coachlee

Top 25 may be a stretch, but I would agree it is more wide open than usual. There are some elite teams, but not too much separation in the Top 1-10 for sure.

I agree with Hoop Junkie. Looking at the bracket this week I would have changed places with Cov Cath over anyone. I just did not see a close game with any of the other three teams in their pod.

KING OF THE BLUEGRASS: FERN CREEK 73, CHRISTIAN COUNTY 68 The only shots Jaylen Sebree missed from the floor were two 3 point shots (0-2) and one other field goal. He scored 17 on 7-10 and if not for foul trouble in the 1st half when he went to the bench with 3, he would have scored mid twenties. He had his way going to the rack.

When I looked at the match-up I never thought it would be a close game. Until Trace Young becomes eligible at NH, this is a team that if you take away Jackson or he has a bad game then they simply will not beat a good team. That will change when Trace begins to play, Tony needs help.

Great high school game. Largest lead of the game was 8 in 1st quarter when Fern Creek was ahead 25-17. From that point on it was Fern creek by about 3-6 points until the 4th quarter when Christian County completed a comeback and took a 3 point lead with about a minute to go. Then Wales scored 7 straight in the closing moments of the game to get the lead back in the final seconds. Wales and Moore were 13-13 from the free throw line and the rest of the team was 4-11 which almost allowed Christian County the win. Both teams deserve their early rankings, two good teams.

Special talent, really special. I have never seen a player line up on the free throw line when his teammate is shooting and get as many rebounds off the missed free throw as Andrew. It is an uncanny thing he does and an example of just the uniqueness about him.

If you analyze the pods/draw, who do you feel has the best road to the Semi-Finals? The top pod with Covington Catholic coming out as what I would pick as the clear favorite to advance would be my opinion. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Winning the prestigious KOB is not an easy feat and you are probably right in terms of every game could go either way and many 1st round games at State are mismatches. But I would trade a KOB title for a State Championship every time. The legacy of winning a State Championship is every kid's dream.

Final Fern Creek put 5 in double figures this game with Wales 18, Moore 14, Price 12, Rogers 11, and Wickliffe 11. It was a nice game considering the trap it could have been after Trinity win on Saturday and the opening game against Christian County this coming Saturday at the KOB.

When describing it as a "community school" it was not with the intent of suggesting they were all kids from Fern Creek. Community is used to describe schools like PRP, Jeffersontown, Valley...etc. They are not magnet public schools and tend to get the support of the local area they are located in. With open enrollment in Jefferson County, very few teams are filled with student athletes just from that area and Fern Creek is no different.

