It doesn't quite seem possible that the regular season is over, and postseason is upon us.  But here we are.  Before we get into the district matchups, let's take a last look at the regular season rankings.

 

1. Great Crossing (26-4)

2. Frederick Douglass (22-3)

3. Bryan Station (22-6)

4. Henry Clay (20-7)

5. Lexington Catholic (20-9)

6. Madison Central (18-11)

7. Sayre (16-11)

8. Frankfort (22-7)

9. Madison Southern (15-15)

10. Franklin County (11-13)

11. Lafayette (12-16)

12. Tates Creek (12-15)

13. Lexington Christian (14-16)

14. Model (15-13)

15. Berea (13-15)

16. Western Hills (9-19)

17. Scott County (6-20)

18. Paul Laurence Dunbar (3-26)

19. Frankfort Christian (4-23)

District 41 At Franklin County

The Quarterfinal game features Frankfort taking on Frankfort Christian.  The two teams have met twice this season, and the Panthers blew out the Royals each time, 76-25 in the season opener, and 78-36 on January 30th.  This one shouldn't be any different. The prize for the winner is a matchup with powerhouse Great Crossing in the semifinals.  Frankfort has had a great turnaround this season under Coach McKinney.  But the Warhawks will just be too much, and should come out of this side of the bracket.  

The other semifinal matchup features Western Hills against Franklin County. Franklin County won both regular season meetings between the two teams, 55-49 and 72-39.  Neither team comes in hot, as Franklin County has lost 6 of their last 8, while Western Hills has dropped 3 of their last 4.  There is the old adage that it is hard to beat a team 3 times in a season.  But, with the game being at Franklin County, I think the Flyers win a close one to reach the finals against Great Crossing, 

Great Crossing has not been pushed by any of their district opponents all season, and I can't see it happening in the district finals.  Give me Great Crossing as the District Champion, and Franklin County as the Runner-up to move on to the 11th Region Tournament.

District 42 At Scott County

The one quarterfinal game in this district features Sayre and Scott County.  The teams have met twice this season, both blowout wins by Sayre.  The Spartans should make it 3 for 3 and move on to the semifinals where they will face Frederick Douglass.  The Broncos won both matchups between the teams this- season, 74-68 and 85-64.  The Spartans have shown that they can play with the Broncos, and have faced a brutal schedule down the stretch.  But, in the end, I think Douglass will be a bit too much for Sayre and move on to the finals. 

The other side of the bracket features a great matchup between Bryan Station and Henry Clay in an elimination game.  One of the top 5 teams in the region will be going home in the first round.  Station won both regular season matchups between the two teams, 64-56 and 55-54.  Frankly, this game is looking like a toss-up with whoever has the ball last having a shot at the win.  In this case, I'll go with the "it's hard to beat a good team 3 times" and pick the Blue Devils in a thriller. 

That would put Frederick Douglass in the finals against the survivor of the Henry Clay/Bryan Station slugfest.  Such a tough semifinal could affect the Blue Devils and Defenders one of two ways.  Either the effort and emotion involved in a tough elimination game leaves them somewhat drained, and they don't have enough left to push Frederick Douglass, or the emotional high of a big win creates a wave that they ride to an upset in the finals.  In this case, I think Frederick Douglass is just a bit better than either Henry Clay or Bryan Station, and picks up a hard fought win to go in the 11th Region Tournament as a winner.  I'll take Henry Clay to move on in the Runner-up role

District 43 At Paul Laurence Dunbar

This district also features a quarterfinal game, this one between Tates Creek and the host Paul Laurence Dunbar.  The Bulldogs have suffered through a nightmare of a season, going 3-26.  The Commodores also finished below .500 at 12-15, but are much improved from last season.  They should have enought to get by PLD without too much trouble.  That would put them in the semifinals against perhaps the region's hottest team, Lexington Catholic.  The Knights, who lost almost all of their scoring from last season to graduation, took a little while to get going this season.  They have now won 13 out of their last 14, and are a very dangerous team.  They should dispose of Tates Creek to make it to the finals. 

The other semifinal matchup features Lexington Christian Academy and Lafayette.  The Generals lost their first 6 games of the season, and were sitting at 3-10 at the end of 2024.  Since the calendar flipped to 2025, Lafayette has seen somewhat of a resurgence going 9-6 in the new year.  LCA has been a bit of a roller coaster ride all season, never winning or losing more than 3 in a row.  They did beat Lafayette 77-61 two weeks ago, but losses last week to Western Hills and Frankfort are a cause for concern.  This game is a coin flip.  But I'll take the Generals in a nail-biter to move on. 

