville North Hopkins and an OT loss against Caldwell I cant agree with the logic of dropping 3 spots. Muhlenberg is starting 2 sophomores and the first 2 kids off the bench are freshman the upside is just that, up.

I couldn't agree more with what you said about OC. The pace of play and Riley's ability to keep fresh legs on the floor is late season form early.

Muhlenberg should still be in the 3 slot. With the upset season opener over Marshall county, regional win over Grayson county at Grayson Co. and the only 2 losses against a very big/lengthy Madisonville North Hopkins and an OT loss against Caldwell I cant agree with the logic of dropping 3 spots. Muhlenberg is starting 2 sophomores and the first 2 kids off the bench are freshman the upside is just that, up.

I really like this Muhlenberg team. Probably penalized them to much for a OT loss, but i think these rankings(especially in the top 6-7) are going to be pretty fluid all season. Apologies to Nash Divine for the misspelling of his name. He's to good of a player to get that incorrect. That's what I get for typing this up at 1 am while trying to watch Kurt Russell play Santa on Netflix!