12th Region Tournament Preview

 

The competition in this year’s 12th Region Tournament is the best I have seen in many years and matched by only a few other regions across the state. The two time defending 12th Region champions Wayne County Cardinals are vying for their 3rd straight trip to Rupp Arena but this will be the most difficult challenge they will have had to reach that goal. This is the best time of the year for basketball fans and the 12th Region Tournament begins Wednesday night. Here is a breakdown of the eight remaining teams that will be competing to cut down the nets a week from today.

 

 

1) Wayne County Cardinals (22-5)

 

The Cardinals are the hottest team in the region going into this week’s 12th Region Tournament. They have won 8 games in a row and 18 of the last 19 games. The last time they lost to a 12th Region opponent was December 12th, when they lost to Southwestern. Well, they have avenged that loss not only once but a second time when they defeated the Warriors in the 48th District Championship game last Friday night 86-78.

 

Road to Rupp: Wayne County has a difficult path to 3-peat as 12th Region champions. Their first game is against West Jessamine. Wayne County defeated the Colts 68-63 in their only match–up on February 13th. If they get by West they will have to play the winner of Pulaski County vs Boyle County to get to the championship game.

 

Key to success: Wayne County is an improved team since the beginning of the season. Payton Woods, Cory Stearns, and Trey Blevins have done what everyone expected them to do this season and that is lead this Cardinals team to a 22-5 record, 10-2 regional record, and a 48th District title. Junior Nick Gillespie and freshman Jakson Baker have found their place on this Cardinal team and will be one of the keys in Wayne County’s quest to “3-peat” as region champions. For the Cardinals to win they will have to stay out of foul trouble. They do not have a deep bench so if they end up having to substitute their game plan will have to adjust.

 

 

2) Lincoln County Patriots (23-5)

 

The Patriots are once again 45th District champions after defeating Boyle County 71-51 last Friday night in the district championship game. The Patriots are battle tested this season from playing top competition across the state and are ready to take on the best of the region. They will get the opportunity to do this in the 12th Region Tournament on their home court which could be an advantage.

 

Road to Rupp: There are no easy games in the 12th Region Tournament, but by drawing Casey County the Patriots have a really good shot at moving on to the semi-finals where they will take on the winner of Mercer County vs. Southwestern. Lincoln County did not play Casey this year but they did have victories over Southwestern 80-67, and Mercer County 60-47. On paper the Patriots have the best road to the championship game of all the eight teams competing.

 

Key to success: The Patriots will of course rely on their two stars in point guard Timmy Taylor and forward Jacob Conway. But, for the Patriots to be successful they will have to neutralize the opponent’s big men inside the paint which has been a weakness this season. Lincoln County has shown they can stop the inside game, but can the Patriots do it consistently in the 12th Region Tournament.

 

 

3) Boyle County Rebels (23-6)

 

The Rebels got a scare in the first round of the 45th District Tournament last week by squeaking by Danville 65-64. Boyle County then went on to lose to Lincoln County in the championship game 51-71. Maybe it was the snow that cooled them off last week, but prior to the district tournament the Rebels were on an eight game winning streak and one of the hottest teams in the region.

 

Road to Rupp: The Rebels will face Pulaski County Wednesday night in the first round of the 12th Region Tournament. They played each other on January 6th and Boyle County cruised to a 67-49 victory. If the Rebels can get by Pulaski County, they will face the winner of Wayne County and West Jessamine. The Rebels beat West Jessamine on February 3rd, 64-61. If they were to face Wayne County, this would be the first time these two teams play this year and sets up a semifinal game between two of the top 25 teams in the state.

 

Key to Success: Boyle County has to move past the district tournament and refocus on the goal at hand. On paper they have all of the tools to win the region; it’s just a matter of getting back the momentum they had prior to the district tournament. They will be led by 12th region Player of the Year Hagen Tyler, point guard Jeremiah Bell, and big man Colton Elkins. If Boyle County plays like they are capable of playing, the gold and black could be continuing their season representing the 12th Region in Lexington.

 

 

4) Southwestern Warriors (21-9)

 

After defeating Wayne County in December the Warriors have fallen to the Cardinals the last two times they have faced them including last week’s 78-86 loss in the 48th District Championship game. But, the Warriors are hoping to see them one more time like they did last year when the two teams squared off in the 2014 12th Region finals.

 

Road to Rupp: Southwestern has probably the toughest path to the championship game in the 12th Region. They drew Mercer County, the 46th District champions, in their first game of the 12th Region Tournament. This should be the best match-up in the first round of the tournament because both teams look to be fairly equal and they did not play in the regular season. If The Warriors get by the Titans, they will more than likely see Lincoln County in the semifinals that beat the Warriors on February 2nd 67-80.

