article 3rd Region Final Rankings & District Previews

1. Owensboro Red Devils (17-10)

The Devils finished the season strong winning 4 of their last 5 games, only losing to Bowling Green by 1 point. Owensboro defeated both Catholic and Henderson by 20 plus points to close the regular season. They are easily the team with the highest ceiling and best chance to make a run at Rupp. Senior Jaiden Greathouse leads OHS with 13 points per game, while junior Amari Robinson Wales and Sophomore Gavin Wimsatt both average in double figures. Keep your eye on freshman Kenyatta Carbon and Camen Powell. Both guys have really turned the corner as of late.

2. Muhlenberg County Mustangs (18-11)

The Mustangs closed the season very strong, winning 10 of their last 11 games. Junior guard Nash Divine has been one of the best players in the region in the 2nd half of the season. He is sitting at 15 points per game on average. The team has lost the services of Hayden Perkins but has a core of solid guys in the paint to help make up for the loss.

3. Ohio County Eagles (22-7)

Ohio County had a tough last week of the season, dropping games to very good competition in Madisonville and Logan County. With the way this team shoots the 3, they can beat anyone on any given night. They have attempted almost 700 3 point attempts this year, making 38%. Tripp Manning is the best point guard in the region and leads the Eagles into tournament play with 19 points per game.

4. Breckenridge County Fighting Tigers (18-9)

Breckenridge has cooled off down the stretch, losing 4 of their last 6 games heading into the post season. The one thing that remains consistent for Breck, is leading scorer Kaveon Mitchell. Mitchell should be the front runner for region player of the year honors and leads the region in scoring at 24 points per game. If the supporting cast like Brock Lucas and Justin Shrewsberry can compliment Mitchell in the postseason, the Tigers could make another run to the 3rd Region Title game.

5. Owensboro Catholic Aces (17-13)

The Aces limp into the post season losing their last 5 games and 7 of their past 9. They will need to find a way to play better team basketball if they are going to have a chance to make any noise. While sophomores Brian Griffith and Jai Webb lead the team, they need to find a way to get guys like Drew Hartz and Gray Weaver more involved.

6. Mclean County Cougars (20-10)

The Cougars have thier first 20 win season in a long long time and did so by winning their last 6 games heading into the postseason. They reeled off impressive wins over Butler, Crittenden and Apollo to close the season. Mr Double Double, Logan Patterson leads the Cougars with 18 points and 9 boards heading into the postseason.

7. Butler County Bears (19-9)

The Bears have lost 4 of their last 6 games, but have be fairly consistent all season long. They are led by big man Parker Rice with 20 points and 8 boards per game. Coach Dockery has a nice cast of supporting players who could help Butler County get hot and make their deepest tournament run in quite some time.

8. Edmonson County Wildcats (12-14)

Dalton Decker will lead the Cats into the postseason, putting up almost 19 points per game this season. He scored his 1,000th point in a win over Grayson County last week. The Cats have lost 4 of their last 6 but will get a rematch over Grayson County in the district tourney.

9. Grayson County Cougars (9-20)

Grayson ended their up and down 2020 season on an upswing, winning 4 of their last 5 games. Nolan Shartzer has been great for the Cougars all season long, putting up 17 points per game. They will host the 12th district tournament on their own home floor.

10. Daviess County Panthers (8-20)

Daviess County heads into a tough matchup with Owensboro winning 2 of their last 3 games of the season. Logan Hillard has came on strong for the Panthers as of late to compliment leading scorer Ryan Thomson. They will need all hands on deck to have a shot at the Devils.

11. Meade County Greenwave (9-15)

The Waves have been a 500 team over their last 8 games, finishing 4-4. Coach Tripure always finds a way to win at tournament time and will have leading scorer Mitchell Dozier playing his best basketball of the season as the Waves get set to host the 11th district tournament.

12. Hancock County Hornets (10-16)

Hancock was playing their best basketball of the season a few weeks ago, climbing as high as 7th in this poll. Since then, they have dropped 4 of 5 games. They are led by freshman Kolton Keown at 14 points per game.

13. Whitesville Trinity Raiders (9-21)

Trinity had a very impressive first half of the season, but an overtime heart breaking loss to Owensboro Catholic in the 3rd Region All-A Championship game sent their season in a different direction. They were 6-8 before the loss but only 3-13 since. They will need to regroup fast if they want a shot to beat Butler County in the district tournament.

14. Apollo Eagles (5-24)

Apollo has been on the verge of some very nice wins this season but have simply not learned how to win. They have had a hard time putting together complete game performances but have shown flashes of ability to beat anyone. They are led by senior guard Malik Wilson, sitting at 13 points per game.

15. Cloverport Aces (3-23)

While the Aces have struggled to post many wins this season, they do feature one of the leading scorers in the whole region. Noah Pate is sitting at 23 points per game this season.

District Tournament Preview

9th District at The Sportscenter

Owensboro vs Daviess County – Owensboro won by 20 plus points in both match-ups. Expect Daviess County to fight hard early and Owensboro to pull away in the 2nd half.

Owensboro Catholic vs Apollo – Catholic dominated the first match-up but Apollo was able to close the gap to only a 2 point defeat in the 2nd meeting. While Tim Riley is the Coach everyone looks to in the postseason, keep your eye on Steve Barker who always has great game plans in elimination games. Expect Apollo to try to take away Griffith and Webb. Drew Hartz will be the X-factor. PREDICTION: Owensboro over Apollo for the 9th District Championship

10th District at Mclean

Muhlenberg with the bye

Mclean County vs Ohio County – Ohio won the first match-up by 30 but Mclean bounced back and got a road upset over the Eagles just after the holiday break. Logan Patterson can change any game for the Cougars but expect Ohio County to come out firing in this one. If they are not hitting from the outside, Shane Frady is good enough to help prevent an upset. Mclean is playing their best basketball of the season but an upset here will be a tall task. PREDICTION: Ohio over Muhlenberg for the 10th District Championship

11th District at Meade

Breckenridge County v Cloverport - While Breck is the heavy favorite here, this game does feature the top to scorers in the region in Kaveon Miitchell and Noah Pate.

Hancock County v Meade County – Hancock swept the season series, winning both games by an average margin of 4 points. Coach Tripure always seems to find a way at tournament time but this one is a toss up. What Meade does well, Hancock defends very well. If the Hornets can find some offense, they will have a chance to go 3-0 vs the Waves. Home court could be the deciding factor. PREDICITON: Meade County over Breckenridge County for the 11th District Championship

12th District at Grayson

Butler County v Whitesville Trinity – Butler County won big in the first meeting but had to come from behind to beat the Raiders in the 2nd meeting. The Bears will be the favorite but if the Raiders are hitting from the outside, they'll have a chance. Look for a big game from Parker Rice. The Raiders don't have much of a defensive answer for him.

Edmonson County v Grayson County – The two teams split season match-ups but Edmonson just drilled Grayson this past Thursday. That probably won't mean to much come Tuesday. The Wildcats bring a few guys who can lead them in scoring, while Grayson County will need a big performance from Nolan Shartzer to get the win. PREDICTION: Butler County over Edmonson County for the 12th District Championship.

Bump.