So with the impending weather, the play for this week in the 12th has concluded. That means we end up with a lighter week than usual. There were some intriguing and close games this week and district play continued to see teams beat up on each other. I think we definitely have one front-runner, three very lively fellow contenders, five teams good enough to also cause noise, six teams with a puncher's chance any given night but overall overmatched by the teams above them, and then the rest. 

Rankings:

The Frontrunner

1. Danville Christian Academy - The Warriors had just one game, a road loss to Taylor County. Leek Ateny had 24 points and 16 rebounds. Much has been discussed here recently about his potential at the next level and his chances of being the regional player of the year. No matter what you think about those topics, he is certainly the engine that makes DCA go and is almost undoubtedly the best interior player in the region. Foul trouble or injury to him is a huge vulnerability for the Warriors. They host two district opponents this week in Lincoln County and Danville.

The Other Contenders

2. Wayne County - The Cardinals remain hot as they absolutely crush Somerset Christian in their only game this week. Kendall Phillips had 21 points in the 29 point victory. They face Clinton County and McCreary County this week. 

3. Somerset - The Briar Jumpers could not advance past the first round in the All A State Tournament as they fell by 2 points to Walton Verona. Aedyn Absher had 17 points in the loss. They are supposed to play on the road Monday at Corbin but you have to think that game is in danger of being called off. They have another road game scheduled for Friday at Pulaski County in what may very well be the game of the week.

4. Pulaski County - The Maroons had quite the week, beating Adair County 86 to 85 and then beating Somerset Christian by double-digits. Let us talk about the Fraley boys against Adair. Blake Fraley went 8(!!!) of 12 from three point range, ending up with 26 points. Carson Fraley had 18 points of his own. And in the category of folks not named Fraley, Tanner Absher had 6 rebounds and 18 points. They face Southwestern, Somerset, and Henry Clay in a trio of challenging games this week.

The Potential Noise Makers

5. Southwestern - Southwestern had just 1 game this week, a three point victory over McCreary Central. They take on crosstown foe Pulaski County on Tuesday, another in-town team in Somerset Christian Friday, and host Cumberland County Saturday.

6. West Jessamine - The Colts got back in the win column with a 3 point win over Boyle County. Kaden Floyd had 16 and Gavin Murphy had 15. West followed that up with a key district win over upstart Mercer County. They are scheduled to travel to Burgin Monday and have Tates Creek and Trinity Christian later in the week.

7. Boyle County - Boyle had just one game, the three point loss to West Jessamine. North Laurel and Lincoln County are on their schedule this week.

8. Lincoln County - The Patriots were on the losing end of a blow out to Madison Central but did pick up a needed district win over Garrard County by 5. They have two really tough district games this week against DCA and Boyle.

9. Rockcastle County - The Rockets didn't play a game this week. They are also in danger of not playing Monday against Dunbar due to weather. They host Henry Clay and Harlan over the weekend. They only have one team in region ranked higher than them left on their schedule as Southwestern is coming up in early February. 

The Puncher's Chance Group

10. Somerset Christian School - Well, the pendulum has swung back for the Cougars. After gaining some momentum and a few really nice wins, Somerset Christian fell back to earth somewhat this week as they were blown out by Wayne County and lost to Pulaski by double digits. They did pick up a win over Bluegrass United. They have road games this week against McCreary Central and Southwestern. For them to climb back into the "Noise Makers" group, you would really want to see them beat McCreary and be really competitive with Southwestern. 

11. McCreary Central - And here are those Raiders, knocking on the door of the top ten after their second straight nail-biting loss to a top 5 team in the region. They fell by 3 to Southwestern. They have Somerset Christian, Wayne County, and Knox Central ahead this week.

12. East Jessamine - Since the massive win over West Jessamine, the Jaguars have lost three straight to Dunbar, Marion County and Russell County. They have a big district game this week as they face Mercer County again, this time at home after losing earlier this month on the road. They also have Burgin and Bellevue. 

13. Garrard County - The Golden Lions had two district games, going 1-1 as they defeated Danville and lost to Lincoln County. They now play Danville at Danville and follow that up with a road trip to Madison Southern.

