coachlee

Agree it will be a dog fight. There is a lot of length and athletic teams in the 6th which makes it difficult to dominate or run through the region. It is a region that even PRP as the current 8th ranked team is likely a #1 or #2 team in many other regions. On a neutral court in a TN Holiday tournament they beat a very solid Corbin team by 12 and Corbin is clearly the #1 or #2 team in the 13th. That is just an example of how deep this region is with capable teams.

I can see the potential to have Trinity over Fern Creek despite FC winning 2 out of 3 games they have played. But how does a team with an 18-2 record with 7 victories over the current Top 20 be behind a 12-4 Ballard team which they have beaten twice in the KOB & LIT by an average of 10 points? They play a third time next week so maybe the CJ Litkenhous will get it right if FC is successful a third time beating Ballard.

LIT week in Louisville is a big thing and this past week history was made for one 6th region team. Fern Creek earned their first LIT championship in 70 years of this long running event. The Tigers had only ever been to one LIT Championship game during this time (2004), so this was a monumental championship for the Fern Creek High School & entire community. Eleven 6th region teams made the 2017 LIT but only 4 scored victories as 7 recorded losses in their openers. Bullitt East and Fairdale each recorded an opening victory while Valley and Fern Creek made the semi-finals with the Tigers representing the region all the way to the finals where they defeated Trinity. With the passing of LIT week, only 5 weeks remain in the regular season. This homestretch gives teams plenty of time to hit their stride or their slide, what is it going to be? 1) Fern Creek (18-2)- Not feeling any hangover from their loss to Hopkinsville, Fern Creek bounced back in a big way with 4 consecutive wins at the Valley gym during the LIT. They clearly have established being the favorite when the region gathers back at Valley for the post season. Clint Wickliffe has emerged as a threat in the paint which gives an added scoring weapon. Clint joined PG Anthony Wales on the all-tournament team. Wales continues to show he is one of the state's best floor generals capable of impacting the game whether he is scoring (14 PPG) or in other ways. Chance Moore is clearly the main scoring threat earning the LIT MVP award, but is also growing into being a complete player. The Tigers now play district foe JTown and then Southern this week. 2) Valley (12-4)- Valley jumps Doss in the rankings as they found their home gym comfortable going 2-1 with a loss to Trinity as the only blemish in what otherwise was a great showing. Valley had not advanced to the semi finals in a long time but this is a talented team with a proven leader on the bench in a coach that has played the game at the highest level. Eric George and Curt Lewis continue to lead the Vikings as they each landed on the LIT All Tourney team. Tre Anderson and Cam Wilson have also added scoring in bunches so this team can beat anybody when they are all playing well. 3) Doss (12-6)- Doss can't be far behind Valley if at all, given they beat Valley the week before the LIT by 16. Still Valley deserves the bump after going 2-1 and Doss suffering an opening loss to Central. A loss to Central at the LIT is not a bad loss, they have a track record of upsets so this is not reflective of Doss playing poorly. Nobody from Doss made the All Tourney team, but Jaylon Hall did commit to Wright State this week and he continues to lead the Dragons along with Cam Mattox & Stephon Franklin. 