5th Region Boys Basketball Preview

[5thregionbasketball]

The 5^th Region looks like it could be as competitive as it has been in a long time. This seems to be the first year in several years where there is no clear-cut favorite to win the region, which should make for a fun basketball season. Here are my pre-season rankings:

1.      Washington County- The Commanders take the top spot to begin the season. They finished last season with a 23-10 record and had their season end in the regional semifinals. They lost none of their nucleus from last season, returning all starters that include 4 double digit scorers. Beau Baker averaged 14.5 ppg and 8.5 rebounds per game, along with point guard Noah Reynolds who averaged 12.3 ppg, Riley Brown who averaged 10.2 ppg and Gabe Weiss who averaged 11.5 ppg but may be the most improved player in the region this season and already garnered a number of D1 offers. The Commanders will make their (I believe) first trip ever to the King of the Bluegrass tournament this year.

2.      Elizabethtown- The Panthers are the defending regional champions. This year’s squad will see the return of Ayden Evans, who led the team in scoring last season with 16.1 ppg. He’ll also have alongside him his younger brother Alex Evans and Jquan Williams, who averaged 8 ppg. The Panthers lost Obian Howard and JuJuan Williams who were both double-digit scorers’ last season. On paper, it would seem that the Panthers may be down just a bit, but you can never count out any team led by James Haire.

3.      Taylor County- The Cardinals bring back a loaded team this season. They lost Mason Guffey to graduation, however Guffey didn’t play any last season due to an injury. They also lost Landon Blakey to Larue County. But the 24-7 Cardinals will return Layken Lyons, 18.8 ppg, Jackson Wise 13.4 ppg, and big man Keeton Clements 13.3. Taylor County will also participate in the King of the Bluegrass tournament, making this (again, I believe) the first time there have been two 5^th Region teams in the tournament in a single season.

4.      North Hardin- Michael Baffour’s Trojans will look to continue their improvement in the 17^th district. Last season, the Trojans fell in the semi-finals to Central Hardin, and ended their season with a 15-12 record. North Hardin didn’t lose any of their core nucleus of players and return this season Taveon Smith, 17.4 ppg and Trevion Ross, 8.3 ppg. The Trojans will look to UofL football commit Shaun Boykins to lead the team. Boykins was the team’s leading scorer last season with 21.2 ppg.

5.      Larue County- The Hawks round out the top 5. The Hawks season came up just a bit short of Rupp Arena, losing in the regional finals to Elizabethtown. They return Daniel Allen, who emerged as one of the best players in the region, averaging 22.2 ppg. Jagger Mardis had a great freshman season averaging 14.9 ppg and they added Taylor County transfer Landon Blakey, 8.4 ppg. Larue did lose two considerable factors from last season’s team in Carson Childress, 13.7 ppg and Luke Trumbo, who did so many little things that don’t show up in stat sheets. Trumbo did contribute 6.3 ppg and 5.3 rebounds per game.

6.      Adair County- Coach Deron Breeze should be excited about this season. His Indians finished 23-10 last season with a trip to the regional tournament. They return all of their key players from last season including Connor Loy, 20.5 ppg, Brayton Coomer 11.1 ppg, Dawson Gilbert 10.5 ppg and Collins transfer Isaiah Cochran 11.2 ppg. The Indians should be fun to watch this season.

7.      Central Hardin- The Bruins could arguably be higher on the list. They finished the season 19-14 last year with a trip to the region tournament. They also return star player Brett Decker who averaged 23 ppg. Ace Jaggers will be counted on to contribute when he returns from injury. Jaggers suffered an ACL tear shortly after last season ended. There will be two new faces for the Bruins this season. Head Coach Tavon Johnson begins his head coaching career this season after being an assistant at Bardstown for a number of years. Donovan Stone has transferred from Bardstown. Stone averaged 12.9 ppg and will likely help Decker with the ball handling responsibilities.

8.      Green County- Expectations are high in Greensburg this season. Jordan Gilbert seemed to get his team playing much better toward the end of last season that culminated with a trip to the regional tournament. Haydon Blakeman will provide the bulk of the scoring for the Dragons. Blakeman averaged 19.3 ppg. Alongside him will be Jayden Marr who averaged 15.1 ppg last season.

9.      Hart County- The Raiders are coming off a 14-13 season last year. They’ll lean heavily on the Shoulder brothers. Jaxon averaged 15.4 ppg and Jacob added 11.3 ppg. Clark Rexroat added 11.1 ppg last season.

