coachlee

Doss is more battle tested, but Butler did play both Trinity and Ballard very tough in big games at the LIT. It should be a great game between two extremely tough teams, but I favor Doss in this one.

The end of the season draws near as only 2 weeks remain before tourney play begins. We learned several things so far, most impressive is that Doss, Fern Creek, and Butler all could very well be Top 10 teams in the State of KY. Any of these 3 could end up heading to Rupp in a month from now without surprising anybody if they do. The rankings this week shake out with the top 9 teams in solid clusters of three and within each cluster those three teams are very close to each other. Cluster 1 is Doss, Fern Creek and Butler. Cluster 2 is Fairdale, Valley, and PRP. Cluster 3 is DeSales, Bullitt East and Iroquois. They are your best top 9 teams so far through the season in the 6th region. Also at stake next week are a couple of key games that will determine the #1 seeds in the 21st & 22nd districts. Butler plays at Doss on February 6th and if they can pull the upset on the road it could end up a three way tie that includes DeSales along with Butler & Doss in the 22nd. In the 21st, Valley plays at Fairdale on that same night with the 21st regular season championship on the line. 1. Doss (17-5): Doss has only played a single game since the LIT championship loss to Trinity. They took care of DeSales which positions the Dragons to receive the #1 seed in the 22nd district as long as they beat Butler Tuesday night. They also play PRP and Collins from the 8th region toward the end of the week. Doss will finish with a tough stretch of games and if they can manage to avoid taking any losses, they should very well be a top 5 team in the state before tournaments begin. Franklin and Calloway continue to impress. 2. Fern Creek (19-5): The Tigers jump over Butler not because the Bears lost, but the way Fern Creek won their three games last week indicate that they may be rounding into the team they looked like after winning the KOB. It started with a dominating 27 point win over Bullitt East followed by a 36 point win over Southern and then a 49 point thrashing of Moore. Neither of those teams are at the front of the pack in the 6th, but Fern Creek had stumbled a bit in January and these wins seem to indicate things have turned around. Health issues seem to be behind them at this point. Wales, Price, and Wickliffe all scored consistently well this past week while their supporting cast played with a lot of energy and effort that was evident again after not seeing it during the couple weeks they did not play as we have come to expect them to. 3. Butler (21-2): Butler had a solid 10 point win over Manual and then had to survive a scare with a 1 point margin in their victory over rival PRP. Trinity and Ballard aside who they went 1-1 during the LIT, this next week will be the most challenging week of the season for the Bears as they face Doss, Fairdale, and John Hardin. The Bears have three players scoring in double figures led by Maurice Tolley, JaQuay Wales, and Devin Pendergrass. 4. Fairdale (17-7): Fairdale went 3-0 last week, but did not exactly bury either Bullitt County team that they hosted which is a bit surprising. North Bullitt who has been playing much better almost pulled the upset before Fairdale finished with a 63-60 victory. It was 69-60 against Bullitt Central. It will get more much more difficult this week when they take on Valley, Butler, and Bullitt East. Markelo Sullivan is averaging almost 25 PPG on the season to lead the Bulldogs. 5. Valley (16-7): The Vikings had two nice victories last week against Holy Cross and Jeffersonville, IN, but they had a head scratcher when they struggled to beat Ft. Knox 57-54. Ft. Knox is 2-15 and suffered their 10th loss in a row which really made this score questionable as to what had happened to make this game so close. Curt Lewis has had several big games of late for Valley and they will need him to be ready as they face Fairdale on February 6th to determine the #1 seed for district playoffs. 