4) Bullitt East (12-6)- BE beat PRP in their LIT opener before losing to Ballard in a close and competitive game. The Chargers are clearly a top team in the 6th after starting slowly. Ballard is likely the 2nd best team in the 7th behind Trinity so the loss shows the Chargers are not far off from being a challenger for the top spot. Luke Ezell had a coming out party at the LIT showing that he is an elite PG in the region capable of scoring or helping set up his teammates. 5) Butler (11-6)- Butler failed to get a victory but remains in the top 5 for now. Time will tell if Butler can get back on track or if they can even be a dark horse to contend for the title. In a close loss to Eastern, it was a missed opportunity for Butler to convince others they were a team that was capable of making a strong tourney run. 6) Moore (11-5)- After 6 consecutive wins, Moore fell to St. X in their first round game. Still, Moore is a very dangerous team that has only loss 1 region game which was in their first game of the season. They have earned the spot just outside of the top 5 and may bust that ceiling if they continue to win. 7) DeSales (10-6)- DeSales dropped their third consecutive game losing by 14 to Valley in the LIT. They remain at the 7th spot, but their next three games against Butler, Fairdale, and Moore will be watched closely to see if they belong this high in the rankings. 8) PRP (9-7)- PRP switched places with Moore dropping to the 8th spot not because they lost to Bullitt East in their only LIT game, but how they lost. It was a 68-48 margin that leaves you scratching your head with PRP. They have the talent, especially in 2018 Guard Trey Hill who is a Division 1 prospect. Yet they remain a mystery on why they are losing some of their games. They now have four upcoming games that could make a difference in how they finish the season. They have Valley, Fairdale, Doss, and then Ballard which could be a 4-0 run or an 0-4 run. 9) Fairdale (7-9)- With a first round win over Western, the Bulldogs get a slight rise in the rankings. However, they then lost to Fern Creek and despite keeping it close for the first half, the final score was an 18 point loss showing they have a long climb to be viewed as a possible contender. Their Coach deserves credit because they fight to the end and are capable of surprising the higher ranked teams if they do not come prepared to play. 10) Iroquois (10-8)- The Raiders have quietly climbed back over .500 and after being in the bottom of the 6th region for so long are going to be given the 10th spot this week. Either they will stay there or drop next week as they play Western & Moore this week which are games they must win or likely drop back out of the top 10. 11) Jeffersontown (7-9)- Not a good week for the Chargers with a loss to Central in the LIT by 18 and then a 22 point loss to CAL in a regular season game. They can redeem themselves and make some noise with an upset of either Fern Creek or Doss who they play this week. 12) Western (6-9)- The Warriors lost to Fairdale in the only game of the week they played at the LIT. 13) Holy Cross (8-8)- After an 18 point win over Southern, HC turned around and had a 22 point loss to Iroquois showing they just do not have a top 10 team in the 6th. 14) Southern (7-10)- North Bullitt and Fern Creek this week. 15) North Bullitt (6-11)- Expect a rise as they are getting their players back healthy. 16) Bullitt Central (6-10)- January 24th is the next 6th region game. 17) Beth Haven (9-6)- After the 6th region All A Classic game(s) this week, Beth Haven will not play a 6th region team until Holy Cross on January 31. 18) Whitefield Academy (6-8)- Beat Evangel Christian convincingly 72-47 this past week to clearly stay out of the last place position 19) Evangel Christian (3-13)- After the bad loss to Whitefield, it doesn't look like Evangel can get a win against 6th region opponents.

