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Mayfield Cardinals are finally getting to make the trip to Rupp Arena. Last year seemed to be the year that would happen as the Cardinals went through the regular season without losing a game to any Region 1 school. However they lost to McCracken County in the Region semifinals and just like that, the dream ended. Mayfield did not lose any major components from last year and entered into this season as the Region 1 favorite. Things did now start out as well as expected. They lost 3 of their first 5 games including a 1 point loss to McCracken County, a team that lost much more than they did from the previous season. Just over a week later they lost to Paducah Tilghman by 2, and a closer than expected victory versus Murray. January started to see this Mayfield team make some progress. They defeated Graves County by 5, then played on of their best games of the year to defeat University Heights Academy. They defeated Murray soundly, and from Jan 8 on, the Cardinals won all but one game (Lexington Christian in the All A State Tournament). They have won 16 of their last 17 games including defeating Graves County in triple overtime for the 3rd District title. In the region tournament this year, Mayfield had to go through Marshall County, which they did so with ease, but they also had to face Paducah Tilghman, a team they split with during the year. They had the better team on the floor, but couldn’t pull away from PT and the game ended up going into overtime where the Cardinals pulled it out. In the finals match against McCracken, they were able to return the favor from last season, by ousting the region favorite 56-44. The game was a very low scoring affair in the first half, but things picked up in the second as Mayfield pulled away. Mayfield is led by three very good players. Brothers Carson and Connor Guthrie, and Desean Jackson work together very well and make them a very dangerous team. Connor Guthrie is the team’s leading scorer and the Region 1 Player of the Year. He can score from anywhere on the floor including 10 feet from behind the 3 point line. He isn’t afraid to shoot it from anywhere either. He actually scored more 3 point baskets this season (93) than he did 2 point baskets (91). He is averaging 15.5 ppg and hits 55% of his shots including 46% from behind the arc. Carson Guthrie, unlike his brother, likes to stay close to the basket, although he will shoot from the outside if need be. He loves to stay around the rim, which is evident from his 9.3 rebound per game average. He pours in 13 points per game and plays very good defense for an undersized big man. Forward Desean Jones is a great role player for Mayfield. He plays his role well and does a great job of getting open shots and getting to the basket. He is not as skilled as Guthrie is underneath the basket but does enough to keep teams honest. He is not a 3 point threat, he only hit 8 this year, however, he does shoot 63% from the field so you need to know where he is, or he will pick you apart. Other guys to watch are Kade Neely (8.3 ppg), Trey Matthews (7.6 ppg) and 3 point specialist Husten Lancaster (41 threes this season). Expect Mayfield to play tough defense and try to control the game. They will most likely be the smaller team on the floor when matching up at Rupp, but Carson Guthrie can play bigger than he seems. They are quick and they run a good half court offense where shots can go up from anywhere. They won’t be the most talented team at Rupp, but they will put up a great fight, and may surprise some people.

Mayfield wins

46-38 may

End of 3 Mayfield 32 McCracken 29 Note: Sivills has 4 fouls

Halftime Mayfield 18 McCracken 14

Wow... District 8 reign is over

Bad 3Q for CCHS

Maroons open the 3rd on a 4-0 run and lead by 1

Dumas hits two more free throws. 47-41. Looks like MC will pull this out. 5 seconds left.

McCracken with 2 free throws. 45-41

Jackson Sivills for 2. 43-41 MC

Naranjo hits 2 ft and its tied at 41

40-39 MC with 2:30 to go.

The second region has been about two teams all year long. Right from the beginning, University Heights and Madisonville North-Hopkins showed they were the cream of the crop, and things never changed. For UHA, its about the continued 8th district dominance within the region. Since 2001, an 8th district team has won the region 2 title and advanced to Rupp Arena. The closest any team has come in recent memory to snap that streak was in 2015 when David Simmons and Henderson County dominated throughout the year, but fell to Hopkinsville in the semis. Madisonville-North Hopkins has the chance to end the 8th District streak. They are the last team outside that district to win the Region 2 title back in 2001. This year they only lost one game to a Region 2 school, that was UHA, by one, on a last second shot. The dream is real for the Maroons, they have found themselves with a historic opportunity. And they can do it on their home court. If things go as predicted, we will know on Saturday, if history has been made, or just continued. Here are the matchups for this year’s Region 2 tournament which will be held at Madisonville-North Hopkins high school. The draw was perfect in that Madisonville and UHA are in different brackets and can only meet in the finals. It’s the way it should be. Game 1: University Heights vs Crittenden County (Feb 25 at 6:00 pm) This game should be over early. These two did not meet during the regular season, but the Blazers are a powerhouse and the Rockets have had a struggle this season. UHA is led by Mr. Basketball candidate KyKy Tandy who is averaging 27 ppg. His teammates Drew McGowan (14.9) and Taquan Hollowell (11 ppg) are complimenting pieces to Tandy’s play. Crittenden has two scoring threats to watch, Gabe Mott is averaging 15.1 ppg and Preston Turley is adding 11.7 ppg. While the Rockets have scoring threats, they are outmatched in almost every area of the court. UHA is very athletic and will be too much for Crittenden. Prediction: UHA 83 Crittenden County 51 Game 2: Union County vs Caldwell County (Feb 25 at 7:30 pm) This will probably be the closest game in the opening round of the Region 2 tournament. Both teams have come on strong at the end of the season although Union’s run has been a little more impressive. These two teams met on December 1 where Union took a 4 point victory. Caldwell looked very good against University Heights in the last game of the regular season losing 96-91. This game will feature two of the most prolific scorers in the region. Derrin Boyd for Caldwell and Kale Gaither for Union. Caldwell will be led by Boyd who averages 24.2 ppg and also pulls down 7.4 rpg. John Davis will average 12.7, Cayden Fraliex also adds in 11.4 per game. For Union, Gaither is averaging 23.2 ppg and Elex Dunford adds 12.8 ppg with Cade Duncan getting 9.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg. This game should be a good one and pretty high scoring. Defense isn’t either team’s specialty, and it may come down to who gets last shot. This will be the game to watch in the first round. Prediction: Caldwell 78 Union County 75 Game 3: Madisonville North-Hopkinsville vs Christian County This has the chance to be a close game or a blowout. The game between these two earlier this year on December 18 ended with a Madisonville win in overtime 69-64. The Maroons are averaging a full 12 points more a game than the Colonels. While Madisonville has been a juggernaut all season, Christian County has had its ups and downs. On paper the Maroons should win this game easily, however Kerry Stovall seems to get the best out of his teams this time of year, regardless of the talent level. Madisonville has four different players who are a threat to score. The biggest threat being Ksuan Casey who is averaging 15.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg. Not many in the region have been able to limit his dominance. Kenny White (13.1 ppg), Cade Cunningham (11.6 ppg), and JD Gilbert (10.3 ppg) all can explode at any point for more than 20. If all of them are on their game, they are very difficult to beat. Christian County doesn’t quite have the scoring threat Madisonville does, but they do have four scorers of their own. Eric Brody leads the way with 14.1 ppg followed by Stephon Bussell (11.6), Fred Tandy (11.4) and Damikeon Mathis (9.6). The big problem for the Colonels will be figuring how to defend Casey and keep him off the boards. Prediction: Madisonville-North Hopkins 74 – 60 Game 4: Lyon County vs Henderson County Lyon and Henderson have not played each other this year so it is hard to tell what will happen in this game. Neither have played an extremely difficult schedule, although Lyon’s has been more difficult playing 3 top 20 teams. Both team have also had their ups and downs this year, but Lyon finished the season on a strong note winning 8 of their last 9 games. Lyon boasts three scoring threats. Travis Perry leads the way averaging almost 21 points per game. Gabe Board (15 ppg) and Jackson Shoulders (12.2 ppg) are great compliments to Perry. They shoot well from behind the arc but aren’t as big as other teams. Henderson County has one dominant scorer and some nice complimentary pieces. Corey Stewart leads the way for the Colonels with 17.2 ppg. Myekel Sanners, Holden Raley, Daymian Dixon, and Edmund Brooks all contribute, but none get more than 10 ppg. Prediction: Lyon County 55 Henderson County 53