14. Danville - The Ads fell to Garrard County and beat Madison Southern by 1 on the road. They have part 2 with Garrard County, this time at home. In another district game, they travel across town to face DCA.

15. Mercer County - This is a 5 win Titan team that has a legitimate shot at making the regional tournament. They will most likely square off with East Jessamine in the first round of the district tournament, though there is an outside shot it is West. They have shown they have the ability to beat East and they showed this week they could compete with West, though they ultimately lost by 5. They have game 2 against East this week before playing Bardstown.

The Rest

16. Burgin - The Bulldogs beat Casey County and lost to Vrown. They face West Jessamine, East Jessamine, and Nelson County this week.

17. Casey County - The Rebels fell to Burgin. They play Cumberland Christia Home, Barbourville and Collegiate this week. 

18. Trinity Christian - The Titans remain winless and they have lost their last two by 49 or more. They have Model, West Jessamine, and Williamsburg this week.

19. Kentucky School for the Deaf - The Colonels lost to Summit Christian Academy. They may or may not play this week.

Here's to hoping Boyle and Lincoln happen Friday, even though both schools have cancelled the rest of the week. 

On 1/28/2026 at 1:12 PM, DearToday said:

Here's to hoping Boyle and Lincoln happen Friday, even though both schools have cancelled the rest of the week. 

Any word if this one or any of the games are being played tomorrow?

12 minutes ago, RVaughn said:

Any word if this one or any of the games are being played tomorrow?

Danville and DCA was canceled.  No word on a make up date.

Somerset @ Pulaski Co. is still a go.  

On 1/28/2026 at 1:12 PM, DearToday said:

Here's to hoping Boyle and Lincoln happen Friday, even though both schools have cancelled the rest of the week. 

It was canceled 

Gosh, I don't know if we will have more than a half dozen games this week in the region. 

Not sure why the northern schools are so cancelling so much.  It looks like most of the southern matchups are still on.  

Unless it’s precautionary for the potential weather system moving in?  Main roads are fine, and travel is limited for these matchups. 

2 hours ago, LethalPG said:

Not sure why the northern schools are so cancelling so much.  It looks like most of the southern matchups are still on.  

Still pretty rough on many of the side roads across much of our area. I took my son to practice this afternoon and even the sidewalks into the gym are terrible. I can't imagine the potential problems if a fan were to fall and get hurt on the way in.

Also, fair or not, I think there's a negative image regarding priorities that comes with canceling school but allowing sporting events.

Edited January 30Jan 30 by gchs_uk9

27 minutes ago, gchs_uk9 said:

Still pretty rough on many of the side roads across much of our area. I took my son to practice this afternoon and even the sidewalks into the gym are terrible. I can't imagine the potential problems if and fan were to fall and get hurt on the way in.

Also, fair or not, I think there's a negative image regarding priorities that comes with canceling school but allowing sporting events.

I definitely see the reasoning behind it.  There just used to be a lot more “snow day” games then what is played now.  I can’t imagine the nightmare trying to jam all these district games into a short window time frame.  I know 45th district teams are already cancelling games with other region teams to fit in makeups for district games.  

I spoke too soon.  Pulaski vs. Somerset has been cancelled tonight citing parking lot issues.  Tentative reschedule date for next TH. Feb. 5th.  Another big time district bites the weather dust.

2 hours ago, LethalPG said:

I spoke too soon.  Pulaski vs. Somerset has been cancelled tonight citing parking lot issues.  Tentative reschedule date for next TH. Feb. 5th.  Another big time district bites the weather dust.

You're the first person I thought of when that cancellation popped up!

Garrard and Danville, originally scheduled for Tuesday then moved to tomorrow is also now tentatively set for Thursday, February 5.

7 hours ago, LethalPG said:

I spoke too soon.  Pulaski vs. Somerset has been cancelled tonight citing parking lot issues.  Tentative reschedule date for next TH. Feb. 5th.  Another big time district bites the weather dust.

I'm working in Atlanta tonight.  I was just getting ready to see if I could bring it up steaming to keep tabs on it.  

15 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

I'm working in Atlanta tonight.  I was just getting ready to see if I could bring it up steaming to keep tabs on it.  

GRC and Montgomery County are on NFHS.  That might be a good one.