Eastern Kentucky University will be the host of the 11th Region Tournament after a very recent change from the Frankfort Civic Center. A new champion will definitely be crowned after the Lexington Catholic Knights fell to Lafayette in the district semifinals. Since none of the teams have played each other this season, I used the Litkenhous ratings for projection purposes.

 

Franklin County (15-13) vs. Lafayette (19-10):

These teams did not meet in the regular season. The young Franklin County Flyers are champions of the 41st District while the veteran Lafayette team comes in after being runners up in the 43rd. Franklin County has won 7 out of their last 9 coming into this week while the Generals have gone 4-5 since the calendar turned to February. Having said all that, the Litkenhous ratings say Lafayette is 18 points better than Franklin County and I tend to agree.

Prediction: Lafayette 68, Franklin County 54

 

Madison Central (20-11) vs. Scott County (27-5):

2 more teams that haven’t faced each other this year. Scott County cruised through much of the regular season but hit some road blocks down the stretch, dropping 2 out of their last 3. This game features 2 of the winningest coaches in the history of Kentucky High School basketball in Allen Feldhaus and Billy Hicks. The Litkenhous ratings say Scott County should win by 5 points but I’m not so sure. Of all the first round games, I think this one is most likely for a first round upset.

Prediction: Scott County 82, Madison Central 80

 

Paul Laurence Dunbar (26-6) vs. Madison Southern (18-14):

Yet another opening round game between two teams who didn’t see each other during the regular season. Dunbar comes in off winning the district championship in one of the toughest districts in the state. They have also been the #1 ranked team in the state for most of the year. Madison Southern comes in off a 1 point loss to Madison Central. They have also dropped 3 out of their last 4. Litkenhous says Dunbar is 23 points better than Madison Southern and I don’t see Southern having the horses to keep up with Dunbar.

Prediction: Dunbar 80, Madison Southern 55.

 

Henry Clay (27-5) vs. Woodford County (14-16):

The last of the first round games pairs two teams who haven’t played each other since the region semifinals 2 years ago. Woodford is the only team to make it to the 11th region tournament with a losing record while Henry Clay is 15-3 since the calendar changed to 2016. Litkenhous says that Clay beats Woodford by 23 but I believe Scott Hundley will have his team in the game until the Blue Devils pull away late.

Prediction: Henry Clay 65, Woodford County 52

 

 

BRACKET:

March 2 – 6:30 PM – Franklin County vs. Lafayette

March 2 – 8:00 PM – Madison Central vs. Scott County

 

March 3 – 6:30 PM – Dunbar vs. Madison Southern

March 3 – 8:00 PM – Henry Clay vs. Woodford County

 

March 5 – 1:30 PM & 3:15 PM – Semi-Finals

March 7 – 7:30 PM – Championship

 

TOP 10 PLAYERS:

1. Tavieon Hollingsworth (Dunbar): Averaging 20.9 PPG to go along with 5.1 RPG, Tay is the best player on the team favored to win the region.

 

2. Isaiah Tisdale (Henry Clay): Unfortunately, Henry Clay does not report stats but rest assured Pun is a stat sheet stuffer. If the Blue Devils get to Rupp it will be in large part thanks to Tisdale.

 

3. Darius Williams (Dunbar): Voted the KABC Regional Player of the Year, Darius is averaging 16 points and 5 rebounds per game. For Dunbar to win the 11th they’ll need Darius and Tay to play well in all 3 regional games.

 

4. Leander Ridgeway (Henry Clay): The long wing is a major reason for all the Henry Clay success this year and will be counted on if they hope to advance to Rupp.

 

5. Ross Jenkins (Lafayette): Leading Lafayette in PPG (15) and RPG (9), Ross is the newest member of the 1,000 point club at Lafayette.

 

6. Jordan Lewis (Dunbar): He doesn’t have the huge stats of Hollingsworth and Williams, but Lewis is the one who makes the whole team go.

 

7. Michael Moreno (Scott County): Just a 15 year old Freshman, Moreno is averaging 14.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. If the Cardinals will make a run, it will be in large part because Moreno plays well.

 

8. Demarcus Kennedy (Franklin County): Averaging a double double at 15.8 points and 10.6 rebounds for the Flyers, Kennedy may be the most valuable player to his team in the whole tournament.

 

9. Bryce Long (Scott County): Only a freshman, Long has a record of coming up big in big games. He was MVP of the 7th and 8th grade state tournaments when Scott County came out the champs.

 

10. Tanner Kidwell (Madison Southern): Maybe the only player at Southern capable of creating his own shot. If they are going to have any chance against Dunbar, he’ll need to have a monster game.

 

TEAM RANKINGS:

 

CONTENDERS

1. Dunbar

2. Henry Clay

3. Scott County

 

WILD CARDS

4. Lafayette

5. Madison Central

 

CONGRATS ON A GOOD SEASON

6. Madison Southern

7. Franklin County

8. Woodford County

Henry Clay's season statistics, if anyone is interested.

 

http://wlstats.net/2015-16_bkb/hc.b/hc.b.15.16.season.pdf

Nice Job. One solid first round game and if chalk moves out, the second round should be fantastic. Could be the best regional tournament in Kentucky this year!