article 4th Region Week 11 Review

[DragonFire]

Getting down to the nitty gritty....

 

1) Bowling Green (21-5) - 2/4 73-52 W at #9 Barren County, 2/5 65-73 L Owensboro, 2/8 84-50 W at #12 Warren East

Previous Rank: 1

This Week: 2/12 vs. #16 Russellville, 2/15 at Hopkinsville

 

The record is still stellar, but as described previously, the Purples have undergone some growing pains of late. The Purples are down to two seniors on the team with the dismissals of Davion Dice in January and now Trevor Dennis earlier this week. Dennis had averaged in double digits for the Purples, but has been a non-factor since mid-January. The cracks have shown in several narrow wins and in the blowout loss to John Hardin. This week saw another sign, as the Purples suffered their first home loss in falling to an Owensboro team they beat by 15 at home in December. It's hardly panic time, but the Purples have dropped two of four overall, and have a tough road game at Hopkinsville on Friday. Of great importance, however, was their 50th consecutive win over Warren East in a devastating blowout on Friday, which secured the district's #1 seed before it would have been secured anyway with Warren Central's loss to Greenwood. Isaiah Mason poured in 22 points - all in the first half - keyed by six threes. The newly-minted first team all-region player is averaging just shy of 15 points per game on the year.

 

2) Warren Central (16-8) - 2/5 82-43 W at #16 Russellville, 2/8 55-59 L at #7 Greenwood, 2/9 67-56 W at Wayne County

Previous Rank: 3

This Week: 2/12 vs. #7 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/15 vs. LaRue County

 

Though I do not release mid-week rankings, for three days the Dragons were #1. Had they defeated Greenwood, they would be #1 in these rankings. The Dragons have still won 8 of 10 games, and picked up their second strong road win in the last two weeks with an 11 point victory over 21 win Wayne County today. Earlier in the week they torched Russellville for their seventh 80+ effort of the season. But it is the loss to Greenwood that will stand out. The Gators are their postseason opponent, which was clinched with that loss (and would have been as well once BG finished Warren East). The Dragons were just 4/17 from three and only secured five free throw attempts in the loss, never finding an offensive rhythm. A 17-10 first quarter lead gave way to only six second quarter points and a 23-all tie, and Greenwood took the lead for good immediately after the start of the second half. It added up to their first loss to Greenwood in The Swamp since 2012, and suddenly they are just 5-4 in the last nine meetings with a Greenwood squad they beat 39 of the previous 41 times they played. The Dragons completed their road slate in District 14 at 1-3, and fell to three different district opponents for the first time since 2007/08. With Bowling Green's roster upheaval, the Dragons may actually be a better favorite for the region crown at this point, but they are also extremely vulnerable. They take on a slumping AC/S team that they'll be looking for revenge against, before finishing with the toughest game they've had all year when they host dominant LaRue County.

 

3) Clinton County (20-6) - 2/4 55-48 W McCreary Central, 2/8 82-72 W #11 Monroe County

Previous Rank: 4

This Week: 2/11 at #8 South Warren, 2/14 at #10 Barren County

 

The Bulldogs often win unimpressively, but slowly, inexorably, they win. Clinton County secured their 20th win this week with a pair of home wins, their last two home games of the season. Jackson Harlan did all the heavy lifting in a 55-48 win over McCreary Central, dropping in 29 points on 11/20 shooting. Seth Stockton was uncharacteristically off in the game, chipping in only six. The 82 points Clinton County dropped on Monroe represent a season high outside of district play. Another win for the Bulldogs - Jackson Harlan received accolades as the 4th Region Player of the Year as voted on by the coaches in the region, earning the honors with his 24.2 PPG average. Clinton County has won 12 of 13, with their lone loss coming against Shelby Valley in the All A. They look to finish out strong with a tough road game against an up and coming South Warren squad before a nearly certain win against Barren County to close out the regular season. Why aren't they higher? Because at the end of the day, if they were going up against one of those two teams, I still don't think I could find belief that Clinton County was going to win.