The end of the road for all but one team in Region 1 is upon us. All the hard work these teams have put is about to come to a conclusion. Here is a very short recap of what happened in region 1 this season. Mayfield started out as the preseason number 1 since they went undefeated in the regular season in region play last year, and they didn’t lose anything. They struggled out of the gate however and fell out of that number one spot. Paducah Tilghman lost a lot, but had some significant transfer additions and looked as they could be in it all season. The talent was there, but they could put it together many nights against talented competition. McCracken started out the season ranked 4th, but quickly stormed to the front only losing one game to Kentucky teams. Graves County has been very good, the only KY team that defeated McCracken this season. Murray may have played the toughest schedule of all region 1 teams, and got better throughout the year because of it. Fulton County had one of their best seasons in quite sometime while Marshall County and Carlisle have had their struggles. Here is the first round tournament games for the tournament and who the favorite will be for each game. All games will be played at the CFSB center at Murray State University starting Monday. Game 1: Murray vs Fulton County (Feb 25 at 6:00 pm) This is a very interesting matchup. Both teams have competed better than expected over the course of the year, and both teams have improved. They did not play each other during the regular season. Neither team has a star scorer, but instead have balanced scoring attacks. Fulton is averaging 61.6 ppg on the year where as Murray is averaging 57.9. The Tigers scoring is balanced between 4 main players, Hunter Utley (11.9), RaVichael Strickland (12.1), Grant Whitaker (9.1), and Will Lovins (8.0). Fulton County also relies on four main scoring threats, Caleb Kimble (14.5), Kahari Miller (12.0), Geroge Scott (10.1) and Camden Aldridge (9.4). This is the second hardest matchup to predict in this tournament. Fulton County has the advantage on the inside as Camden Aldridge is pulling down over 12 rebounds per game. Murray is the better team from the outside hitting over 170 threes on the year (6.3/game). Both teams are hard playing and play with high emotions. Will be a very entertaining game. Prediction: Murray 55 Fulton County 49 Game 2: McCracken County vs Graves County (Feb 25 at 7:45 pm) This will be one of the most competitive games in the first round of any region. McCracken County only lost one game to a Kentucky team all year long, that was to Graves County 67-56. However two weeks later, McCracken returned the favor winning by 4. McCracken is led by the best player in region 1 this year, Jackson Sivills who is averaging 20.3 ppg. They also rely on Noah Dumas (13 ppg) and Trevor Winsett (9.1 ppg). Graves County has a trio of talented scoring threats with Jordyn Naranjo leading the way with (16.9 ppg), Ryan Mathis (16.0 ppg), and Jacob Savage (13.6 ppg). Graves probably has the more prolific offense, but the Mustangs of McCracken have a great fundamental defense. Both teams are good on the boards and both teams have excellent guard play. There were two glaring differences in the two regular season games. In the game Graves won, the Eagles were able to hold Sivills to 5 pts. They also went to the foul line 30 times, hitting 17 free throws. In the game McCracken won, Sivills exploded for 30 points and Graves only went to the line 15 times hitting only 7 free throws. If these are any indication of what to expect, Graves will have to go to the basket more to draw fouls, and will also have to figure out a way to stop Sivills. I think the Eagles figure out a way to do this and pull the upset. Prediction: Graves County 64 McCracken County 62 Game 3: Mayfield vs Marshall County (Feb 26 at 6:00 pm) This one has the chance of being over early, but more likely Marshall County will stay close. These two teams met only once during the regular season with the Cardinals coming out on top 62-51. Mayfield has a trio of scoring threats including Region 1 Player of the Year Connor Guthrie who averages 15.8 ppg. His brother Carson averages 13.3 ppg but also is huge on the boards pulling down almost 10 a game. Desean Jones is the third threat averaging 12.4 ppg. Mayfield is one of the teams in Region 1 that can play inside and outside well. Connor Guthrie can hit from anywhere on the floor and Carson Guthrie plays best around the bucket. Marshall County also has three players to watch out for. Jonathan Stokes is averaging 15.6 ppg and 10 rpg. Tyler Powell is adding 14.1 ppg, and Bryce Flatt is getting about 9.1 ppg. Marshall has struggled this year to win big games, but they always seem to hang around, rarely allowing the game to get out of hand. If they can keep Mayfield close, they have the chance to pull a big upset. However they have only been able to win 6 of their last 17 games, it will be an uphill battle. Prediction: Mayfield 72 Marshall County 59 Game 4: Carlisle County vs Paducah Tilghman (Feb 26 at 7:45 pm) These two teams only met once this season and it was way back in November. Paducah Tilghman won that matchup by 23 points. Lots of games and lots of things have happened since that game, however the result of this game may not be much different. On paper Tilghman is hands down more talented than Carlisle, however PT has been a very Jekyll and Hyde team this year, and which one shows up will determine who wins this game. Paducah Tilghman is led by Thomas Rodriguez with 14.8 ppg, followed by Micheal Laster at 12.3 ppg and Avery Strayhorn at 10.5 ppg. Carlisle is led by Reese Anderson at almost 16 ppg and Trey Wilson with 14 ppg. Blacke Elder adds 10 ppg. Niether team is very big or dominant on the glass, so this game will be won with guard play and fundamentals. Prediction: Paducah Tilghman 68 Carlisle County 52

