Inside The 11th (12/22/14)

 

 

The Rundown:

 

The more things change, the more they stay the same; in an already topsy-turvy year for sorting out contenders in the 11th, the aforementioned idiom holds true. Given that, this easiest way to start might be separating things out and categorizing what we do and don't know.

 

 

 

 

What We Know:

• Scott County has fallen back to the pack.
  

• Lexington Catholic is, well... Lexington Catholic.
  

• The Traditional Bank Holiday Classic hosted by the Knights will be one of the top Christmas tournaments in the area.
  

• Sayre, Frankfort, and Model all figure to be in the chase for the All A crown. Sayre has beaten each, with an 8 point decision over Model in Richmond coming on Dec. 13 and a 58-56 home victory over Frankfort coming on Dec. 22.
  

• Woodford County and Madison Southern's OT Thriller in the Woodford County Invitational shows that each squad is capable and belong as what I'd call 'mid-tier' teams in the 11th right now. For the record, 'mid-tier' in the 11th means those from any other region who face them should tread lightly. Woodford County only lost to LCA by 13 the night before in the semis.
  

 

What We Don't Know:

• Bryan Station is good, and maybe even top 25 worthy, but there's still some hesitancy to etch their status in stone.
  

• Dunbar has had a rough start to the season, but have recently played without a healthy Taveion Hollingsworth (bronchitis). Despite the rough start, I'm still holding out hope for the Bulldogs, but I'll couch that by saying that they'll need to turn it on late.
  

• Lexington Christian Academy has been one of the best teams in the 11th, but suffered a huge blow when wing Trevor Hill was lost for the season with a knee injury.
  

• Lafayette can be unpredictable. When someone figures out this team, let me know.
  

• Tates Creek plays a far different style than most teams in the 11th, but when they are on their game, they can be dangerous.
  

• As long as Sam Jones is out with injury, we won't know how good Madison Central can be. He's one of the most underrated kids in the 11th.
  

 

 

Players of the Week -

 

Jordan Fucci:

 

Fucci's 29 point, 20 rebound effort against Lafayette alone could earn him the nod this week. Aside from that, there's the 21 and 17 he had against Paris, the 20 and 8 against St. Henry, or the 42 free throws he's attempted over the last four contests.

 

 

Matt Rose:

 

Mr. Efficiency found a way to stay hot this week and lead one of our Teams of the Week. He had 34 points and 9 boards against Lincoln County, 18 and 4 against Woodford County, 34 and 7 against Fleming County, and 13 and 10 against Dunbar. Not a bad week at all for the man who leads one of the hottest teams in the 11th.

 

 

Teams of the Week -

 

Lexington Christian Academy:

 

The Eagles have went on quite the tear to start the year at 7-2, and capped off an impressive week by winning the Woodford County Invitational following victories over Fleming County, Woodford County, and Lincoln County. With wins over Scott County, Dunbar, and Lincoln County already, there might not be a team in the 11th with a more impressive resume. The win over Lincoln County was huge, and is a notch in the cap of the 11th in the JokersWild24/PurplePride92 11th/12th BGP Bragging Rights Challenge.

 

 

Tates Creek:

 

We'll have more on the 'Dores below, but with the year off to a disappointing start for Coach Breeden's squad following a 1-3 start that included losses to Henry Clay by 16, LCA by 30, and Bryan Station by 27, things could have gotten ugly quick. Instead they've licked their wounds and came on strong, rattling off wins over Lafayette, Southern, Paris, and St. Henry.

 

 

 

From The Field:

 

Bryan Station:

 

The Defenders are making their case for being one of the top teams in the 11th. In last week's column, I wrote that this could be a telling stretch for them, and they haven't disappointed yet. A close loss to PRP in Louisville and a thumping of Valley in the Wes Unseld Classic at Seneca has me interested in seeing how much hope Coach Johnson's squad gives team #StationNation following a HUGE matchup with Boyle County to kick off the Traditional Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic the day after Christmas.

 

 

Tates Creek:

 

It'd been a tough stretch for Tates Creek, which dated back to last season, but the Dores have started to get hot. They've done so by punishing teams on the boards and grinding out wins. Following three straight losses to Lexington Christian, Henry Clay, and Bryan Station, they've bounced back to win four straight, including wins over district rival Lafayette and a Paris team that was on fire.

 

 

Lexington Catholic:

 

The Knights have been away on the beautiful shores of Hawaii, but they've also seemed to have taken care of business in a seemingly tough tournament. They've beaten Scott County, but we should find out lots more about the Knights during the Traditional Bank Holiday Tournament that they'll host beginning the day after Christmas.

 

 

Lafayette:

 

See "What We Don't Know" above. They've blown out North Laurel, a wounded Madison Central, a short-handed Dunbar, and one of the best in the Mountains in Lawrence County. They've played close with Lincoln County, DuPont Manual, and Scott County. They've been beaten by Tates Creek and Grant County.

 

 

Henry Clay:

 

The Blue Devils have been playing in a tournament in South Carolina over the past week, but have been picking up wins. Regardless, it's hard to gauge teams on performances in these types of settings, so how they look in the upcoming Traditional Bank Classic will be magnified in terms of the effect on their overall ranking.

Edited December 24, 201411 yr by JokersWild24

These are subject to change day to day more then week to week. I really feel the top 3 teams have started to distance themselves at this point in the season. Things could get real interesting in January after holiday tournaments and more district games are on the schedule. Fire away:

 

1. Bryan Station

2. LCA

3. Lexington Catholic

4. Henry Clay

5. Madison Central

6. Scott County

7. Tates Creek

8. Lafayette

9. Woodford County

10. Dunbar

11. Sayre

12. Frankfort

13. Franklin County

14. Madison Southern

15. Model

16. Berea

17. Western Hills

It's really hard to rank the top right now because there aren't really tons of common opponents and a huge sample size, but I like your rankings mooremiller31. As usual, you are spot on. I'm looking forward to getting to catch some of the tourney at Lex Cath this week.