Open enrollment In Jefferson County creates an opportunity for a drastic turnaround if everything comes together with coaches and players. In the case of Fern Creek, Coach Schooler took the head coaching role at Fern Creek one season before the 2018 class entered high school. This team has been in great part comprised of players in the 2018 class. 5 or 6 wanted to play together as they had played youth ball for many years. Several of those young men started as freshman, and several others played JV and are coming into the rotation. A transfer like Chance Moore has been a huge addition. It has sort of been the perfect storm.

Not with me, I have always felt he is at the top or in the inner circle of being the top. Question is if football or basketball has the most upside. He is also a great safety. Just a solid young man too.

I was there and I can't tell you what effect it had on the Ballard players, but it seemed to energize the Fern Creek team who was up 9. The 5 Fern Creek Players out on the court at one time started the defensive drill with their hands up and fast feet taps. They all had smile on their faces. They came out in the 4th quarter with a lot of confidence.

Final from LIT FC nexts takes on Eastern at LIT Friday @ 4 PM which is where Chance Moore played until this season. Chance scored 30 tonight and Anthony Wales added 20 for the Tigers.

Coach Durham retired from teaching and coaching during the holiday break. Assistant coach is interim for the rest of the season.

Last week was a Doss Dragon steamroller as they beat the #2 and #6 teams in the region clearly separating themselves from the other contenders. With the Fern Creek loss to Hopkinsville on Saturday, it is also likely that Doss has narrowed the lead as they claw back to the #2 spot challenging Fern Creek for the best team in the 6th region. 1) Fern Creek (14-2)- Good wins over 6th region rivals Butler and Bullitt East, but a bad loss to Hopkinsville. The margin (20) was very surprising. In the LIT they face winner of Fairdale & Western in their first game. 2) Doss (12-5)- Doss deserves the #2 spot this week and they also deserve the #3 seed in the LIT where they will face the winner of Central & JTown in their first game. 3) Valley (10-3)- Doss jumped Valley by beating them, but Valley rebounded with a win over North Oldham. How Valley does in the LIT played on their home court will determine if they are challengers to Doss & Fern Creek or a notch below them. 4) Bullitt East (11-5)- The Chargers have finally put their full team together against Fern Creek and came away feeling they are going to be all right by tourney time. They are the #5 seed in the LIT and play PRP in a first round match-up that will impact future rankings. 5) Butler (11-5)- Butler was beat badly by Fern Creek, but bounced bacK with two wins. They face Eastern in the LIT and if they win they could get a rematch with Fern Creek to regain some stature. 6) PRP (9-6)- PRP won the game they were suppose to versus Beth Haven, but the loss to Southern was a tough loss to a Panther team that could have moved up the rankings with a win. They now play Bullitt East in the LIT with another chance to move up into the Top 5. 7) DeSales (10-5)- DeSales had a bad week going 0-2 causing the ranking drop with losses to Doss and St.X. They hope to rebound with a win over Valley to set up another shot at Doss in the LIT. 8) Moore (11-5)- The Mustangs jump a spot and could have jumped even more with a victory in the LIT over St. X, but they lost by 12. They still are a team to watch to rise in future rankings. 9) Jeffersontown (7-7)- J-Town beat 6th region foe Western last week, but then proceeded to lose two in a row to 7th region teams, Waggener & Central in the opener for the LIT. 10) Fairdale (7-8)- Fairdale did not have a great week last week with two losses, but rebounded with a big win in their LIT opener to beat Western to round out the Top 10. They play Fern Creek next on Wednesday. 11) Western (6-9)- Not a good week with losses to JTown, Seneca, and Fairdale. 12) Iroquois (8-8)- The Raiders lost to Butler, but won over Shawnee and Whitefield Academy. They play Western next week to earn a chance to climb in the rankings. 13) Holy Cross (8-7)- Holy Cross deserves credit for a big win over Southern, nice win for the new coach. 14) Southern (7-10)- Southern went out and beat PRP and then Atherton to appear to be ready to rise significantly. But then they lost to Louisville Collegiate and Holy Cross. It is hard to put them ahead of Holy Cross after losing to them. 15) North Bullitt (5-11)- Nice win over the weekend over Christian Academy of Indiana. 16) Bullitt Central (5-9)- A very nice win over Meade County for BC. 17) Beth Haven (9-5)- Beth Haven has a decent record, but evidence of their ranking is they lost to PRP by 48 on Friday night. 18) Whitefield Academy (5-8)- Winless in 2017. 19) Evangel Christian (3-11)- 10 losses in a row but they play Whitefield Academy next week in what appears to be an evenly matched game.

I just got back to Louisville from the game and no doubt Hopkinsville was the better team tonight for the most part because early in the 2nd half Cager took over and had an incredible stretch where he was the best player on the court from either team. Great run that just about doubled the halftime lead of 8 in a matter of minutes. Credit Hoptown for overcoming a slow start to tie the score by the end of the 1st quarter and taking control before halftime. Coach Schooler from Fern Creek tried to shake things up and played kids that normally do not see much action in the first half. He was trying to light some fire under his starters but it never seemed to do so. He had to do the same thing in the 3rd quarter and left his starters out until the early part of the 4th quarter hoping he would see some change but it never did. He even got a technical trying to rally his team but this game belonged to Cager and his Hoptown teammates. They hit 60% from the field and from the 3 point line as a team.

Agree on the well coached team comment, and both teams just played hard with mutual respect. This is a good rivalry between district foes. BE has owned the district for at least the last 5 years and since Coach Schooler has arrived at Fern Creek there have been mostly competitive games between these programs. Clint Wickliffe really had a great 2nd half with 14 points to actually total 15 for the game. I also liked the effort from BE guard tandem of Osborne & Ezell. In a time when most good players are impatient waiting for their turn, I admire that Jared has played behind last years senior class when many would have just left and transferred. He stayed and is really having a great senior year leading his team.

