11th Region: Week 3

Week 3 in the 11^th Region saw a lot of teams hosting, or playing in holiday tournaments.  Frederick Douglass and Madison Central both played in the Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass where both teams made it to the semifinals before losing their first games of the season.  While I would have liked to see those 2 teams squaring off in the finals getting a bonus matchup of the 2 isn’t a bad thing.  There were a couple of offensive explosions as 2 different players hit 9 threes in a game, one of them going off for 48 points in the process.  Tates Creek has moved into the top 5 behind some great shooting from deep, and Madison Southern has surprised so far.  Scott County is another team that has exceeded expectations thus far.  All three of those teams find themselves in the top 8 this week. Here’s how things stand going into the big Frederick Douglass-Madison Central match up on Monday. 

 

1.  Frederick Douglass (5-1)

 

Frederick Douglass was off from last Saturday until Friday when they played undefeated Butler in the Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass.  The Broncos were able to deal the Bears their first defeat of they season, while keeping their record spotless in a tight 61-58 victory.  DeMarcus Surratt was the key for Douglass in this one, as he finished with 27 points and 9 rebounds.  Surratt was efficient as well.  He scored those 29 points on 9-12 shooting from the field, and 8-9 from the line.  Tate Robinson hit 4 triples and finished with 14 points to join Surratt as the only Broncos in double figures.  Another top 25 team, North Laurel, awaited Douglass in the second round.  The Broncos were tested again, but were able to get by the Jaguars 74-64.  The scoring against North Laurel was much more like what the Broncos have shown the past 2 seasons.  Five different players finished in double figures: Tate Robinson led the way with 18, DeMarcus Surratt and Nate Coen finished with 12, Daniel Mpaiana added 11, and Thurman Wade rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10.  On Sunday night in the semifinals Douglass dropped a nailbiter 62-59.  That will match up Frederick Douglass with Madison Central in the 3^rd place game of the tournament on Monday. The Broncos will then be off until after Christmas when they will play Concord Academy (NC) in the Rotary Roundball Tournament is Charleston, SC.

 

2. Madison Central (7-1)

 

The Indians had a road game with Corbin before they also participated in the Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass.  The Redhounds didn’t present much of a problem to Central as they came out of Corbin with a 78-52 road win.   The Indians featured balanced scoring in the blowout, with 4 players finishing in double figures.  Luke Asher led the team with 19 points, followed closely by Jake Feldhaus with 18.  Feldhaus added 12 rebounds to finish with a double/double.  Grayson Burton went 4/4 on three pointers and finished with 15 points.  Cam Steele added 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers.  Madison Central opened up play in the King of the Bluegrass against Trinity, and they were able to come away with a 61-51 win.  Feldhaus recorded another double/double with 26 points and 16 boards.  Grayson Burton hit 5 more from deep and finished with 16 points, and Luke Asher added 11.   The win over Trinity moved the Indians to the second round where they were matched up with Fairdale, the host of the tournament.   Central was pushed, but was able to move to the quarterfinals after pulling out a hard-fought 82-76 win.  Double/double machine Jake Feldhaus had another one against the Bulldogs with 28 points and 10 rebounds.  This time he had a second Indian join him as sophomore Grayson Burton finished with 17 points and pulled down a team high 12 boards.  Luke Asher had a big scoring night as well as he poured in 20 points in the win.   That win put Central in the semifinals against top ranked St. Xavier.  The Tigers jumped out to a 36-22 halftime lead, and held onto hand the Indians their first defeat of the season 70-59.   Jake Feldhaus had 18 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.   The Indians play in the 3^rd place game against Frederick Douglass on Monday.  We’ll get a big matchup for the number one team in the 11^th region a little bit earlier in the season than we had planned.  The Indians  will  then be off until Saturday when they will host Mercer County.

