3rd Region: Week 8

Until this week, most expected the region to be a 2 team race between Daviess County and Butler County but Owensboro Catholic continues to impress with how they have played since Christmas.  Tim Riley and company reeled off 11 straight wins, including Beechwood and Sayre in the All-A State Tournament this past week.  They will face off against Daviess County, for the first time this season, on Friday.  That should tell us a little more on where they stand.  Butler County continues to mow down regional opponents not named Daviess County.  No matter their record, the Bears will factor into the regional tournament before it is all said and done.  Grayson County has an opportunity to show where they are at as they host the Bears on Friday.

1.Daviess County Panthers (12-3) – SAME

2-0 (W 77-69) Meade County & (W 77-60) Webster Co

                Daviess County kept it rolling this week with 2 more wins.  Jonathan Moss and DeAaron Watkins led the way with 24 each in the win over Meade.  Watkins put up 26 and 10 against Webster while Moss poured in 23.  Watkins and Moss are proving to be the best duo in the region.  This is a huge week for the Panthers as they make up a district game at Apollo tonight before traveling to Muhlenberg on Tuesday.  Friday they host red hot Owensboro Catholic before closing the week against Hopkinsville at the Sportscenter. While they will be favored in all 4 games, they will be challenged by 2 top 5 teams and a district rival in Apollo.

2. Butler County Bears (10-9) - SAME

3-0 (W 91-67) Muhlenberg County, (W 85-53) Whitesville Trinity & (W 78-58) Mclean County

                The Bears have proven to be dominate against 3^rd Region opponents, winning 3 straight this week.  They have averaged a 25 point win margin in the 7 3^rd Region wins this season.  Ty Price had 47 in the win over Muhlenberg, and 21 against Trinity.  Justin Castlen led the way against Mclean, scoring 26, while Briar Griffin added 19.  Price is sitting at #3 in the state in scoring and became just the 26^th player in KHSAA history to eclipse 3000 points for his career.  Butler hosts Hancock tonight before traveling to Breck County on Tuesday.  They have a 12^th district showdown at Grayson on Friday and close the week at the Sportscenter against Calloway County.

3. Owensboro Catholic Aces (12-6) – SAME

3-1 (W 85-72) Owensboro, (W 62-53) Beechwood, (W 56-50) Sayre & (L 58-54) Lyon County

                The Aces saw their 11 game win streak snapped in the semifinals of the All-A Classic on Saturday.  They scored impressive wins over Beechwood and Sayre to put themselves into the semifinals.  Solly Smith led the Aces to a big second half and win against Sayre, scoring 18.  Luke Beickman scored 22 to lead them in the tourney opening win against Beechwood, while Waryn Ebelhar chipped in with 18.  They opened the week with a 9^th district win over Owensboro.  Beickman scored 37 in that one.  The Eastern Illinois commit is sitting at 19.5 ppg on the season.  The Aces host Ohio County tomorrow before heading to Daviess County for a big 9^th district showdown Friday.  They close the week against JTown at Warren Central on Saturday.

4. Muhlenberg County Mustangs (13-6) - SAME

1-1 (L 91-67) Butler County & (W 80-65) Madisonville

                The Mustangs up and down season continued this week with a big loss followed by a nice 15 point win over Madisonville.  Gunnar Revelett scored 26 in the win over the Maroons while Maddix Brannon logged a double double with 10 points and 11 boards.  Muhlenberg has a big week coming up.  They host Daviess County on Tuesday before traveling to Ohio County with a shot to clinch the top seed in the 10^th district.  A win would put the Mustangs back in the 3^rd Region Tournament.

5. Grayson County Cougars (15-4) – SAME

2-0 (W 64-59 OT) Apollo & (W 62-55) Edmonson County

                It wasn’t athletically pleasing but the Cougars scored 2 wins this week to run their win streak to 4 games.  Tuesday, they struggled with Apollo before finishing strong in overtime.  Jack Logsdon led the way with 21.  They overcame another slow start to beat district rival Edmonson on Friday.  Logsdon again led the way with 27 while Spencer Langdon scored 22.  The Cougars travel to Central Hardin tonight before hosting Butler County Friday in a huge 12^th district showdown.

6. Mclean County Cougars (13-7) – SAME

1-1 (W 58-53) Ohio County & (L 78-58) Butler County

                The Cougars kept themselves in the mix for the 1 seed in district with a win over Ohio County on Friday night.  Mclean would need Ohio County to upset Muhlenberg this week to have a shot at it.  Saturday they played Butler County tough for 3 quarters but fell short against Butler County.  They travel to Apollo on Tuesday and have a game in the Sportscenter on Saturday.