Week 2 is in the books with a larger body of work providing a clearer picture of how the season is shaping up. One thing is clear, only one team remains undefeated in the entire region, Fern Creek at 5-0. Three other teams, Valley, Butler, & DeSales all have a loss, but remain undefeated in the region with 3-0 records. They form the top of the region rankings with PRP & Doss close behind. Here is the rankings after the weekend games: 1) Fern Creek (5-0)- The Tigers were in the top spot last week after knocking off the preseason favorite Doss in week 1. After a win over the 7th region favorite Trinity on this past Saturday evening, the Tigers have emerged as not only a threat to win the 6th region but are garnering attention outside the region as well. They are averaging right at 80 PPG and defensively are holding opponents to just over 60 PPG. Chance Moore is making a case for POY in the 6th region with his early season performance helping his team stake a claim as the favorite to win the 6th. 2) Butler (5-1)- The Bears were #4 last week, but with their victory of over #2 PRP this past week they deserve the jump replacing the Panthers as the #2 team. They also beat traditional power Bullitt East before ending the week with a head scratching loss to Central Hardin in the Bardstown Tip-Off Classic. Perhaps Butler was surprised by Central Hardin as they appear to be stronger now that PG Jaquay Wales is back after returning for his first game versus PRP where he led the Bears in scoring. 3) Valley (5-1)- Valley enjoyed a close win over 7th region Waggener 86-83 before losing a close one to 8th region Anderson County 66-68 during week 2. Last week Valley was ranked as the #5 team with a notation they could have been higher and it did not take long before they reached the #3 ranking spot. Sophomore Cameron Wilson continues to lead the Vikings in scoring. 4) PRP (3-1)- Despite losing to Butler in an overtime game, the Panthers still remain in the Top 4 of the region as they battle injuries earlier in the season than what one would expect. PRP is missing their 2 key players in the post and also have not had Gerald Gray available who was one of the most experienced returning starters. Before the New Year they should all return and give the Panthers a boost who are being led in scoring by Trey Hill early in the season. 5) Desales (4-1)- DeSales won 3 games this week including 2 games against 6th region foes, Southern & Iroquois. Although Southern & Iroquois are not top tier teams, they both appear to be better than expected. Jaxon Burgess continues to power the Colts scoring efforts. 6) Doss (2-2)- Doss only dropped slightly after it's week #1 loss to Fern Creek, but is sliding down again with a loss to Lexington Catholic who had struggled early in the season losing 4 in a row before getting the win over Doss at the PRTC Classic. Doss still has a 2-1 region record and faces Butler on Tuesday. Jaylon Hall & Stephon Franklin continue to lead the way for Doss. 7) Fairdale (3-2)- The Bulldogs own a 3-1 region record with victories over Southern, North Bullitt, and Holy Cross after losing to Butler in their season opener. Craig Ash has been a surprise name in the region as he leads Fairdale in scoring. 8) Jeffersontown (3-2)- The Chargers had a stark contrast of games against 7th region teams this week. Against Eastern HS they dropped a game losing by 33 points, but they rebounded to beat Manual 67-64 as Delvonte McCloud exploded for a 30+ point game in the big win. 9) Bullitt East (2-3)- BE is not used to a 2-3 start, but when the season ends it is still a possibility that BE could be one of the better teams in the region. They have some rebuilding to do and it will take time over the season to form an identity. Connor Green is scoring just under 20 PPG with Jared Osborne not far behind to form the nucleus of scoring for the Chargers. 10) Western (2-2)- It is so hard to know where Western should be placed. They do not lose to the teams ranked below them, but they are having trouble beating the teams to move higher in the rankings with losses already to PRP & Doss. They play DeSales this week on Tuesday which will be a great chance to rise in the rankings if they can win that game. 11) North Bullitt (3-2)- Losses already to DeSales & Fairdale, but missing their top scorer, Travis Dunnavan has not helped. 12) Holy Cross (2-2)- 0-2 in region play could quickly change with games this week against Valley & North Bullitt. 13) Moore (1-3)- Only 1 win on the season, but it was against rival 6th region team, Southern HS, in the most recent game by the score 90-81. 14) Iroquois (2-3)- This team is almost at their win total for all of last season and a big part of that is the addition of Damon Richardson. 15) Southern (0-4)- Even though they are 0-4, they are the best 0-4 team in the region. All losses have been against other 6th region foes. 16) Beth Haven (3-1)- Their only loss was to Valley by 18. 17) Bullitt Central (1-4)- 4 consecutive losses after a season opening win. 18) Evangel Christian (3-1)- Opening 6th region game is against Beth Haven on Monday night and could give Evangel their best chance to move up in the rankings with a win. 19) Whitefield Academy (1-2)- Win over Brown was a big one for the program. They play their first 6th region game this coming week against district foe Jeffersontown.

A+ & A+ grades for them both. This is a community school that had past athletic success and community involvement that lost it's way for a while. It went through it's share of bad news academically, socially, and athletically. FC had to do something to change a culture that had developed and has used athletics to help do that. Dr. Meyers is a very involved Principal at every sporting event, even the away games for the most part as well as the AD, Troy Johnson. They hired Schooler giving him his first Head Coaching position when several other schools struggling currently passed on him. Not sure how the football Coach came to be, but he is also showing to be a great hire. They both care about the kids and I am glad it is paying off as the school has really turned the corner academically also. Don't forget about the wrestling and soccer either, very good programs.

The problem I foresee with Doss is that Hall is a great player who is the focus of the offense for the most part. He gets the ball in his hands and usually ends up with the shot from there. Now he is their best threat to score, but how will the rest of the team react to being on the court to rebound and defend all season. Some teams can have a dominant offensive player and do fine. Other teams struggle because players tire of doing everything except being involved offensively. That will be the challenge for Doss in my opinion.

