Two years in a row, the presumptive region favorite was dealt a shocking loss in the region tournament.  This time it was Barren County upsetting favored Warren Central 58-44 in the first round of region, snapping a 30 game win streak in the region tournament for teams from the 14th District.  Clinton County took advantage, advancing to the region finals for the first time in 62 years and the first representative in the finals for a non-14th team since 2017, but Bowling Green extended the streak to 24 in a row for region titles by a 14th District representative.  They’d make an incredible run to the state finals before falling to the size of Great Crossing.  This year seems to have a very, very clear favorite, one that is hungry to erase the sting of that unexpected loss.

Preseason 4th Region Rankings 1-10

1. Warren Central – Through the end of January last year, the Dragons were flying.  They dominated Greenwood to close out the month, entering February at 17-2, losing only a single game to Kentucky competition in that time.  But the cracks appeared quickly in the final month, with sophomore guard Armani Byrd lost to injury, and Central closed the year losing five of their last 11 games, including a heartbreaking buzzer beater loss to Bowling Green in the district finals that condemned them to a tough first round draw where Barren County frankly dominated them to knock them out. The Dragons lose their top two scorers from that team, as Ant McAfee and Jarek Kirk were among four graduating seniors.  No Dragon who returns scored in double digits for them last year.  As with recent years, transfers bolster the team to go with some talented returnees.  Senior guard Kaleb Prince transfers over from Warren East, where he scored 18.3 PPG last year.  Prince is a volume shooter, attempting over 400 shots last year, preferring to drive to the rim and shoot inside the arc.  He’s one of only two players in the region who made the all-region teams last year that weren’t seniors, and the other is junior Armani Byrd who averaged 8.9 PPG last year, shooting 50% from the field.  Byrd hasn’t been relied upon yet to be THE scorer, but his absence was felt down the stretch because he is a player who can go create his own shot and make a play.  Kash Carter (4.5 PPG) will be looked upon to continue to take on a larger role, another year past injuries that sapped some of his speed.  Expect solid contributions from returning starter Ryan Hulbert, his brother sophomore Randal Hulbert, and seniors Karaun Johnson and Jeremiah McCombs, both players who had to sit much of last year after transferring from Bowling Green.  Finally, expect some impact from senior O’Jare Murrell, who gives Central some additional size – he averaged 3.8 PPG a season ago with Greenwood.  In general, the Dragons remain a deep team and should have more cohesion this year as compared to a season ago, when the timing and eligibility of some transfers along with injuries constantly disrupted the personnel Central had at their disposal.  They will play a showcase schedule, playing in the King of the Bluegrass, Marshall County Hoopfest, and Clem Haskins Classic.  There is no team in the region that should be able to match their roster if they remain healthy. 

2. Clinton County – Last season for the Bulldogs was the type of one in a generation season that you just have to pinch yourself if you’re witnessing as a fan of the team.  They started 21-0, ending as the last unbeaten in the state and giving them the longest win streak in the school’s history.  Their 30-3 record matched a school record for wins.  They reached the region finals for the first time in 62 years.  In that region final, they gave Bowling Green all they wanted, but could not overcome the depth of the Purples, falling 66-59 in a season that was no less storybook for the end result.  Two seniors depart from that team from a rotation that typically only went seven deep, as Cannon Young (16.9 PPG) and Nick Poore (11.4 PPG) depart.  Despite that loss, Clinton County will remain a team with solid returning experience.   Senior forward Jaxson Mason is the leading returning scorer, averaging 14.3 PPG last season.  At 6’5”, he has size enough to play both inside and outside, shooting not great from three a season ago (32.1%), but well enough that his ability has to be respected.  Senior guard William Beaty (12.3 PPG) also returns, after leading the Bulldogs in three pointers made last year with 46.  Senior combo guard Drew Davis (7.5 PPG) and senior point guard Noah McCutchen (3.1 PPG) round out the significant returnees from the rotation.  In all, there are six seniors on this Clinton County team, and perhaps they’ll be able to have a bit more depth this year.  Clinton County will likely do what they always do – lean on their strong defense, and look to get inside.  They do not shoot that many threes as a team.  As usual, the Bulldogs don’t play many games in-region against teams outside their district, but they seem likely to have a strong record, they’ll be favored to defend their All “A” Region title, and maybe they might be able to make a run at finishing what they started last year.

