After a few weeks without rankings, here are my updated 12th Region rankings. As it was the last time, these rankings are "as-of-now." They take into account wins and losses, along with how the team is playing today. I make no effort to predict the final two weeks of the season or who will/won't advance in the district tournaments.

 

1. Garrard County (17-4)

The Good: Wins continue to pile up, and 20 is the school record. Lions responded well to loss against Danville by routing Boyle County.

The Bad: Danville proved the best way to beat Garrard is by being physical.

The Future: Can the rest of the region copy the Danville plan? If Lincoln knocks off Garrard on Monday, then the Lions could meet Danville in the district. While Garrard is #1 today, it's a tentative #1.

 

2. Lincoln County (13-7)

The Good: Patriots seem to be hitting their stride at just the right time. Could easily move to #1 with a win tomorrow night over Garrard County.

The Bad: Schedule down the stretch is challenging, with Garrard, Southwestern, @Danville and Catholic.

The Future: Certainly history is pointing to Lincoln County. This is when they have traditionally started their stretch run; they have the best coach in the region; the team oozes experience; they host the regional tournament.

 

3. West Jessamine (17-7)

The Good: Before last night, I would have ranked West at #1. Colts seem to be the best all-around team in the region.

The Bad: Getting handled at home, two weeks after beating Catholic in the same gym, proves the Colts might not yet be ready to be christened as regional favorites.

The Future: West always makes a playoff run. I expect them to win the 46th District and make the regional finals - can they break through to Rupp this time?

 

4. Southwestern (14-8)

The Good: Is anyone in the region playing better than the Warriors right now? They are very young and talented, which bodes well for the future, too.

The Bad: Before you argue that they should go ahead of West based on their win, remember that Southwestern has a handful of bad losses earlier in the season. Their first trip through the district was bad, along with losses to Western Hills and an exposed Russell County team. Early season thirty-five point beatdown in Lancaster leaves questions.

The Future: Certainly the calendar flipping to 2009 was good for Southwestern. District opener with McCreary will be tough. Warriors could make a regional run, or not even qualify. Too early to tell.

 

5. Mercer County (12-11)

The Good: Seem to be playing better after an up-and-down start to the year. Win at East Jessamine seems to be a positive step; good showing at Stanford on Friday.

The Bad: Can lose any night out. Mercer might be the most confusing team in the region. Yes, they are good. But they might not be that good, either. Does that make sense?

The Future: Finish the year at Garrard and Southwestern, so we should get an idea of whether they can make a run at the regional title. They do host the district tournament in sparkling new gym, which will help.

 

6. East Jessamine (15-8)

The Good: Have already proven they are capable of beating West and Mercer, so a district title isn't out of the question.

The Bad: Have also proven they are capable of getting beating by West and Mercer, so an early exit also isn't out of the question. Injury to big man really derailed this team, making it difficult to read.

The Future: Have traded wins and losses for the last seven games. Continuing that trend would include wins over Southwestern, Wayne and Danville. If they can do that, the Jaguars are a contender!

 

7. Wayne County (12-11)

The Good: They are still Wayne County and do still have Rodney Woods on the sidelines. They are also all-but-guaranteed a regional berth since they open with Monticello.

The Bad: Cardinals really seem to have taken a step backwards. Six straight losses are hard to fathom for a team that was expected to challenge for the title.

The Future: It's probably too early to give a final verdict on Wayne. They'll be in Stanford, so they could win it. But the losing streak is troubling and Wayne hasn't been invincible in the 12th Region for several years.

 

8. Danville (10-8)

The Good: Ads seem to have found a formula that works. Kingsley on the inside and Taylor on the perimeter make for a good combination. Recent win over Garrard, coupled with wins over McCreary and Adair prove they are capable of making noise.

The Bad: What happens if they shoot poorly? What if the refs call the game tight? Will foul trouble be a problem? Danville doesn't score a whole lot of points, and even fewer when they lose.

The Future: District tournament matchup could be key. Ads match up well with Garrard, but not too well with Lincoln. That could be very important.

 

9. McCreary Central (13-10)

The Good: They still have a great player in Watts, although lingering questions make me skeptical about his ability to lead the team through the postseason.

The Bad: An utterly confusing team. Everyone loved them (and many still do), but the Raiders don't seem any better today than they were two months ago.