 

3. Bryan Station (3-2)

 

The Defenders went 1-2 in week 3.  On Tuesday they made the trip to Louisville where they suffered their second loss in a row to Seneca 74-66.  Station had a pair of 20 point scorers in the defeat: Taeshawn Adams led the team with 25, while Amari Owens was right behind him with 23.  On Saturday Station was able to end their 2 game skid with a 69-30 blowout of Paris in the Republic Bank-Coach Jim Lankster Classic at Sayre.  That put them in the semifinals of the tournament where they lost 56-55 to South Oldham.  Stats are not yet available for the Paris or South Oldham games.  Bryan Station will take on Sayre in the third-place game of the tournament on Monday.  They will then be off until Saturday when they will play 12^th Region contender West Jessamine in the White, Greer and Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.              

 

4. Lexington Catholic (6-3)

 

In week 3 Lexington Catholic travelled to Hawaii to take part in the Iolani Classic at The Iolani School.  The Knights went 2-2  to finish in 6^th place in the 16 team tournament.  Catholic started off the tournament with an 83-28 dismantling of Kaiser (HI).  In the second round the were the team on the wrong side of a blowout.  Harvard Westlake, who is ranked in the top 15 nationally, was just too much for Lexington Catholic in an 84-37 beatdown.  The Knights bounced back nicely after the Harvard Westlake blowout when they got a solid 58-39 win over Kohala (HI).  That put them in the 5^th place game where they fell to Mt. Vernon (NY) 63-60.  Stats have not been posted for any of the games.  Catholic is off until Saturday when they will host the White, Greer and Maggard Holiday Classic, where they are matched up with Paintsville.

 

5. Tates Creek (7-2)

 

Tates Creek had a big week last week as they went a perfect 4-0 to jump up to 5^th in the rankings.  Their week started out with a 68-58 home win over Lafayette.  Tom Haubenreich paced the Commodores with 21 points in the win.  Stephen Franklin and Carson Bell joined him in double figures with 19 and 12 respectively.   Creek then went on the road and picked up another 11^th Region win as they downed Franklin County 72-46.  Haubenreich again led the way for Tates Creek as he exploded for 30 points in the blowout.  Stephen Franklin added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Commodores.   The Commodores then took place over the weekend in the Berea Holiday Classic where they went 2-0.  In their first game of the event, they went absolutely nuclear on offense, blowing out Adair County 115-89.  Tates Creek was on fire from three point range as they drained 29 treys in 57 attempts.  Tom Haubenreich was ridiculous in the game as he went 9-14 from deep and finished with 34 points.  Brady Manning went 7-14 himself, and added 25 points.  Carson Bell added 16, Lucas Salyer kicked in 12 and Stephen Franklin posted a double/double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.  On Saturday the Creekers remained hot from downtown as they went 11-23 from deep in a 72-52 win over Frankfort to complete their play in Berea.  DJ Searight went a perfect 5-5 on three pointers and led the Commodores with 24 points in the win over the Panthers.  Stephen Franklin added 13 and Haubenreich added 12.   Tates Creek will hope that the holiday doesn’t cool them off as they are off this week until Saturday when they will travel to Richmond to play Wayne County in the Richmond Car and Truck Center Holiday Classic at Madison Central. 

 

6. Madison Southern (7-2)

 

Madison Southern had a 3-1 week in week 3.  They started off with a solid road win at Danville 87-62.  Luke Daniels poured in 30 points and Derek Helton added 24 in the blowout victory over the Admirals.  That win was followed by 78-62 district win over crosstown opponent Model.  The win against Model featured a much more balanced attack on offense for Southern as 5 players finished in double figures.  Derek Helton had 14, Tucker Nobbe and Jordan Dunaway both had 12, Blake Bonham added 11 and Bryant Brock finished with 10.   From there the Eagles took part in the Berea Holiday Classic.  In the event they fell to Adair County 72-67, before bouncing back with a 66-55 win over Frankfort.  The stats are not available for either of those games.  The Eagles are off until Saturday when they are matched up with Lincoln County in the Richmond Car and Truck Center Holiday Classic at Madison Central.           

