Smallhoops

Thanks so much for the updates and info. Sounds like a great game.

I guess if one team hits every shot but the other team gets every rebound, it really would come down to turnovers. Like so many other games.

I guess they are not taking enough shots.

Things are certainly coming together for the Ballard Bruins. This week the Bruins looked strong in winning the 73rd annual Louisville Invitational Tournament, giving it both the LIT championship and the King of the Bluegrass championship this season. It is shaping up as a very good season for the Bruins. But no one is handling them the Seventh Region title yet. There is a lot of basketball yet to be played, and a lot of teams in the Seventh Region that are playing hard and getting better. And speaking of teams playing hard - congratulations to the Louisville Collegiate Titans on their convincing performance in winning the Seventh Region All A Classic tournament. The Titans are off to Richmond this week for the All A Classic state tournament. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Ballard Bruins (16-2) The Bruins have now added the Louisville Invitational Tournament championship to their earlier King of the Bluegrass championship, a true accomplishment. Ballard dispatched DeSales (64-50) and Butler (85-72) on their way to the highly anticipated semi-final match up with the Male Bulldogs, against whom the Bruins turned in an outstanding defensive performance on their way to an 71-58 win. In the final against the Fern Creek Tigers, the Bruins got out to a nice lead, saw Fern Creek battle back to take the lead with a couple minutes left, but then scored the last seven points in the game to win by six. Coach Renner has done a good job mixing veteran players (Rashad Bishop, Terrence McDaniels, Lewis Richards (LIT all-tournament team), Josh Minkins) with several newcomers who are making huge contributions (sophomore Maker Bar, who was named the LIT Most Valuable Player, plus freshmen Gabe Sisk (LIT all-tournament team) and Jake Edelen). The Bruins face fellow Seventh Region members Waggener and St. X this week. 2. Male Bulldogs (15-4) Male drops to the number two spot following its 71-58 loss to Ballard in the LIT semi-finals. The Bulldogs got there with wins over Collegiate (78-55) and Eastern (63-55). In the loss to Ballard, the Bruins did a good job holding Tyren Moore in check and the remaining Bulldogs could not pick up the slack sufficiently to prevent the loss. Male will work on ways to keep that from happening again, and are looking forward to getting Howard Fleming back. Moore and freshman standout Kaleb Glenn were named to the LIT all-tournament team. Male has a shot at revenge against Ballard on January 31 when the Bulldogs host the Bruins, but before then the Bulldogs have games this week against Eastern and Valley. 3. St. Xavier Tigers (12-4) St. X lost to Butler 68-50 in the first round of the LIT. Cold shooting seems to have been the culprit; the Tigers’ 37% shooting from the field is way off their 49.2 % shooting percentage for the season. The Tigers have gotten Kyle Bansbach back from injury but still are waiting to get back Mekhi Smith. This week St. X has a big game with Ballard on Friday night and then play Spencer County on Saturday. 4. Seneca Redhawks (14-5) The Redhawks extended their quite impressive win streak to 14 with a 51-49 win over the Doss Dragons in the first round in the LIT. The streak ended in the second round in a 61-49 loss to Fern Creek. Despite the loss, I was impressed with how hard Seneca played to the end. There were a couple times Seneca could have folded but they never did and kept themselves in the game. Seneca has a rematch against Fern Creek on Friday after playing Eastern on Thursday. 5. Eastern Eagles (13-6) Eastern opened play in the LIT with a 68-65 win over North Bullitt but then fell to the Male Bulldogs 65-53 in the second round. Ben Craig was named to the LIT all-tournament team. The Eagles get an immediate chance for revenge when they take on the Male Bulldogs again on Tuesday. The Eagles also have an interesting game against Seneca on Thursday. Sophomores Christian Spalding and James Jewell are starting to receive Division 1 offers. 6. Trinity Shamrocks (9-9) Trinity had a really good week in this week’s LIT. As the 11th seed, the Shamrocks opened play with a 48-39 win over Jeffersontown and followed that with a 67-61 win over the Pleasure Ridge Park Panthers, a game in which Trinity was 19 of 21 from the field in the first half (90%). Trinity’s run ended in the LIT ended in the semi-finals with a 54-45 loss to Fern Creek. The Rocks were behind for most of that game but stayed within striking distance to the end, a common theme for Trinity this season. Miles Franklin and Zach Stahlman were named to the LIT all-tournament team. Certainly an improving team. The Rocks have two games against teams from Lexington this week, playing Bryan Station on Wednesday and Henry Clay on Friday. 7. Waggener Wildcats (10-7) Waggener exited the LIT in the first round with a 72-54 loss to the Fern Creek Tigers. The Wildcats are back in action on Tuesday against the Ballard Bruins. The Wildcats then face Manual on Friday. 8. Dupont Manual Crimsons (9-6) The Crimsons fell in the first round of the LIT to the PRP Panthers 58-44. Eli Roberts had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Crimsons face Brown and Waggener this week. 9. Louisville Collegiate Titans (12-4) Collegiate competed hard against the no. 1 seed Male in this week’s LIT but ended up falling to the Bulldogs 78-55. Collegiate then flexed its muscles Thursday night in the championship game of the Seventh Region All A Classic, beating rival Kentucky Country Day 66-38. Joey Leachman (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Chez Moore (19 points, 11 rebounds) both had double doubles for Collegiate, which now advances to the All A state tournament in Richmond where the Titans will face Hazard on Thursday. The Titans also have a game scheduled against Atherton on Saturday. 10. Central Yellowjackets (6-11) Central went 0-2 this week, falling to Moore 68-55 and Fairdale 57-46. Up this week for the Yellowjackets are games against Atherton and Jeffersontown. 11. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (6-6) The Centurions traveled to Owensboro to participate in the 2A state tournament but had the daunting task of taking on John Hardin, one of the best teams in Kentucky regardless of size. John Hardin got the best of the Centurions 71-54. CAL gets back into action on Tuesday against Spencer County before taking on South Oldham and Iroquois later in the week. 12. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (7-7) The Bearcats fell in the championship game of the Seventh Region All A Classic to Collegiate 66-38. KCD plays once this week, going on the road to play Shawnee on Tuesday. 13. Atherton Rebels (6-9) The Rebels spilt their two games this week against Sixth Region teams, beating Valley 63-59 and losing to Western 67-63. Atherton has three games against Seventh Region opponents against Central, Portland Christian, and Collegiate. 14. Walden Wolverines (11-4) The Wolverines played once this week, easily getting the best of Frankfort Christian by a 71-25 margin. Walden has games in the upcoming week against Beth Haven, Shawnee, and Jackson City. 15. Shawnee Golden Eagles (9-6) With Josiah Bivens leading the way with 22 points and Keyonie Rutledge adding 20, Shawnee won its semi-final game in the Sixth Region All A Classic against Beth Haven by a 70-62 margin. The Golden Eagles came up short in the final against Holy Cross, falling to the Cougars 67-47. Shawnee has three games on its schedule this week, a home game against Kentucky Country Day and away games against Walden and Eminence. 16. St. Francis Wyverns (2-10) St. Francis played just once this week, losing to the Butler County Bears 86-59. The Wyverns travel to the Hoosier State to play Rock Creek Academy (in Sellersburg, IN) on Thursday before returning to Kentucky to play Beth Haven on Saturday. 17. Portland Christian Eagles (4-10) The Eagles won their first round game in the Sixth Region All A Classic with a 73-49 win over Evangel Christian before falling 78-44 in the semi-finals to Holy Cross. Portland Christian faces Evangel Christian again on Tuesday and then has games against Atherton and Covington Latin later in the week. 18. Brown Bears (2-11) Brown did not play this week. The Bears have an away game at Manual on Tuesday.

The Fern Creek Tigers remain at the top spot in the Sixth Region this week based on its run to the championship game of the Louisville Invitational Tournament, where the Tigers fell 57-51 to the Ballard Bruins. Fern Creek actually took the lead over the Bruins near the end of the game but Ballard came back to claim the victory. The top spot is about the only one in which I have any confidence. Perhaps some clarity will emerge over the next few weeks at the teams play more intra-region games. And congratulations to the Holy Cross Cougars on winning the Sixth Region All A Classic tournament. The Cougars looked good in the tournament and certainly will represent the Sixth Region in the upcoming week's All A Classic state tournament. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Fern Creek Tigers (13-6) Fern Creek remains in the top spot with its impressive performance in the Louisville Invitational Tournament, making it to the final where the Tigers fell to the Ballard Bruins 57-51. Fern Creek got to the LIT final with wins over Waggener (72-54), Seneca (61-49), and Trinity (54-45). In the final against Ballard, Fern Creek fought back from a 42-26 deficit to take a lead late in the game before Ballard scored the last 7 points to beat the Tigers by six. Jaden Rogers and Zek Montgomery were named to the LIT all-tournament team. Fern Creek has games against Moore and Seneca on its schedule this week. 2. Butler Bears (9-6) With Jadon Lamb scoring 21 points, the Bears opened play in the LIT with a nice 68-50 win over the St. X Tigers. Willard Minter led the way with 18 points in the second round against Ballard but the Bears fell to the Bruins 85-72. Lamb was named to the all-tournament team. Butler plays Fairdale and Moore this week before an interesting match up with the undefeated Elizabethtown Panthers on Saturday. 3. Pleasure Ridge Park Panthers (11-5) The Panthers won their first round game in this week’s LIT against Manual by a 58-44 margin. James Taylor led the way in that one with 26 points. Josh Williams had 25 the next night in PRP’s 67-61 loss to the hot-shooting Trinity Shamrocks. Taylor was named to the LIT all-tournament team. Games with Moore and Fairdale are on this week’s schedule for the Panthers. 4. Jeffersontown Chargers (9-5) The Chargers, the no. 6 seed, were the only higher-seeded team to lose in the first round of the LIT, falling to the 11th seeded Trinity Shamrocks 48-39. Up this week for the Chargers are Western and Central. 5. DeSales Colts (8-6) I got to see DeSales play in person for the first time in its first round LIT match up against Ballard. While the Colts looked good, the Bruins got the better of them 64-51. The Colts play Bullitt Central and Doss this week. 6. North Bullitt Eagles (13-4) North Bullitt came up short against the Eastern Eagles in the first round of the LIT by a 68-65 score. Logan Steinmacher, who led the Eagles with 22 points in that one, was named to the all-tournament team. The Eagles will be extremely busy this week, with games against South Oldham, Franklin County, Doss, and Dixie Heights on their schedule. 7. Doss Dragons (10-7) The no. 15 seed in the LIT, the Doss Dragons played no. 2 seed Seneca to the wire before falling to the Redhawks 51-49. Inslee Carroll hit a 3-pointer to tie the game near the end, but Seneca was able to get down the floor and hit a game-winner at the buzzer. Doss can show they belong in the upper tier of Sixth Region teams this week with games against DeSales and North Bullitt. 8. Holy Cross Cougars (12-5) Congratulations to the Holy Cross Cougars, winners of the Sixth Region All A Classic. The Cougars beat Bluegrass United, a home school team from Lexington, 64-44 early in the week before claiming the All A regional crown with wins against Portland Christian ((78-44) and Shawnee (67-47). Sam Bearden, Chaz Gerahgty, and Alonzo Coleman were named to the all-tournament team. The Cougars will travel to Richmond for the All A state tournament, where they will face the Metcalfe County Hornets in the first round. 9. Fairdale Bulldogs (9-6) The Bulldogs played once this week, getting the best of the Central Yellowjackets 57-46. Similar to Doss, Fairdale has a great opportunity to show where they stand in the hierarchy of Sixth Region teams with games this week against Butler and PRP. 10. Iroquois Raiders (11-7) Iroquois went 2-1 this week. The wins were against Trimble County (84-60) and Eminence (72-17) while the loss came at the hands of Carroll Country by a 68-59 margin. Up this week are games against Valley, Western, and Christian Academy. 11. Bullitt East Chargers (3-13) The Chargers did not play this week. They will get back into action on Tuesday with an away game at Whitefield and then will host the Bullitt Central Cougars on Friday and then play at Breckinridge County on Saturday. 12. Bullitt Central Cougars (6-12) Bullitt Central lost to Nelson County 62-47 in its only game this week. The Cougars face the DeSales Colts and Bullitt East Chargers this week. 13. Western Warriors (9-8) The Warriors won the only game it played this week, beating the Atherton Rebels 67-63. Western plays Jeffersontown and Iroquois this week. 14. Moore Mustangs (7-9) With Dowan Green leading the way with 16 points, the Mustangs picked up a nice 68-55 win over the Central Yellowjackets on Monday. The Mustangs have a busy week ahead as they face three of the top teams in the Sixth Region with games against PRP, Fern Creek, and Butler. That’s a tough trio of teams for anyone to face in one week. 15. Southern Trojans (3-11) Southern did not play this week. Next up for the Trojans are Valley on Friday and North Hardin on Saturday. 16. Whitefield Academy Wildcats (6-7) The Wildcats suffered a tough 52-50 loss to Kentucky County Day in the Seventh Region All A Classic but bounced back to beat the Louisville Tigers, a home school team, 92-54. Up this week for Whitefield are games against Bullitt East, Evangel Christian, and Richmond Model. 17. Valley Vikings (1-10) The Vikings were competitive and came close against Atherton on Monday but in the end fell to the Rebels 63-59, Valley’s 9th straight loss. The Vikings have home games this week with Iroquois and Southern sandwiched around an away game against the Male Bulldogs. 18. Beth Haven Bearcats (4-9) Beth Haven lost in the semi-finals of the Sixth Region All A Classic to Shawnee by a 70-62 final score. The Bearcats have three games this week, facing Walden, Frederick Fraize, and St. Francis. 19. Evangel Christian Eagles (1-10) Evangel Christian started the week with a 73-49 loss to Portland Christian in the opening round of the Sixth Region All A Classic. The Eagles also lost the other two games they played this week, falling to Heritage Academy (72-62) and Berea (66-37). Evangel Christian will look to end its 9-game losing streak with games this week against Portland Christian and Whitefield Academy.

Interesting game. Fern Creek with a nice run to take a lead with about two minutes to play but then Ballard looked strong to the end. Ballard has now won both the King of the Bluegrass and the LIT, an impressive feat.

Final from the LIT championship game.

Ballard did a tremendous job on the defensive end, including doing a great job of keeping the ball out of Tyren Moore's hands. Ballard was called for a lot of fouls, but the Bruins have the depth to handle that situation. Maker Bar is a quality big man, and Ballard's freshmen backcourt played well. I hope Howard Fleming is back for the rematch on January 31. Male is really good without him, but getting him back will be a big plus. Will no doubt be another entertaining game between two of the top teams in the state (maybe the top two?).

For many years, I loved waking up on a Saturday morning and going to the LIT semi-final games. The games are now played on Friday night instead of Saturday morning, and I personally have farther to travel with the games being played at Valley, but it would take a lot to keep me away from these semi-final games. The first game is the match up most were hoping for between the Male Bulldogs and the Ballard Bruins. Male is still without Howard Fleming but has won 5 in a row and is getting contributions from a lot of players. In a recent tweet, Jason Frakes of the Courier-Journal suggested that Tyren Moore is deserving of more attention with regard to Mr. Basketball consideration, and I agree. He is an outstanding high school basketball player and fun to watch. Between Rashad Bishop's recent return, Maker Bar's emergence, and the continued development of its freshmen backcourt, Ballard can come at you in a variety of ways. And Ballard will come at you. The Bruins, who also are winners of 5 in a row, are averaging over 82 points a game. I don't know who will win that game. I am just happy that I will be able to be there. The other semi-final pits the Fern Creek Tigers against the Trinity Shamrocks. Fern Creek has an outstanding junior class with both backcourt (Jaden Rogers) and frontcourt (Zek Montgomery, Darius Washington, King Warren) players. Fern Creek is also coming into its semi-final game on a 5-game winning streak. Trinity is the semi-finalist that may be surprising to some. The defending state champion came into the season young and inexperienced, but its wins in the LIT against Jeffersontown and Pleasure Ridge Park show the advancements the Rocks have made. The Rocks shot over 90% in the first half of their game against PRP, which is pretty good for any team, anywhere, any time. This will be a night of Kentucky high school basketball at its finest. Hope to see you there.

Two nice wins for Trinity in the LIT over J'Town and PRP. As expected, Trinity is getting better as the season progresses.

Not that I know of.

By the way, this was Seneca's 14th win in a row. Pretty impressive.

I got there after it had happened so I don't have any first-hand knowledge. David Kim reported in the Courier-Journal this morning that a scuffle unfolded after the game ended and that one player from each team threw a punch. I think it was broken up pretty quickly.

It is really hard to sort out the top teams in the Sixth Region. Consider: Fern Creek has beaten Jeffersontown twice but has lost to Ballard and Seneca. Jeffersontown has lost to Fern Creek twice but has beaten PRP. PRP has lost to Jeffersontown, Butler, and Seneca, but looked really good in beating Ballard. , Butler lost to PRP but has beaten Seneca. And what about DeSales, who beat Butler this week? And North Bullitt, which is 13-3? Perhaps things will become clearer after this week's Louisville Invitational Tournament. Those six teams, along with the Doss Dragons, have a great opportunity to show everyone who is the best in the city of Louisville. The LIT is always a highlight of the high school basketball season in Louisville, and this year will be no different. This week also brings us the Sixth Region All A Classic, where Holy Cross seems to be the top pick. But like the rest of the Sixth Region, who knows. Let's see how it goes on the court this week. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Fern Creek Tigers (10-5) The Tigers move back into the top spot, going 2-0 this week. Fern Creek got the best of Jeffersontown 62-53 and then got past Bullitt East 51-48. Jaden Rogers is leading Fern Creek in scoring at a 18.4 clip. The Tigers, the no. 7 seed in this week’s LIT, play Waggener in the first round. 2. Pleasure Ridge Park Panthers (10-4) PRP lost the only game it played this week, falling to the Butler Bears 65-62. The Panthers are being led by a trio of players averaging in double figures: Josh Williams (15.2 ppg), point guard James Taylor (14.1 ppg), and freshman Zee McCown (12 ppg). The Panthers enter this week’s LIT as the no. 3 seed and will play Manual in the first round. 3. Jeffersontown Chargers (9-4) The Chargers went 1-1 this week, losing to Fern Creek 62-53 before winning a close game against Southern by a 69-66 final margin. J’Town presents a balanced offensive attack, with Brandon Rayzor-Moore averaging 13.1 ppg, Jalen Fairmen 13 ppg, Trevis Oglesvy 12.3 ppg, and Quinton Anderson 9.2 ppg. The Chargers are the no. 6 seed in the LIT and play Trinity in the first round.15.8 ppg. 4. Butler Bears (8-5) The Bears split the two games they played this week. Butler fell to DeSales 55-51 but rebounded from that loss to beat PRP 65-62. Willard Minter leads the way for Butler, averaging 15.8 ppg. The Bears enter the LIT as the no. 5 seed and play St. X in the first round. 5. DeSales Colts (8-5) The Colts go into this week’s LIT on a little bit of a roll. With four players hitting double figures, DeSales got its most impressive win against an in-state team so far this season when they beat the Butler Bears 55-51. The Colts followed up that win with a 75-51 win over Bardstown Bethlehem. The Colts enter the LIT as the no. 13 seed and have a great opportunity to show how good they are playing with a first round match up with the Ballard Bruins. 6. North Bullitt Eagles (13-3) North Bullitt continues its strong season, winning two out of the three games it played this week. The loss was to Oldham County 81-76 in double overtime. The wins were against Bardstown Bethlehem (72-44) and Bullitt Central (91-63). The Eagles, who are the top-ranked team in the Sixth Region according to the KHSAA RPI index, are the no. 9 seed in the LIT and will play Eastern in the first round. 7. Fairdale Bulldogs (8-6) The Bulldogs, who ended up being the first team left out of the LIT, beat the Western Warriors 83-73 on Friday. Stephen Moore continues to lead the Bulldogs at 19.4 ppg. The Bulldogs are in the unfortunate circumstance of leaving the week of the LIT open on their schedule but then not making the LIT field, leaving the Bulldogs with no games on its schedule for this week. 8. Doss Dragons (9-6) Doss split the two games it played this week, losing to Waggener 64-57 and beating Moore 64-46. Inslee Carroll (14.9 ppg) and Tony Moss (13.6 ppg) are leading the Dragons in scoring. Doss is the no. 15 seed in this week’s LIT and plays Seneca in the first round. 9. Holy Cross Cougars (9-5) The Cougars lost the only game it played this week, losing to Kentucky Country Day 74-63. As expected, Sam Bearden is leading the way for the Cougars, averaging 17.4 ppg. Holy Cross has a game scheduled for Monday against Bluegrass United, a home school team form Lexington, and then will play in the Sixth Region All A Classic on Thursday, facing the winner of the Portland Christian-Evangel Christian opening round match up. 10. Iroquois Raiders (9-6) Iroquois split its two games this week, beating Shawnee 71-53 while losing to South Oldham 95-69. Senior Quintel Walter is averaging an impressive 21.7 ppg for the Raiders. Iroquois has games scheduled this week with Trimble County, Eminence, and Carroll County. 11. Bullitt East Chargers (3-13) The Chargers lost both of their games this week, falling to Waggener 84-63 and to Fern Creek 51-48. Keeping it that close against Fern Creek is encouraging, but Bullitt East has now lost 12 of its last 13 games. The Chargers have no games on their schedule this week. 12. Bullitt Central Cougars (5-12) Bullitt Central went 0-2 this week with losses to Elizabethtown (64-55) and North Bullitt (91-63). The Cougars, who have lost 9 of their last 10 games, play Nelson County on Friday. 13. Western Warriors (8-8) Western easily got the best of the Brown Bears on Tuesday, winning 90-47, but then fell to Fairdale on Friday by a 83-73 final score. The Warriors host Atherton on Thursday. 14. Moore Mustangs (6-9) The Mustangs went 1-2 this week, getting the best of Whitefield Academy 70-45 before falling to Seneca (56-50) and Doss (64-46). The Mustangs play the Central Yellowjackets on Monday. 15. Southern Trojans (3-11) Southern went 0-2 this week, falling to Manual 76-57 early in the week. The Trojans also lost to Jeffersontown this week but appear to have been competitive, losing to the Chargers by only a 69-66 margin. Southern’s schedule on the KHSAA scoreboard shows a game against PRP on Thursday, but I am not sure that game will be played in light of PRP’s participation in this week’s LIT. 16. Valley Vikings (1-9) The Vikings got back into action this week against Central, falling to the Yellowjackets 59-47 in overtime. Valley also lost 62-49 to North Oldham, extending their losing streak to 8 games. The Vikings do not have any games on their schedule this week. 17. Whitefield Academy Wildcats (5-6) The Wildcats dropped both of the games they played this week, starting with a 70-45 loss to Moore on Monday. Whitefield then participated in the Seventh Region All A Classic where it suffered a heartbreaking 52-50 loss to KCD. The Wildcats play the Louisville Tigers, a home school team, on Thursday. 18. Beth Haven Bearcats (4-8) The Bearcats had a busy, and largely successful, week. Beth Haven doubled its win total with wins against Evangel Christian (70-34) and Frankfort Christian (69-40) this week. Its sole loss was a 60-55 loss to Shawnee. The Bearcats can exact revenge on Shawnee on Thursday when those teams meet again in the semi-finals of the Sixth Region All A Classic. 19. Evangel Christian Eagles (1-7) Evangel Christian fell to Beth Haven 70-34 in its only game this week. The Eagles play in the Sixth Region All A Classic this week, opening against Portland Christian on Tuesday. Evangel Christian also has games against Heritage Academy and Berea on its schedule this week.

It was another great week in the Seventh Region, with the Male Bulldogs staying in the top spot with wins over North Oldham and St. X. But the Ballard Bruins got back Rashad Bishop and, after falling to PRP the week before, is looking strong. St. X looked really good in losing to Male and in betting Collegiate, Seneca hasn't lost in over a month, and Collegiate was very competitive against St. X. There is a lot of good basketball being played in the Seventh Region every week. That good play will continue in this week's Louisville Invitational Tournament, in which the best of both the Sixth and Seventh Regions will participate. The LIT has become a true championship tournament for the city of Louisville. Male and Ballard might face each other in the semi-finals on Friday, but there is no guarantee that either team will make it that far. It should be a lot of fun out on Dixie Highway this week. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Male Bulldogs (13-3) I saw the Bulldogs in person for the first time this season Friday night when they beat St. X 82-74. Male certainly has quality players all over the floor, but on that night Cam Pope (26 points) and Tyren Moore (22 points) were so good from the outside. Earlier in the week in Male’s 74-62 win over North Oldham, it was freshman Kaleb Glenn who led the way with 20 points. Male is a very deserving top seed in this week’s LIT and will play the Collegiate Titans in the first round on Monday. 2. Ballard Bruins (12-2) Ballard got back the services of Rashad Bishop this week and he immediately contributed, scoring 15 points in the Bruins’ 78-57 win over Floyd Central (IN). Ballard followed up that win with a 68-62 victory against the Manual Crimsons. The Bruins, the number 4 seed, play DeSales on Monday in what could be one of the more interesting first round match ups in the LIT. 3. St. Xavier Tigers (12-3) St. X’s excellent year continued this week. The Tigers started the week with a hard-fought 59-52 win over Collegiate. St. X then played well against the Male Bulldogs, falling behind 9-0 to start the game but then outscoring Male the rest of the way before falling 82-74. The Tigers open play against Butler in the LIT first round on Tuesday. 4. Seneca Redhawks (13-4) Seneca extended its win streak to 13 this week, but it wasn’t easy. The Redhawks beat Moore 56-50 and then needed three overtimes to beat Central 68-64. Junior Delshawn Simms is having a great year, shooting 53.2% on 3-pointers and averaging 17.1 ppg. The Redhawks, the number 2 seed in this week’s LIT, plays Doss on Monday. 5. Eastern Eagles (12-5) Eastern went 2-0 this week with wins over Franklin County (47-44) and Montgomery County (71-70). The Eagles are led by a trio of double figure scorers: James Jewell (13.7 ppg), Christian Spalding (12.2 ppg), and Ben Craig (11.2 ppg). Eastern plays North Bullitt on Tuesday in the 8 v. 9 game in the LIT. 6. Waggener Wildcats (10-6) Waggener had a good week, going 3-0 with wins over Bullitt East (84-63), Doss (64-57), and Shawnee (64-39). Dallas Rufus (16.1 ppg) and Richard White (14.7 ppg) continue to lead the way for the Wildcats. Waggener plays Fern Creek in the first round of the LIT on Tuesday. 7. Trinity Shamrocks (7-8) Trinity came up a little short against the still undefeated Ashland Blazer Tomcats this week, falling 50-43. The Rocks bounced back with a 65-52 win over Great Crossing. Trinity opens play in the LIT on Tuesday against Jeffersontown. 8. Dupont Manual Crimsons (9-5) Manual returned from a 10-day hiatus to beat Southern 76-57 on Tuesday. The Crimsons then got some people’s attention Friday night against Ballard, eventually falling to the Bruins 68-62. I am looking forward to see how Manual fares in this week’s LIT, where the Crimsons face Pleasure Ridge Park in the first round on Monday. 9. Louisville Collegiate Titans (11-3) Collegiate is having a season to remember. On Monday, the Titans battled St. X to the end before falling to the Tigers 59-52. Collegiate opened play in the Seventh Region All A Classic on Saturday, beating Walden 80-37. Its success has created an interesting week ahead for Collegiate, starting on Monday when it takes on top-seeded Male in the first round of the LIT. On Thursday, the Titans play Kentucky Country Day in the finals of the Seventh Region All A Classic tournament. 10. Central Yellowjackets (6-9) Central showed this week that it can be a competitive force. The Yellowjackets beat Valley 59-47 in overtime earlier in the week and then played in one of the more memorable Seventh Region games so far this season, a 3-overtime game against Seneca. Unfortunately for the Yellowjackets, they ended up losing that game 68-64. Still, no one should look past Central. The Yellowjackets have a home game against Moore on Monday. 11. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (6-5) Congratulations to the Centurions for winning the 2A sectional championship with wins over Owen County (89-57) and Western Hills (73-66). The Centurions are led in scoring by Jacob Sangalli (15.7 ppg) and Braydon Daniels (12.9 ppg). CAL heads to Owensboro this week to play in the 2A state tournament. 12. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (7-6) KCD seems to have found its stride, winning its last five games. This week the Bearcats went 3-0, starting with an impressive 74-63 win over Louisville Holy Cross. On Saturday in the semi-final of the Seventh Region All A Classic, Jalen Mathis hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer to give KCD a 52-50 win over Whitefield Academy. That win put the Bearcats into Thursday’s Seventh Region All A Classic championship game against Louisville Collegiate. The Bearcats will need to reschedule a game against St. Francis currently on its schedule for that night. 13. Atherton Rebels (5-8) The Rebels played once this week, falling to Shelby County 53-47. Junior Da Von Johnson is leading the way for Atherton, averaging 19.7 ppg. The Rebels face the Western Warriors this week. 14. Walden Wolverines (10-4) Walden had a good week, going 3-1. The Wolverines bested Portland Christian (86-62) and Frederick Fraize (68-27) before playing in the Seventh Region All A tournament. The Wolverines won their first round game against St. Francis 92-80 before falling in the semi-finals to Collegiate 80-37. The Wolverines have an away game at Frankfort Christian on Friday. 15. Shawnee Golden Eagles (8-5) The Golden Eagles went 1-3 this week. The losses were to Iroquois (71-53) and Waggener (64-39) while the win was a 60-54 victory over Beth Haven. The Golden Eagles return to Beth Haven this week to participate in the Sixth Region All A Classic, playing the host Bearcats on Thursday. 16. St. Francis Wyverns (2-9) St. Francis gained its second win of the season this week with a 74-23 victory over Frankfort Christian. The Wyverns then played what probably was their best game of the season in the Seventh Region All A Classic wneh it lost to Walden 92-80. On this week’s schedule for the Wyverns are games with Kentucky Country Day (which may get rescheduled in light of KCD playing in the Seventh Region All A Classic final) and Butler County. 17. Portland Christian Eagles (3-9) The Eagles lost to Walden 86-62 early in the week but finished the week with a 2-game win streak with wins over Danville Christian (61-50, in overtime) and Heritage Academy (85-79). The Eagles play in the Sixth Region All A Classic this week at Beth Haven, facing Evangel Christian on Monday in a first round match up. 18. Brown Bears (2-11) Brown lost both of the games it played this week, losing to Western 90-47 before falling in the Seventh Region All A Classic to Kentucky Country Day by a 64-38 score. Brown has no games on its schedule for the upcoming week.

While play gets under way on Monday in the Louisville Invitational Tournament at Valley High School, two miles down the road at Beth Haven another tournament will also be getting under way, the Sixth Region All A tournament. Five teams will participate. Portland Christian (3-9) and Evangel Christian (1-7) open the tournament against each other Monday night. They have yet to play each other this season, but they have played three common opponents (Heritage Academy, Walden, and Christian Fellowship). The comparative results suggest that Portland Christian is likely to come out on top in that game. The winner of that game will face the Holy Cross Cougars. Led by Sam Bearden and his 17.4 ppg, Holy Cross is 9-5 on the season, although it currently is on a 3-game losing streak. I think Holy Cross has been playing at a higher level than both Portland Christian and Evangel Christian and suspect the Cougars will advance to the championship game. The other semi-final has Shawnee (8-5) taking on the host Beth Haven Bearcats (4-8). While those records might lead one to conclude that Shawnee will prevail, these teams just played on Thursday, with Shawnee prevailing 60-55. That result suggests to me that this game is up for grabs. As for who will be crowned Sixth Region All A champion on Saturday, I think it will be Holy Cross. While the Cougars rightfully are disappointed that they are not playing down the street in the LIT, they appear to be the best of the teams playing in this tournament. But as we all know, the "best" team does not always prevail. Good luck to all participants.

The 73rd annual Louisville Invitational Tournament takes place this week at Valley High School. Since its inception in 1948 as a tournament featuring Male, Manual, St. X, and Flaget plus four invited teams from outside Jefferson County, the LIT has been a highlight of the Jefferson County high school basketball season. There have been several format changes to the LIT through the years. In 2009 the practice of limiting the LIT to teams from the Sixth and Seventh regions began, with the number of participating teams being reduced from 20 to 16 in 2018. The 13-3 Male Bulldogs are this year's no. 1 seed. Their only loss to a Kentucky team was to North Oldham in the King of the Bluegrass while Justin Powell was playing. The Bulldogs are still without Howard Fleming but have so much other talent, including the dual outside threats of Tyren Moore and Cam Pope plus the outstanding freshman Kaleb Green. Seneca is the no. 2 seed and comes into the LIT on a 13-game winning streak. The Redhawks have impressive wins over PRP, DeSales, and Fern Creek already this season but in their last game needed three overtimes to beat Central. The no. 3 seed is Pleasure Ridge Park. The Panthers are 3-4 against other teams in the LIT, a record that includes a win over the Ballard Bruins. In its most recent game, PRP lost to Butler 65-62. The Ballard Bruins are the no. 4 seed. The Bruins are 12-2 on the season, with the loss to PRP being their only loss to a Kentucky team. Since the season started sophomore big man Maker Bar was declared eligible and this week the injured Rashad Bishop returned for the Bruins. Each of those four teams have a legitimate shot at winning the LIT. But there are also other potential winners. The next four seeds (Butler, Jeffersontown, Fern Creek, and Eastern) have a combined 39-18 record, with a number of the losses being to each other. Lower seeded teams such as St. X (12th seed) and DeSales (13th seed) are having outstanding seasons and can compete with anyone. And while 16th seed Collegiate probably will not win the LIT, the Titans are having a tremendous season and absolutely deserve to be in the tournament. Play gets under way on Monday at Valley. There are several intriguing first round match ups, including PRP-Manual, Ballard-DeSales, Eastern-North Bullitt, and Butler-St. X. But the highlight may come Friday night when Male and Ballard will potentially meet. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday. The LIT is always a great week of basketball and this year's edition looks like it will be no different. Can't wait!

Male opened the game with a 9-0 run, St. X outscored them by one the rest of the way. Male looked good, but I was also impressed with how hard St. X continued to play hard and would not go away. X's Nick Mosley once again was impressive, but man Male has quality players at all positions.

In tonight's Waggener-Doss game, the rare blarge occurred, i.e., one official called a charge while another called a block at the same time. After some discussion between the two officials, both calls stood and the fouls imposed on both players. The calls created a held ball situation, with the team with the arrow gaining possession of the ball. I think this was the third time in my life I have seen a blarge call live. Most people there had no idea what was going on.

It is interesting to note that Collegiate and KCD played Holy Cross within 3 days of one another; Collegiate beat Holy Cross 49-46 while KCD beat 74-63. While it would be a mistake to jump to any conclusions based on those comparative results, I would be encouraged if I were KCD.

The Seventh Region All A tournament commences on Friday at one of my favorite venues in Jefferson County, the old Male gym. Few if any of the players who will play in this tournament will appreciate the significance this gym has played in high school basketball in Louisville through so many years, and that's a shame. In any event, the two first round games pit St. Francis taking on Walden and Kentucky Country Day facing Brown. Walden stands 9-3 on the season while the Wyverns of St. Francis currently sport a 2-8 record. These two teams opened the season against each other, with Walden prevailing 65-54. I expect a similar result this time. The KCD-Brown match up is also a repeat of an earlier game, won by KCD 81-32. KCD suffered through a 6-game losing streak at one point earlier in the season, but is now 5-6, having won 4 in a row. That stretch has included impressive wins over Shawnee (67-51) and Louisville Holy Cross (74-63). Brown is 2-10. I suspect the KCD Bearcats will once again come out on top against the Brown Bears. In Saturday's semi-finals, Louisville Collegiate will face the winner of the Walden-St. Francis game. Collegiate is having a tremendous season, now sitting at 10-3. Its most recent game was a hard fought 59-52 loss to the St. X Tigers. The biggest challenge to the Titans may be to focus on this game instead of thinking about their Monday night game against the Male Bulldogs in the Louisville Invitational Tournament. Whether the opponent is Walden or St. Francis, I anticipate Collegiate advancing. The other semi-final will pit the Whitefield Academy Warriors (5-6) against the winner of the KCD-Brown first round game. Whitefield has played, and beaten, both of its potential opponents already this year, getting the best of KCD 85-74 and Brown 64-48. However, Whitefield has been without the services of senior Trevor Nauert, who is averaging close to 20 ppg, for its last 3 games. I am not sure of his status, and that very possibly will affect the outcome of that game. Regardless of who advances out of the bottom bracket, it is hard to see anyone other than Collegiate winning the finals to be played on Thursday, January 16. They have set themselves apart from the other small schools in the Seventh Region this year. Thus, I look for the Louisville Collegiate Titans to win the Seventh Region All A tournament and advance to the All A state tournament in Richmond. As for players to watch, Chez Moore at Collegiate is one of the top players in the Seventh Region regardless of school size. Joey Leachman combines with Moore to give Collegiate two quality front court players. Trevor Nauert is a standout for Whitefield, although I don't know if he will be playing. Isaiah Cargill at Walden is leading the Wolverines in their outstanding season. Darian Wade is having an outstanding year for St. Francis, while Brown's Josiah Bibb is averaging 20.7 ppg and may be the most fun player to watch in the region. KCD has 4 players averaging in double figures, led by Anthony O'Neal at 16.2 ppg. Other than Chez Moore, none of these players are getting much attention, but they are all worth watching.

Yep. DeSales is an intriguing team. Looking forward to seeing them in the LIT.

Collegiate is definitely the favorite to win the All A Seventh Region, and the Titan faithful are very excited about their potential chances at the All A state tournament. However, Seventh Region teams traditionally have not fared well at the All A state tournament. Collegiate won one game there in 2018 (against Raceland), but before that the last time a Seventh Region team won any games at the All A state tournament was in 2012. Every year presents a new set of teams, but history is not on the Seventh Region's side in the All A state tournament.

I think they are playing in both. There was a potential conflict on dates, but it looks like the Seventh Region All A championship game has been moved to next Thursday, which I am glad to see. It would not be good to make a team choose one or the other.

While BluegrassPreps.com refused to fund a trip for me to travel to New Orleans last week to chronicle the Male Bulldogs' play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic, all reports suggest that the Bulldogs looked good in going 3-1 while dealing with additional injuries and illness. It was enough for Male to move back into this week's top spot. If and when Male gets everyone back on the court, look out. I did make it to see the Ballard Bruins play Pleasure Ridge Park Friday night. The Bruins are good, and Maker Bar looks like he is going to be a real force, but 33 turnovers are going to hurt you every time. I also made it to see the St. X-Trinity game Sunday night. St. X shot the ball extremely well and looked good in besting the defending state champions. Nine Seventh Region teams will play in the Louisville Invitational Tournament starting on January 13. But before that, the Seventh Region All A Classic tournament will be played later this week at the old Male gym. Collegiate, which will be playing in the LIT the following week, looks to be the team to beat in this week's All A regional tournament. Good luck to all the participants. TEAM RANKINGS 1. Male Bulldogs (11-3) Male went to New Orleans and went 3-1 in the Sugar Bowl Classic. The sole loss was a decisive one, 59-39, to Baton Rogue Scotlandville, while the wins were against Grambling (LA) Lincoln Prep (80-67), Baton Rogue (LA) Catholic (59-44), and Chicago Bloom (58-55). Noah Courtney was named to the all-tournament team. Based on Male’s performance there and Ballard’s loss to PRP, the Bulldogs move back into the number one spot. The Bulldogs, who still are without Howard Fleming and had to deal with the absence of others due to illness and injuries in New Orleans, will be busy this week with games against North Oldham, St. X, and Madisonville-North Hopkins. Male will then enter the LIT as the no. 1 seed and play Collegiate in the first round. 2. Ballard Bruins (10-2) Ballard lost its second game of the season, and first to a Kentucky team, on Friday night when it fell to the Pleasure Ridge Park Panthers 96-87. The Bruins were playing without Rashad Bishop, who has not yet returned from injury, and Josh Minkins, who was away playing in an all-star football game, but their absences did not cause the 33 turnovers the Bruins committed. PRP also was able to throw over Ballard’s pressing defense, often getting layups as a result. Ballard bounced back the next night to beat a team from Starke, FL 98-62. Ballard will play Floyd Central (IN) and Manual this week. The Bruins will enter the LIT as the no. 4 seed and will play DeSales in the first round. 3. St. Xavier Tigers (11-2) St. X looked really good in beating rival Trinity 69-54 Sunday night. The Tigers, led by Nicholas Mosley’s 39 points, got out to a 34-18 halftime lead and kept at least a 10-point lead the rest of the way. St. X will look to continue its good play this week with games against Collegiate on Tuesday and the Male Bulldogs on Friday. The Tigers will then enter the LIT as the no. 12 seed and will play Butler in the first round. 4. Seneca Redhawks (11-4) The Redhawks beat the Western Warriors 75-50 in the only game they played this week, its 11th straight win. Going into the Western game, junior Delshawn Simms was leading the Redhawks in scoring at 16.4 ppg. Up this week are games against Moore and Central. The Redhawks will enter the LIT as the no. 2 seed and play Doss in the first round. 5. Eastern Eagles (10-5) Eastern hosted the City of Middletown Holiday Classic this week and finished as runner-up. After beating Thomas Nelson (92-56) and Ohio County (76-72), the Eagles lost in the championship game to the still undefeated Highlands Bluebirds 77-68. On the schedule this week are games against Franklin County and Montgomery County. The Eagles will enter the LIT as the no. 8 seed and play North Bullitt in the first round. 6. Waggener Wildcats (7-6) The Wildcats played once this week, beating the Moore Mustangs 70-58. Dallas Rufus (16.3 ppg) and Richard White (12.1 ppg) lead the way for Waggener, which this week will play Bullitt East, Doss, and Shawnee. The Wildcats will enter the LIT as the no. 10 seed and play Fern Creek in the first round. 7. Trinity Shamrocks (6-7) Trinity fell behind early to rival St. X but continued to play hard before falling to the Tigers 69-54. On the season (at least going into the St. X game), a trio of Rocks lead the way in scoring, Ethan Hodge and Miles Franklin at 11.5 ppg and Zach Stahlman at 11.3 ppg. This week Trinity will play Ashland and Great Crossing. The Shamrocks will enter the LIT the following week as the no. 11 seed and will play Jeffersontown in the first round. 8. Dupont Manual Crimsons (8-4) The Crimsons did not play this week. Eli Roberts (11.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and JuWaun Northington (9.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg) are leading the way for the Crimsons. Manual gets back into action on Tuesday when it hosts Southern and then will take on the Ballard Bruins on Friday. The Crimsons will enter the LIT as the no. 14 seed and will play PRP in the first round. 9. Louisville Collegiate Titans (10-2) Congratulations to the Collegiate Titans on qualifying for the Louisville Invitational Tournament. The Titans clinched that spot with a 49-46 win over Louisville Holy Cross before a packed house Friday night. Collegiate will be quite busy for the next couple weeks starting this week with a home game on Tuesday against the St. X Tigers and then participating in the Seventh Region All A Classic, where it will be the team to beat. Collegiate will then move on to the LIT where it is the no. 16 seed and will play the Male Bulldogs in the first round. 10. Central Yellowjackets (5-8) The Yellowjackets went 1-2 in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic this week. The victory was a 69-49 win over Henderson County, while the losses were to undefeated Highlands (64-52) and to Atherton (69-53). The loss to Atherton is a little surprising. Central will be back in action on Tuesday against Valley and then plays Seneca on Friday. 11. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (4-5) The Centurions did not play this week but will be back on the court on Wednesday when they open play in the Kentucky 2A sectional tournament against Owen County. 12. Atherton Rebels (5-7) After falling to McLean County 45-40 early in the week, Atherton had a very successful run in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern. Atherton took Ohio County to overtime before losing 76-74, but then beat Thomas Nelson (58-46) and Central (69-53). The Central win is particularly impressive. The Rebels play at Shelby County on Tuesday. 13. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (2-6) The KCD Bearcats had a good 67-51 win this week against Shawnee in the Beth Haven Holiday Classic. KCD has games this week against Holy Cross and Evangel Christian and then will play in the Seventh Region All A Classic. 14. Shawnee Golden Eagles (6-3) Shawnee fell 67-51 to Kentucky Country Day in the Beth Haven Holiday Classic in its only game this week. The Golden Eagles have three games on their schedule this week, with home games against Iroquois and Waggener and an away game at Beth Haven. 15. Walden Wolverines (7-3) In their only game this week, the Wolverines traveled to Cloverport and came home with a 70-54 win over Frederick Fraize. Walden has a mid-week game against Portland Christian plus a rematch with Frederick Fraize before opening play in the Seventh Region All A tournament on Friday. 16. St. Francis Wyverns (1-7) The Wyverns played one game in the Beth Haven Holiday Classic, losing to the Louisville Tigers, a home school team, 45-42. The Wyverns host Frankfort Christian on Tuesday before playing in the Seventh Region All A Classic beginning on Friday. 17. Portland Christian Eagles (1-8) Portland Christian lost both games it played this week, falling to Fort Knox (80-59) and Calvary Christian (79-52). The Eagles will be busy this week with three games, taking on Walden, Danville Christian, and Heritage Academy. 18. Brown Bears (2-9) Playing in the Beth Haven Holiday Classic, the Bears gained their second win of the season against Heritage Academy (68-61) before losing 54-52 to a home school team from Elizabethtown. Brown plays Western on Tuesday before participating in the Seventh Region All A Classic on the weekend.