ball_coach_4

They beat CAL, which I would deem a solid win. They (CAL)played St. X to a 2 point game the other week. Then they (KCD) beat everyone they are supposed to beat, similar to Manual. KCD also put a scare in Owen Co. I just rank them how they are playing up until that point. Manual was my #3 team in the initial ranking or 2. Then they went 5-9 after that. If they finish off the week unscathed (which they should with Atherton and Seneca up), they'll most likely move up a couple of spots (maybe 3 if Waggener goes 0-2 this week, and Central goes 0-3). It's week to week.

Waggener beat St. X before they were playing well. And though Hobbs was hurt that game, st. X also had 2 starters out that game as well. Similar to Central, when they beat Taylor Co. when they were struggling; and before the addition of Gaines. Wouldn't necessarily count that as a marquee win looking back.

KCD has some solid wins on their resume. None that are eyebrow raisers though. Before last night, I don't think Manual did either. Manual was 4-5 in their last 9 and 1-4 before that. The rankings change week to week, so with the win over st. X that may change. The rankings were posted before that game.

We had an exciting week of finishes and buzzer beaters in the 7th. Saw a slight shift in teams 2-5. I expect this to move more next week, since we have some key regional match-ups on the horizon this week. Last week’s rankings are in parentheses (): 1. Male (20-3) (1) The Bulldogs stay at the top of the ladder with a blowout of Collins, and a half court, turn around/almost hook shot from half court buzzer beating win to secure #1 in their district against St. X. They have a gimmie game against Brown tonight, a tough Eastern squad tomorrow, and Shawnee on Friday. I expect them to stay at #1 this week. 2. Trinity (19-6) (5) The Rocks slide their way back up to the #2 spot this week with solid play. They secured their district #1 seed by knocking of Waggener without starting PG Jacob King. They also took care of Atherton in convincing fashion. They had an interesting week ahead with road games at E-town and Owensboro. They also host a Lafayette team Friday that’s fresh off an upset of Mercer Co. at the Jock Sutherland Classic on last Saturday. 3. St. Xavier (15-8) (4) St. X started their week with a close win against a good Fern Creek team. They then lost to #1 Male on a buzzer beater that was ESPN worthy. They take on scrappy regional opponent Manual tonight, Holy Cross, and Brown for the remainder of the week. 4. Ballard (16-9) (2) I stated that it was going to be hard for Ballard to keep their #2 ranking from last week because of their schedule this week, and it proved true. They lost to a red hot Henry Clay team, beat district foe KCD, and lost a heart breaker to Bowling Green in the Wes Strader Schoolboy Shootout. It’s going to be another tough week, with the Bruins visiting Central on Tuesday, and my regional pick for game of the week: vs Eastern Friday for the #1 seed in their district. 5. Eastern (13-7) (3) Eastern dropped their first game of the week by dropping a tough one to a good Oldham County team. They then took care of district foe CAL by double digits. They have a tough week looming with Shawnee, Male, Ballard, and Seneca on the schedule all this week. I’m looking forward to the Male and Ballard match-ups. 6. Central (11-7) (6) Central handled PRP and Manual rather easily earlier in the week, but then let a huge upset of Dunbar slip away again by losing at the buzzer to a backwards over the head put back. Second time this season that they lost to the #2 ranked Dunbar in the final seconds this season. They’ve played a brutal schedule, and played everyone tough (except Bullitt East), but have yet to find a way to win those close games. They have plenty of opportunities this week, with a big game against Ballard, rematch with Fern Creek, and Waggener on Friday. 7. Waggener (10-8) (7) Waggener lost to a shorthanded Trinity team for #1 in their district Tuesday. They then beat Seneca, and handled Barbourville in the Don Marshall Ram\ “E” Classic Saturday. Like Central, they’ve yet to get that big win. They play two talented teams in Doss and Central this week. 8. Kentucky Country Day (12-8) (10) KCD played Ballard tough early, but lost in the 4th quarter to Ballard, then manhandled Shawnee and Collegiate the remainder of the week. They play a very good North Hardin Team, and a scrappy Western team this week. 9. DuPont Manual (12-10) (9) Manual beat Butler early, and then lost to Central in a game for the #1 seed in their district. The Crimsons have St. X, Atherton and Seneca this week. 10. Christian Academy (13-11) (8) CAL had a tough week, losing to very good opponents in Eastern and Bullitt East by double digits. They look to get back in the win column this week with games against Franklin County and a good Oldham County. 11. Seneca (6-17) (11) Went 0-3 against Doss, Waggener, and Boone County. 12. Shawnee (5-16) (12) Close loss to Bullitt Central. Then got dismantled by Southern, Doss, and KCD. 13. Atherton (5-21) (13) Got blown out by Shelby Co., Moore, and Trinity. 14. Collegiate (7-12) (14) Blew out Brown, and lost big to KCD. 15. St. Francis (8-16) (17) Beat Kentucky School f/t Deaf and Walden. Lost to Robertson County. 16. Portland Christian (7-13) (16) Lost to Fort Knox and Valley. 17. Brown (7-13) (15) Blown out by Collegiate and Holy Cross. 18. Walden (5-14) (18) Beat Kentucky School f/t Deaf. Lost to St. Francis and Rose Hill Christian.