Final Bullitt East was up at half by 7 until Fern Creek had a really good 3rd quarter when Clint Wickliffe scored 8 & Anthony Wales 7 during a run to go up 10. Bullitt East tried to get back in it in the 4th quarter, but could never regain the lead. Fern Creek was led by Wales with 14 and Wickliffe 13. Ahmad Price missed the game due to illness and foul trouble kept Chance Moore from breaking double figures. Bullitt East has a great fan base that travels, it was a really good game between two district rivals before a full gym.

Sounds like the clock operator may be equally as responsible for the shot counting as the ref.

Some 400 ib guy in his bedroom probably hacked in.

You can argue with the methodology, but to suggest there is a puppetmaster behind the curtain pulling strings indicates something that simply does not exist. An AD in 6th & 7th region get updates on a regular basis and there is a scoring key that spells out every scenario that you add or subtract your points. It is impossible to rig the seedings. You can argue the logic of the scoring key, but you can also plan your schedule to maximize the potential to score points if you really want to. The biggest issue many have is that last season's team performance has a direct tie to where you start out in the new year's ranking. In the case of Fern Creek, they picked up several points the last week for a win over an undefeated South Oldham team on South Oldham's home court. That is an example of how points are awarded and beating a team with a highly rated designation on their home court awards multiple points. I do not know the exact scoring key, but it is made known to the schools.

I understand what you are trying to say here, but eliminating turnovers is what prevents you from losing not helps you to win. Not turning the ball over is table stakes, not the catalyst for a strong 2nd half. I would say the monster game from Sylvester and 26 from Fitzgerald was the major difference for Pulaski. Butt is a great HS player capable of being a difference maker, but suggesting his ability to cut down on his turnovers was the difference maker seems sort of odd for me to read, but I was not there to get that perspective.

Final Chance Moore led with 26 followed by Anthony Wales 15 and Ahmad Price 13. Defense was stingy by the Tigers.

I was able to see Big Zach play in June with his SK team and knew he could be a centerpiece for them. I have not seen them play this season, but he is for sure a favorite of mine as he is a big man that doesn't mind banging around the basket.

Louisville Invitational Tournament seeding announced in Courier Journal today and Fern Creek is the overall #1 seed ahead of Trinity at #2 followed by Doss #3, and Ballard #4. Bullitt East was #5, Valley #6 and Butler #8 to place (5) 6th Region teams in the Top 8 seeds. Other teams from the 6th region to make the 20 team field of the 6th & 7th region event are: DeSales #11, PRP #12, Fairdale #16, Western #17, Moore # 18, & Jeffersontown #20. The SETH rankings or scoring system determines the field order and uses a complicated scoring system where points are earned or lost through games leading up to now. If you have never been to a LIT tourney, it is a great event held at Valley High School beginning next Monday Jan 9th through Saturday Jan 14th.

I will add 6'6" Hogan Brownley from Louisville Male. He has some really nice spin moves near the basket. If Male makes any noise it will be in large part how often they can get the ball to Hogan. He is almost averaging a double double with 16 points and 9.8 rebounds. Very nice traditional post player for the Bulldogs.

Agree, before pulling top kids from border states the programs here in KY first must shore up the exodus of top KY kids leaving for other programs in OH, IN, TN, and Missouri. Those programs that come in and do this are well funded and many times it is because they have former players who are pros giving back to their teams they used to play on. When a top player and their parent(s) are able to travel on the out of state program's budget without coming out of pocket, that may be a better financial situation for them even if they otherwise would be playing for a local program that cannot offer the same.

I know it is hard to compare the programs of Trinity and NCC because of overall numbers, but I perceive schools to seemingly have on/off years in classes by design in basketball. Trinity for example in the recent past cycles will have a senior dominated squad with most of the next tier talented kids be sophomores. The Freshmen and Junior classes may have a significant player, but the depth seems down. It has worked for them the past few seasons and maybe it is not by design, but it allows the torch to be passed when a strong senior class leaves to the sophomore class and then they have two years before they pass it on again. My point is that if NCC has a strong freshmen class, this may be little or no impact as it clears the way for the freshmen to be next in line.

