5th Region Final Rankings and Postseason Preview (2/17/19)

1. John Hardin (30-0): The Bulldogs played two games this week and won both to end the regular season with a perfect record. They beat Hart County 89-66 on the road and beat Marion County 67-59 at home. What a year it has been for John Hardin as they are the only team in the state to be undefeated. In the win over Hart County, Aaron Scott had 24 points. The Bulldogs are looking to win the region for the second straight year. John Hardin will play the winner of North Hardin and Fort Knox in the 17th District Tournament at Elizabethtown. They are looking to win their third straight district title this week.

2. Larue County (23-4): The Hawks played two games this week and won both. They beat Elizabethtown 77-60 at home and beat Warren Central 54-52 on the road. This was a good last week, as they end the year with two solid wins. This has been a good year for the Hawks, but this team will be judged on how far they last in the postseason. In the win over Warren Central, Mark Goode had 21 points and 8 rebounds. Larue County plays Caverna in the 18th District Tournament at Hart County. They are looking to win their third straight district title.

3. Central Hardin (18-8): The Bruins ended the regular season playing two games where they won one and lost one. They lost to Breckinridge County 73-61 on the road and beat Meade County 72-62 at home. They lost to a good Breckinridge County team so that wasn’t a bad loss. The Bruins had a good year and have shown that they can compete with all the best 5th Region teams. Gavin George had 23 points in the win over Meade County. They will be playing Elizabethtown in the 17th District Tournament at Elizabethtown. This is probably the most anticipated first round game of the 5th Region.

4. Marion County (20-7): The Knights played two games this week and ended up winning one game and lost the other. They beat district foe Campbellsville 80-71 at home, and they lost to John Hardin 67-59 on the road. Marion competed with John Hardin, which must give them confidence going forward. They had a positive year and are playing good basketball to end the year. John Adams had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Campbellsville. They will be playing Adair County in the 20th District Tournament at home.

5. Taylor County (19-7): The Cardinals played two games this week and they won both games. They beat Moore 76-69 on the road and beat Casey County 85-71 on the road. The Cardinals bounced back, after an embarrassing season the year before. This was a good way to end the regular season, by winning two road games. Trevon Smith had 32 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Casey County. They play Campbellsville in the 20th District Tournament at Marion County.

6. Elizabethtown (13-13): The Panthers played two games this week and lost both games. They lost to Larue County 77-60 on the road and lost to Bullitt East 70-61 on the road. Tough to lose both games to end the year, but both teams they lost to are very good. This has been a great year and the future is bright since they don’t start any seniors. Jaquais Franklin had 26 points in the loss to Bullitt East. They will be playing Central Hardin in the 17th District Tournament at home, which should be a fantastic game.

7. Campbellsville (18-12): The Eagles played three games this week, in which they won two of the games. They lost to district foe Marion County on the road 80-71, they beat Green County 68-62 at home, and beat Nelson County 73-61 on the road. The Eagles are playing their best ball at the right time. It has been a good year for the Eagles, and they will return several players for next year. Nataj Sanders had 16 points in the loss to Marion County. They will be playing Taylor County in the 20th District Tournament at Marion County, which could be a better game than most expect.

8. Bardstown (13-15): The Tigers played two games this week and won both games. They beat Oldham County 75-72 at home and beat North Hardin 51-47 on the road. What a way to end the regular season playing your best ball. The Oldham County win is a great win and must give them a lot of confidence. JaRel Montgomery had 21 points in the win over Oldham County. They play Thomas Nelson in the 19th District Tournament at Bethlehem. They are looking to win their 6th straight district title.

9. North Hardin (11-18): The Trojans played one game this week and they ended up losing that game. They lost to Bardstown 51-47 at home to end the regular season. Even though the Trojans only have 11 wins, they are a lot better than the record would indicate. They are a very athletic team who can play close against about anybody. They play Fort Knox in the 17th District Tournament at Elizabethtown where the winner will play John Hardin.

10. Washington County (18-11): The Commanders played three games this week and lost all three games. They lost to Adair County 51-46 on the road, they lost to Green County 78-61 on the road, and lost to Christian Academy Louisville 60-53 at home. They have had a good year, but this last week is disappointing going into tourney play. They were without their leading scorer in some of the games, so it will be important for Drew Yates to be back for them. In the loss to Green County, Cameron Willis had 38 points. They play the winner of Nelson County and Bethlehem in the 19th District Tournament at Bethlehem.

