se7ens

Holmes administration and athletic department have finally taken the steps to "stop the bleeding" in their major sports. Football as well as boys and girls basketball have been on a recent slide into oblivion, in no small part to decisions made at the administrative level including some questionable hires, IMO. Hiring Sam Elsbernd for boys basketball, pausing varsity play for girls basketball, and dropping out of district play for football are all correct calls that will hopefully tend to the longterm health of the programs. All of those decisions were made in the last 8 months.

This was a bigger blowout than I expected. After this and the near upset of CovCath, don’t sleep on Beechwood.

The winter weather knocked out a ton of games last week. Initially I thought we would get an exciting Friday night reprieve. They did not happen as another wave of snow came in and disrupted the weekend's action as well. There were a few exciting games and Thomas More was able to get their showcase event in after some logistical shuffling. That featured something the region has been waiting anxiously for - the debut of Yamil Rondon as a Newport Wildcat. Action is heating up as the snow thaws. Let's take a look at the rankings and a sneak peek at the week ahead. Rankings: 1. Covington Catholic - Cash Harney's 24 points helped fend off the upstart Beechwood Tigers in a district game. The Colonels were able to sneak out of Tiger Country with a 4 point win. They host Holmes this week in another district game before hosting Highlands. That game is set to be a high flying affair. The Colonels are capable of cruising to a win there or it could be a dog fight to the last moments. 2. Lloyd - The Juggernauts had a blowout win over Villa Madonna followed by a nice win at Thomas More against Summit Country Day (Ohio). Jayden Humphrey scored 30 total between both games as he was essential to the win at TMC. They host Cooper in what may be the game of the week for the region. They then travel to face state contender Great Crossing this weekend as two of the state's best prospects, EJ Walker and Malachi Moreno, face each other. They will eventually see each other again in SEC play as Walker is a future Gamecock and Moreno a future UK Wildcat. 3. Cooper - The Jaguars were unable to get any games in last week. They face Lloyd and Ryle this week. 4. Highlands - The Birds were able to fend Brossart off on the road 71 to 67. Nathan Rickard had 13. They have a busy week this week to make up for the lack of action as they are set to play Dixie, the Cincinnati Trailblazers, and the Covington Catholic Colonels in Park Hills. 5. Newport - The Wildcats did not get to play district foe Highlands, but Yamil Rondon did get to make his Wildcat debut in a 73 to 53 win over Walton at Thomas More. They are poised for an easy run to the All A championship game this week as they start with Villa and then would play the winner of Ludlow and Bellevue. 6. Ryle - Grant County, Cooper, and Sayre make up the schedule for the Raiders this week as they come off an empty week due to weather. 7. Conner - No games last week for the Cougars. They have just Boone County this week. 8. Holy Cross - Luke Arlinghaus and Gavin Goetz both had 18 in a 30 point win over Holmes. The Indians await the winner of St. Henry and Beechwood in the All A regional. 9. Beechwood - The Tigers took CovCath to the wire in their lone game last week. They face St. Henry in the opening round of the All A tonight. If not playing in the A, they will face Madison Southern Saturday. 10. Dixie Heights - The Colonels defeated Simon Kenton in their lone game last week. They face Highlands and Tates Creek this week. 11. NCC - The Breds defeated Bellevue and St. Henry last week. Barring upset, they are poised to make it to at least the semifinals of the All A regional as they start against hosting Dayton tonight with Heritage awaiting the winner. 12. St. Henry - The Cru lost to NCC on Saturday. They start their run at the All A title tonight against Beechwood in what is sure to be a fun one at Dayton. 13. Holmes - The Bulldogs lost to rival Holy Cross in a game that feature Bulldog alumni as both head coaches. They face CovCath, Calvary Christian and Owen County this week in what is certainly a strange trio of games. 14. Boone County - The Rebels were off last week and return to play against district foe Conner this week. 15. Heritage - Heritage lost a squeaker to Calvary Christian. They await the winner of Dayton and NCC in the All A. 16. Ludlow - No games last week, the Panthers are set to face Bellevue at Dayton in the All A. 17. Villa Madonna - The Vikings lost to both Lloyd and Trinity Christian. They face NCC in the opening round of the All A. 18. Bellevue - The Tigers face Ludlow in the All A after losing to NCC last week. 19. Dayton - The Green Devils host the All A and start with NCC. 20. Covington Latin - Latin is set to travel to St. Pat's this week for their second game of the year.