As we look back on the 2016 part of the 2016-17 season one thing is for sure....the 6th region can make a strong case as the juggernaut of all 16 regions this season. At season's end if you make it out of the 6th, you will have earned your trip to Rupp and be battle tested. The 6th has always had teams capable of winning the State Tournament, but the overall depth this season makes it a region that few can match. What we have learned so far is that the top 7 teams all can pack a punch. At the top, the Fern Creek team has played as tough a schedule as anyone in the state while only losing a single game to Trinity. The initial week of 2017 brings many regional match ups and we will see who can move up the rankings or who slides. 1) Fern Creek (12-1)- The Tigers were the Champions of the Mitchell Irvin Classic held at South Oldham over the Holidays. They had wins over KCD, Dixie Heights, and the host team South Oldham who had been undefeated until the Tigers handed them their first loss. In that game the Tiger team had 5 scorers in double figures and their defense tightened up in the 2nd half which could make them very tough to beat if they continue with that intensity. The schedule in the 1st week of January does not get any easier with regional games against Butler, Bullitt East (district game), and then a match up with Hopkinsville which should be a great game matching two similar styles of play. 2) Valley (9-2)- The Vikings went 2-1 at the Holiday event held at Henry Clay HS in Lexington. Although they lost a game, that was to a very good TN team while they won easily over Warren Central and Henderson County. They still have more region wins than anybody (5-0) and they battle with Doss on Tuesday before facing North Oldham later in the week. They sit solidly at #2 and with a win over Doss combined with an upset upon Fern Creek they could find themselves at the top of the 6th in the next rankings. 3) Doss (10-5)- Doss jumps over Butler as they have went 5-1 since the KOB. Doss won the Paducah Tilghman Christmas Tournament and then went 2-1 at the Meijer Holiday event with their only loss an overtime defeat against Franklin-Simpson in the opening game. In an odd scheduling sequence over a 4 game span, Doss played all three Hopkinsville teams losing to Christian County at the KOB while beating both University Heights and Hopkinsville at the Paducah tourney. Next up for the Dragons is key matchups with both Valley and DeSales. 4) Bullitt East (10-4)- The Chargers have went 3-1 since the last update with a Championship win at the Oldham County Best in Hoops tourney over Waggener 68-55 and then going 2-1 at the Ashland Invitational with wins over Bracken County & Simon Kenton to go along with a loss to Owensboro Catholic. They move up a spot to 4th and could go even higher as they play district foe Fern Creek this coming Friday after taking on Whitefield Academy earlier in the week. 5) Butler (9-4)- Butler drops two spots but remains in the top 5 after losing 2 of 3 at the Apollo Holiday Classic in Owensboro. Those losses came after they won the Bardstown Holiday Classic the week before beating two Alabama teams in the semi-finals and championship game. The losses at the Apollo event were to Oldham County & Warren Central with a win against Central Hardin. The Warren Central loss was a double overtime thriller 71-73. Butler plays Fern Creek on Tuesday and then Iroquois and Lincoln County at the end of the week. 6) DeSales (10-3)- DeSales remains unchanged with the #6 ranking but made a case for higher consideration as they are back on track winning the Ashland Invitational going 3-0 with wins over Ashland Blazer, Simon Kenton, & Owensboro Catholic. The week before they struggled losing badly in back to back games at the Best in Hoops Classic to Bullitt East & Oldham County. They have St. X and Doss this coming week. 7) PRP (8-5)- PRP went 4-2 since the last rankings and they must be the best #7 ranked team than any other region. They beat a strong Corbin team from the 13th region 78-66 in the Championship game of the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic. They also beat 13th region South Laurel at the same event. They went 2-2 the following week against 4 Indiana schools at the Jeffersonville, IN event. This is a streaky team. They started the season winning 3 in a row, then loss 3 in a row, won 5 in a row, and then lost their last 2 games. They play Southern and Beth Haven in what should be two easy games this week for the Panthers. PRP