BluegrassPreps.com 5th Region Week 12 Review and Rankings. District Tournament Predictions

The last rankings as we head into post-season play tonight. I looked more this week at overall season instead of week-to-week.

1.       Larue County (22-6)

2.       John Hardin (20-9)

3.       Taylor County (18-10)

4.       Campbellsville (20-9)

5.       Central Hardin (16-9)

6.       Bardstown (14-11)

7.       Thomas Nelson (17-11)

8.       Adair County (18-11)

9.       Green County (14-12)

10.   Bethlehem (14-13)

11.   Elizabethtown (13-12)

12.   Washington County (11-15)

13.   Caverna (11-16)

14.   Hart County (10-16)

15.   Nelson County (7-22)

16.   Marion County (3-24)

17.   Fort Knox (2-21)

18.   North Hardin (9-16)

A few things…Larue, John Hardin & Campbellsville all get to the 20-win mark to close out the regular season.

Central Hardin is playing as well as anyone in the region right now. Brett Decker is a machine scoring 40 & 36 points in two of his last 3 games.

Bardstown’s record won’t show how good they actually are. They’ve played the toughest schedule in the region.

Finally, North Hardin…I’m not sure there is a more disappointing way for their season to end than it has. They were talked about in the pre-season as a region contender. The season has had its shares of ups and downs and at moments they looked like the team that many thought they would be. Then other moments they looked completely unmotivated and lost. The situation on Friday night was as ugly as it gets for a basketball program. If that culture is going to change, it has to be changed at the top of the program and work down. It won’t happen overnight, it’s a process but it’s a process that has to start soon.

District Tournament Predictions

17^th District-

John Hardin/Fort Knox- Fort Knox gets to move onto the semi-finals to play John Hardin due to North Hardin having their season ended. John Hardin defeated Ft. Knox by 51 in their only regular season matchup. This should be more of the same.

Central Hardin/Elizabethtown- This should be an absolute war and a great game to watch. Decker is playing great, but so is Murphy. Central is the hotter of the two teams right now. But only 5 points have separated these two teams in two games. Central won by 3 and then E-town by 2. I’ll take Central.

17^th District winner-John Hardin, Runner-up-Central Hardin

18^th District

Larue/Caverna- Larue has beaten Caverna twice in the regular season, winning easily both games, most recently by 40 points. Larue also finally has a fully healthy team. Larue should advance to the district finals.

Green/Hart- This is an interesting game. On the one hand, Green has consistently been in the top 10-12 teams in the region and Hart has been consistently toward the bottom. Hart is playing well to end the season though and they recently defeated Green. I think Green’s experience here ultimately wins this game and then they fall to Larue in the finals.

18^th District Winner- Larue County, Runner-up- Green County

19^th District

Washington/Nelson County- Washington should win the 4/5 play-in game. Hughes has returned to the lineup for the Commanders. He doesn’t look 100% yet but he should be enough to elevate the Commanders over Nelson.

Washington/Bardstown- If Washington wins, their prize will be to play Bardstown. Washington had a marquee win over Bardstown early in the season, but they haven’t played nearly as well since then. The caveat is whether Bardstown will have their full team. I haven’t heard yet if there are any suspensions, but I strongly expect Riley, Bowling & Bell to be out. If that’s the case, this game could be very close.

Thomas Nelson/Bethlehem- Thomas Nelson’s shooting should be enough to catapult them to the win. They split the regular season but Thomas Nelson’s win in the second game felt like a statement win to the district that they weren’t going anywhere. I like Thomas Nelson on their home court to win this one.

Thomas Nelson/Bardstown- If my predictions pan out, this is the final. If Bardstown players are suspended for more than 1 game, I like Thomas Nelson to capture their first district championship.

19^th District Champion- Thomas Nelson, Runner-up- Bardstown

20^th District

Taylor/Marion- Marion has struggled all year. Taylor is playing well and peaking at the right time. I’ll take the Cardinals in this one to move on to the finals.

Adair/Campbellsville- Campbellsville has the home court advantage here. They split the regular season series. The Eagles have won 8 of their last 9 games that includes a win over the Indians. The Indians dropped a disappointing game to Hart to end the regular season. I’ll take the Eagles.

20^th District Champions- Taylor County, Runner-up- Campbellsville