Smallhoops

Friday night’s Trinity-St. X game, won by Trinity 46-43, shows what Seventh Region basketball fans can look forward to the rest of this season. It has been a while since there have been so many teams competing to be the best of the Seventh Region. With so many good teams, there will be a number of good match-ups through the rest of the season. Two of those good intra-region match-ups will be contested Friday night. The battle between St. Matthews neighbors Trinity and Waggener will take place at Trinity, while St. X will be hosting the Male Bulldogs. I wish I could be at both of those games. In addition, five Seventh Region teams (Collegiate, KCD, St. Francis, Brown, and Walden) will be playing in the All A Classic Seventh Region tournament this week. The games will be played in one of the Seventh Region’s hallowed halls of basketball, the Old Male Gym on Brook Street in downtown Louisville. The following week brings a highlight of the Louisville high school basketball season, the 72nd Louisville Invitational Tournament. I will provide a preview of the LIT next week. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Trinity Shamrocks (10-5) Down 43-37 to rival St. X with less than 5 minutes to play, Trinity scored the last 9 points in the game to beat St. X 46-43. Stan Turnier led the Rocks with 11 points against St. X, which included 3 3-pointers. On Saturday, Trinity played top-ranked Scott County (who was playing without Michael Moreno) tough but fell to the Cardinals 56-53. These results, achieved without the still-injured David Johnson, should be encouraging to the Trinity faithful. Trinity hosts the Waggener Wildcats on Friday night in a contest between two of the Seventh Region’s best teams. 2. St. Xavier Tigers (11-3) St. X led for most of its game with rival Trinity Friday night and was leading 43-37 with less than 5 minutes to play before failing to score the rest of the way, ultimately falling to Trinity 46-43. Junior Sebian Dillard continues to show why he is one of the Seventh Region’s best players, leading the Tigers with 27 points against Trinity plus pulling down 6 rebounds. On Saturday, St. X easily dispatched the Brown Bears, 80-44. The Tigers play at DeSales on Tuesday before hosting the Male Bulldogs on Friday night in what should be a hotly contested game. 3. Waggener Wildcats (14-1) All Waggener does is keep winning. This week, the Wildcats notched wins over Moore (49-44), a game in which Jacobi Hendricks led the Wildcats with 14 points (which included 4 of 6 3-point shooting), and Jeffersontown (68-49). The Wildcats play Bullitt East on Tuesday before facing the Trinity Shamrocks on Friday night in a big Seventh Region match-up. 4. Ballard Bruins (8-7) Ballard fell to Floyd Central, a good team from Indiana, 61-56 on Thursday. The Bruins bounced back Friday night to beat Pleasure Ridge Park 59-55. Walter Johnson led the Bruins with 18 points against PRP, while Terrence McDaniels contributed 11 points and 9 rebounds. Ballard’s only game this week is a home game against the Eastern Eagles on Friday night. 5. Central Yellowjackets (10-3) Central has not played since the finals of the City of Middletown Holiday Classic on December 29. On the season, the Yellowjackets continue to be led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Josh Watkins (14.9 ppg), Devin Perry (13 ppg), and Eric Rice (11 ppg). Watkins is averaging 3.2 made 3’s per game. The Yellowjackets play Fairdale and Portland Christian this week to prepare for the following week’s LIT. 6. Male Bulldogs (9-5) The good news for Male is that Howard Fleming is back from his off-season shoulder surgery and playing for the Bulldogs. The bad news is that his return was not enough for Male to avoid losing the only game it played this week, falling to Silver Creek (IN) 82-63 as part of the Indiana-Kentucky Challenge Cup played at New Castle, Indiana. Fleming scored 11 in the loss, one of 4 Bulldogs to score in double figures. In the 12 games for which statistics have been provided to the KHSAA, Tyren Moore leads the Bulldogs at 20.8 ppg while Noah Courtney contributes 11.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg. The Bulldogs travel to Poplar Level Road on Friday to play the St. X Tigers. 7. Seneca Redhawks (9-6) Seneca played once this past week, beating the Western Warriors 71-57, getting back on the winning side of things after losing its last 2 games in the Ashland Invitational Tournament. The Redhawks’ only game this week is a Friday night game with the Atherton Rebels. 8. Louisville Collegiate Titans (9-6) Collegiate took care of business on Thursday, beating Thomas Nelson 59-37 to improve to 9-6 on the season. Joey Leachman continues to be a significant contributor for the Titans, tallying 17 points and 10 rebounds against Thomas Nelson. The Titans will play in the All A Classic Seventh Region tournament this week. 9. Eastern Eagles (7-7) Eastern played just once this week, losing to Mercer County 50-36 as part of the Lindsey Wilson College Classic. Seniors Jacob Robinson (13.8 ppg) and Trent Robinson (11.2 ppg) continue to lead the Eagles in scoring. The Eagles play the Ballard Bruins Friday night. 10. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (6-8) CAL lost both of its games this week, losing to Christian Academy of New Albany, IN 51-44 and then losing a close one to Fairdale 75-74. The Centurions are very balanced offensively, with four players (Jacob Sangalli, Brayden Daniels, Eric Mowder II, and Nathaniel Saettel) averaging between 9.1 and 8.6 ppg. CAL plays Taylor County in the 2A Classic tournament on Tuesday. 11. DuPont Manual Crimsons (4-10) Manual did not play any games this week. For the season, junior Eli Roberts leads the Crimsons in scoring at 13.2 ppg. This week, the Crimsons play Atherton on Tuesday and Shawnee on Friday. 12. Shawnee Golden Eagles (9-6) Shawnee won its first game in the All A Classic Sixth Region tournament this week, beating Portland Christian 63-44 in the semi-finals. Shawnee plays Holy Cross in the All A Classic Seventh Region final on Monday night. The Golden Eagles are then on the road with regular season games at Iroquois and Manual. 13. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (7-9) The Bearcats got a nice 61-56 win over Bullitt East on Friday, a win that was even more impressive in light of the fact that the Bearcats played without two of their leading scorers on the season, Michael Collis (13.8 ppg) and McKay Howell (10.1 ppg). Anthony O’Neal, who is averaging 12.6 ppg on the season, led the Bearcats with 17 against Bullitt East. KCD plays in the All A Classic Seventh Region tournament this week. 14. St. Francis Wyverns (3-8) The Wyverns led for most of their game against Whitefield Academy but ended up on the short end of a 71-59 score. Things did not get better for St. Francis against the Western Warriors, to whom the Wyverns fell 76-64. St. Francis plays in the All A Classic Seventh Region tournament this week, starting with a Wednesday afternoon game against the Brown Bears. St. Francis beat Brown 67-64 in the first week of the season. 15. Portland Christian Eagles (6-5) The Eagles participated in the All A Classic Sixth Region tournament last week, losing in the first round to Shawnee 63-44. On Saturday, Portland Christian lost to Calvary Christian 74-48. The Eagles have a busy week ahead of them, with games against Beth Haven, Central, and Rock Creek Academy of Sellersburg, Indiana. 16. Brown Bears (4-11) Brown played the St. Xavier Tigers on Saturday and came out on the short end of a 80-44 score. Cousins Jai’Rus Bibb and Josiah Bibb are among the leading scorers in the Seventh Region, with Jai’Rus averaging 22.2 ppg and Josiah averaging 17.8 ppg. Brown opens play in the All A Classic Seventh Region tournament against St. Francis Wyverns on Wednesday. The Bears will be seeking revenge for its earlier 67-64 loss to St. Francis. 17. Atherton Rebels (1-13) did not play this week and currently is on a 9-game losing streak. The Rebels stay at home this week with games against Manual and Seneca. 18. Walden Wolverines (8-2) The Wolverines welcomed in the new year with a 64-32 win over Frederick Fraize on New Year’s Day. On Saturday, the Wolverines suffered their second loss of the season, falling on the road to Hancock County 89-47. Walden has a home game against Henry County on Tuesday before playing Whitefield Academy on Wednesday in the All A Classic Seventh Region tournament. The Wolverines also have a Friday night home game against Beth Haven.

