@LethalPG hit the nail on the head saying 2 through 10 in this region is all about matchups. But I think we can now even extend that deeper into the region.

This is about the hardest time I have ever had ranking a region. I think the top 5 are absolutely correct for this moment, though it includes a huge riser.

After the top 5 is a mess. There is just so much parity inside the individual districts and, as we know, rivalry brings out the best in everyone most of the time. Well it was a big week of district play and it did not disappoint. Just some insanely competitive games and some really fun finishes. 
 

Rankings

1. DCA - What is clear is that DCA is the leader in the region and will continue to be the team to beat. They have beaten Elliott County, Walton-Verona and Hazard so far this week in Owensboro and are set to take on Lyon County today in the All A State Tournament finals. They have been showing off that they are a team to be reckoned with on a state level and there is a chance that both them and their girls team will be celebrating an All A state title today.

2. Pulaski County - The Maroons cruised to two decisive wins this week over Somerset and McCreary. They now have 6 road games in a row, not returning home until Valentine’s Day. They face Southwestern and Rockcastle County this week.

3. Mercer County - The Titans fell on the road to Bryan Station but bounced back with a big district win over West Jessamine in Nicholasville. They now get to return home to face East Jessamine as their streak of district play  continues. They wrap up the week at Trinity Christian.

4. Boyle County - The big riser of the week, separating themselves from the chaos, is Boyle County. They got a win over West Jessamine before defeating district rival Lincoln County. Though plagued by inconsistency and having previously suffered a blowout loss to DCA, the Rebels are going to be a rough matchup based on their strength and athleticism, highlighted by Seneca Driver. They have three home games this week including a rematch with Lincoln County.

5. Lincoln County - The Patriots took losses to Madison Central and district rival Lincoln County. They got a 2 point win over another district foe, the Golden Lions of Garrard County. This week may have exposed the Patriots but you also think it continues to battle test them as they prepare for the inevitable 2 vs. 3 district semifinal with Boyle in a few weeks. Speaking of Boyle, they get them again this week as well as the mighty Warriors of DCA. 

6. Somerset Christian School - The Cougars top the heap of teams 6 through 12. The last couple of weeks these teams have had a mix of wins, losses and competitive matchups that make it exceptionally difficult to sort. The parity here is amazing. SCS is riding high, besting Wayne County as well as Casey County and Monroe County. They are preparing to go through their second set of district games, all of which are winnable. They start with a rematch against McCreary, who they beat the first time followed by game 2 against Southwestern, who they lost to previously, and then a road trip to Jackson City. Want a regular season district title? Then winning these next two games appears essential.

7. Garrard County - The Golden Lions defeated Danville on the road before losing to Lincoln by 2. They will have some work now to do if they hope to escape the 4 seed but they have shown they can compete with Lincoln and Boyle. They face Danville again this week before playing Madison Southern and Casey County.

8. Wayne County - The Cardinals fell to Somerset Christian on the road but were able to bounce back with a road win over Danville. They face Russell County, Clinton County and McCreary Central this week.

9. McCreary Central - The Raiders defeated district foe Southwestern before falling to Pulaski County. They have two more district games this week - Somerset Christian and Wayne County. This district has been exceptionally fun to follow and this week should bring more excitement.

10. Southwestern - The Warriors round out the top ten, making four teams from the 48th to appear in it. It also says something about the 48th that even with them being the lowest ranked, Southwestern certainly could still get the one seed. They lost to McCreary Central last week and have four games this week, the most importantly being SCS though they also face Pulaski.

11. West Jessamine - The Colts have played competitive basketball for most of the year but just struggle to close out wins. They fell to Mercer and Boyle last week. They face Dunbar and Lafayette this week.

12. Somerset - Here we are at the bottom of the 12. The Jumpers lost two last week, falling to Madison Southern and Pulaski County. They have just one game this week, Corbin at home. In fact, they don’t go on the road again until Valentine’s Day. They have the ability to be dangerous in the postseason. Hopefully they can fine tune themselves and continue to work on getting to full strength.

13. Rockcastle County - The Rockets went 2-1 last week including a win over East Jessamine. They face Madison Centeal, Pulaski County and Casey County all at home this week.

14. East Jessamine - The Jaguars went 1-2 last week, their sole victory being a district game with Trinity Christian. It has been a disappointing season but they are still going to run themselves separated from the regional tournament only by a win over rival West. The focus has to be preparing for that game everytime they touch the hardwood.

15. Danville - The Ads are still winless in 2025. They face Garrard and DCA this week in two district contests.

16. Trinity Christian - The Titans host Cornerstone Christian, Mercer County and Lynn Camp this week.

17. Burgin - The Bulldogs have four games this week including district opponent East Jessamine. 

18. Casey County - The Rebels have four games this week and their matchup against North Hardin Classical may be their best chance so far at win number 1.

19. Kentucky School for the Deaf - The Colonels were off and will be so again this week.

I think your top 4 are about what I thought they should be all along. Based solely on potential, not their results to date. And now the results are maybe starting to align more with the potential.

Frankly, it’s more about the the rest of the field not getting it done as opposed to what that group has done - with the lone exception of DCA (they’re killing it). While Pulaski has looked a little better of late, in a normal year for the region, they would’ve had to do much more than they have to get back near the top. Likewise for Mercer. And while Boyle’s record is decent, they still don’t have a quality win IMO. And lots of people disagreed with me along the way about whether Boyle had “that level” of athleticism this year. I think we are now seeing that, though maybe not as athletic as in recent years, in this region this year, they’re very athletic (comparatively). The only team they can’t simply “out athlete” is DCA.

After those 4 teams, I really think that Southwest has the most talent and thus the possibility to be relevant in the regional tournament.