Sr. Guard Dai'Von Thompson scored his 1,000th career varsity point today against Dunbar. Has had a good 3 year varsity career at Central. Has been all 7th region every varsity season so far, and is close to 500 rebounds at the wing spot.

Central looked good. Just kept digging themselves a hole in the end. That technical foul caused a 4 point swing, & then the to at the end with a tie game. I wonder how they'll finish out now that Wells is back. The game Had the intensity of a game at Rupp.

Big night for Dai'Von Thompson. Led the Yellow Jackets with 26 pts, 15 rbs, 5 assists.

Carson Williams will win it IMO. I think Goodin is the best player, but I feel that the key votes in rural KY will go Carson's way. Owen County's following is huge, and it brings an excitement about who they're coming to see. Even though Taylor Co. probably wins the region and are peaking at the right time (with the addition of Gaines), I think early on the hype factor hurt them more than anything with the preseason #1 rankings (and them dropping a bunch of games without Gaines). If they were preseason #20, then I believe Q would be the front-runner right now.

I was leaning towards Alex Cook of Male, but Connor McKim of St. X has willed his team into 7th Region consideration, and has been lighting it up as of the past month. He's my front-runner right now. Any thoughts? Other players?

O'Neal Swint. He didn't lead them in any statistical category or anything. Just was a key rotational guy. Always hurts to lose a versatile 6'5" forward. I think they'll be fine moving forward though. The Wells injury had them really stagnant on offense.

We have movement again at the top of the rankings, and I expect this type of shift to happen pretty much every week for the rest of the season. There’s a log jam at 2-5, and this was the toughest week to gauge by far in regards to last week’s results. Last week’s rankings are in parentheses (): 1. Male (18-3) (3) The Bulldogs continue their great team play and go 4-0 since the last rankings. They blew out Madison Southern and Southern; and then had tough battles (but wins) with Moore, and Newport at the King of the Bluegrass Showcase. This week the Bulldogs have a solid Collins team, and a very scary match-up with St. X on Friday. 2. Ballard (15-7) (1) Ballard started off the week with a solid win against Fern Creek. Then they blew out Seneca, but dropped a game on Friday to a good St. X team. They have a very tough schedule this week. The Bruins play Henry Clay, district dark horse KCD, and Bowling Green at the Wes Strader Schoolboy Shootout. Going to be tough staying at #2 with this schedule, but they’re going to be tested come tourney time, that’s for sure. 3. Eastern (12-6) (5) The Eagles had a great week. They started the week with a big win against St. X, and then defeated a solid Collins team later in the week. The Eagles are 5-1 in the Region, and have no bad losses. They play a good Oldham County team, and a scary district match-up with Christian Academy as well. 4. St. Xavier (14-7) (4) The Tigers started the week by dropping a game to #3 Eastern, and then knocking off #2 Ballard. They are now 6-4 in the Region, but show that they can beat anybody on any given day. They have a huge week coming up with Fern Creek on deck and at #1 Male on Friday. 5. Trinity (17-6) (2) I know that some people aren’t going to like this placement of the Rocks, but they’ve played their way down to five for the week. They’re 1-3 in their last 4 games, and the one game they won was a close comeback OT win against Oldham County. They lost to Henry Clay and Madison Central this past week. They have a pretty manageable schedule going forward for the rest of the season, and have an athletic district opponent in Waggener, and Atherton this week. 6. Central (9-6) (6) The Yellow Jackets went 2-0 this week against Western and Butler. They got Brandon Wells back in the line-up, and their offense flourished. They did lose a key forward for grades for the season, but should improve as a unit going forward. They have PRP this week, district foe Manual, and a rematch with Dunbar in the Jock Southerland classic on Saturday. Dunbar beat them by way of a made jumper in the final seconds in the KOB without Wells. Let’s see if they have more success with him this time around. 7. Waggener (10-8) (7) Waggener beat regional opponent CAL, and then dropped a close one to the Fern Creek Tigers. I’m still waiting on their talent and size to get them a signature win. It’s kind of confusing. Even without Cooper I thought that they would beat top 3-5 in the region before the year started. They get their chance for a big win with district front-runner Trinity coming to Hubbards Lane this week. They also play Seneca, and Barbourville in the Don Marshall Ram/ “E” Classic on Saturday. 8. Christian Academy (13-9) (8) The Centurions lost their rematch bid with Waggener, but then rebounded to blow out DeSales and Spencer County. They have a tough week ahead with district opponent Eastern, and a KY top 10 Bullitt East team on Saturday. 9. DuPont Manual (11-9) (10) The Crimsons went 2-0 this past week with wins over Moore and Christian Academy (IN). They have a scrappy Butler team, and then play Central for the #1 seed in their district on Friday. 10. Kentucky Country Day (10-7) (9) KCD almost had the upset of the week with a close loss to Owen Co. in the first round of the All “A” state tourney. They then followed that up with a big blowout loss to Oldham County. They have #2 Ballard, Collegiate, and Shawnee on the schedule for this week. 11. Seneca (6-14) (11) Knocked off Iroquois, and lost to Ballard and J-Town. 12. Shawnee (5-12) (13) Lost to Danville in first round of All “A” state tourney. 13. Atherton (5-18) (12) Got manhandled by both Fairdale and Valley this week. 14. Collegiate (6-11) (14) They were off this week. 15. Brown (7-11) (15) Beat St. Francis, and lost handily to Carroll County and Beth Haven. 16. Portland Christian (7-11) (16) Beat #18 Walden, and lost to Beth Haven, and a close OT loss to Hart County. 17. St. Francis (6-15) (17) They lost to Brown in their only game last week. 18. Walden (4-12) (18) Went 2-2 on the week. The Wolverines had losses against Portland Christian and Robertson County. They picked up 2 straight wins against Rose Hill Christian and Piarist School.

