1) Lincoln County (6-1) – Lincoln County gained their first loss at East Jessamine without the services of Bryston Alcorn. They picked up a couple solid wins earlier in their week against West Jessamine and Marion County leading to their retention of the top spot. The Patriots head to Lexington Christian after Christmas for the Central Bank Classic.

2) Pulaski County (6-2) – I do not yet have any information on their scheduled game from yesterday against Bullitt County, but the Maroons defeated Wayne County 80-59 and Campbellsville 89-56 while losing to St. Joseph Prep out of Huntington, West Virginia, 78-66. Their next game is against the red hot Newport Wildcats in the Lake Cumberland Holiday Hoops Classic.

3) Somerset (8-1) – The Briar Jumpers took home the championship at the Berea All A Holiday Classic, again reaffirming themselves as a legitimate threat to win the All A State title in January. Three players find themselves averaging double figures – Kade Grundy (15), Gavin Stevens (14.7), and Dylan Burton (13.2). Somerset is another participant in the Lake Cumberland Holiday Hoops Classic after Christmas.

4) Southwestern (7-2) – The Warriors had a very bust weekend in the M&W Shootout, going 1-2 and dropping their last game in the event to Danville 61-59. Cole Dysinger did not play. He currently is averaging 21 points per game and is absence in the loss to the Ads is enough for me to keep Southwestern in the 4 slot for now. Southwestern joins the other two schools in Pulaski County in the Lake Cumberland Holiday Hoops Classic.

5) Danville (6-3) – Danville went undefeated in the M&W Shootout, capping it with the win over Southwestern. They host the RW Baird Holiday Hoop Classic, opening up with Lafayette.

6) East Jessamine (6-2) – There is no hotter team in the region right now than the Jaguars, fresh off back to back victories over Boyle County and Lincoln County. They travel to Campbellsville for a post-Christmas tournament to see if they can continue to prove themselves as a contender in the region. Ben McNew is averaging 16.1 points per game and dropped 14 in the win against the Patriots of Lincoln County to lead the way.

7) Boyle County (4-2) – The Rebels still cannot find consistency, but definitely are still showing the potential to make a lot of noise as the season progresses. They are not participating in any holiday tournaments but host Marion County on the 28th. Luke Imfeld continues to lead in scoring with 16.7 points per game.

8) West Jessamine (5-4) – The Colts only really fall because of the week East Jessamine had and could have seen a dramatic rise in the rankings if they had reversed their fortunes in overtime against Lincoln County. They have a chance at seeing Lincoln County again this week in the Central Bank Classic at Lexington Christian, though their first opponent will be the George Rogers Clark Cardinals.

9) Wayne County (4-4) – The Cardinals have the final game of the Arby’s/KFC Holiday Classic tonight (12/23/2019) at McCreary County against regional foe Garrard County. They travel to Florida for the Hilton Sandestin Beach Blowout after Christmas. Thomas Spencer continues to impress, averaging 19.9 points per game.

10) Mercer County (4-3) – Kaelin Drakeford is sitting at 23.3 points per game, but also impressive is the play of Jamisen Lewis at 17.6 points per game. The Titans head to Danville for the RW Baird Holiday Classic where they first face off against Augusta.

11) Garrard County (2-6) – The Golden Lions have a rematch against Wayne County before the break. The status of Brayden Sebastian remains unclear, but they significantly suffer without him on the court.

12) McCreary County Central (4-5) – The Raiders split a home and home with the Garrard County Golden Lions but also notched wins against Casey County and Lynn Camp. They enter the Williamstown Holiday Tournament after Christmas.

13) Rockcastle County (2-6) – Coach Cash’s group competed well but fell short against Southwestern and Boyle County before getting the win against Casey County. They travel up to Greenup County for the Stultz Pharmacy Holiday Classic, facing off against East Carter first.

14) Danville Christian (5-4) – The Warriors lost two games in overtime at the Portland Christian School Holiday Classic. They travel to Walden on the 27th.

15) Casey County (0-9) – Casey County is still winless for the year. They play one more game in the Arby’s/KFC Holiday Classic against Lynn Camp before taking the break and traveling to Glencoe, Alabama for a holiday tournament.

16) Burgin (1 – 7) – Burgin played only once last week but it was a 71-61 win over Evangel Christian. They travel to Williamstown where they open the tournament with a tough matchup against the Paris Greyhounds.

17) Kentucky School for the Deaf (0-2) – The Colonels fell to Danville Christian 60-25 and do not play again until visiting Danville Christian again on January 7th.

Garrard lost to Wayne Co. 39-34. Sebastian did not play. Garrard was up 15 at half, and seemed to run out of gas in 2nd. Hopefully Sebastian will be ready by the New Year.

Could be a rumor, but I heard that Sebastian could be out till February. Now I don’t know if that’s true.

Sounds like Garrard’s Defense has improved and continues to get better. Without their best player that is impressive. Sounds like district play will be competitive.

Sounds like Garrard’s Defense has improved and continues to get better. Without their best player that is impressive. Sounds like district play will be competitive.

 

8th grader Montavin Quisenberry paced the Lions with 14 points today. He continues to impress as floor general. Special talent. I see good things ahead of this club in Jan/Feb.

Dysinger being out for southwestern hurts them. They need him back ASAP if they’re going to compete.

Hate seeing so many “top guys” out early In season.

I think Mercer has yet to play to there full potential. The one piece they are missing is someone to run there offense. They play a lot of one on one isolation, so when that’s not working they need someone to get them in a set to get there playmakers shots.

I wonder if the junior, Baughman, can take on more of the point minutes, when the ISO’s are not working? I’ve not seen the kid play since middle school, but he used to be pretty good at getting things under control and efficiently executing the offense.

Bump.

I think Mercer has yet to play to there full potential. The one piece they are missing is someone to run there offense. They play a lot of one on one isolation, so when that’s not working they need someone to get them in a set to get there playmakers shots.

Mercer’s biggest problem is not scoring. They are one of the few teams In the 12th region that average over 70 points a game. Their offense is set up to play iso but is less this year than the last two years. They have been able to get a lot better shots this year than previous years. Mercer needs to improve their defense more than anything.

Any word on Ethan Wood for Danville? He wasn’t on the bench last night for them vs. Lafayette.

So far this season there has already been some surprise losses/wins and some interesting games where teams have been competitive. I know teams will tighten up loose ends but as of now the 12th looks wide open.