He has really emerged. I have started a new thread on him, which has more information.

While St. X fell to rival Trinity last night 46-43, St. X junior Sebian Dillard continues to emerge as one of the Seventh Region's best players. A 6-foot guard, Sebian is currently averaging 19.3 ppg after scoring 27 last night against Trinity. He is shooting 58.5% from the field, including 39% from 3-point range. Sebian was off to a good start but has kicked up his offensive output since James Taylor's departure from the St. X team. I must admit, I did not see this coming. Sebian played in 3 games for St. X last year, all early in the season; the last varsity game he played in last season was on December 19, 2017, against Brown. He scored a total of 5 points last season. When I talked with Coach Klein prior to this season, he talked about how hard Sebian had worked over the summer and that he thought Sebian would be a key contributor. He obviously was right.

It is extremely unlikely that David Johnson will play, either Friday against St. X or Saturday against Scott County.

As I suspect is the case in other parts of the state, the regions for the All A Classic are not the same as the regions for the KHSAA tournament. Thus, two teams from the KHSAA Seventh Region, Shawnee and Portland Christian, are squaring off tomorrow night in the semi-finals of the All A Classic Sixth Region tournament. That tournament actually kicks off tonight with a match-up between Evangel Christian and Beth Haven, the winner of which will play the host Holy Cross Crusaders tomorrow night in the other semi-final. The All A Classic Sixth and Seventh Regions are roughly divided on an east-west basis, and are generally consistent with the KHSAA Sixth and Seventh Regions that existed before the KHSAA realigned those regions around 2011. However, Portland Christian being in the All A Classic Sixth Region is a historic relic; while that made sense when Portland Christian was located on Portland Avenue in the Portland area of Louisville, Portland Christian is now located on Westport Road in eastern Jefferson County. The All A Classic Seventh Region tournament will be played next week. Whitefield Academy, which is in the KHSAA Sixth Region, is in the All A Classic Seventh Region.

For most of its history, the field included some teams from other parts of the state, which I always enjoyed because the teams that were invited usually were some of the top teams in the state that I otherwise would not get to see play. However, I think I like the current format, with 16 schools from Louisville (and Bullitt County), better, as it truly produces a champion of the City of Louisville. That otherwise would not happen, since Louisville schools are split between the 6th and 7th Regions.

The LIT is seeded based on the SETH Ratings, a formula developed by the JCPS Athletic Director. I agree with the thought that the fact that Butler is seeded no. 1 in the LIT does not mean it should be ranked in this poll. Butler will have a great opportunity to prove that it should be ranked when the LIT is played in two weeks.

The field for the 72nd Louisville Invitational Tournament, to be played at Valley High School the week of January 14, was announced today. The field and the first-round match-ups, with each team's seed, are: Butler (1) v. Bullitt East (16) DeSales (8) v. Seneca (9) St. Xavier (5) v. Pleasure Ridge Park (12) Ballard (4) v. Doss (13) Trinity (2) v. Bullitt Central (15) Male (7) v. Fern Creek (10) Central (6) v. Jeffersontown (11) Waggener (3) v. Valley (14) First round games will be played on Monday and Tuesday (1/14 and 1/15), with the quarterfinals on Wednesday (1/16), semi-finals on Friday (1/18), and finals on Saturday night (1/19).

Frankfort is having a great season and should be feeling really good about it. It should not let any rankings change that. However, in terms of being ranked, Frankfort has a good win over no. 17 Henry Clay, which is a positive. On the other hand, I don't believe any of the other teams it has beaten in its current 8-game winning streak has a winning record. Plus, it has two losses to teams that are currently unranked, Butler (12-3) and North Oldham (6-9). Based on those facts, I can see why Frankfort is not currently ranked. The great thing is that Frankfort will have plenty of opportunities to show why it should be ranked, starting with this Friday's game against Woodford County. A win against Woodford County, which is ranked ahead of Frankfort in the Cantrall Ratings, would be another good win for the Panthers.