6. Pleasure Ridge Park (14-9): The Panthers lost 2 in the past week, but one of those losses was a close 1 point defeat to Butler that could easily have went their way. The other was a close loss to Spencer County. They beat Franklin County to end the week. The big game on the schedule this week is when they host Doss. PRP can regain some much needed momentum heading into the post season with a victory over Doss. Gerald Gray continues to lead the Panthers in scoring. 7. DeSales (12-11): DeSales lost by 11 to Doss and in doing so they failed to lock up what could have been a #1 seed and easier path to regionals. Now they must hope Butler beats Doss to create a three way tie so they can potentially win whatever tie breaker exists. They did come back and beat Iroquois at home by 3 which shows how competitive the 22nd district is. It is the toughest district in Metro Louisville this season, and probably one of the toughest in the state. 8. Bullitt East (13-12): Bullitt East had the misfortune of having to play Fern Creek just as the Tigers seem to be turning for the finish line and had their worst loss of the season since getting beat by Trinity in the first game of the season. They lost by 27, but came back to beat CAL and then also beat Collins who is one of the better teams in the 8th region. Luke Ezell continues to be the main playmaker and scorer for the Chargers. 9. Iroquois (13-10): Iroquois split last week with a victory over Western and a close loss to DeSales which could have been a very big win for the Raiders. Since they lost that game, they will play the #1 seed in the difficult 22nd district needing an upset victory to advance to regional play. Keelan Kennedy is averaging over 21 PPG this season for Iroquois. 10. Jeffersontown (14-8): Jeffersontown stays in the Top 10 by going 3-0 last week, but the only victory that meant much was a nice home victory by 5 over Seneca. In that game the subplot was beating former coach and now the coach at Seneca, Miquel Coleman. Jordan Lyons and Chris Trigg each score in double figures for Jeffersontown. 11. North Bullitt (11-12): The Eagles are making the climb upward and could very well end up winning the district tournament to advance to the regional tourney if they continue to play as they have recently. The went to Fairdale and only lost 60-63. Corey Girton is playing again after sitting out for eligibility after he left North Bullitt but has since returned. 12. Southern (10-10): The best week of the season for the Trojans last week was replaced with a tough outing against Fern Creek when they lost by 36 to end the week. Tough schedule ahead to finish the regular season will challenge Southern to get ready for the district tourney which they can win given the lack of a clear favorite in the 23rd. 13. Holy Cross (14-9): On store this week is a big rivalry match up with DeSales on Sunday. 14. Bullitt Central (15-10): Despite losing to Fairdale last week they made the game competitive in the scoring column only losing by 9. A big game this coming week with Holy Cross. 15. Moore (5-17): Not sure there are many victories left on the schedule, but they have to beat Southern and/or Western this week as they are two games they have a chance to. 16. Western (2-20): Western should have the game against Moore this week circled. It could be a nice win for the Warriors as they have struggled to find wins this season. 17. Whitefield Academy (11-10): No 6th region games remain except against Bullitt Central on February 15th. 18. Beth Haven (6-15): Beth Haven has both Holy Cross and PRP on schedule this week. 19. Evangel Christian (1-17): 48 point loss to Jeffersontown last week was the last 6th region game on the season.