10.  Bardstown- Boo Brewer’s crew rounds out the top 10. The Bardstown Tigers, coming off a 12-16 season that still saw them become the #2 seed in the 19^th district and make an appearance in the regional semifinals, will look a little different this year. The Tigers will have to replace Donovan Stone, who transferred to Central Hardin. They’ll also have to replace the scoring of Grant Bowling, who averaged 16.7 ppg and Jay Trell Curtsinger who added 14.3 ppg. They will look to Tyleeq Williams, who averaged 7.4 ppg and Jtown transfer Brenton Moore. The large unknown is Nice Ngandu, who is 6’9 and is from the Congo. He came to the U.S. through B. Maze Elite AAU.

The Rest of the Region

11.  Caverna
12.  Bethlehem
13.  Nelson County
14.  Campbellsville
15.  Thomas Nelson
16.  John Hardin
17.  Marion County
18.  Fort Knox

District Predictions

17^th District

1.      Elizabethtown
2.      North Hardin
3.      Central Hardin
4.      John Hardin
5.      Fort Knox

18^th District

1.      Larue County
2.      Green County
3.      Hart County
4.      Caverna

19^th District

1.      Washington County
2.      Bardstown
3.      Bethlehem
4.      Nelson County
5.      Thomas Nelson

20^th District

1.      Taylor County
2.      Adair County
3.      Campbellsville
4.      Marion County

Players to Watch (No Particular Order)

Brett Decker- Central Hardin Donovan Stone- Central Hardin Ayden Evans- Elizabethtown Shaun Boykins- North Hardin Taveon Smith- North Hardin Daniel Allen- Larue County Jaxon Shoulders- Hart County Hayden Blakeman- Green County Jayden Marr- Green County Jaylin Crane- Caverna Tayden Logsdon- Caverna Beau Baker- Washington County Gabe Weiss- Washington County Layken Lyons- Taylor County Jackson Wise- Taylor County Keeton Clements- Taylor County Connor Loy- Adair County Brayton Coomer- Adair County Isaiah Cochran- Adair County

 

[ACfan4]

54 minutes ago, 5thregionbasketball said:

The 5^th Region looks like it could be as competitive as it has been in a long time. This seems to be the first year in several years where there is no clear-cut favorite to win the region, which should make for a fun basketball season. Here are my pre-season rankings:

1.      Washington County- The Commanders take the top spot to begin the season. They finished last season with a 23-10 record and had their season end in the regional semifinals. They lost none of their nucleus from last season, returning all starters that include 4 double digit scorers. Beau Baker averaged 14.5 ppg and 8.5 rebounds per game, along with point guard Noah Reynolds who averaged 12.3 ppg, Riley Brown who averaged 10.2 ppg and Gabe Weiss who averaged 11.5 ppg but may be the most improved player in the region this season and already garnered a number of D1 offers. The Commanders will make their (I believe) first trip ever to the King of the Bluegrass tournament this year.

2.      Elizabethtown- The Panthers are the defending regional champions. This year’s squad will see the return of Ayden Evans, who led the team in scoring last season with 16.1 ppg. He’ll also have alongside him his younger brother Alex Evans and Jquan Williams, who averaged 8 ppg. The Panthers lost Obian Howard and JuJuan Williams who were both double-digit scorers’ last season. On paper, it would seem that the Panthers may be down just a bit, but you can never count out any team led by James Haire.

3.      Taylor County- The Cardinals bring back a loaded team this season. They lost Mason Guffey to graduation, however Guffey didn’t play any last season due to an injury. They also lost Landon Blakey to Larue County. But the 24-7 Cardinals will return Layken Lyons, 18.8 ppg, Jackson Wise 13.4 ppg, and big man Keeton Clements 13.3. Taylor County will also participate in the King of the Bluegrass tournament, making this (again, I believe) the first time there have been two 5^th Region teams in the tournament in a single season.

4.      North Hardin- Michael Baffour’s Trojans will look to continue their improvement in the 17^th district. Last season, the Trojans fell in the semi-finals to Central Hardin, and ended their season with a 15-12 record. North Hardin didn’t lose any of their core nucleus of players and return this season Taveon Smith, 17.4 ppg and Trevion Ross, 8.3 ppg. The Trojans will look to UofL football commit Shaun Boykins to lead the team. Boykins was the team’s leading scorer last season with 21.2 ppg.

5.      Larue County- The Hawks round out the top 5. The Hawks season came up just a bit short of Rupp Arena, losing in the regional finals to Elizabethtown. They return Daniel Allen, who emerged as one of the best players in the region, averaging 22.2 ppg. Jagger Mardis had a great freshman season averaging 14.9 ppg and they added Taylor County transfer Landon Blakey, 8.4 ppg. Larue did lose two considerable factors from last season’s team in Carson Childress, 13.7 ppg and Luke Trumbo, who did so many little things that don’t show up in stat sheets. Trumbo did contribute 6.3 ppg and 5.3 rebounds per game.