Since I posted them on Thursday of last week, and all games were cancelled for the remainder of the week, the rankings haven’t changed for this week at the top. We had a little movement in the bottom 10 from the All “A” Classic, and the teams that moved ranking from last week’s ranking are shown in parentheses (): 1. Ballard (13 -6) Tough week looming for the new #1 team this week. They have games versus a very talented Fern Creek team, Seneca, and a streaking St. X on Friday. Their schedule this week will be a great test to show if they can stay at the top of the region. 2. Trinity (17-4) The Shamrocks face off against a Henry Clay team that gave them fits in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic, and a solide Madison Central team on Friday. 3. Male (14-3) They take the week off from regional competition, and face Madison Southern, a very athletic Southern team, and Moore. 4. St. Xavier (13-6) St. X has an excellent opportunity to move up in the rankings with games against #5 Eastern, and #1 Ballard. I’m interested in how they’re going to end the last month of the regular season. 5. Eastern (10-6) Eagles can switch places with St. X in the rankings if they knock them off tomorrow night. They also play Shawnee, and a good Collins team. 6. Central (7-6) The Yellow Jackets head into battle for the first time in over a month with their starting point guard Brandon Wells back. They have 6th region opponents Western and Butler on tap this week. 7. Waggener (9-7) Wildcats travel to play a solid Christian Academy team, and host the talented Fern Creek tigers later this week. 8. Christian Academy (11-8) They get a rematch of their LIT loss to Waggener, and also have DeSales and Spencer County on the schedule this week. 9. Kentucky Country Day (10-5) KCD had wins against St. Francis and Collegiate last week. Wonder how these were played with the weather restrictions. They have Owen County first in the All “A” State Tourney in Frankfort. They also have Oldham County up this weekend. A couple of victories this week will definitely move them up a few spots in the rankings. 10. DuPont Manual (9-9) Manual has great opportunities to get a couple of wins with games against Moore and Christian Academy (IN). 11. Seneca (5-12) Play a struggling Iroquois team and #1 Ballard. 12. Atherton (5-16) Can grab a couple of wins against Fairdale and Valley this week if they play well. 13. Shawnee (5-11) (15) Had a big week, and are on a 3 game winning streak. Play in the All “A” State tourney this week, and Eastern. 14. Collegiate (6-11) (14) The Titans beat Brown, and lost to KCD in the 7th Region All “A” Classic. They’re off this week. 15. Brown (6-9) (13) Lost to Collegiate in the 7th Region All “A” Classic. Have St. Francis and Carroll County this week. 16. Portland Christian (6-9) Walden, Beth Haven, Hart County on tap this week. 17. St. Francis (6-14) Got manhandled by KCD in the All “A” classic. They have Brown on deck this week. 18. Walden (2-10) Play Portland Christian, the Piarist School, and Rose Christian.