Adam Kunkel deserves strong consideration as well. If these two were taken away from their teams, it would be devastating which Cooper already found out. Of course they are dominating players like several others in the state, but yet they are true team players that make those around them so much better. They each will do well in college where their ability to fit in to a system will be an easy transition as they don't have to be the stars of a team like many high school kids struggle when they join a team full of talented players like themselves. They are my top co-favorites.

Trevon Faulkner has to be a leading candidate for Mr. Basketball. All the kid does is win and in the process makes his teammates better. He excels in all facets of the game.

That is a very good win for Spencer County as PRP is talented with or without Trey Hill available. He has been out and I suspect he is still not playing, but regardless a nice win. To suggest Coach Mabrey was out coached, then Coach Burns had to be doing some good things on the sideline. I get saying "if" your star player was not out the record would be much different, but that cuts both ways. Again, I don't know if Hill played or not. But if he did not play, you could use the same logic about Conley not playing stopped a 19-2 record and also suggest that had Hill played then Spencer would not have had this victory. Just thought it was only fair to point that out, but regardless a great win against a very solid PRP team with great talent. I want to get to see Conley, I suspect he is getting it done in various ways.

Five 6th region teams have only a single loss to another 6th region team and those 5 are now ranked in the Top 5. As the rankings get toward the late part of the season, focus is going to be on regional records and which teams are likely to make noise in the tournament to advance to Rupp Arena. After all, what really matters is getting to Rupp in March and everything done up to that point will become a side note. So here are the new rankings with that thought in mind. 1. Doss (16-5): Doss has more regional wins than anybody else with an 8-1 record that is impressive considering they avenged their only loss to Fern Creek after a recent victory in the LIT semi-finals. Doss will be battle tested going into districts as they have a really touch schedule the rest of the way, beginning with a game this week against district foe DeSales and next week with Butler. They also have PRP, Corbin, Ballard, and Valley all left to play. 2. Butler (19-2): The Bears are 6-1 against the rest of the 6th with their only loss being to DeSales. They switch places with Fern Creek by virtue of Fern Creek's loss to Ballard this week whom the Bears had recently beaten during the LIT. The Bears have a tough stretch in front of them with Manual, PRP, Doss, Fairdale, and John Hardin lined up on the schedule the next three weeks. This will be a good test run for the Bears as they wind down the season. 3. Fern Creek (16-5): Fern Creek already exceeds the number of losses they had all of last season. Their regional record is 6-1 and last year that number was 16-0. But their only loss is to Doss this season so they still have an extremely solid resume. After a brutal schedule early, it gets a little lighter toward the end for the Tigers with their toughest remaining foes in the 6th region being Bullitt East next week and Fairdale which is their last game of the regular season. 4. Fairdale (14-7): Riding a 6 game win streak since their loss in the LIT, Fairdale has compiled a 6-1 region record with only a loss to the hands of Doss. The last 6 games have not included any upper end teams except for a win against PRP, and the next week games should be rather easy as well. However, after next week it ends pretty tough with games that include Valley, Butler, and Fern Creek to finish the season. 5. Valley (13-7): The Vikings are the other 6th region team with only 1 loss which happened in their opening game of the season to Butler by 1. They have won 5 games against the rest of their 6th region foes. They have a week coming up where they should not be pressed, but then must face Fairdale in a big district game to determine who gains the #1 seed on February 6. They end the season in a game versus Doss. 6. Pleasure Ridge Park (13-7): The Panthers have four 6th region losses, but they have 5 wins to go with them. They jump in front of Bullitt East with a victory over the Chargers last week. PRP plays Butler next week and then has Doss the week after. Other than those two games they should win against every other team left on the schedule. 7. Bullitt East (11-11): 3-5 record in the 6th region, but those losses are to Doss, Butler, DeSales, Fern Creek, and PRP. Bullitt East has a big district game in district play with Fern Creek this week. 8. Iroquois (12-9): Iroquois deserves the bump in the ranking after a great week with a win over Knox Central who was a Top 20 team in the State and a leader of the 13th region. Although Iroquois is only 1-4 in the region, those losses have been to Doss twice, Butler, and Fairdale. They play DeSales this week and Valley later in the year as their toughest two games remaining. 9. DeSales (11-10): The Colts are 3-2 in the region that includes a loss to Fairdale and a victory over Butler. The other region loss is the head scratcher as last week they lost to Southern or they would not have dropped to the 9th spot. 10. Jeffersontown (11-8): Jeffersontown stays in the Top 10 by beating Central last week and only losing to Ballard by 10. Jeffersontown has a .500 region record and should continue to win until their last 3 games which will be against Iroquois, Doss, and Butler. 11. Holy Cross (13-8): Holy Cross did not advance in the All "A" Classic after drawing a tough 1st round opponent this past week. They are 4-3 in 6th region competition, but their wins are against Western, North Bullitt, Southern, and Beth Haven. 12. Southern (9-9): The best week of the season for the Trojans as they beat both DeSales and Whitefield Academy. Even though they lost to Bullitt Central the week before, they deserve the bump up after a victory over DeSales. 13. North Bullitt (9-11): On store this week is a big district match-up with their rival Bullitt Central. This is a key game for North Bullitt as they could end district play with a single loss if they come away with a victory. 14. Bullitt Central (14-8): A loss to Western and also Bullitt East made it a tough week. Things would get better with a win over rival North Bullitt this coming week. 15. Moore (5-14): Moore is 1-6 in the region with only a win over Bullitt Central on the season. 16. Western (2-18): With a win over Bullitt Central, the Warriors notched their first win of the season in the 6th region to go along with 8 losses. It deserved a bump up in the rankings. 17. Whitefield Academy (10-9): With a win over Jeffersontown this week their record in region could go to .500. However, the only two current wins are against Beth Haven and Evangel. 18. Beth Haven (6-13): Beth Haven begins a stretch of three consecutive district games against Fairdale, Holy Cross, and PRP. It could get pretty ugly before the schedule lightens up with the remaining games on the schedule. 19. Evangel Christian (1-14): Only 6th region foe left on the schedule is Jeffersontown coming up this week.