That is a tough opening round game

Best game of the night.

1. University Heights Academy – Coach Grant Shouse BGP#3 2018-19 record: 26-4 District 8 University Heights had one of their best seasons in recent memory. They kept the number 1 ranking in the region the entire year. Besides winning the Region 2 regular season title in more than 10 years, they are the 2019 All “A” Classic Statewide Champions. They went undefeated in both district and region play. They only lost two games to Kentucky teams, Lexington Christian and Mayfield. They also have some big wins on the season, Larue County, Male, Cooper, and Newport. The Blazers are led by Mr. Basketball Candidate KyKy Tandy, who most consider one of the favorites for to win that. Drew McGowan and Taquan Hollowell have been great compliments to Tandy, especially when McGowan hits almost 47% of his shots from beyond the arc. UHA will play Fort Campbell which should be an easy win, which sets up a battle with either Hopkinsville or Christian County for the District 8 title. 2. Madisonville North Hopkins – Coach Matt Beshear BPB #17 2018-19 record: 24-5 District 7 The Maroons have had one of their best seasons in school history. They are ranked in the BGP top 20 and have proved they can play with almost anyone. They finished the season winning 17 straight games. The last time they lost was December 27 to Owensboro. Madisonville also has the best chance of unseating the hold District 8 has on the Region 2 title since Henderson County in 2015. They are led by Juniors Ksuan Casey and Kenny White. Casey averaged 15.6 ppg and 9.4 rpg, locking down the paint. White scored 12.7 ppg while Senior Cade Cunningham pitched in 11.6 ppg. The Maroons will play Dawson Springs Monday for the chance to play for the District 7 title. Should be an easy win. 3. Hopkinsville – Coach Larry Miller 2018-19 record: 16-13 District 8 This was the Tigers first year they weren’t picked to win District 8 in almost 7 years. New coach Larry Miller doesn’t have a star player like Tiger teams have had in the past, but he did well with the above average talent there. This teams wasn’t the run and gun, average 80 pts a game like in the past, instead they played more half court and only averaged 56.1 ppg. Lowest in 10 years. James Nicholas led the Tigers with 14.1 ppg and Jacarius Burks added 12.5 ppg. Hopkinsville will play Christian County in the Regions best first round matchup. The winner makes region and plays UHA for the district title. 4. Union County – Coach Shane Smith 2018-19 record: 17-8 District 6 Union County finished the season very strong getting wins against Henderson County, Christian County, and Webster County. They won 10 of their last 12 games. The Braves are led by sophomore star Kale Gaither who averaged 23.5 ppg. Elex Dunford add 12.7 ppg as well. The Braves will have to play their way into the region tournament as they will have a tough matchup with Webster County in the opening round, however the game is played at Union County, so they have the advantage. 5. Christian County – Coach Kerry Stovall 2018-19 record: 14-15 District 8 The Colonels had their first losing season since the 2014 season. Coach Stovall lost a lot of talent last year, but this year’s team has made all kind of improvements throughout the season. Eric Brody lead the Colonels with 13.9 ppg while Fred Tandy puts in 11.8 and Stephon Bussell 12.2. The Colonels will play Hopkinsville to see who goes to region and plays UHA for the district title. They played each other on Feb 2 where Hopkinsville won by 2 points. The district tournament will be played on their home court. 6. Caldwell County – Coach Daniel Kukahiko 2018-19 record: 17-9 District 7 The Tigers been pretty impressive this year with their play. A Big win against Paducah Tilghman caught everyone’s attention as did their strong play against UHA at the end of the season (91-96 loss). They could be a team that could pull a big upset in the region tournament if they make it that far, which they should. Caldwell is led by one of the more dynamic players in region 2, Derrin Boyd. He is averaging 23.2 ppg while pulling down 7.1 rpg. He is complemented by John Davis (12.3 ppg) and Cayden Fraliex (11.6 ppg). Caldwell will play Hopkins County Central Monday at HCC. If they win they most likely will play Madisonville for the district title. 7. Henderson County – Coach Tyler Smithhart 2018-19 record: 15-10 District 6 Henderson County knew this season would be one full of uphill battles. They lost so much last year, but have gained a lot of experience this year while winning many of those battles. While not ready to compete with top competition in the region, they showed they could hold their own. They finished the season winning 5 of 7. They only had one player average in double figures for the year, that was Corey Stewart who put in 17 per game while hitting 46% of his 3s. The Colonels will wait to see who wins the Union County/Webster County game. Either of those opponents will be a tough matchup in the District 7 title game. 8. Lyon County – Coach Jeff Embrey 2018-19 record: 19-9 District 5 Nobody really anticipated the success the Lyons would achieve this season. Right out of the gates they defeated Caldwell County, which most thought was a fluke, but as the season progressed, it became clear that Lyon County has a good team. Wins against Union and Webster solidified that thought. Three players averaged double figures on the season, Travis Perry with 20.6 ppg, Gabe Board with 15.1 ppg, and Jackson Shoulders with 12.4 ppg. Lyon will have to play Trigg County on Monday to see who will advance to the district 5 title game at Livingston Central. 