3. Bowling Green – It’s hard to think of Bowling Green as a Cinderella, as they’re year in and year out one of the best programs in the state.  But last year is as close as it gets to that type of run for the Purples.  After running up against a brick wall when facing Warren Central during the regular season, they won the district title on their home court over the Dragons via a three pointer with less than five seconds remaining.  That helped catapult them into a run that saw them cut down the nets at Diddle, win a pair of overtime games in the Sweet 16, and run all the way to their third state final appearance before bowing out to Great Crossing.  Only two teams get to say they played longer than all the other teams in the state and the Purples got that honor last year.  The bad news is that from a seven man rotation that they employed in most of their big games, only one of those return.  Six seniors depart, all of which represented the top six scorers for the team.  Only Junior Arlando Davis (1.6 PPG) returns among players that logged a single second in the state final, and that was only 1:08.  He played in 36 games last season for the Purples, and he’ll have to step up in a big way for Bowling Green.  Senior Ethan Kirkwood (1.0 PPG) is the lone senior on the team, and appeared in 30 games last season.  He too, will have to take on a large role.  There is uncertainty beyond that, but the Purples have an incoming freshman class that won the 14th District title for 8th grade, and their sophomores won the 14th District freshman title last year.  It is the faith in that talent, in the pedigree of the team, that leads to this ranking, but there is much uncertainty around this particular edition of the team.  They may be as vulnerable as they’ve been in more than a decade.  It does help that almost every other program in the region suffered heavy graduation losses.  They have made twelve straight region finals, and the new blood will look to protect that legacy.

4. Metcalfe County – Last year, the Hornets entered the season with a roster clearly capable of scoring, and they did not disappoint.  12 of their 30 games saw them score 70+, and they averaged 63 PPG.  They play an exciting brand of basketball, and their games are extremely entertaining.  The downside of that – they allow a LOT of points.  They ultimately could not match the scoring pace of the teams against them, while also suffering quite a few close losses.  They eventually bowed out to region runner-up Clinton County in the 16th District semifinals.  Their advantage compared to the rest of the region is that they lost much, much less of their production.  Of a rotation that typically went 7-8 deep, only two seniors were lost.  Chief among the returning players is the most prolific scorer in the region, senior guard Cade Button.  Button averaged 23.1 PPG in his junior season, good enough for 20th in the state.  That was actually slightly down from his sophomore year when he posted 24.4 PPG and finished 18th in the state, that’s how good he is.  Button hit 55.6% of his field goals last year, an impressive feat given he attempted over 400.  He shoots from three more sparingly, but was a respectable 21/54 (38.9%) from deep.  More than enough to keep teams honest.  Senior guard Kruz Tucker took a step forward last year, averaging 10.9 PPG, almost 4 points more than his sophomore year.  Tucker is the team’s resident sharpshooter, leading the team in made threes (79), attempts (186), and three point percentage (42.5%).  Other significant returnees are senior guard Maddux Garrett (7.6 PPG, team leader with 81.1% from foul line) and senior forward Hudson Fields (5.4 PPG). The Hornets have a veteran team and an experienced team in a region that lacks it.  There is real opportunity here.

5. Barren County – A season ago, the Trojans started out 1-5, and appeared to be a bit lost.  On January 7th, they were blown out by 23 at home against Warren Central.  Just over two months later, they flipped the script, never trailing en route to a shocking 58-44 win in the region tournament over the same Warren Central team.  Barren County went on to bow out to a strong Clinton County team, but their win over Central was a rare feat for them – just their second postseason win over Central.  It also secured a twenty win season for the third consecutive year. Graduation losses were heavy for the squad, as seven seniors departed, including three of their top four scorers.  They will be led this year by senior guard Kade Hardy, who averaged 9.9 PPG a season ago, and averaged just over 10 PPG during the postseason. Hardy was the primary three point shooter for the Trojans last year, leading a Trojan attack that was not the strongest from the perimeter.  They’ll need Hardy to bump up some from the 32.9% clip he hit last year.  Also key is senior forward Gavin Nunn.  He wasn’t leaned on very much last year, scoring only 5 PPG, but his size and physicality is a real asset to a Trojan program that has increasingly saw more of their scoring come from inside.  At 6’7”, his size stands out in the region.  Barren County has several more players listed at 6’3” or 6’4” (JaCovin Kendell, Cameron Pippen, Carson Browning, and Jaxson Byrd) – they’ll be imposing defensively if nothing else.  Warren Cunningham is back for his 18th season as head coach.  Few players in the program were even alive for someone else at the helm.  That type of stability is absolutely invaluable.  The Trojans will be challenged early with a home matchup with Caverna on December 8th, but this year their games against Warren East all take place after January 1, giving them a bit of breathing room before what has often been their most important district contest.

