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With the first round of the regional now complete and the semifinals not starting until Monday, let's go ahead and jump in to looking back at the first 4 games of the tournament. We will finish off with a look at the semifinal matchups and what could be in store in the finals. Lincoln County 51, Wayne County 40 - The hosting Patriots kicked off the tournament through a solid fourth quarter performance, outscoring the Cardinals 19 to 6 in the final period. Wayne County was leading 34 to 32 heading into the 4th in what had been a back and forth game up to that point. The Patriots had double-digit scoring performances from Tramane Alcorn, Colton Ralston and Jackson Sims and the Cardinals were led, per usual, by Kendall Phillips and Mason Burchett. West Jessamine 70 Rockcastle 50 - This proved to be the most lopsided matchup of the first round. Walker Craig scored 26 of the Rockets' 50, but, as we talked about in the preview, the one-man star power was not enough against the depth of West Jessamine. The game was never really in question and the Colts move on. Pulaski 65, Mercer County 48 - Though the Maroons pulled away in the end, this game was back and forth all the way into the 3rd. Trevor Ellis scored 19 to lead the Titans. Pulaski's three-headed monster of Fraley, Lancaster and Williams were not to be contained and each did what was needed to eventually beat down the Mercer defense and open the flood gates late. McCreary County Central 48, Boyle County 44 - The absence of Montavin Quisenberry loomed large as the crowd missed out on what could have been an epic matchup between Kyle Stephens and Quisenberry. Kyle Stephens put the Raiders on his back as they thwarted the best efforts of Jakei Tarter, Avery Bodner and the Rebels. Semifinal Preview Lincoln County vs. West Jessamine - This is a rematch of a December matchup between the two regional powers that also took place at Lincoln. The Patriots held the final edge over the Colts 71 to 68 in overtime. Jacob Jones had 21 and Daniel Waters had 19 for the Colts. That game was one of four 70-plus offensive performances the Patriots had this year as Tramane Alcorn led the way with 19. What is surprising about that game is that Colton Ralston was held in check, going 0 for 5 from three. Alcorn had his 19 points off 17 shots. I do not expect the semifinal game to mirror the first game at all with both teams being efficient on both sides of the ball and creating a back and forth game that ends somewhere in the high fifties or low sixties. Pulaski County vs. McCreary County Central - This is another rematch of an early December game. On December 6th, Pulaski bested the Raiders 67 to 57 behind 21 points from Cayden Lancaster and 20 from Barek Williams. Kyle Stephens was held to 16 and overall the Raiders shot 2 of 13 from long distance. McCreary has done a lot of evolving since then and Pulaski has struggled some down the stretch. It will be interesting to see how these two measure up since that early season contest. The rebounding difference was just by 3 in favor of Pulaski last time so it really seems to have come down to shooting and offensive efficiency. How much will being on a neutral court this time as opposed to being at Pulaski County play a part? Pulaski is the better and deeper team on paper but when you break this down, the Raiders have a legitimate shot. Championship Game Thoughts Lincoln County has beat both McCreary and Pulaski and when it comes to the Maroons, they really just devastated them. West Jessamine has not faced McCreary and fell to Pulaski in early December when the Colts had yet to hit their stride and Pulaski was beginning their red hot start to the year. With that said, it is obvious that whoever wins the Lincoln County vs. West Jessamine matchup will be the favorite in the title game. McCreary or Pulaski could certainly win, no doubt, but they haven't been on the same tier as Lincoln or West in the last month or so. West is the deepest team left, followed by Lincoln and Pulaski in no real certain order with McCreary in the rear. That certainly matters. Final note - I think the championship game is probably destined to be in the mid sixties with the exception that I think West Jessamine has the potential to blow out McCreary running away just based on style and depth. Not that that would happen, but it could. End of the day, this final four should produce some fantastic games and a champion who will represent the region well in the Sweet 16.

Athletic Director Jim Hicks released a statement this morning stating Chad Montgomery, a 2001 Bellevue graduate, is taking the helm for the black and gold Tigers.

And he said yes. Chad Montgomery has been announced as the next football coach at Bellevue.