 

7. Scott County (5-2)

 

Scott County went 2-1 in week 3.  The Cardinals went 6-21 last season, but Coach Sean Woods has them only one victory from matching that total in December.   Their week stated off with a 50-43 win on the road over Providence (IN).  Montae Washington was the only double-figure scorer for Scott County in the game with 14 points.  Six different Cardinals hit three pointers as they went 10-21 as a team.  Scott County then went to Montgomery County to play in the 2025 Boys Gateway Holiday Classic.  In their first game they picked up a 69-60 win over Nicholas County on Saturday before dropping a 65-51 decision to Covington Holy Cross.  No stats have been posted for those 2 games.  This week the Cardinals will complete play in the Gateway with a matchup against Hopkinsville on Monday.  They will then be off until December 30^th. 

 

8. Great Crossing (3-4)

 

Great Crossing had a 1-2 record in week 3.  The week started out well enough with a 69-44 blowout of Frankfort on the road.  Brady Orem and Travanti Cooper lead the way for the Warhawks with 24 and 20 points respectively.  Great Crossing then travelled to play Montgomery County where they couldn’t keep pace with the hosts in a 78-61 loss.  Orem paced the Warhawks with 25 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.  On Saturday Great Crossing participated in the Berea Holiday Classic where they lost 60-55 to Vestavia Hills (AL).  It was again Brady Orem who led the team in scoring, this time with 17.  Travanti Cooper added 14, and Graham Swartz joined them in double-figures with 11.  The Warhawks have 2 games this week.  On Tuesday they travel to Indianapolis to take on Cathedral (IN), and will close out the week against Caverna in the White, Greer and Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic. 

 

9. Henry Clay (3-4)

 

The Blue Devils had a 1-1 record in week 3.  On Monday they were able to snap their 3 game losing streak with a 68-55 road win over East Jessamine.  Jack Hemenway was the leading scorer for Henry Clay in the victory with 28 points.  Colton Helton added 13 points for the Devils.  That win was followed by another road trip, this time to Walton-Verona, where Henry Clay dropped a 63-53 overtime game to the Bearcats.  Hemenway and Helton were again the leading scorers as Hemenway had 18, and Helton again finished with 13.  The only action for the Blue Devils until after the calendar flips to 2026 will be in the Ashland Invitational Tournament where they are matched up against Cooper. 

 

10. Sayre (4-3)

 

The Spartans went 1-2 in week 3.  Since scoring 66 in their season opening win over Bishop Brossart, Sayre has only broken the 50 point barrier once in their last 6 games.  That struggle to score points continued last week.  On Tuesday they suffered 52-48 home loss to Franklin County.  John Gaines was the only Spartan in double-figures in the game with 11.  Sayre bounced back from that loss with a 42-37 win over Wayne County in their own Republic Bank-Coach Jim Lankster Classic.   The Spartans then fell in the semifinals of the tournament to Martin County 69-41.  This week they will finish out play in the Classic as they will take on Bryan Station in the 3^rd place game.  They will then take on Ryle on Saturday in the Jim Rose Central Bank Classic at LCA.

 

11. Lexington Christian Academy ( 5-4)

 

Lexington Christian struggled to a 1-3 record in week 3.  The week began well enough with a 65-62 win at home against Paul Laurence Dunbar.  That was followed, however, by 3 straight losses.  On Friday they lost at home to Vestavia Hills (Al) 56-34.  The Eagles then went to Whitley County to play in the BSN Borderline Classic.  In their first game they lost 88-83 to Evangel Christian despite a great performance by Caleb Marshall who exploded for 48 points.  The sophomore nailed 9 out of 16 three pointers and was 15-25 from the field overall.  He is now averaging 26.5 points per game.  On Sunday LCA dropped a 73-64 decision to host Whitley County.  Stats have not been posted for that game.  The Eagles have been playing without freshman Chase Bentley, who was averaging 16.2 points per game through the first 5 games.  I’m not sure if he is injured, and if so how bad, but his absence has certainly been noticeable.  We’ll see if he can get back in action on Saturday when the Eagles will host Russell in the Jim Rose Central Bank Classic. 