9. Hopkins County Central – Coach Lee James 2018-19 record: 12-14 District 7 Hopkins County had a back and forth season, never losing more than 2 games in a row, but also never winning more than 3 games in a row. Their best wins of the season came against Caldwell County and Webster County. Tyler Mann leads the Storm with 21.8 ppg and Blasin Moore adds 11.1 ppg and Adrian Stringer puts in 10 ppg while getting 8.3 rpg. Hopkins County will play Caldwell County in the opening round of District play. While they did defeat them earlier in the year, they will go into this game as the underdog, even though they are hosting. 10. Webster County – Coach Jon Newton 2018-19 record: 16-13 District 6 Webster salvaged some of their season by ending on a 3 game winning streak. Something they needed because they had lost 7 of 8 before that streak. They started the season out well, but couldn’t keep it going throughout the entire season. Tyler Camplin led them with 17.3 ppg and Malachi Douglas added nearly 14 ppg. Webster will have a tough game against Union County to see who will play Henderson County for the District title. This is one district where there is a clear cut favorite for the district champion. 11. Livingston Central – Coach Chris Green 2018-19 record: 15-13 District 5 The Cardinals were another team that didn’t have any long losing streaks or winnign streaks. They went back and forth all season long. Their highlight win would be against Union county in early December. They had a trio of players average in double figures, Kobe Ringstaff (13.3 ppg), Bryce Stein (12.8 ppg), and Cameron Head (10 ppg). Livingston will play Crittenden County on Monday in the opening round of District play. 12. Crittenden County – Coach Denis Hodge 2018-19 record: 10-17 District 5 The Rockets started the season on a 4 game losing streak, and never really recovered. They had no real significant wins on the season. Gabe Mott was the leading scorer on the season with almost 16 ppg. They will play Livingston Central in the opening round of district play. 13. Trigg County – Coach Payton Croft 2018-19 record: 11-16 District 5 Trigg County had a tough 8 game losing streak mid season and that was their downfall this year. The did win 3 of their last 4 to finish. Kendric Adams led the Wildcats with 13 ppg and 7.4 rpg. They will play Lyon County in the first round of district play on Monday 14. Dawson Springs – Coach Chad Burgett 2018-19 record: 9-19 District 7 Dawson Springs ended the season on a tough 6 game losing streak, which was the longest of the season for them. Skyler Clark led the team with 18.3 ppg and Landon Pace added 13 ppg. The Panthers will play Madisonville in the opening round of district 7 play. 15. Fort Campbell – Coach Robbie Townsend 2018-19 record: 5-20 District 8 The Falcons always find themselves in the toughest district in region 2, and seem to always be at the bottom and this year was no different. They ended the season on a 14 game losing streak. They will have to play UHA in the district over, and that should be over pretty quickly. Top 10 Players to Watch: 1. KyKy Tandy, University Heights – Tandy is the Region 2 Player of the Year and considered one of the top players in the state. He has committed to play at Xavier University after this year. He averaged 26.8 ppg his senior year, which was lower than his 30 ppg last season. 2. Kale Gaither, Union County – Transferred from Henderson County and made a huge impact for the Braves. Only a sophomore, has a bright future ahead of him. Averaged 23.5 ppg. 3. Ksuan Casey, Madisonville-North Hopkins – Best post player in Region 2, averaged 15.6 ppg and pulled down 9.4 rpg. Nobody in the region could keep him in check down low. 4. Derrin Boyd, Caldwell County - Boyd is one of the most electric players in Region 2, averaged 23.2 ppg and pulling down just over 7 rpg. 5. Travis Perry, Lyon County – Perry is another high profile scorer in the region averaging 20.6 ppg and hitting 66 three pointers on the year. 6. Tyler Mann, Hopkins Central – Averaged 21.8 ppg on the season along with 6.6 rpg. Another exciting player in the region. 7. James Nicholas, Hopkinsville – One of the most talented players, didn’t have quite the year that was expected. Averaged 14 ppg and hit 64 three pointers. 8. Corey Stewart, Henderson – The lone offensive weapon for Henderson. Averaged 17.1 ppg while hitting 90 three pointers, most in the region. 9. Drew McGowan, University Heights – Averaged almost 15 ppg on the season, but was deadly from 3 point range making 86 of them while shooting 47% from behind the arc. 10. Kenny White, Madisonville North-Hopkins – White, a junior this year, broke out and averaged 12.7 ppg on the season.

