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Those big games you reference are Boyle County and DCA (though they play Southwestern this week and that team just beat McCreary who beat the Jumpers during this rough patch). If they can beat Southwestern and Boyle and go to the wire with DCA, then you will convince me they are ready for the postseason. Obviously they still have potential. A rough patch and injuries doesn’t erase that. But they really need to start building momentum out of the success you just mentioned. This hasn’t been the same Somerset team from the beginning of the year. Again, I get why but you can go back and look at those earlier posts when they were on fire - we always knew depth was going to be an issue with this team and that injuries and foul trouble would pose a huge threat to their overall success.

A healthy Somerset is 2-4, and earlier in the year before DCA really started rolling they were number 1. But they are trending the wrong direction. If they can get healthy and clean things back up they are certainly a threat to win the region. But time is of the essence.

So it is now official that whoever comes out of the regional tournament will have the honor of facing the 7th Region champion at Rupp. I believe seven teams can claim to have a realistic chance at contending for that spot (although only six of those could possibly make it to the regional tournament as three are from the same district). We are closing in on the district tournaments now as teams finish out their seeding play and start turning their attention to late season tweaks to set them up for a potential postseason run. Rankings 1. Danville Christian - The Warriors are still undefeated against regional competition and kept that streak up by defeating Garrard County last week. In addition they also defeated Washington County. Emmanuel Dut was held to just 2 points against Garrard County as DCA avoided the upset by beating the Golden Lions by 7 but he roared back against Washington County, scoring 22. They travel to Boyle County, McCreary County and North Oldham next week. 2. Lincoln County - The Patriots bounced back from their district loss to Boyle the week before by defeating North Laurel and Danville. Seth Horton had 14 points and 8 rebounds against the Ads. They face South Laurel and Mercer County this week. 3. Pulaski County - The Maroons had Ethan Idlewin score 12 as they fended off Mercer County by 3 at home before going down to Southwestern to earn a road win. They host Rockcastle and Boyle this week. 4. Wayne County - The Cardinals blew out Somerset 70 to 34 in a statement game with three players scoring 14 or more points. They also defeated Knox Central and Middlesboro. They host East Jessamine and Lafayette this week. 5. Mercer County - Rounding out the top five the Titans narrowly missed out on upsetting Pulaski County but got a win over Rockcastle County behind Trevor Ellis' 25 points. They also fell to Scott County. They face Burgin and Lincoln County this week. 6. Boyle County 7. Somerset 8. Rockcastle County 9. East Jessamine 10. Trinity Christian 11. McCreary Central 12. Southwestern 13. Danville 14. West Jessamine 15. Somerset Christian 16. Casey County 17. Garrard County 18. Burgin 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf

As we approach the postseason, Newport, Cooper, and CovCath have separated themselves from the pack. Lloyd is hanging out by themselves where they aren't quite at the same level as the top 3 but are definitely above the rest of the field at the moment. It would still floor me if none of these four teams won the regional tournament, but the teams below them down to about spot 11 are all capable of making some noise come tournament time. There were some thrilling games last week and there are some marquis matchups this week that should mimic the feel of a postseason match closely. Let's dive in. Rankings: 1. Newport - The Wildcats cruised again last week notching two double digit wins over district foe Newport Central Catholic and the feisty Cougars of Conner. In fact, outside their loss to Covington Catholic, no 9th region team has gotten within double digits of the Wildcats in the final tally of a game all year. Taylen Kinney is back to his productive ways after injury, scoring 20 & 12 respectively while Jabari Covington led the Wildcats in both games with 22 & 15. They have a bear of a week in store as they face Cooper on the road before hosting the Juggernauts of Lloyd Memorial. It is exceptionally likely that at least one of these two games will be repeated in the regional tournament if not both. Should make for some highly entertaining basketball. 2. Cooper - Yamil Rondon was sidelined with injury and Andy Johnson was also not yet back in the lineup as the Jaguars defeated Newport Central Catholic by 21 on the road. Jaiden Combs led the effort with 16. They host Newport in what is certainly my pick for game of the week this week before hosting Grant County. It is expected that Rondon and Johnson will make it back before postseason play but whether or not either one of them is back in time for the Tuesday tilt with the Wildcats is unknown. 3. Covington Catholic - Caden Miller's 18 points and 14 rebounds powered the Colonels past district rival Holy Cross. CovCath plays a pair of 34th district teams this week, going on the road to play Lloyd in what is sure to be an exciting bout between two contenders and then hosting the Red Colonels of Dixie Heights. 4. Lloyd Memorial - Isaiah Sebastian had 23 points and EJ Walker 21 in a rout of St. Henry before Lloyd secured a thrilling 3 point win over Highlands on the road. Elijah Collins stepped up and provided 23 points, 18 of them coming from beyond the arc. Sebastian was limited to just 2 points in that game. All three of them as well as Anthony Blaackar scored double digits against Oldham County but it wasn't enough to pull out the win and they lost by 2. The Juggernauts have a very busy week that features some top tier competition as they play CovCath, Cincinnati Trailblazers (homeschool), Newport and Collins. This week gives Lloyd the chance to prove themselves a true contender in the region. 5. Boone County - The Rebels played a pair of 37th district teams and split the week as they defeated Brossart handily but fell to Campbell County. They have another week against all non-region competition as they host Simon Kenton and McNicholas (Cincinnati) before traveling to Louisville to play the Holy Cross Cougars. 6. Highlands - Nathan Vinson scored 42 against Lloyd in a game the Birds lost at home by 3. Vinson accounted for seventy six percent of the Birds' points. The Birds would find themselves on the other side of a 3 point game as they defeated Montgomery County by 3 and Vinson scored 30. Highlands hosts Holy Cross before going out to Hebron to play Conner. 7. Ryle - The Raiders are just 2 - 5 in February and got both wins last week as they beat Scott and St. Henry but lost to Campbell County. Jonathan DeGroff scored 17 against Campbell and 19 against St. Henry. They face Bishop Brossart and St. Xavier (Louisville) this week and have no other regular season games against 9th region competition. 8. Dixie Heights - Hudson Blank, Griffin Derry & Max Rubemeyer continue to be a three-headed monster for Dixie as they gain two wins over Scott and Holy Cross. After hovering right around .500 all year, the Colonels have gone on a five game winning streak getting them up to 15 - 9. They travel to Walton Verona and Covington Catholic before hosting Williamstown. 9. Holy Cross - It was a rough week for Holy Cross as they went 0 - 3 with district losses to Covington Catholic and Beechwood as well as a loss to Dixie. Nate Rominger led them each game in scoring and continues to lead them on the year with 15.7 points per game. The Beechwood game was a wild one, the Tigers getting the best of Holy Cross by 2 in triple overtime. These two almost will meet again in the district tournament and hopefully it is just as intense. 10. Conner - The Cougars had one game last week, an unsuccessful road trip to Newport. Landon Warner and Chase Huff both scored 10. They host a pair of 36th district teams this week as both Newport Central Catholic and Highlands come to Hebron to visit. 11. Beechwood 12. St. Henry 13. Newport Central Catholic 14. Ludlow 15. Bellevue 16. Villa Madonna 17. Heritage 18. Holmes 19. Dayton 20. Covington Latin

There were less fireworks this week in the 9th region but you can definitely feel the district tournaments starting to creep up. Let's take a look at the highlights and layout the rankings. - Newport rolls over Bellevue easily to stay unbeaten since December 23rd. - CovCath easily defeats Campbell County and Ryle. - Cooper defeats two 10th region historical powers in Campbell County and Mason County. - Ryle, losing to CovCath, is the only top ten to lose last week as their were fewer games overall than usual and a lot of lopsided results. Rankings 1. Newport 2. Cooper 3. CovCath 4. Lloyd 5. Boone 6. Ryle 7. Holy Cross 8. Highlands 9. Dixie 10. Conner 11. St. Henry 12. Beechwood 13. NCC 14. Ludlow 15. Bellevue 16. Villa Madonna 17. Heritage 18. Holmes 19. Dayton 20. Covington Latin