 

12. Lafayette (2-5)

 

The General went 1-2 last week, but they were able to snap a 5 game losing streak with a 70-59 win over Paris in the Republic Bank Coach Jim Lankster Classic.  Earlier in the week they dropped a road game to Tates Creek 98-58, and their first round game in the Classic against South Oldham 68-48.  Tyler Hunt scored 64 points combined in the 3 games, and has his average up to 19.4 points per game to go along with 9.1 rebounds.  Lafayette has a single game this week as they will complete play in the Lankster Classic against Wayne County on Monday. 

 

13. Paul Laurence Dunbar (3-7)

 

The Bulldogs had a 2-2 week in week 3.  They dropped their first 2 games of the week, both on the road.  On Tuesday they lost a close game at Lexington Christian 65-62, followed by a 59-48 loss at Danville.   Things picked up for Dunbar on Saturday when they made the trip down I-75 to play in the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge at South Laurel.  They opened up play in that event with a 75-56 win over Fleming County.  That was followed up by a 54-48 victory over Wolfe County.  The Bulldogs will try to run their winning streak to 3 on Monday when they complete play in the Dribble Drive Challenge in a match up with Harlan.  That game is the only one on the schedule this week for Dunbar. 

 

14. Franklin County (2-6)

 

The Flyers went 1-3 last week.  They started off the week with a surprise 52-48 road win over Sayre.  That was followed by a 72-46 blowout loss at home to Tates Creek.  They then dropped their first 2 games in the Capital City Classic: 54-36 to Grant County at Western Hills, and 66-40 at home to Eastern.  They will complete play in the Capital City Classic on Monday at home against Franklin-Simpson in their only game of the week.

 

15.  Berea (3-4)

 

The Pirates went 2-2 last week.  On Tuesday they travelled to Corbin where they lost a 71-57 game to the Redhounds.  They then hosted the Berea Holiday Classic.  They lost their opener to Breathitt County 61-48 before bouncing back with a pair of wins.  On Saturday they blew out Heritage 66-41, and then got by Lee County on Sunday 78-59.  They are off until Saturday when they will take on LaRue County in the Railroad Classic at Estill County. 

 

16.  Frankfort (2-5)

 

The Panthers had a busy week in week 3 as they played 5 games.  The bad news is that they went 1-4 in those games.  They lost their first two games of the week at home: 69-44 to Great Crossing, and 56-37 to Vestavia Hills (AL).  Frankfort then picked up a 62-54 win over Heritage in their opening game of the Berea Holiday Classic before dropping their next 2 games in the event.  Tates Creek blew them out 72-52 on Friday before they lost a 66-55 decision to Madison Southern on Sunday.  The Panthers are off this week and will return to action on December 29^th against Garrard County in the 4 Banks Classic at Garrard County. 

 

17. Model (3-5)

 

Model turned in a 1-3 worksheet for week 3.  They started off the week with a district game against Madison Southern at home.  The Eagles proved to be too much for the Patriots in a 78-62 loss.  Their week concluded in the Berea Holiday Classic where they dropped their first two games: 53-47 to Magoffin County, and 83-67 against Breathitt County.  They did bounce back to pick up a win on Sunday against Heritage 70-47.  Model has a single game left in 2025.  On Monday they will travel to Casey County to take on the Rebels.  They won’t return to action after the Casey County game until January 6^th. 

 

18. Western Hills (1-7)

 

The Wolverines lost all 4 games in week 3 to run their losing streak to 7 games after opening the season with a victory over Owen County.  All 4 losses were at home.  On Tuesday they lost to Nelson County 80-72.  That was followed by a 73-61 loss to Grant County.  They then hosted the Capital City Classic where they were blown out by Taylor County 86-53, before dropping a 75-70 decision to Danville.  Four of their losses in the losing streak have been by less than 10 points, so there is reason for optimism that they can get things headed in the right direction.  Western Hills is off this week, and will return to action on December 29^th against Bullitt East in the East Jessamine Holiday Basketball Tournament.

 

19.  Frankfort Christian (2-5)

 

The Royals lost both of their games last week.  On Tuesday then went on the road to Dayton, where they lost to the Greendevils 77-71.  On Thursday they were blown out at home by Casey County 61-35.  Frankfort Christian has one game this week.  They will host Bracken County on Monday.