Lexington Catholic should be able to get by either LCA or Lafayette in the finals without too much trouble.  I'll take the Knights to move on as District Champion, and the Generals as Runner-up to also make it to the region. 

District 44 At Eastern Kentucky University

District 44 is the only 4 team district in the 11th Region, and also the only one to do a blind draw to determine the district matchups. It is a shame that seeding isn't used, as the 2 best teams in the district will meet up in the first round, and one will go home, when they should be going to the region.  Those two teams are Madison Southern and Madison Central.  The two teams have faced off twice this season with Central winning both games, 73-69 and 71-59.  The Eagles simply had no answer for Jake Feldhaus in either game.  My guess is that he will be the difference maker in this one as well.  Give me the Indians to move on to the finals in a close one. 

The other semifinal features Model against Berea.  The team met once earlier this season, with Model pickup up a 55-46 road win over the Pirates.  That win was the only win against an 11th Region foe all season for the Patriots.  This one is too close to call, but since I have to, I'll pick Berea to get revenge for the earlier game and move on to face Madison Central.  

Central hasn't faced Berea or Model this season.  In the end, I don't think it matters which team comes out of the other semifinal.  Whether it is the Patriots or the Pirates, I think the Indians pick up an easy win and move on the the 11th Region Tournament. 

 

There you have it.  That's how I see it going.  That would set up an 11th Region Tournament consisting of:

Champions:

Great Crossing, Frederick Douglass, Lexington Catholic, Madison Central

Runner Ups:

Franklin County

Henry Clay

Lafayette

Berea

What have I got right, and what have I got wrong?  Let's hear your predictions.  

 

21 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

It doesn't quite seem possible that the regular season is over, and postseason is upon us.  But here we are.  Before we get into the district matchups, let's take a last look at the regular season rankings.

 

1. Great Crossing (26-4)

2. Frederick Douglass (22-3)

3. Bryan Station (22-6)

4. Henry Clay (20-7)

5. Lexington Catholic (20-9)

6. Madison Central (18-11)

7. Sayre (16-11)

8. Frankfort (22-7)

9. Madison Southern (15-15)

10. Franklin County (11-13)

11. Lafayette (12-16)

12. Tates Creek (12-15)

13. Lexington Christian (14-16)

14. Model (15-13)

15. Berea (13-15)

16. Western Hills (9-19)

17. Scott County (6-20)

18. Paul Laurence Dunbar (3-26)

19. Frankfort Christian (4-23)

District 41 At Franklin County

The Quarterfinal game features Frankfort taking on Frankfort Christian.  The two teams have met twice this season, and the Panthers blew out the Royals each time, 76-25 in the season opener, and 78-36 on January 30th.  This one shouldn't be any different. The prize for the winner is a matchup with powerhouse Great Crossing in the semifinals.  Frankfort has had a great turnaround this season under Coach McKinney.  But the Warhawks will just be too much, and should come out of this side of the bracket.  

The other semifinal matchup features Western Hills against Franklin County. Franklin County won both regular season meetings between the two teams, 55-49 and 72-39.  Neither team comes in hot, as Franklin County has lost 6 of their last 8, while Western Hills has dropped 3 of their last 4.  There is the old adage that it is hard to beat a team 3 times in a season.  But, with the game being at Franklin County, I think the Flyers win a close one to reach the finals against Great Crossing, 

Great Crossing has not been pushed by any of their district opponents all season, and I can't see it happening in the district finals.  Give me Great Crossing as the District Champion, and Franklin County as the Runner-up to move on to the 11th Region Tournament.

District 42 At Scott County

The one quarterfinal game in this district features Sayre and Scott County.  The teams have met twice this season, both blowout wins by Sayre.  The Spartans should make it 3 for 3 and move on to the semifinals where they will face Frederick Douglass.  The Broncos won both matchups between the teams this- season, 74-68 and 85-64.  The Spartans have shown that they can play with the Broncos, and have faced a brutal schedule down the stretch.  But, in the end, I think Douglass will be a bit too much for Sayre and move on to the finals. 

The other side of the bracket features a great matchup between Bryan Station and Henry Clay in an elimination game.  One of the top 5 teams in the region will be going home in the first round.  Station won both regular season matchups between the two teams, 64-56 and 55-54.  Frankly, this game is looking like a toss-up with whoever has the ball last having a shot at the win.  In this case, I'll go with the "it's hard to beat a good team 3 times" and pick the Blue Devils in a thriller. 