1. McCracken County – Coach Burlin Brower BGP #9 2018-19 record: 27-3 District: 2 The Mustangs had a fantastic season. They started the year ranked as the number 5 team in the region and climbed throughout the year. Once they got to the number one spot, they never relinquished it. They opened the season winning their first 11 games. Their first loss was to Bergen Catholic (NJ) and it came at the Holiday Basketball Classic in Florida. The only Kentucky loss was to Graves County by 9 points on January 8. Since that loss the Mustangs have won 14 straight against KY teams. Junior Jackson Sivills is the leader of this team as he is averaging 20.9 ppg and 7.7 rpg. He has made 62 three pointers on the season. Noah Dumas is another key player for the Mustangs averaging almost 13 ppg. He is shooting 36% from 3 point range this season. Trevor Winsett has added 9.3 ppg on the season. As a team, McCracken a main weapon for them is from beyond the arch where they are shooting an impressive 35% as a team and have made 168 on the season, which comes out to 5.6 per game. McCracken will open district play against Community Christian and then should meet Paducah Tilghman in the 2nd District finals on Feb 21 at St. Mary. 2. Mayfield – Coach Chris Guhy BPG #19 2018-19 record: 21-7 District: 3 Mayfield started the year as the number one team in region 1 and ranked in the top ten in the BGP preseason rankings. Last year they didn’t lose a regular season game to a Region 1 team, but couldn’t close out the tournament. This season hasn’t been as impressive, but they have closed the season on a good note. Mayfield dropped as low as number 3 after losing 3 of their first 5 games, including a one point loss to McCracken County. Throughout the season they have had hiccups, losing to Paducah Tilghman, Lafayette, and Lexington Christian, but they finished with impressive victories over Graves County and Marshall County. The Cardinals have a trio of scorers to watch out for. Connor Guthrie is averaging 16.4 ppg and made more 3 points shots than 2 pt shots this season. His brother Carson almost averaged a double/double on the season (13.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg). While Carson isn’t as deadly from the outside, he knows his way around the rim. Desean Jones has also stepped up for Mayfield averaging almost 13 ppg. Mayfield had the highest scoring offense in region 1 averaging over 70 points per contest. They were also big from 3 point range, averaging 6.2 per game and hitting at a 38% clip. The Cardinals will play the winner of Graves County/Ballard Memorial for the district title on Feb 21. 3. Graves County – Coach Joshua Frick 2018-19 record: 21-8 District 3 The Eagles had a fantastic first half the season going 11-2 through the end of December. January had its ups and downs as well. First they lost to Mayfield, but then gave McCracken County their only loss to a KY team on the season. McCracken returned the favor last in January and Mayfield defeated them a second time last week. The Eagles have a trio of scoring threats as well this season. Jordyn Naranjo made big strides this year and averaged 17.1 ppg while hitting 38% from three point range. Ryan Mathis poured in 15.6 per game, while leading the team from the point. Jacob Savage added 13.5 ppg and 7.4 rpg. The Eagles averaged 67.8 ppg on the season, second most in region 1. They are smaller than what they have been in year’s past, but they have good fundamental play that keeps games close against taller teams. Graves should win their opening 3rd district game easily against Ballard Memorial which will setup the District title game versus Mayfield which will be the third time they play. The game will be at Graves County. 4. Paducah Tilghman – Coach Roderick Thomas 2018-19 record: 14-10 District 2 Paducah Tilghman had high hopes and high expectations coming into this season. They had 2 very talented additions to make up for the huge losses from last year. Things got started at on the right foot as they soundly defeated Hopkinsville in the season opener. Things started to go south as they lost 4 out of 5 in mid December and then went up and down from there. Their biggest win of the season was a 66-64 victory versus Mayfield in late December. The Tornado seem to struggle against talented teams and they did well against equal or lesser teams. They did finish the season winning 4 of 5 games. Thomas Rodriguez led Tilghman with 14.8 ppg while Michaeal Laster poured in 12.3 ppg and Avery Strayhorn added 10.6 ppg. Tilghman did shoot well from behind the 3 point line hitting 36% of their shots. The Tornado will play St. Mary, who they have soundly defeated twice this year, in the 2nd District tournament. Should they win that, which they should, they will play McCracken County on Feb 21 at St. Mary 5. Murray – Coach Dior Curtis 2018-19 record: 14-12 District 4 Murray had one of the tougher schedules in region 1 and it showed early on. They lost 4 of their first 5 games. They won the next three, and then dropped 4 in a row. Things took a nice turn after the holidays where the Tigers went 9-4 over the last 13 games. Murray has seemed to improve as the season progressed, and those games against tougher competition started to pay off. Hunter Utley and RaVichael Strickland are the many scoring threats for the Tigers as they both average 12 ppg and around 5 rpg. Murray is another team hitting 36% of their 3 point shots. Murray won the regular season district title and therefore will get an automatic bid to the regional tournament. However they will play the winner of the Calloway County/Marshall County game for the district 4 tournament title on Feb 21. . 