This was not a great week for Seventh Region teams. Teams were spread across the Commonwealth plus Tennessee and Florida playing in Holiday tournaments, and only one escaped without a loss; the Waggener Wildcats went to Pensacola, Florida, and returned as champions of the Crusader Classic. Congratulations to the Wildcats. Every other team that played this week lost at least once, and many lost multiple games. Most teams have not had an opportunity to update their statistics on the KHSAA website, so I am a little light on stats this week. I am hoping teams can catch up on those this week. While many teams are off this week, Friday brings the Trinity-St. Xavier rivalry game, which is being played at Bellarmine this year. And then on Saturday, Trinity plays Scott County at South Laurel. I don’t know if David Johnson will be back for those games. Another event of note this week is the announcement of the field and pairings for the Louisville Invitational Tournament. The LIT, which looks to be very competitive this year, at least among the top teams from the Seventh Region, will be played the week of January 14. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Trinity Shamrocks (9-4) Playing without David Johnson throughout the Arby’s Classic in Bristol, Tennessee, Trinity saw Stan Turnier step up on the offensive end as the Rocks ended up going 1-2 in the tournament. The Rocks opened the tournament with a 60-44 win over Dobyns-Bennett of Kingsport, Tennessee, with Stan Turnier and Kolton Rice each scoring 17 points. Trinity played well against its next opponent, Carmel Christian of Matthews, North Carolina (a top 25 team nationally), but lost 55-49. Turnier again scored 17 points, and got support from Ethan Hodge, who added 16 points. Turnier scored 24 points in Trinity’s third round game against Columbia Cardinal Newman, but the Rocks fell by a 60-58 margin. On the season Johnson is averaging 15.7 ppg while Turnier is averaging 13.7. The Rocks have a big week coming up, playing rival St. Xavier Friday night before heading to South Laurel on Saturday to play no. 1 Scott County. 2. St. Xavier Tigers (10-2) St. X’s unbeaten streak came to an end in Sarasota, Florida, where the Tigers went 1-2 in the Suncoast Classic. St. X fell to Sarasota Booker 59-50 before losing a tough one 60-57 to Hialeah Champagnet Catholic in double overtime. The Tigers rebounded to win their third game in Florida, a tight 42-41 victory over Bradenton Braden River. St. X plays rival Trinity Friday night at Bellarmine and then hosts the Brown Bears on Saturday afternoon. 3. Waggener Wildcats (12-1) Waggener traveled to Pensacola, Florida and won the Crusader Classic. The Wildcats started with a comfortable 71-39 win over Crawfordsville Wakulla, then beat Milton 51-42, and completed the tournament with a 53-40 win over the host Pensacola Catholic 53-40. The Wildcats play Moore on Thursday and Jeffersontown on Friday. 4. Ballard Bruins (7-6) This was not a very good week for Ballard, as the Bruins went to the Next Level Hoops Fest in Brentwood, Tennessee, and came home empty-handed. Ballard first lost 77-51 to Memphis Whitehaven, then fell 61-58 to Atlanta Woodford Academy, and on Saturday lost to the host Christ Presbyterian Academy 57-54. The Bruins play at Floyd Central (IN) on Thursday and at PRP on Friday. 5. Central Yellowjackets (10-3) Central finished as runner-up in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic. The Yellowjackets beat Paul Lawrence Dunbar 67-58 and Southern 67-57 (Devin Perry had a big game with 26 points and 7 rebounds) which extended its win streak to 10 games before falling 77-66 to Lexington Lafayette in the championship game. The Yellowjackets do not play this week. 6. Male Bulldogs (9-4) The Bulldogs went 2-1 and finished as runner-up in the Jean Schumm Operation Parent Classic at South Oldham. Male opened the tournament with a 68-55 win over Shelby County and followed that with a 56-51 win over Pleasure Ridge Park, to advance to the championship game. There, the Bulldogs fell to the host South Oldham Dragons 84-72. The only game on Male’s schedule on the KHSAA website for the upcoming week is a “TBA” on Saturday. 7. Seneca Redhawks (8-6) Seneca went 1-2 in this week’s Ashland Invitational Tournament. The Redhawks opened with its sixth straight win, a 72-63 victory over Pendleton County, who was playing without the injured Dontaie Allen. Seneca’s win streak ended with a 79-70 loss to DeSales, which was followed by a 64-51 loss to Henry Clay. This week, the Redhawks host the Western Warriors on Friday. 8. Louisville Collegiate Titans (8-6) Collegiate played in the Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic at LaRue County, where they went 1-2. The Titans were tied with Muhlenberg County at 47 late in the game before falling 60-49. The Titans were then beaten 60-37 by Southwestern before beating Carlisle County 51-47. The Titans have a home game against Thomas Nelson Thursday night. 9. Eastern Eagles (7-6) I saw Eastern play for the first time this week and thought the Eagles looked good. They lost to Southern 71-67 in overtime in the first round of the City of Middletown Holiday Classic, but then beat Paul Lawrence Dunbar 54-51 and Manual 55-45. The Manual win was a reversal of the result of their first game against the Crimsons, a game which Manual won by 10. The Eagles are playing some young players and appear to be getting better as the season progresses. This week, the Eagles play Mercer County at Adair County on Saturday as part of the Lindsey Wilson College Classic. 10. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (6-6) Christian Academy went 1-2 in the Ashland Invitational Tournament this week. CAL dropped its first game there to Henry Clay 72-59 and then fell to Boyd County 60-44. The Centurions bounced back from those setbacks to beat Pendleton County (who was playing without Dontaie Allen) 69-44. The Centurions play at Christian Academy of New Albany, Indiana, Friday night before hosting Fairdale on Saturday. 11. DuPont Manual Crimsons (4-10) Manual played in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic this week, going 1-2. The Crimsons lost in the opening round to Lexington Lafayette 82-56 before beating the Atherton Rebels 61-53. Manual finished the tournament with a 65-55 loss to the host Eastern Eagles. The Crimsons do not play this week. 12. Shawnee Golden Eagles (7-6) Shawnee played in the Beth Haven Holiday Classic this week, easily beating Frankfort Christian 75-37 before falling to Richmond Model 66-63. For the season, Lejuantre Gray leads the Golden Eagles at 11.1 ppg, although he is getting substantial help from Jermon Boyd (9.6) and Josiah Bivens (9.4). The Golden Eagles do not play again until January 8. 13. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (6-9) The Bearcats participated in the Beth Haven Holiday Classic this week, going 2-1. KCD beat the Louisville Tigers Home School team 76-48 and the host Beth Haven Bearcats 82-59 before losing to Richmond Model 64-56. KCD plays only once this upcoming week, a Friday night home game against Bullitt East. 14. St. Francis Wyverns (3-4) The Wyverns went 1-2 this week, starting with a good 61-60 win over McLean County on Thursday. Noah Sparks hit two free throws in the game’s final seconds to give the Wyverns a 4-point cushion, just enough to ensure the win despite McLean County’s 3-pointer at the buzzer. St. Francis then went on the road and suffered losses at the hands of Butler County (74-61) and Edmonson County (73-57). The Wyverns have home games against Whitefield Academy and Western this week. 15. Portland Christian Eagles (6-3) Portland Christian lost the only game it played this week, falling to Butler County 78-63. The Eagles play at Calvary Christian on Saturday. 16. Brown Bears (4-10) Brown went 1-2 in this week’s Beth Haven Holiday Classic, losing to Richmond Model 66-34 and to Frankfort Christian 74-72 (Frankfort Christian’s first win of the season) before beating Heritage Academy 80-67. The Bears face a tough match-up with the St. Xavier Tigers on Saturday. 17. Atherton Rebels (1-13) Atherton finished 0-3 in this week’s City of Middletown Classic, falling to Mayfield (73-59), Manual (61-53), and Paul Lawrence Dunbar (76-51). The Rebels are off this week. 18. Walden Wolverines (7-1) The Wolverines did not play this week. Walden breaks in the new year with a home game against Frederick Fraize on January 1 and then plays at Hancock County on Saturday.