 

Key to Success: The Warriors are a very good 3-point shooting team and when they are on, they are capable of beating anyone in the state. They have also shown that if they lose focus the Warriors are capable of getting beat by anyone in the region. So the question is can the Warriors bring consistency to the 12th region tournament? If they can, they are very capable of returning to Rupp for the second time in school history. They will also need good inside play from big man Dylan Gaskins. Who wins the battle between Gaskins and Malik Dow of Mercer County could be the factor in their first round match-up.

 

 

5) Mercer County Titans (22-8)

 

The Titans are the only new face in this year’s 12th Region Tournament. The other seven teams were here last year. The Titans are the 46th District champions after beating West Jessamine 54-51 in the championship game last Friday night.

 

Road to Rupp: The Titans will have gone through the toughest path in the 12th Region Tournament if they were to make it to Rupp Arena. Mercer County will be the underdog in all games they play throughout the tournament but will be capable of winning any game they play. The Titans play Southwestern in the first round of the 12th Region Tournament and would then more than likely face Lincoln County in the semifinals. Mercer County lost to Lincoln County 47-60 on February 10th. The match-up with Southwestern is very intriguing because it matches two very similar teams.

 

Key to Success: Mercer County has won 6 of their last 7 games but can they win three games in a row against higher ranked opponents. They have the line-up to play with anyone in the region but depth could be a problem. Will Hagar will be a match-up problem for the Warriors and if his game is on Thursday night he will be tough to stop. Of course the inside battle between Malik Dow and Dylan Gaskins is key, as mentioned above. Another interesting match-up will be freshman Trevon Faulkner of Mercer County against freshman Steven Fitzgerald of Southwestern. Both are considered top players in the class of 2018 and need big games for their teams to advance.

 

 

6) West Jessamine Colts (19-10)

 

The Colts came up short in the rubber match versus Mercer County. Both teams had split their regular season games with Mercer County winning the 3rd match-up 54-51 which happened to be the 46th District championship game. This also accounts for West Jessamine’s 5th loss in 8 games. For the Colts to make a run at the title, they will need to change these close losses into victories.

 

Road to Rupp: The Colts will play the 48th District champions Wayne County in the first game of the 12th Region Tournament Wednesday night. They played Wayne County on February 13th losing 63-68. They are very capable of pulling the big upset over the Cardinals but will need to bring their best game. If they make it to the semifinals they will play the winner of Boyle County and Pulaski County.

 

Key to Success: The Colts will need to be able to contain the big 3 (Woods, Stearns, and Blevins) of Wayne County and get consistent play from Brooks Ely, David McCorvey, and Siah Holifield.

 

 

7) Pulaski County Maroons (19-11)

 

Pulaski County is once again the 47th District champions and this make six straight district titles. But, of the six district titles they have this one was by far the toughest game the Maroons had to play. Pulaski County beat Casey County 39-38 in a defensive juggernaut that was decided in the last 2 seconds of the game.

 

Road to Rupp: Although the Maroons were the 47th District champions, they drew probably the worst district runner-up to play in the opening round of the 12th Region Tournament. Pulaski County will play Boyle County in the second game of the first round on Wednesday night. The two teams played earlier in the season with Boyle County rolling to a 49-67 victory. The Maroons will need to come with a good game plan to get by the Rebels, but if they do they will play the winner of Wayne County and West Jessamine in the semifinals.

 

Key to Success: The Maroons will need to find an answer for the trio from Boyle County and bring their best total game Wednesday night. Pulaski’s Sean Ross and Riley Hall will need to control the game to keep the game close.

 

 

8) Casey County Rebels (12-19)

 

The Rebels were so close to winning their first 47th District title but came up one point short in a 38-39 loss to Pulaski County. This is the second year in a row the Rebels have been beaten by the Maroons in the district finals. Casey County had a great game plan and their defense has really improved, but the Rebels were just shy of victory.

 

Road to Rupp: Casey County will be the biggest underdogs in the 12th Regional Tournament come Thursday night as they will play the 45th District champions Lincoln County. Lincoln County and Casey County did not play each other during the regular season but Lincoln County will be the highly favored team. If Casey County can pull out the major upset, they will face the winner of Southwestern and Mercer County.

 

Key to Success: Casey County has really improved on defense holding both of their opponents in the 47th District Tournament to less than 40 points. For them to be successful against Lincoln County, they will need to bring this defense plus improve on their offensive productivity which only averaged 41 points in last week’s district tournament.

