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1. John Hardin (30-0): The Bulldogs played two games this week and won both to end the regular season with a perfect record. They beat Hart County 89-66 on the road and beat Marion County 67-59 at home. What a year it has been for John Hardin as they are the only team in the state to be undefeated. In the win over Hart County, Aaron Scott had 24 points. The Bulldogs are looking to win the region for the second straight year. John Hardin will play the winner of North Hardin and Fort Knox in the 17th District Tournament at Elizabethtown. They are looking to win their third straight district title this week. 2. Larue County (23-4): The Hawks played two games this week and won both. They beat Elizabethtown 77-60 at home and beat Warren Central 54-52 on the road. This was a good last week, as they end the year with two solid wins. This has been a good year for the Hawks, but this team will be judged on how far they last in the postseason. In the win over Warren Central, Mark Goode had 21 points and 8 rebounds. Larue County plays Caverna in the 18th District Tournament at Hart County. They are looking to win their third straight district title. 3. Central Hardin (18-8): The Bruins ended the regular season playing two games where they won one and lost one. They lost to Breckinridge County 73-61 on the road and beat Meade County 72-62 at home. They lost to a good Breckinridge County team so that wasn’t a bad loss. The Bruins had a good year and have shown that they can compete with all the best 5th Region teams. Gavin George had 23 points in the win over Meade County. They will be playing Elizabethtown in the 17th District Tournament at Elizabethtown. This is probably the most anticipated first round game of the 5th Region. 4. Marion County (20-7): The Knights played two games this week and ended up winning one game and lost the other. They beat district foe Campbellsville 80-71 at home, and they lost to John Hardin 67-59 on the road. Marion competed with John Hardin, which must give them confidence going forward. They had a positive year and are playing good basketball to end the year. John Adams had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Campbellsville. They will be playing Adair County in the 20th District Tournament at home. 5. Taylor County (19-7): The Cardinals played two games this week and they won both games. They beat Moore 76-69 on the road and beat Casey County 85-71 on the road. The Cardinals bounced back, after an embarrassing season the year before. This was a good way to end the regular season, by winning two road games. Trevon Smith had 32 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Casey County. They play Campbellsville in the 20th District Tournament at Marion County. 6. Elizabethtown (13-13): The Panthers played two games this week and lost both games. They lost to Larue County 77-60 on the road and lost to Bullitt East 70-61 on the road. Tough to lose both games to end the year, but both teams they lost to are very good. This has been a great year and the future is bright since they don’t start any seniors. Jaquais Franklin had 26 points in the loss to Bullitt East. They will be playing Central Hardin in the 17th District Tournament at home, which should be a fantastic game. 7. Campbellsville (18-12): The Eagles played three games this week, in which they won two of the games. They lost to district foe Marion County on the road 80-71, they beat Green County 68-62 at home, and beat Nelson County 73-61 on the road. The Eagles are playing their best ball at the right time. It has been a good year for the Eagles, and they will return several players for next year. Nataj Sanders had 16 points in the loss to Marion County. They will be playing Taylor County in the 20th District Tournament at Marion County, which could be a better game than most expect. 8. Bardstown (13-15): The Tigers played two games this week and won both games. They beat Oldham County 75-72 at home and beat North Hardin 51-47 on the road. What a way to end the regular season playing your best ball. The Oldham County win is a great win and must give them a lot of confidence. JaRel Montgomery had 21 points in the win over Oldham County. They play Thomas Nelson in the 19th District Tournament at Bethlehem. They are looking to win their 6th straight district title. 9. North Hardin (11-18): The Trojans played one game this week and they ended up losing that game. They lost to Bardstown 51-47 at home to end the regular season. Even though the Trojans only have 11 wins, they are a lot better than the record would indicate. They are a very athletic team who can play close against about anybody. They play Fort Knox in the 17th District Tournament at Elizabethtown where the winner will play John Hardin. 10. Washington County (18-11): The Commanders played three games this week and lost all three games. They lost to Adair County 51-46 on the road, they lost to Green County 78-61 on the road, and lost to Christian Academy Louisville 60-53 at home. They have had a good year, but this last week is disappointing going into tourney play. They were without their leading scorer in some of the games, so it will be important for Drew Yates to be back for them. In the loss to Green County, Cameron Willis had 38 points. They play the winner of Nelson County and Bethlehem in the 19th District Tournament at Bethlehem. 11. Hart County (9-17): The Raiders lost both games this week to end the regular season. It has been a disappointing year so far. Even though the record isn’t very good, when John Shoulders played this year, they were 9-10. They have a great shot to make region. They play Green County in the 18th District Tournament at home. 12. Adair County (12-18): The Indians played three games this week and won all three games. After losing their leading scorer, Adair has struggled. but ending the regular season with three wins should give them confidence heading into the postseason. Adair is looking to win their third straight district title. They play Marion County in the 20th District Tournament at Marion County. 13. Thomas Nelson (18-12): The Generals played three games this week and won two of the three. The magical regular season ended with 18 wins after getting only 2 wins last year. The only thing that would make this season even better would be to make region. They will play Bardstown in the 19th District at Bethlehem. 14. Green County (10-17): The Dragons played two games this week and won one and lost one. They have had a disappointing year, since they have so many seniors playing. The good part is that they are playing well right now going into postseason play. They will play Hart County in the 18th District Tournament at Hart County. 15. Bethlehem (8-19): The Eagles played two games this week which ended with two losses. The Eagles have had a transition year with a new coach and a lot of new players. The good news is the Eagles only graduate one senior. They play Nelson County in the 19th District Tournament at home, which the winner plays Washington County. 16. Nelson County (2-27): The Cardinals played two games this week and they lost both games. It has been a disappointing season as everything has seemed to just go wrong this year. They currently have a six-game losing streak. They will play Bethlehem in the 19th District Tournament at Bethlehem in which the winner will play Washington County. 17. Caverna (1-25): The Colonels played three games this week and they lost all three. The last couple of years they have been very successful, but this year hasn’t worked out that way. They currently have a twenty-five-game losing streak. They will play Larue County in the 18th District Tournament at Hart County. 18. Fort Knox (2-23): The Eagles played four games this week and were able to win only once. It was good for Fort Knox to get one more win on the year. It has been a long year as most losses have been blowout losses. They play North Hardin in the 17th District Tournament at Elizabethtown where the winner plays John Hardin. Top 10 Players 1. Jacob Hobbs (Sr, Central Hardin): The Region player of the year has averaged 18.8 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 57 percent from the field. He is a great athlete who is a difference maker on both sides of the ball. His shooting ability at his size makes him a tough cover. 2. Trevon Smith (Sr, Taylor County): The Mr. Basketball candidate has averaged 25.2 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 49 percent from the field. He has really improved on his outside shooting this year which has made him a hard guy to guard. The Lefty is a great slasher and gets to the line a lot. 3. Alex Matthews (Jr, John Hardin): Matthews has had a great year as he averages 17.4 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game while shooting an amazing 61.6 percent from the field. The big man has improved a ton and is a big reason why the Bulldogs are undefeated. He’s a great athlete who is strong and seems to get every 50 50 ball. 4. Mark Goode (Jr, Larue County): Goode has been very good as he averages 16.1 points per game and 9 rebounds per game while shooting a great 59.7 percent from the field. Goode is a very skilled big man as he is a great free throw shooter as well. When he gets the ball in the paint, good things happen. 5. Anthony Adkins (Sr, Larue County): Adkins, the Army Football Commit, averages 15.4 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting an amazing 63.6 percent from the field. Adkins is a good athlete for the size he is. He is such a good driver and finisher around the rim and his strength for high school is very rare. 6. Jaquais Franklin (So, Elizabethtown): Franklin has had a great year as he is averaging 20.7 points per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the field. Franklin is a big reason why Elizabethtown has had a good year. He can score by driving or with his jumper, as scoring seems to come easy to him. 7. John Shoulders (Sr, Hart County): Shoulders has been the guy for Hart this year, he averages 24.5 points per game while averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. He missed 7 games this year and Hart lost all seven, showing how valuable he is. Shoulders is a good athlete who can shoot from anywhere on the court. 8. Aaron Scott (Sr, John Hardin): Scott has stepped up this year and he is averaging 15 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field. Scott leads the team in made threes. Scott is one of the best athletes in the 5th region and if you watch him in warmups you can see why. 9. Tyshay Epps (Jr, Marion County): Epps has been a pleasant surprise as he is averaging 17.3 points per game while shooting 45.9 from the field. No player on this list has improved as much from last year to this year as Epps. He is an athletic guard who can get to the rim and he can also be a good defender. 10. Malachi Corley (Jr, Campbellsville): Corley has been good this year as he is averaging 19.5 points per game, and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.8 percent. For a point guard, Corley rebounds great as he is a great athlete. He is mainly a driver and can be a pest on defense with his athleticism and strength.

John Hardin is the smart pick, but Larue and Central could no doubt win region and it wouldn't surprise me at all. What would shock me is if someone wins region that isn't those three.