7. Breckinridge County Tigers (11-5) – UP 3

3-0 (W 75-52) Bardstown, (W 61-57 OT) Bethlehem & (W 71-12) Cloverport

                The Tigers bounced back from an 0-2 week last week with some impressive wins over Bardstown and Bethlehem.  Mercer Rogers scored 35 in the win over Bardstown and followed that up with 26 more against Bethlehem.  Rogers has upped his season average to 20.8 ppg.  The Tigers will be tested this week as they host Butler County Tuesday before traveling to Meade on Friday.

8. Apollo Eagles (11-7)  - SAME

1-1 (L 64-59 OT) Grayson County & (W 85-50) John Hardin

                The Eagles dropped a heartbreaker to Grayson County on Tuesday.  The Eagles looked to be in control of the game late in the 4^th, but quick shots and turnovers cost them in regulation.  They bounced back with a big win over John Hardin.  Landon Henning scored 27 points and pulled 18 boards in the win.  Kobe Kelly added 22.  For Apollo to get to where they want to be, Henning will be the key.  His length gives Apollo a stopper at the rim but they need him to be a force on the offensive end as well.  They host Daviess County tonight and Mclean County tomorrow before traveling to Owensboro on Friday.  The Eagles close the week hosting Ohio County on Saturday.

9. Meade County Greenwave (9-6) – UP 2

1-2 (L 69-77) Daviess County, (L 96-84) LCA & (W 82-50) Hancock County

                The Wave had lost 3 of 4 before closing the week with a district win over Hancock County.  Hayden Shouse led the way with 23 while Cam House and Ayden Medley each scored 20.  Shouse, Medley and House combined for 68 in the loss to LCA.  Shouse continues to be the breakout player of the region, upping his scoring average to 22 ppg.  He is also pulling 9.1 boards per game.  Meade opens the week at Nelson County before hosting Breck in an 11^th district rivalry game on Friday.

10. Edmonson County Wildcats (11-7) – UP 1

2-1 (W 57-40) Whitesville Trinity, (W 59-42) Todd Central & (L 62-55) Grayson County

                The Wildcats may be the surprise team of the region.  After turning over their entire roster and coaching staff, they have won 11 games.  They have shown signs of obvious improvement in their 2 games against Grayson County.  They lost by 32 the first time but cut that to 7 in the second meeting.  In the win over Todd, Blayne Deweese led the way with 19 while Owen Ruth had 16.  Against Trinity, Kolin Doyle led the team with 16 points while Braxtin Lindsey scored 11 and pulled an impressive 17 boards.  The Cats travel to Logan County tonight before hosting Trinity in a 12^th district battle on Friday.

11. Owensboro Red Devils (7-10) – DOWN 2

1-2 (L 85-72) Owensboro Catholic, (W 86-36) Hancock County & (L 80-78) Evansville Bosse, IN

                The Devils uncharacteristic season continued this week with 2 tough losses to rivals Owensboro Catholic and Bosse.  Keaton Hughes had a monster game in the loss to Catholic.  He scored 32 and pulled 12 boards.  Michael Acton led the way in the other 2, putting up 24 against Hancock and 26 in the loss to Bosse.  Will Hume is also coming on strong.  He averaged 20 in the 3 games this past week.  The Devils look to get back on track tonight at Whitesville Trinity.  They host Apollo on Friday.

12. Ohio County Eagles (7-12) – SAME

1-2 (L 60-47) Logan County, (L 58-53) Mclean County & (W 57-55 2OT) Webster County

                The Eagles had lost 5 of 6 before finding a way against Webster County on Saturday.  Ryan Durham led the way with 20 while Alex Quisenberry had a double double.  He scored 12 and pulled 10 boards.  Ohio has a tough week at Owensboro Catholic before hosting Muhlenberg on Friday.  They close the week at Apollo Saturday.

13. Hancock County Hornets (8-8) – SAME

0-2 (L 86-36) Owensboro & (L 82-50) Meade County

                The Hornets had a rough week, losing both games big.  It will not get any easier tonight as they travel to Butler County.  They have 3 very winnable games to close the week against Cloverport, Louisville Collegiate and Francis Parker.

14. Whitesville Trinity Raiders (7-13) – SAME

1-3 (L 57-40) Edmonson County, (W 78-19) Cloverport, (L 85-53) Butler County & (L 81-69) Union Co

                The Raiders have lost 7 of 8 after they had battled their record to even heading into the new year.  They used a balanced effort to beat Cloverport.  Bransen and Easton Howard led the way with 9 each.  Trinity travels to Owensboro tonight before Edmonson on Friday.  They close the week against Clinton County at the Sportscenter on Saturday.

15. Cloverport Aces (0-9) - SAME

0-3 (L 78-19) Whitesville Trinity, (L 71-12) Breck County & (L 59-19) Francis Parker

                The Aces host Hancock County and Cannelton, IN this week. Hunter Bradley leads the team in scoring at 6.8 ppg.