1. North Laurel (7-1 overall, 4-0 vs. 13th Region opponents)

The Jaguars have been rolling along since it’s season-opening loss to Collins.

North Laurel has won seven games in a row, including a 73-63 win over South Laurel and a 75-63 victory over Great Crossing.

Freshmen and cousin duo Reed Sheppard and Ryan Davidson turned in big efforts during The Jaguars’ win over the Cardinals.

Sheppard had 21 points in the win while Davidson added 20 points.

 

2. Clay County (6-3, 2-0)

The Tigers snapped a three-game losing skid by defeating Palmetto, Fla., 75-64.

The win Clay County to post a 1-2 mark during its stay in the King if the Bluegrass. The Tigers’ losses came against Madisonville-North Hopkins (83-57), and Louisville Trinity (60-58).

Clay County has had balanced scoring so far this season with Connor Robinson leading the way with 17.4 points per game while Jacob Curry is adding 16 points per game.

 

3. South Laurel (6-3, 3-1)

The Cardinals have dropped consecutive contests for the first time in 52 games after falling to both North Laurel (73-63) and Lexington Christian (55-53) this past week.

South Laurel hung tough in both games despite senior Matt Cromer still battling an ankle injury while Micah Anders missed the Lexington Christian game due to an injury.

Even with the losses, Jeff Davis’ squad showed they will be a team to reckon with in the region this season.

 

4. Harlan County (5-4, 2-1)

The Black Bears are struggling a bit after dropping two straight matchups (Henry Clay and Lafayette) in the Henry Clay Holiday Invitational, but did manage to beat Shelby County, 77-48.

Harlan County drooped a 77-45 decision to Henry Clay and fell 70-55 to Shelby County.

 

5. Knox Central (5-2, 0-0)

The Panthers were able to turn in a 2-1 effort in the Derby Classic by getting wins over Elliott County (80-47) and East Ridge (70-32).

Sophomore Javonte Turner continues to lead the way for Knox Central, scoring more than 22 points per game.

 

6. Corbin (6-2, 3-2)

Tony Pietrowski’s Redhounds continue to impress and reeled off two wins in the Big H BBQ Christmas Bash.

Corbin handed West Greene a 66-42 loss and defeated Hancock County a 77-38 defeat.

The Redhounds will try to unseat Clay County as champions of the Cumberland Falls Invitational this week.

 

7. Bell County (2-5, 1-2)

The Bobcats are beginning to get in the groove after getting their football players back.

Bell County recorded a 60-41 victory over Whitefield Academy while falling to Johnson Central, 64-61.

 

8. Oneida Baptist (6-6, 6-2)

The Mountaineers entered this past week rolling along after getting wins over both Pineville and Williamsburg, but dropped three straight during their stay in the Smokey Mountain Classic.

Oneida Baptist will now be off until Jan. 10 when the Mountaineers will play Jenkins at home.

 

9. Barbourville (4-3, 3-1)

The Tigers are another team that got off to a fast start (4-1), but now they’re riding a two-game Laing skid after losses to both Madison Southern (79-61) and Frankfort (61-58).

Barbourville will try to get back on track this week during its stay in the South Fork Physical Therapy Christmas Classic.

 

10. Middlesboro (5-3, 1-3)

The Yellow Jackets are a hard team to gauge.

They’ve already went through a stretch where they dropped three of four games, but now they’re winners of three straight with wins over Campbellsville (58-39), Southwestern (53-51) and Casey County (70-60).

The three wins allowed Middlesboro to post an impressive 3-0 record during their stay in the M&W Shootout.

 

11. Lynn Camp (6-3, 2-1)

Dinky Phipps’ Wildcats have the talent to make noise this season, but remain inconsistent after dropping games to both McCreary Central (85-72) and Wayne County (93-60) this past week.

They did manage to knock off Garrard County, 68-62, to go 1-2 during the Arby’s/KFC Holiday Classic.

 

12. Williamsburg (5-4, 2-3)

The Yellow Jackets have hit a couple of bumps in the road recently, going 1-3 during their last four games, which included losses to Oneida Baptist (72-69), Lynn Camp (60-55) and Wayne County (62-58).

 

13. Whitley County (4-5, 0-2)

The Colonels are quietly putting together a pretty impressive run that has saw them go 3-1 during their last four games.

 

14. Jackson County (6-4, 1-3)

The Generals are beginning to catch stride, posting a perfect 3-0 mark in the Berea All A Holiday Classic.

Once Logan Rose gets back from an injury, Jackson County will be even tougher to beat.

 

15. Pineville (4-4, 1-3)

The Mountain Lions are a much-improved team and have already surprised.

They started the season with two wins, but are 2-4 since.

 

16. Harlan (1-6, 1-3)

The Green Dragons continue to struggle to find a win since star player Jordan Akal went down with an injury.

 

17. Red Bird (1-8, 0-5)

The Cardinals’ struggles continue, and now have dropped four games in a row.

Bump.