It seems like the closer we get to the post-season the more exciting the games become. Let's hit the highlights of the week then layout the rankings: - DCA beats Lincoln by 2 behind Dut's 18 points and 9 rebounds and then goes on to beat crosstown rival Danville. - Lincoln loses another district game, this time at the hands of the Boyle County Rebels, a team who, although inconsistent, has the capability to beat anyone in the region. - McCreary gets a monster win over the reeling Jumpers of Somerset. - Wayne County has a perfect week and may look to be getting hot as we get late into the season. - Besides Wayne, DCA, and Boyle, the other 7 top ten teams took their lumps as we continue to see this region's teams beat up on one another. Rankings 1. DCA 2. Lincoln 3. Pulaski 4. Wayne County 5. Somerset 6. Mercer 7. Rockcastle County 8. Boyle County 9. East Jessamine 10. McCreary 11. Southwestern 12. Trinity 13. Danville 14. West Jessamine 15. Somerset Christian 16. Casey County 17. Garrard County 18. Burgin 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf

Starting to think this might be the most likely regional championship matchup. I don't think there is much doubt these are the two hottest teams in the region right now. Not saying it will for sure happen, just saying if you made me give my best guess, it would be these two meeting in the regional championship game.

Ugh, yes, 13 was supposed to be the other Catholic school that is having a so-so year, NCC.

After the weather had quieted things in the region for a week or so, last week saw a flurry of activity including a major win that gave us a shake up towards the top of the rankings. As things continue to proceed towards district tournament time, we have a clear number one, a surging historical power, two tournament contenders trying to get and remain healthy, and about 5 teams underneath those four trying to tune themselves up for a postseason run. Rankings 1. Danville Christian - Emmanuel Dut had quite the week last week, scoring 17 in the Warriors' win over Jackson County in the Hometown Bank Classic at Corbin, 16 in their All A Classic opening round win against Breathitt County (Titus Boyd and Lual Ayiei had 17 each) and 10 against Newport as their run at Corbin came to an end. Newport represents only the second loss for DCA since we entered 2024. They host Lincoln County and Danville this week in two big district games.The Warriors have beaten both teams on the road already this year, but that Lincoln County game was all the way back on December 8th. 2. Lincoln County - The Patriots are 12 - 8 but are 8 - 1 since December 29th. They scored a major road victory last week by 4 over Madison Central behind Blade Nuckols' 18 points and followed that up with 2 convincing wins over Garrard County and Danville. They travel to DCA and host Boyle next week as they continue their journey through the district. 3. Pulaski County - The Maroons got Carson Fraley back but he left during their huge win over Somerset. That huge win was followed by a letdown loss to Henry Clay but the bigger issue is if the Maroons can get and keep Fraley healthy. They have been terrific without him but he may truly be the missing piece if they want to challenge for a regional title. They face North Laurel on the road in their only game this week. 4. Somerset - Ben Godby scored 26 in a road win over Western Hills before the Briar Jumpers came home and lost to crosstown foe Pulaski County. Godby had 23 in the loss. Jamison Coomer is still out for Somerset but they hope to get him back soon. They travel to McCreary Central and Southwestern this week. 5. Mercer County - Similar to Lincoln County, Mercer County is 7 - 1 since December 29th. The difference is they are playing in a weaker district. They gained another district win this week with a win over West Jessamine and then snuck past Russell County 54 to 51 with four players scoring double figures. They travel to East Jessamine and host Burgin this week for two more district games. 6. Wayne County - The Cardinals got two blowout wins over Somerset Christian and Southwestern. They are 5 - 0 in district play. They travel to Rockcastle County and host McCreary this week. 7. Rockcastle County - The Rockets had three home games last week, beating Anderson County and Knox Central, but falling to Sayre by 3. Walker Craig scored 34 against Knox Central and 31 against Sayre. Frankfort, Wayne County and Madison Southern are the opponents on Rockcastle's schedule this week. 8. East Jessamine - The Jaguars had 3 road games last week, falling to Mason County but defeating district foes West Jessamine and Burgin. The win over West was a 3 point thriller, a true testament to the rivalry even in a down year for West. East got the win in large part due to Myles Radford's 20 points. They host Mercer County and North Hardin before traveling to Lexington Christian. 9. Boyle County - The Rebels defeated Garrard County and Pleasure Ridge Park last week and have not lost since Lincoln County defeated them on January 12th. They travel to West Jessamine before traveling to Lincoln County for the rematch of that 52- 49 loss. 10. Southwestern - The Warriors fell to Knox Central and Wayne County and have not won since January 8th. They'll look to right their woes as they face Somerset Christian, Somerset, Clinton County and Pickett County (TN) this week. 11. McCreary Central 12. Trinity Christian 13. Danville 14. West Jessamine 15. Somerset Christian 16. Garrard County 17. Casey County 18. Burgin 19 Kentucky School for the Deaf