Trinity was down by 2 at halftime but obviously had an extremely good second half. A very nice win for the Rocks.

David Johnson did not travel with the Trinity Shamrocks to the Arby's Classic in Bristol, Tennessee, but instead remained in Louisville for further evaluation and rehab. I am not sure when he will be back on the court.

I think anything goes in the first half. However, after halftime, I think it depends on the teams that are involved. There are some games where a team down by 25 in the middle of the third quarter has the potential to come back and win. In those games, I have no problem with the team in the lead pressing in the third quarter. However, there are other games where I don't think it is appropriate. I have seen a lot of games involving teams with a wide disparity in talent. Once the better team gets ahead by 25 points, no one in the gym believes the other team (often a much smaller school) has a realistic chance of coming back to win the game. Most of the time, the team that is leading does not press in the second half, although I have seen it. It always makes me cringe when I see it. I have had some coaches say "that is just the way we play," which I find to be an unacceptable excuse. You do not have to always play that way. You have a choice of not playing that way, and you are affirmatively choosing to play that way against an inferior team. Again, so long as the losing team has a realistic shot of making up the difference, anything goes. But there are some circumstances where I think it is bad form.

The 2018 King of the Bluegrass Tournament has come and gone, and it actually raised more questions than it answered, at least in terms of Seventh Region teams. Trinity lost twice, although the injury to David Johnson certainly played a role in that. Ballard lost only to the eventual champion, South Shore from Brooklyn, and its wins included a victory against Trinity. Male went 1-2 in the KOB, its sole victory coming against the host Fairdale Bulldogs. Aside from the KOB, St. X remained undefeated, Waggener continues to play well, and Central has won eight games in a row. So what does all that mean in terms of this week’s rankings? And more specifically, who should be ranked number one, now that Trinity has lost twice? Well, Trinity has lost to Ballard, who has lost to Waggener, who has lost to St. X, who has lost to nobody. So the Tigers should be number one, right? While St. X would be a deserving number one, I have left Trinity ranked as the number one team for now, because I still believe Trinity is the best team in the region. Of course, I may be totally wrong about that, and St. X will have the opportunity to prove me wrong on January 4 when St. X and Trinity face off. That should be a fun evening. Before then, teams from the Seventh Region will be spread out all over playing in holiday tournaments this week. Here's to Happy Holidays and successful basketball to all! TEAM RANKINGS 1. Trinity Shamrocks (8-2) Trinity opened the King of the Bluegrass Tournament with a 67-46 win over LaRue County and then beat Lexington Christian in impressive fashion, besting the Eagles 73-38. But Collins revenged an earlier 76-44 loss to Trinity with a 60-58 victory over the Shamrocks in the KOB semi-finals. While it would be easy to blame the loss on David Johnson getting hurt early in the third quarter and not returning to the game, Trinity actually was behind at the time and came back without Johnson to take a lead before losing to the Titans. Still, based on how well David Johnson has been playing, it is hard not to think his presence would have made a difference. Johnson had 20 points in 2 ½ quarters against Lexington Christian and had 18 points in the first half against Collins before getting hurt. Johnson sat out the KOB third-place game against Ballard, which Trinity lost 69-65. Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier-Journal reports that the initial diagnosis is that David Johnson has a MCL strain, but is scheduled to see a doctor on Monday. Trinity travels to Bristol, TN after Christmas to defend its title in the Arby’s Classic. 2. St. Xavier Tigers (9-0) St. Xavier stands as the last undefeated team in the Seventh Region, which is quite impressive given the loss of Pierce Kiesler from last season’s team and the loss of James Taylor after this season had started. Coach Kevin Klein is doing a great job with the Tigers, who won 3 games this week. St. X beat KCD 86-65 at home on Thursday before going on the road for two victories. On Friday, the Tigers beat a good Woodford County team 52-48 in a game in which the Tigers were down by 14 at half before limiting Woodford County to 12 second-half points. On Saturday, St. X moved over to Lexington and beat Frederick Douglass 61-55. Sebian Dillard has emerged as a big-time scorer for the Tigers, scoring 28 in the KCD win and 30 against Woodford County. The Tigers head to Sarasota, FL this week to play in the Suncoast Classic. 3. Waggener Wildcats (9-1) Waggener continues to play extremely well, having now won five games in a row. The Wildcats started this week with a 74-65 win over North Oldham, with J.J. Kalakon leading the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Christian Academy was the victim on Thursday, as Waggener prevailed over the Centurions 75-37. For the season, Kalakon leads the Wildcats in scoring at 15.8 ppg while also pulling down 8.2 rpg. The Wildcats also go to Florida this week, where they will participate in the Crusader Classic at Pensacola Catholic. 4. Ballard Bruins (7-3) Ballard continues to show why the Bruins can never be ignored when Seventh Region basketball is discussed. The Bruins opened their participation in the King of the Bluegrass Tournament with a 80-71 win over Spencer County, with Walter Johnson leading the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Ballard followed that up with a 69-52 win over Walton-Verona. The Bruins lost 82-74 to the eventual KOB champion South Shore from Brooklyn, New York before bouncing back to beat rival Trinity 69-65 to claim third place honors. Ballard came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Trinity. While Trinity played without David Johnson in that game, Ballard has been playing without Alexander Holley all season. Ballard is playing a lot of young players and continues to get better, and they will get even better when Holley returns (which hopefully will happen after the first of the year). Starting the day after Christmas, Ballard will be in Nashville, Tennessee, to play in the Next Level Hoops Classic at Christ Presbyterian Academy. 