Cats 79 Commodores 64

Rockcastle has one really good, productive player with a supporting cast that is clicking. Unfortunately, I think West has two players that are at the moment better COMPLETE players in Waters and Marshall. They also have significant more depth. For Rockcastle to pull off the upset, the following needs to happen: 1) Craig goes for 25 plus. 2) The Colts shoot less than 33% from the field. 3) The Colts are hampered by foul trouble and this almost has to include Marshall, who I think will dominate the paint when he is in. 4) The final score has to be something like 54 to 52. With all that said and the recipe laid out, West Jessamine 67 Rockcastle 49.

And then there were eight. With the district tournaments in the rear view mirror, the 12th region turns to Wednesday, March the 1st, and the start of the regional tournament. Let's trace the district tournaments results and take a look at the regional tournament to come. 45th District Tournament Lincoln County defeated Boyle County by a sound 15 point margin in the championship game but there was a lot of drama getting there. In the lower bracket, Garrard County tuned up with a blow out win over the Kentucky School for the Deaf before giving Boyle County all they could handle. But in the end, the Rebels survived 74 to 69 behind former Golden Lion Montavin Quisenberry's 27 point performance. In his high school finale Ethan Cooper scored 38 for Garrard. On the other side of the bracket, the 4/5 game went all the way to overtime with Danville dispatching Danville Christian 63 to 61 with 3 crucial threes a piece by Jarius Bryant and Josh Bixler for the Ads while Demauriah Brown also had 2 three pointers in his team high 18 points. The Ads would push their semifinal game against Lincoln County to overtime as well but would fall by 4 as Tramane Alcorn, Colton Ralston and Connor Davis all scored in double-figures for the Patriots. In the end, the 1 & 2 seeds made it to the finals with Lincoln defeating Boyle for the title behind a pair of 15 point performances by Blade Nuckols and Tramane Alcorn. This is the 5th year in a row Lincoln has won the district and they head into the regional tournament as most people's favorite to win it all. 46th District Tournament No surprising results out of this one though the margins may have been tighter than some expected. Trinity Christian defeated Burgin by 10 to start things off before losing to 1 seed West Jessamine in a blowout. Mercer County squeaked by East Jessamine 67 to 64 behind Trevor Ellis' 23 points. In the end, Mercer would compete with West Jessamine in the title game but ultimately fall 58 to 51 as the Colts win the district title. 47th District Tournament It isn't the basketball post-season without an upset or two and here we find the surprise district tournament elimination in the 12th. Although this one was put on upset alert as soon as the double coin toss happened, the Rockcastle Rockets showed up and did what they needed to to make it real as they stunned the beleaguered Somerset Briar Jumpers by a score of 57 to 46. Freshman Walker Craig, a name to remember, scored 24 for the Rockets. Pulaski County beat Casey County 84 to 67 although just 5 players appeared in the scoring column, led by Brysen Dugger with 18. The Maroons would go on to claim the district title over Rockcastle by a score of 71 to 51 as Barek Williams scored 18 points, going a hot 7 of 11 from the floor. 