could easily move up quickly and their being #7 shows how tough the 6th region is this year. 8) Jeffersontown (6-6)- The Chargers stay in the 8th spot even going 1-3 this past Holiday week. They lost to George Rogers Clark, Southwestern, & Casey County before winning against out of state Spring Hill, TN. However, the teams chasing them all played in out of state events and it is hard to gauge the competition to move them ahead even though JTown lost to 3 KY teams. The last few teams in the top 10 will work itself out soon as JTown plays Western, North Bullitt, and Waggener this coming week. 9) Moore (5-4)- Moore has only played 9 games and in their lone outing since the last ranking they lost to Indianapolis Cathedral 60-68 which is not a bad loss considering the same Cathedral team beat PRP by 18 the following day. Moore faces Fairdale, Bullitt Central, and Tates Creek this coming week. 10) Western (6-5)- Western went 3-1 since the last rankings, but all four of those games were against out of state teams except Morgan County who they beat at the Aleris Christmas Tournament after losing to Rockcastle in their opening game of that event. Western plays JTown and Seneca next week with a chance to rise in the rankings if they score a victory over JTown. 11) Fairdale (6-6)- Fairdale went 2-1 since the KOB playing in Panama City, FL splitting with 2 FL teams and beating an AL team. They sit just outside the top 10 and could easily move up into the 8-10 spots when they play Moore this week. They also play Pendleton County. 12) Iroquois (6-7)- The Raiders have won 3 out of their last 4 games and switch places with Holy Cross who dropped four in a row. Opponents next week include-Shawnee, Butler, & Whitefield Academy. 13) Holy Cross (6-7)- After winning 4 in a row earlier in mid-December, Holy Cross is now on a 4 game losing streak and in the process lost their Head Coach, Mike Durham. They get a chance to regain momentum with a single game this Saturday against Breckinridge County. The week without games could be good for this squad as they regroup after a tough Holiday period. 14) Southern (5-8)- Southern went 2-4 since the last rankings and probably should be in front of Holy Cross, but those two play next week which will settle their position in the rankings on the hardwood. I predict a Southern victory at that time. For now Southern plays PRP in a 6th region matchup this week and then ends the week with (2) 7th region opponents in Atherton & Louisville Collegiate. 15) North Bullitt (4-10)- The Eagles did break their losing streak with a victory over Hart County, but then went on and lost two additional games after that. They play John Hardin and JTown this week. I am unsure of his return date, but if they get Travis Dunnavan back soon things will greatly improve for them. 16) Bullitt Central (4-8)- 3 losses at the South Central Bank Classic drop their record to 4-8. They play Meade County and Moore this week. 17) Beth Haven (8-4)- Beth Haven went 2-1 as they hosted their own Holiday Classic. They lost in a thriller overtime game to Louisville Collegiate. They play Evangel Christian this week and finish on Friday with PRP. 18) Evangel Christian (3-9)- Went winless at the Beth Haven Holiday Classic. They play Beth haven and Eminence this week. 19) Whitefield Academy (5-5)- Whitefield Academy won 3 of 4 games at the Rose Hill All Private School Invitational over the Holidays to improve to .500 on the season. They have Bullitt East, St. Francis, and Iroquois this week. They will be hosting the Whitefield Down Syndrome Invitational on Saturday where contributions go to a great cause. Hats off to Whitefield for hosting that event which has 10 teams participating beginning with games at 11:30 AM through 8:00 PM that evening.

Great win to go into a neighboring state and win a Holiday event to bring the trophy back to KY. Way to represent Trinity. Rocks will be a tough out at the LIT in two weeks. The LIT is a great event as the battle for bragging rights of the 6th & 7th are on the line. HS basketball fans in the city of Louisville and those that travel in will be in for a treat.

I have to see how they do against better competition. Schedule has not been brutal so far. I see three tough games and they are 1-2. Good win over Pulaski, but only 3-2 in region and loss to the best two in region teams in Scott & Dunbar. I would think they are the favorite for the All A classic. They could prove to be a strong contender for the 11th, I just am not convinced yet.