 

4) Glasgow (18-9) - 2/4 70-49 W at #2 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/5 66-58 W #13 Metcalfe County, 2/8 64-52 W Caverna

Previous Rank: 5

This Week: 2/12 at #15 Cumberland County, 2/15 at #9 Franklin-Simpson

 

The Scotties had a pretty good week. Just 9 days ago they appeared a longshot to have a shot at the top seed in the district tournament. Monroe County opened the door, Glasgow broke it down in a blowout win over AC/S on Monday, then won the draw on Wednesday. That earns them the right to play Barren County on the 18th. The Trojans played them close in two contests this season, but for the Scotties, it is still a plus to not play a Monroe County team that did beat them in December in a district tournament hosted by Monroe County. Nik Sorrell was named to the All-4th Region first team - he averages nearly 20 points per game. Glasgow picked up a trio of wins this week to make it six wins in seven games, and they look to be very likely to enter the postseason riding a five game win streak based on their matchups this week. Everything seems to be coming together at the right time for Glasgow. This is their highest ranking since the disastrous blowout against Bowling Green in December.

 

5) Greenwood (14-11) - 2/5 44-43 OT W #6 Logan County, 2/8 59-55 W #3 Warren Central

Previous Rank: 7

This Week: 2/12 at #11 Monroe County, 2/15 at Edmonson County

 

Speaking of good weeks and highest ranks since December - Greenwood is up to their highest since the second week of the season. They own the region's longest winning streak at six games in a row, getting strong efforts from their top two guys Ben Carroll and Jack Roberts. Roberts had 12 and 20 in their two wins this week, while Carroll had 15 and 18. That's over 63% of their scoring in those two games, but it's not surprising from two guys who are usually at their best as the end of the season approaches. Greenwood tailed by 11 in the fourth quarter against Logan County on Tuesday, on a night when the threes just wouldn't fall. But Jack Roberts found one just in time, sending the game to an extra session after a furious rally, and Benn Carroll gave them the win on a putback with just over 5 seconds remaining. Then the Gators jumped out to a twelve point lead in the third quarter over Warren Central, and though the lead dwindled to as few as three, they never trailed in the entire second half of the district tournament preview. The Gators dropped only a single game at home in-district play (a 57-56 loss to Bowling Green), and will look to have a repeat of their 2017 district semifinal victory over Warren Central when the two teams meet again in just over a week. If they can do as expected and win both their games this week, they'll enter the postseason on an 8 game winning streak, which would be their longest since 2008.

 

6) Logan County (20-6) - 2/5 43-44 OT L at #7 Greenwood, 2/8 54-51 W at Muhlenberg County, 2/9 79-52 W at #2 Allen County-Scottsville

Previous Rank: 6

This Week: 2/12 vs. Ohio County, 2/15 vs. #15 Cumberland County

 

Logan County was on the other side of that narrow overtime loss to Greenwood, and is still trying to regain their footing in this latest stretch. They are just 5-4 since starting 15-2. None of their recent losses have been by more than 8 points, dating back to just before Christmas when they fell by 16 to Webster County. They recovered from the loss to Greenwood with wins over Muhlenberg County and Allen County-Scottsville, giving them their first 20 win season since 2012. They have a good chance this week to pick up a pair of wins, which would give them their most in a quarter century. There is every reason to believe this season may rank among the best the school has ever had.

 

7) Allen County-Scottsville (20-7) - 2/4 49-70 L #5 Glasgow, 2/5 55-53 OT W at Edmonson County, 2/7 57-56 W at #13 Metcalfe County, 2/9 52-79 L #6 Logan County

Previous Rank: 2

This Week: 2/12 at #2 Warren Central, 2/14 vs. #17 Todd County Central

 