11. Hart County (9-17): The Raiders lost both games this week to end the regular season. It has been a disappointing year so far. Even though the record isn’t very good, when John Shoulders played this year, they were 9-10. They have a great shot to make region. They play Green County in the 18th District Tournament at home.

12. Adair County (12-18): The Indians played three games this week and won all three games. After losing their leading scorer, Adair has struggled. but ending the regular season with three wins should give them confidence heading into the postseason. Adair is looking to win their third straight district title. They play Marion County in the 20th District Tournament at Marion County.

13. Thomas Nelson (18-12): The Generals played three games this week and won two of the three. The magical regular season ended with 18 wins after getting only 2 wins last year. The only thing that would make this season even better would be to make region. They will play Bardstown in the 19th District at Bethlehem.

14. Green County (10-17): The Dragons played two games this week and won one and lost one. They have had a disappointing year, since they have so many seniors playing. The good part is that they are playing well right now going into postseason play. They will play Hart County in the 18th District Tournament at Hart County.

15. Bethlehem (8-19): The Eagles played two games this week which ended with two losses. The Eagles have had a transition year with a new coach and a lot of new players. The good news is the Eagles only graduate one senior. They play Nelson County in the 19th District Tournament at home, which the winner plays Washington County.

16. Nelson County (2-27): The Cardinals played two games this week and they lost both games. It has been a disappointing season as everything has seemed to just go wrong this year. They currently have a six-game losing streak. They will play Bethlehem in the 19th District Tournament at Bethlehem in which the winner will play Washington County.

17. Caverna (1-25): The Colonels played three games this week and they lost all three. The last couple of years they have been very successful, but this year hasn’t worked out that way. They currently have a twenty-five-game losing streak. They will play Larue County in the 18th District Tournament at Hart County.

18. Fort Knox (2-23): The Eagles played four games this week and were able to win only once. It was good for Fort Knox to get one more win on the year. It has been a long year as most losses have been blowout losses. They play North Hardin in the 17th District Tournament at Elizabethtown where the winner plays John Hardin.

Top 10 Players

1. Jacob Hobbs (Sr, Central Hardin): The Region player of the year has averaged 18.8 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 57 percent from the field. He is a great athlete who is a difference maker on both sides of the ball. His shooting ability at his size makes him a tough cover.

2. Trevon Smith (Sr, Taylor County): The Mr. Basketball candidate has averaged 25.2 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 49 percent from the field. He has really improved on his outside shooting this year which has made him a hard guy to guard. The Lefty is a great slasher and gets to the line a lot.

3. Alex Matthews (Jr, John Hardin): Matthews has had a great year as he averages 17.4 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game while shooting an amazing 61.6 percent from the field. The big man has improved a ton and is a big reason why the Bulldogs are undefeated. He’s a great athlete who is strong and seems to get every 50 50 ball.

4. Mark Goode (Jr, Larue County): Goode has been very good as he averages 16.1 points per game and 9 rebounds per game while shooting a great 59.7 percent from the field. Goode is a very skilled big man as he is a great free throw shooter as well. When he gets the ball in the paint, good things happen.

5. Anthony Adkins (Sr, Larue County): Adkins, the Army Football Commit, averages 15.4 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting an amazing 63.6 percent from the field. Adkins is a good athlete for the size he is. He is such a good driver and finisher around the rim and his strength for high school is very rare.

6. Jaquais Franklin (So, Elizabethtown): Franklin has had a great year as he is averaging 20.7 points per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the field. Franklin is a big reason why Elizabethtown has had a good year. He can score by driving or with his jumper, as scoring seems to come easy to him.

7. John Shoulders (Sr, Hart County): Shoulders has been the guy for Hart this year, he averages 24.5 points per game while averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. He missed 7 games this year and Hart lost all seven, showing how valuable he is. Shoulders is a good athlete who can shoot from anywhere on the court.

8. Aaron Scott (Sr, John Hardin): Scott has stepped up this year and he is averaging 15 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field. Scott leads the team in made threes. Scott is one of the best athletes in the 5th region and if you watch him in warmups you can see why.

9. Tyshay Epps (Jr, Marion County): Epps has been a pleasant surprise as he is averaging 17.3 points per game while shooting 45.9 from the field. No player on this list has improved as much from last year to this year as Epps. He is an athletic guard who can get to the rim and he can also be a good defender.

10. Malachi Corley (Jr, Campbellsville): Corley has been good this year as he is averaging 19.5 points per game, and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.8 percent. For a point guard, Corley rebounds great as he is a great athlete. He is mainly a driver and can be a pest on defense with his athleticism and strength.