There were some absolutely incredible games played by the teams at the top of the rankings. The Newport Wildcats are the new All A Classic state champions, Cooper toppled CovCath, and Ryle came out on top in a barn burner in the Hoosier Gym. Let's dive in and break down what happened and where we go from here. Rankings 1. Newport - The Wildcats became the first public school team out of the 9th region since 1981 Bellevue to win the All A Classic state championship. They did so by defeating Sayre, Danville Christian, mighty Lyon County and Travis Perry, and finally Evangel Christian. Deshaun Jackson was named tournament MVP and Jabari Covington scored 22 in the title game. The most incredible part of this, to me at least, is they pulled it off with a hampered Taylen Kinney. Get him healthy and I don't know who is going to stop the Wildcats with the way they are winning. They have a light week this week as they play at district foe Bellevue as their sole game. 2. Cooper - Alongside Newport beating Lyon County on Deshaun Jackson's floater in the final seconds, Cooper's defeat of Covington Catholic goes in the book of incredible wins. Shaun Pouncy and Yamil Rondon each had 17 as the Jaguars won by 10 on the road. They out rebounded the Colonels 37 to 28. Their other game last week was closer as they hosted Lexington Christian and came out victorious 60 to 57. They face Campbell County at home before going to Augusta for the 9th vs. 10th Hardwood Classic where they take on the Mason County Royals. 3. Covington Catholic - There are 16 regions in Kentucky and I find it hard to believe that CovCath wouldn't be number 1 in more than half of them. Unfortunately, they play in one of the toughest regions in the state. Another Caden Miller double double (13 points, 10 rebounds) wasn't enough to get CovCath to overcome the Jaguars of Cooper at home. They were able to bounce back with a blowout win over Highlands where Caden Miller went for 22 points and 18 rebounds and got a high quality win over Ashland where Miller went for 21 and another 18 rebounds. That young man is certainly proving his claim to the title of best big man in all of Northern Kentucky. The Colonels host Campbell County and Ryle this week. 4. Lloyd - The Juggernauts got two double digit road wins in their district this past week as they defeated Dixie and Ludlow. EJ Walker, Isaiah Sebastian and Anthony Blaackar are all averaging double figures and have proven to be a 3 headed monster difficult to slay. They are another team with a light week this week, hosting WEB DuBois as their sole contest. 5. Ryle - The Raiders' undefeated 2024 continues as they defeated Beechwood by 5 behind Landon Lorms' 25 points and raced past Bell County at the Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, Indiana to the tune of 88 to 87. They host Simon Kenton and Highlands this week before going on the road to Park Hills to play the Colonels of Covington Catholic in what is sure to be an intense matchup. 6. Boone County - Mason Hall's 19 point night wasn't enough to stop the Rebels from dropping one at home to Scott. They came back with a win two nights later as they hosted Mason County, Thomas Williams going off for 32 points. They travel to Holmes and Williamstown this week and do not play another home game until February 13. 7. Holy Cross - Nate Rominger scored 18 points as Holy Cross defeated visiting Lewis County but his team high 14 points on the road against Mason County weren't enough to get the win. They have just one game this week, a Wednesday night road trip to Grant County. 8. Highlands - The Birds routed Brossart by 30 at home behind Nathan Vinson's 22 points and Brayden Moeves' 18 points. Unfortunately Highlands would go on to be routed themselves a few nights later at the hands of Covington Catholic, losing 70 to 39. They host Dayton and travel to Ryle and Bellevue this week. 9. Dixie Heights - The Colonels had two home games last week, losing to Lloyd but beating NCC behind a pair of 20 point performances by Hudson Blank and Griffin Derry. They have FOUR road games this week, playing Grant County, Villa Madonna, Ludlow and Augusta. 10. Conner - The Cougars have an ugly record. There is no denying that. They are 5 - 14 but got 2 of those wins last week as they beat Simon Kenton at home and went on the road to beat Beechwood. They have also lost five games by 3 points or less and had one loss go to double overtime. The team in the 1 spot that has to face them in the district tournament should be better, but I think the Cougars continue to give us reasons why you can't just dismiss the idea of an upset. They travel to Scott and Mason County this week before hosting South Dearborn (Indiana). 11. St. Henry 12. Beechwood 13. Newport Central Catholic 14. Ludlow 15. Bellevue 16. Villa Madonna 17. Heritage 18. Holmes 19. Dayton 20. Covington Latin

@Mr. Sixer Newport just disspelled any doubt about who will be number 1 this week though your argument is still well received.