6. South Warren – Last year represented a bit of treading water for the Spartans in year three under head coach Carlos Quarles.  After a debut season where they went 21-7, the last two have settled back into the very middle of the road record that the Spartans have had most of their existence, going 15-11.  10 of South Warren’s 15 seasons have seen them win between 14 and 16 games, and another ended with 17.  A big reason for that remains their inability to solve the 14th District, where they have never had a winning record, not won more than two district games since the 2020/2021 season, and have never beaten Bowling Green and only beaten Warren Central once.  That inability is the reason they have never made the region tournament.  Quarles will now guide them into year four, which equals inaugural head coach Derrick Clubb for most years coached in the program.  This senior class will be the first one in more than a decade to have the same head coach from freshman year through senior.  Leading that senior class will be forward Jaxen Decker, the leading returning scorer for the team.  The multisport athlete averaged 9.3 PPG last year, good enough for third on the team.  Decker didn’t have the volume that last year’s leading scorer Griffin Rardin had, but Decker shot a blazing 46.9% from the perimeter with the third highest attempts on the team last year.  Decker also led the team in rebounding with 6.3 boards per game. Senior guards Owen Shively (6.8 PPG) and sophomore point guard Brandon Perkins (6.7 PPG) will also be key contributors.  The scoring pace of last year’s edition will be tough to match, but look for South to continue to push pace on offense as they have under Quarles.  With the relative weakness of Bowling Green as compared to previous years, this represents a real opportunity for the Spartans to finally break through, even if they don’t have a squad on paper that appears to be a slam dunk to take advantage.  It will be important for them to handle Greenwood to make sure the get the chance at the Purples in the postseason.

7. Russell County – The Lakers enjoyed their most successful season in quite some time last year.  They posted their first winning season since 2016, and returned to the region tournament for the first time since 2018.  They made good on that trip as well, knocking off Franklin-Simpson 57-46 in the region’s first round, before dropping an 86-71 decision to Bowling Green.  Four seniors depart, including their top two scorers, Owen Loy and Mayes Gosser (who both scored exactly 500 points on the season).  Despite that, the Lakers have a senior heavy squad, with six seniors rostered.  Guard Maddox Shearer leads that group, averaging 11.9 PPG a year ago.  To call him a three point specialist might be a bit too heavy as he did attempt 98 shots from inside the arc, but he attempted 200 threes a year ago, about 31% of the total for the entire team.  His 69 makes were good enough for 2.3 made threes per game.  Senior guard Dylan Stannelle was also very close to averaging in double digits a year ago, posting 9.5 per game.  Dylan does a good job of getting to the line, where he shoots 76.2%.  The Lakers attempt over 41% of all shots from the perimeter, where senior Bryson Irvin made 45.9% a season ago to lead the team among players who attempted more than 15.  The Lakers will have a difficult task to return to the region tournament up against Clinton County and Metcalfe County, but we’ll get a quick preview of how difficult as they will play them  both ina  three day span in mid-December.

8. Franklin-Simpson – The first two months were not kind to Franklin-Simpson, as they struggled mightily to gain their footing.  They started merely 4-12, ending that stretch with an ugly 30 point loss at Logan County.  Something clicked in place for the stretch run, as the schedule softened, and they reeled off 7 wins in 8 games including the last six before the region tournament.  That included two wins over the same Logan County team that had bested them.  The season ended with a 57-46 loss to Russell County in the first round, but it was a good foundation for a team that graduated just four seniors.  Dee Spencer is back for his 14th season as head coach of the Wildcats, the longest tenured coach in the program’s history.  He’ll have the services three of the top four scorers from a season ago.  Leading that group is senior Jakai Partinger.  The 6’0” guard led the team with 13.1 PPG last year, and with a solid season should be able to reach the 1,000 point club for the Wildcats.  Partinger attempted by far the most shots last year, as his 333 attempts were more than 160 than the next highest.  He is the clear focal point for the offense, but he will have to do much better in terms of percentage for the team, as he shot just 38.1% from the field and 26.8% from three.  Partinger also led the team with 4.2 rebounds per game.  6’0” senior forward Cole Sharer also returns.  He averaged 8.2 PPG a season to go with 3.8 boards, making 47.6% of his shots.  It’s a modest clip, but he’s one of the best returning shooters from three, shooting 35.7% from deep last year.  Brody McAlister rounds out the top returning scorers.  The 5’11” junior averaged 6.6 PPG last season, and led the team in FG% among those who attempted more than five shots, hitting 48.7% from the field.  The Wildcats appear to be a clear favorite in the 13th District, which of late has been the weakest in the region.  But a huge part of success in the region is just getting there with a chance to make a run.  Count on Franklin being there.