1. John Hardin (28-0): The Bulldogs did this week what they have done all year which is win as they won all three games this week. They beat Bardstown on the road 83-63, they beat district foe North Hardin 58-51 on the road and beat Nelson County 86-61 on the road. John Hardin took care of business this week and did everything they was supposed to do. They are ranked second in the state in a lot of polls which is the highest they have ever been in programs history. In the win over Bardstown Aaron Scott led the team with 20 points. 2. Larue County (21-4): The Hawks played three games this week and won all three games. They beat district foe Hart County 92-71 on the road, they beat Nelson County 79-33 at home, and beat Taylor County 85-56 on the road. This was an impressive week as they won easily all three games and beating Taylor by that much is impressive. The Hawks have 4 losses, but they have all been to quality teams, they are good enough to make a postseason run. Mark Goode had 26 points and 9 rebounds in the win over Taylor County. 3. Central Hardin (17-7): The Bruins played three games this week and ended up winning two of the three games. They lost to Eastern on the road 74-59, they beat South Oldham 74-72 in overtime at home, and beat Green County 63-43 on the road. The Bruins was upset to start the week as it was a surprise to lose to Eastern by 15. They did bounce back with a nice win and this is still a 5th Region Contender. Gavin George led the Bruins with 23 points in the win over South Oldham. 4. Marion County (19-6): The Knights had a short week as they only played one game and ended up with a win. Marion County beat North Hardin 54-45 at home. The Knights are currently on a six-game winning streak. The Knights have been playing very well lately and this week they have a chance to clinch the one seed in their district. Tyshay Epps has led the Knights in scoring this year by averaging 17 points per game. 5. Taylor County (17-7): The Cardinals played one game this week which was a home loss. The Cardinals lost to Larue County 85-56 at home. Losing to Larue isn’t a surprise as they are one of the best teams in the region, however losing by that much isn’t good. Taylor has lost three straight and hope to end that streak this week. Trevon Smith is leading the Cardinals with 25 points per game and 9 rebounds per game. 6. Elizabethtown (13-11): The Panthers played one game this week which was a win. They defeated Bardstown 89-83 in a home shootout. The Panthers have been a new team since Christmas break as they have shown they can compete with any team in the 5th Region. The scary part is they don’t graduate a starter, so this team will be a problem for years to come. Camden Williams had 32 points in the win over Bardstown. 7. Campbellsville (16-11): The Eagles played three games this week and they won all three games. The Eagles beat Caverna 79-62 on the road, beat Washington County 60-54 on the road, and defeated Bethlehem 68-53 at home. The Eagles are playing their best ball at the perfect time of the year. They currently have a five-game winning streak and the win against Washington on the road was very impressive. Malachi Corley had 28 points in the win against Washington County. 8. Washington County (18-8): The Commanders played three games this week and they won one of the three. They lost to Bullitt Central 60-56 on the road, lost to Campbellsville 60-54 at home, and defeated Whitefield Academy 56-40 on the road. Commanders had two close losses and the Bullitt Central loss would have been a great win. They are still set up well to make Region and possibly win a district title. Devin Hurst had 22 points and 9 rebounds in the loss to Campbellsville. 9. Bardstown (11-15): The Tigers played two games this week and lost both games. The Tigers lost to John Hardin 83-63 at home and lost to Elizabethtown 89-83 on the road. The Tigers played two good teams this week and lost a very competitive game to a good Etown team. The best news for the Tigers is they are set up great to make region once again. JaRel Montgomery had 31 points in the loss to Elizabethtown. 10. North Hardin (11-17): The Trojans played three games this week and ended up winning one of them. They beat Kentucky Country Day 81-70 on the road, they lost to district foe John Hardin 58-51 at home, and lost to Marion County 54-45 on the road. The Trojans played John very tough but couldn’t come out with a win. For an eleven-win team this team can play with most teams in the state. Jalen Sharps and Josh Moore both had 16 points in the win this week. 11. Hart County (9-15): The Raiders played three games this week in which they won one game. It has been a disappointing year but with John Shoulders on their side making region can still easily happen. 12. Thomas Nelson (16-11): The Generals played three games this week and won two of them. The great season has continued, and they are four wins away from twenty wins after having two wins last year. 13. Green County (9-16): The Dragons played three games this week and won one of them. It has been a disappointing year but with a veteran team they are hoping that leads to a region appearance. 14. Adair County (9-18): The Indians played three games this week and they won one of the games. It has been a disappointing year, but Adair did end a ten-game losing streak this week. 15. Bethlehem (8-17): The Eagles played three games this week and ended up winning two of those games. It has been a long year but if they could win two more to make ten wins that would help. 16. Nelson County (2-25): The Cardinals played two games this week and lost both. This week was one that you’d like to forget as they played two of the best teams in the region. 17. Caverna (1-22): The Colonels played three games this week and lost all three. Caverna has now loss twenty-two straight games after winning the season opener. 18. Fort Knox (1-20): The Eagles played four games this week which they lost all four. The Eagles almost got there second win of the year, but they couldn’t pull it out, they now have fifteen game losing streak.

1. John Hardin (25-0): The Bulldogs historic season continues as they won both games again this week. They beat district foe Elizabethtown 76-74 on the road in a dandy, and beat Bowling Green 86-59 at home. Bulldogs survived another scare as the Etown game came down to the wire but like every time this season they found a way. They than blew out 4th region favorite Bowling Green which was a nice statement win. Looking at the schedule there is a great shot they will be 30-0 going into postseason play. In the win over Elizabethtown freshman Devon Rogers led them with 18 points. 2. Central Hardin (15-6): The Bruins only played one game this week and that was a blowout district win. They defeated Fort Knox 87-36 at home. The Bruins have been challenged all year by tough teams and they have answered every tough test. The Bruins 6 losses have all been to very quality opponents. In the win over Fort Knox Jacob Hobbs had 27 points and 10 rebounds as he makes his case for region player of the year. 3. Larue County (18-4): The Hawks bounced back after a tough loss to end last week by winning both of their games this week. They beat Adair County 55-41 on the road and beat district opponent Green County 80-49 on the road. The Hawks four losses have all been to good teams and three of the four losses have been to top ten teams in the state. It is fair to say that Larue doesn’t have a great win yet and they are hoping that will come tourney time. In the win over Adair County Noah Davis led them with 15 points. 4. Taylor County (17-6): The Cardinals played three games this week and they ended up winning only one of them. They beat Caverna 102-64 on the road, lost to Warren Central 85-77 at home, and lost to district foe Marion County in overtime 86-84 on the road. Cardinals blew a 17-point halftime lead against Marion County which ended up being a fantastic game. Taylor would love to get a rematch against Marion County in the district championship game. In the loss to Warren Central Trevon Smith led them with 32 points and 10 rebounds. 5. Marion County (18-6): The Knights had a great week as they won all three games this week. They beat Franklin County 69-62 on the road, beat district foe Taylor County 86-84 in overtime at home, and beat Russel County 83-61 at home. The Knights had been struggling but this week was a major win for the Knights. They came back and beat Taylor after being down by 17 at half. In the win over Taylor Tyshay Epps ended up with 26 points to lead the Knights. 6. Elizabethtown (12-11): The Panthers played two games this week in which they won one and lost the other. They lost to district foe John Hardin 76-74 at home and beat district opponent Fort Knox 81-28 at home. The Panthers was one possession away from beating John Hardin. This is a team who has improved more throughout the year than any team in the 5th region. In the loss to John Hardin Jaquais Franklin and Camden Williams both had 19 points. 7. Washington County (17-6): The Commanders had a busy week which involved four games in which they won all of them. They beat Campbellsville 66-59 on the road, beat district foe Thomas Nelson 61-47 at home, beat Bluegrass United 91-60 at home, and beat Henry County 79-60 at home. Commanders keep on playing good ball and being led by a veteran group this isn’t a surprise at all. They are three wins away from getting a prestigious 20 wins for the Washington County program. Cameron Willis had 29 points in the win over Campbellsville. 8. Campbellsville (13-11): The Eagles played three games this week in which they won two of the three. They lost to Washington County 66-59 at home, beat district foe Adair County 74-38 on the road, and beat Metcalfe County 100-72 at home. With the win over Adair Campbellsville secured the 3 seed in their district. After the loss to Washington they closed the week out as good as you could ask for. In the win over Adair Arren Hash had 28 points which included 8 threes. 9. Bardstown (11-13): The Tigers played three games this week which resulted in two wins. They beat district foe Bethlehem 73-49 at home, they beat district opponent Nelson County 73-47 at home, and lost to Madisonville-North Hopkins 66-56. Good week for the Tigers as they care of business in their district play and their one loss was to a very good Madisonville-North Hopkins team. To get ready for postseason play the end of the schedule is tough. Javaughn Smith had 16 points in the win over Nelson County. 10. North Hardin (10-15): The Trojans won all three games this week. They beat North Bullitt 58-56 on the road, they beat Western 73-66 on the road and beat Adair County 72-51. Good week for the Trojans as they won all their games and now have a four-game winning streak. They hope to continue this good play into tournament time. 11. Hart County (8-13): The Raiders played two games and won both games. Hart County locked up the two seed in their district this week. 12. Thomas Nelson (14-10): The Generals played three games this week in which they won two of them. Thomas Nelson locked up the three seed in their district this week. 13. Adair County (8-16): The Indians lost all three games this week. The Indians are going in the wrong direction as they have a nine-game losing streak. 14. Green County (8-14): The Dragons played three games this week and they won one of them. They locked up the three seed in their district this week. 15. Bethlehem (6-16): The Eagles lost all three games this week. They now have a four-game losing streak after winning two in a row. 16. Nelson County (2-23): The Cardinals lost both games this week. They have now won one out of there last sixteen games. 17. Caverna (1-19): The Colonels lost all three games this week. They were really close to winning game number two but instead have now lost nineteen straight. 18. Fort Knox (1-16): The Eagles played two district games which resulted in two blowout losses. They have eleven losses in a row now.