The Future: The cynic would say, not much, because of their penchant for losing district tournament games. Matchup with Southwestern will be tough. Raiders still have the talent to make a run, but time is running out.

 

10. Rockcastle County (11-11)

The Good: Have emerged as the best team in the 47th District. Not sure what that means, but win over Wayne seems to imply some ability. Big matchups with Garrard and Mercer this week.

The Bad: While they are the best team in the 47th, they haven't really beaten anyone. Rockets have only played five games against teams rated higher than them, and are 1-4 in those games.

The Future: I think they'll make the region, but that district is impossible to judge. I don't expect a long run, however, if they do make it to Stanford.

 

11. Boyle County (8-15)

The Good: The host the district tournament, so they can definitely be a spoiler. Rebels have long been winners when it comes to the postseason.

The Bad: I don't think this team is very good. No shooters and limited inside scoring if you shut down Aumiller. And honestly, it seems like they've quit.

The Future: Next three (Mercer, @Woodford, Bryan Station) are very tough. I think the Rebs could pull a district upset, but I'm not sure if it's clicked with Boyle this season.

 

12. Casey County (7-15)

The Good: Casey seems capable of making it to the region for the first time in eleven years. Huge win over Russell County shows that they can win against good competition.

The Bad: While I think Casey is better, they aren't that good. A district tournament win over Somerset or Pulaski is possible, but I wouldn't be surprised by a loss.

The Future: Rebels don't yet know who they will meet in the district tournament. They did sweep Somerset and romped over Pulaski in their last meeting.

 

13. Somerset (10-13)

The Good: Jumpers seem to be much improved. Loss of so much from last year really put them behind the eight-ball. Should be much more of a challenger next season.

The Bad: Obviously aren't in the league with top of the region.

The Future: Hosting the district is a big plus. Won't be much of an underdog against any opponent in the 47th.

 

14. Pulaski County (9-13)

The Good: Seems like they are capable of making the region, considering early wins over Casey and Somerset, along with tight losses to Rockcastle.

The Bad: Eight losses in nine games is never good. Close win against Madison Southern only thing keeping it from being worse.

The Future: District draw will be big. I think they can beat Casey County; I don't think they can beat Rockcastle.

 

15. Burgin (13-6)

The Good: Small school has had a fantastic season. Missing the All A State really hurts for the Bulldogs.

The Bad: Greatly overmatched in the 46th District.

The Future: I think they'll be competitive in the district tournament, but a win might be too much to ask for.

 

16. Monticello (2-20)

The Good: Trojans have gotten their youngsters plenty of experience this season, which bodes well for the future.

The Bad: Have to play Wayne County in the district, which has beaten the Trojans by 35 and 34, respectively, in their first two meetings.

The Future: While I can't see any way Monticello makes the regional tournament, I do think they'll be better next season and could possibly challenge for the All A title.

 

17. Kentucky School f/t Deaf (10-9)

The Good: Fantastic showing as host school in Mason-Dixon tournament, losing a tight one to Alabama in the title game.

The Bad: Have to play Boyle County in the district play-in game.

The Future: KSD always struggles to compete with the rest of the district/region. They always play hard, however, and win their fair share of games against other deaf competition. Have to be considered among the top 10 deaf teams in the nation - a very nice achievement!

Southwestern starts 5 seniors I believe. Remember at tournament time, senior leadership is important. Garrard, Lincoln, Southwestern may be the teams with the most senior experience. But anything can happen this year in the 12th.

Nice work...

Great analysis of the 12th region!! I cant really disagree with any of them. I think the West score could be alittle sckewed because they had East the night before and a bunch taking the ACT that morning and then playing a Saturday afternoon game- but take nothing away from SW- they just beat West fair and square. I think my 12th region would be

1. Lincoln Co

2. West

3. Garrard

4. SW

5. McCreary Central

6. East

7. Wayne Co

8. Danville

9. Rock

10. Boyle Co

 

Now I think the top 4 are the hottest teams in the region as far as 09 goes. 2 weeks to go and then we start all over again. Right now I think the top 2 are the favorites with then next 4 capable of winning it all. I think the last two years Lincoln and West Jessamine have been the best two teams in the 12th I think it is coming down to those two again- but like I said Garrard and SW do have great senior leadership and coaches that can get it done- McCreary and East have the athletes to cause havoc on anyone and Wanye Co still have great young kids and Rodney Woods- not sure the rest of the field can win a big one in district and then also put three games together to get to Rupp

I think as of now, these rankings are spot on.