9. Greenwood – The 2024/25 season for Greenwood started extremely promising, as the Gators raced out to an 8-0 record just before Christmas.  That was their longest winning streak in almost three years, and their best start to a season in 27 years, when they started 10-0 in 1997.  They reached a season high ten games over .500 when they closed out the 2024 calendar year at 11-1.  It went mostly bad from there, as they closed 6-12, including a 3-7 run in their final ten games.  Head coach Will McCoy enters his seventh year – the second longest tenure in school history - with the program seeking just his second berth in the region tournament, but also just two wins from becoming the second head coach at the school to reach 100 wins.  He will cope with the loss of six seniors in that attempt, along with Ojare Murrell who transferred.  That includes the top three scorers from last year and four of their top five.  Like South Warren, Greenwood is the model of consistency, performing well in region play, if not the district.  They have posted 16 or 17 wins in five of the past eight seasons.  Senior forward Landon Meador is the leading returning scorer, averaging 6.1 PPG last season.  Meador is a high percentage shooter – his 61.7% was 45th best in the entire state.  He doesn’t shoot from outside often, but he made more than half those attempts, going 7/13.  There’s certainly a likelihood those percentages will drop as they lean on him more. Junior guard Martell Tuttle averaged 3.9 PPG a season ago and has great size for the position at 6’4”.  Senior forward Isaiah Summers (1.2 PPG) should see significantly more time this year.  Greenwood will continue to push tempo under Coach McCoy, as they have averaged just under 64 PPG for the entirety of his tenure.  An early season contest to keep an eye on is when they match up with Clinton County in the Don Franklin Auto Barren Hoops Classic on December 13th.  That will tell a lot about what the Gators can do this year. 

10. Glasgow – Year one under Brandon Stockton was not the smoothest experience for the Scotties.  The former Mr. Basketball returned to his alma mater and led the team to five wins, and the season included a stretch where they lost nine in a row.  They won only one game that wasn’t in district play, but those four wins in district play were critical.  An overtime win over Warren East in December plus two wins over Allen County-Scottsville secured them a 2/3 matchup with Warren East, and another overtime victory in the district semifinals sent them to the region tournament.  A big reason for the struggles for the Scotties was the absence of their 6’5” forward Jerrick Martin, who was only able to compete in 14 games.  He’s simply a player they cannot do without for really any length of time.  Martin is an absolute bull, and averaged 9.4 PPG last year in limited action.  He also led the team with 5.8 boards per game.  A standout on the football field as well, the senior will have more prep time for the season than expected as the team went out in the second round.  So it’s wheels up for him.  He’ll be complimented by junior guard Jaylen Bradley, who is actually the leading returning scorer from last year, as well as the leader in threes made.  He averaged 10.4 PPG and made 26 of 89 attempts from three.  Seven seniors are on this Glasgow squad, they have a chance to take a real leap.  They have two home dates early on taking on Greenwood and Bowling Green, before the big district opener at Warren East on the 18th.

The Rest of the Field
11. Logan County
12. Allen County-Scottsville
13. Monroe County
14. Warren East
15. Cumberland County
16. Russellville
17. Todd County Central
18. Foundation Christian Academy

Top Players in the 4th Region

1. Armani Byrd, Jr. (Warren Central)
2. Kaleb Prince, Sr. (Warren Central)
3. Jerick Martin, Sr. (Glasgow)
4. Cade Button, Sr. (Metcalfe County)
5. Jaxson Mason, Sr. (Clinton County)
6. Kade Hardy, Sr. (Barren County)
7. Kyler Pedigo, Sr. (Allen County-Scottsville)
8. William Beaty, Sr. (Clinton County)
9. Noah Wood, Jr. (Cumberland County)
10. Jakai Partinger, Sr. (Franklin-Simpson)

 

 

Just a tremendous job @DragonFire!

I expect Central to roll this year. 
For Bowling Green, it will be like starting with your ABC building blocks as the Purples just don’t have any returning experience this year to lean on. But it should make for some wild swings you don’t expect. 
I was impressed with Clinton County last season. 
I will be keeping up with South and Greenwood too. 
Should be a fun year!

Thank you Dragonfire!