Hey guys sorry for the delay in rankings. The snow days and my work schedule threw me off a bit. We have another #1 for the 3rd straight week. With the snow storms and school/game cancellations, I don’t know how much the rankings will change next week, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Last week’s ranking are in parentheses (). Here we go!: 1. Ballard (13 -6) (4) Had a huge week, winning the LIT with victories against Waggener, Fern Creek, St. X and Trinity in the finals. I know some may contest this rise, but the fact is, that they’re 10-3 since the addition of Clivonte Patterson, and are a totally different team than the first part of the year. Only losses are a buzzer beater to North Hardin in the KOB, a 3 point loss to an out of town team in a Christmas tourney, and to Male since Patterson has been in the fold. They’ve been red hot, and have taken the top spot for the week. They have Waggener on tap for the 3rd time this season tomorrow if schools aren’t cancelled due to snow. 2. Trinity (17-4) (2) Trinity had yet another runner-up finish in a in season tourney, losing a tight one to Ballard in the finals of the LIT. They beat Valley, Eastern, and Male along the way. They’ve finished 2nd in the KOB, Traditional Bank Christmas tourney in Lexington, and the LIT this season. With classes and their game against Central cancelled for tonight, they’re off for the remainder of the week. 3. Male (14-3) (1) Like Trinity, Male has made a habit of making good runs in tournies and coming up just short. They’ve had 3 semi-final finishes in their three tournaments (their only losses on the season). They’ve made it to the semis of the Oldham County Best in Hoops Tourney, Pulaski County Holiday Tourney, and the LIT. Male knocked off KCD and Doss in the LIT to reach the semis before a loss to #2 Trinity. Male has a big game at Central tomorrow if school is in. 4. St. Xavier (13-6) (3) One of the hottest teams in the state, St. X carried that streak right on into the LIT, where they had a run to the semi-finals where they lost to eventual champion Ballard. They had big wins against North Bullitt and Bullitt East last week in the LIT. They also had a tight 2 point win against a good Christian Academy team on Tuesday. They have Manual on the schedule for tomorrow night. 5. Eastern (10-6) (5) Eastern scored a big buzzer beating win with a put back by Javen Rushin against Manual in the first round of the LIT, and then dropped their second game to #2 Trinity. They have Seneca tomorrow if school is in. 6. Central (7-6) (6) Central dropped a tight overtime game to a very good Fern Creek team in their first game in the LIT last week without two starters. Their starting point guard Brandon Wells has now been cleared to play (after being out since December 21) , and I look for them to look closer to the team that was ranked highly in the preseason rankings with a full squad, similar to Ballard’s rise. Had games against Fairdale and Trinity cancelled due to weather this week, and host #3 Male if the weather permits tomorrow. 7. Waggener (9-7) (7) The Wildcats beat CAL in their opening round game of the LIT, and loss to eventual champion Ballard in the next round. They get Ballard again tomorrow night for a rematch. 8. Christian Academy (11-8) (8) They lost in the first round of the LIT to #7 Waggener. They also picked up a win against J-Town last week. They had a very tight loss by 2 to #4 St. X on Tuesday. They have a chance to pick up a solid win against Valley on Saturday. 9. Kentucky Country Day (8-5) (9) KCD had a big win against Desales in the first round of the LIT. They then lost to Male in their second game of the LIT last week. They have an opportunity to make noise in the 7th Region All “A” Classic this week whenever the weather permits. 10. DuPont Manual (9-9) (10) The Crimsons lost their rematch opportunity by a buzzer beater to Eastern in their first game of the LIT. They also dropped a game to a top 10 Bullitt East team on Tuesday. 11. Seneca (5-12) (15) The Redhawks had a huge week going 3-0 against Fairdale, Holy Cross, and Atherton. 12. Atherton (5-16) (14) Notched a win against Bullitt Central, and a loss to Seneca. 13. Brown (6-8) (11) Lost to Robertson County last week. Have 7th Region All “A” Classic coming up. 14. Collegiate (5-10) (16) Went 2-0 with blowout wins against Portland Christian and Walden. 15. Shawnee (3-11) (17) Lost to Anderson County and blew out Portland Christian. 16. Portland Christian (6-9) (12) Beat #17 St. Francis, and got blown out by Holy Cross and Shawnee. 17. St. Francis (6-13) (13) Went 1-2 since the last rankings. Have KCD up in the All “A” Classic. 18. Walden (2-10) (18) Went 0-3 since last rankings.