Overall it was a fairly quiet week in the 12th outside of the All A Classic. Weather dampened basketball activity across the state and this region was no exception. DCA was able to achieve an All A Regional Championship in which they beat each of their opponents by double digits. Other than DCA's run through the All A, the Southwestern versus Wayne County game was probably the most intriguing event as it paired two teams playing pretty much at the same level mid-season. We are also starting to see a gulf of competitiveness open up below those teams as we continue to inch towards the post-season. Rankings: 1. Danville Christian Academy - As stated, the Warriors are again regional champions for the All A Classic and will hope to build off of their one win last time they went to the state tournament. They play the winner of the 16th regional, a team that they should stack up well against no matter who it turns out to be. This week they have a pair of top ten opponents, Pulaski County at home and district foe Boyle County on the road. 2. Pulaski County - The Maroons had just one game last week, a dominant win over Casey County. They have a much tougher week this week as they start with DCA on the road before playing Caverna at Somerset Christian. 3. Mercer County - The Titans had a dominant win over Garrard and a win over Lexington Catholic at home. Mercer goes on the road this week to face East Jessamine before hosting the mighty Ashland Tomcats in what is sure to be a very fun game. They end the week with another tough one against Lincoln County. Mercer is clearly a contender alongside DCA and Pulaski and all three of those contenders get to play some high level games this week. 4. Lincoln County - The Patriots defeated Rockcastle handily behind Braden Fugate's 18 points. They travel to play Danville before hosting LCA and Mercer County. The game against the Titans will definitely test the Patriots on both sides of the ball and should be a nice simulation of what a regional tournament game will be like. 5. Southwestern - The Warriors continue to crawl back up in the rankings as they took down Wayne County by 16 behind 20 points by Zachary Hutchinson and 16 points from both Antajuan Dumphord and Wyatt Stevenson. A stat that sticks out - the Warriors shot only 6 three pointers, 2 by Stevenson (he made both) and 4 by Hutchinson (he missed them all). They also held Kendall Phillips to just 12. 6. Wayne County - The loss to Southwestern was their only game last week. They look to recover with home games this week against Rockcastle County and McCreary County. 7. West Jessamine - The Colts defeated Burgin in their lone game last week. They face Madison Central and arch-rival East Jessamine this week. 8. Garrard County - The Golden Lions lost the opening game of the 2A sectionals to Mercer County. They look to rebound this week against Boyle County followed by Somerset and Dunbar. All three of these games could go either way. 9. Somerset - A quick exit from the All A at the hands of DCA extends the Briar Jumpers losing streak to 4. Fortunately they have reeling Casey County this week before playing Garrard County. 10. Boyle County - The Rebels were off last week. They host three district foes this week - Garrard County, Danville and DCA. They have yet to face a district rival yet this year and this stretch could show us if Boyle is on their way up or if they will continue to flounder inconsistently. 11. McCreary Central - The Raiders were ran over by a tune of 101 to 77 by Harlan County in the opening game of the 2A Sectionals. Somerset Christian and Wayne are on the schedule for this week, the first game of the two game district series for both of those matchups. 12. East Jessamine - The Jaguars' lone game last week was a loss to Russell County by 13. They host district rivals Mercer County and West Jessamine this week. 13. Danville - There isn't a game on the schedule until February 10th for the Ads that isn't a district game. And their last two games were losses against DCA, the most recent being a non-district match in the All A. They continue this district opponent only stretch with Lincoln at home and Boyle on the road this week. 14. Rockcastle County - The Rockets weren't able to stay close with Lincoln County in their lone game last week. They look to bounce back this week against Red Bird, Wayne County, and Casey County. 15. Somerset Christian - The Cougars made it to the title game of the All A Regional where they ultimately fell to DCA. They face McCreary County and Betsy Layne this week. 16. Trinity Christian - The Titans defeated Burgin in the All A before falling to Somerset Christian in the semifinals. They then picked up a win over Willa Madonna. Bryce Thompson had 29. They have four games this week starting with a trip to Harrison County. 17. Burgin - Burgin lost to Trinity Christian and West Jessamine. They host Taylor County Saturday. 18. Casey County - The Colonels are still winless and will look to get in the winning column against Somerset, Rockcastle, and Lee County this week. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf - KSD has been off and is still off this week.

Ohio State 46

Timothy Emongo is the main remnant of the powerful rushing attach of the 2024 Cardinals as they head into 2025. Andrew Hickey and Buddy Collins are gone as are other integral pieces to the rush such as Ali Hamidayah and Kayne Garrett. Scott County was wildly inconsistent last year. Can they rebuild their offense yet again? Can they find consistency on both sides of the ball? Can they compete inside their class and make a post-season run? Big questions to be answered.

The 2024 Lexington Catholic Knights had almost two separate seasons within one. They got beat up in their schedule outside the district. However, they ran the table starting with their first district game, making a deep run in the playoffs. They will have to rebuild yet again though as they take major hits including the graduation of their leading passer, rusher and receiver. Brady Wasik was the heart and soul of the team this year. He’s back and will probably see action in a variety of roles. Who steps up alongside him will be the the big question.

Cooper had a dominant season, going undefeated all the way up to the title game where they came up short against Bowling Green. Austin Alexander is graduating but Cam O’Hara and Ryker Campbell are back. O’Hara is one of the most touted arms in the state. Campbell is as good as any deep back in Northern Kentucky. Possibly the state. Keagan Maher is also back. He was the Jaguars’ leading rusher and a popular O’Hara receiving target. O’Hara will have to add some favorite targets alongside Maher as the top three leading receivers are gone. Can Cooper remain dominant over NKY competition? Can they make a title run again? Will O’Hara be a contender for Mr. Football? It should be fun to find out.

Brady Atwell is gone. That will be the biggest off-season story for the Aces. Dremail Carothers showed potential at the quarterback position when playing in Atwell’s absence or mop up time. But there is virtually no chance he can replicate Atwell’s performance. The dynamic Vince Carrico is also gone, a presence that steadied the Aces on both sides of the ball. Who steps up to fill his shoes? The Aces made it all the way to the title game to fall short against Beechwood. Even with their roster losses they should be poised to make a deep run. Can they go undefeated in the regular season again? Can they make it back to the title game? Those are the big questions.

The chaos continues in the 12th but the picture may have gotten a tad bit clearer. I think the region can now be organized into several tiers: Clear Front Runner - DCA Most Likely to Contend as Well - Pulaski & Mercer Flawed but Have a Puncher’s Chance - Lincoln County, Wayne County, Southwestern, West Jessamine, Garrard County, Somerset, and Boyle And then everybody else (though that could also probably be broken in to tiers as well). That third tier is going to get broken up as we progress with some teams rising up into contention and some falling off. There is a host of talent still in that group so it will be fun to see who can thrive down the stretch. Rankings 1. Danville Christian - The Warriors played just one last week, a win over rival Danville. Evangel Christian, Somerset, and Madison Southern are on their schedule this week though those first two games are in serious doubt due to weather. Somerset is the opening game of the All A Tournament so if not payed Tuesday, expect it to be played shortly after. 2. Pulaski County - They had to travel to Dayton, Florida to do it, but the Maroons defeated South Laurel. They face face Rockcastle, Casey, and Corbin this week (and DCA is waiting for them the next week). 3. Mercer County - The Titans fell to Harlan County last week though Hagan Preston impressed with 22 points. They have Garrard County and West Jessamine on the schedule this week. 4. Lincoln County - A tough LaRue County team got the best of Lincoln last week. The Patriots look to bounce back host Rockcastle, Boyle, and McCreary this week, all three games they should win if they want to present themselves as a contender. 5. Wayne County - Ryder Bell and Kendall Phillips both got 18 points and 11 rebounds in a one point win over Boyle. They are on the road twice this week as they travel to Southwestern and then East Jessamine. 6. Southwestern - Antajuan Dumphord had 20 in a Warriors’ win over West Jessamine. They are set to host Wayne County before visiting Somerset this week. 7. West Jessamine - The Colts blew out Scott County before this loss to Southwestern. This week they are set to play Burgin and Mercer County, two district games. 8. Garrard County - The Golden Lions were off last week. They are scheduled to play Mercer County and Bryan Station this week. 9. Somerset - The Jumpers fell to Rockcastle by 5. They have to try and pick themselves back up as they have DCA and Southwestern scheduled this week, DCA being their first game in this year’s 12th Region All A Tournament. 10. Boyle County - The Rebels fell by one point to Wayne County. Henry Clay, Lincoln County and East Jessamine are all on their schedule this week. 11. McCreary Central - The Raiders have won five in a row. They have two really tough road games this week against Lincoln County and Harlan County. 12. East Jessamine - The Jags blew out district opponent Trinity Christian last week. Russell County, Wayne County and Boyle County await them this week. 13. Danville - The Ads fell to rival DCA. They start All A play this week. 14. Rockcastle County - The Rockets defeated Somerset and fell to Scott County by 2. They face Lincoln, Pulaski and Warren East this week. 15. Somerset Christian - The Cougars loss to Wolfe County last week. They play in the All A this week. 16. Trinity Christian - The Titans lost to East Jessamine and Paris. They open up with Burgin in the All A. 17. Burgin - The Bulldogs continue to struggle but hope to compete in that opening round of the All as against Trinity Christian. 18. Casey County - The Rebels play Pulaksi County and June Buchanan this week. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf - The Colonels have Iroquois and Covington Latin on the schedule this week.