When the Patriots suffered a narrow loss at home to Bowling Green on January 26th, everything seemed to be sky-high in potential. Very little has gone right since. The Patriots may be 3-3 in that span, but the crucially lost two district games to fall into a tie with Glasgow for the district top spot - with their loss to Glasgow coming in blowout fashion in Scottsville no less. As detailed above, the draw didn't go their way, and they find themselves now with the task of playing Monroe County in a true road game in nine days for a berth in the region tournament. They followed that Glasgow loss with the narrowest escapes against Edmonson County (by 2 in overtime) and Metcalfe County (by 1). Metcalfe actually had a challenged shot that would have given them the win. Those teams are a combined 20-32 - not positive signs. Logan County extended the misery with a 27 point shellacking in Scottsville this evening. This is a squad that is clearly reeling, and they are not likely to find any quarter when they visit a Warren Central team they beat at home in early January. Just not an ideal stretch for the Patriots, which is a shame, because it overshadows a campaign that has seen them reach 20 wins for the first time in a decade. There's still time, they just need to rediscovery their strong January form.

 

8) South Warren (12-14) - 2/5 71-59 W #12 Warren East, 2/7 54-41 W at #8 Franklin-Simpson, 2/9 101-87 W Hart County

Previous Rank: 10

This Week: 2/11 vs. #3 Clinton County, 2/15 vs. Butler County

 

The Spartans may have found themselves condemned to the 4/5 play-in game in the 14th District tournament, but they picked up a trio of wins this week for their third three game winning streak this season. They have now won 7 of 10, which included wins over Warren Central and Franklin-Simpson, as well as very close losses to Greenwood and Bowling Green. Tonight they dropped 101 on Hart County, a school record and the first trip over the century mark for the team. Tyler Martin, recently minted second team all-region, dropped 33 in the game, and became the school's career leading scorer with it. Earlier in the week they earned a 12 point win over Warren East, the team that they will face off against in the district tournament in just over a week. They'll try to battle back to .500 with a pair of games this week, including a daunting one on Monday against Clinton County.

 

9) Franklin-Simpson (13-11) - 2/5 39-35 W Butler County, 2/7 41-54 L #10 South Warren

Previous Rank: 8

This Week: 2/12 at #12 Warren East, 2/14 vs. #4 Glasgow

 

The Wildcats have been going through a bit of a rough patch of their own, winning only three of their last seven games. They slide behind South Warren as a result, who knocked them off by 13 in Franklin on Thursday. This week saw an unwelcome return to the scoring issues that have plagued Franklin at times, as they managed only 80 combined points in the two results. Despite having a winning record, the Wildcats have actually allowed 17 points more than they've scored on the season. Andreyous Miller did his best to raise the scoreline, combining for 29 points in the two games, on 10/18 shooting. The impressive sophomore has moved his scoring average up to 10.7 PPG on the season. Demarco Chatman was named to the third team all-region this week as well. Franklin should be favored over Warren East before closing with a tough home contest against Glasgow.

 

10) Barren County (14-13) - 2/4 52-73 L #1 Bowling Green, 2/5 58-47 OT W at #14 Russell County, 2/8 77-70 W #15 Cumberland County

Previous Rank: 9

This Week: 2/12 at #13 Metcalfe County, 2/14 vs. #3 Clinton County

 

The Trojans were steamrolled at home against top-ranked and highly motivated Bowling Green, but recovered the week with a pair of wins to move back over .500 on the year. Barren County has been very up and down all season long. They have yet to win more than three in a row, nor will they be favored to that this next week given their matchup against Clinton County. They have played very competitively in losses to Logan County and Glasgow, but have also struggled to put away teams like Russell County and Cumberland County. It is very tough to know how things will play out when the postseason hits. They'll meet Glasgow in nine days.

 

11) Monroe County (10-13) - 2/5 81-70 W at #15 Cumberland County, 2/8 72-82 L at #4 Clinton County

Previous Rank: 11

This Week: 2/12 vs. #5 Greenwood, 2/14 vs. #12 Warren East

 

Chandler Clements was named first team all-region this week, and keyed an 81-70 win over Cumberland County with 23 points on 9 of 18 shooting. They could not extend their win streak to three, falling in a road game at Clinton County 82-72. Still, the past week represents a step forward for the Falcons, and they will warm up their home floor with games against a pair of District 14 opponents before they host the 15th District tournament next week, when they'll meet an Allen County-Scottsville team they just beat.