Yes they have and a big part is they are missing their "go get a bucket" guy from last season, Chance Moore. He is really missed and his scoring is hard to replace from any single person. It has fallen on those big three mentioned, but if any one of them has an off night it shows. Price has been outstanding in January, but Wales has been in a shooting slump in January. When he is shooting well and scoring at a high clip Fern Creek is very tough to beat. But these games where they have been coming up short are also games where he is struggling from the field which is unusual considering his career shooting percentages. With Wickliffe he is like most big men in that he has to work hard to receive the ball down low and get his touches. When he is getting his touches he is scoring. But if he is being defended well resulting in fewer touches than he becomes less engaged on defense. It is a natural tendency that just needs to be worked out much like the shooting slump for Wales. If those two things turn around and a few other tweaks, I feel they will be ready by tourney time to make another strong run.

I am pretty much in agreement with what you both are saying, they are not a great team which is why there are 8 or so teams well ahead of them in the 6th. I see they are 1-2 against 8th region teams beating North Oldham by 20 and losing to Spencer by 11 and South Oldham by 6. The are athletic, can shoot, can play defense and they have a very good coach. Not too long ago they played Butler to a 1 point loss. So on any given night they have the ability to compete. I guess part of my point is also what does that say about Knox Central. My guess is if they played night in and night out in the 6th or perhaps even the 8th they would not be one of the top teams and pretty average. There are not many victories against any team that is one of the better team in the state and a lot of victories against teams that just are not that good. Who knows, maybe they bounce back and make some noise. I just would not be surprised if they do win the 13th, they do not advance unless they get a favorable draw in the Sweet 16. I expect Corbin to advance though.

Not surprised by this at all. Iroquois might be the 9th or 10th best team in the 6th region, but they play a brutal schedule which prepares them to play some of the better teams in other regions and come away with a victory. It says a bunch about the 6th, but this happens almost every year.

You can't pick Trinity for sure and then include Ballard as a possibility. Ballard will be eliminated if Trinity advances to State. Same for Lafayette, if Scott County is for sure, that eliminates any other 11th region team.

Why was Boss missing, he makes them go and can't be replaced for sure.

All three of FC's guys are struggling with nagging injuries a bit. Price has a bad finger on his shooting hand but it must not be bothering him too much as he had 29 with 10/10 at the stripe. Wickliffe had 15 but is still nursing a knee issue, and Wales had 13 but his quickness and mobility is off still recovering from a bad ankle sprain in the LIT. I would say not 100% full strength, but they are moving ahead in the right direction.

Yes, PRP's record may not be so glossy but nobody is actually wishing to play them come tourney time and especially so if they get all the pieces back together. They could be really tough if that happens and they find the chemistry needed.

Thanks Dawg and you are exactly right, the 21st & 22nd are loaded this year with a team that will finish outside the Top 2 in their district that could win many regions. It also stresses the significance of gaining the #1 seed for district play, never has that been so important in those two districts. What an unbelievable year for fans of the 6th region. I hope we continue to get this dialogue going throughout the rest of the season. No matter which team emerges to go to Rupp, the rest of the region needs to get behind them and pull for a state title coming back to the 6th.