1. John Hardin (23-0): The Bulldogs did what they did all year this week by continuing to do nothing but win as they won both games this week. They beat district opponent Fort Knox 90-25 on the road and beat Scott 72-69 at home. This was the second game against Scott and like the first one Bulldogs was down a lot of the game, but this squad continues to find a way to win. John Hardin has won so many close games which shows they know how to win. In the blowout win over Fort Knox Aaron Scott led the team with 17 points. 2. Central Hardin (14-6): The Bruins had a great week winning both games and getting a huge statement win. They beat district opponent North Hardin 64-51, and beat Larue County 71-67 in the Nathan McCurry Classic. Beating Larue was a surprise to some, but it shouldn’t be a shocker as Central Hardin has been a good team all year. They have good size like Larue and can really shoot the basketball. Central Hardin is a good enough team to win region and they have shown that all year. In the win over North Hardin Chase Elmore led the team with 18 points. 3. Larue County (16-4): The Hawks played three games this week in which they won two of them. They beat Glasgow 73-51 at home, they beat district foe Caverna 84-29 at home and lost to Central Hardin 71-67 in the Nathan McCurry Classic. The loss to Central Hardin means they have lost to two teams in the 5th Region so far. The good news for the Hawks is both losses are by a combined 5 points, so they are right there. Anthony Adkins had 21 points in the win over Glasgow as he has been playing very well lately. 4. Taylor County (16-4): The Cardinals played two games this week and ended up winning both games. They beat district foe Adair County 72-60 at home and beat Washington County 71-68 on the road. Taylor County has been taking care of business lately as they have won four games in a row. The Cardinals are playing well, and they have the experience to make another tournament run. Trevon Smith had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Adair County. 5. Marion County (15-6): The Knights had a short week as they only played one game this week in which they won. They defeated Nelson County 74-58 at home. After recent struggles the Knights have won three out of their last four games. They are hoping to get things going like the start of the year where they were a very good basketball team. Kanyon Spaulding led the Knights with 16 points in the win over Nelson County. 6. Elizabethtown (11-10): The Panthers played three games this week in which they won two of them. They beat district foe North Hardin 83-56 on the road, they lost to Christian Academy Louisville 64-51 at home, and beat Adair County 82-39 in the Nathan McCurry Classic. The Panthers are playing their best ball of the season as the young squad continues to improve. This is a team who is a year ahead of schedule and would like nothing more than to spoil someone’s season early in the postseason. Camden Williams had 27 points in the win against North Hardin. 7. Washington County (13-6): The Commanders played two games this week in which they won one and lost the other. They beat district foe Bardstown 74-65 at home and lost to Taylor County 71-68 at home. Started off the week with a big district win as they have a great shot to win district this year. They almost got a big statement win against Taylor County but couldn’t pull it out. Drew Yates had 33 points in the big win over Bardstown. 8. Campbellsville (11-10): The Eagles played two games this week where they won one and lost one game. They lost to Mayfield 70-43 in the opening of the All A State Tournament and beat Thomas Nelson 72-59 on the road. It was a big accomplishment for them to make it to state even if the game didn’t go very well. Eagles have been consistent all year and hope to make region again like last year. Malachi Corley had 17 points in the loss to Mayfield. 9. Bardstown (9-12): The Tigers played two games this week and ended up losing both. They lost to district foe Washington County 74-65 on the road and lost to Spencer County 58-53 at home. Washington and Bardstown have been even all year as the two teams split in their matchups this year. The Tigers are trying to get another district title and this year it looks like a two-team race. In the loss to Spencer County JT Galloway led the Tigers with 12 points. 10. North Hardin (7-15): The Trojans played three games this week in which they won one of them. They lost to district opponent Elizabethtown 83-56 at home, lost to district foe Central Hardin 64-51, and beat Hart County 78-62 in the Nathan McCurry Classic. The Trojans lost to two good teams this week though it is surprising how much they lost to Etown as bad as it was. They look to be the 4 seed in district but that’s one scary 4 seed. 11. Hart County (6-13): The Raiders played three games this week in which they won both games. The return of John Shoulders and suddenly Hart County isn’t so bad at all. 12. Adair County (8-13): The Indians lost all three games this week. Since Anthony Payne left the team Adair County hasn’t won a game and they currently are on a 6-game losing streak. 13. Thomas Nelson (12-9): The Generals played two games this week in which they won one and lost the other. They now have ten more wins than they got all last year. 14. Green County (7-12): The Dragons played two games this week in which they won one of them. With their district making region isn’t a crazy thought if they play well late. 15. Bethlehem (6-13): The Eagles played three games this week in which they won two of them. They did end it on a bad note losing to a district team. 16. Nelson County (2-21): The Cardinals played three games this week in which they won one of them. Nelson did stop a thirteen-game losing streak before the district win. 17. Caverna (1-16): The Colonels played twice this week losing both games. Season has been rough as they have now lost sixteen games in a row. 18. Fort Knox (1-14): The Eagles played two games this week and lost both. They are now on a nine game losing streak.

1. John Hardin (21-0): The Bulldogs continue their amazing season by winning all four games this week which included winning the 2A Classic. They beat district opponent Elizabethtown 94-86 at home, they beat Scott in first round 67-56, beat Glasgow 67-40 in semis, and beat Knox Central 83-60 in title game. What a year it has been so far as they are the only team who hasn’t lost yet in the state. They have been remarkable all year and they seem to not be slowing down at all. Alex Matthews was the MVP of the 2A Tournament. 2. Larue County (14-3): The Hawks took care of business this week and won their only game of the week. The Hawks beat North Bullitt 71-44 at home. Larue has been as good as advertised this year as they have shown to be a top 10 team in the state. Larue has four kids who average at least 12 points a game which shows their balance. In the win over North Bullitt Dailliss Cox had 19 points and 10 rebounds. 3. Central Hardin (12-6): The Bruins won their only game of the week this week. They beat Bardstown 52-45 on the road in a low scoring game. The Bruins have been very good all year as their losses have all been to very quality teams. They have continued to be a team who can really shoot the three ball. They are led by region player of the year candidate Jacob Hobbs, who is averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds per game. 4. Taylor County (14-4): The Cardinals played two games this week in which they won both games. They beat Hart County in a thriller 66-63 at home and beat district foe Marion County 80-64 at home in a huge statement win. Taylor had an impressive blowout win over Marion County being they was without two starters. This is probably their most impressive win of the year. Trevon Smith had 29 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Marion County. 5. Marion County (14-6): The Knights played three games this week and ended up winning two of the games. They beat district foe Adair County 61-54 on the road, they lost to district opponent Taylor County 80-64 on the road, and finished the week up beating Rockcastle County 84-55 at home. Losing to Taylor by the margin they did is disappointing, as the Knights have struggled lately. It was big for them to bounce back and get a blowout win over Rockcastle County. John Adams had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Rockcastle County. 6. Elizabethtown (9-9): The Panthers played two games this week against two good teams and lost both games. They lost to district opponent John Hardin 94-86 in a shootout on the road, and they lost to Bullitt Central 79-56 at home. The Panthers played well against John Hardin and even though they lost they played very well in that game. They have been a pleasant surprise all year. Camden Williams had 28 points to lead the Panthers in the loss to John Hardin. 7. Washington County (12-5): The Commanders played three games this week in which they won two of them. They beat Burgin 78-61 at home, lost to Danville 67-40 at home, and beat Hart County 72-66 at home. The Commanders have been solid all year and they have a big goal of winning district this year. Drew Yates had 35 points in the win over Burgin. 8. Bardstown (9-10): The Tigers played one game this week and that ended up in a loss. Bardstown lost to Central Hardin 52-45 at home. They played one of the region’s best to a game at the end, so you can’t be too upset with that performance. The Tigers like always seem to have a good shot of winning their district once again. Bardstown has four players who average 10 to 12 points per game showing how balanced they are. 9. Campbellsville (10-9): The Eagles played three games in the 5th Region All A Classic which resulted in them winning the whole thing. They beat Caverna 76-28 at home, they beat Green County 53-47 on the road, and beat Bethlehem 61-46 in the championship. This was a great week for the Eagles as they can represent the 5th Region in 1A State. They have had a successful year so far. In the win over Caverna, Nataj Sanders led the Eagles with 16 points. 10. North Hardin (6-13): The Trojans played one game this week and that resulted in a win. North Hardin beat Meade County 73-55 at home. Record won’t show it, but North Hardin has played good ball lately as they have one of the toughest schedules in the 5th Region. They are a team that nobody will want to play when it comes district tournament time. Queshaun Davis had 24 points in the win over Meade County. 11. Adair County (8-10): The Indians had a rough week as they lost both games this week. The week got worse, as they also lost their leading scorer Anthony Payne who left the basketball program this week. 12. Hart County (4-12): The Raiders played two road games against two good teams,and lost both games close. Good sign Hart is playing a lot better now that they have John Shoulders back from injury. 13. Thomas Nelson (11-8): The Generals magical season continues as they won both games this week. This was a team last year who had two wins and they now have 11 wins as it has been great to watch. 14. Green County (6-11): The Dragons played one game this week in the 5th Region All A Classic in which they lost. This has been a disappointing year so far, but they have lots of time to change that. 15. Bethlehem (4-12): The Eagles played in the 5th Region All A Classic where they played two games and they lost in the championship game. Season has been a struggle, but they played well this week. 16. Caverna (1-14): The Colonels played in the 5th Region All A Classic and lost their first-round game in blowout fashion this week. This has been a rough year as they now have a 14-game losing streak. 17. Nelson County (1-19): The Cardinals lost their only game of the week. They currently have a 11-game losing streak and this has been a year where nothing has gone right for them. 18. Fort Knox (1-12): The Eagles played in the 5th Region All A Classic and lost in the first round for them. They currently have a 7-game losing streak and they have been all blowout losses.

I agree, John Hardin's biggest test will probably be a rematch with Bowling Green at home.