48th District Tournament The Raiders of McCreary Central hang a district title banner as they defeated Somerset Christian School in the first round and Wayne County in the finals. Wayne County survived a scare from Southwestern behind 21 points from Kendall Phillips in what turned out to be a 5 point victory. Kyle Stephens of McCreary scored 52 points in the tournament. 12th Region Tournament First Round Preview Lincoln County vs. Wayne County - The Patriots are the favored pick to win it all. We know it. They know it. Everyone knows it. They have the best all-around player in the region in Tramane Alcorn and a supporting cast that continues to step up time and time again in Colton Ralston, Connor Davis, Blade Nuckols, Jackson Sims and Will Bishop. And to call Colton Ralston supporting is in reality underselling what the young man has done with his 13.5 points per game average and clutch shooting. They also have one of the best to ever sit on the sidelines in the region, Coach Jeff Jackson. However, the same can be said for the man across the way, Coach Rodney Woods of the Wayne County Cardinals. Wayne County boasts the duo of Kendall Phillips and Mason Burchett. Wayne County got rolled 58 to 31 when these teams met in early December though the Cardinals have gone on to beat some very good teams in the region. West Jessamine vs. Rockcastle County - The upstart Rockets and freshman Walker Craig have made it, they are in the show. Their reward - a date with the Colts of West Jessamine, a team they have not played this year. Unlike Rockcastle's star-driven production, West has a workman-like squad that all complement each other. Five players average over 8 points per game with Daniel Waters up over 18 to lead the way. Waters also leads the team with 7.1 rebounds but Drew Marshall also has 6.9 per game. West is poised to make a run but they can't overlook this pesky Rocket squad. Pulaski County vs. Mercer County - Trevor Ellis and the Titans take on the three-headed monster that consists of the Maroons' Barek Williams, Cayden Lancaster and Carson Fraley. Williams and Lancaster both hover right around 20 points per game. Lancaster had 20 the first time these two teams squared off in what resulted in a 7 point Maroon road win. Trevor Ellis had 24 in the loss. He will need to have another stellar night to give the Titans a chance at the upset. McCreary County Central vs. Boyle County - Save the best for last. Boyle County started off the year inconsistent and taking some bad losses. But in the month of February they only have 2 losses, one of those being the district championship game to Lincoln. They are led by Montavin Quisenberry, Kason Myers, Jakei Tarter and Avery Bodner, all of whom have had "step up" performances this year with Quisenberry being the most dominant force amongst them as of late. On the other side is McCreary County Central's Raider squad, a team Boyle has not played this year. They are led by senior Kyle Stephens, one of the best all-around players in the region. Both teams lack depth but McCreary definitely more so. They both have star power at the top and two men on the bench with Coach of the Year trophies on their shelves with Coach Webb of Boyle winning it in the recent past and Coach Wade Davis winning this year for McCreary. Looking forward to a fun first round and we will be back next week to recap it and preview the final four of the regional tournament.