Rankings as of 1/10/16 for the 7th Region (Last ranking in parentheses ()).We have the first movement at the top of the 7th region since the first rankings on Dec. 22, but I don’t think the last in my opinion. There will be movement all over the place in the 7th, and I think that anyone in the top 6 can/will win the region. Note, my apologies in omitting Collegiate in the previous rankings. This was an unintentional oversight on my part. They have been added to this week’s rankings: 1. Male (12-2) (2) This team has been very consistent all year, and was operating under the radar for a while. Not anymore! They had a blowout win to district opponent Collegiate, and had a solid 14 point win in which they controlled the game after the first quarter against Ballard. Not sure how long they’ll keep the #1 spot with the LIT this week, but they have everyone’s attention going in the tournament now. 2. Trinity (13-3) (1) Trinity lost their only game of the week to cross-town catholic rival St. Xavier. This isn’t a bad loss, as it was a rivalry game, and St. Xavier has improved immensely the past 3 weeks. I expect a good showing from Trinity this week. 3. St. Xavier (10-5) (5) This was a huge week for the streaking Tigers. They are sitting at the top of the ladder of the all-boys catholic schools. St. X had a huge week with a convincing win against Desales, and a solid win against previous #1 Trinity. 4. Ballard (9-6) (3) They took a solid loss to new #1 Male, and it was a hard played game. They did rebound and got a very good win against 8th region power Oldham County the next day though. 5. Eastern (9-5) (7) Notched a win against regional opponent Manual behind a big game from Jr. Chance Moore. They also scored a close victory against a solid KCD, who’s a district opponent. 6. Central (7-5) (4) It’s kind of hard to gauge the Yellow Jackets at this time. With all of their key pieces available, I think that they can win the region. They were without two of their top players for each of their games this week. Starting PG and leading scorer and assist man Brandon Wells is still out with concussion symptoms and hasn’t played since the Bullitt East game in the KOB. Jason Frakes reported in the Courier-Journal today that Coach Bibby said that he’s questionable for the LIT this week. I remember him being out for a long time his sophomore year at Waggener from a concussion. I hope it’s nothing serious. They had a blowout win against Atherton, and suffered a loss to a very good North Hardin team, and had two starters out (Wells, and another due to an in house suspension). I like their ceiling, but not sold on them without Wells and their full team going forward. 7. Waggener (8-6) (8) The Wildcats had a solid showing this week. They got a good win against a solid North Oldham team, and a blowout victory against Jeffersontown. They suffered a heartbreaking 1 point defeat to a very good Indianapolis Cathedral (IN) team yesterday in the Clem Haskins Classic at Taylor County. 8. Christian Academy (10-6) (6) They dropped their only game of the week to a decent Christian Academy (IN) team. However, they have an opportunity to prove that they can compete with the big boys in the LIT this week. This starts with a first round game against #7 Waggener. 9. Kentucky Country Day (7-4) (10) Moved themselves up 1 spot with a good win to an improving Shelby County team this week, and they also played Eastern to a single digit loss on Friday. I’ll be watching to see how they fare against Desales in the first round of the LIT tomorrow. 10. DuPont Manual (9-7) (9) Lost a tight game to regional opponent Eastern, and then got a blowout win against struggling district foe Shawnee. They have an opportunity for revenge with a rematch against Eastern in the LIT on Tuesday. 11. Brown (6-7) (14) Went 1-1 on the week with a win against Walden and a loss to Frederick Fraize. 12. Portland Christian (5-5) (13) Got a victory against Heritage Academy this week. 13. St. Francis (5-11) (16) The Wyverns went 2-2 this week. 14. Atherton (3-14?) (11) Had a blowout loss to Central, and score versus Collegiate isn’t reported yet. 15. Seneca (2-12) (12) Lost to Western in lone game this past week. 16. Collegiate (3-9?) Lost to Male, Southern, and Atherton game result hasn’t been reported yet. 17. Shawnee (2-10) (15) Beat Iroquois and lost to DuPont Manual this past week. 18. Walden (2-7) (17) Went 0-3 this week.

Alex Cook was best player on floor with 24 for Male. I liked the other shooter from Male as well. Can't spell his name. Wilson led Ballard with 24, but had no answer for their zone.

Ballard in a close one by 5.

I've heard it may affect some over the weekend as well.

Hard and well played game by both teams. Wales hit 5 threes for Fern Creek. Was really impressed by Jones for them. In the end, Tyler Sharpe took over and again showed why he should be in the Mr. bball conversation.

Sorry about that. Now edited.