5. Central Yellowjackets (8-2) Don’t look now, but veteran coach Doug Bibby has the Central Yellowjackets on a roll, having won eight games in a row after losing their first two. Four of those wins came this week. Central started the week with a 71-52 road victory at North Bullitt, and then won all three of its games at the Great Kentucky Shoot-Out at Manual, beating Jeffersontown (65-62), Doss (70-54), and DeSales (71-66). The Yellowjackets will play this week in the City of Middletown Classic at Eastern. 6. Male Bulldogs (7-3) Male went 1-2 in the King of the Bluegrass Tournament, losing its opening game 77-66 to Collins. The Male Bulldogs bested the host Fairdale Bulldogs 59-46, but then fell to University Heights and KyKy Tandy 67-65 on a buzzer-beater by University Height’s Taquan Hollowell. Tyren Moore scored 30 points for Male in the game against University Heights. The Bulldogs travel up the road to participate in this week’s Jean Schumm Operation Parent Classic at South Oldham. 7. Seneca Redhawks (7-4) The Redhawks easily pulled away from Iroquois 78-55 on Tuesday before heading to Orlando, Florida, to participate in the KSA Events Holiday Tournament. The Redhawks represented Kentucky and the Seventh Region well while there, winning all three of its games. After beating the Vanguard School from Colorado Springs, Colorado 70-66, Seneca beat Canon-McMillan from Canonsburg, PA 53-43 and Wayne High School from Ontario Center, New York 77-49. The Redhawks have now won five games in a row. Seneca travels east on I-64 to play in the Ashland Invitational Tournament at the end of this week, playing Pendleton County and high-scoring Dontaie Allen in the first round. 8. Louisville Collegiate Titans (7-4) Collegiate started the week with a 50-41 loss to Shawnee but then went 2-0 in the Louisville Collegiate Classic, beating Bardstown Bethlehem 55-54 and Wolfe County 84-66. According to the most recent statistics posted by the Titans, Chez Moore is nearly averaging a double-double, scoring 16.8 ppg and pulling down 9.9 rpg. After Christmas, the Titans will play in the Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic at LaRue County. 9. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (5-4) CAL lost to Waggener 75-37 before traveling to Hancock County to participate in the Aleris Christmas Tournament. The Centurions made the most of their time there, beating Frederick Fraize 91-37 and Providence (IN) 70-54. The Centurions are joining Seneca in the Ashland Invitational this week. 10. DuPont Manual Crimsons (3-8) The Crimsons lost the four games they played this week and currently are on a six-game losing streak. The week started with the Crimsons hosting Fern Creek; after being tied at halftime, the Crimsons fell to the Tigers 56-45. Manual hosted the Great Kentucky Shoot-Out over the weekend, with the Crimsons falling to Doss (58-54), DeSales (76-62), and Jeffersontown (62-43). Manual stays in Jefferson County this week, playing in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern. 11. Eastern Eagles (5-5) Eastern went 2-1 this week. Led by Jacob’ Robinson’s 19 points, Eastern edged Franklin County 63-61 to start the week. At the Kentucky Bank Challenge at Rowan County, the Eagles lost to Boyd County 54-46 but bounced back to beat East Jessamine 60-55. Eastern is hosting the City of Middletown Holiday Classic this week. 12. Shawnee Golden Eagles (6-5) Shawnee started the week with a nice 50-41 win over Collegiate, giving Coach Dionte Mucker the satisfaction of beating the team he formerly coached. In the Cecilian Bank Tournament at Breckinridge County, the Golden Eagles beat Fort Knox 68-49 before falling to Bullitt East 61-31 and to Breckinridge County 66-51. Shawnee is off until January 8. 13. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (4-8) KCD lost the two games it played this week and has lost 6 of its last seven games. Southern beat the Bearcats 88-32 on Tuesday while St. X was the conqueror on Thursday by a 86-65 margin. KCD has posted statistics for its first 11 games, which show that Michael Collis is leading the Bearcats in scoring at 13.4 ppg. Anthony O’Neal is close behind at 12.5 ppg. The Bearcats are idle until after the first of the year. 14. St. Francis Wyverns (2-4) St. Francis won the only game it played this week, beating the Wolfe County Wolves 61-58 in the Louisville Collegiate Classic. The Wyverns host McLean County on Thursday before going on the road for the weekend, playing at Butler County on Friday and at Edmonson County on Saturday. 15. Portland Christian Eagles (6-2) Portland Christian won its Holiday Classic this week, beating Covington Latin 69-31 and Evangel Christian 87-54. Quincy Dye continues to average a double-double, averaging 19.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg. The Eagles play once this week, hosting Butler County on Thursday. 16. Brown Bears (3-8) Brown went 1-1 in the Portland Christian Holiday Classic, losing to Evangel Christian 49-42 and beating Covington Latin 70-21. The Bears don’t play again until after the new year commences. 17. Atherton Rebels (1-10) Atherton went 0-2 in the Cecilian Bank Tournament at Breckinridge County, falling to Bullitt East 77-56 and to North Hardin 62-45. The Rebels have now lost six straight. Atherton is one of four Seventh Region teams that will be participating in this week’s City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern. 18. Walden Wolverines (7-1) The Wolverines did not play this week. For the season, Isaiah Cargill leads Walden in scoring at 24.9 ppg while Adam Rudy contributes 18.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg. Walden is not scheduled to play until New Year’s Day.

I can confirm.