Also a very well officiated game. Really enjoyable game, top to bottom.

The Golden Lions have some impressive wins but overall it is a sub .500 year where their offense is generated by one player. Can they win? Absolutely. But Boyle is playing as well as anybody in the region right now. These are two teams that lack depth behind their star power so fouls may very well come into play. I'll go Boyle 58 Garrard 49.

McCreary, Rockcastle and Pulaski have all punched their tickets for the regional tournament. The remaining 5 district semifinals play tonight. The two in the 46th are not competitive on paper. The two in the 45th and the match between Southwestern and Wayne should all shape up to be awesome games.

So we knew going in obviously that not all top ten teams could make it to the regional. The first one fell last night in DCA in a game that lived up to the billing as Danville advances to play Lincoln where another top ten team will have their season ended.

Thank you and thank you for participating in these each week. This is certainly an incredibly fun region to cover.

This is it. The second season is now upon us. The regular season certainly didn't end quietly, even after all the district seeding was wrapped up. Let's go through the final team rankings for the year, take a look at the week that was and preview the district tournaments. Rankings 1. Lincoln County - Last week they fell short in an incredibly competitive game against Lexington Catholic before defeating Casey County. That win over Casey brings them to 20 wins on the year. Tramane Alcorn is already starting to bring in accolades for his performance this year and the Patriots will certainly need him at his best to accomplish what they want to in the postseason. They face the winner of Danville and Danville Christian. They have defeated Danville Christian twice, once in double overtime, and they split the series with Danville. No matter who it is they face, the district semifinals in the 45th will have two games worth watching and Lincoln is certainly not safe from an upset. 2. West Jessamine - The Colts are red hot, going 14 - 2 since January 1st. That stretch includes a final win this past week over Garrard County. The Colts are incredibly balanced, having four players (Waters, Jones, Marshall, Salva) with double-digit scoring averages. The Colts play the winner of Burgin and Trinity Christian in order to advance to the regional tournament. They went undefeated in the district. 3. Boyle County - Yes, a 14 - 13 team sits at number three in the final rankings of the year. How did they get here? Since losing to West Jessamine to end January, the Rebels have gone 5 - 1 with wins over Lincoln County and Pulaski County. That win over Pulaski County was their second narrow win last week, the other coming over Danville Christian. Montavin Quisenberry scored 21 against the Warriors and 28 against the Maroons. Boyle has a date with the winner of Garrard County and Kentucky School for the Deaf in order to determine if they are staying home or advancing to regionals. They have defeated the Golden Lions (Quisenberry's former team) twice, once by three and once by one. 4. Pulaski County - The Maroons have more wins than any other team in the region with 22. However, their best quality wins came early in December and they have been inconsistent in the second half of the season. With that said, they are still an incredibly well coached team with some top talent including Cayden Lancaster, Barek Williams, and Carson Fraley. They face Casey County in the district semifinals, a team they have blown out twice. 5. Danville - These next three teams are all about even, but Danville is on a four game winning streak that includes Lincoln County, Russell County, Somerset and East Jessamine. They have a very tough road in front of them though as they will have to get past Danville Christian and Lincoln County to make it to the regional tournament. 6. McCreary Central - The Raiders defeated Casey County last week but fell to Danville Christian. Kyle Stephens finishes the regular season with 21 points per game and over 7 rebounds per game. They face Somerset Christian in their district semifinals. Also, congratulations are in order for Coach of the Year Wade Davis. 7. Danville Christian - The Warriors fell to Boyle County but defeated McCreary Central last week and it can be said that that week is a microcosm of the season as a whole as the Warriors have some impressive wins but also a slew of losses, though admittedly against a great schedule for a school their size. They finish the regular season one game over .500 and have to get past both Danville and Lincoln County to make it to the regional tournament. 8. Somerset - The Briar Jumpers defeated Campbellsville before falling to Danville in a blowout in which Indred Whitaker did not play. At full strength, Somerset is a threat to make some noise. But if there is a game in which they are missing Whitaker or Ben Godby, they could lose to anyone. They face Rockcastle County in the district semifinals, a team they have beat twice but in two excellent games. 9. Wayne County - The Cardinals defeated East Jessamine but fell to Evangel Christian. The finish the regular season with four players averaging over 10 points per game (Phillips, Burchett, Farmer, Phillips). They face Southwestern, a team that recently beat them in overtime, in the 2/3 semifinal. 10. Rockcastle County - It's all about Somerset now, a team they lost to twice by less than a combined 10 points. Last week, the Rockets beat Model and Southwestern before falling to Russell County. Walker Craig finishes just under 15 points per game for the regular season. 11. Southwestern 12. Mercer 13. Garrard 14. Casey 15. East Jessamine 16. Trinity Christian 17. Burgin 18. Somerset Christian School 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf

One of the more popular names floating out there is Ron Noonchester, the boys and girls track coach and middle school football coach. It is also appears that Coach Noonchester has made it known that he is interested.

You want the simple answer or the complex one? Simple answer - they don't have enough players to fill a competitive team. Complex answer - all three of the primary boys ball sports (baseball, basketball, football) have been on a decline with baseball doing the best job at trying to stay at the same level of play as the other Div. III teams. There is a variety of factors here that include kids choosing to go to private school or transferring/moving out of district, kids choosing not to stick with sports, and, quite frankly, Bellevue boys athletics is falling behind the other river city schools and it is having a snowball effect.

The school released a statement from the athletic director today announcing Coach Brausch's resignation. I think the bigger question here is if the school will field a varsity team at all next year.