 

 

 

12th Region Tournament Schedule:

(All games at Lincoln County)

 

 

Wednesday, March 4th:

 

6:00 Wayne County vs West Jessamine

 

7:45 Pulaski County vs Boyle County

 

 

Thursday, March 5th:

 

6:00 Mercer County vs Southwestern

 

7:45 Lincoln County vs Casey County

 

 

Monday, March 9th:

 

6:00 Semifinals

 

7:45 Semifinals

 

 

Tuesday, March 10th:

 

7:00 Championship game

Once the games are officially postponed then the tournament will begin Friday night so games will be Friday and Saturday night. Monday night will be the semis and finals on Tuesday.

I still say only three teams can or will win this region tournament. Wayne County, Lincoln County and Boyle County.

I still say only three teams can or will win this region tournament. Wayne County, Lincoln County and Boyle County.

I think Southwestern is at or near the same level as those 3 teams. Southwestern has shown they can play with anyone, but can they do it 3 games in a row? Then again they are capable of losing the first game. It really depends on what team shows up for the Warriors. Southwestern is an emotional team and really gets fired up for the big game. If they get past Mercer County, I could see them beating Lincoln County just because everyone will perceive them as the underdog and they would play with a chip on their shoulder. Their problem has been the following game after a big win. Example: Beat Wayne, lose the next game to East Jessamine; beat Hopkinsville, lose the next game to Waggener, beat Knott County Central, lose the next game to Boyle County. So they could get to the championship game but could that adrenaline get them through to Rupp is the question.

Contenders:

Wayne County

Lincoln County

Boyle County

 

Contender/Near contender:

Southwestern

 

Could win a game:

Mercer County

West Jessamine

 

Just a bad draw:

Pulaski County

Casey County

I think Southwestern is at or near the same level as those 3 teams. Southwestern has shown they can play with anyone, but can they do it 3 games in a row? Then again they are capable of losing the first game. It really depends on what team shows up for the Warriors. Southwestern is an emotional team and really gets fired up for the big game. If they get past Mercer County, I could see them beating Lincoln County just because everyone will perceive them as the underdog and they would play with a chip on their shoulder. Their problem has been the following game after a big win. Example: Beat Wayne, lose the next game to East Jessamine; beat Hopkinsville, lose the next game to Waggener, beat Knott County Central, lose the next game to Boyle County. So they could get to the championship game but could that adrenaline get them through to Rupp is the question.

 

That's my thoughts for Southwestern and Mercer County. They are both good enough to win it this year but it's a tall task to ask either team to defeat each other.....then Lincoln County at home and then Wayne/Boyle County.

 

Next year Mercer County/Southwestern is liable to be the 12th Region finals match up. This year is not their year.

The real winner tonight might be the winter storm.

I could be wrong but I am like SHS. SW gets up for big games most of the time. Idk if SW can win 3 in a row this time a year against quality teams. They did do it in the Lake cumberland tourny but that was early on. They have showed by beating Wayne, Knott and Hopkinsville that they can beat anyone. Boyle game went to overtime and lost but I didnt think neither team played very well except tyler. He was lights out.

Boyle better not be looking past Pulaski. They will have a great game plan and their cach can coach. They also have Shannon Fraley on the bench.

Heard a rumor that tonight's games have been pushed to Friday. Can anyone confirm?

The games have been moved to Friday. The first round will begin Friday night at 6:00pm at Lincoln County. Wayne County/West Jessamine followed by Boyle County/Pulaski County. Friday night at Lincoln County.

Boyle better not be looking past Pulaski. They will have a great game plan and their cach can coach. They also have Shannon Fraley on the bench.

 

Boyle County isn't looking past anyone. They know what is at stake.

Hearing first round on Friday and Saturday, semifinals on Monday and championship on Tuesday. That what you're hearing PP?

I could be wrong but I am like SHS. SW gets up for big games most of the time. Idk if SW can win 3 in a row this time a year against quality teams. They did do it in the Lake cumberland tourny but that was early on. They have showed by beating Wayne, Knott and Hopkinsville that they can beat anyone. Boyle game went to overtime and lost but I didnt think neither team played very well except tyler. He was lights out.

 

Southwestern hasn't defeated Wayne County in 2015. Hopkinsville hasn't proven to be better than the top 3 teams in the 12th. Too tough of a task for Southwestern to win region this year. Southwestern better treat Mercer County like a big game or they'll be one and done.

Hearing first round on Friday and Saturday, semifinals on Monday and championship on Tuesday. That what you're hearing PP?

 

That's correct.

 

Friday

6:00 - Wayne County/West Jessamine

7:45 - Pulaski County/Boyle County

 

Saturday

6:00 - Mercer County/Southwestern

7:45 - Lincoln County/Casey County

 

Monday

Semifinals at 6/7:45

 

Tuesday

Finals at 7:00