High school basketball is alive and well in the Seventh Region. Trinity has been really good and is unbeaten. St. X has beaten Waggener and remains undefeated. Central has given Male its only loss and just won the Pikeville Invitational. Male lost to Central but beat both Fern Creek and Butler this week. Ballard beat Henry Clay this week. A lot of really good basketball already has been played this season, and it is sure to continue. This week brings one of the true highlights of the high school basketball season in Louisville, the Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass tournament. From the Seventh Region, Trinity, Male, and Ballard will be participating in the KOB this year. Among the Kentucky teams, Trinity must be considered one of the favorites. Many of the Commonwealth’s best players will be there, including Trinity’s David Johnson, University Heights’ KyKy Tandy, Walton-Verona’s Dieonte Miles, Madison Central’s Isaiah Cozert, and Lexington Christian’s Kyle Rode. As is the case every year, there will be a lot of great basketball played in Fairdale this week. I hope to be there for some of it, and encourage anyone else who can make it to do so. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Trinity Shamrocks (6-0) Trinity is playing extremely well. In their only game this week, the Shamrocks comfortably beat the Bardstown Tigers 67-37. Trinity’s only close game so far this season was a 3-point win over a team from Centerville, Ohio. In its five games against Kentucky competition, Trinity’s average margin of victory is 24 points. As a team, Trinity is shooting 51.3% from the field, 33.9% from 3-point range, and 69% on free throws. David Johnson leads the balanced Trinity scoring at 15.5 ppg and also contributes 7.7 rebounds per game. Scoring support is being provided by Stan Turnier (12.8 ppg), Jamil Hardaway (11 ppg), and Kolton Rice (9.8 ppg). The always enjoyable King of the Bluegrass tournament is up next for Trinity, with its first game Wednesday night against LaRue County. 2. St. Xavier Tigers (6-0) First, the good news. The Tigers won both of their games this week, starting with a 64-57 win over Seneca. Junior Sebian Dillard had 30 points to lead the Tigers in that one. St. X followed that win with a 73-52 win over CAL. Now, the bad news. Junior point guard James Taylor, one of the Region’s top players who was scoring 20.3 ppg in addition to running the Tiger offense, is no longer on the team. While Taylor will be missed, it is a testament to Coach Kevin Klein and the Tigers that St. X came out and won both of its games this week without him. This week, the Tigers have home games against the Brown Bears and the Kentucky Country Day Bearcats before heading out of town to play Woodford County on Friday and Frederick Douglass on Saturday. 3. Waggener Wildcats (7-1) Waggener is playing well, improving its record to 7-1 this week with wins over Atherton (65-30) and Southern (84-68). The Wildcats have four players averaging in double figures: J.J. Kalakon (15.5 ppg), Jocobi Hendricks (12.4), Kevion Hudson (11.8), and Nicholas Brewer (10.8). Waggener has been shooting the ball really well, shooting 51.5% from the field as a team. Particularly impressive is their 3-point shooting, at 37.6% as a team, led by Hendricks at 50% (14/28), Kalakon at 46.9% (15/32), and Hudson at 38.1% (8/21). Waggener has road games this week at North Oldham and CAL. 4. Central Yellowjackets (4-2) Congratulations to the Yellowjackets on returning to Louisville as champions of the Pikeville Invitational, by first beating the host Pikeville Panthers74-54 and then beating the Southwestern Warriors 60-53. Earlier in the week, Central had beaten fellow 25th district member Manual 63-58. The Yellowjackets have now won 4 straight. Through its first four games, Central had three players averaging in double figures: Josh Watkins (17 ppg), Eric Rice (15 ppg), and Devin Perry (14 ppg). Central plays at North Bullitt on Tuesday before playing in the Great Kentucky Shoot-Out at Manual on the weekend. 5. Male Bulldogs (6-1) The Male Bulldogs had a big week, with three wins against quality opponents. The Bulldogs’ week started with a 77-75 overtime win over the Fern Creek Tigers. Next was a 52-47 win against the Collegiate Titans, a game in which Justin Buford led the Bulldogs with 16 points. On Friday, Male was tied with the Butler Bears at 47 before outscoring Butler 14-4 to win 61-51. Tyren Moore (15 points) and Jake Evans (14 points) led the Bulldogs in scoring against Butler. A very encouraging sign: Male hit 16 out of 18 from the free throw line in the 4th quarter against Butler. Another encouraging sign: standout junior Howard Fleming is due back from injury in a couple of weeks. Male joins Trinity and Ballard in the King of the Bluegrass tournament this week, playing Collins in the first round on Wednesday afternoon. 6. Ballard Bruins (4-2) Those questioning this year’s Ballard team do so at their own peril. Coach Chris Renner has been playing a lot of players; for example, in Ballard’s 80-54 win over CAL, fifteen players played, largely in waves of three separate groups of five players each. Walter Johnson led the way in that one with 15 points, followed by Josh Minkins with 14 and Rashad Bishop with 10. The Bruins then had an impressive win against a very good Henry Clay team 77-67, with Walter Johnson again leading the scoring with 23 points. Lewis Richards added 18 in that one. This week, the Bruins can be found in Fairdale, once again participating in the King of the Bluegrass tournament. Ballard plays Spencer County in the first round on Wednesday. 7. Seneca Redhawks (3-4) Seneca split its two games this week, falling to the St. X Tigers 64-57 but then bouncing back to beat the Doss Dragons 61-50. Through the Redhawks’ first five games, Carl Parker was averaging a double-double (15.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg) while Richard Ninamou was the leading scorer at 16.2 ppg. Additional offensive support is being provided by Phillip Armstrong (9.8 ppg) and Timothy Gordon (8.3 ppg). Seneca plays just once this week, hosting Iroquois on Tuesday. 8. DuPont Manual Crimsons (3-4) Manual lost both of its games this week. The Crimsons were led by Alex Conlin’s 12 points in a 58-49 loss to Southern and then fell to Central 63-58. Eli Roberts leads the Crimsons offensively, averaging 13 ppg. Manual hosts Fern Creek from the Sixth Region on Monday before hosting the Great Kentucky Shoot-Out on the weekend, with Manual scheduled to play Doss, DeSales, and Jeffersontown. 9. Louisville Collegiate Titans (5-3) Collegiate had a very good week, starting with a 63-39 win over the Brown Bears. Then, in probably its best performance of the season, the Titans played the Male Bulldogs extremely tough before losing by just 5 points, 52-47. On Friday, Collegiate traveled to Nelson County and beat the host Cardinals 62-56. At 16.9 ppg and 9.7 rpg, Chez Moore is almost averaging a double-double. The Titans play Shawnee this week before hosting the Louisville Collegiate Classic on Friday and Saturday. 10. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (3-3) After winning its first three games, CAL has lost 3 in a row, including its 2 games this week. But those losses were to Ballard (80-54) and St. X (73-52), 2 really good teams. Next up is another opponent from the upper tier of Seventh Region teams, Waggener, before the Centurions head to Hancock County to play in the Hancock County Classic. 11. Eastern Eagles (3-4) The Eagles were 2-0 for the week, starting with a 78-65 win over KCD in which Jacob Robinson had 24 points (including 5 of 8 on 3-point shots). Trent Robinson added 15 points (3 of 7 on 3-point shots). Eastern followed that up with a 63-54 win over Lincoln County. The Eagles are shooting the three well, led by Trent Robinson’s 45.8% (11/24), Jacob Robinson’s 41.4% (12/29), and Ethan Coury’s 37.9% (11/29). The Eagles play Franklin County on Tuesday and then will participate in the Kentucky Bank Challenge at Rowan County during the weekend. 12. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (4-6) The Bearcats went 2-1 this week, losing to Eastern (78-65) and Moore (62-56) before beating the St. Francis Wyverns (80-70). The most recent statistics posted on the KHSAA website show the Bearcats being led offensively by Anthony O’Neal at 14 ppg (including 3.1 3-pointers a game) and Michael Collis at13.7 ppg. KCD plays twice this week, facing Southern on Tuesday and St. X on Thursday. 13. Shawnee Golden Eagles (4-3) Shawnee had a good week, getting to 4-3 for the season with wins over St. Francis (61-48) and Beth Haven (71-31). In the St. Francis game, the Golden Eagles were led by Lajuantre Gray (16 points) and Robert Pillow (15 points). Shawnee hosts the Collegiate Titans Monday night before traveling to Breckinridge County later in the week to participate in the Cecilian Bank Tournament. 14. Atherton Rebels (1-7) This was not a good week for the Rebels, losing three games by an average of 24 points. Waggener dispatched Atherton 65-35, Fairdale beat them 85-68, and Moore got the best of them 59-38. Atherton will try to turn things around this week with a game with Western on Tuesday and participating in the Cecilian Bank Tournament at Breckinridge County. 15. St. Francis Wyverns (1-4) St. Francis dropped both of its games this week, falling to Shawnee 61-48 and Kentucky Country Day 80-70. As is common with teams still trying to find their way under a new coach (their third in three seasons), I believe the Wyverns’ best basketball is still ahead of them. St. Francis is scheduled to play Wolfe County in the Louisville Collegiate Classic on Friday. 16. Portland Christian Eagles (4-2) Portland Christian improved to 4-2 on the season, going 2-1 during the past week. The Eagles bested Frankfort Christian 78-75 before traveling to Western Kentucky where they split their two games, falling 63-54 to Community Christian in Paducah and then beating Christian Fellowship 80-70. The Eagles host the Portland Christian School Holiday Classic this week. 17. Brown Bears (2-7) The Bears suffered three losses this week, falling to Collegiate 63-39, Southern 73-32, and Richmond Model 73-38. Brown faces a big challenge on Tuesday night when it plays St. X, but will have the opportunity to play opponents closer to its size in the Portland Christian School Holiday Classic on the weekend. 18. Walden Wolverines (7-1) With a 69-38 loss to Butler County on Saturday, Walden’s dreams of an undefeated season were dashed. But it is indeed a rare season in which the Wolverines start the season with seven straight wins, which they achieved earlier in the week with a 85-64 win over Evangel Christian. Walden has no games on its schedule for the rest of the calendar year.

