Warren Central saw the potential completion of their second dynasty run in the region, grabbing their fifth region title crown in six years, and seeing their season culminate in cutting down the nets at Rupp Arena for the second state title in the history of the program.  In doing so, they grabbed the 22^nd region title in a row by a representative from the 14^th District, and it’s a virtual certainty that that will once again be extended this year, though it is a different team that will be favored to grab that title.

Preseason 4^th Region Rankings 1-10

1. Bowling Green – When you’re an underdog playing for a region title against the #1 team in the state, all you want is a true shot at the win. That’s what the Purples had in the region final against Warren Central.  After trailing by 9 points as late as the 5 minute mark of the 4^th quarter, the Purples – a team without a single senior – looked to be the more poised team and forced overtime, culminating in a Luke Idlett shot from just in front of the Bowling Green bench as time expired that would have given them the title.  But it bounced off the rim, and Bowling Green would have to wait another year.  The advantage to having had no seniors is that the Purples return almost all of that experience for this year.  Chief among those are senior guard MJ Wardlow and senior center Mason Ritter.  Wardlow was the leading scorer for the Purples a season ago, averaging 16.2 PPG, knocking down 54.3% of his shots including 43.6% from three point range.  Wardlow is very quick, drives to the rim incredibly well but also has range.  The 6’7” Ritter is the dominant big man in the region.  His raw talent and ability has long been on display, but it was clear that he made huge strides in the second half of last season, and averaged 14.33 PPG and 11 RPG in the region tournament.  He’ll pose a significant matchup problem for most teams as he has also shown himself to have a solid midrange shot as well.  Ritter holds offers from several D1 programs, including local school Western Kentucky.  He’ll stand in contrast to the guards on the team, but those guards are what make the Purples so formidable.  Once he’s done pursuing a state title on the gridiron, junior Deuce Bailey (10.8 PPG) is expected to return to the hardwood.  At times a streaky shooter, Deuce has shown that when he is on, the Purples become almost unbeatable.  Braylon Banks (8.2 PPG) is another talented member of the junior class that should be ready to take the next step.  The Purples did suffer a number of defections that will reduce their size, as Gavin Lightning and Drevin Bratton depart the program – as well as guard Briar Griffin, but they do get a boost from AJ Woodard, who moves over from Russellville.  Bowling Green has made ten consecutive region finals, they have the talent, they have the experience, they have the culture – they are the frontrunners.

2. Warren Central – Whether last season was the greatest team to ever take the court for the Dragons will likely remain a debate for years to come, but by almost any metric it was the most successful.  In a season that saw them take on teams in the prestigious King of the Bluegrass, the Marshall County Hoopfest, and the Sweet 16, the Dragons fell only a single time, to Madison Central by an almost inexplicable 17 points.  Other than that, the Dragons rolled everyone, winning their games by almost 23 PPG en route to a 36-1 record and their second state title for the program.  In contrast with their rivals, the Dragons return almost no one from that run, the consequences of having a veteran team.  Among their primary seven man rotation, only senior guard Kade Unseld returns.  Unseld, recently committed to Western Kentucky, is a pretty important one.  The likely player of the year in the region, he averaged 16.1 PPG last year, and was selected to the Sweet 16 All-Tournament team, in addition to being named the MVP of the King of the Bluegrass in December.  Unseld is roughly 6’5”, shoots 45.4% from three point range while also pulling down 7.4 RPG.  He will be very tough for guards to match up with.  It is likely he will miss the first month of the season as he recovers from injury, but the Dragons have a back loaded schedule, with only five games scheduled in the first month.  That works out well as their second most important player will not be eligible to play until January 1.  Elijah Starks moves over from Bowling Green, transferring in after playing the first half of last season with the Purples.  Starks averaged 5.6 PPG in 13 games, but averaged 7.8 PPG in 33 games as a sophomore the year before.  Starks will enhance the size and length advantage the Dragons have against many of their opponents, and will be counted on to have a big season.  The Dragons will also have the services of yet another Purple transfer with good size, as Drevin Bratton will also move over.  He averaged 2.7 PPG a season ago, in limited work.  Cadin Hammer rounds out he players returning with significant experience, averaging 1.5 PPG a season ago, usually coming off the bench as the 8^th man in the rotation.  With the loss of the first month from two major players, the pressure will be on for an inexperienced unit to come up to speed and gel to challenge the Purples for the crown – if they do, this may be the most impressive run yet for head coach Will Unseld.

