On Paper, this is the deepest 3rd Region in the last decade.  It is especially loaded at the top!  Expect both Daviess County and Grayson County top be ranked in most pre-season top 25's.  Both programs feature multiple players that will play at the next level.  They faced off in one of the more memorable 3rd Region Championship games a year ago and expect to meet there again if the draw would allow.  Behind them, there are several programs with great individual players who could be talented enough to play the spoiler come late February.  This should be a very entertaining year in the region!

 

1.Daviess County Panthers (25-7) – 3^rd Region Champions – Coach Neil Hayden

                Daviess County enters the season with maybe the highest expectations in school history.  The Panthers return Chattanooga commit, Jonathan Moss.  Moss put the team on his back in the 3^rd Region Championship last season, scoring 29 against Grayson County.  He scored 19.5 points per game last year and is the favorite to repeat as player of the year.  McKendree commit, DeAaron Watkins also returns off his 15.9 ppg and 10.3 rpg junior season.  While the Panthers lost 3 big seniors in Jaxon Brown, Aydan Ayer and Joseph Varble, they gained the services of transfers Michael Acton, Davyn Randolph and Lamontae Ratcliff.  Acton put up 19.3 in his sophomore season at Owensboro and expects to be a major contributor for Coach Hayden this season.  Daviess County will play a high profile schedule this season while looking to sharpen themselves for another run at Rupp Arena.  You should expect the Panthers to be a preseason top 20 program in Kentucky.

 

2.Grayson County Cougars (26-7) – 12^th District Champions & 3^rd Region Runners Up  – Coach Travis Johnston

                Grayson County made a great run at a 3^rd Region title a year ago but fell short after a tough 2^nd half against Daviess County.  The Cougars are poised to make another run and are expected to be preseason top 25.  Western Kentucky commit Jack Logdson returns as a junior.  Logsdon had a phenomenal season a year ago and really came on strong down the stretch.  He put up 21 ppg and 6.8 rpg.  He will be joined by returning double digit scorers in Brody Armstrong (16 ppg) and Spencer Langdon (14.6 ppg).  Both players have added to their already expansive games over the summer.  Jagger Mardis comes over from LaRue County and should give Grayson one of the best scoring rosters in the state.  Mardis put up 16.2 ppg last season while shooting a red hot 51.3% from the field.  Coach Johnston has set up an incredible schedule for the Cougars this season with appearances in the Marshall County Hoopfest, King of the Bluegrass and the Gary Force Clash at Greenwood against Ensworth, TN.  Grayson County fans should expect an action-packed season!

 

 3.Apollo Eagles (16-12) – Lost in 9^th District – Coach Ryne Tinsley

                It has been 7 seasons since Apollo last reached the regional tournament.  The expectations have returned this season as the Eagles will field one of the tallest and deepest rosters in the region.  Coach Tinsley has been re-building a once proud program from the ashes over the past few seasons.  6-11 center, Landon Henning, returns off a double-double season a year ago. Sharpshooter Tate Powers also returns after leading the Eagles in scoring last season.  Kayden Green, Max Johnson and Sam Butterworth will give the Eagles experience, size and depth along the frontcourt.  Eli Williams returns at shooting guard after an injury plagued season a year ago.  Apollo will have to replace steady point guard Kobe Kelly but expects to do so in the form of transfer Carlos Cruz.  Cruz comes in as a versatile 6-5 point and expects to be a big contributor.  Apollo again takes a step up with scheduling this year as they have become more competitive.  The 9^th district will be tough at the top, but Apollo expects to not only compete for a district title but a regional title as well.

 

4.Meade County Greenwave (18-10) – 11^th District Champion – Coach Travis Hackert

            A new era of Meade County basketball begins this year, as Coach Jason Tripure moves over to the girls program after a 10-year run as the boys Coach.  Enter Travis Hackert, who enters with a ton of expectations.  Coach Hackert comes in with high profile Division 1 assistant experience at NC State and UNC Wilmington. He will inherit a nice roster led by versatile big man Hayden Shouse.  Shouse has drawn the attention of several small colleges and has already received a couple of division 1 offers.  After a 21.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg season a year ago, it's easy to see why colleges have taken notice. Guards Ayden Medley and Cam House both put up double digit scoring numbers a year ago.  House, just a freshman, expects to take a big jump this season.  The Wave roster is made up of all juniors and seniors outside of House, and they will be looking for some key role players to step forward around the big 3.  Meade will be heavily favored to win the 11^th district.  Expect them to be a tough out at the Sportscenter come regional tournament time.