 

The number 1 spot is up for grabs on Monday Night in Stanford when Lincoln & Garrard face off.

 

I am looking for a big croud because of the rivalry and the best part

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It is free! :ylsuper:

Great analysis. Lots of insight with no "homer-ism". I will throw my top ten in as of this moment) just for fun.

1. West - I agree with the jetlag over the East game.

2. Lincoln - Hot as a smoking pistol at tourney time.

3. Danville - soooooo much talent.

4. Garrard - rock solid. You have to beat them. They wont beat themselves.

5. Southwest - only seen them once, but their style is tourney proven.

6. McCreary - not as talented as many on here think, but very capable of winning the region AND is well-coached, no matter what you say.

7. East - tons of talent, but so inconsitant.

8. Wayne - well coached, and will play as well as they can in two weeks.

9. Mercer - young kids growing up and starting to jell with the new coach.

10a. Rockcastle - getting hot at right time.

10b. Burgin -what other 4 seed in a district has a veteran coach and13 wins?

We may have to move Lincoln Co. into the top spot now, but I have now seen every top team in the 12th accept Pulaski SW. I have to think that Garrard is still #2 right behind Lincoln.:thumb:

We may have to move Lincoln Co. into the top spot now, but I have now seen every top team in the 12th accept Pulaski SW. I have to think that Garrard is still #2 right behind Lincoln.:thumb:

 

I would maybe even rank them 1 and 1a, being they split the home and home.

Good point LCPATS. This should be a really fun region to watch.

I would maybe even rank them 1 and 1a, being they split the home and home.

 

I might tend to want to put Garrard ahead of Lincoln still, just because of how the Lions dismantled Lincoln in Lancaster. But rankings are "what have you done lately" and Lincoln has the most recent win. Knowing that you have to win the regional tournament on Lincoln's home floor gives them an added bump, also.

Don't leave out West Jessamine. They are due.

I might tend to want to put Garrard ahead of Lincoln still, just because of how the Lions dismantled Lincoln in Lancaster. But rankings are "what have you done lately" and Lincoln has the most recent win. Knowing that you have to win the regional tournament on Lincoln's home floor gives them an added bump, also.

 

That game in Lancaster was the worse game LC has played in three years. I give Garrard a lot of credit for that, however I feel like it was the exception instead of the norm.

 

Garrard has the better overall record, and LC had the better region record. Pretty even, IMO.

That game in Lancaster was the worse game LC has played in three years. I give Garrard a lot of credit for that, however I feel like it was the exception instead of the norm.

 

Garrard has the better overall record, and LC had the better region record. Pretty even, IMO.

 

You could tell that wasn't the best effort by Lincoln, but you're right in the fact that Garrard had something to do with it. Only the flip side, Garrard didn't have their best game last night, but Lincoln had a whole lot to do with that.

 

Realistically, it's too tough to tell who the best team in this region is. Lincoln, Garrard, and West are probably the top three, while the second tier likely consists of Danville, East, Mercer, Southwestern, Wayne and McCreary. Calling those teams "second tier" really isn't fair, as I think most of them can/have knocked off almost everyone.

 

There isn't too much separation between anyone in this region. I think there are 5-7 teams that could win the entire thing. It might just come down to who is playing the best ball for one week in March.

You could tell that wasn't the best effort by Lincoln, but you're right in the fact that Garrard had something to do with it. Only the flip side, Garrard didn't have their best game last night, but Lincoln had a whole lot to do with that.

 

Realistically, it's too tough to tell who the best team in this region is. Lincoln, Garrard, and West are probably the top three, while the second tier likely consists of Danville, East, Mercer, Southwestern, Wayne and McCreary. Calling those teams "second tier" likely isn't fair, as I think most of them can/have knocked off almost everyone.

 

There isn't too much separation between anyone in this region. I think there are 5-7 teams that realistically can win the entire thing. It might just come down to who is playing the best ball for one week in March.

 

 

 

:thumb:

 

It is wide open...