We now sit on the threshold of the postseason with one week left to play in the regular season. There is one meaningful district seeding game left to be played. The rest of the games are just tune ups for the big dance. Each of the teams in the top 3 fell last week, again proving that although there may be specific contenders, this region is really up in the air. Rankings 1. Lincoln County - The Patriots finally snapped what was their worst losing streak of the year as they defeated Mercer County 67 to 34. Before that they had fallen to South Laurel and Danville, with previously losing to Boyle County the week before. An ill Tramane Alcorn hampered the Patriot effort against Danville but he was back to his productive ways for the most part against Mercer, scoring 16 to complement Blade Nuckols' 19. Lincoln County wraps up regular season play with a home contest against Lexington Catholic and a road trip to Casey County. 2. West Jessamine - The Colts routed Burgin to finish their undefeated district schedule but fell on the road in one of the toughest venues in the state, Wayne County. West looks to patch things up this week to ready themselves for postseason play in their finale against Garrard County. 3. Pulaski County - The Maroons split the week with a loss to Madison Southern and a win over Southwestern. Pulaski has Boyle County as their lone game this week as they prepare to face Casey County with a berth for the regional tournament on the line. 4. Boyle County - It has been a long road for the Rebels who spent a significant portion of this season outside the top ten of this list. They defeated Danville and East Jessamine last week while falling to South Laurel. The win over Danville helped setup what is coming this week which is a chance for Boyle to send the battle for 1st in the district to a tiebreaker. Boyle travels to DCA before hosting Pulaski. If Boyle beats DCA, they create a tiebreaker scenario for both 1st and 3rd. Since Lincoln and Boyle split their series, that tiebreaker would go to the point system. If Boyle loses, the 45th will be Lincoln in 1st, Boyle in 2nd, DCA in 3rd, Garrard in 4th, and Danville in 5th. 5. McCreary County Central - The Raiders fell to Barbourville but defeated Clinton County. They have two road trips this week, one to Casey County, one to Danville Christian. They have their one seed in the district locked up, joining West Jessamine as the only 12th region teams to go undefeated in their respective districts this year. 6. Somerset - The Briar Jumpers defeated Wayne County and Somerset Christian. While Ben Godby and Indred Whitaker accounted for 52 of the 65 points against Wayne, they only accounted for 25 of the 79 against SCS. Josh Lewis was 5 of 7 for 3 against the Cougars. They face Campbellsville and Danville as they prepare for their showdown against Rockcastle County in the district tournament. 7. Danville - This season has played out for the Admirals like many in recent years where they have experienced some great, solid wins and at least one solid streak of play while also suffering some head scratching losses while never really being able to consistently string together quality outings. They are last place in the district but they boast a 17 - 10 total record which is not played against a cupcake schedule. Last week they fell to Boyle but defeated Lincoln County, something that does nothing to change their post-season seeding but was exactly what Boyle needed to setup a chance for them to tie Lincoln for first. The Ads go on the road against Russell County and Somerset this week before ending the regular season at home against the Jaguars of East Jessamine. 8. Danville Christian - DCA fell to Garrard County this week as well as Washington County. That loss to Garrard County means that if DCA beats Boyle this week, they will play Boyle again in the district semifinals. If DCA loses to Boyle, they lose the head-to-head tiebreaker against Garrard for 3rd place and will play in the 4/5 game against Danville. After the all-important Boyle County matchup, the Warriors end their regular season against McCreary Central. 9. Wayne County - The Cardinals fell to Somerset on the road but defeated West Jessamine at home behind Mason Burchett's 24 point performance. Wayne County finishes the regular season off against East Jessamine and Evangel Christian. 10. Rockcastle County - This really could be a four way tie between the Rockets and the three teams to follow, but Coach Cash's group is riding high after a close win over Mercer County in which Walker Craig scored 20. Knowing they will be playing Somerset in the district semifinals with their season on the line, the Rockets prepare for the postseason with a final regular season week against Model, Southwestern and Russell County. 11. Garrard County 12. Southwestern 13. Mercer County 14. Casey County 15. East Jessamine 16. Burgin 17. Somerset Christian 18. Trinity Christian 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf

Gosh, I also hate to sound like an old man yelling at clouds, but there are fewer bonds to schools and school districts now than ever. When I was in school, the VAST majority of the student body knew it was the school they were going to years in advance, followed the teams growing up, had relatives that had gone there, etc... Those things have most certainly declined over the years.

If you were doing four finalists, in no order: Patrick Kelsch (Pendleton), Aaron Speaks (Paris), Troy Archibald (Bracken), Steve Brown (Brossart). Arguments exist for Robbie Graham (GRC) and Dustin High (Montgomery) as well. And if you made me tier it off, I would go Kelsch & Archibald, Speaks & Brown, Graham & High.