 

5.Owensboro Catholic Aces (19-11) – 9^th District RUP – Coach Tabor Shadowen

            While there will be some big changes this season for Owensboro Catholic, the winning expectations stay the same.  Coach Tim Riley leaves the program after a tremendous run, including taking the program to its first regional title.  Former Apollo PG Tabor Shadowen takes over and the cupboard is far from bare.  The Aces will have to replace Eastern Illinois signee Luke Beickman and double-digit scorer Waryn Eblhar, but versatile guard Solly Smith is back to bring leadership on the floor.  Junior swingman Jake Murphy will eye a breakout season, coming off some nice performances last year.  Senior Dylan Hagan also brings experience from last year.  Catholic expects to have a lot of late arriving football contributors, led by Dremail Carothers.  Carothers had a great tournament season last year and expects to be a key piece for Coach Shadowen this year.  He is often overlooked on the hardwood because of his impact as a Quarterback for the Aces.  That said, he could be one of the most underrated players in the area. The 9^th District will be tough, but the Aces have not missed the regional tournament once over the past 10 seasons.

           

 6.Muhlenberg County Mustangs (16-11) – 10^th District Champions – Coach Aaron Morris

            The tradition rich Mustangs are looking to repeat as 10^th district champions this season.  They will need to replace the production lost from graduates Gunnar Revelett and Jace Sommers who both scored double figures last season.  Kason Morris is the leading scorer returning for the Mustangs.  He will be joined by Issac Coats and Gavin Groves who logged solid minutes for Coach Morris last year.  Muhlenberg will be looking for growth out of the middle of their roster to hit their celling this year.  Freshman Ivan Sparks is a legacy name in Muhlenberg County and he will look to make his mark on this program soon.  The Mustangs should be right there at the top of a very competitive 10^th district again this season.

 

7.Ohio County Eagles (10-21) – Lost in 10^th District – Coach Matt Brigance

                Coach Brigance and the Eagles hit the reset button a year ago, playing a lot of young and inexperienced varsity kids.  While they will still field a very young roster, the Eagles expect to take a major jump forward this season led by seniors Tate Abney and Ryan Durham.  Both players led the team in scoring a year ago.  Senior Alex Quisenberry is also back after shooting 38% from beyond the arc last season.  Coach Brigance expects this to be a very good shooting team.  Transfer guard Manny Suarez comes in with a ton of buzz.  As talented as the region is, many expect Suarez to push to be an all-region type of player.  Factor in the seniors, the transfer guard with the young up and coming Eagles, and it would not be out of the question to see Ohio County competing for a 10^th District Championship and 20-win season.

 

8.Edmonson County Wildcats (14-11) –  Lost in 12^th District – Coach Brad Meredith

            Coach Meredith helped lead Edmonson County to winning season after being hired late and inheriting a roster that was ravaged by transfers.  He will look to build on that this season.  The Cats will have to replace leading scorer Kollin Doyle who averaged double figures a year ago, but they do return seniors Blayne Deweese and Owen Ruth.  Each scored double figures last season.  Brayden Wright also looks to step forward after putting up 8.6 ppg.  Edmonson has their sights set on returning to the regional tournament and should be favored to do so behind Grayson County in the 12^th district.

 

9.Mclean County Cougars (16-12) – 10^th District RUP  – Coach Darren Lynam

                The Cougars are coming off an up and down season a year ago but if you have followed Coach Lynam’s career, he has far more ups than downs.  He seems to be very high on this seasons group and expects to compete in a tough 10^th District.  While the Cougars will have to replace leading scorer in Jax Lee, they return a lot of their production after that.  Camden Baird is the teams top returning scorer.  Braxton Floyd and Layden Bozarth are expected to take steps forward.  Jaelin Groves adds size and experience to the front court as he led the team in rebounding a year ago.  Sophomore Brooks Lynam will look to carve out his role on this roster as a possible 5^th starter.  Mclean County should be right there competing for a spot in the regional tournament this season.

 

10.Owensboro Red Devils (12-15) – Lost in 9^th District – Coach Rod Drake

            There is not a team in the region with bigger questions than Owensboro.  The Red Devils lost nearly all their production from last year’s team after Michael Acton transferred to Daviess County.  Keylin Payton, Kade Arnold and Cameron Day bring some experience from last years team but they will need to take major steps forward.  Demarcus Ganaway Jr, who is the quarterback on the football team, is expected to be a major contributor.  The Devils will be awaiting several talented football players decisions on basketball before they really know what they have.  Owensboro expects to be playing until the final few weeks of football season, so expect the questions to continue into December.  They will have their work cut out for them in a very tough 9^th District.

 

11.Breckinridge County Tigers (19-9) – 11^th District RUP – Coach Jeff LaGrange

            Coach LaGrange and the Tigers are coming off an impressive season that saw them reel off 9 wins in 10 games in the middle of the year.  The Tigers will need to find a way to replace the heart and soul of the team, Mercer Rogers.  They also lost leading rebounder Brayden Carmen to graduation.  Senior Jonah Miller is the teams top returning scorer.  Miller emerged last season to average 10 ppg.  Ryan Nottingham and Jake Flood bring varsity experience and expect bigger roles this season.  Freshman Benjamin Grimes enters the program with strong Breck County bloodlines.  The Tigers should be in the mix to return to the regional tournament again this season.