1. John Hardin (17-0): The Bulldogs amazing season continues with winning all four games which included winning their section in the 2A Tournament. They beat Adair County on the road 73-33, beat district foe Central Hardin in a nail biter 68-67 at home, beat Larue County 64-63 in a classic game, and beat Christian Academy Louisville 84-52 to win their section. What John Hardin has done so far has been tremendous. All they have done is continue to win, no matter who it is against. They have won three games by one point this year, which shows how good they are in late close games. In the win over Central Hardin, Aaron Scott led them with 21 points and 5 made threes. 2. Larue County (13-3): The Hawks played in the 2A Tournament and won one game and lost the other game. Larue County beat Nelson County 66-44 and lost in a heartbreaking fashion to John Hardin 64-63. Larue lost to John Hardin in the closing seconds, just like the year before in the region title. The loss hurt for Larue I am sure, but they know that they are right there with John Hardin. I will be very surprised if John Hardin and Larue don’t play again and if they do, we can only hope for another great game. Noah Davis led Larue County in points in the win against Nelson County. 3. Central Hardin (11-6): The Bruins played two games this week where they won one game and lost the other. The Bruins lost to district foe John Hardin 68-67 on the road in a great team effort, and they beat district opponent Fort Knox 57-14. Central Hardin almost got a massive statement win against John Hardin, but they couldn’t win the close contest. Central Hardin is the third best team in the region, but are very capable of making a run at the region title, as they could beat both Larue and John Hardin. In the loss to John Hardin, Jacob Hobbs had 27 points and 11 rebounds. 4. Taylor County (12-4): The Cardinals played two games this week with one win and a loss in the 2A Tournament. They beat Monroe County 88-53 at home and lost to Christian Academy Louisville 68-66 at Christian Academy Louisville. The Cardinals have been a good team this year, but they haven’t shown the consistency to be a top 3 team in the Region so far. Taylor loses three starters, so the Cardinals will try to make another magical postseason run. Kybrin Smith led Taylor with 21 points and 8 rebounds in the loss to Christian Academy Louisville. 5. Marion County (12-5): The Knights played just one game this week and that was the 2A Tournament which they lost. Marion County lost to Desales 70-67 at home. Marion had a great start to the year, but they have struggled some lately as they have lost three out of their last four games. Overall though, Marion has been very good and has competed against some good teams. John Adams led Marion with 19 points in their loss against Desales. 6. Elizabethtown (9-7): The Panthers played four games this week and won three of them. They beat district opponent Fort Knox 76-34 on the road, they beat North Hardin in a dandy 65-64 at home, they beat Meade County 70-63 on the road, and lost to Butler 76-64 in the Bluegrass Cellular New Year’s Eve Classic. The Panthers are playing their best ball of the season right now. This is a team who have shown to be a good team after expectations were this was going to be a rebuilding year. Camden Williams had 34 points in the win over North Hardin including the game winning basket. 7. Washington County (10-4): The Commanders won both their games this week. They beat district opponent Nelson County 69-55 on the road and beat Model 76-60 at home. This is a Washington County team who has a lot of experience and it has shown, as they have won six out of their last seven games. When you think of good teams in the 5th Region, you don’t hear Washington mentioned, but they are a very solid team. Drew Yates had 35 points in the win over Nelson County. 8. Bardstown (9-9): The Tigers played two games this week and won both against district teams. They beat Bethlehem 59-46 on the road and beat Thomas Nelson 68-57 at home. The Tigers have been inconsistent so far this year, but this week was a good week. The best part for Bardstown is, they should be a team that competes in the regional tournament once again this year. Tereylin Calbert had 26 points in the win over Thomas Nelson and hit an insane 8 threes in the game. 9. Adair County (8-8): The Indians played one game this week in the 2A Tournament in which they lost. Adair County lost to John Hardin 73-33 at home. This was a bad draw for the Indians, but they still did not put up a very good showing. Adair has been better than expected, but they have struggled some lately. Jordan Simpson had 10 points in the loss to John Hardin. 10. Campbellsville (7-9): The Eagles played one game this week in which they won. They beat Hart County 86-78 at home in a high scoring affair. The Eagles have started the year slow, but hope to get it going before postseason, like they did last year. Malachi Corley is back for Campbellsville and he led the Eagles with 26 points and 9 rebounds in the win over Hart County. 11. North Hardin (5-13): The Trojans played two games and they lost both. They almost got a great statement win, but lost at the buzzer. The record isn’t good, but it would be hard to find a better 5-13 team in the state. 12. Hart County (4-10): The Raiders played one game this week which ended in a loss. They were without John Shoulders for a while due to injury, but it has really been a struggle lately. They have won one out of their last nine games. 13. Thomas Nelson (9-8): The Generals lost both games this week. They are still one win away from double digit wins, which would be a huge accomplishment compared to last year’s season. 14. Green County (6-10): The Dragons only played one game and it was a district win. Green County really needed that win, as they stopped a four-game losing streak by picking up that win. 15. Bethlehem (3-11): The Eagles played one district game this week and it was a loss. It has been a rough season for the Eagles, but with a new coach and a young squad, you expect it to get better. 16. Caverna (1-13): The Colonels played three games this week and lost all three games. It’s been a rough season, as they are currently on a thirteen-game losing streak. 17. Nelson County (1-18): The Cardinals played in three games this week and lost all three games. It has been a disappointing year as they have lost ten games in a row. 18. Fort Knox (1-10): The Eagles played two district games this week and lost both games. They are in a five game losing streak and to make matters worse, they have all been blowout losses.

1. Larue County (12-2): The Hawks continued their great year by winning both games this week. They beat Campbellsville 63-33 at home and beat district opponent Green County 72-57 at home. Larue has done what many have expected from them so far, which is be a very good basketball team. They are a team who has 4 players who could be the guy any given night. In the win over Campbellsville Noah Davis and Anthony Adkins had 19 points each to lead Larue. 2. John Hardin (13-0): The Bulldogs continue to do nothing but win as they won their only game this week. They beat Owensboro Catholic at home 72-63. This is one of the only teams who are still undefeated, and they have won some games that went to the buzzer. John is an extremely athletic team, but it is really a team with a lot of good basketball players. Coming into the game this week, John Hardin led the region with shooting 49.9 percent per game which is super-efficient. 3. Central Hardin (10-5): The Bruins played three games this week and they won two of them. They beat district foe North Hardin 57-50 at home, beat district opponent Elizabethtown 58-49 at home, and lost to Corbin 61-54 in the Raymond Reed Classic. Losing to Corbin was a little surprising, but they did get two needed district wins this week. This Bruins team is probably the best three-point shooting team in the region as they are shooting 37 percent from distance. In the win over North Hardin Jacob Hobbs led Central will 21 points and 11 rebounds. 4. Taylor County (11-3): The Cardinals won their only game this week, which was a rivalry game. They beat district rival Campbellsville 80-61 at home. The Cardinals took care of business and hope they can continue their good play for the rest of the year. Taylor plays hard and they rely on a couple of experienced players who have won a regional title. They rely on Trevon Smith who has been great so far, he is shooting 40 percent from three, where he shot only 18 percent last year. 5. Marion County (12-4): The Knights lost their only game this week to one of their biggest rivals. They lost to Washington County 62-60 on the road. This is back to back weeks Marion has been upset by teams in the 5th region. The positive side coming into this week, Marion County was leading the state in rebounds per game with 41.1 rebounds per game. They can throw a lot of big bodies at you. Even though Marion has struggled as of late, this is still a junior led basketball team, so this isn’t their last shot for a big run. 6. Elizabethtown (6-6): The Panthers played one game this week and lost a district game. The Panthers were defeated by Central Hardin 58-49 on the road. This loss was expected and Etown has still overachieved so far considering how young this team is. The three leading scorers are all sophomores which would have to make an Etown fan very happy for the future of this team. Sophomore guard Jaquais Franklin is averaging 22 points to lead the squad this year. 7. Washington County (8-4): The Commanders had a great week winning both games this week. They defeated district opponent Bethlehem 64-38 on the road and upset rival Marion County at home 62-60. Beating Marion County has to give Washington County a lot of momentum going forward. Commanders are also a very good three point shooting team as they have three starters who are shooting over 40 percent. This is a team with a lot of experience, so this is a sleeper team that a lot of teams will not want to play in the postseason. 8. Adair County (8-7): The Indians had two games go down to the wire and they won one and lost the other. The Indians lost to Barren County at home in double overtime 78-76, and beat Gallatin County 60-58 at home. Gallatin County was the best win Adair has had all year as they beat a good basketball team. The Indians are a small team, but they are a good shooting team. They were first in the region in free throw percentage coming into this week as they shoot a great 77.3 percent from the line. 9. Bardstown (7-9): The Tigers played two games this week as they won one game and lost the other. They beat district foe Nelson County 57-56 on the road and lost to North Laurel 89-78 at the Raymond Reed Classic. It was surprising to see their district game be such a close game, though it was in fact a win. Bardstown is an athletic team, their biggest problem seems to be that they play to the level of their competition. Trey Riney had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Tigers in the win over Nelson County. 10. Campbellsville (6-9): The Eagles lost both of their games this week including to their rival, Taylor County 80-61. The Eagles also lost to Larue County 63-33 on the road. The Eagles were without standout Malachi Corley due to a Football all-star game. The Eagles are a team who relies on their two best players to do most of the scoring and rebounding. Nataj Sanders had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Larue County. 11. North Hardin (5-11): The Trojans played three games this week and won one of the three games. The Trojans continue to be very competitive against good teams so far this year. 12. Hart County (4-9): The Raiders ended their losing streak and won their one game this week. Hart County had John Shoulders back from injury and with Shoulders back this can be a good basketball team. 13. Thomas Nelson (9-6): The Generals split their games this week by winning one game and losing the other. The amazing season continues as Thomas Nelson is one win away from double digit wins, after last season what an accomplishment that would be. 14. Green County (5-10): The Dragons lost their one game this week, which was a district game. It has been a struggle for the Dragons lately as they have now lost four straight games. 15. Bethlehem (3-10): The Eagles played two games this week. They won one game and lost the other. You can see the improvement from the start of the season as it started off looking very bad for the Eagles. 16. Caverna (1-10): The Colonels lost both their games this week. After winning their first game they have lost ten straight games. 17. Nelson County (1-15): The Cardinals lost both of their games this week, but they did almost get a big upset win but fell short. Nelson County is on a seven game losing streak since their one win this year. 18. Fort Knox (1-8): The Eagles lost their only game this week. Fort Knox has lost three in a row and none of the games have even been close.

