1.Daviess County(21-6 SAME) - While the Panthers dropped a region game to Muhlenberg County last Friday, they still head into the postseason as the 3rd Region favorite. DC is led by one of the best players in the state, Stewart Currie(24ppg/13rpg). Andrew Hayden has really came on strong in the 2nd half of the season, upping his average to 11ppg.

 

DISTRICT MATCHUP: vs Apollo - 9th District - Tuesday @ the Sportscenter

DC has already played Apollo 3 times this year. They split in regular season action, with Apollo taking the first meeting back before Christmas and DC getting revenge at their house in the 2nd week of January. DC also got a close 6 point win vs the Eagles in the OIT. When these two teams hook up, throw records out the window. Add to the fact that Ben Moss is back for Apollo and who knows what the outcome will be. This is one of the best rivalries in west KY.

 

2.Muhlenberg County(13-13 UP 3) - The Mustangs are the hottest team in the region, as they have won 7 straight games. They hold wins over Apollo,Mclean, Daviess and Catholic in the win streak. Noah Mcelwain(18 ppg) is playing at very high level right now and coach Stovall is getting the absolute most out of his group.

DISTRICT MATCHUP:vs Mclean County - 10th District - Monday @ Muhlenberg

Both teams were able to win on each others home court, with the Stangs getting the latest win just a few weeks ago. Mulhlenberg likes to play up tempo and shoot the three, while Mclean likes to play more of a half court set with big men Harrison Taylor and Jake Logsdon. It is an interesting matchup of size vs speed.

 

3.Owensboro Catholic(17-9 SAME) - Catholic lost a heart breaker vs Muhlenberg County on the road on Thursday night, as Noah Mcelwain drained a fade away 3 at the buzzer to down the Aces. Catholic bounced back with a nice road win vs upstart Ohio County on Friday. The Aces remain near the top half of the top 5 due to their overall body of work. Impressive wins against Hoptown and Bardstown late in the season really stand out.

 

DISTRICT MATCHUP:vs OHS - 9th District - Wednesday @ the Sportscenter

This is an interesting one. While Catholic probably comes in as the slight favorite, they have two losses to the Devils this season(an overtime loss before Christmas and an OIT loss just after Christmas). The Aces did bounce back with a convincing 63-47 win on January 8th. Jacoby Harris has been limited with a sickness as of late. The Devils will need him to contribute in some capacity if they want to steal the win. Catholic could really hurt the Devils in the paint with Luke Payne and Luke Hayden. Owensboro big man Tavion Board could be the X factor.

 

4.Breck County(19-7 SAME) - Just a few weeks ago it felt like the Tigers were hanging in the top 5 by a thread. Since then, they have reeled off 5 straight wins, including an impressive win on the road at Central Hardin. Cody Mingus is one of the best scorers in the region at 18ppg, while Tyler Haycraft can play inside or out averaging 12 points and 11 rebounds per.

 

DISTRICT MATCHUP:vs Hancock County - Tuesday - @ Meade County

This is one of the more interesting district contests outside the 9th district. Both teams got wins against each other at home. Now they will settle things at a neutral site in Meade County. Both teams come in red hot and it should be a hot ticket in Meade County on Tuesday.

 

5.Meade County(18-10 DOWN 2) - There was a point in the season were it looked like Meade County was going to be the top team in this poll from wire to wire. Since starting 10-0, they are only 8-10. That said, the Waves have played one of the tougher schedules in the region and do hold two convincing wins over district foe Breck County. Meade has 4 guys averaging double figure scoring(Durbin 14, Hackert & Mattingly 13 and Baker 12).

 

DISTRICT MATCHUP:vs Cloverport - Tuesday - @ Meade County

Meade won both convincingly in the regular season. The Aces gave them a game in the first half of the last meeting. While the Waves come in as heavy favorites, they shouldnt take Cloverport lightly. Anything can happen in the postseason.

 

6.Hancock County(16-11 UP 2) - The Hornets finished the season strong, winning 5 of their final 6 games. A 16 win season is impressive for Hancock. The Hornets place 3 guys in double figures scoring(Ogle 16, Pate 11 & Lewis 11).

 

7.Owensboro(9-13 DOWN 1) - The Devils are a hard team to pin point because of all of the different lineups they have been forced to play this season, due to illness. Star guard Jacoby Harris has been in and out of the lineup as of late. One thing is clear, the Devils have a lot of young talent, and if they are at full strength they are as dangerous as anyone in the region.

 

8.Apollo(8-16 UP 2) - Apollo makes the jump this week, due to the return of PG Ben Moss. While only active one game, you could see his impact on the Apollo lineup. His return takes the pressure off Zach Hopewell(18ppg) and the other Apollo shooters. Defensively, he is instantly one of, if not the best in the region.

 

9.Edmonson County(17-9 SAME) - The Wildcats have had a very successful season and could be ranked a little higher in this poll, but they lack wins against top opponents. That said, this bunch is as scrappy as they come. Anytime you place 4 guys in double figure scoring, you have to be a well rounded group(Austin Sowders 16ppg, Hunter Buttram 15ppg, Bailey Board 13ppg, Caleb Skaggs 12ppg).