Been thinking about this alot. I think it has to be Newport at 1, Cooper at 2, CovCath at 3. I cannot justify Cooper jumping Newport yet. Newport has only lost to CovCath, Great Crossing and Trinity. That is pretty insane. (Also if they lose in one of their next two games in the All A, they are probably doing so to a team that is number 1 in their own region.) And while Cooper just beat CovCath, they do not have the Newport resume. CovCath just suffered two losses so they have had their momentum stalled a bit. Then you still have Lloyd, Ryle, and Boone County right underneath them. Is it crazy to think that there are both realistic chances that Cooper could win the region or that Cooper could not even make it out of their district?

And Lincoln County with the win over Madison Central. I think those 4 top teams are starting to separate themselves. Still could lose on any given night and Mercer and Wayne still have firepower, but hard to deny DCA, Somerset, Lincoln and Pulaski aren't looking really darn good right now.

@Mr. Sixer you called this. I truly didn't think Cooper could be on the same level at Newport and CovCath, especially until fully healthy. They are truly a contender and now I cannot wait until that Cooper - Newport game. Now, for the larger picture, does this mean that anyone in the group of Cooper, CovCath, Newport, Lloyd, Ryle & Boone can win the region? I think it might.

I'm still not following what you are saying - you are quoting free/reduced lunch student percentages and talking about the produced outcomes of the school. But what are the outcomes? Are we sure that is the correlation? What burdens have been placed on the football program because Boone has a higher population of students in poverty than the other schools in the county? I am just struggling to see how this isn't saying that kids in struggling homes are the problem.

They would be top 3 - they would put themselves clearly in a tier with DCA and Somerset above Mercer, Lincoln, and Wayne. I think any of those 6 could win it all.

Very little changes this week and there won't be an in-depth breakdown on each time as the weather wiped out almost all games in the region this week. East Jessamine got blown out by district foe Mercer County and Boyle did the same to arch rival Danville, marking the only two games that had top ten teams in them that happened this week. DCA goes to the All A where they take on Breathitt County. If they win that, which they should, they will likely face Newport out of the 9th region (unless Sayre knocks them off first). Somerset hosts Pulaski in a crosstown battle and district games continue to proceed across the region. 1. DCA 2. Somerset 3. Lincoln County 4. Pulaski County 5. Mercer County 6. Wayne County 7. Rockcastle County 8. East Jessamine 9. Southwestern 10. Boyle 11. McCreary Central 12. Trinity Christian 13. Danville 14. West Jessamine 15. Somerset Christian 16. Garrard County 17. Casey County 18. Burgin 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf

Not much is going to change in the rankings this week though 3 and 4 from last week played each other, resulting in a flip of that spot. That game between Cooper and Lloyd was one of several really competitive games this week. Even though the weather cut back on the quantity, the quality of competition was high. Rankings: 1. Covington Catholic - The Colonels went on the road and got wins over Walton Verona and Desales. In the victory over Desales, Brady Hussey scored 27 to lead the way. CovCath has yet to lose inside the region and have only lost to one team in the state, mighty Great Crossing, that one coming back in November. They get a major test to those streaks this week as they host Cooper before having a pair of games over the weekend against Highlands and Ashland. 2. Newport - The Wildcats have not lost since the King of the Bluegrass before Christmas. Last week they had just one game, a blowout victory over St. Henry where Jabari Covington recorded 21 points, going 4 of 6 from three point range. Taylen Kinney did not play. They have Holy Cross on their schedule this week on Friday but you got to think that gets scratched as Newport starts their All A state run Thursday against Sayre, a team they should be able to defeat. If they get past Sayre they have the winner of Breathitt and Danville Christian with the possibility of a rematch of last year's state tournament game in the All A semifinals if they meet Lyon County there. 3. Cooper - The Jaguars got two huge wins over quality competition in thrilling fashion as they beat Lloyd by 4 and Boone County by 6. Yamil Rondon scored 20 and 21, respectively, to lead the way both nights. They travel to Covington Catholic this week in what is their biggest test of the year so far. Andy Johnson has still been out and it would be a huge achievement to beat the Colonels without him. Regardless, we will get a taste of what the postseason may bring as these two teams tangle in Park Hills. Cooper finishes the week by hosting Lexington Christian. 4. Lloyd - The week started off with a very quality win in the Flyin' to the Hoop Classic in Kettering, Ohio as Lloyd defeated Preble Shawnee of Camden, Ohio behind EJ Walker's 21 points. That meant the Juggernauts headed into their matchup with Cooper having not lost since December 21, surviving multiple thrillers along the way. The Jaguars finally changed that by besting Lloyd by a margin of 4. Isaiah Sebastian went for 19 and Walker had 18. Lloyd looks to restart the win streak this week with two road victories over district foes Lloyd and Ludlow. 5. Boone County - The Rebels split the week with a nice win over Beechwood and a close loss to district foe Cooper. They host Scott and Carroll County this week and then won't be back home until February 13. 6. Ryle - So now we have made it through the top 3 teams in the 33rd district. They are all 2-1 in the district with Conner in fourth. Ryle helped make it this way by breaking a 12 game losing streak to Conner, beating them by just 3 points behind Landon Lorms' 26 point performance. Earlier in the week they beat NCC by 9. They face Beechwood on the road before traveling to Knightstown, Indiana to play Bell County in the Hoosier Gym. 7. Holy Cross - Holy Cross fell on the road to Campbell County before surviving a scare from district rival Holmes at home. Luke Arlinghaus scored 20 in the win. They face Lewis County and Newport this week. 8. Highlands - In the Birds' sole game of the week, Nathan Vinson scored 23 points to beat district rival Newport Central Catholic up on the hill 76 to 71. It is all but locked in now that it will be that same matchup in the 2/3 game of the district tournament. The Birds play Brossart and Covington Catholic this week. 9. Dixie Heights - Dixie got just one game in last week, a road win at Beechwood. They host Lloyd and Newport Central Catholic this week. 10. Beechwood - The Tigers fell to Dixie and Boone. They host Ryle and Conner this week before going on the road to play Oldham County. 11. Conner 12. St. Henry 13. Newport Central Catholic 14. Ludlow 15. Bellevue 16. Villa Madonna 17. Holmes 18. Heritage 19. Dayton 20. Covington Latin

Yes, but probably less than before to get to 36. And, as a person on the wrong side of a blow out in multiple sports, I think the "unsportsmanlike" taste of a 2-point conversion is diminished when you know the other side has missed an extra point. May just be me though.

I'm not sleeping on DCA beating that winner of O'Cath v. Bethlehem. I still think it is Pikeville vs Holy Cross in the finals as well though.

If I'm Pikeville I'm thrilled I only have to face one of the DCA - Owensboro Catholic combo on my way to the championship game.

Ranking the teams by the RPI on the KHSAA site: 1) Pikeville .71716 2) Danville Christian .64598 3) Owensboro Catholic .64532 4) Cov. Holy Cross .63714 5) Whitefield Academy .59476 6) Mayfield .58073 7) Bethlehem .57920 😎 Lexington Christian .57845 9) Owsley County .56947 10) Nicholas County .56515 11) Harlan .55504 12) Cumberland County .54895 13) Shawnee .54203 14) Walton Verona .53414 15) Crittenden County .51304 16)Menifee County .49188

I think they get Cooper. But CovCath may run them off the court. I think the gap between the top two and everyone else is getting pretty massive.