1. Larue County (10-2): The Hawks won all three games and won the Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic. They beat Carlisle County 68-29, beat Bullitt Central 52-50, and beat Southwestern 80-40. The Hawks took care of business and had to win a close game against Bullitt Central to get to the finals. Mark Goode had 23 points and 7 rebounds in the win over Bullitt Central. They can throw so many big bodies at you that it makes it tough for its opponents. This team hasn’t done anything to make you think this team can’t represent the 5th Region in State. 2. John Hardin (12-0): The Bulldogs won all three games and won the Taylor County Holiday Classic. They beat Warren Central 58-51, beat Moore 60-44, and beat Taylor County 68-64. John Hardin has yet to lose a game this year and they have been nothing short of great so far this season. Alex Matthews, has been tremendous all year and led them in points with 19 points against Taylor County. John has been so balanced all year, which makes them very good. John has shown that they are a legit threat to win the region again this year. 3. Central Hardin (8-4): The Bruins played three games in the Central Bank Classic and won two out of the three. They beat Paducah Tilghman 73-63, beat West Jessamine 74-54, and beat Lexington Christian 69-58. This Tournament had a lot of good teams and to get second place in this was no shame at all. Standout Jacob Hobbs had 26 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Paducah Tilghman, he is one of the regions best. The schedule has been good so far and even though they have four losses they have a lot of quality wins as well. 4. Taylor County (10-3): The Cardinals played two games in their Taylor County Holiday Classic which they won the first game and lost in the title game. They beat Doss 57-44 and lost to John Hardin 68-64. Even with the loss to John Hardin, that was an encouraging game as they competed with a very good John Hardin team till the end. Trevon Smith had 24 points in the loss to John Hardin as he has really improved since last year. Taylor has had a good bounce back year so far after last year’s disaster. 5. Marion County (12-3): The Knights played three games in the Campbellsville High School Holliday Classic where they won two out of the three games. They beat Madison Southern 81-72, lost to Elizabethtown 77-76 in overtime, and beat Casey County 99-73. The Knights was probably the favorite to win this tourney so not doing it was disappointing but to have a nice bounce back win was important. Tyshay Epps had 21 in the win over Casey County as he has been tremendous all year long. Overall this has been a good start to the season for Marion. 6. Elizabethtown (6-5): The Panthers played three games in the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic and won all three games to win it. They beat Green County 85-52, beat Marion County 77-76 in overtime, and beat Washington County 69-64. What a week for the Panthers as they got a huge upset win over Marion and ended up winning the Classic. Camden Williams had a breakout game against Green County leading them with 27 points in that contest. For as much as they lost last year and how young they are this is a great start for the Panthers. 7. Bardstown (6-8): The Tigers played three games in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic and they won one of them. They lost to Cooper 40-33, beat Hancock County 76-60, and lost to Fredrick Douglas 59-48. The tigers played some good teams and was very competitive with a very good Cooper team. JaRel Montgomery had 18 points in the loss to Cooper. Bardstown after a slow start has played better ball lately. 8. Adair County (7-6): The Indians played three games in the Dan Swartz Classic as they won one of the three games. They lost to East Carter 77-64, lost to Russel 80-67, and beat Estill County 68-61. Not the best of week for Adair as the defense really struggled this week, which had been a strong point all year. In the win over Estill County Jordan Simpson had 16 points to lead Adair. Despite the bad week Adair has been a pleasant surprise so far. 9. Washington County (6-4): The Commanders played three games in the Campbellsville Holiday Classic which they won two of the three. They beat Grayson County 60-49, beat Casey County 80-72, and lost to Elizabethtown 69-64. The Commanders would have loved to win the Classic but it was still a solid showing. Cameron Willis has been great as expected for them, coming into this Classic he was averaging 17 points a game. Washington as a team has been what most expected. 10. Campbellsville (6-7): The Eagles played three games in the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic as they won two of the three games. They lost to Casey County 71-60, beat Grayson County 61-50, and beat Madison Southern 70-64. Eagles had a disappointing loss to start it off but answered with two straight wins to close it out. Coming into the Classic Malachi Corley was leading Campbellsville in scoring at 20.7 points a game as he is a special athlete. 11. North Hardin (4-9): The Trojans won one of three in the Christmas tournament this week. They continue to be competitive with good teams as they are really close to becoming a sleeper in the region if they can pull out these close games at the end. 12. Thomas Nelson (8-5): The Generals won two out of the three games they played in their Christmas tournament this week. Thomas Nelson has been as good of a surprise as anyone in the region so far after last year’s bad season. 13. Hart County (3-9): The Raiders lost all three games they played in their Christmas tournament this week. They need to stop the bleeding as they have lost seven straight games. 14. Green County (5-9): Dragons lost all three games they played in their Christmas tournament this week. After a good start they have struggled lately losing four out of their last five. Gunnar Bush had 26 points in the last game of the tournament. 15. Bethlehem (2-9): The Eagles played one game this week and it was a loss. It has been a struggle this year but with new coach and a lot of new kids playing it will take time. 16. Caverna (1-8): Did not play this week. 17. Nelson County (1-13): The Cardinals lost all three games they played in their Christmas Tournament this week. It has been a very disappointing start to the season so far. 18. Fort Knox (1-7): Did not play this week.

1. Larue County (7-2): The Hawks suffered their first loss of the season this week as they won one game and lost two in the prestigious King of the Bluegrass Tournament. They lost to Trinity 67-46, lost to University Heights 68-65, and beat host team Fairdale 78-54. The Hawks who lost twice, still had a solid showing. They lost to a great Trinity team and lost a 50 50 game against a top 10 team in University Heights, so Larue did show they are indeed a very good basketball team. Dailliss Cox had 20 points and 8 rebounds in the win against Fairdale. 2. John Hardin (9-0): The Bulldogs won all four games this week to win the Owensboro Invitation Tournament. They beat Apollo 76-35, beat Bowling Green in overtime 58-55, beat Daviess County 65-61, and beat Hopkinsville 45-44. This was a team who hadn’t been in very many close games and they had three in this tournament. John Hardin has shown they are a top 20 team in the state and they are the only team in the region who has yet to lose a game. Aaron Scott led them with 22 points in the win against Apollo. 3. Central Hardin (6-3): The Bruins went one and one this week as they didn’t play in a Christmas Tournament this week. They beat Hart County 77-51 at home and lost to Oldham County 69-61 in the Kentucky Bank Challenge. They took care of business against Hart County and lost a competitive game against a good Oldham County team. All three of the Bruins losses are to very good teams so Central Hardin hasn’t had a bad loss yet. In the win against Hart County Jacob Hobbs had 18 points and 12 rebounds. 4. Marion County (10-2): The Knights won two out of three games this week in the Warren East Holliday Hoops Classic. They lost to Muhlenberg County 64-62, beat Henderson County 74-59, and beat Campbellsville 67-53. The Knights lost a close game to Muhlenberg but bounced back nicely with two wins. The Knights continue to dominate teams by outrebounding about every team they play. Jamison Epps had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the loss to Muhlenberg County. 5. Taylor County (9-2): The Cardinals didn’t play in a Christmas Tournament as they played a regular game on the road and lost. Taylor lost to Boyle County at Boyle County 63-54. This was an upset and this makes it two losses in a row after winning their first nine games. Taylor has still had a good season so far and just need to get a win to get the momentum back. Trevon Smith leads Taylor in points and rebounds so far as he is averaging 25 points and 9 rebounds so far this year, as he could win region player of the year. 6. Adair County (6-4): The Indians won all three games in the KME Christmas Classic this week. They beat Piggott AR 67-56, beat Houston County TN 74-50, and beat St. Mary 51-38. After a slow start they have won four out of their last five games. After losing so much from last year the Indians have had a good start to the season. Anthony Payne had 34 points in the win over Piggott AR, he has stepped up for the Indians as he has been amazing for them so far. 7. Campbellsville (4-6): The Eagles played four games this week which they won two and lost two which included three games in the Warren East Holliday Hoops Classic. The Eagles beat Green County on the road 79-53. They lost to Todd County Central 85-78 in overtime, they beat Caverna 82-61, and lost to Marion County 67-53. The Eagles have been consistently in the middle of the pack this year. Malachi Corley had 26 points and 10 rebounds in the win against Green County. 8. Bardstown (5-6): The Tigers played four games this week including three games which was in the Warren East Holliday Hoops Classic. They won a big district matchup at home against Washington County 61-58. They beat Henderson County 61-60, lost to Muhlenberg County 52-51 in overtime, and beat Todd County Central 51-46. This was a great week for the Tigers as they started off slow, but the Tigers are playing their best ball right now. Trey Riney had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the big district win. 9. Washington County (4-3): The Commanders didn’t play in a Christmas Tourney this week as they only played a district game which they lost. They lost to district foe Bardstown 61-58 on the road. Losing to Bardstown is disappointing but they had been playing well before that as the loss stopped a four-game winning streak. In the loss Cameron Willis and Devin Hurst both had 17 points to lead Washington. 10. Elizabethtown (3-5): The Panthers played three games in the Barren Hoops Classic as they won one game and lost two. They beat host Barren County 72-66, lost to Whitley County 73-60, and lost to Glasgow 80-68. The Panthers are a young squad so like expected they have had some struggles early. Jaquais Franklin led the Panthers with 15 points in the loss to Whitley County. 11. Hart County (3-6): The Raiders had a bad week as they lost four games this week. Star player John Shoulders did not play this week due to an injury, this week showed just how valuable he is. Hayden Belden scored 16 points to lead Hart in a game this week. 12. North Hardin (3-7): The Trojans played three games and won one of the three. The record isn’t good, but the schedule has been tough early. Josh Moore leads the Trojans in scoring with 10.1 points per game so far. 13. Thomas Nelson (6-4): The Generals had another great week and won two out of three. This team has been fun to keep up with after last year’s long season. Noah Cecil is leading them in points so far with 11.7 points per game. 14. Green County (5-6): The Dragons won two games this week and lost two games this week. The Dragons had a solid week after a bad week last week. Zyler Bardin led the Dragons with 17 points in a loss this week. 15. Bethlehem (2-8): The Eagles won and lost one game this week. Even though it hasn’t shown with many wins the Eagles have improved since the start of the season. Zach Weston was the leading scorer in the win this week with scoring 13 points. 16. Caverna (1-8): The Colonels lost all three games this week. Been a rough start so far as they have so many new faces getting their first varsity experience, so this was expected. Deshante Richardson led the Colonels with 18 points in a game this week. 17. Nelson County (1-9): The Cardinals played two games this week winning one and losing one. They did get their first win of the year this week as it has been a disappointing start so far. 18. Fort Knox (1-7): The Eagles lost both games this week. Been a rough start to the season though it is expected with how mu