Not to rub it in, but I never saw them being better than last year losing McKim. He was an exceptional player and even though Pierce is a year older and a very good player with size, the guards are simply too young & inexperienced. They will win some games and the 7th is wide open after Trinity, but no way does St X have the season they did last year. They had 23 wins in a very difficult schedule, they made it to the semi-finals of the LIT, won their district, and lost in the finals of the 7th region to Trinity missing a state trip by only 4 points. Connor McKim averaged 25 PPG and was a very special player that was largely responsible for a great season who will be missed.

X is not as good as last season. They will struggle against teams with good guard play and both of these two NKY teams have that advantage.

Central is not ranked and most in Louisville expect this to be a down year for Central in the 7th region compared to most seasons. However, Coach Bibby will always have his kids play hard and when Firman gets hot he gets crazy hot. Still, this is a surprise score to me as I would have expected a larger margin of victory for CCH. Central is especially small this year so I thought Walter would have a big night, but Central is probably more athletic than many of the 9th region teams and Bibby is a really good coach.

And most of the 3's shot by Trinity were contested 3's. Fern Creek is better offensively than they showed tonight, but they were pretty good on defense. This same Trinity team put 100+ on Pulaski. If the Fern Creek team can get dialed in on defense and rebound the basketball, they can be a very good basketball team. Most games they are going to get double digits points from 4 different players. Tonight Moore led with 18, Rogers 17, Price 13 and Wales 9 who was not hitting shots in the 1st half but kept going to the line in the 2nd half hitting free throws. Price sat much of the 2nd half in foul trouble but was very solid. Rogers is playing good and Moore is making a statement for POY in the 6th region early in the season. Trinity was missing King and when he returns I expect the Rocks to be a tougher team because he brings so much beyond scoring. David Johnson and Jay Scrubbs are exceptional and are as good as advertised.

I forgot the Anderson loss to Oldham County, but South Oldham has not played anyone yet that turns my head like this win over Valley does for Anderson. The 10 point win over CAL makes me wonder a bit about South Oldham. Ballard beat the same CAL team by 40. Valley would likely beat that CAL team by at least 20. Like you said, December 15th will settle it on the court.

If you do not focus or game plan to defend Wilson, he will put up 20 or more like clockwork. Curt is a talented player as well and so is Eric George for the Vikings squad. Great win for Anderson to beat a top tier team in the 6th. Anderson deserves the nod in the 8th in my book after this win and a great game for Penny.

7:30 tonight the current top ranked teams in their respective 6th & 7th regions face off at Fern Creek in a great early season match-up in Jefferson County. Last season Trinity won at home after Fern Creek opened with a big lead from the beginning. Both teams are undefeated and ranked in the Top 5 of the BGP current poll (2nd- Trinity & 5th- Fern Creek)

