BluegrassPreps.com 4th Region Week 1 Review and Rankings

1) Warren Central (2-0) - 11/29 88-43 W at #8 Barren County, 12/2 70-48 W Goodpasture Christian (TN) (at Marshall County)    
Previous Rank: 1    
This Week: 12/5 at Owensboro, 12/10 vs. Western (at Bardstown)    
    
2) Bowling Green (2-0) - 11/29 77-74 2OT W at Henderson County, 12/2 54-48 W at #7 Todd County Central    
Previous Rank: 2    
This Week: 12/6 at Elizabethtown, 12/9 at Hopkinsville, 12/10 vs. North Laurel (at Barren County)    
    
3) Warren East (2-0) - 11/29 65-60 W at #6 Metcalfe County, 12/2 74-40 W at #17 Logan County    
Previous Rank: 3    
This Week: 12/9 vs. #9 Barren County, 12/10 vs. Daviess County (at South Warren)    
    
4) South Warren (2-1) - 11/28 55-44 W at #7 Todd County Central, 12/1 65-94 L Lyon County (at Marshall County), 12/3 84-58 W at #17 Logan County    
Previous Rank: 5    
This Week: 12/5 at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/6 vs. #5 Franklin-Simpson, 12/10 vs. West Creek (TN)    
    
5) Franklin-Simpson (2-0) - 11/29 54-49 W #11 Monroe County, 12/2 62-61 W #10 Clinton County    
Previous Rank: 4    
This Week: 12/6 at #4 South Warren, 12/9 at #14 Allen County-Scottsville    
    
6) Metcalfe County (1-2) - 11/29 60-65 L #3 Warren East, 12/1 57-87 L at Butler County, 12/2 83-59 W #13 Allen County-Scottsville    
Previous Rank: 6    
This Week: 12/6 vs. #15 Cumberland County, 12/9 at #8 Clinton County    
    
7) Todd County Central (1-2) - 11/28 44-55 L #5 South Warren, 11/29 65-27 W Montgomery Central (TN), 12/2 48-54 L #2 Bowling Green    
Previous Rank: 7    
This Week: 12/6 at Whitesville Trinity, 12/8 at Caldwell County, 12/10 vs. #10 Monroe County    
    
8. Clinton County (1-1) - 11/29 72-27 W #13 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/2 61-62 L at #4 Franklin-Simpson    
Previous Rank: 10    
This Week: 12/6 at #10 Monroe County, 12/9 vs. #6 Metcalfe County    
    
9) Barren County (0-2) - 11/29 43-88 L #1 Warren Central, 12/2 44-51 L Elizabethtown    
Previous Rank: 8    
This Week: 12/6 vs. #17 Logan County, 12/9 at #3 Warren East, 12/10 vs. North Hardin    
    
10) Monroe County (2-1) - 11/28 59-44 W #17 Logan County, 11/29 49-54 L at #4 Franklin-Simpson, 12/3 56-39 W #15 Russellville    
Previous Rank: 11    
This Week: 12/6 vs. #8 Clinton County, 12/9 at #15 Cumberland County, 12/10 at #7 Todd County Central    
    
11) Greenwood (1-2) - 11/29 53-72 L at Owensboro Catholic, 12/2 64-61 W #14 Russell County, 12/3 57-75 L Madison Southern (at Georgetown)    
Previous Rank: 9    
This Week: 12/6 vs. Evangel Christian, 12/9 at #16 Russellville, 12/10 vs. Fairdale (at Barren County)    
    
12) Russell County (1-1) - 11/28 58-50 W at Somerset, 12/2 61-64 L at #9 Greenwood    
Previous Rank: 14    
This Week: 12/9 vs. Pickett County (TN), 12/10 vs. Butler County    
    
13) Glasgow (0-1) - 12/3 43-80 L at LaRue County    
Previous Rank: 12    
This Week: 12/6 vs. Caverna, 12/10 vs. Sayre (at Barren County)    
    
14) Allen County-Scottsville (0-2) - 11/29 27-72 L at #10 Clinton County, 12/2 59-83 L at #6 Metcalfe County    
Previous Rank: 13    
This Week: 12/5 vs. #4 South Warren, 12/9 vs. #5 Franklin-Simpson    
    
15) Cumberland County (0-3) - 11/28 56-68 L Hart County, 11/29 67-70 L Adair County, 12/3 48-56 L Edmonson County    
Previous Rank: 16    
This Week: 12/6 at #6 Metcalfe County, 12/9 vs. #10 Monroe County    
    
