5^th Region Week 12
Rankings and District Preview

1.       North Hardin 19-9

2.       Larue County 20-9

3.       Adair County 24-6

4.       Central Hardin 18-10

5.       Elizabethtown 18-9

6.       Washington County 20-9

7.       Taylor County 17-12

8.       Caverna 17-10

9.       Green County 17-13

10.   Hart County 16-11

11.   Bardstown 13-15

12.   Campbellsville 13-15

13.   Bethlehem 13-13

14.   Nelson County 8-18

15.   Fort Knox 7-20

16.   Thomas Nelson 6-21

17.   John Hardin 4-26

18.   Marion County 4-24

 

17^th District at Central Hardin

Quarterfinals: Fort Knox vs. John Hardin
These 2 teams split during the regular season with each team winning on the road. The difference for these two teams seems to be John Hardin’s addition of Marquis Hayes and Fort Knox’s loss of Shemar Ward. Hayes became eligible after the first meeting and Ward was dismissed from the team before the second meeting. I’ll take John Hardin to win this one and give Coach Hyche his first career district tournament win.

Semi Final: North Hardin vs. John Hardin/Fort Knox
Your prize for winning the 4/5 game is the opportunity to play the #1 team in the region. North Hardin has been playing their best basketball as of late. They finished the regular season going 2 for 3 with wins over Spencer County and Frederick Douglas. Shaun Boykins is playing like a possessed man right now. North went combined 4-0 against John and Knox during the season with an average win margin of 45 points. North moves on to the district finals and a berth in the 5^th Region tournament.

Semi Final: Central Hardin vs. Elizabethtown

This on paper should be the most exciting game in the postseason for the 5^th Region. These two teams split during the regular season. Both teams held serve on their home court. Etown won the first game 83-78 in overtime and Central Hardin captured the second game 94-90 in double overtime. This game features both co-players of the year in Brett Decker for Central and Ayden Evans for Etown. Central comes into the game winners of 5 of their last 6, while Etown has dropped 3 of their last 4. I’ll take Central to win on their home court and advance to the finals in a classic to cap of the 23-24 trilogy.

Finals: Central Hardin vs. North Hardin

Should these two teams meet again in the finals it should be another great game. They split on the road during the regular season. This should be a fun one as both teams are playing their best basketball of the season. I’ll take North in a close one to give coach Baffour his first district tournament crown. This will be North’s first trip to the district finals since being a runner-up in 2017 and their first trip to the region since then as well.

18^th District at Green County

Semi Final: Green County vs. Hart County

Hart County started off the district season in the drivers’ seat going 2-0 against Caverna and Larue. They then lost their next 4 district games and ended as the 4 seed. Green County on the other hand went 4-2 through district play. The Dragons swept the regular season series 78-68 and 53-39 respectively. Both teams have similar records, but I think Green has played a little bit tougher schedule. I think this one is competitive but in the end the Dragons end up 3-0 against the Raiders and move onto the 18^th district finals.

Semi Final: Larue County vs. Caverna

Larue County has dominated the 18^th district tournament for the last decade, winning the district crown for the last 7 years. The team with the next most district tournament championships in that time span would be Caverna, winning in 2015 and 2016. Caverna won the first matchup this season 74-72 on Dec. 12^th. Larue would win the next one on Feb. 2 by a score of 63-47. The Hawks are playing as well as any team in the region not named North Hardin and bring a 6-game winning streak into district play. Caverna in the month of February is 4-3, but all of their losses have come from top teams in the region (Larue, Central Hardin, Adair). Caverna seems to play well at Green County as well, but until someone beats the champ it’s the champs to lose, so I’ll take the Hawks by 5.

Finals: Green County vs. Larue County

These two teams split during the regular season and tensions have been pretty high in those games. There was the ugly scene at the end of the first game at Larue County. The Hawks won that game 63-47. The Dragons got revenge just a week later with a 1-point win at home (61-60). I expect this game to be played with lots of emotion. This has probably been the best rivalry in the 18^th district over the past few years in all sports. This is a toss-up game for me but if I have to pick one, I’ll take Larue in another close game.

19^th District at Washington County

Quarterfinal: Thomas Nelson vs. Nelson County

This game intrigues me for a couple of reasons. Thomas Nelson is playing better the last 2 weeks of the regular season than they have played the last 2 seasons. Nelson County doesn’t seem to get any consistency. There is also the whole merger issue at hand, with Thomas Nelson looking like it will dissolve back into Nelson County in the next year or so. I think Thomas Nelson pulls off the upset and advances to the semifinals.

Semi Final: Washington County vs. Thomas Nelson/Nelson County

Much like the 17^th district, your prize for winning your first game is to get one of the best teams in the region. Washington County started off the year strong but faltered a little bit down the stretch. But with the district being held in Springfield this year, I expect the Commanders to cruise to a large victory regardless of which team they play.

Semi Final: Bethlehem vs. Bardstown

In Coach Brad Greenwell’s first year, he grabs the #2 seed in the district. His reward for doing so is to play Bardstown, who has absolutely owned the 19^th district. You have to go back to 2013 to find a different winner of the district tournament than Bardstown. Bethlehem won that game in 2013 by 9 against who else, Bardstown. The last time Bardstown didn’t make the trip to the 5^th Region tournament and the 19^th district championship game was 2003. These 2 teams split during the regular season. Bardstown won the first by 5, Bethlehem won the second by 2. I’ll take Bardstown to the finals by 6.

Finals: Washington County vs Bardstown

Washington County hasn’t won the district tournament since 2005. They were heavily favored last year, and Bardstown beat them in the finals 72-59 in a game that wasn’t even that close most of the way. But with a little more experience and having the home court advantage, I think Washington finally gets the district crown back and they win by 10.

20^th District at Taylor County

Semi Final:  Adair County vs. Marion County

Adair has been one of the top teams in the region all season, and Marion has been toward the bottom of the region all season. Marion County plays hard, and Coach Thomas coaches hard, but the talent gap is just too wide. Adair swept the regular season matchups and I look for more of the same. I’ll take Adair by 15.

Semi Final: Taylor County vs. Campbellsville

The cross-town rivalry between these two schools always makes for a fun environment for the game, but it really hasn’t been much of a rivalry in recent years. Taylor won both games during the regular season by double digits and it should be more of the same in the district tournament. I’ll take Taylor by 14.

Finals: Adair County vs. Taylor County

This should be a fun one. Adair County won both games during the regular season. They won at home by 9, and then at Taylor by 5. That game at Taylor County was one of the best environments I’ve seen for a regular season high school basketball game in recent years. I expect that gymnasium to be rocking on Friday night for this one as well. It will come down to the play of Connor Loy and Isaiah Cochran. If both of them are playing well that night, Taylor will have its work cut out for them. On the other hand, if they are not, or one of them is not playing well, and Layken Lyons, CJ Johnson, Jackson Wise or Keeton Clements can get it going then it should come down to the wire. Honestly, I think Taylor has more weapons than Adair, but the question is can they get over the hump. I’ll take Adair by 3 in a thriller.

Predictions for Region

17^th District- Champion- North Hardin
17^th District- Runner-up- Central Hardin

18^th District- Champion- Larue County
18^th District- Runner-up- Green County

19^th District- Champion- Washington County
19^th District- Runner-up- Bardstown

20^th District- Champion- Adair County
20^th District- Runner-up- Taylor County

4 Seed Hart County upset 1 Seed Green County last night in the first round on Green's homecourt 64-57.