The big takeaways from last week in the 9th: - Newport wins the All A Classic regional. Both CovCath and Newport have proven they are the clear top two in the region and no one is really close (on a consistent basis). - The 33rd district is wild. They have teams three through six this week and they are really interchangeable. Though not to the same level as CovCath and Newport on a regular basis, Cooper, Boone and Ryle are definitely good enough to beat CovCath or Newport on any given night (as is Lloyd from the 34th district). - Holy Cross, Highlands and Dixie represent the rest of the teams in the region capable of postseason success. That puts us at 9 teams in that "competitive" category. 8 of those 9 should make the regional tournament with one of the top 3 from the 33rd not making it. Beechwood is capable of getting past Holy Cross if they do indeed find themselves in the 2/3 game (as they should), but Holy Cross certainly has proven themselves the more complete team at the moment. NCC could beat Highlands and Dixie could fall to whoever gets the other spot in the 2/3 game, but that would be a bigger stretch. Rankings: 1. Covington Catholic 2. Newport 3. Lloyd 4. Cooper 5. Boone County 6. Ryle 7. Holy Cross 8. Highlands 9. Dixie 10. Beechwood 11. Conner 12. St. Henry 13. NCC 14. Ludlow 15. Bellevue 16. Villa Madonna 17. Holmes 18. Heritage 19. Dayton 20. Covington Latin

It was a quieter week in the region in terms of volume as winter weather scrapped some games. However, it was a loud reclaiming of the top spot by Danville Christian as they punched their ticket to the All A Classic State Tournament as they dispatched previous number 1 Somerset. There is no doubt to me at the moment the current tiers of this region. DCA and Somerset are clearly the two best teams in the region. After that you have Lincoln, Pulsaski, Mercer and Wayne all capable of getting on a streak in the post season. Then there are the darkhorses East Jessamine, Rockcastle County, Southwestern and Boyle who all have the talent and capability to win against anyone on a given night but have not shown that they can consistently win big games. After that the region falls off and I really do not see a world in which any of the teams not in the top ten make any noise down the stretch. Rankings 1. Danville Christian Academy - It was a victorious run through the All A regional tournament as the Warriors took down Trinity Christian, Burgin, and the mighty Somerset Briar Jumpers to punch their ticket for Corbin. For the week before they take their shot at an All A title, they face Ashland and Pulaski County. Titus Boyd had 18 points and 9 rebounds in the championship win over Somerset. 2. Somerset - Somerset has to wait until the final game of the year, but they will get their chance again at DCA in the regular season, and possibly even the regional tournament. However, the All A title game did not go their way as they lost by by 14 in a game in which DCA just absolutely smothered them defensively. Before reaching the title tilt, the Jumpers beat Somerset Christian and Danville. They play Madison Southern this week. 3. Lincoln - Fair warning: teams three through six are almost interchangeable for me. But right now, Lincoln is hot and deserves to be up here. They are 9 - 4 after their 4 game losing streak to start the year and this past week saw them take down Garrard County and Boyle County in two competitive games. Blade Nuckols had 22 in the win over district foe Boyle. They travel to Wayne County later this week as their game against Danville for tonight has already been postponed from tonight. 4. Pulaski County - Zak Anderson, Ethan Idlewine & Will Blankenship split the duties as leading scorer as the Maroons took down Casey County, Southwestern & Tates Creek respectively. They face Rockcastle County and Danville Christian this week. 5. Mercer County - Owen Barnes is back and averaged 14.5 points over the two Titan wins last week against West Jessamine and Trinity Christian. They host East Jessamine and Burgin this week as they continue their five game "district opponents only" streak on the schedule. 6. Wayne County - The Cardinals got a ten point win over McCreary Central last week. This week they host Lincoln County. Their game at Rockcastle tonight has been cancelled. 7. East Jessamine - The Jaguars are 5 - 1 since getting swept in a tournament before Christmas at South Warren. They blew out Boyle County and Garrard County last week with Miyo Jones getting 24 against the Rebels and Keelyn Daniel getting 22 against the Golden Lions. They face district foes Mercer and West Jessamine on the road this week. 8. Rockcastle County - The Rockets defeated Casey County by 43. Their game tonight is cancelled so the only one left on this week's schedule is a road trip to Pulaski County. 9. Southwestern - The Warriors defeated Russell County behind Jarrett Simpson and Zachary Hutchinson, scoring 27 and 20 points respectively. They then fell to Pulaski County. They face McCreary Central and Letcher Central this week. 10. Boyle County - The Rebels fell to East Jessamine and Lincoln County. Their game tonight is cancelled so they only play at Danville this week. 11. McCreary Central 12. Trinity Christian 13. Danville 14. West Jessamine 15. Somerset Christian 16. Garrard County 17. Casey County 18. Burgin 19 Kentucky School for the Deaf