6.      Adair County- Coach Deron Breeze should be excited about this season. His Indians finished 23-10 last season with a trip to the regional tournament. They return all of their key players from last season including Connor Loy, 20.5 ppg, Brayton Coomer 11.1 ppg, Dawson Gilbert 10.5 ppg and Collins transfer Isaiah Cochran 11.2 ppg. The Indians should be fun to watch this season.

7.      Central Hardin- The Bruins could arguably be higher on the list. They finished the season 19-14 last year with a trip to the region tournament. They also return star player Brett Decker who averaged 23 ppg. Ace Jaggers will be counted on to contribute when he returns from injury. Jaggers suffered an ACL tear shortly after last season ended. There will be two new faces for the Bruins this season. Head Coach Tavon Johnson begins his head coaching career this season after being an assistant at Bardstown for a number of years. Donovan Stone has transferred from Bardstown. Stone averaged 12.9 ppg and will likely help Decker with the ball handling responsibilities.

8.      Green County- Expectations are high in Greensburg this season. Jordan Gilbert seemed to get his team playing much better toward the end of last season that culminated with a trip to the regional tournament. Haydon Blakeman will provide the bulk of the scoring for the Dragons. Blakeman averaged 19.3 ppg. Alongside him will be Jayden Marr who averaged 15.1 ppg last season.

9.      Hart County- The Raiders are coming off a 14-13 season last year. They’ll lean heavily on the Shoulder brothers. Jaxon averaged 15.4 ppg and Jacob added 11.3 ppg. Clark Rexroat added 11.1 ppg last season.

10.  Bardstown- Boo Brewer’s crew rounds out the top 10. The Bardstown Tigers, coming off a 12-16 season that still saw them become the #2 seed in the 19^th district and make an appearance in the regional semifinals, will look a little different this year. The Tigers will have to replace Donovan Stone, who transferred to Central Hardin. They’ll also have to replace the scoring of Grant Bowling, who averaged 16.7 ppg and Jay Trell Curtsinger who added 14.3 ppg. They will look to Tyleeq Williams, who averaged 7.4 ppg and Jtown transfer Brenton Moore. The large unknown is Nice Ngandu, who is 6’9 and is from the Congo. He came to the U.S. through B. Maze Elite AAU.

The Rest of the Region

11.  Caverna
12.  Bethlehem
13.  Nelson County
14.  Campbellsville
15.  Thomas Nelson
16.  John Hardin
17.  Marion County
18.  Fort Knox

District Predictions

17^th District

1.      Elizabethtown
2.      North Hardin
3.      Central Hardin
4.      John Hardin
5.      Fort Knox

18^th District

1.      Larue County
2.      Green County
3.      Hart County
4.      Caverna

19^th District

1.      Washington County
2.      Bardstown
3.      Bethlehem
4.      Nelson County
5.      Thomas Nelson

20^th District

1.      Taylor County
2.      Adair County
3.      Campbellsville
4.      Marion County

Players to Watch (No Particular Order)

Brett Decker- Central Hardin Donovan Stone- Central Hardin Ayden Evans- Elizabethtown Shaun Boykins- North Hardin Taveon Smith- North Hardin Daniel Allen- Larue County Jaxon Shoulders- Hart County Hayden Blakeman- Green County Jayden Marr- Green County Jaylin Crane- Caverna Tayden Logsdon- Caverna Beau Baker- Washington County Gabe Weiss- Washington County Layken Lyons- Taylor County Jackson Wise- Taylor County Keeton Clements- Taylor County Connor Loy- Adair County Brayton Coomer- Adair County Isaiah Cochran- Adair County

 

Logsdon is no longer at Caverna as he transferred to Grayson County. 

[5thregionbasketball]

38 minutes ago, ACfan4 said:

Logsdon is no longer at Caverna as he transferred to Grayson County. 

Thanks, wasn't aware of that!

[ACfan4]

Think you can argue as many as 6-7 teams could win the region this year. It has that much depth and seems to be wide open. 

[5thregionbasketball]

24 minutes ago, ACfan4 said:

Think you can argue as many as 6-7 teams could win the region this year. It has that much depth and seems to be wide open. 

Agreed. I think teams 1-7 could all be there at the end. I think Green County is outside of that top tier of teams, but they are not a team I'd want to play come postseason time, especially if they get everything going well. 

[ACfan4]

Adair County defeated North Hardin in a scrimmage 76-57 tonight. North was without Shaun Boykins who's recovering from a football injury. 

[theguru]

Bump.