Rankings as of 1/4/16 for the 7th Region (Last ranking in parentheses ()): 1. Trinity (13-2) (1) No longer unbeaten, Trinity still cemented itself atop the 7th again with impressive showings to runner-up finishes in the King of the Bluegrass and the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic tourneys. Along the way (since the last rankings), they notched wins against Bullitt East, Lawrence, County, Henry Clay, Lexington Catholic, and also against Apollo at the First Security New Year’s Bash. Their only losses were to Brentwood Academy (TN) and Lexington Dunbar in the championship games of those said tournaments. They have the huge rivalry game against St. X this week on deck. 2. Male (10-2) (2) Coach Feldhaus still has Male rolling along. They also had a 3rd place finish at the Lake Cumberland Holiday Hoops Classic last week (After finishing 3rd at the Best in Hoops the week prior). They notched wins against solid competition against North Hardin, Somerset and Lexington Christian. Their lone loss of the tournament was to Southwestern. They play district foe Collegiate tonight, with an improving Ballard team coming to Preston Highway on Friday. 3. Ballard (8-5) (7) Ballard seems to be hitting their stride since the addition of Clivonte Patterson. They won the consolation bracket in the KOB with solid wins over Waggener and Owen County (since the last rankings). They also had a very solid showing at the Next Level Hoops Fest (TN) against top competition. They got wins against Spain Park (AL) and Whitehaven (TN). Their lone loss since the last rankings was to a very good University Lab (LA) squad in the semi-finals of that tourney. They play at #2 Male on Friday for a regional battle. 4. Central (6-4) (5) Without starting point guard Brandon Wells (who also leads them in scoring and assists), they lost to Dunbar in the 5th place bracket on a jumper in the final seconds in the KOB. Their game to East Chicago Central (IN) was cancelled due to an ice storm. However, they played in and won the Championship of the Gary Holiday Tournament (IN). This was without Brandon Wells, who was still out with concussion symptoms (suffered in the Bullitt East game in the KOB in collision with Bailey Rakes). They have Atherton tonight and a match-up against North Hardin Saturday at Taylor County for the Clem Haskins Classic. I’m told that Wells is going through the concussion protocol this week with doctors, and will miss tonight’s game against Atherton, but should be back in the fold for North Hardin. 5. St. Xavier (8-5) (10) St. X rebounded to win huge games versus Hopkinsville and Buckhorn in the Panther Classic. They also made it to the championship game and were runner-ups in the Meijer Holiday Classic in Bowling Green. They defeated Barren County and Paducah Tilghman along the way. They lost to Bowling Green in the championship game. They have match-ups with a couple of other all-boys catholic schools this week. They have Desales tonight and a big rivalry game against Trinity on Friday. 6. Christian Academy (10-5) (9) Steadily moving up the rankings to #6 (was my #11 in the first rankings) is Christian Academy. They had a solid 3rd place showing in the Twin Lakes Classic. They got wins against Grant County and Metcalfe County. They lost to Clinton County in the semis. They were Champions of the Henry County Invitational with wins against host Henry County, East Jessamine, and Franklin County. They dropped a game at John Hardin yesterday. They haven’t played the toughest schedule, but keep winning, and have some decent (not great) wins on their resume’. Have a tourney championship as well. 7. Eastern (7-5) (4) Eastern had solid showings with Runner-Up finishes in the Woodford County Invitational Tournament, and their own City of Middletown Holiday Classic. The got a win against host Woodford County, and dropped the championship game to a young and emerging Scott County team. They also defeated Elizabethtown and North Oldham, before bowing out to a really good Cooper team in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic finals. They also dropped a game to Lafayette in the First Security New Year’s Bash over the weekend. They had a solid schedule, but didn’t notch any wins against quality competition is my reason for them dropping outside of the top 5. They get a reeling DuPont Manual tonight, and district opponent KCD Friday night. 8. Waggener (6-5) (7) Though they lost every game in the KOB, they rebounded well and had a nice showing last week in the Pensacola Catholic High School Holiday Tournament (FL) (man I wish I was in Florida with those guys in the last week of December). They dropped their final KOB game to an ever improving #3 Ballard team. They then notched wins against Loretto (TN) and host Pensacola Catholic (FL) for third place in the tournament in Florida. They dropped a game to Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (GA) in the semi-finals. They have a decent North Oldham team tonight and a struggling Jeffersontown team on Thursday. They also play a tough Lawrence Central Saturday night at Taylor County for the Clem Haskins Classic. 9. DuPont Manual (8-6) (3) Manual has had a tough road since the last rankings. They lost to eventual tournament champions Cooper in the first round of the City of Middletown Holiday Classic. They lost the next game in the loser’s bracket to Shelby County. They did manage to notch a win against Elizabethtown the following game though. They also lost to a decent Jeffersonville (IN) team over the weekend. A 1-3 record since the last rankings against mainly average (with the exception of Cooper) competition is the reason for the steep drop in rankings. Manual hosts a tough Eastern team tonight, and play district opponent Shawnee on Friday. 10. Kentucky Country Day (6-3) (8) KCD had played a pedestrian schedule to date in the last rankings, and had the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic to boost their stock. Their performance there didn’t do them any favors in the rankings. They dropped their first round game in a close loss to a solid, but injury depleted Bryan Station team. They also lost big to Newport Central Catholic. They did notch a blowout victory to Bullitt Central in their last game in Lexington though. They have solid games versus Shelby County tonight, and host district foe Eastern Friday. 11. Atherton (3-13) (14) Looks like front loaded early schedule is paying off. They went 2-2 since the last rankings, and played the teams close in the losses they did have (1 in OT to host Henry County in their tourney). Central, Southern, and Collegiate are up on deck this week. 12. Seneca (2-11) (15) Seneca got in the win column against Grace Christian (TN) and Shawnee. They've went 2-4 since last rankings. They play an always scrappy Western team Friday night. 13. Portland Christian (4-5) (11) They lost last game to Evangel Christian in the final of the PCS Holiday Classic. Have Heritage Academy Friday. 14. Brown (5-6) (12) Lost huge to St. Patrick over the break. Have a chance to nab wins with games against Walden and Frederick Fraize up this week. 15. Shawnee (1-9) (13) Giving Shawnee consideration for strength of schedule at this point, and they played Western tough. They’ll need to pick up a win to prevent dropping any lower. Have a great opportunity against a struggling Iroquois tonight, and also have district opponent Manual on Friday. 16. St. Francis (3-9) (16) Went 1-1 over the break to sub-par competition. Have a chance to move up with 4 winnable games up this week: Whitefield Academy, Kentucky School f/t Deaf, Community Christian (Paducah), and Frederick Fraize 17. Walden (2-4) (17) The Wolverines did get an OT win versus Christian Fellowship in their lone game over the break. They'll possibly move up with wins this week. Their opponents: Burgin, Brown, and Christian Fellowship.