After 1 week, only (7) 6th region teams escaped the week without taking a loss. Many of those taking a loss suffered it at the hands of another 6th region team, so to think the 6th is down this year is likely a knee jerk reaction this early. However, DeSales, Bullitt East, and Moore all losing out of region games was a bit surprising. So the rankings will change a bit and until we get a larger sample this will be a Top 10 this week 1) Fern Creek(3-0)- The Tigers get the nod at the top by virtue of their double digit win over pre-season #1 ranked Doss. 83-70 was the final score at Doss which was a really hard fought exciting high school basketball game. Many in attendance commented on how it reminded them of games held at Community schools in Louisville back in the 80's & 90's. Both teams played well. Fern Creek is getting production from their Big 4, Moore, Price, Wales, & Rogers. 2) PRP (2-0)- Two wins over solid 6th region teams push the Panthers to the 2nd spot as they beat both Moore and Western to start the season. The Moore game was a 40 point blow out, but Western played the Panthers tough keeping it under 10. Trey Hill looks to be playing very good and has started the season averaging close to 20 PPG. 3) Doss (1-1)- Losing to Fern Creek will not drop the Dragons far from their #1 pre-season spot. Expect the Doss team to remain within striking distance. Jaylon Hall looks very good early and will continue to lead his team as they attempt for a 3rd consecutive trip to Rupp. The Dragons can take solace knowing that Fern Creek beat them last year in the 2nd game of the season and Doss got their revenge in the Regional Semi-Finals before finishing back to back runs to Rupp. Will they be able to do the same this year? 4) Butler (3-0)- KC Goodin has his team playing hard and also looking good with 3 double digit wins. Without PG, Jaquay Wales, the Bears turned to sophomore Maurice Tolley in the opener and he delivered over 20 points in his 2nd season for the Bears. He is not the only one playing well, the team looks tough. 5) Valley (3-0)- Valley should likely be higher than at the #5 spot, as they have won big twice and got a win over Oldham County by 7 in a home game for the Vikings. Plenty of scorers and a U of L Hall of Fame player over on the sideline in Coach Wheat. 6) DeSales (1-1)- After the top 5 spots it drops off a bit based on the loss suffered by DeSales to Spencer County. However, it is early and DeSales easily beat North Bullitt. DeSales will be a team to keep an eye on as they likely will improve as the season continues. 7) Bullitt East (1-1)- A road loss to open the season against Warren Central may not be a bad loss a few weeks from now if Warren Central continues to win. Bullitt East faces Butler this week and that could tell a lot about both teams. 8) J-Town (2-1)- An opening loss by 20+ to Valley did not look as if the Chargers had turned the corner in year two under Coach Coleman, but back to back close victories over Iroquois & Atherton are games they may have lost last year. Progress is all they can shoot for as it does not look like they have the depth to get the best 6th regions teams in trouble. 9) Western (1-1)- The Warriors are more in the Top 10 from their 8 point loss to PRP than their opening season 11 point win over Atherton. They will not be an easy victory for anyone in the 6th region. 10) North Bullitt (1-1)- Beat out of region Henry County, but were turned back by DeSales. In order for North Bullitt to gain traction in the upper half of the Top 10, they need to win those games like DeSales.

In an early season match-up between top teams and players from the 6th region, Fern Creek came out on top and Chance Moore came out on top of the player battle. Moore scored 27 and added 10 rebounds in his battle with Jaylon Hall from Doss who scored 22. Both players looked equally good showing why they are rated at the top of the region. Fern Creek just had more help with Price getting 16, Rogers 15, and Wales 13. It was the second consecutive game all four players from Fern Creek have been in double figures.

I guess from my perspective in the 6th,7th & 11th regions (Louisville & Lexington areas) there are about 25 schools alone that are larger than Scott playing in 5 or 6A. They are a large school in NKY perhaps, but a similar size school in Louisville is Western HS and they would not be considered a large school compared to other high schools in the area. My point remains hats off to them staying at home and if they are the team's best option with their teammates supporting the offense primarily running through them it is a win win. That would not likely happen in many of the larger schools where equally talented players might get half as many shots on a given night.

Agree that "smaller" is not accurate as they both are mid-size schools. No offense to either school but there has not been an abundance of players in recent years that are equally as talented as these two and that is meant as a compliment to them both. On their team they are the best players by a wide margin. I am saying that in larger schools with basketball tradition which have greater pool of talented players you would rarely see a single player shoot it 30+ shots. "Q" Snider from Ballard & D. Hawkins from Madison Central play at U of L & UK but neither shot the ball 30 times a game in HS. When those two young men reach college they will not be shooting it 30 times a game unless they plan on playing at some small college in D3. There is a learning curve for players who come from a school where they shoot 30 times and then have to adjust to playing a more team oriented offense. There have been a few really good players in recent years that have transferred or went the prep school route to gain the advantage of playing on a team where they play alongside equally talented players. I like that these two stayed home and I like the fact their teammates understand they need to dominate the offense in order to succeed.

They seem to be the type young men that in the smaller schools they attend are able to have a green light to shoot (agree both team's best option) but not have the other kids on their respective teams resent it. Many kids would be hounded to leave that type of situation to enter a situation they are around better players equal of their ability. Hats off to them to stay home. Kids play enough travel ball in Spring & Summer to adjust being on a team where they are not the only option to score and shoot 30 plus times.