Yes, it will take a great run. Starting with districts you likely need to come out a #1 seed. That means two wins and then 3 in a row at regionals. So a team most likely must put 5 wins in a row together. That narrows the field somewhat. In those Top 9 (including Iroquois) any team could beat any of the other 8 on a given night. But to put a string of 5 wins together narrows the group capable of going all the way. That is probably 4-5 teams still, but I think FC, Doss, and Butler could all do it for sure. The key is who peaks at the right time and who can get healthy at the right time.

Going to be a little shorter edition due to an out of town trip, but wanted to be sure to get a new Top Rankings out in the 6th region as we have a new #1 for the first time since early in the 2016/2017 season, the Doss Dragons. Doss outworked the Fern Creek team to flip rankings with the Tigers and claim the #1 spot with a 65-59 victory in the LIT semifinals on Saturday. But Butler is right there with them as they actually played eventual LIT champion to a very tight game losing on a last second shot by the Shamrocks. There is not much separation with these 3 and it will be a battle to the end that also includes several others that are not far behind the top 3. 1. Doss (15-5): Great showing for Doss this weekend as they really have responded to Coach Blake Stone's leadership. His team seems to have bought into their roles well and leading scorers Stephon Franklin and Taye Calloway are playing very well with the freedom that they enjoy in the system that is in place. Franklin is so powerful and strong, he is just an exceptional leader for this team. 2. Fern Creek (15-4): The Dragons victory over Fern Creek may turn out to be just what Fern Creek needed if they respond to the loss with a commitment to getting back to playing as they did earlier in the season. Whatever it is, they are not the same team and they might have had the wake-up call they needed. 3. Butler (17-2): Butler came so close to ending up in the Finals of the LIT and had they done so, they very well may have been at the top of the rankings this week. Butler will be there competing for the championship of the 6th region at the end, that is for certain at this point. 4. Fairdale (11-7): Beating the Panthers of PRP this past week has positioned the Bulldogs to win the 21st District as long as they win their biggest game remaining on their schedule this season as it relates to district seeding, their game against Valley in early February. 5. DeSales (10-8): The Colts may be the team on the rise in the 6th region to watch out for. DeSales is tied with Doss in the ultra competitive 22nd district in the loss column as neither has lost a district game. They play next week to see who takes the #1 coveted seed. 6. Valley (10-7): The Vikings have suffered some recent losses, but don't count them out. They are tied with Fairdale with (2-0 records) and will play each other soon to see who advances as the #1 seed in the 21st district. 7. Bullitt East (10-10): 3 losses to Fern Creek, DeSales, and South Oldham in their last three games by a total of 8 points. The Chargers are close, but they need to get the W's to continue to advance. 8. Pleasure Ridge Park (11-7): This team is still a force come tourney time if they can turn it around. The talent is there, and we all know the coaching is too. This can be a team that gets hot at the right time and still win the 6th. 9. Iroquois (11-8): The Raiders have lost 3 in a row, but two of those losses were to Doss by 10 and Butler by 1. This is a team that could end up being the #4 seed in the 22nd district, but they are probably the most dangerous 4 seed in the region. 10. Jeffersontown (10-7): Jeffersontown sits in the Top 10, but they are just outside the teams that are in the 4-9 ranking spots. They need to get a victory over the teams in front of them to be taken as a serious threat. 11. Holy Cross (12-6): Holy Cross wins the All "A" 6th region after a win over Shawnee in the championship game. 12. North Bullitt (8-9): Could they be the #1 seed in the 23rd district? It is wide open. 13. Bullitt Central (13-6): Win over Southern shows they could advance to the regions this year in a season where nobody is standing out in the 23rd. 14. Southern (7-9): Bad loss to Bullitt Central last week. 15. Moore (5-12): Long season so far, but don't count them out in district play. The 23rd is just not very good and Moore has a shot to advance. 16. Whitefield Academy (10-7): Almost beat KCD in the 7th Region All "A". 17. Western (1-17): Best game of the season may have been the loss to Doss this past week. 18. Beth Haven (6-10): Not very competitive even in the All "A" except when playing Evangel. 19. Evangel Christian (1-12): Even in the 6th region All "A", the competition is just too strong.