It was a light week last week due to the holiday though the games we got this past weekend gave us some real dandies. We are now clearly back to a heavy dose of intraregion matchups after many teams left the area during the holiday. Looking ahead, this week may also turn out light due to weather with games Monday almost certainly cancelled or postponed and Tuesday’s contests also in question. The good news is Friday is the night of the week featuring the most inticing matchups. Rankings 1. Covington Catholic - What a week for the Colonels. They close out their trip to Florida with a two point win behind Athens McGillis’ 23 points. They then return home after the holiday where they defeat fellow regional contender Lloyd with McGillis scoring 23 again and Cash Harney getting 14. Finally they closed out the week with a road win over the river at Cincinnati St. Xavier. They are scheduled to play Conner Tuesday at home. They then travel to Beechwood and Montgomery County this weekend. 2. Lloyd - The Juggernauts had just one game, the aforementioned loss to CovCath. EJ Walker had 30 in the losing effort. Though they certainly wanted the win, I think it speaks to how fun a postseason matchup between Lloyd and CovCath would be that Lloyd played a less than perfect game on the road and still competed with the Colonels. Lloyd has Holy Cross and Villa during the week and then faces Scott and Summit Country Day (OH) this weekend. 3. Cooper - The Jaguars went on the road and fell short against GRC. Though their scheduled road game to Ballard on Tuesday is certainly in jeopardy, they have an interesting road district game at Conner on Friday. They will have the best player on the court for that game in Andy Johnson but that game will be far from a cake walk. 4. Highlands - Only one game in the state was played on New Years Eve, a Highlands win over Boone County by 22. The Birds‘ other game last week was much closer, a one point victory over Ryle behind Nathan Rickard’s 23 points. They travel to Brossart on Wednesday but the game of the week may very well be their game Friday at home against Newport. That one will have huge postseason implications for the 36th District. 5. Ryle - The Raiders fell short to Highlands but were able to beat Beechwood the night before behind Landon Lorms’ 27 points. They have road games against Dixie and Boone County this week. 6. Newport - The Wildcats were off last week but this week has three games currently scheduled for Newport. Tuesday’s game at Woodward (OH) is in question but this weekend features the district matchup against Highlands followed by a Sunday contest against Walton at Thomas More. 7. Conner - The Cougars defeated visiting Bishop Verot (FL) before going on the road and defeating Holy Cross behind Landon Warner’s 22 points. They are supposed to play CovCath Tuesday before squaring off with another contender in Cooper Friday. 8. Holy Cross - Though they lost to Conner, the Indians defeated Woodward (OH) on the road. Nate Rominger was fourth in scoring for the team with 10 but dominated the glass, grabbing 17 rebounds. They have Lloyd and Holmes scheduled this week. 9. Beechwood - The loss to Ryle was the only game the Tigers had last week. They have games against NCC and Seven Hills (OH) that are in danger of being cancelled before they face mighty CovCath Friday. 10. Dixie Heights - The Colonels got a road win over St. Henry in their sole contest last week. They are scheduled to play Ryle and Simon Kenton at home this week. 11. Newport Central Catholic - Beechwood, Bellevue and St. Henry are currently on the schedule for the Breds this week after they played no games last week. 12. St. Henry - The Cru lost to Dixie last week and face NCC on the road Friday in what is sure to be a tight contest. 13. Holmes - I know we are only in the first few days of 2025, but Sam Elsbernd is going to have to be in some Coach of the Year conversations even with what Holmes has done already. After having some historically bad seasons, the Bulldogs are over .500 after defeating Bracken County last week. They are scheduled to play Scott and Holy Cross this week. 14. Boone County - The Rebels lost to Franklin County but defeated Ludlow. They are scheduled to play Carroll County and Ryle this week. 15. Heritage - Three wins last week push Heritage’s record out to 10-1. They face Calvary, Bourbon County and Ludlow this week. 16. Ludlow - The Panthers fell to Boone County after dispatching Calvary earlier in the week. They face Dayton and Heritage this week. 17. Villa Madonna - The Vikings defeated Dayton and lost to Augusta. They face Bellevue, Lloyd and Trinity Christian this week. 18. Bellevue - The Tigers still have only beaten just Dayton this year but the good news is they get to face them again this week as well as Villa and NCC. 19. Dayton - Pendleton, Ludlow and Bellevue are on the schedule this week for the reeling Green Devils. 20. Covington Latin - The Trojans are scheduled to travel to the Kentucky School for the Deaf this week.

15 Notre Dame 9 Ohio State

7 point game - Ohio State 5 point game - Texas 3 point game - Georgia 1 point game - Penn State

Edited my post to reflect that update. Thank you.