3. South Warren – Under first year coach Carlos Quarles, the Spartans reached new heights for the program, notching their first 20 win season, posting the best season win percentage for the team (.750), and grabbing the longest winning streak ever for the team, winning 11 in a row.  They were 19-2 outside of 14^th District play, but remained unable to solve Bowling Green, who beat them three times to move the series to 0-32, including stonewalling them in the 14^th District tournament and keep the Spartans still on the outside looking in for a regional tournament berth.  They lost some significant pieces off that team, but that is the case for much of the region.  They do return senior guard Drew Hudson, who had 11.3 PPG a season ago, good enough for second on the team.  He was the best deep threat for the squad, hitting 40.6% of his attempts behind the perimeter, best for the squad for players attempting more than two.  Junior guard Bryce Button (6.7 PPG) is the other significant returner, and gets an unexpected jump on joining the team, as he moves over from quarterbacking the football team, eliminated in the second round.  One of the big strengths for the Spartans will be a team that has solid length and height – they list only two players on their roster under 6’0” tall.  Expect the Spartans to continue a strong emphasis on defense – their allowed PPG improved by 4 from 22 to 23.  We may not have a great read on the team until a two week span from January 5^th through January 19^th sees them visit Bowling Green and Greenwood as well as host Warren Central.  If they want to get to where they want to be, they need to win at least two of those three.

4. Todd County Central – Russell Malone returns to the 4^th Region as head coach of the Rebels – he coached at Warren East from 2004-2008, and comes from West Creek, TN.  He inherits a team that enters as the defending 13^th District champions, narrowly missing out on a 20 win season last year.  They return their top two scorers and three of the top four.  Most critically among those is senior center Jamison Glass.  At 6’6”, Glass is one of the few players in the region that can match the height of a player like Mason Ritter from Bowling Green.  He averaged 18.7 PPG last year, hitting 63.2% of his team-high 375 attempts, while pulling down 8.8 rebounds a game.  Senior guard Trayvon Foster was just below Glass in attempts, scoring 12.6 PPG on 12 attempts a game.  Senior Hayden Strader (7.2 PPG) also returns for a veteran team that has six seniors on their roster.  That’s one of the primary benefits for Todd that most teams in the region will not enjoy – consistency in their roster from last year, led by seniors.  It helps keep them the strong favorite in the 13^th District, and they’ll hope to have better luck than last year should they return to the region tournament, hoping to avoid a representative from the 14^th District.

5. Glasgow – The Scotties languished through a tough year a season ago, but proved their mettle multiple times, including knocking off Warren East in overtime in December, and pushing the Raiders to the limit in the district semifinals, before falling by two.  Their 10-18 record last year looks ugly, but they lose only two seniors off that team.  They remain young despite that – there are only three seniors on this squad.  Guard John Carter Walbert is the principal among them.  He was the leading scorer per game a year ago for Glasgow, averaging 12 PPG while also being their leading three point shooter, hitting 39.8% from deep.  6’4” sophomore Jerick Martin will look to build on a strong freshman campaign, where he averaged 8.2 PPG and 3.7 RPG.  He’ll be counted on to step up for the loss of Clay Pippen and Rico Crowder.  The Scotties will move on from the All A Classic this year, moving up to the “Kentucky 2A” competition – their season opener will see them host Logan County in the sectional for that tourney.  That’s part of a challenging opening to the year, as they’ll host Greenwood and Bowling Green before visiting South Warren and then taking on district rival Warren East on December 15^th.

6. Clinton County – One of the most consistent programs in the region, the Bulldogs had a rare down year last season, failing to advance to the region tournament for the first time since 2011.  They still manged at winning record at 15-14, and while they graduated half their six man rotation, they return their top three scorers.  Junior center Cannon Young is 6’6”, and led the team in points (13.3 PPG), rebounds (6.9 RPG), and field goal percentage (55.2%).  Senior guards Steel Burchett (13.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG), and Cohen Davis (12.7 PPG) give the Bulldogs three players that averaged double digits a year ago, a stronger returning scoring trio than almost anyone in the region.  Burchett and Davis are the only two seniors on the team, and will be counted on for leadership.  Drew Davis (22 games) and Nick Poore (10 games) are two other players with experience that may show up to help fill the rotation.  With so few players playing on a given night, the Bulldogs should continue to focus on controlling tempo and keeping scores to a relatively low amount.  They allowed just over 58 PPG last year.