1. Larue County (6-0): The Hawks continued its dominance this week with two more blowout wins. They beat Doss at home 76-53 and beat district foe Caverna on the road 82-47. Larue has been as good as advertised as they have not had a close game all year so far. The Hawks have so much size and strength that just overpowers most teams they play. Against Doss, Noah Davis led the Hawks with 23 points as he also hit 5 threes in the win. We will learn a lot about how good Larue is this week, as they will be playing in the King of the Bluegrass. 2. John Hardin (5-0): The Bulldogs proved they are a real region threat, as they won both district games this week, which included the best win of any team in the 5th region this year. They beat District Opponent Central Hardin on the road 66-58, and they beat district foe North Hardin 73-48. They don’t have the house hold name like last year, but this John Hardin team may be even better this year. Alex Matthews had 24 points and 14 rebounds in the great win over Central Hardin. Matthews has been fantastic this year as he has been a top 3 player in the region so far. 3. Central Hardin (5-2): The Bruins suffered a tough district loss but bounced back with a win later in the week. They lost to John Hardin at home 66-58 and beat Grayson County 67-38 at home. The Bruins got a disappointing loss to John Hardin but that is an elite team. The Bruins have still shown they are a 5th region contender this year. In the loss to John Hardin, Jacob Hobbs had a great game with scoring 26 points and 12 rebounds. 4. Marion County (8-1): The Knights had a good week as they won all 4 games, including a district win. They beat Thomas Nelson at home 75-44, beat Green County on the road 77-61, beat district foe Campbellsville 77-70 on the road, and beat Bethlehem 57-44 at home. The Knights are off to a great start and their one loss is to a very good basketball team on the road. In the win over Campbellsville, John Adams led Marion with 21 points. 5. Taylor County (9-1): The Cardinals lost their first game this week, but they also won three games, including a district win. They beat Caverna at home 82-39, they beat Green County on the road 72-61, beat district foe Adair County 55-53 on the road, and they lost to Oldham County on the road 71-55. The Cardinals have been consistent this year and the one loss they have was against a very good Oldham County team. In the win over Green County, Trevon Smith had 28 points and 10 rebounds. 6. Hart County (3-2): The Raiders only played one game this week and that was a win. They beat Metcalfe County 86-70 at home. The Raiders have had a good year so far, as their two losses came against two of the better teams in the 5th Region. John Shoulders not surprisingly, has been the guy for Hart as he is averaging 25 points per game and 9 rebounds a game. 7. Washington County (4-2): The Commanders played two district games this week and ended up winning both games. They beat Nelson County 61-39 at home and beat Bethlehem 61-37 at home as well. After losing their first two games, they have won four in a row and have looked like the team we expected them to look like. Cameron Willis and Drew Yates both had 15 points in the win against Nelson County. 8. Adair County (3-4): The Indians split two district games this week by two-points each . They beat Campbellsville on the road 62-60 and lost to Taylor County at home 55-53. The Indians had a good week with a great comeback win against Campbellsville and played well against Taylor County. In the win against Campbellsville, Jordan Simpson led with 24 points. 9. Campbellsville (2-4): The Eagles lost both district games this week in close games. They lost to Adair County 62-60 at home and lost to Marion County 77-70. The eagles blew a 17-point halftime lead to Adair, but had a nice bounce back game against Marion, even if it was a loss. Nataj Sanders led the Eagles with 19 points in the loss to Adair County. 10. Elizabethtown (2-3): The Panthers split their two games for this week. They won on the road against Grayson County 75-48, and they lost at home in overtime to Desales 74-65. Though the Panthers lost a ton of talent off last year’s squad, they have been competitive against good teams and this is a young team. Jaquais Franklin had 32 points in the loss to Desales. 11. North Hardin (2-5): The Trojans got one nice win at home and lost their district game this week. Their record isn’t good, but the schedule has been really tough so far. Queshaun Davis led North with 17 points in their win this week. 12. Bardstown (2-5): The Tigers did get a district win this week and their loss was to a powerhouse program. It’s been a disappointing start so far for the Tigers. Jarel Montgomery is leading the Tigers in scoring with 14 points a game. 13. Thomas Nelson (4-3): The Generals lost two this week including a district loss, but got another win to get them back over five hundred. This has been a fantastic start so far and beating Green was a great win for them. Noah Cecil is leading them in points with 13 a game. 14. Green County (3-4): The Dragons lost all three games this week. They started off the season good, but this last week was a struggle. Gunnar Bush led them with 14 points in the loss to Marion County. 15. Bethlehem (1-7): The Eagles lost both games this week, including one district loss. It’s been a tough season so far, but with a new coach and a lot of inexperienced players, it was expected. Caleb Zerkuhlen led the Eagles with 11 points in their district loss. 16. Caverna (1-5): The Colonels lost all three games in blowout fashion, including one which was a district game. It has been a rough start, as they have been blown out in all their losses. Jaxton Dunagan had 16 points in one of their losses this week. 17. Nelson County (0-8): The Cardinals lost all three of their games this week including one district loss. Nelson is still looking for their first win, so things have not gone as planned. Marcus Shewmaker leads the team in points with 9 a game. 18. Fort Knox (1-5): The Eagles won their one game this week in overtime. They got their first win of the year, as they needed that win for confidence. Corey Brown leads them in scoring with 12 points per game.

1. Larue County (4-0): The Hawks continued their winning way this week as they won three games to remain undefeated. They beat North Hardin at North 76-62, they beat district foe Hart County 74-47 at home, and beat Western in the 2A tourney 79-60. This team hasn’t disappointed so far, and they have looked like a region favorite should look like. Against Hart County, Anthony Adkins had 20 points and Mark Goode had 19 points. Larue’s big 4 of Adkins, Goode, Cox, and Davis is the best in the region. 2. Central Hardin (4-1): The Bruins got some good wins this week and they also suffered their first loss of the year. They beat Marion County 77-67 at home, beat rival Elizabethtown on the road 69-59, and lost to Bowling Green 73-68 in the Rafferty’s Shootout. Central Hardin had a good week even with a loss. The Marion win was a good win and they lost a great game to Bowling Green, who could win the 4th Region. Deonco Wilkerson has been amazing for the Bruins this year as he had 27 points and 9 rebounds in the win against Marion County. 3. John Hardin (3-0): The Bulldogs started their season this week, and they won all three games in blowout fashion. They beat Adair 81-54 at home, beat district foe Fort Knox 107-39 at home, and beat Eastern 65-32 in the Bardstown Tip-Off Classic. They lost two great players from last year, but the Bulldogs may be even tougher to stop this year since they are so balanced. Alex Matthews has been the guy the first two games, as he had 24 points and 12 rebounds against Fort Knox. 4. Marion County (4-1): The Knights suffered their first loss of the season, but bounced back with two wins to end the week. They lost to Central Hardin 77-67 on the road, beat district foe Adair County 77-63, and beat Bullitt East 80-68. Marion showed they can play with the best teams in the region with the game against Central Hardin, even if it was a loss. Tyshay Epps led Marion with 17 points in the loss versus Central Hardin. He has really improved since last year. 5. Taylor County (6-0): The Cardinals won three more games this week as they are still undefeated after two weeks. They beat district rival Campbellsville 79-68 on the road, they beat Hart County at Hart County 69-64, and they beat Spencer County at home 72-66. Taylor has taken care of business so far this year and shown that last year was a fluke. Trevon Smith had 28 points in the win against Campbellsville. 6. Hart County (2-2): The Raiders lost both games this week, but it was against two of the better teams in the region. They lost to Taylor County 69-64 at home and lost to district foe and region favorite, Larue County 74-47. Hart played Taylor well until the end, showing they are a good team, but Larue was just too much for them with their size. John Shoulders, in the loss to Taylor County had 31 points. 7. Washington County (2-2): After a rough first week, the Commanders bounced back and won their one game this week. They beat district foe Thomas Nelson on the road 66-50. Washington County played two good teams the first week, but this week they showed they are good enough to win their district. Cameron Willis scored 23 points in the win over Thomas Nelson. 8. Campbellsville (2-2): The Eagles won one game and lost one game, like the first week of the season. They lost to district rival Campbellsville 79-68 at home and beat Meade County 76-72 at home. The Eagles have done what was expected this season, but they also don’t have a great win yet. Malachi Corley did all he could do in the loss to Taylor County, as he had 30 points. 9. Bardstown (1-4): The Tigers won their first game of the year, but also lost two more this week. They beat Desales at home 54-51, lost at North Oldham in overtime 66-55, and lost to Hopkinsville 46-38 in the Bardstown Tip-Off Classic. The Tigers are starting the season off slow, but some of it has to do with the quality of opponents they are facing. 10. Adair County (2-3): The Indians lost both games this week and are currently on a three-game losing streak. They lost to John Hardin on the road 81-54 and lost to district foe Marion County 77-63 on the road. The schedule this week was tough, so they will need a good week to bounce back. Anthony Payne led the Indians with 19 points in the loss against Marion County. 11. Elizabethtown (1-2): The Panthers split the two games this week and led for a majority of the game against Central Hardin, before losing. Jaquais Franklin had 17 points in their win. 12. Green County (3-1): The Dragons won both games this week including a district win over Caverna. Braden Sluder led the Dragons with 18 points in their district win. 13. North Hardin (1-4): The Trojans lost both games this week, but they were to two very good teams. North since last year has played competitive with good teams they just haven’t been able to get that quality win yet. 14. Thomas Nelson (3-1): The Generals played two district games and split them, they already have one more win than last year. Andrew Mason had 17 in their district win. 15. Bethlehem (1-5): The Eagles lost two of the three games this week, but they did get a district win, and first win with Mike Deaton as their coach. Kruse Harned had 16 points in the district win. 16. Caverna (1-2): The Colonels lost their only game this week which was a district game. Big man Jaxton Dunagan had 17 points in the loss. 17. Nelson County (0-5): The Cardinals lost all three games this week, including a district loss. They have started about as bad as they could, but there are some winnable games coming up for them. 18. Fort Knox (0-5): The Eagles lost both games this week including a district game in blowout fashion. Corey Brown had 17 in the district loss.

