The Scribe

Right now, Hopkinsville and Henderson are a close 1-2 in the region. There is a big gap between them and teams 3-5.

There are a few things that rankle radio guys. Being sent a roster where the numbers don't match what the players are wearing (or one coach who sent me a roster with names only. No numbers). Making the radio people set up in the opposing team's student section. People firing up leaf blowers to clean the gym right next to you when you are trying to conduct a coach's interview. He could have started on the other side of the gym, but no. Right in front of us. I'm just glad I didn't pass out from the carbon monoxide fumes during the postgame show.

Three graduated. Two starters opted not to play

He is a 6-4 sophomore. Through three games, he is averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds, and shooting 65-percent from the field

Murray took control with a big run to end the first half.

Jon Michael Brown had 40 points for Todd County in a losing effort.

David Simmons had 17 points and eight rebounds for Henderson County, who put four players into double figures.

McCracken County wins their first game in their new gym in front of a packed house.

Cole Gardner had 21 points for Trigg County. Sophomore Detavion Day had 19 points and 17 rebounds. Trigg County is now 3-0. Austin Woodward scored 20 points for Livingston, including his 1,000th career point

Dawson Springs lost all five starters from a five-win team a year ago. Gonna be a long season for the Panthers.

Jake Williams led Graves County with 20 points. Peyton Puckett added 14 points in a battle of the top two teams in the First Region

Hopkinsville went from 13 down to win by eight.

Russellville advanced farther in the playoffs the four years they played up in Class 3A and played schools closer to them in their district than they have the three years they have been in Class 1A with three district games 100 + miles away.

Those two are among the top five in the region. Calloway has a lot of size that creates matchup problems.

Hopkins Central likely won't make it out of their district but I can seem them getting better. Trigg should win their district. But neither is close to Hopkinsville.

Michael Arnett had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Calloway County. Kam Chumbler had 15 for MC.

Two teams expected to challenge for the First Region.

Hoptown opened the second half on a 22-4 run to seize control. Preseason region player of the year Jaqualis Matlock had 23 points and 13 rebounds. Trey Edwards had 22 points for Hoptown (2-0).

Cole Gardner had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Trigg County (2-0) Shelby Myers had 21 points for HCC (0-2). Two rising head coaches in this one. Both programs are on the right track.

Southwestern Highlands Paducah Tilghman Lexington Catholic Lexington Christian Madison Central Oldham County Any others?

Knoxville Fulton finished unbeaten and scored over 860 points this year -- fourth most in NATIONAL history. Christian County held them to 61 in the last week of the regular season

I'm sure he will have enough plaques for the both of you to clean the fish on.

With the 2013 season in the wraps, here is what I learned from this year. 1.) Six class football is now hear to stay. Only two private schools made the title game and they played one another in Class 2A. T and X didn't even make it to the Final Four, let alone a title game. Aren't they the reason we have six class football now? The field was unbalanced? The large publics couldn't compete? Not any more. Not this year any way. 2.) Defense still wins championships. Ask Belfry, Mayfield, and Highlands. 3.) Speaking of Mayfield, if they aren't playing in Bowling Green each year from here on out, there should be an investigation. Top to bottom from feeder to varsity, maybe no better complete program in the state. 4.) Remember when people were upset when DeSales unceremoniously dumped head coach Mark Sander a short time after leading them to the 2A title game in 2009? I don't either. 5.) Play was much faster this year. More teams adopting a no-huddle, fast-break style offense. Teams were slow to adopt. 6.) Bowling Green may very well have had the best team in the state this year. Hard to say though without them playing other teams that made it to Bowling Green. 7.) The regional finals and semi-final rounds, I think, are more dramatic and evenly matched than the state finals. That means better crowds. I know weather was bad but a 50-percent drop in attendance was rather steep for the most important game of the year. 8.) Social media on Friday nights makes following games in progress statewide much easier when you don't have web access. 9.) Consolidation will continue to make it harder for public county schools to win state titles and make it easier for the nearby independant districts to rebuild quicker. Three of the six winners were independent schools if I'm not mistaken.

It seems like we are doing more and more to shorten games instead of becoming more competitive.

Mother Nature has always shown she is not a fan of high school sports, and weather cancellations in the first week of the basketball season further drives home this point. Teams that opened play earlier in the week were able to get their opening games played, but later week contests went by the wayside in what was one of the earliest weather postponements in recent memory. Hopping Along Hopkinsville opened defense of their region title on a different date and against a different opponent. The Tigers were scheduled to open at Russellville Thursday and then play Evansville Bosse Saturday in the Marshall County Hoopfest. Instead, the Tigers lost their Thursday opener and had to play Marshall County Saturday in the Hoopfest. Jaqualis Matlock had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Tigers to a 79-60. Dee Henry added 16 points for Hoptown, who hit nine 3-pointers. Call Me A.J. A.J. Tyler had 18 points as the new look Christian County Colonels opened with a 77-59 win over Hopkins County Central Tuesday. The Colonels lost three starters to graduation and two more to transfer but looked quick on defense in this one. The Storm, winners of nine games last year, lost the coaching opener for new coach Rex Booth. Trigg County gets a ‘Crofty’ win New coach Payton Croft’s debut as Trigg County head coach was a successful one as the Wildcats hammered Dawson Springs 80-22. It was Trigg’s 25th win over Dawson Springs in their last 26 meetings. Sophomore Detavion Day had 14 points and seven rebounds to pace three players in double figures. The Wildcats did get some bad news when 6-5 senior Brian Dossett, expected to be a major cog in the offense, was lost for the season with an ACL injury in the first half. Just Say Boo Lamontas “Boo” Johnson hit an off-balance shot as time expired to give University Heights a 74-72 opening win over Union County. The Blazers led by as many as 17 in the contest, but the Braves were able to chip away at the lead in the second half. Johnson led the Blazers with 20 points, while freshman transfer Tray Hollowell added 13. Jashaud Fleming led all scorers with 29 points for the Braves. Nine is Not Enough It’s not often nine players score points for a team in a loss. Even more odd, a loss where the team only scores 48 points. Madisonville pulled off the rare feat in a 52-48 loss to Daviess County. Sophomore Javeon Eaves was the only player in double figures for the Maroons with 10 points. Double Double Henderson County’s David Simmons scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Colonels opened with a 57-56 win over Evansville Harrison. Bryce Crowley hit four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points and five rebounds for Henderson County. Games to Watch University Heights at Hopkinsville (Tuesday) – Both teams added new players in the off-season. Tuesday, we get to see whose new players are better in this key Eighth District match up. Union County at Caldwell County (Friday) – This game features a couple of region dark horses. Union County has speed. Caldwell County has size. Christian County at Madisonville (Tuesday) – Two of the historical region powerhouses hope to get some questions about their teams answered when they meet Tuesday in Hopkinsville. Toyota of Hopkinsville Shootout (Friday and Saturday) Friday at Christian County 5pm – Bowling Green vs. University Heights 7pm – Paducah Tilghman vs. Christian County 8:30pm – Warren Central vs. Hopkinsville Saturday at Hopkinsville 4pm – Warren Central vs. University Heights 5:30pm – Ohio County vs. Christian County 7pm – Lavergne, Tenn. vs. Hopkinsville Second Region Rankings Hopkinsville Henderson County University Heights Madisonville Union County Caldwell County Trigg County Christian County Lyon County Hopkins County Central Webster County Fort Campbell Livingston Central Crittenden County Dawson Springs