Thanks to everyone in Fairdale for putting on this outstanding event for so many years. I've been going since the early days, and it continues to be an outstanding event. Always a highlight of the high school basketball season in Louisville.

As a member of Apollo High School's first ever graduating class, it pains me to see the Eagles ranked 13th. But it certainly seems they have earned it.

The big news in the Seventh Region this week was Waggener’s 80-74 win over Ballard on Tuesday night, its first victory in 71 tries against the Bruins. Ballard Coach Chris Renner attended Waggener and had previously coached at Waggener, while Waggener Coach Bryan O’Neill attended Ballard and had both played for and coached with Coach Renner. It was a fun, competitive game between two well-coached teams. There was plenty of other action in the Seventh Region this week. Central beat Male 84-73 in a classic old school Seventh Region match-up Friday night. Trinity continued to show why it is the top team in the Region with impressive wins over 3 quality teams. Three teams remain unbeaten (Trinity, St. X and Walden). Every team in the Seventh Region has won at least once. What does all that mean in terms of this week’s rankings? Trinity remains no. 1, obviously. Beyond that, St. X jumps up to no. 2 in light of its wins over Central and Waggener. Waggener, conquerors of both Ballard and Central, checks in at no. 3, while Central earns the no. 4 spot based on its win against Male. That drops Ballard to no. 5 and Male to no. 6, both of which seem low, but it is early and these things tend to work themselves out over the course of the season. And where do the 6-0 Walden Wolverines fit in? They present a rankings challenge, as they have yet to play any other Seventh Region team, and they have only played one team that has played any other Seventh Region team. Since Portland Christian beat Frankfort Christian by 28 versus Walden beating them by 20, I have left the Wolverines in the same spot as last week. But again, these things will work themselves out as the season unfolds. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Trinity Shamrocks (5-0) Trinity flexed its muscles and showed this week why it is so highly regarded. The week started with a 76-44 win over the Collins Titans, one of the top teams from the 8th Region. The Shamrocks followed that with a 81-55 win over the Seneca Redhawks, a fellow member of the 7th Region, and ended the week by beating the Fern Creek Tigers from the 6th Region 64-51. David Johnson is playing extremely well, and is getting solid support from Stan Turnier, Kolton Rice, and Jamil Hardaway. The Shamrocks play just once this week, traveling to Bardstown Tuesday night before they start preparing for the King of the Bluegrass tournament the following week. 2. St. Xavier Tigers (4-0) The Tigers move up in the rankings this week, as they remained undefeated with three good wins. St. X beat the Central Yellowjackets 60-51 on Tuesday, and then followed that up with a 64-58 win over the Waggener Wildcats. St. X finished the week by beating Newport Central Catholic 93-69. James Taylor has stepped up from a point production standpoint, and is getting solid support from Sebian Dillard and Nicholas Mosley. Next up for the Tigers are games with Seneca and Christian Academy this week. 3. Waggener Wildcats (5-1) Almost 50 years of frustration ended Tuesday night when Waggener beat Ballard 80-74, the first ever Waggener win over Ballard. J. J. Kalakon hit a 3 to break a 70-70 tie and Waggener hit some clutch shots, including some crucial free throws, down the stretch to pull away from the Bruins for the win. The euphoria from that historic win was somewhat short-lived, however, as Waggener lost 64-58 to St. X Friday night. The Wildcats have a pair of home games this week, facing Atherton and Southern. 4. Central Yellowjackets (1-2) The Yellowjackets’ first win of the season was a good one, beating the Male Bulldogs 84-73 Friday night. Four Yellowjackets scored in double figures, led by Eric Rice with 26 and Devin Perry with 22. Through its first three games, Rice and fellow senior Josh Watkins lead Central in scoring at 17.7 ppg each. Perry also is averaging in double figures at 12.3 ppg. Central has a home game against Manual on Thursday before heading to Pikeville to participate in the Pikeville Invitational on Friday and Saturday. 5. Male Bulldogs (3-1) Still playing without Howard Fleming, Male beat North Oldham 61-43 on Tuesday before facing Central in an old school Seventh Region match-up Friday night. Male was behind from the start, and trailed by 21 going into the fourth quarter. They fought back valiantly in the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to 5 with a couple minutes to go, but the margin proved to be too much and the Bulldogs fell to the Yellowjackets 84-73. So far, Tyren Moore is shouldering a lot of the scoring responsibility for Male. The Bulldogs have an interesting upcoming week, with games against Sixth Region heavyweights Fern Creek and Butler sandwiched around a game against the Collegiate Titans. 6. Ballard Bruins (2-2) While Ballard’s 80-74 loss to Waggener was historic since it was the first time that it had ever happened, it would be a mistake to jump to any conclusions because of it. As is common in the early part of the season, it was a close loss to a good team. The Bruins bounced back with a 78-76 win over North Oldham on Saturday, although the narrow margin in that game may concern some Bruin fans. Ballard continues to play without Alex Holley, who was still wearing a boot at the Waggener game, and looks like a team still getting used to playing with each other. The Bruins have two home games this week, hosting Christian Academy on Tuesday and Lexington Henry Clay on Friday. 7. Seneca Redhawks (2-3) Seneca lost two games this week, but the opponents in those games were highly regarded Fern Creek (71-63) and Trinity (81-55). The Redhawks also won a game this week, beating Kentucky Country Day 65-48. As expected, Carl Parker and Richard Ninamou are leading the way for Seneca on the offensive end. The Redhawks play two more good teams this week with games against St. X and Doss. The schedule starts to get easier after this week. 8. DuPont Manual Crimsons (3-2) After falling to Pleasure Ridge Park 64-36, Manual regrouped and won two close games, beating Iroquois 58-55 and North Bullitt 60-58 (in overtime). Through its first three games, Eli Roberts was leading the Crimsons at 15.7 ppg. Manual plays Southern and Central this week. 9. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (3-1) Christian Academy is off to a great start, already halfway to last season’s win total just two weeks into the season. CAL won its third straight game to start the season with a 67-57 win over KCD earlier in the week. CAL then suffered its first loss of the season on Friday night, falling to DeSales 73-61. The Centurions face Ballard and St. X this week. 10. Louisville Collegiate Titans (3-2) Collegiate started the week with an impressive 60-53 win over Fairdale. The Titans then got out to a 20-8 lead over Bullitt Central before falling to the Cougars 76-53. As expected, Chez Moore is leading the Titans at 19.7 ppg through the Titans’ first three games, with Joey Leachman contributing 13.7 ppg and Trevor Holbrook adding 10 ppg. This week Collegiate has a home game against Brown and then goes on the road for games at Male and Nelson County. 11. Eastern Eagles (1-4) Eastern picked up a nice 64-48 win over Jeffersontown this week, with sophomore Makhi White leading the way with 17 points. Unfortunately, the Eagles then dropped their next two games, losing to Henry Clay (66-51) and John Hardin (65-32). Jacob Robinson leads Eastern in scoring, averaging 15 ppg through the Eagles’ first three games. Eastern stays at home this week, facing KCD on Tuesday and Lincoln County on Friday. 12. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (3-4) The Bearcats went 1-2 this week, beating Whitefield Academy 82-67 while losing to Christian Academy (67-57) and Seneca (65-48). Michael Collis was averaging 16.8 ppg through the Bearcats’ first five games. KCD plays three more games this week, with a home game against Moore sandwiched between away games at Eastern and St. Francis. 13. Atherton Rebels (1-4) Atherton got into the win column Friday night with a 65-57 victory over the Shawnee Golden Eagles. Earlier in the week, the Rebels had fallen to Jeffersontown 69-44. Atherton will be busy this week with three games, a Monday night contest with Waggener, a Thursday game against Fairdale, and a Friday night contest against the Moore Mustangs. 14. Shawnee Golden Eagles (2-3) The Golden Eagles dropped both of its games this week, losing to Moore 65-46 and to Atherton 65-57. Games against St. Francis and Beth Haven are on the schedule for Shawnee this week. 15. St. Francis Wyverns (1-2) St. Francis played just once this week, traveling to the Sixteenth Region and falling to the Fleming County Panthers 53-48. The Wyverns have two home games this week, playing Shawnee on Wednesday and KCD on Friday. 16. Brown Bears (2-4) Brown dropped both of its games this week, first to the Valley Vikings (79-56) and then to the Whitefield Academy Wildcats (59-54). The Bears continue to be led by the Bibb cousins, with Jai’rus at 20 ppg and Josiah at 17.8 ppg. Brown plays just once this week, a Monday night contest against Collegiate. 17. Portland Christian Eagles (2-1) The Eagles played just once this week, easily defeating Evangel Christian 92-63. Through three games, Portland Christian is averaging an impressive 81 ppg, led by senior Quincy Dye’s 22.7 ppg (plus 12 rpg). Dye is getting offensive support from sophomores Alex Steen (18,7 ppg, including 31 points against Evangel Christian) and Mason Skees (15 ppg), plus senior Michael Meredith (13.7 ppg). Portland Christian hosts Frankfort Christian on Tuesday before going to Western Kentucky for the weekend, playing Community Christian of Paducah on Friday and Christian Fellowship in Marshall County on Saturday. 18. Walden Wolverines (6-0) Walden ran its unbeaten streak to start the season to 6 with wins over Burgin (63-60), Frankfort Christian (84-64), and Covington Latin (61-35). Walden has not posted any statistics, so I can’t relay any scoring averages, but I have seen the Wolverines play. Junior Isaiah Cargill is a point guard with a fast motor, and the Wolverines have more players who can contribute than in recent years. It certainly looks like it will be an exciting year for Walden (in fact, it already has been). The Wolverines play at Evangel Christian on Tuesday before hosting Butler County on Saturday.

There were definitely a lot of fouls called. Male was frustrated with the officiating throughout the game.

Central led throughout and had a 60-39 lead after 3 quarters, but Male fought back and got within 5 with a couple minutes left. Male's Tyren Moore fouled out with 1:21 left on an offensive foul with Male still down 5, and that was the end of it. Good atmosphere, with student sections of both schools quite boisterous. Between the scoreboard going out multiple times and frequent fouling, the fourth quarter lasted about an hour.

Final

Very nice win for the Tigers. Seem to be adjusting to life without Pierce Kiesler just fine.

David Johnson had a double double with 14 points and 10 assists. Also had 6 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Great start for the Centurions. They play DeSales tomorrow night before facing Ballard next week.