It was absolute chaos in the 12th region this week as it seemed every team in the region took at least some lumps in a holiday tournament or classic. It is becoming quite clear that the region is still down when compared to the rest of the state. There were wild fluctuations in the rankings this week with Somerset as the only team in the top ten that stayed in the same spot. DCA and Mercer seem to be the clear contenders with Lincoln having the potential to be very dangerous as well. Pulaski is still Pulaski and cannot be counted out. Beyond those four it is a mess. That tier of teams have accumulated losses, sometimes ugly losses, but have also shown potential to be quite successful. It will be fun, albeit sometimes confusing, to watch how the region continues to play out. Rankings 1. Danville Christian Academy - The Warriors went to Ashland and made it to the finals of the legendary AIT. They fell to the host Tomcats 54 to 43. No shame in that. They will get to face Ashland again later in the year at home in a game that was postponed from this week to February. Their sole game this week is a district matchup against rival Danville. 2. Mercer County - The Titans went to Campbellsville for a holiday tournament and things started out well with a win over Bethlehem. Trevor Ellis, Hagan Preston and Kaleb Murray all scored 20 or more. However two differently troublesome offensive performances prevented the Titans from winning again. They went 4 for 21 from 3 point range in a seven point loss to Muhlenberg. They then lost to Spencer County by 6 with Trevor Ellis being held below his scoring average. Mercer faces Harlan County at South Laurel this week. 3. Lincoln County - The Patriots went 1-2 in a holiday tournament at Madison Central, picking up a win over Dunbar in blowout fashion. Cash Baird is averaging 17 points per game. Lincoln travels to LaRue County for their sole contest of the week. 4. Pulaski County - The Maroons have not reported any games this past week. However, that could be wrong as they could have played more in Florida. They are in Daytona Beach now and have a game scheduled today against South Laurel. They are off the rest of the week. 5. Wayne County - The Cardinals have been hovering around .500 all December. However, they have been competitive in all but a couple games and have put the brakes on a bunch of teams with their gritty defense. Last week they picked up a win over West Jessamine. Kendall Phillips had 23. If he can keep putting up the numbers he is and the Cardinal defense stays stout, they have a chance to be real dangerous come postseason time. 6. West Jessamine - The Colts only game last week was the loss to Wayne County. They have two road games this week, trips to Scott County and Southwestern on back to back nights. This will be a huge test to see if the Colts are contenders or pretenders. 7. Somerset - The Jumpers finish up the Cumberland Falls Invitational tonight against Corbin after splitting the first two games. Aedyn Absher had 18 in the opening win over Model. They travel to Rockcastle at the end of the week. 8. Southwestern - The Warriors were able to get a blowout win over Bethel-Tate (OH) but picked up another blowout loss to Madison Central. They then finished up their time in Madison Central's tournament with a close loss to Montgomery County. They host West Jessamine this week. 9. Garrard County - The Golden Lions are up to six wins in a row, though the competition level hasn't be high. They are off this week. 10. Boyle County - The Rebels got wins over Knott Central and Estill but were throttled by Dixie Heights in their last game in Estill County. This is a bad loss and demonstrates the inconsistency that has plagued the program the past couple of seasons, this one included. They travel to Wayne County this week with the hope of a big bounce-back win. 11. McCreary Central - The Raiders won three games in Pineville at the Chain Rock Classic. They host Casey County this week before heading to Tennessee to face the Knoxville Ambassadors. 12. East Jessamine - The Jaguars got nice wins over Lafayette and Harlan while falling to Tates Creek as they hosted the State Farm Holiday Tournament. They travel to Trinity Christian this week. 13. Danville - The Ads went 1-2 at Thomas Nelson's tournament. They now turn their attention to a district game at rival DCA. 14. Somerset Christian School - The Cougars went 1-1 in their trip to Whitley County. They host Jackson County this week. 15. Trinity Christian - The Titans face East Jessamine and Paris this week as they hope to get break out of their current slump. 16. Rockcastle County - It has been a brutal stretch for the Rockets as they went winless at LCA for the Jim Rose Classic. They host Somerset before going up to GRC to play Scott County Saturday. 17. Burgin - The Bulldogs play at Frankfort this week after going winless in their holiday tournament. 18. Casey County - The Rebels are still seeking their first win as they host Cumberland Christian Home tonight and play McCreary Central on the road Friday. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf - The Colonels were and remain on break.

One month of basketball has been played across the 9th Region. We are putting the holiday tournaments, classics, and showcases behind us and are about to ring in a new calendar year. For the most part, teams have been playing unfamiliar competition, with a few notable exceptions. But now we head into January and the first few days of 2025 offer us some fantastic games between regional opponents. We are going to find out a ton about these teams after this week. When we get to the rankings, you may notice only one change from last week. Of course, it is the most noticeable place to have a change as CovCath supplants Lloyd as the current number one. We are due for a wave of changes next week as we have multiple top ten matchups including a battle between the top two. It is going to be a very fun week of basketball and it sets up a month that includes the All A Classic and a lot of quality games among the best teams in the region. Rankings 1. Covington Catholic - The Colonels went 2-0 in Florida so far, beating Armwood (FL) and Buford (GA). Athens McGillis had 34 in the win over Buford. He is averaging 22.8 points per game. The Colonels finish up in Florida today against Newsome (FL) and then return home where things really don't get any easier. They host fellow regional contender Lloyd Friday before heading over the river to Cincinnati's St. Xavier on Saturday. 2. Lloyd - The Juggernauts stumbled out of the gate at the Ashland Invitational, falling to Harlan County. They responded with a blowout win over Walton where EJ Walker had 22 points and 11 rebounds. They ended their stay in Ashland with a six point win over fellow 9th Region member Highlands. There is just one game on the plate this week for Lloyd, but it is a doozy for sure. The Juggernauts travel to Park Hills to play the Colonels of Covington Catholic. This is a much anticipated showdown between two of the region's best teams and two of the region's best players in Walker and McGillis. 3. Cooper - The Jaguars went 1-2 at the White Greer Maggard at Lexington Catholic but faced some really tough competition. They fell to Frederick Douglass and Woodford County but got a get-away-day win over Trinity. Andy Johnson had 21 points or more each game. He is averaging 26.5 points per game for the season. The Jaguars face GRC on the road Saturday in what is sure to be a raucous environment. 4. Highlands - The Bluebirds went 1-2 at the Ashland Invitational Tournament, losing by 1 to Fleming County and by 6 to 9th region contender Lloyd. They managed a win against Russell behind Finn Bouldin's 26 points. Tayden Lorenzen also had 12 points plus 11 rebounds. They host Boone County and Ryle this week. 5. Ryle - The Raiders were off last week. They have two really fun games this week with Beechwood at home and Highlands on the road, both top ten teams. This week should be a good test of how much progress the Raiders have made in a month's time. 6. Newport - The Wildcats are a contender. That needs to be clear. They will are poised to make a run at the regional title again and have the talent and the coach to do it. They showed that this past week at Lexington Catholic with a 1 point loss to Manual, a blowout win over Butler County and a 2 point win over Boyd County. What they haven't done yet is get the wins inside the region. They have only beaten 19th ranked Dayton. They have Highlands, CovCath, and some other regional opponents on their schedule down the road but this week they are off. 7. Holy Cross - The Indians won the City of Middletown Classic with wins over Atherton, Franklin County and Central Hardin. Brady Gabbard had 21 in the game over Franklin County. Holy Cross hosts Conner this week before heading over the river to Woodward (OH). 8. Conner - The Cougars went 2-1 in the City of Middletown Classic, beating host Eastern and blowing out Franklin County but losing to Central Hardin. They host Bishop Verot (FL) before going to Holy Cross for what is yet another top ten matchup this week. 9. Beechwood - The Tigers are currently in Cantonment, Florida where they have so far gone 1-1, losing to Oletangy Liberty (OH) and beating Lyndon B. Johnson (TX). They face the host school Tate (FL) today. They come back to Kentucky and travel out to Union for a top ten matchup with Ryle. 10. Dixie Heights - The Colonels went undefeated in Estill County, beating Estill, Knott Central, and Boyle County. They face St. Henry on the road this week. 11. Newport Central Catholic - The Breds aren't reporting any results from this past week though they were supposed to be playing out of state. They have no games scheduled this week. 12. St. Henry - The Cru defeated Ludlow and Villa but fell to Seton Catholic (IN). They face Dixie this week. 13. Ludlow - The Panthers defeated Pendleton County but couldn't pick up anymore wins in their other 3 games last week. They host Calvary Christian and Carroll County this week. 14. Holmes - The Bulldogs got another win, this time over Harrison County. They host Bracken County this week. 15. Boone County - The Rebels got wins over Pendleton County and Bellevue but fell to North Hardin in the opening game of Bellevue's Swauger Tournament. 16. Heritage - The Eagles defeated Calvary Christian by 2, overcoming a 2 for 13 performance from behind the three-point line. They face Frankfort Christian, Bellevue, and Collegiate this week. 17. Villa Madonna - The Vikings fell again to St. Henry. They face Dayton and Augusta this week. 18. Bellevue - Bellevue was unable to get any wins in their holiday tournament. They still have just the one win over Dayton.They play at Heritage this week. 19. Dayton - Dayton faces Williamstown, Villa and Eminence this week. 20. Covington Latin - The Trojains play at New Miami (OH) this week.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a highly competitive 9th region. We head towards the end of December with three clear contenders at the top. The order of those is arguable though the Lloyd Juggernauts are currently receiving statewide praise. The holiday tournaments and classics have provided and will continue to provide a variety of matchups that test 9th region teams against teams across the state (and sometimes even each other). Rankings 1. Lloyd - There is a legitimate argument for three teams to be in this spot and I think we will be able to say that through out the year. But for now, the Juggernauts sit supreme in the 9th. Lloyd went 3-1 in the King of the Bluegrass, unfortunately losing their opener to mighty St. Xavier. They would go on to beat the formidable trio of Ashland, Male and Newport. The Juggernauts open up with Harlan as the participate in the legendary Ashland Invitational Tournament this week. 2. Covington Catholic - The Colonels are one trip to Florida away from a showdown with top ranked Lloyd. They travel to Sarasota for a tournament to close out the calendar year and resume regional play with that game against Lloyd on January 3rd. CovCath got a road win at Simon Kenton last week before splitting a trip to McNicholas over the the river in Cincinnati, beating Lebron James’ alma mater before falling to Ballard. 3. Cooper - The Jaguars remain hot though their December schedule has been relatively light. They defeated NCC before getting two wins in the Scott Winter Classic over Northridge (Ohio) and Holy Cross. They open up with Frederick Douglass in the WGM Holiday Tournament at Lexington Catholic. 4. Highlands - I think you can make an argument for pretty much any order for the teams I have 4 through 7. However, Highlands came into this week undefeated, though the did lose their first game Monday to Cincinnati Hills Christian. They have put up a ton of points and collected a lot of wins, but their schedule has also been relatively light in quality matchups. Like Lloyd, they travel to the AIT where they open up with Fleming County. 5. Ryle - The Raiders are starting to convert some games into victories after starting the year 0-3. They picked up wins over NCC and Breathitt County. Wild fact - by the time they tip off January 18th at home against Sayre, they will only have played two home games. They are off until January 3rd. 6. Newport - The Wildcats went 2-2 in the King of the Bluegrass, competing with Lloyd in the finale, ultimately falling by 7. They continue their absolutely brutal schedule as they head to Lexington Catholic for the White Greer Maggard. 7. Holy Cross - The Indians picked up wins last week over Simon Kenton and their Louisville counterpart last week (but started this week off with a loss to Cooper). William McElheny is very close to averaging a double-double with 13.9 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game. They face Atherton this weekend. 8. Conner - The Cougars are red hot, sweeping through the Scott Winter Classic. They also play in the City of Middletown Classic this weekend like Holy Cross does. They face Eastern. 9. Beechwood - The Tigers fell to Conner and Gallatin County last week but defeated Oldham County in a blowout. They face Oletangy Liberty of Ohio this week. 10. Dixie Heights - Dixie had just one game last week, a loss to Conner. They play three games at Estill County this week. 11. Newport Central Catholic - The Breds fell to Ryle and Cooper last week. They square off with two Indiana teams this week. 12. St. Henry - The Cru fell on the road to Western Hills but beat Ludlow and Villa. They travel to Seton Catholic in Richmond, Indiana this week. 13. Ludlow - The Panthers defeated conference foes Bellevue and Dayton before falling to St. Henry. They face Pendleton County at Bellevue this week. 14. Holmes - The Bulldogs are catching people’s attention as they continue to start the Sam Elsbernd era off in style. They fell in a close one to Brossart before going 2-1 at Raceland. 15. Boone County - A blowout win over Southern marks Boone County’s first win of the year. Their body of work shows they are probably better than the small schools below them but it will be tough for them to compete with schools their own size or larger. They face North Hardin this week. 16. Heritage - Heritage went 4-1 last week, losing only to Garrard County. It is going to be interesting watching Boone and Heritage this year knowing they are on a collision course for the 4-5 game in the district tournament. They gave Calvary Christian this week. 17. Villa Madonna - The Vikings fell to Heritage and St. Henry last week. They have an unlisted game for this Friday. 18. Bellevue - The Tigers fell to Ludlow and Augusta. They host Dawson Springs this week. 19. Dayton - The Greendevils finally got in the win column with a victory over Calvary Christian. They also defeated Robertson County before falling to Ludlow. They are off until January 2nd. 20. Covington Latin - The Trojans opened their season with a two point loss to St. Patrick. They are off this week.

