The 12^th Region last season played host to a large amount of equity in competition which resulted in a chaotic and exciting regional tournament. West Jessamine, led by DeAjuan Stepp, was crowned regional champions, giving Coach Damon Kelley his second regional title in the 12^th and his first since his inaugural season leading the Colts.

This season’s 12^th Region race features a slew of contenders and two dominant players, Stepp and Somerset’s Kade Grundy. Among the favorite teams are West, Somerset, Pulaski, Lincoln, Boyle, and last year’s surprising darling, East Jessamine. But like East’s success last year, there are plenty of teams poised to break out.

 

Top Ten Players

1. DeAjuan Stepp – West Jessamine. The dynamic, sizeable guard who led the Colts to cut down the nets last year returns with the 12^th’s best possible shot at a Mr. Basketball this season. Averaging over 20 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game, Stepp is the centerpiece of a West team looking to repeat.

2. Kade Grundy – Somerset. The heart and soul of Somerset, Grundy is a hard-nosed guard who finds success in a variety of ways, including from beyond the arc. He posted a 36.70% performance from three-point range while totaling an 18.2 points per game average.

3. Luke Imfeld – Boyle County. Boyle County’s premier point producer, Imfeld can do it all. He averaged 15.2 points per game while scoring nearly 2 three pointers a night on top of a rebound average of 5.6.

4. Jaxon Smith – Lincoln County. Smith heads a Lincoln County backcourt that will be asked to carry the water this year. He averaged 13 points per game through stellar court vision and the ability to convert off the drive.

5. Luke Sheperson – Boyle County. The workhorse for the Rebels, Sheperson had a nearly six rebounds per game average and a 12.2 points per game average to be Boyle’s second highest returner in points behind Imfeld.

6. Ben McNew – East Jessamine. The star of the upstart Jaguars, McNew’s 15.9 points per game spurred by a 45.8 three point percentage helped propel East’s offense.

7. KJ Combs – Pulaski County. Boasting an above 40% three point average to complement his overall scoring and rebounding abilities, Combs will play an integral part of the dynamic Pulaski backcourt.

8. Dante Hayden – Danville. Averaging 13.5 points per game last year, Hayden lead the Admirals in scoring and will be asked to carry an even heavier load this year with the departures of Trey Dawson, Darrian Bell. And Aiden Slone.

9. Zach Travis – Pulaski County. Alongside teammate KJ Combs, Travis will be counted on for the Maroons to replicate his scoring from last year and to help power the offense.

10. Dylan Burton – Somerset. The perfect complementary backcourt companion to Grundy, Burton returns with a 12.3 points per game average.

     

    Team Rankings

1. West Jessamine – The reigning regional champ returns star Stepp but also features shooters Nate Breeden and Daniel Waters as well as the interior presence of Gavin Salva. With Stepp’s ability to penetrate, the rebounding ability of all four of the above mentioned players, and Coack Kelley’s reputation for brutal defense, the Colts definitely have a shot to repeat.

2. Somerset – Grundy and Burton lead a Briar Jumpers squad set on making both a run at the All A State title and the regional title. Though depth may be questionable, Somerset also has Dakota Acey and (possibly) Kaiya Sheron (if he is not preparing for football at the University of Kentucky) to provide support.

3. Boyle County – The Rebels had a rough go of it last year, never truly finding consistency. This year however they hope to change that through the efforts of Imfeld and Shperson as well as sophomore Owen Barnes, the three returners who averaged double digits in the points column.

4. Pulaski County - The backcourt is buoyed by the tandem of Combs and Travis, however, not to be overshadowed, is wing Caleb Sloan who has proven to be a tough competitor. The Maroons sported the best record in the 12^th but lost Grant Oaks and Colton Fraley to graduation.

5. Lincoln County – The Patriots will try to find a way to make up for the graduation of Riley Bodner, Elijah Frye, and Bryston Alcorn, but they have a good start, especially in the back court, with Jaxson Smith and dead-eye shooter Baylor Mattingly.

6. East Jessamine – Zion Thomas and Cam Thompson return alongside Ben McNew return to attempt a repeat of some of the impressive wins the Jaguars notched last year including West Jessamine, Pulaski County, two against Mercer County, and Lincoln County.

7. Danville – Losing 3 of their top 4 scorers, Danille will rely on Dante Hayden to power the offense and hope that sophomore Ethan Cooper, junior Jalen Dunn, and others can step up this year to fill some of the holes left.

8. Wayne County – Sophomore Mason Burchett is the player to watch for a Cardinals squad that lost 4 out of its 5 leading scorers including the dominant Thomas Spencer.

9. Southwestern – The Warriors have a monumental task as they return only one player to average over 3 points last year, Andrew Jones, and will feel the absence of Cole Dysinger.

10. Mercer County – Losing Kaelin Drakeford hurts, but the Titans will look to Sam Baughman to help lead a group of new faces in a district that features strong competition in East and West Jessamine.

11. McCreary County – Coach Wade Davis’ Raiders threatened Wayne County twice with major upsets, including an overtime loss, and nearly upset Southwestern to make it to the regional tournament. Losing some key pieces, they might be one year away from making major noise but they have some solid players in juniors Trey Davis and Noah Loudermilk and sophomore Kyle Stephens.

12. Rockcastle County – The Rockets could never get on a consistent winning streak last year but did show life at times. They turn to impressive freshmen post player Will Bishop to improve on his 12 points per game as well as 7.7 rebounds per game as well as junior Daniel Mullins whose stellar distance shooting helped him surpass 12 points per game last year.

13. Garrard County – Brayden Sebastian may be gone, but the Golden Lions hope Montavin Quisenberry, the superb freshman point guard, alongside backcourt-mate Hudson Cornett can bring them success under new coach Brandon Cooper.

14. Casey County - Though it did not translate into Colonel wins, Spencer Baird lit up the score board averaging 27.9 points per game while also averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. He leads all returners in the 12^th in these categories. The Colonels will look to improve on their 3 win mark from last year.

15. Danville Christian – Channing Ford averaged 17.8 points per game last year in a season that saw the Warriors compete very well against similarly sized schools.

16. Burgin – Junior Roleeke Smith will look to aid the Burgin Bulldogs surpass their 4 win total from last year under the leadership of veteran coach Troy Lee Thomas.

• Kentucky School for the Deaf has not yet filed a roster or schedule with the KHSAA.

• Somerset Christian School is new to the 12^th this year and is slated to appear in January in the 12^th region All A against Danville Christian.

Is the Stepp kid a relative of the Stepp family that has been so intertwined with KY HS Basketball since the 1970s?   (Ervin "Magic" Stepp of Phelps and his brothers, for example...?)

CM

Good Preview. Stepp is a special talent for sure. Lets hope the season is a go.

Ethan Cooper is now at Garrard County and Channing Ford plays at Danville. 

Boyle also has Jagger Gillis, a transfer from Anderson Co. who was a very good player there. At 6'3" 205, he will really help BC. Boyle also has several other young players moving up this year that will give them more depth.