6. Marshall County – Terry Birdsong 2018-19 record: 12-17 District 4 Marshall County had huge hopes going into this season with the arrival of Zion Harmon, however, he never played a minute for the Marshalls, and they struggled throughout the season. They always seem to play teams close, but couldn’t get over the hump with so many of them. Jonathan Stokes led the Marshals with 15.8 ppg and Tyler Powell add 14 ppg. They hit almost 37% of their 3 point attempts on the season. Marshall County will play a tough game on Tuesday versus Calloway County. The winner of that game will face Murray for the district 4 title. All games will be played at Calloway County. 7. Calloway County – Coach Brad Cleaver 2018-19 record: 11-17 District 4 The Lakers had an odd season this year. Things did not start well as Calloway lost of their first 10 games. Then things started to come together and they had big wins against Union Co, Hopkins Central, and Murray. They won 8 of their next 11 games to get close to a .500 record. But they couldn’t keep up the winning ways as they dropped 6 of their last 7 as they played top region 1 teams. The Lakers were led by Chandler Steele and Cade Butler, each averaging over 13 ppg with Chandler also pulling down 8.7 rpg. They will host Marshall County, a team they lost to by 6 points last week, on Tuesday. 8 Carlisle County – Coach Brian O’Neil 2018-19 record: 16-13 District 1 Carlisle has a great record, but they had a very weak schedule, that is why they are ranked this low. They played very few quality teams outside region 1, and lost to all of them. In fact, they best win of the season for Carlisle was a 75-66 win over Lyon County from Region 2. They were led in scoring throughout the season by Reese Anderson (15.5 ppg), Trey Wilson (14.4 ppg), and Blake Elder (10.1 ppg). They will host Hickman County on Monday to see who will play for the District 1 title on Friday 9. Fulton County – Coach Jamie Madding 2018-19 record: 14-12 District 1 The Pilots were one of the surprise teams in region 1 this year definitely improving as the season moved forward. Fulton County finished strong winning their last 5 games. Grant it Fulton County schedule is weaker than Carlisle’s but they weren’t expected to finish over .500 this season. Caleb Kimble led the Pilots with 14.5 ppg and Kahair Miller added 12.2. Fulton County will play Fulton City on Tuesday and the winner advances to the District Finals. 10. St. Mary – Coach Greg Overstreet 2018-19 record: 12-17 District 2 St. Mary lost 9 of their last 11 games to closeout the season. They were led by Colin Doss with 14.4 ppg and Joey Eggemeyer with 11.4 ppg. They will host Paducah Tilghman on Tuesday. If they can pull an upset, they will play the McCracken County, Community Christian winner. 11. Community Christian Paducah – Coach Daniel Durrett 2018-19 record: 8-20 District 2 The Warriors had their best season since 2015 as they won 8 games, the last being against Dawson Springs. They were led by Ben Carter with 16.6 ppg and Elijah Middleton with 14.4 ppg. They will play McCracken County on Monday night, and barring an enormous upset, their season will end. However, they have a lot to be proud of. It wasn’t long ago they hadn’t won a game for almost 2 full seasons. 13. Hickman County – Coach Wynn Harris 2018-19 record: 8-17 District 1 Hickman finished the season with a loss to Christian Fellowship. Its been a tough year for the Falcons who definitely expected to have a better season. The only scoring threat this season was Jackson Midyett who put in 13.9 ppg. They will play Carlisle County on Monday to see who advances to the District 1 title game. 12. Fulton City – Coach Jon Dillard 2018-19 record: 7-22 District 1 The Bulldogs lost their final 5 games to close out the season. They were led by Cameron Madding with 12.6 ppg and Brennen Walker with 10.2 ppg. They will play Fulton County on Tuesday to see who advances to District Title Game. 14. Ballard Memorial – Coach Marla Cooper 2018-19 record: 4-20 District 1 The Bombers had one of their toughest seasons on record. They had two players who averaged double digits this season, Drew Cox at 13.3 ppg and Dequin Donlow at 11.5 ppg. They now play a David vs Goliath game as they travel to Graves County to play. Top 10 Players to Watch: 1. Jackson Sivills, McCracken County – Considered one of the best juniors in the state of Kentucky, clearly showed his talents this year. Averaged 20.9 ppg and 7.7 rpg. He also hit 41% of his three point shots. 2. Connor Guthrie, Mayfield – 2019 Player of the Year in Region 1. Averaged 16.4 ppg while making 88 three pointers (46.6%). 3. Jordan Naranjo, Graves County – Stepped up in a big way for the Eagles this year. Averaged 17.1 ppg and shot 38% from 3pt range. He also pulled down 5 rpg. 4. Jonathan Stokes, Marshall County – The Marshalls leading scorer with 15.8 ppg and leading rebounder with 10 rpg. Only player in region 1 to average a double/double for the season. 5. Carson Guthrie, Mayfield – Averaged almost 14 ppg and 10 rpg for the season with the Cardinals. Part of the big trio for Mayfield. 6. Ryan Mathis, Graves County – Best point guard in the region, averaged 15.6 ppg and made 60 three point shots on the season. 7. Thomas Rodriguez, Paducah Tilghman – Had big shoes to fill and did so by averaging 14.8 ppg and hitting almost 42% of his 3 pt shots. 8. Jacob Savage, Graves County – Filled in down low for Graves. Averaged 13.5 ppg and 7.4 rpg 9. Tyler Powell, Marshall County – Powell complimented Stokes well. Averaged 14 ppg hitting 37.7% of this 3 pt shots. 10. Ben Carter, Community Christian – Averaged 16.6 ppg and 9.7 rpg for the Warriors. All while shooting more than 42% from three.