1. David Sloan -taylor county 2. Carson Williams - owen co. 3. Tyler Sharpe - bullitt east 4. Tony Jackson - north hardin 5. Cole VonHandorf - cov cath

Sloan wasn't a transfer. He relocated with Gatewood (Gatewood is his legal guardian) after his 8th grade year. Started at Taylor his freshman year

Centrals starting pg didn't play. They are very athletic, but I haven't seen a varsity team miss as many point blank lay ups as them. Had the game won and gave it away. It seems like it's parity everywhere in the state. Central loses game on a game winning jumpshot with 2 secs left to a good dunbar, but loses to bullitt east without rakes. I wouldn't have thought bullitt east could beat central without rakes, or the game would even be close vs dunbar without wells.

This is through December 21. I was going to wait until the completion of the KOB, but with the results so far, nothing much will change a team’s ranking much. This week there wasn’t a much of a shift hardly at all in the rankings. Completely different than what I thought would happen. Last week’s ranking in parentheses (). Next Rankings for 7th region will come New Year’s Eve at the completion of the Post-Christmas Tournaments. 1. Trinity (8-0) (1) Still executing at a high rate and playing beautifully as a team. Notched huge wins against Owen Co. and Dunbar in the first two rounds of the King of the Bluegrass. They have cemented themselves as not only the best team in the region, but the best team in the state in my opinion. Let’s see if they can keep the streak alive against a very good Bullitt East squad tonight in the semifinals. They have at least two more games win or lose in the KOB, and play in the Traditional Bank Classic in Lexington next week where they should be favored. A loss tonight won’t change their number one status in the region this week. 2. Male (7-1) (2) Male have a solid showing in the Best in Hoops Classic, finishing 3rd. Their only loss was to the eventual champion Oldham County in a close 4 point game in the semifinals. They go to the Lake Cumberland Holiday Hoops Classic next week, where they open up against a good North Hardin team that’s currently in the final four of the KOB. 3. Manual (7-3) (3) Manual cemented their status as the #3 team in the 7th region polls with a runner up finish in the Best in Hoops Tourney. Had a tough blowout loss to Oldham County in the championship game (which is why I still have Male at #2), but had solid wins against Spring Hill, TN, and Lexington Catholic. Manual starts out with a very good Cooper team that knocked off Covington Catholic in their first game of the season in the first round of the City of Middletown Classic at Eastern High School. 4. Eastern (4-2) (4) They notched a good win versus a solid, yet injury depleted Bryan Station team in the first round of the Woodford County Invitational Tournament. Play host Woodford County tonight in the quarterfinals, and finish that tourney this week. Start off with Elizabethtown in their own City of Middletown Holiday Classic. 5. Central (4-3) (5) Pulled off a big upset in a high scoring shoot-out with Taylor County in the first round of the KOB, hitting 14 threes. However, they went completely cold in the second round game to Bullitt East last night. They get a very good Dunbar team tonight in the 5th round bracket. Next week they travel to Northwest Indiana to play a road game at top 25 (IN) East Chicago Central, and also play in the Gary Holiday Tournament in Gary, IN. 6. Ballard (4-4) (7) After adding who Coach Renner calls his 2nd best player in Clivonte Patterson, Ballard seems to be hitting their stride as they have another weapon to go along with Wilson and Alvey. They dropped a heart breaking loss by way of a buzzer beater to North Hardin in the first round of the KOB, and notched a solid win to a very good Bowling Green team last night. They get Waggener tonight in the consolation bracket for 7th place. They travel to Tennessee next week to play in a very tough Next Level Hoops Fest field; hosted by TN state power Christ Presbyterian Academy. 