Madisonville-North Hopkins (2nd Region Champions) State Tournament Preview

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The drought is over in Region 2. Some team other than Christian County, Hopkinsville, or University Heights is the Region 2 Champion. That hasn’t happened since 2001 when Madisonville won. Now in 2019, the Maroons have done it again. Going into the season, Madisonville was ranked as the 2nd best team in the region, with quite a distance between them and number 1 ranked University Heights Academy. As the season went along, that gap began to close, though UHA still was considered the better team. Even after a 1 point loss to UHA in early December, the Maroons didn’t get the respect they deserve.

 

They didn’t break into the Bluegrass Prep top 20 rankings until week 11 even though they hadn’t lost a game in 2019. That winning streak is still alive and sits at 22 games. In that time they have taken down good teams like Owensboro, Paducah Tilghman, Hopkinsville, Christian County, and University Heights. They have been on a tear and Coach Matt Beshear has them ready to compete on the biggest stage in Kentucky High School Basketball.

 

Madisonville has a very balanced scoring attack. Ksuan Casey maybe one of the most underrated players in the state, and will be a front runner for Region 2 POY next season. He is very good around the basket, averaging 15.4 ppg and 9.5 rebounds per game. He has very soft hands and knows exactly where he is on the floor. He is not a danger to shoot from the outside, but opponents should do their best not to let him touch the ball anywhere near the basket.

 

Junior Kenny White has come on strong this year and had a huge performance against University Heights in the Region 2 finals. White scored 27 points while pulling down 17 rebounds in a game that featured KyKy Tandy, one of the front runners for Mr. Basketball this year. White is averaging 13.7 ppg this year while also pulling down 8.4 rebounds. Between Casey and White, this team is hard on crashing the boards as they average almost 34 rpg.

Senior Cade Cunningham is the driving force up top for this team. He is averaging 11.7 ppg, which is actually down from is 14 ppg last season. However his leadership was very important and I am sure he will sacrifice personal stats for this trip to Rupp. Cunningham is quick, sees the floor well, and is a above average ball handler.

 

Point Guard JD Gilbert took a big leap this year averaging more than 3 points more a game than he did last year. This is getting 10.4 ppg and almost 4 rpg. His defense has improved as well as his ability to find open men and see the floor clearly.

 

The Maroons have a couple important players who pull small but important roles. Keshawn Stone, Marquise Parker, and Jordan Vaughn are all part Madisonville’s rotation. This team will be a tough out for whoever plays them. They have well deserved confidence, have been in tough, tight games, and have great effort as a team. It would not surprise them make as far as the final four.