1. Larue County (1-0): The region favorite Larue, started the year with an overtime win. They beat a good team in Valley 64-60 going to overtime in the Corky Cox Classic at home. Mark Goode was fantastic for the Hawks as he had 22 points and 16 rebounds. The Hawks have only had four of the five starters for a week due to their football team making State Semis, so this team getting this win to start off the year is impressive. 2. Central Hardin (2-0): The Bruins had a good start to the year with two lopsided victories. They beat Nelson County at home 78-47 and beat Owensboro in the KY 811 Shootout 67-47. Jacob Hobbs and Gavin George both had big opening games, Hobbs had 23 points and 9 rebounds, while George had 22 points and 9 rebounds. Central Hardin will have a good test as they face Marion County at home Tuesday. 3. John Hardin (0-0): The Bulldogs haven’t played yet, and they will start their season at home vs Adair County on Monday. Should be an exciting team who really likes to play fast. 4. Marion County (2-0): No team in the 5th Region had a more impressive week than the Knights. They beat Bardstown at Bardstown 85-68, and they beat Washington County at home 94-72. In both games, Tyshay Epps and Jamison Epps exhibited fantastic performances. Tyshay Epps scored 29 and 25 points in the first two games and Jamison Epps had two double double games where he had at least 15 rebounds in both games. Marion has a marque game this week as they play Central Hardin at Central Hardin Tuesday. 5. Taylor County (3-0): The Cardinals got off to a great start by winning all three games. They got a win at Bullitt Central 72-65, won at home vs Washington County 82-74, and closed out the week with a win vs Fort Knox at home 80-45. Trevon Smith is trying to make a case for the best player in the region as he averaged 27 points per game and 8 rebounds per game so far. His weakness for his career has been three point shooting and through three games he’s shooting 45 percent. 6. Hart County (2-0): The Raiders started off the year with two wins the first week. They beat Bethlehem at home 61-38 and beat district foe Caverna on the road 90-64. John Shoulders like expected, was the guy for Hart this first week. He had games of 24 points and 30 points while also getting 8 rebounds and 12 rebounds. Hart hasn’t been ranked this high in a while, so it will be interesting to see if they can sustain it. 7. Bardstown (0-2): The season hasn’t gone as planned so far, as the Tigers lost both games this week. They lost at home to Marion County 85-68 and lost on the road to North Bullitt 77-67. The Tigers knew Marion would be a tough game, but losing by that margin was surprising. Jaydon Traynor is showing good promise and for the Tigers to be where they want to be, they need him to be a consistent problem for teams. 8. Washington County (1-2): The Commanders had three tough games and they ended up with one win. They lost on the road at Taylor County 82-74, lost at Marion County 94-72, and won at home beating Elizabethtown 58-55. They played two good teams, but got a nice bounce back win against Etown. Against Marion, Cameron Willis had a big game with 29 points and 7 rebounds. Their schedule will get easier, so don’t be surprised if Washington gets rolling. 9. Campbellsville (1-1): The Eagles split their first two games of the year. They won on the road against Cumberland County 80-64 and lost to Monroe County at home 77-63. The Eagles are led by Malachi Corley and Nataj Sanders, as the two are the guys for Cville. They took a big step forward last year making region semis, so they are trying to maintain that level of play. 10. Adair County (2-1): The Indians lost a ton of talent last year, but they started off the first week of the year going 2 and 1. They won on the road against Cumberland County 70-61, won at home against Green County 62-51, and lost at Cville to Paducah Tilghman 61-53. The Indians beat who they were supposed to beat, and played closer than expected to Paducah Tilghman. Anthony Payne has been the go to guy so far, as he has scored 27, 28, and 19 points in the first three games. 11. Elizabethtown (0-1): Panthers lost their only game this week. The panthers lost as much talent as anyone, so this will be a team that will take some time to get going. Thankfully for them, they do have one contributor from last year Jaquais Franklin. 12. North Hardin (1-2): The Trojans started the first week of the season winning one of their three games. They have some talent back from last year including transfers, so North could improve a lot through the year. In the Oldham County loss, Tony Everett led the team scoring 16. 13. Green County (1-1): The Dragons split their games this week to be even. Green is an experienced team, who can play with a lot of teams because of their athletic ability. Against Barren, Zyler Bardin led Green with 13 points in the win. 14. Thomas Nelson (2-0): The Generals started the year winning the first two games. They won two games in all last year, so it is great to see them have success early after last year’s struggle. Against Edmonson, Hunter Wimsett led them with 27 points. 15. Nelson County (0-2): The Cardinals lost both of their games to start the year. They have some talent back from last year, so I expect them to bounce back. The guards for Nelson will need to try to get it inside to Marcus Shewmaker and Garret Miles for the Cardinals to have a successful season. 16. Caverna (1-1): The Colonels played two games this week and they won one and lost one. They lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, and are inexperienced. In the game against Fort Knox, Drew Rhodes led them with 2 points. 17. Bethlehem (0-3): The Eagles didn’t start the season how they would hope, as they lost all three games and lost them all by big margins. Having a new coach and graduating 6 seniors last year, this was expected. In the game against Bullitt Central, they were led by Brice Gasser with 12 points. 18. Fort Knox (0-4): The Eagles had a busy week playing four games. The bad part was they lost all four. This is a team that lost a lot last year, including two transfers. So this could be a long year. Against Caverna, they were led by Corey Brown with 12 points.