As we cruise into the holiday break, competition in the 12th is tightening. There are clearly no unstoppable juggernauts at the top, and some of the teams towards the bottom have enough talent to always be a threat to cause an upset. This past week saw the team at the top take an L on the road, closing the gap between 1 and 2. There were also some near upsets at the hands of Somerset Christian and Rockcastle County. The action pauses for a few days this week before we launch into another weekend of holiday tournaments, classics and showcases. Let’s take a look. Rankings 1. Mercer County - The Titans fell to Taylor County on the road but beat Harrison County and Tates Creek at home. Trevor Ellis scored 17 and had 6 rebounds in the win over Harrison. They face Bethlehem in their opening game at the Taylor County Farm Bureau Holiday Classic. 2. Danville Christian - DCA had just one game last week, a win over Oldham County. Titus Boyd, back in action after returning from injury, had 14. Lual Ayiei had 17 and Geu Leek Ateny had 16. They travel to Ashland for the legendary AIT and open with Russell. 3. Southwestern - The Warriors down south had a pair of wins over Somerset Christian and McCreary Central but failed to compete with Madison Central, losing by 25. They now travel to Madison Central for the Richmond Truck and Car Center Holiday Classic where they open up with Bethel-Tate from Ohio. 4. Lincoln County - The Patriots defeated Marion County, West Jessamine and Trinity Christian last week. Defensively they may currently be the most fine-tuned team in the region. Baird, Robbins and Fugate are a dominant trio and when all three are at top performance, Lincoln will be hard to beat. They face Madison Southern in their opener at Madison Central’s Richmond Car and Truck Center tournament. 5. West Jessamine - The Colts fell to Lincoln County before they went up the road to Sayre for the Republic. They won their first game against John Hardin but then fell to gosh Sayre. They face Wayne County today at Sayre. Luk Tut and Trey Coffman both had 14 against John Hardin. 6. Pulaski County - The Maroons beat Wayne County, Harlan and Spring Hill (TN) last week but fell to Henry Clay. They are now on a prolonged hiatus until January 7th. Ethan Idlewine scored 19 in the overtime win against Wayne. 7. Somerset - The Briar Jumpers defeated Casey County, Cumberland County and Somerset Christian as their strong start to the year continues. Aedyn Absher is averaging 17.7 points per game. They play Model and Bell County at Corbin later this week. 8. Boyle County - The Rebels defeated Rockcastle County and the Cincinnati Trailblazers (at Highlands) before falling to Highlands. Harper Webb had 17 in the win over the Rockets. They play three games at Estill County this week. 9. Wayne County - The Cardinals fell to Pulaski County in overtime before winning their opening game in the Republic over Clay County by 1 point thanks in large part to Korbyn Edwards’ 19 points. They wrap up the Republic against West Jessamine and play in East Jessamine’s tournament later on in the week, opening with PRP. 10. Garrard County - The Golden Lions won the Berea Holiday Classic, defeating host Berea in the championship game. Jaydon Noe is averaging 16.5. They host the Four Banks Classic this week. 11. McCreary Central - The Raiders have four games this week, three in the Chain Rock Classic. Peyton Higginbotham is averaging nearly 20 points per game. 12. East Jessamine - East defeated Burgin for their first win of the year but lost their next 3 games as their brutal schedule continues. They travel to Western Hills tonight before hosting their own tournament after Christmas. 13. Danville - The Ads were off last week. They face Rockcastle tonight before playing in Thomas Nelson’s event after Christmas. 14. Somerset Christian - It was a tough week for the Cougars as they lost three games, none by more than 5. They play in Corbin’s event after Christmas. 15. Trinity Christian - The Titans travel to Bath County later this week, opening up with Metcalfe County. 16. Rockcastle County - The Rockets competed with Boyle County and showed some signs that they could climb out of these lower rungs of the region. They face Danville tonight. 17. Burgin - The Bulldogs defeated Frankfort Christian. They host their own event after Christmas. 18. Casey County - Still no wins for the Rebels but they hope to change that as they travel to Burgin for three games after Christmas. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf - The Colonels fell to Wellspring and are off until January 7th.

I have covered this region for BGP for several years now. Boyle has firmly become a wildcard year in and year out. Capable of beating everyone in the region and also equally capable of losing to everyone in the top 16 of the region. I have no doubt that is the case this season. This game, to me, helps show that.

4 point game - Ohio State 3 point game - Notre Dame 2 point game - Penn State 1 point game - Texas

Lincoln County goes on the road and picks up a win over Marion County. Cash Baird scored 18 and Braden Fugate scored 15. Sawyer Robbins scored 12 and grabbed 9 boards. Lane Sergent also had 9 rebounds as well as 9 points. This is a game Lincoln definitely should have won but it is still nice to see them do it on the road and have a good group effort.

So they may be taking it on the chin currently, but Casey County features freshman Evan Collins. Though only averaging 5.5 points per game, he is leading the team in rebounding with 6 per game. As noted from LethalPG's list above, star freshmen are almost always guards (unless you have D1 level talent or insane size). Handling the job in the paint as a freshman is no small task.