Duh, thanks. I do really love Justin Powell's game. He plays so under control and in the moment.

Good point, that was sort of like saying water is wet. Is the saying ice blood in his veins or what exactly is it?

Powell has blood in his veins. Big shot.

I don't know I saw the same thing, the coach can't shoot free throws and Fern Creek missed 11 Fts shootings 13/24 or barely 50%. The coach can't go guard Franklin who was an absolute monster going for 25 shooting from both on drives and 3 point shots. Sometimes the kids have to win games and aside from Ahmad Price who played with a splint on his shooting hand but still had 21 points and 12 rebounds there was not the contribution from the rest of the team. Wales played with an ankle that is still sore and scored 11, but they were all in the first half. I think you have to give the players for Doss the credit because they seemed to want it more. They got the loose rebounds and all the 50/50 balls. After losing to Fern Creek three games in a row over two seasons, the Doss players just simply wanted it more in my opinion. I am not saying the Doss coach did not do a great job or that perhaps Fern Creek's staff did not make any mistakes. But I do believe that to pin it on coaching or being "outcoached" is simplifying a more complex game. Also on a side note I chuckle a bit at the comment. It is the exact same thing that many say about Calipari. Last I checked, they both seem to win many more than they lose. Players win games and coaching to me is important but not as much a factor than how kids play.

With Fern Creek struggling and also having a nasty run of the injury bug, this 6th region is wide open to who comes out on top of the regional tournament. Doss, Fern Creek, and Butler are all in the FF of the LIT, so they probably get the nod as co-favorites. However, there are several more teams that are capable of putting a 4-5 game winning streak together when District and Region play begins. In no order PRP, Fairdale, DeSales, Valley, and even Bullitt East or Iroquois also could be threats or dark horses. Which teams are playing well and have a healthy roster come late February will be a big factor.

Should be a great game on 2/6 out at Fairdale. That determines the regular season district championship and the coveted #1 seed. Agree that DeSales is playing well winners of 6 games in their last 7. The 22nd District will also be a battleground come tourney time. Iroquois, Doss, Butler, and DeSales are all tough outs this season.

Big district win for the Dogs and on the road is very impressive given the ceremony for Coach Mabrey. District 21 is a very hard district this year in particular. Getting the Top seed is big as the matchup between #2 & #3 seeds will be a season ending game for somebody who does not win that game. With Fairdale and Valley at 2-0 each, their game should determine the #1 seed, but I don't see them scheduled to play. How will they determine the #1 seed @dawgs83? The 6th is so wide open this year with about 7-8 teams capable of getting hot and making a run in the regional championship.

Surprised at the score of this one a bit, but I suspect Doss coach wanted to rest his guys a bit for tomorrow. It would not be surprising to see Doss get to Sunday for a shot at the LIT championship. They have been playing very well and if you can call it an upset I could see them giving Fern Creek their first 6th region loss in a long time. It should be a great game though and they usually play each other very tough.

Fern Creek continued a string of rather unimpressive wins since the New Year started with a home win over district foe Jeffersontown. This one was a bit more explainable as the Tigers are really struggling with injuries right now in addition to being in a bit of a funk. Tonight they were led by Tony Rogers who was the leading scorer and only player in double digits with 12. 3 starters including PG Anthony Wales (ankle injury) and PF Clint Wickliffe (knee) never took the court. Ahmad Price only played a half and is banged up as well. Not sure who will be able to go tomorrow in the LIT semi-final versus Doss. If the Tigers can advance it will show the depth of their team stepping up.