1.Muhlenberg County Mustangs(2-0) - SAME - The Mustangs picked up 2 wins this week, opening the season with a 72-45 win over Grayson County. Noah Mcelwain and Austin Sailing were big contributors in the win over the Cougars. On Saturday, Muhlenberg knocked off Logan County 74-70 as Jordan Terry got back into the swing of things. He scored 17 points off the bench and electrified the home crowd with some big dunks. The Mustangs will be tested this week with some tough matchups.

This week: @Catholic, @Breck & Christian Co @ Hopkinsville

 

2.Meade County Green Waves(2-0) - SAME - Even though the Waves only return 1 contributing player from last years 3rd region runner up team, they have looked sharp in the first week of the season. James Baker has led the Waves to wins over Ohio Co(74-60) and Owensboro Catholic(72-63). The Waves avenged the 3rd Region title game loss to the Aces on Saturday at the Sportscenter. Meade has 3 winnable games coming up this week.

This week: @Providence, Cloverport & @Campbellsville

 

3.Owensboro Red Devils(2-0) - UP 2 - It was a tale of two different looks this week for OHS. They opened the season with an impressive 83-47 win over South Warren before needing a buzzer beater from Jacoby Harris to knock off district rival Daviess County. Harris was impressive in both outings and looks to be back to form after injuries hampered him last season. While Owensboro returns a lot of contributors at the guard spot, they will be looking to guys with less experience in the front court. The Devils will have 2 stiff tests this week.

This week: Warren Central & Catholic

 

4.Owensboro Catholic Aces(2-1) - DOWN 1 -The defending champs opened up the season with nice wins over South Spencer(58-44) and Apollo(62-53) before dropping a game to Meade on Saturday. Catholic looks to be even more balanced this season than they were a year ago. Luke Hayden is an all region candidate and he has 8-9 guys around him who can lead the Aces on any given night. Add fantastic coach in Tim Riley and the Aces look like they could be primed for another run this season. Catholic continues its tough stretch, with two big time 3rd region contests this week.

This week: Muhlenberg & @Owensboro

 

5.Butler County Bears(2-1) - UP 2 - Butler County opened the season by playing a very good Paducah Tilghman team tough. The Bears bounced back from that loss by knocking off Breck County(88-81 overtime) & Thomas Nelson(66-43). Will Moore has been a nice surprise early, putting up 31 points against Breck and 20 against Thomas Nelson. Butler already returned two solid scorers in Rex Henderson and Baylee Anderson. Throw Blake Graham in the mix and Butler is showing to be a very well rounded team early on.

This week: @Nelson County & @MADISONville

 

6.Apollo Eagles(0-1) -DOWN 2 - Apollo was a bit disappointing opening the season with a loss to Catholic. The Eagles had a rough night shooting and lacked the same fire they showed in their preseason scrimmages. Zach Hopewell is a bright spot for Coach Barker, as he led all scorers with 22 points. He also played great defense on Luke Hayden throughout the game. Apollo will need to find other guys to contribute consistently on offense for them to improve this season. The Eagles are off until they face district rival Daviess County on Friday.

This week: @DC & Madisonville at Webster County

 

7.Hancock County Hornets(2-0) -UP 3 - Hancock is off to a bit of a surprising start, knocking off Mclean County(59-50) & Ohio Co(57-52). The Hornets appear to have a big time player in athletic forward Brenden Lewis. Lewis scored over 20 points in both wins. Guard Cameron Buck has stepped in nicely, and has provided a lift on both ends of the floor. The Hornets will look to keep it going this week with 3 games, headlined by an 11th district matchup vs Breck.

This week: Breck, Trinity & @Heritage Hills, IN

 

8.Breck County Tigers(2-1) -UP 5 - No team surprised more in the first week than the Breck County Tigers. Credit Coach Patrick Critchelow with getting the most out of his young inexperienced squad. Breck knocked off Edmsonson & Cloverport and took Butler County into overtime before falling 88-81. Sophomore Kobe Poole is emerging as a name to watch around the region. The Tigers have big region matchups coming up this week.

This week: @N Bullitt, @Hancock & Muhlenberg

 

9.Daviess County Panthers(0-2) - DOWN 1 - The Panthers dropped a tough opener to Madisonville in overtime and pushed Owensboro to the limit this week. While the Panthers don't return a lot of scoring, they do return a lot of role players from last years team. Tyler Boling, Jay Owen & Nick Driskell battle hard for Coach Hayden's group. The Panthers should improve as the season rolls along.

This week: @Trinity, Edmsonson & Apollo

 

10. Grayson County Cougars(1-1) -DOWN 1 - The Cougars suffered a big setback to #1 Muhlenberg to start the season but bounced back with a nice win over Cloverport(69-53). Grayson returns some scoring, but is still trying to find guys to replace the role players from last years squad.

This week: Central Hardin

 

11.Ohio County Eagles(0-3) - DOWN 5 - Coach Hopper's group is off to a slow start, but the makings are there for improvement. The Eagles are searching for an identity early on and are still adjusting to Coach Hopper's system. They will have 2 home games this week to try to jump start the season.

This week: Logan County & Mclean

 

12.Edmonson County Wildcats(0-2) -DOWN 1 - While the Cats dropped their first two games of the season(Breck 69-65 & Allen County 56-54), they were very competitive in both. Coach McClintic is looking to replace his top 2 scorers from last season, so settling in may take some time.

This week: @Daviess County, Greenwood

 

13.Mclean County Cougars(0-3) -DOWN 1 - The Cougars are off to a tough start, but they have shown improvement in every game they have played. After losing to Hopkins Central 80-49, they were more competitive with Hancock(59-50) & Madisonville(72-69). Sam Miller had a huge game vs the Maroons with 30 points. They will need him to carry the load early in the season due to the lack of varsity experience around him.

This week: @Ohio County

 

14.Cloverport Aces(1-2) -UP 1 - The Aces kicked off the season with a big 65-64 win over Whitesville Trinity. Steven Jennings went for 18 points in the winning effort. The Aces dropped their next two(Breck 81-46 & Grayson 69-53).

This week: @Meade, FT Knox

 

15.Trinity Raiders(1-2) - DOWN 1 - Trinity lost a heartbreaker to start their 2016/2017 campaign. After dropping the opener 65-64 to Cloverport, the Raiders traveled to St Patrick for the Catholic Classic. They split the contests over the weekend, a loss to Ironton OH 69-58 and a win 92-19 over Piarist.

This Week: Daviess County, Hancock & St Francis

Two big matchups in the region tonight as #1 Muhlenberg comes to Owensboro to take on Tim Riley's Aces & Owensboro plays host to Warren Central. Should be some good basketball in town tonight!