7. Waggener (4-3) (6) Dropped a tough game to a very good top 5 in KY Bullitt East team in the first round of the KOB. Also lost to Taylor County in the Consolation bracket, but they get to live and play another day by way of the brawl that happened with the Miami Sr. (FL) and Gainesville (GA) teams in their game and getting suspended for the remainder of the tournament. Waggener gets Ballard tonight for a chance to secure a solid win. They travel to Florida next week to play in the Pensacola Catholic High School Holiday Tournament. 8. Kentucky Country Day (5-1) (8) They’ve only played one game this past week, and that was a 12 point win to 1-11 Atherton. Doesn’t move them up any or down. Have a good chance to climb the rankings with opportunities for wins against solid competition at the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington next week. They open up with hometown Bryan Station in the first round. 9. Christian Academy (5-3) (11) Notched big blow out wins against Whitefield Academy and Collegiate this past week. They also had a solid 11 point win against Anderson County in the first round of the Twin Lakes Classic yesterday. They finish that tournament this week; and play in the Henry County Invitational next week. They get host Henry County in the first round. 10. St. Xavier (4-4) (9) They scored a win against struggling Atherton, and then got overmatched in their road trip to Park Hills, KY, against state power Covington Catholic (resulting in a 27 point loss). They also lost to a good Soutwestern team in OT in the Panther classic last night. They get a very good Hopkinsville team tonight. They travel to Bowling Green for the Meijer Holiday Classic next week, and open up with Barren County. 11. Portland Christian (4-4) (12) Had a big loss to Moore, and blew out Covington Latin in the first round of the PCS Holiday Classic last night. 12. Brown (5-5) (13) Won 2 out of 3 games in the Itty Bitty Tress and Trends Classic this past week. 13. Shawnee (1-4) (10) 32 point loss to Memphis Catholic in the Rumble at the Ridge knocks them out of the top 10. 14. Atherton (1-11) (14) Tough week for Atherton, as they go 0-4 (since 12/16), and drop every game to St. X, KCD, North Oldham, and North Bullitt. 15. Seneca (0-7) (15) Got blown out by Frankfort. I’m still giving them the benefit of the doubt because of their strength of schedule (as far as them not dropping) right now, but they will drop if they don’t win a game in their own Wes Unseld Classic next week. 16. St. Francis (2-8) (16) Would’ve moved up with a couple of wins, but went 0-4 against sub-par competition this week. Lost to Evangel Christian, Eminence, Collegiate, and Beth Haven. 17. Walden (1-4) (16) Wolverines are off until January 2, so they may not be moving anywhere anytime soon.

I've got Taylor county. I'm not sold on them defensively at all, but I can see them giving Owen Co.'s guards fits. I see them pressing all over the court, which is not to Owen Co.'s strength. Don't think they can stop Carson Williams (but who can), but I see Gatewood probably doubling him like Trinity, whenever Owen Co. gets it up the court. On the other end, no way Owen Co. stops Goodin and Sloan. They'll zone, but it'll be hard for there guys to get back and stop the 2 second transition that they are great at after made baskets or rebounds. Central tried a triangle and 2 on them, and they scored almost 70 between the two of them. I don't think Central is a very good team defensively at this point, but think they'd have the personnel to try to contain Goodin and Sloan more than Owen Co. (or Waggener), and neither of those teams could.