Was this the highest scoring game this season?

Was this the highest scoring game this season?

Ouch

There are three teams that look like they have a strong chance to win the Region 1 tournament. McCracken County, Mayfield, and Graves County have shown that they have what it takes to win it. All three teams have played at a high level during the year and will need their best to win. There are some teams that can throw a wrench into any of those teams dreams so it will not be a cake walk to get to that finals game. For now, here is this weeks rankings: 1. McCracken County – Coach Burlin Brower BGP #9 2018-19 record: 25-3 Week’s Record: 3-0 The Mustangs continue their impressive season and with Ballard losing 2 games this week, they could move up to the BGP #8 or even higher. McCracken easily defeated Calloway County 70-50 behind Jackson Sivills 23 points. They also stifled St. Mary 59-36, and then they pulled away in the second half against Paducah Tilghman in defeating them again 56-44. They will play Murray before ending their season at Hopkinsville. 2. Mayfield – Coach Chris Guhy 2018-19 record: 20-7 Week’s Record: 2-0 Connor Guthrie stepped up in a big way in a big game. He scored 30 points while leading the Cardinals to a big 77-55 victory against Graves County. Mayfield seems to be coming into their own as they have now won 11 of their last 12 games and they have a very strong case on why they should be considered a top 20 BGP team. They are now looking more like that top 10 rating they started the season with than they did the first half of the year. This is definitely a team to watch throughout the region 2 tournament. 3. Graves County – Coach Joshua Frick 2018-19 record: 20-8 Week’s Record: 1-1 The Eagles soundly defeated Ballard Memorial in a warm up game leading to crosstown rival Mayfield. Usually these games are tight and intense, just like the first game in early January. This game had the same feeling, but only for a while. The Eagles just couldn’t find an answer to the Cardinal offense and ended up losing by 22 points. They can’t lose focus however, they still have a chance to win the region and go to Rupp. One game doesn’t define a season, however, Mayfield seems to have their number. They will play again in the district finals.. 4. Paducah Tilghman – Coach Roderick Thomas 2018-19 record: 12-10 Week’s Record: 1-1 Paducah Tilghman played a very good first half against McCracken County, but their Achilles heel this year has been keeping the intensity up for the second half as well, and it came back to bite them again as the Mustangs completely dominated the Tornado in the second half and pulled away for a 56-44 victory. If Tilghman wants any hope of seeing Rupp Arena, they need to be able to play an entire game. They have the talent on the team to compete, but they just haven’t seemed to have improved throughout the season and everyone else has. 5. Murray – Coach Dior Curtis 2018-19 record: 13-11 Week’s Record: 2-0 Murray had only one game this week, but it was an important one against Marshall County. The Tigers obviously had a game plan going in and they did a pretty good job sticking to it and they defeated the Marshalls 42-33. They also defeat Fulton City big, which put them over the .500 mark for the first time this season. Murray has a very tough game against McCracken County on Monday. They have not played each other this year, but it will take a perfectly played out game plan to win the game. . 6. Marshall County – Terry Birdsong 2018-19 record: 11-16 Week’s Record: 1-1 Marshall County had a big win against Calloway County 56-50 on Friday. The Marshalls needed the win as they had lost so many close games over the past few weeks. The celebration didn’t last long as the Marshalls could not figure out a way to overcome Murray’s game plan, and they fell 42-33. They will play Mayfield on Tuesday before hosting Pope County (IL) on Thursday to finish the regular season. 7. Calloway County – Coach Brad Cleaver 2018-19 record: 11-16 Week’s Record: 1-2 The Lakers continue to find themselves struggling to reach the success they were at the midpoint of the season. They were overmatched in their game against McCracken County to the tune of 70-50. It then took overtime to defeat Carlisle County 46-44, and finally the tough loss to Marshall County 56-50. The Lakers can’t seem to find their offense. They have only scored more than 60 points 4 times in the last 14 games. They have two games left in the season both away. One at Paducah Tilghman and one at Ballard Memorial. 8 Carlisle County – Coach Brian O’Neil 2018-19 record: 16-11 Week’s Record: 1-1 The Comets almost pulled out their first game of the week against Calloway County. They took the game to double overtime, but just couldn’t win it in the end. However they were able to defeat Ballard Memorial 63-57 in a closer game than they would have liked. They will end the season as the underdogs in their final two games at Graves County and at Murray. 9. Fulton County – Coach Jamie Madding 2018-19 record: 12-12 Week’s Record: 2-0 The Pilots took care of business and easily defeated two teams they have handled well already in Christian Fellowship and Fulton City. Things will be much tougher in the next match ups with Mayfield on Monday and Graves County on Friday. However they do have two games they should win as well against Ballard Memorial and Community Christian. If things go as planned, Fulton County will end the year with 14 wins and a .500 record. 10. St. Mary – Coach Greg Overstreet 2018-19 record: 12-15 Week’s Record: 1-2 St. Mary lost to McCracken County big which brought their losing streak to 7 games. Good thing is they were able to break their losing streak as they defeated Crittenden County 57-51 and backed that up with a win at Joppa-Maple Grove (IL) 63-54. They now will play region 2 foes Lyon County and Livingston Central. 11. Community Christian Paducah – Coach Daniel Durrett 2018-19 record: 7-18 Week’s Record: 0-3 The Warriors suffered three losses this week, and have lost 8 of their last 9. Regardless, it has been the most successful season CCA has had in quite some time. They will play 4 games to finish out the season: Crittenden County, Dawson Springs, Fulton City, and Fulton County. They actually have a chance to win at least 2 of those games if they play well. If they don’t, they could lose all 4. 13. Hickman County – Coach Wynn Harris 2018-19 record: 8-16 Week’s Record: 0-2 Hickman lost to Livingston Central 66-39, but repaid a loss to Community Christian with a 38-37 win. They also defeated South Fulton (TN). They finish the season against powerhouse Mayfield. 12. Fulton City – Coach Jon Dillard 2018-19 record: 7-21 Week’s Record: 0-3 The Bulldogs found themselves on the losing side of their three games this week against Mayfield, Fulton County, and Murray. They will finish the season against Christian Fellowship and Community Christian, games they can win. 14. Ballard Memorial – Coach Marla Cooper 2018-19 record: 4-18 Week’s Record: 0-2 The Bombers lost big to Graves County and lost a closer game to Carlisle County 63-57. They will play Trigg County, Fulton County, and Calloway County to finish the season. 15. Christian Fellowship – Coach Tyler Ryan 2018-19 record: 4-21 Week’s Record: 0-2 Christian Fellowship was unable to get past Livingston Central or Fulton County. They will try again in their last few games against Fulton City, Dawson Springs, and Joppa-Maple Grove (IL).

Here is an article on a Hopkinsville Swimmer who won his event, but upon seeing his time, slammed his goggles on the water and the officials disqualified him taking away his first place finish for unsportsmanlike conduct. This was after he congratulated each swimmer in the event, something he apparently always does. VIDEO – Hicks on Lessons Learned at Region Swim Meet | Your Sports Edge