So the top 3 were easy and I think everyone for the most part would agree, though maybe not on the exact order. I will strongly defend McCreary at the four spot. This spot all year has really been filled by whoever is playing the best basketball at the moment for teams four through eight or nine. That is just how much parity is in the region. I thought real hard on putting Boyle 4 or 5 but I just don't think they have shown the consistency. Do they have the ability? Absolutely. They just have yet to really string together success. If anything, I probably could have put Boyle, DCA, and Danville all tied (there's an argument for Somerset there as well) but that is a cop out. Bottom line - there are four tiers right now and for the most part the teams in them are interchangeable: Contenders - Lincoln, West Jessamine, Pulaski The Rest of the Best - McCreary, Danville, Boyle, DCA, Somerset Middle of the Pack - Mercer, Wayne, Garrard, Southwestern, Rockcastle Then everyone else.

We are getting close now. Just a few weeks remain in the regular season and seeding play is coming to a close. We will do things a little differently this week. We will still go through the rankings, results and schedules, but first, we will take a deep dive into seeding. 45th District Standings 1. Lincoln 6-1 2. Boyle County 4-2 3. Danville Christian 3-3 4. Garrard County 2-5 5. Danville 1 - 5 Remaining Games - Danville at Lincoln, Boyle at Danville, Boyle at Danville Christian, Danville Christian at Garrard County Boyle still has a shot at tying Lincoln for the one seed but it will require two road wins and Lincoln losing at home to Danville. I will go on the record and say that that exact combination of results is unlikely. But again, that tie is still possible. Boyle cannot go lower than 3rd so we do know that Lincoln and Boyle will be on opposite sides of the bracket. Danville Christian can clinch an appearance in the 2/3 game with a win over Garrard County. Garrard's only hope at 3rd is beating DCA and DCA also losing at home to Boyle County. Danville can only get out of the 4/5 game if everything Garrard needs to happen happens, Danville beats Lincoln and Boyle, and then it goes to a tie breaker. In the 45th, if head to head doesn't decide it, a point system is then used based, 2 points for every road win and 1 for every home win against district opponents and in-common regional opponents. I am unaware if KSD is partaking in tournament play this year. If they are, they are automatically the 6 seed and would play the 3. 46th 1. West Jessamine 7-0 2. Mercer County 4-3 3. East Jessamine 4-3 4. Burgin 1-4 5. Trinity Christian 0-6 Remaining games - West Jessamine at Burgin, Burgin at Mercer County, Trinity Christian at East Jessamine, Burgin at Trinity Christian No drama here. West Jessamine will play the winner of Burgin and Trinity Christian in one semifinal and Mercer County and East Jessamine will play in the other. 47th 1. Somerset 5-1 2. Pulaski County 5-1 3. Casey County 1-5 4. Rockcastle County 1-5 The tournament is also set in the 47th where Somerset won the coin toss but ended up with the tougher matchup on paper as they have had two really competitive games with their tournament opponent, Rockcastle County. Pulaski County plays Casey County in the other semifinal. 48th 1. McCreary County Central 6-0 2. Wayne County 3-3 3. Southwestern 3-3 4. Somerset Christian 0-6 This one is also already set with no games left. To be fair, I don't actually know if Wayne County or Southwestern is the 2, but they are both locked into that game. Tiebreaker is unclear and doesn't matter for any reason other than jersey color. Those two will play each other and McCreary gets Somerset Christian who are making their first appearance in KHSAA postseason play. Rankings 1. Lincoln County - Last week - win over DCA, loss to Boyle County. This week - at North Laurel, home against Mercer County and Danville 2. West Jessamine - Last week - wins over Boyle, East Jessamine and Moore. This week - on the road against Burgin and Wayne County. 3. Pulaski County - Last week - loss at Harlan County. This week - at Madison Southern and host Southwestern. 4. McCreary Central - Last week - Defeated Wayne County twice as well as Somerset. This week - at Barbourville and host Clinton County. 5. Danville - Last week - win over Garrard County and loss to Danville Christian. This week - host Boyle and travel to Lincoln County. 6. Boyle County - Last week - loss to West Jessamine and win over Lincoln County. This week - Danville, South Laurel and East Jessamine. 7. Danville Christian - Last week - Loss to Lincoln County and win over Danville. This week - Garrard County and Washington County. 8. Somerset - Last week - win over Southwestern and loss to McCreary Central. This week - Wayne County, Pineville, and Somerset Christian School. 9. Wayne County - Last week - two losses to McCreary Central. This week - at Somerset and host West Jessamine. 10. Mercer County - Last week - win over Trinity Christian and loss to Lexington Christian. This week - on the road for Henry County, Rockcastle County and Lincoln County. 11. Southwestern 12. Rockcastle County 13. Garrard County 14. Casey County 15. East Jessamine 16. Burgin 17. Somerset Christian 18. Trinity Christian 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf

Jarrod Polson, West Jessamine, University of Kentucky

That Rockcastle - Somerset game should be amazing. Season on the line, first two games won by the Briar Jumpers by 3 and 6, and on a big, neutral floor.

Ehh, look at their January. I see what you are saying, I do, but they could win it all. It's not likely, sure, but it is possible and you couldn't say that in December. To me, that's an enormous coaching accomplishment. Similarly, I think the Pandas are ahead of schedule and there is a serious argument to give it to Kes Murphy.

I think I would pitch my case for Coach Ritchey at Highlands. They are still so super young and raw and were so far away from being a great basketball team at the end of last year. Even at the beginning of the year they were taking some big losses and in some tighter games than should be expected. That has all changed in January and they are looking like a serious contender in the region. I figured that would happen with this group but not this year so Coach Ritchey has them ahead of schedule.

As we wrap up January and sprint towards the post-season, district matchups continue to give us fantastic games and individual performances. The number 1 stays the same this week, but we do have some movement underneath. Rankings 1. Lincoln County - The Patriots continue to cement themselves as the standalone contender in the region. They had three terrific wins last week, two of them coming in district, as they defeated DCA, Madison Central, and Garrard County. This week features two rematch district seeding games with Boyle County, who previously fell to Lincoln by six, and DCA, who just lost to the Patriots this past week by seven. Jackson Sims will look to recreate his double-double from his last game against the Warriors. 2. West Jessamine - The Colts picked up two more district wins over Trinity Christian and Mercer County. They play another seeding game against East Jessamine this week as well as a trip to Boyle County and a showdown against Moore out of Louisville at Mercer County. 3. Pulaski County - The Maroons picked up wins over Clinton County and Tates Creek but the one the region stood up and took notice of was the overtime loss to Somerset. They play just one game this week, a road matchup against Harlan County. 4. Danville - The Ads fell to eventual All A state runner-up Holy Cross and bounced back with a win over Barbourville. They are back in district play this week with games against Garrard County and Danville Christian. 5. Wayne County - After starting the week off with a win over Somerset Christian, the Cardinals suffered their first loss to a regional opponent since December 13th when they fell to Southwestern in overtime. Kendall Phillips scored 27 in the loss but Mason Burchett was limited to 6 points. They play McCreary Central twice this week with Casey County sandwiched between. 6. Somerset - A huge win over Pulaski made up the entirety of the Briar Jumpers schedule last week. They look to ride the momentum off the win against McCreary Central and Southwestern, both games at home. Indred Whitaker had 39 points against the Maroons and Ben Godby added 27 points and 9 rebounds. 7. McCreary Central - The Raiders fell to the York Institute by 7, Kyle Stephens being held to 16, four points under his average. They look to return to their winning ways this week with a home and home against Wayne County with Somerset in between. 8. Boyle County - The Rebels fell on the road to Collins and Madison Southern. They host a pair of contenders this week in Lincoln County and West Jessamine. 9. DCA - The Warriors fell to Lincoln County but bounced back with a win over Russell County. They get a rematch with Lincoln County this week, this time on the road, and then host another district rival in Danville. 10. Garrard County - The Golden Lions defeated Bluegrass United before falling to Lincoln County. They play Danville, Casey County and Bryan Station this week. 11. Southwestern 12. Rockcastle County 13. Mercer 14. East Jessamine 15. Somerset Christian 16. Casey County 17. Burgin 18. Trinity Christian 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf