JunkD

Mercer points: James 21, Faulkner 21, Mink 18, Dow 14, Baughman 3, Lanham 2, Dunning 1, Hager 1 East points: Harper 9, Drew Cook 5, Gayheart 4, Hamann 4, Cray 4, Thompson 3, Devin Cook 2, Yallen Woods 2, Goen 2, Pitney 1 Will note that Hager should have 3 points, but these are the points from the official book. Coach Cook will file the stats correctly on KHSAA later. Scary thing is that Mercer didn't play as well as they did against Casey Co. Could've been worse.

Amazing to think of what East Jessamine could have been last year. Really unfortunate. Wish that team could have found a way together, they would've put up massive numbers.

Final. West Jessamine led by Siah Holifield's 25 points. Eric Boone scored 21 of TC's 27 first-half points.

Going to be a great year in the 12th, and good lawd is this region deep. Boyle at 7th, Danville at 8th and Lincoln at 10th all seem low, but don't think I'd move any of them — maybe Boyle to 5th or 6th — right now. Of course, we'll see how everything shakes out this year on the court. West has one of the toughest schedules in the state, and I could see them struggling for a majority of the regular season, then turning it on late like coach Kelley's teams always tend to do. Side note: Don't think TJ Ross is playing for East this season.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Cam Jones will be eligible for West Jessamine after transferring from East. That was a messy breakup. If he's not, West keeps that No. 6 spot, but if he is eligible, I can see West push into the top four. Game changer.

Can't play Mexico like you play Spain or Germany. We're not technically as gifted as Mexico, but we've got some great athletes. No way we should be packing it in against them.

Depends on how far Emma Young can take them and how much Landversicht and Harrison have progressed. Clear No. 2 in the 46th and could win a couple games in the region.

The freshman is likely Greer Stone — He's got some great size (plays TE for the football team) and great hands for a kid his age. Cox gives them some much-needed size down low — but he was a quiet player at East. Don't think that will change. They just need him to be a defensive rock. As for East Jess, I know they have had a couple new kids come in, but this is going to be a tough year for them. 10 wins might be a success.

Drop in class will help East quite a bit. I expect they'll win 7 games. After Garrett was hurt in the final preseason scrimmage last year, Kyle Gann took over at QB. Gann will likely be running back this year with Garrett healthy, but his running style isn't the same as Chris Mastin from last year. Mastin will be missed — he was the team's identity.

Watched them play at West Jessamine last season, and they had their way on offense. I don't think the 3 ranked kids play on the D-Line, but I could be wrong. I'm positive that not all three played both ways. That's where Woodford struggled, they couldn't stop WJ's offense — and WJ didn't have much of an offense last year.

I've got a lot of questions about my alma mater this year, but they've got the talent to win the 12th again IMO. Any given night, this team could beat any other team. But they'll have to prove that on the court. Lotta love for SW and Mercer early in the year, and with good reason, but Boyle won't give up that title lightly.

I watched Cam Jones absolutely dismantle Southwestern last year — granted SW had just played Wayne County, but Jones was the best player on the court that day. If he shows that over a season (and that's a huge IF), West will be right up there.

State champs only had one player on all three teams combined. Not quite sure about that.

What do you know about him? Looking at stats, he didn't play much last year as a soph.

I think we're in for some exciting basketball this season. Some great players gone after last year but stars will emerge.