 

12) Warren East (10-15) - 2/5 59-71 L at #10 South Warren, 2/8 50-84 L #1 Bowling Green

Previous Rank: 12

This Week: 2/11 vs. Caverna, 2/12 vs. #9 Franklin-Simpson, 2/14 at #11 Monroe County

 

Things did not improve for the Raiders, who have not been able to overcome a bevy of ailments since the start of the new year. They are now 2-11 in their last 13 games, and each of their last seven losses have something in common - they have failed to top 60 points in each. Scoring has just been hard to come by, and that has not put them in a position to be able to grab wins. Their two losses this week dropped them to 0-8 in District 14 play this season, but they do get to host the district tournament, so perhaps they can still parlay that into something. They have a chance to grab some momentum and move up the ranks with three winnable games, including two against teams within three spots of them.

 

13) Metcalfe County (9-18) - 2/4 97-90 OT W at #15 Cumberland County, 2/5 58-66 L at #5 Glasgow, 2/7 56-57 L #2 Allen County-Scottsville

Previous Rank: 13

This Week: 2/12 vs. #10 Barren County, 2/14 vs. Caverna, 2/15 at Washington County

 

The Hornets no longer required the win over Cumberland County to stay in the 2/3 game and away from Clinton County in the district tournament, but it was a nice touch nonetheless. The 97 points represented an eight year high for the program, as both Peyton Dial (29) and Boston Devore (21) topped twenty points in the game, with Trevor Fields just missing with 19. They proved to be competitive with Glasgow and had a shot for the win carom off the iron against Allen County-Scottsville. The signs are all positive as they enter the last week of the regular season.

 

14) Russell County (6-22) - 2/4 45-61 L at Mercer County, 2/5 47-58 OT L #9 Barren County, 2/8 45-54 L at Adair County

Previous Rank: 14

This Week: 2/12 vs. Danville, 2/15 vs. Rockcastle County

 

The Lakers have now dropped eight in a row, and they appear almost certain to fall to Danville before a winnable game against Rockcastle County. The Lakers failed to top 47 points in any of their three games this week, which included an extra four minutes in the game against Barren County. In fact, 61 points is their high in the entire losing streak. They'll be the #3 seed when they meet Metcalfe County next week, hoping to keep alive their region tournament streak.

 

15) Cumberland County (6-20) - 2/4 90-97 OT L #13 Metcalfe County, 2/5 70-81 L #11 Monroe County, 2/8 70-77 L at #9 Barren County

Previous Rank: 15

This Week: 2/12 vs. #4 Glasgow, 2/15 at #6 Logan County

 

The scoring has been way, way up for the Panthers, who are averaging almost 80 points over their last four games. The wins have not necessarily come - they are 1-3 in that stretch - but they have certainly proven to be competitive in those games. They'll have an uphill battle in games against Glasgow and Logan County this week, ahead of their district tournament matchup against Clinton County, which defeated them three times this season.

 

16) Russellville (8-15) - 2/5 43-82 L #3 Warren Central, 2/8 71-58 W at #17 Todd County Central

Previous Rank: 16

This Week: 2/12 at #1 Bowling Green, 2/15 vs. Whitesville Trinity

 

The Panthers snapped a six game losing streak and won their first district game of the year with a 71-58 victory on the road at Todd County Central. The win pulled them into a tie with the Rebels for the 3rd seed in district play, and it means we have no idea who is going to be in what spot as the top two spots and bottom two spots in the district are now tied. Jacob Naylor was named to the second team all-region. The senior is averaging just a hair under 25 PPG. This week they will almost certainly suffer a 16th consecutive loss to Bowling Green before meeting a surprising Whitesville Trinity team.

 

17) Todd County Central (5-21) - 2/4 58-80 L Rossview (TN), 2/8 58-71 L #16 Russellville

Previous Rank: 17

This Week: 2/12 at Muhlenberg County, 2/14 at #7 Allen County-Scottsville

 

The Rebels were not able to ride homecourt to a victory, and their losing streak has now reached 12 in a row. It's been a difficult season for Todd County, which was not able to replicate last season's success despite the presence of Jon Calvery. Calvery was named to the second team all-region this week.