16) Russellville (0-2) - 11/29 55-79 L Butler County, 12/3 39-56 L at #11 Monroe County    
Previous Rank: 15    
This Week: 12/9 vs. #11 Greenwood, 12/10 at Madisonville-North Hopkins    
    
17) Logan County (0-3) - 11/28 44-59 L at #11 Monroe County, 12/2 40-74 L #3 Warren East, 12/3 58-84 L #5 South Warren    
Previous Rank: 17    
This Week: 12/6 at #9 Barren County, 12/10 vs. #18 Foundation Christian Academy (at South Warren)    
    
18) Foundation Christian Academy (3-0) - 11/29 64-35 W at Metro Christian Academy (TN), 12/2 51-34 W at Calvary Christian, 12/3 58-44 W Covington Latin  
Previous Rank: 18    
This Week: 12/6 vs. Fort Campbell, 12/9 at Cloverport, 12/10 vs. #17 Logan County (at South Warren)   

Notes:

-The top of the rankings mostly took care of business.  South Warren's loss to BGP-ranked Lyon County was the only setback in 11 combined games played by the top five teams.  There were several close shaves, most notably #4 Franklin-Simpson's win over #10 Clinton County.  Clinton County led much of the game, but a 5-0 run put Franklin-Simpson ahead 61-58 with 1:30 left.  The Bulldogs tied it by hitting three of four free throws, before Jalen Briscoe rebounded a missed three from the corner and drew the foul with less than a second left, and hit the first of two for the 62-61 win. The free throw gave Briscoe his 18th point of the game.  This came days after a 54-49 win over Monroe County, staking the Wildcats to a 2-0 start, their first since the 2016/17 season, when they opened 7-0.  

-Warren Central opened with a pair of dominating wins, looking to take out their frustration over failing to win state last year on the teams on their schedule.  Their 88-43 win over #8 Barren County in the season's opener was their highest scoring effort in a season opener since the start of the 2000/2001 season, and the largest win in the series since winning by 48 in 2009.  

-Bowling Green is missing a few players, which led to some tight contests this week, but they still managed to start 2-0.  They've started at least 6-0 in each of the previous four seasons coached by DG Sherrill.  They'll have their work cut out for them to maintain that high standard, as they have a meeting with BGP top-5 North Laurel looming on Saturday.  Their double overtime win over Henderson County was their longest game in nearly nine years, and their first extra session game since December of 2018.

-Meanwhile, Warren East is out to their first 2-0 start since the 2015/16 season, snapping a two game losing streak to Metcalfe County prior to winning their third in a row over Logan County.  Isaiah Andrews is out to a phenomenal start, averaging 31 PPG between the two games, scoring over half of the total for the Raiders in their win over Metcalfe County, scoring 34 of their 65 points.  It's exaclty the type of performance expected by one of the region's top players - he's pulled in 21 rebounds already as well.  They have one of their biggest games of the year on Friday when they host Barren County, their new 15th District rival.  Getting the #1 seed would be huge for their region tournament hopes, and defending home court against probably the only major threat for that honor will be critical.

-Special shout out to Foundation Christian Academy, who has started 3-0.  They won one game out of their first 39 since joining the KHSAA, but started this year hot.  They'll step up in competition this week, taking on the likes of Fort Campbell, Cloverport, and Logan County.  Even if those all end up losses, this year has already become a relative success.

-The game of the week will match #5 Franklin-Simpson at #4 South Warren.  The two teams flip-flopped this week due to the relative strength of their wins and frankly the likelihood that what Lyon County did to South Warren they'd do to Franklin-Simpson.  They get the chance to settle it on the court right away.  South Warren leads the all-time series 11-10, and won the most recent meeting by a single point, 53-52 last February.  Their last four meetings have all been decided by less than five points.  

-The aforementioned #3 Warren East vs. #9 Barren County is a game with significant district implications, but so too is #6 Metcalfe County at #8 Clinton County.  The pair have split their last four meetings, and like East/Barren, this game will likely decide the inside track for who will be the top seed in the district.  This will be especially significant for Metcalfe County, who failed to grab the top seed a year ago, which placed them in a tougher matchup with Cumberland County, where they were upset to end their season.  They'll tune up for the Clinton County game by playing Cumberland County for the first time since that result, that match coming on Tuesday.