7. Monroe County – The Falcons sputtered down the stretch last season, dropping six of their final eight games, but still posted a solid 18-15 record and made trips to the All A region finals and the 4^th Region tournament.  Three seniors depart from that squad, including leading scorer John Harlin.  The 2023-24 edition features a short roster – only nine players are currently listed as of this writing – and there are only two seniors.  One of those is guard Austen Arnett, who is the leading returning scorer from last season.  He averaged 11.3 points per game, serving as the primary three point shooter for the team, attempting a little over 1/3 of their attempts from deep.  Sophomore forward Branson Williams is 6’5”, 190 lbs, and scored 8.5 PPG while pulling down 8.2 boards per game.  Another talented sophomore is 6’3” guard Brison Nuckols.  Brison missed a little under half of the season last year, but averaged 8.4 PPG in the games he played.  Expect a very short rotation from the Falcons, so these three have to step up big.

8. Greenwood – The 22/23 season for Greenwood was defined down the stretch by close losses.  In between losses to Warren Central in late January and their season ending game in the district tournament, they lost four games by a combined nine points.  A few breaks here and there would have been the difference between a 3-4 record in that stretch and a seven game win streak going into the postseason.  A much stronger looking season was within the realm of possibilities.  They’ll hope to turn those around this year, as they return three of their top five scorers.  Junior win Asher Pettus is 6’4”, and averaged 10.4 PPG last year while leading the team in total points with 323, adding 4.1 boards per game.  That is one area in particular that they’ll need to improve as a team, and Pettus will be someone they’ll need to get more out of for that to happen.  Nick Simpson (9.2 PPG) and Chaze Huff (41.9% from three) also of note returning.  Like Monroe County, the Gators currently have a rather light roster in terms of numbers, with only ten listed.  They too, may have a short rotation, as they had a few departures to other schools in addition to graduation.

9. Barren County – The Trojans had another 20 win season last year, finishing with a 21-13 record and a strong showing in the 4^th Region tournament, falling to eventual runner-up Bowling Green by five in the region semifinals.  Graduation hit the team hard, with six seniors departing, and leaving them replacing their top three scorers.  Warren Cunningham is back for his 16^th season at the helm, and it is difficult to rank the Trojans outside the top ten due to a pedigree of the teams under Cunningham showing well year after year.  Juniors Tate Spillman (6.9 PPG) and Brey Bewley (4.4 PPG) lead the way for returning scorers.  Spillman was the leader for the team last year in three point percentage, shooting just under 40% while hitting 1.1 a game.  Look for his volume to increase.  Senior Mason Bunch will likely step into a starting role, after appearing in 22 games last year.

10. Warren East – The Raiders had their first 20 win season in a decade as they made their long awaited return to the region tournament, appearing for the first time since 1997 as they added a 15^th District title to the trophy case in their first season in the district.  The downside is that they graduated seven seniors from that team, including one of the leading scorers for the region in Isaiah Andrews (23.4 PPG).  They don’t return a single player who averaged more than 7.2 PPG.  That total belonged to the big man, Ka Jarius Barber.  The senior checks in at a staggering 6’5”, 305 lbs, and he averaged 5.4 rebounds per game as well.  Junior guard Brenden Bratcher (5.1 PPG, 38.7% 3FG%) and sophomore guard Kaleb Prince (3.8 PPG) will look to step into scoring roles as well.  The Raiders will have to figure things out quickly, as they visit Barren County on December 8^th, and host Glasgow on December 15^th, two very important district games.

 

The Rest of the Field

11. Franklin-Simpson

12. Russellville

13. Russell County

14. Metcalfe County

15. Logan County

16. Cumberland County

17. Allen County-Scottsville

18. Foundation Christian Academy

 

Top Players in the 4th Region

1. Kade Unseld, G, Sr. (Warren Central)
2. Mason Ritter, C, Sr. (Bowling Green)
3. MJ Wardlow, G, Sr. (Bowling Green)
4. Jamison Glass, C/F, Sr. (Todd County Central)
5. Elijah Starks, F, Sr. (Warren Central)
6. Deuce Bailey, G, Jr. (Bowling Green)
7. Cannon Young, C, Jr. (Clinton County)
8. Jerrick Martin, G, So. (Glasgow)
9. Braylon Banks, G, Jr. (Bowling Green)
10. Asher Pettus, F, Jr. (Greenwood)

Excellent, as always, @DragonFire

Good job D Fire. 

Unmatched!  Great Job!

Bump.