 

12.Butler County Bears (17-15) – 12^th District RUP – Coach Dustin Barnett

            Coming off their best 3 season run in school history, including their first ever 3^rd Region title 2 years ago, Butler County will turn this page this season.  Coach Calvin Dockery has guided the Bears program since 2012 but he stepped down after last season.  Enter Middle School Coach, Dustin Barnett.  Coach Barnett had a ton of success developing the future of the program and will now make the transition to the varsity level.  Butler County graduated a historic senior class led by UT Martin signee, Ty Price and WKU signee, Lawson Rice.  Senior Curtis Murphy will step into a leadership role this year, as he is the lone returner on the roster with varsity experience.  While there are a lot of unknowns heading into the season, Butler County is now a program that expects to win.

 

13.Hancock County Hornets (11-17) – Lost in 11^th District – Coach Josh Roberts

                The Hornets enter the season having to replace a bulk of their supporting production from last season.  They return Jr guard Keegan Wilson.  Wilson led the Hornets with 13.7 ppg a year ago.  Outside of Wilson, Hancock will have to find some consistent production.  They have athletes Cooper Jones, Jack Roberts and Tyce Boling on the roster.  Coach Roberts should have the Hornets competing for a spot in the regional tournament in a wide-open 11^th District.

 

14.Whitesville Trinity Raiders (7-22) – Lost in 12^th District – Coach Nathan West

                The Raiders will be looking at a bit of a re-build this coming season.  They lost their top 3 scorers to graduation.  It will be a youth movement in Whitesville this winter, as the Raiders do not have a senior on the roster.  Ian Roby is the top returning scorer at 8.2 ppg.  Cale Boarman, Harrison Barnett, Grant Howard and Easton Howard logged several varsity minutes last season and will look to contribute more this year.  Coach West hopes his team can compete in a 12^th District topped by Grayson County but somewhat wide open after that.

 

15.Cloverport Aces (0-17) – Lost in 11^th District – Coach Zach Critchelow

                Coach Zach Critchelow takes over a program that did not have a win last season.  The Aces will return their top scorer in Hunter Bradley.  Bradley averaged 7.4 ppg.  Waydon Poole, Bryce Decker along with seniors James Fuqua and Kamden Sandage will look to get Cloverport back in the win column this season.

 

 

ALL REGION PRESEASON 1^st TEAM – (2024/2025 KHSAA Eligible players only)*

POY - Jonathan Moss – 19.5 ppg – DAVIESS COUNTY

Jack Logsdon – 21 ppg - 6.8 rpg – GRAYSON COUNTY

Hayden Shouse – 21.5 ppg  - 8.7 rpg – MEADE COUNTY

DeAaron Watkins – 15.9 ppg  - 10.3 rpg – DAVIESS COUNTY

Michael Acton – 19.3 ppg – DAVIESS COUNTY

Jagger Mardis – 16.2 ppg – GRAYSON COUNTY

 

ALL REGION PRESEASON 2^nd TEAM

Ryan Durahm – 17.9 ppg – OHIO COUNTY

Brody Armstrong – 16 ppg – GRAYSON COUNTY

Dremail Carothers – 8.3 ppg – 6 rpg – OWENSBORO CATHOLIC

Landon Henning – 10.4 ppg - 9.9 rpg - APOLLO

Spencer Langdon 14.6 ppg – GRAYSON COUNTY

Great write up! Any info on how DC and Apollo did this weekend at their scrimmages? I saw some highlights of Moss. I think he is a legit Mr. Kentucky Basketball candidate!

21 hours ago, jester270 said:

Great write up! Any info on how DC and Apollo did this weekend at their scrimmages? I saw some highlights of Moss. I think he is a legit Mr. Kentucky Basketball candidate!

There was some conflict over who "won" the DC - Eastern scrimmage but I believe Moss had around 30-35.  He is in for a monster season, without a doubt.

From what I have heard, Apollo struggled some but had several guys out of the lineup.  I heard that Owensboro looked really good this past weekend and a few that I have talked to said to expect them to surprise people.

On 11/18/2025 at 8:34 AM, ApolloFan98 said:

There was some conflict over who "won" the DC - Eastern scrimmage but I believe Moss had around 30-35.  He is in for a monster season, without a doubt.

From what I have heard, Apollo struggled some but had several guys out of the lineup.  I heard that Owensboro looked really good this past weekend and a few that I have talked to said to expect them to surprise people.

We looked real good in our scrimmage and we don't have hardly any of our football kids out. I think people are going to be surprised with Owensboro. Apollo should be good, I think they have the players, but I'm just not sure where they are right now with their injuries. Daviess will be the team to beat for sure. Moss is going to go out right his senior year. Owensboro Catholic will have some players especially with Hagan and Coots. Did Davyn Randolph get eligible at Daviess County?

Any scrimmages this week? 

I got a chance to watch Grayson County this past Saturday at Taylor County, one of the better teams in the 5th. But with that being said, pick your poison with Grayson, they have 5 guys that can all shoot the ball, all the Mardis kid did was add another shooter you have to guard. Defensively, they play sound fundamental basketball. Grayson is legit.