That would put Frederick Douglass in the finals against the survivor of the Henry Clay/Bryan Station slugfest.  Such a tough semifinal could affect the Blue Devils and Defenders one of two ways.  Either the effort and emotion involved in a tough elimination game leaves them somewhat drained, and they don't have enough left to push Frederick Douglass, or the emotional high of a big win creates a wave that they ride to an upset in the finals.  In this case, I think Frederick Douglass is just a bit better than either Henry Clay or Bryan Station, and picks up a hard fought win to go in the 11th Region Tournament as a winner.  I'll take Henry Clay to move on in the Runner-up role

District 43 At Paul Laurence Dunbar

This district also features a quarterfinal game, this one between Tates Creek and the host Paul Laurence Dunbar.  The Bulldogs have suffered through a nightmare of a season, going 3-26.  The Commodores also finished below .500 at 12-15, but are much improved from last season.  They should have enought to get by PLD without too much trouble.  That would put them in the semifinals against perhaps the region's hottest team, Lexington Catholic.  The Knights, who lost almost all of their scoring from last season to graduation, took a little while to get going this season.  They have now won 13 out of their last 14, and are a very dangerous team.  They should dispose of Tates Creek to make it to the finals. 

The other semifinal matchup features Lexington Christian Academy and Lafayette.  The Generals lost their first 6 games of the season, and were sitting at 3-10 at the end of 2024.  Since the calendar flipped to 2025, Lafayette has seen somewhat of a resurgence going 9-6 in the new year.  LCA has been a bit of a roller coaster ride all season, never winning or losing more than 3 in a row.  They did beat Lafayette 77-61 two weeks ago, but losses last week to Western Hills and Frankfort are a cause for concern.  This game is a coin flip.  But I'll take the Generals in a nail-biter to move on. 

Lexington Catholic should be able to get by either LCA or Lafayette in the finals without too much trouble.  I'll take the Knights to move on as District Champion, and the Generals as Runner-up to also make it to the region. 

District 44 At Eastern Kentucky University

District 44 is the only 4 team district in the 11th Region, and also the only one to do a blind draw to determine the district matchups. It is a shame that seeding isn't used, as the 2 best teams in the district will meet up in the first round, and one will go home, when they should be going to the region.  Those two teams are Madison Southern and Madison Central.  The two teams have faced off twice this season with Central winning both games, 73-69 and 71-59.  The Eagles simply had no answer for Jake Feldhaus in either game.  My guess is that he will be the difference maker in this one as well.  Give me the Indians to move on to the finals in a close one. 

The other semifinal features Model against Berea.  The team met once earlier this season, with Model pickup up a 55-46 road win over the Pirates.  That win was the only win against an 11th Region foe all season for the Patriots.  This one is too close to call, but since I have to, I'll pick Berea to get revenge for the earlier game and move on to face Madison Central.  

Central hasn't faced Berea or Model this season.  In the end, I don't think it matters which team comes out of the other semifinal.  Whether it is the Patriots or the Pirates, I think the Indians pick up an easy win and move on the the 11th Region Tournament. 

 

There you have it.  That's how I see it going.  That would set up an 11th Region Tournament consisting of:

Champions:

Great Crossing, Frederick Douglass, Lexington Catholic, Madison Central

Runner Ups:

Franklin County

Henry Clay

Lafayette

Berea

What have I got right, and what have I got wrong?  Let's hear your predictions.  

 

Is district 44 the only blind draw district left in the state?

8 hours ago, cincyswords said:

Is district 44 the only blind draw district left in the state?

The Herald Leader ran a district preview article.  The article said that the 44th was the only district to do a blind draw.  But it didn't say if that was in the region, or the whole state.  @gchs_uk9 might know.   

On 2/25/2025 at 10:03 AM, cincyswords said:

Is district 44 the only blind draw district left in the state?

 

16 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

The Herald Leader ran a district preview article. The article said that the 44th was the only district to do a blind draw. But it didn't say if that was in the region, or the whole state.  @gchs_uk9 might know.   

Correct. This document from the KHSAA says District 54 (Hazard, Perry, Buckhorn, and Leslie) hold a draw, but that changed prior to this season.

https://khsaa.org/basketball-boys-district-tournament-seeding-plans/