Action across the region has picked up, and we can start to formulate some questions based off what has been seen so far: - There are four clear teams above the rest. Can Pulaski County reestablish themselves as a contender and make it 5? - Can Garrard County rise to the top of the teams behind the contenders? - Can Lincoln, Somerset, and Boyle establish some consistency and improve at a pace good enough to make them contenders at the end? - Are East Jessamine and Danville experiencing rough starts or indicators of what the rest of the season will bring? - Can McCreary Central and Somerset Christian School make some noise by getting some unexpected wins? We will see a lot of regular action during the week but the weekend will be especially fun as it will feature a good number of holiday tournaments and showcases. This includes a few of the teams at the top of the 12th traveling to different areas of the state. Let's dive in to the rankings, taking a look at the results of last week and the games to come this week. Rankings 1. Mercer County (5-0) - Mercer continues their hot start with a blow out win over district foe Trinity Christian followed by a 52 to 43 win over Caverna at Bardstown. They do not face a 12th region team again until January 11th. This week they travel to Taylor County and then host first Harrison County followed by Tates Creek. They will wait until after Christmas to go to a holiday tournament, that one being in Campbellsville. That means they could end up playing the same number of games in Taylor County as Mercer County when December ends, just a weird wrinkle in the schedule. 2. Danville Christian Academy (4-1) - The wild thing about DCA's season so far is that they are 4 - 1 and Titus Boyd has only played in the one loss. Hopefully his health is turning around and they can get back to full strength soon. However, the Warriors have still been impressive without him, defeating East Jessamine, Garrard County, and West Jessamine this past week. Geu Leek Ateny had 21 in the most recent win over the Colts. Ateny and Lual Ayiei will continue to power the Warriors and hope to be complemented by Boyd's tenacity and explosiveness soon. They play in the Stockyards Bank Challenge starting Friday, opening with Oldham County. 3. West Jessamine (3-1) - After a hot start, the Colts had a small stumble at the hands of DCA last week. They had opened the week with a 81 - 65 win over Somerset that saw 5 players reach double digits in points scored. They travel to Lincoln County for a game against the Patriots mid-week. The Colts then pack their bags and head to Sayre right down the road in Lexington for the Republic Bank-Lankster Classic. West doesn't play a home game again until January 7th. 4. Southwestern (3-1) - The Warriors picked up two home wins last week over Danville and Boyle County. Zachary Hutchinson is at 16.5 points per game, Jarrett Simpson is averaging 14.5 and Antajuan Dumphord is at 11. Simpson has 7 rebounds per game and Dumphord has 6 per game. Junior Wyatt Stevenson is also someone you'll want to start paying attention to as he has 8.8 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. He is also a perfect 11 for 11 from the charity stripe. What Southwestern hasn't done well so far is shoot from the perimeter. They are right above 28 percent with Hutchinson and Adam Marcum combining for 37 of the team's 53 three point shots, only making 8 of them. The Warriors face Somerset Christian, McCreary Central and Madison Central this week. 5. Pulaski County (2-3) - The Maroons finally picked up a couple of wins with blowout victories over McCreary Central and Casey County. Carson Fraley has played in all 5 games and is averaging 14.4 points per game. Pulaski travels to Wayne County before hosting their holiday classic this weekend. They will face Henry Clay, Harlan, and Spring Hill (TN). That will be their last scheduled game of 2024. 6. Lincoln County (3-1) - The Patriots split games last week, losing to Henry Clay but beating East Jessamine. Sawyer Robbins had 16 in the win over the Jaguars. They now travel to Marion County for a road game before coming home to host West Jessamine and Trinity Christian. An undefeated week would signify for me that they are ready for the label of contender but that is a tall ask. 7. Somerset (2-2) - The Briar Jumpers split games again last week, losing to West Jessamine but defeating Rockcastle County. Aedyn Absher had 18 in the win over Rockcastle. Freshman Brock Stevens added 14, going 3 for 6 from three point range. He is shooting fifty percent from that range this year. Conversely, Absher is 4 of 22 from 3. The Jumpers have the pieces to really be dangerous. They just need to establish consistency, especially offensively. They face Casey County on the road before hosting their winter classic where they play Cumberland County and Somerset Christian. 8. Boyle County (1-1) - The Rebels fell to Southwestern in their only game last week. Lyndon Smith had 12 and Harper Webb had 11. They host Rockcastle County next week before heading up to Fort Thomas. They start their trip their with a game at Highlands versus the Cincinnati Trailblazers' home school program. They then face host Highlands in a matchup that obviously invokes thoughts of the gridiron. That should be a fun environment and will help determine how good the Rebels really all. 9. Wayne County (2-2) - Last week the Cardinals fell to Taylor County but defeated Knox Central. Kendall Phillips is at 16.5 points per game. Ryder Bell is at 12 points per game. Phillips has 8 rebounds per game and Bell has 7.5. Korbyn Edwards is third in both of those categories with 8.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game. Depth is still the biggest question in the early parts of the season. They host Pulaski County before participating in the Republic Bank - Lankster Classic at Sayre, opening with Clay County. 10. East Jessamine (0-5) - The Jaguars are winless and the only thing keeping them in the top ten is how hard their schedule has been. Last week saw losses to DCA, Lincoln County and Mason County. East had Mason on the ropes at the Fieldhouse but fell 49-47. They have three road games this week, facing Burgin, Henry Clay and GRC. 11. Garrard County (3-2) - The Golden Lions defeated Somerset Christian and Burgin but fell to DCA. Jaydon Noe is averaging 16.5 points per game. This accounts for nearly a third of the team's total points per game. If the pieces around Noe can continue to develop, this can be a dangerous team. 12. McCreary Central (2-1) - The Raiders fell to Pulaski but bested Danville 58 to 44. Noah Shook had 17 in the victory. Their week coming up includes a quick trip over the border to Tennessee. 13. Danville (2-3) - The Ads fell to McCreary Central and Southwestern. Trevarion Paige is now at 23.3 points per game. They have no games this week. 14. Somerset Christian School (6-1) - Only a one point loss to Garrard County is blemishing the Cougars' record. They are fresh off an impressive 71 to 61 win over Harlan. Isaiah Hensley had 25 in that game and Jack Baker is up over 20 points per game for the year so far. The Cougars now face another level of competition of this week as they face Southwestern, Cumberland County and Somerset, all on the road (with Cumberland County being a neutral site game at Somerset). 15. Trinity Christian (4-1) - The Titans fell to Mercer County but defeated Burgin and Harrison County. Bryce Thompson scored 31 in the win over Harrison. They face Frankfort Christian and Lincoln County this week. 16. Rockcastle County (1-3) - The Rockets' lone win is over Berea where Connor Hunt scored 22 and Jace Rogers had 20. They face Boyle County and Glasgow this week. 17. Burgin (1-5) - The Bulldogs got in the win column with a victory over Casey County. JT Boswell had 23 points in the win. 18. Casey County (0-5) - It has all been blowout losses for Casey since their opening three point loss to Frankfort Christian. They host Somerset before heading off to Marion County for a holiday tournament. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf (0-2) - Freshman Dakota Cox had 25 in their loss to their Tennessee counterpart. They host Wellspring this week.