University Heights and Madisonville-North Hopkins continue to show they are the class of Region 2. As the season finishes up this week, the Blazers and Maroons have dominated the entire 2nd region and the only time they played each other, it took everything out of both teams and a last second shot for UHA to come away with the one point victory. Hopkinsville and Christian may have a chance to make some noise, but it is slim at best. This season it will come down to two teams. History is on UHA’s side as District 8 has one 16 straight region 2 titles. Here are the rankings for this week. 1. University Heights Academy – Coach Grant Shouse BGP#5 2018-19 record: 25-4 Week’s Record: 3-0 All “A” Classic Champions University Heights played all three district teams this week, running through all of them, the closest being the game against Hopkinsville. The Blazers defeated Christian County 69-54 on Tuesday, then went to Fort Campbell for an easy 76-48 win on Thursday before ending the week back at home against Hopkinsville. It was a close game throughout, but UHA showed why they are the favorites and pulled out a 67-61 in. Tandy led the Blazers with 23 and McGowan added 22. University Heights will end the regular season at home against Caldwell County on Tuesday. 2. Madisonville North Hopkins – Coach Matt Beshear 2018-19 record: 21-5 Week’s Record: 2-0 The Maroons extend their winning streak to fourteen games this week and look like real threat to ending district’s 8 hold on the Region 2 title. Of course they still have to get past BGP #4 University Heights to do so. However, they are taking care of business in the meantime. Kenny White scored 17 points to lead Madisonville over Evansville Day (IN) 56-54. The Maroons then traveled to Webster Co. on Saturday coming away with the 69-51 win. Madisonville will host Lyon Co before traveling to Apollo and Ohio County. 3. Hopkinsville – Coach Larry Miller 2018-19 record: 15-10 Week’s Record: 1-1 The Tigers started the week off by traveling to Union County on Friday Night. They came home with a 75-62 victory. Saturday was a much shorter drive, just across town to rival University Heights Academy. This was for the regular season district title. It was a great game with a playoff atmosphere, however the Tigers couldn’t overcome the trio of Tandy, Hollowell, and McGowan. They lost 67-61. They can’t spend much time worrying over that loss as Hopkinsville has 4 games this week to close out the season, all but one are very tough. They travel to Owensboro, while hosting Fort Campbell, McCracken County, and Bowling Green. 4. Christian County – Coach Kerry Stovall 2018-19 record: 13-14 Week’s Record: 1-1 The Colonels had very little time to recover from their heart breaking loss to Hopkinsville the previous week. They had the opportunity to play Fort Campbell and they took care of business winning 79-50 against the Falcons. However the very next night they had to take on BGP #4 University Heights. They didn’t have the same success as they were held to 54 points while giving up 69. While it was a closer game than earlier this season, it still wasn’t that close. Christian County finishes the season travelling to Union County and Pulaski County. 5. Caldwell County – Coach Daniel Kukahiko 2018-19 record: 17-8 Week’s Record: 3-0 The Tigers won all three games this week and have now won 6 of 7. They defeated Dawson Springs 82-52, Crittenden 79-71, and then Trigg County 81-46. Derrin Boyd continues to impress with his offensive skills as he is averaging 23 ppg and 7 rpg. They have a very tough game Tuesday at University Heights and what should be a victory at home versus Livingston Central to end the year. 6. Henderson County – Coach Tyler Smithhart 2018-19 record: 15-9 Week’s Record: 3-1 Henderson County travelled to Union County in a rematch from their previous game. The Colonels won that game, however they were unable to copy that performance and at times look overwhelmed in losing 74-58. However, they rebounded nicely and won the other three games during the week. Apollo, Livingston Central, and Evansville Day (IN) all fell to Henderson. After last weeks busy week, the Colonels will end the season with two very tough opponents in Paducah Tilghman and Owensboro. 7. Lyon County – Coach Jeff Embrey 2018-19 record: 17-8 Week’s Record: 1-0 The Lyons continue their surprisingly good season. They only played one game this week, but they made it count defeating Hopkins County Central 70-56 behind a 32 point performance from Travis Perry, who is averaging 21.2 ppg on the season. The Lyons close out the season versus Madisonville-North Hopkins, St. Mary, and Hopkins County Central. 8. Union County – Coach Shane Smith 2018-19 record: 14-8 Week’s Record: 2-1 Union County avenged the loss to Henderson County on Jan 29 by defeating them in a convincing manner at home, 74-58. Cade Duncan had 21 points and Kale Gaither added 19 points in the win. The Braves couldn’t carry that into their next game against Hopkinsville as they fell 75-62. They finished the week in a back and forth game that went into overtime against Hopkins County Central, eventually pulling out the win by 4 points. Union will finish the year with 3 home games, McLean County, Christian County, and Webster County. 9. Hopkins County Central – Coach Lee James 2018-19 record: 11-13 Week’s Record: 2-2 Hopkins County played another full week of games winning 2 and losing 2. The Storm was able to defeat Webster County 68-54 behind 21 points from Tylan Mann. They also handled Dawson Springs 89-60. They couldn’t quite hang with Lyon County losing 70-56 and also lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Union County. They will close the season against Crittenden County and Lyon County. 10. Webster County – Coach Jon Newton 2018-19 record: 13-13 Week’s Record: 1-3 Webster has really struggled at the end of the season this year. They dropped 3 of the 4 games this week and that mean they have lost 7 of their last 8 games. They lost to Hopkins County Central 68-54, Owensboro Catholic 57-44, and Madisonville-North Hopkins 69-51. They were able to defeat Hardin County (IL) 87-51. The Trojans will play Trinity (Whitesville), Livingston Central, and Dawson Springs before starting 6th District tournament play. 11. Livingston Central – Coach Chris Green 2018-19 record: 14-12 Week’s Record: 2-1 The Cardinals defeated Christian Fellowship 54-33 and Hickman County 66-39 while losing to Henderson County 56-30. They will finish out the season against Webster County, St. Mary and Caldwell County. 12. Crittenden County – Coach Denis Hodge 2018-19 record: 9-16 Week’s Record: 2-2 The Rockets were able to defeat Hardin County (IL) and Dawson Springs, but they fell to Caldwell County and St. Mary. They will finish the season against Hopkins County Central and Fort Campbell. 13. Trigg County – Coach Payton Croft 2018-19 record: 9-16 Week’s Record: 1-1 Trigg County was able to defeat Dawson Springs 63-44, however they lost to Caldwell County 81-46. They will finish hosting Ballard Memorial and traveling to Fort Campbell. 14. Dawson Springs – Coach Chad Burgett 2018-19 record: 9-17 Week’s Record: 0-4 Dawson Springs played four games for the second week in a row except this week wasn’t as successful as they lost them all. They were defeated by Caldwell County, Trigg County, Crittenden County and Hopkins County Central. They finish the season against Community Christian, Webster County and Christian Fellowship. 15. Fort Campbell – Coach Robbie Townsend 2018-19 record: 5-18 Week’s Record: 0-2 The Falcons tough season continues as they lose to University Heights and Christian County. That makes 12 games in a row. They play three games this week against Hopkinsville, Trigg County, and Crittenden County.