 

DISTRICT MATCHUP:vs Butler County - Tuesday - @ Grayson County

Edmsonson swept the season series with 2 double digit wins against the Bears. Bailey Board put up 2 impressive performances in those games, averaging 20 points in the wins. Although Butler is win less in district play, they are very capable of pulling an upset. Rex Henderson and Bailee Anderson can score with the best of them. This is an interesting matchup, that could see an upset.

 

10.Ohio County(12-15 DOWN 3) - Ohio County doubled its regular season win total from a year ago, and up until 2 weeks ago, seemed to be getting better every time out. Since then they have lost 4 of their last 5. Coach Sparks is as good as they come, and you can expect him to get things turned around and ready for tournament time. The Hartford Eagles are led by Travis Carter and Conner Wilson averaging 14 ppg.

 

DISTRICT MATCHUP: Bye to the 10th district championship

 

11.McLean County(8-16 SAME) - This is another team where you need to throw the record out the window and start over in the post season. The talent for this group is there. PG Sam Miller(17ppg) has emerged as one of the best players in the region. Beside him, SG Will Hudson(16ppg) has proven he can shoot from anywhere on the floor. Mclean also has two guys that can get it done in the paint with 6-7 Jake Logsdon and 6-4 Harrison Taylor. If the Cougars can find a way to mesh the ingredients together in the tournament, they are a dangerous group.

 

12.Grayson County(10-15 SAME) - Its been an up and down year for the Cougars. The finished the year very competitive and look to carry that over into the post season. Guard Trey Goff is the leader of the team(15ppg), while sophomore Baylee Logsdon chips in with 11 points per.

DISTRICT MATCHUP:vs Trinity - Tuesday - @ Grayson County

These two teams played both games as even as you are going to see, both winning on their home floors. Trinity hit a last second, game winner back in late January, while Grayson put together a big 4th quarter in an early February win. The edge may go to Grayson at home, but this one should be a great one.

 

13.Trinity(14-15 SAME) - The senior laden Raiders are looking to go out on a high note. Even though they have dropped 6 of 8 games, their confidence doesnt seem to be shaken. Dakota Wathen is a senior leader and a guy the Raiders look to when the chips are down. He can score points in bunches. Wathen is only 2 points away from joining his teammate Daniel Morris in the 1000 point club.

 

14.Butler County(10-14 SAME) - Butler has struggled in the 2nd half of the season, but all of that can be erased with a win on Tuesday night. Rex Henderson, star QB for the Bears football team this fall, also leads the basketball team with 18ppg. Anderson is right there with 15ppg. While they have lost 10 of 11, Butler has shown signs of life as of late, pushing Edmonson & Muhlenberg until late in the 4th quarter.

 

15.Cloverport(7-20 SAME) - Cloverport is a team that is starting to find its way. The finished the season on 3 game win streak. The Aces, led my Max Dubree(11ppg), will be looking to pull the upset vs a very good Meade County team on Tuesday.

 

TOP 10 PLAYERS....

This is tough to rank. A lot of contributors around the 3rd region. First, here are some guys who are right outside the top 10 for me....

 

HM-Rex Henderson(Butler County), Cam Obryan & Ray Zuerber III(O Catholic), Tyler Haycraft(Breck), Josh Durbin, Calvin Hackert & James Baker(Meade), Austin Sowders(Edmonson), Will Hudson & Jake Logsdon(Mclean), Travis Carter(Ohio)

 

10.Conner Wilson - PG - Ohio - Runs Coach Sparks offense very well, can score & pass

9.Ty Ogle - PG - Hancock - Team leader, Scorer and facilitator of offense for the Hornets

8.Dakota Wathen - SG - Trinity - When the chips are down, he gets stronger. Great scorer

7.Luke Hayden - SF - Catholic - Future 3rd region player of the year. Only a Sophomore

6.Cody Mingus - SG/PG -Breck- can score in bunches and creates for his teammates

5.Zach Hopewell - SG - Apollo -can get to the bucket or shoot from anywhere, very well rounded

4.Noah Mcelwain - SG -Muhlenberg - dynamic shooter. Can score from anywhere.

3.Sam Miller - PG - Mclean -Kid to watch. Could find some D1 offers. Will be back next year

2.Jacoby Harris - PG - OHS - Led the Devils to a state title - early fav for POY next season

1.Stewart Currie - F - Daviess Co - Does it all. Scores. Rebounds. Defends. Clear cut #1.

 

For anyone interested, here is a link to our show with interviews from several coaches and players from around the Boys and Girls 3rd region...

Homers DIstrict Preview Show by Homers Radio broadcast live on Mixlr.

I would like to see what other folks think about the top 10 players. And some predictions toward the district outcomes as well. Its extremely difficult to rank a top 10 players for me. I just based it off how the guys performed during the season. Here are my predictions for the 8 teams that will head to the Sportscenter next week...

Daviess County, Catholic, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Meade, Breck, Butler & Trinity

Meade vs Breck

 

Grayson vs Edmondson

 

Daviess vs OCath

 

Ohio vs Muhlenburg

Not sold on Jacoby Harris. Looks very average without Holman, Miller, etc. to handle the bulk of the scoring, rebounding, etc.

Harris is definitely average at best....he's gotten worse since Sweet 16 last year.