2018 was an exciting year in the 5th region. John Hardin represented the 5th Region as expected, by beating Larue County in the region finals in a great game. This year should be a great year in the 5th Region. There are some good teams and a lot of good individual talent this year. Larue got runner up last year, but seems to be the favorite coming into the year. The Region Tournament will be held at Hart County this year. Preseason 5th Region Rankings 1. Larue County (29-3)- The Hawks had a great year last year, ending in a heartbreaker as they were 20 seconds away from winning Region for the first time since 1988. The good news for Larue County is they return 4 starters off that runner up team. This is a team who has lots of experience and have played in big games already, as this team is full of Juniors and Seniors. They will be led by their leading scorers from last year, Forward Anthony Adkins and Center Mark Goode. Adkins and Goode both averaged 13 a game last year. Adkins is a Louisville football commit who can really bully people inside with his strength. Goode is a traditional Center who is skilled for his size. The other returning starters Dailliss Cox and Noah Davis aren’t as known, but they both are big reasons why Larue is so good with Cox’s length and athleticism and Davis’s ability to space the floor with the 3 ball. LaRue is a team who is so hard to match up with because of their size inside, as they have multiple players 6-3 and taller. Larue is the heavy favorite this year and they would love nothing more than to represent the 5th Region at Rupp. 2. Central Hardin (19-11)- The Bruins had a good year last year, that ended in the first round of the Regional Tournament. They return 4 starters from last year’s team, and they also return the 3 leading scorers from last year. The most notable was the leading scorer last year Jacob Hobbs. Hobbs who is a Lipscomb commit, averaged 12 points and 8.6 rebounds. He will be the go to guy for Central Hardin as they hope to have a memorable year. Hobbs is a big guy at 6-7, but where he is tough, he can shoot outside and he’s also a great athlete and an elite rim protector. Gavin George averaged 11.8 points per game and should give the Bruins another go to guy. They are a team who has multiple guys who can shoot the 3 which is why they are a hard team to guard. The Bruins have good size almost everywhere, and they like to play in a half-court game where they can really execute their offense. Central Hardin has never won a region title. With so much experience back, winning Region must be the goal for them. 3. John Hardin (28-8)– The Bulldogs are the reigning 5th Region champions, as they ended their fantastic season losing at Rupp Arena last year. They did lose their two best players and leading scorers, in 5th Region player of the year Mickey Pearson and Malik Wright. Don’t count out John Hardin yet. They do however return 7 of 9 varsity players, and a lot of them played key minutes on last year’s title team. They also return 3 starters who will be the guys for the Bulldogs this year, in senior guards Jachai Walker and Aaron Scott and junior forward Alex Matthews. Walker the point guard, shot an amazing 55 percent from 3 last year and is a smart guard. Scott is an athletic 2 guard who can be a streaky shooter and when he’s on, he’s tough to stop. Matthews is an athletic forward who seems to get every 50-50 ball. He was very close to averaging a double double on the year as he averaged 9.8 points and 10.1 rebounds last year. They are a team who likes to play fast and really get after you. They aren’t the favorite to win region like last year, but a year later, John Hardin is in the mix once again. 4. Bardstown (17-12)- Last year, the Tigers ended their season in the first round of Region. This wasn’t a normal Bardstown year with James Brewer at the helm, as the Tigers were not region contenders. A big part of that, was that the Tigers lost so much the year before, and they didn’t have much experience at all. However, this year the Tigers do return a lot of experience from last year, including 5 players who averaged at least 6 points. Trey Riney is the returning leading scorer from last year as he averaged 9.9 points. They need him to even improve on that for this year. For Bardstown to really contend, they will need big man JJ Traynor to have a good year. The 6-8 Senior averaged 6 points and 7.1 rebounds last year, but many are expecting him to have a breakout year, as he possesses a lot of physical talent. Bardstown likes to play fast, but what Bardstown is always known for is their pressure defense, as they really get after you and play hard. Offensively you never know who the guy for Bardstown will be that night, which is hard to game plan for. Unlike last year, it looks as if like normal, Bardstown is going to be a contender in the end. 5. Taylor County (5-23)- The Cardinals season ended last year in the first round of the district tournament. Last year I’m sure seemed like a bad dream, as the Cardinals who had won 3 straight region titles, ended up winning 5 games. Everything just went wrong for them, including being without their starting point guard all year but for one game, due to injury. This year they hope it looks to be different as they return a lot of experience. They return 3 starters off the team who won region 2 years ago. Dejhon Irvin returns from being out last year at point. Even though he’s small, he plays so much bigger, as he may be the best athlete in the region. Trevon Smith is the guy for the Cardinals, as he led the team in scoring 19.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. The Lefty is a great slasher and if he can get a consistent 3 point shot, then watch out. The other 3-year starter returning is Grant Mcqueary. He is the player that every team needs, because he does all the little things that doesn’t get noticed. Taylor plays very hard and is a very gritty team. The Cardinals hope last year is behind them and they get back to their winning ways this year. 6. Marion County (18-11)- The Knights ended their season last year in the first round of the district tournament. The Knights did a lot better than most expected, as they were a very young team overall. They lost their leading scorer in Lez Means, but things are looking up for Marion. They return a lot of experience and especially a lot of experience that are going to be Juniors. The Junior class for Marion is special, highlighted by the big three of guard Tyshay Epps, forwards Jamison Epps and Mason Sullivan. Tyshay Epps is the leading returning scorer averaging 10.3 points. The two bigs, Epps and Sullivan can kill teams on the glass as both are big physical bigs who can add possessions with offensive rebounds. This will be a very deep Marion team that can throw multiple players at you. Marion will be a team who will try to physically wear you down as they have a lot of big strong players on this year’s team. Even though Marion lost a very good player in Means, don’t be surprised if the Knights are even better this year. 7. Washington County (17-13)- The Commanders lost in the first round of district last year. The good news is that Washington only lost one player off last year’s team. They should be as experienced as anyone in the region. They return three players who averaged over 12 points a game. Senior Point Guard Cameron Willis led the team in scoring with 18.5 points. He is a great shooter, as he shot 39 percent from 3 and shot 81 percent from the free throw line. He’s also scored double digits for 3 straight years. Senior Drew Yates scored 13.2 and Senior Devin Hurst averaged 12.7 points last year. This is a class of seniors who have played a lot of basketball for the Commanders. The team really depends on Cameron Willis to get things going for others, as well as he has over 500 assists in his time playing. This team isn’t usually considered a top team, but this year that could change. 8. Hart County (15-13)- The Raiders ended their season losing in the first round of the district tournament. The good news for the Raiders is, they only lost one player off that team last year. They also have back the all-region player Senior John Shoulders. Shoulders led the team with 21 points and 8.2 rebounds. He really does it all for Hart, as he led the team with 60 threes last year and shot 83.6 percent from the free throw line. This is a Hart County team who has a lot of experience. Junior Trevor Blair was second on the team in scoring with 10.4 points and junior Braydon Bell led the team shooting 41 percent from 3 last year. They return a lot of scoring from last year so I don’t see scoring being a problem. Therefore, the Raiders must feel like they can make region, and this could be another surprise team this year as they would love to play region at their own gym. 9. Campbellsville (16-16)- The Eagles ended their season last year by losing in the regional tournament in the semifinals. They had a great year, as not many people would have predicted a top 4 finish for them. They also return their two leading scorers. Senior Nataj Sanders averaged 12.5 points last year to lead the team. Junior Malachi Corley averaged 11.4 points and had a massive summer. Corley could be one of the breakout players this year in the 5th Region. The Eagles did graduate 5 seniors so they will have to replace a lot of playing time. They also return their leading 3-point shooter in Arren Hash, who shot 36 percent. Eagles will play through their two main guys a lot this year. The Eagles made region last year, and I am sure they feel they can do the same thing again. 10. Elizabethtown (17-10)- The Panthers lost in the first round of the district tournament. The Panthers had a good senior class and didn’t make it out of district which was a disappointment. They lost a lot of talent last year as they lost 6 seniors and graduated 4 starters. Etown does have two players who contributed on last year’s team. Senior guard Tait Pritchard scored 9.6 points and shot 40.8 percent from the 3-point line. They also return sophomore Jaquias Franklin who had a good freshman year by scoring 9.5. This Panthers team is going to be very inexperienced, but they do have two good guards to build off of. Expectations have changed for the Panthers, but if they could find a way to make region, it would be a great season for the Panthers. 11. North Hardin (11-18)- The Trojans season ended in the first round of the district tournament. This wasn’t a normal North Hardin year as the team struggled all year. They lost a lot of close games, but couldn’t ever get it going. They do return 3 starters from last year’s team as well as two transfers from Fort Knox. One, Jonah Butts led Fort Knox in scoring last year at 12 points. Tony Everett is the leading returning scorer, by averaging 8.6 points. This North team will be deep and if they can win close games, they could have a much better year. The Trojans hope they get back on the right path this year and make region again. 12. Adair County (20-12)- The Indians ended their season last year losing in the semifinals of the regional tournament. Adair has lost 4 of the 5 starters from that team, due to 2 transfers and 2 graduating. Most Notable loss was Zion Harmon, the sophomore sensation transferred to Marshall County after leading the state in scoring with 32.7 points. Anthony Payne is the leading returning scorer from last year as he averaged 11.9 points. He’s shown glimpses, but Adair will need him to be the guy. The Indians will have 5 seniors who all play lots of minutes this year. Last couple of years Adair has been a threat to win the region, this year making region should be the end goal. 13. Green County (12-16)- The Dragons ended their season last year with a loss in the first round of the district tournament. Dragons only graduated one player who was the leading scorer ,Isaac Young, but they also lost their coach Keith Young who retired. Peter DiStefano returns to his alma mater to coach. He inherits a team who has 4 starters back and a lot of experience. Senior guard Zyler Bardin is the leading returning scorer at 10.5. With it being a new coach, this should be an interesting year for the Dragons being that they have so much experience back. Green didn’t make region last year, but with the experience they have back, making region is a realistic goal for this squad. 14. Nelson County (10-21)- The Cardinals season ended last year in the first round of the district tournament. They were competitive with most teams, but could never get it going. They graduated 6 seniors, but they do return two double digit scorers. Senior Forward Marcus Shewmaker averaged 11.4 points while Senior Center Garret Miles averaged 10.6. The Cardinals inside play is their strength, but for them to improve guard play will be key as their frontcourt will be able to matchup with most teams in the region. If the Cardinals can come together and improve, making region could happen for this squad. 15. Bethlehem (10-18)- The Eagles ended their season with a loss in the first round of the regional tournament. This year’s team is going to look a little different, as they graduated 6 seniors and have a new head coach, Mike Deaton. Junior Guard Lane Peake is the leading returning scorer from last year by averaging 6.8 points. The Eagles will be a team with not much experience at all. This could be a down year for Bethlehem, but the good news is this team has several juniors who will be back next year as well. 16. Caverna (13-17)- The Colonels ended their season last year in the first round of the regional tournament. They lost there do it all player in Jobby Howard who averaged 30 last year. This is a team who graduated 4 starters, so this is going to be a very young squad. Jaxton Dunagon is the leading returning scorer, as he will be relied on a lot more this year. This is a team who likes to get it out and go fast in the past, but with so many new faces, it will be interesting to see if that’s the same style they go with. Expect a down year for Caverna compared to the last couple of years, but they have shown they will play very hard. 17. Thomas Nelson (2-28)- The Generals ended their season last year in the first round of the district tournament. Winning two games the whole year was a disappointment. Good news is, Thomas Nelson didn’t lose a player off last year’s squad. Hunter and Jerry Wimsett were the two leading scorers from last years team. This is a team that will have a lot of experience back. Last year was bad for Thomas Nelson, but don’t be surprised if the Generals get close to double digit wins this year. 18. Fort Knox (6-19)- The Eagles ended their season last year in the first round of the district tournament. This hasn’t been the best offseason, as they graduated 6 players and lost two other players to transfer. The two players that transferred would have been the two leading returning scorers and Jonah Butts led the team in points last year with 12. This is going to be a rebuilding year for Fort Knox with all the departures from last year’s squad. Top Players in the 5th Region 1. Jacob Hobbs 6-7, Central Hardin (F, Sr): The Lipscomb commit is a versatile player who is a matchup nightmare. He can shoot it for his size but he’s a very athletic player and a great rim protector. 2. Trevon Smith 6-3, Taylor County (G, Sr): The lefty does it all for the Cardinals. He’s a good slasher with a really good midrange game, and for a guard his ability to score inside is very rare for someone of his stature. 3. Mark Goode 6-6, Larue County (C, Jr): The big man is a traditional big, as he is good with his back to the basket. He also has great hands and has a good midrange game to go with his great touch around the basket. 4. John Shoulders 6-1, Hart County (G, Sr): The do it all guard can score in about any way you want him to. Everything goes through him and for his size he can really be good inside as well. 5. Anthony Adkins 6-3, Larue County (F, Sr): The Louisville football commit is a physical specimen inside. He’s a great rebounder and offensively he can play bully ball with the best of them as he is a really good finisher around the basket. 6. Alex Matthews 6-4, John Hardin (F, Jr): Matthews is an all energy guy. He’s as good of a rebounder as there is in the region, and can do all the little things that don’t show up on the box score. 7. Jaquias Franklin 5-11, Elizabethtown (G, So): Franklin was the best freshmen in the region behind Zion Harmon last year. The kid can really score in a variety of ways and he’s got the talent to be a region player of the year candidate. 8. Jachai Walker 5-11, John Hardin (G, Sr): Walker may be the best 3-point shooter in the region. As a point guard he can really set up teammates for easy baskets and you can always rely on him on the defensive end as well. 9. Cameron Willis 5-10, Bethlehem (G, Sr): The point guard does everything you would want a high school point to do. He’s an excellent shooter, has led the team in assists for years, and late in games he’s who you want with the ball in his hands. 10. Jayden Traynor 6-7, Bardstown (C, Sr): The big man has all the physical talent that you would want with his length and athleticism. He hasn’t been able to translate that onto the court yet but don’t be shocked if he’s a top player by the end of the year.

Saying they shouldn't be ranked at all since there 0-4 is as crazy as anything I've ever heard. There's this thing called competition and who you play absolutely matters. You let Trinity play a normal schedule there undefeated or have one loss max.

Some great players on this 1A list. I can concur on Corley I have seen him play once and man he's a player. He dominated Casey and Taylor two good teams.

Casey’s win over Cville is looking better now as well. Casey is a solid football team

Malachi Corley is a gamer

Too much Preston Tucker for the Eagles. This young man is a beast

Going to be a down year for the Indians as they not only lost Zion Harmon but lost Dre Boyd to transfer. Senior Anthony Payne will be the guy for them this year.

This is confirmed by Larry Vaughts article as he reports that Zion has met with his new team today.

Probably the favorite in the 5th going into next year. The biggest question for Larue will be guard play as they lost their best guard Shane King.

You take Moreno off of Scott County and they are no longer a contender. For High School Moreno changes the game and is nearly unstoppable. I understand your point but to me Pulaski underachieved this year so that doesn't help his cause.

This is a great list, you could make an argument for a couple of guys but who are you going to take off. Also everyone of these players teams had very good years that has to go into it.