That game wasn’t showing on the scoreboard earlier this afternoon. And I get the scrutiny of Pulaski at 3 but I haven’t seen enough from the teams below them yet to say they need to drop out of the top 3. They have the pieces of a top 3 team. They have been competitive. That’s enough for me it at the moment but it won’t be long until that changes. I love Lincoln. I also know DCA and Southwestern are capable of soon overtaking really any of the top 3 if those teams slip up. It’s going to be a fun region.

The first week of the season is now in the books. There was limited action across the 12th region, which is pretty typical as the seasons change over from football to basketball. The games during the week were a little light on competition with the exception of a few but the weekend brought better selection, including the undisputed game of the week in the region. The aforementioned spotlight matchup occurred Friday in Nicholasville as the West Jessamine Colts took down Pulaski County by a score of 69 to 57. A mix of newcomers, returning talent, and a new, experienced coach have the Colts looking like a contender out of the gate. Pulaski County still looks to be in that conversation all season as well, but, like we have talked about, health and consistency will be essential to them challenging for the title yet again. We will break down the rankings here shortly, but Mercer County joins Pulaski and West Jessamine in the top tier to start the season. The next level is made up of Southwestern, DCA, and Lincoln County, all teams that should be able to beat any other team in the region on a given night. The schedule across the region gets more bountiful in both quality and quantity this week, really starting on Tuesday with a great mix of games between regional foes and games between 12th region contenders and other quality central Kentucky programs. Rankings 1. Mercer County (3-0) - The Titans are off and rolling, going undefeated in week 1 with wins over Somerset, Burgin, and Collins. Trevor Ellis scored 15 in both the win over Somerset and the win over Burgin. It will be essential to the Titans' success for them to provide quality complementary performances around Ellis. So far, so good. They face Trinity Christian and Caverna this coming week. Expect them to continue to be at or near the top throughout December for sure as they really don't start facing top tier talent until after Christmas. 2. West Jessamine (2-0) - How fun is the 46th going to be? We alluded to West Jessamine's story headed into the season. Coach Steve Adams has the Colts looking sharp as they downed Harrison County and Pulaski County. Sawyer Thornton and Gavin Murphy are averaging double figures in points through the first two games and Luk Tut, the leading rebounder, is right behind at 9.5 points per game. The Colts face Somerset and Danville Christian this week in two games that will definitely test them. 3. Pulaski County (0-2) - The Maroons are winless through two, but against solid competition - Madison Central and West Jessamine. They will have the ability to bounce back this week as they step down a in competition faced with games again Casey County and McCreary County Central. This was probably their hardest week in December (dependent on what the holiday tournament brings). 4. Southwestern (1-1) - The Warriors fell on the road by 1 in their opener at Metcalfe County but bounced back with a dominant win over Owsley County. Jarrett Simpson and Zachary Hutchinson are both averaging 18 points per game through those first two matchups. They host Danville and Boyle County this week. If they want to prove they are a real contender right out of the gate then they need to win these two games. 5. Danville Christian Academy (1-1) - Another Warriors squad, another team that went 1-1 for the week. DCA fell to Woodford County on the road in the opener but came back with a win over North Hardin later in the week. Their game with Adair County on 12/9 has been cancelled. They will face West Jessamine, Garrard County and East Jessamine. 6. Lincoln County (2-0) - The Patriots get two road wins out of region, something that isn't always easy to do. They defeated Lafayette by 1 and Harrison County by 12. Cash Baird in averaging 18 points through those first two while Sawyer Robbins is right behind him at 17 points per game. Clay Pendygraft is a name to get familiar with as he is showing the ability to contribute in the scoring column as well as a rebounder. The Patriots face Henry Clay and East Jessamine this week. 7. Somerset (1-1) - The Jumpers fell to mighty Mercer County to start the season, though Landen Lonesky and Aedyn Absher both had 14. They bounced back with a win over Danville at home. They face West Jessamine and Rockcastle County this week. 8. Boyle County (1-0) - The Rebels are keeping their December light as they anticipated not having their football players in the gym as early as they did. They had just one game last week, a forty point drumming over district foe Burgin. They have just one game this coming week, albeit a much tougher one as they travel to Southwestern. 9. East Jessamine (0-2) - Though winless, the Jaguars gave themselves a challenging opening week hosting Scott County and Lexington Christian. Keelyn Daniel is at 24.5 points per game through 2 games and will be a tough assignment for any defense. They face DCA, Lincoln County and Mason County this week as their tough December schedule continues. 10. Wayne County (1-1) - The Jarrad Parmley Era started off with a loss to Whitley County on the road but the Cardinals were able to open up home play with a four point win over Garrard County. Kendall Phillips is starting off strong, averaging 15 points per game through 2 games. They face Taylor County and Knox Central on the road this week. 11. Garrard County (2-1) - Their only loss was the above four point game with Wayne County. They face Somerset Christian, Danville Christian, and Burgin this week. 12. Danville (2-1) - Their only loss was a road trip to Somerset. I think they can quickly climb the rankings and they will do exactly that if they beat Southwestern. 13. McCreary County Central (1-0) - They got their opening win over Rockcastle County and now open up at home with Pulaski County. They follow that with a trip to Danville. 14. Trinity Christian (2-0) - Their leading scorer from last year may be gone but Bryce Thompson has already gone for 28 in a game. They face district foes Mercer County and Burgin this week. 15. Rockcastle County (0-1) - They face Berea and Somerset this week after falling to McCreary this past week. 16. Somerset Christian (3-0) - The Cougars are undefeated to start the season but step up in competition this week as they face Garrard County, Lynn Camp and Harlan. 17. Casey County (0-2) - They fell to Somerset Christian and Frankfort Christian. They face Burgin, Russell County, and Pulaski County this week. 18. Burgin (0-3) - The Bulldogs will look to find their first win of the year as they face Casey County followed by Trinity Christian and Garrard County this week. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf (0-1) - The Colonels fell to the Light Eagles program (also located in Danville) and face the Tennessee School for the Deaf and Frankfort Christian this week.