5thregionbasketball

He's also the athletic director. Any chance he resigned as basketball coach and just going to be the AD?

I don't think he's leaving this season. From what I understood, basically Gatewood is in line for when Miller retires which from the people I talked to would be within the next season or two.

Josh Kays has been announced as the new head coach.

Taylor is making an announcement at 5 p.m. tonight

I'm hearing Josh Kays is most likely, but have also heard Adam Reed's name thrown out. Reed flirted with the Green County job when Kays initially took it and then backed out and then Jordan Gilbert took it, so Reed, you would think has some familiarity with the area.

He did not retire voluntarily. He was forced out.

Happened with baseball too.

Seems like it should be the likely choice now. Hearing that Gatewood will be next coach at Evangel, so that takes him out of the running.

Gatewood is supposed to be new coach at Evangel

Well to answer one of those questions, Weis will not return for Washington County. He is heading to prep school according to social media posts from a few days ago.

Any update? Haven't heard much out of TC about this lately?

Attended the camp in the late 90's, and as one poster said earlier, also where I realized I wouldn't play high school basketball

Bethlehem also loses Ballard and Culver but does return Osborne. Don't be surprised that Washington County doesn't also lose Weis. The 5th Region should be Adair's to lose next season.

Jackson will not be the next HC for the Bruins. He turned it down due to the family matter. Not sure how many other candidates the Bruins have interviewed and if there is an announcement expected anytime soon.

Was told that Kays didn't want the head coaching position, and that Gatewood was the plan until Quintin Goodin is ready to take over the team. Haven't seen Coach Irvin's post, but also hearing that this wasn't his decision. That he was told before the regional tournament that whenever their last game was, that would be his last game. If that's the case, that's a shame. Irvin is one of the best coaches in the 5th Region.

That's unfortunate for him. He did a really good job with what he had, unfortunately, he just didn't have much. The bigger question might be, when will Thomas Nelson consolidate back with Nelson County and even have a basketball team?

I was told last week that Weiss was done for the season. That came from someone very close to the program that should be in the know. If he plays, he’s a difference maker but does he throw the chemistry off right now and you’d think he’d probably be a little rusty as well.

According to the newspaper, interviews will start next week around the 11th. Fairly certain that Jackson is still the lead candidate but a family situation will determine whether or not he accepts. Josh Jaggers, I'm told has not applied for the position.

Ranking the Teams: 1. North Hardin 2. Larue County 3. Washington County 4. Adair County 5. Elizabethtown 6. Taylor County 7. Bethlehem 8. Hart County This should be a fun regional tournament. I could see 6 teams potentially making it to Rupp from this field. Game 1 Adair County (25-7) vs. Washington County (22-9) The first game of the region pits two of the best teams in the region all season against each other. Adair County is the 20th district runner-up, losing 45-47 to Taylor in the district finals. Adair has been at the top of the rankings for most of the season. They’ll face the Commanders of Washington County, who have been in the top 5 most of the season. Since 1998, these two teams have faced off 21 times. Adair leads the series 14-7 including a run of 10 in a row. Adair County is led in scoring by junior Connor Loy, averaging 17.8 points per game, followed by Isaiah Cochran with 16.2 points per game. The big question for the Indians will be are those two healthy. While neither Loy nor Cochran played poorly in the district finals, neither of them played up to their potential. Both were said to not be feeling well. Loy playing with a high fever and strep throat and Cochran vomiting before the game. Washington County is led by Beau Baker, averaging 17.1 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. Noah Reynolds and Riley Brown are both contributing just over 11 points per game. Gabe Weiss is injured and not expected to play the rest of the season. I think this game comes down to the role players. Which team has a role player step up and make a big shot in a crucial moment or get a big steal late in the game? I’ll take Washington County by 4. Game 2 North Hardin (21-9) vs. Hart County (17-12) Game #2 sees top ranked North Hardin take on Hart County. North Hardin was dominant all year in the region and finished out the regular season as the top ranked team. They’ll face the Raiders of Hart County who have been in the 9-12 spot in the rankings all season. North won the 17th district championship for the first time since 2016 and this will be their first trip back to the regional tournament since 2017. The Trojans are led in scoring by Shaun Boykins, averaging 18.6 points per game and Taveon Smith averaging 16.8 points per game. The big man, Darius Wiley is averaging 7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Hart County is the runner-up in the 18th district, losing in the finals to Larue County 58-31. The Raiders were the #4 seed going into the district and pulled off the upset against #1 seed Green County. Hart has been to the region a few times in the last several years, most recently appearing in 2022, but Hart County hasn’t advanced past the first round in the regional tournament since 2002. Ironically, the Raiders were defeated by North Hardin in the semifinals that year. The Raiders are led in scoring by the Shoulders brothers. Jaxon averages 16 points and Jacob averages 14.6 points per game. North has dominated this series. Hart County hasn’t defeated North since before 1998. North has won 14 in a row. I’ll take North in a runaway. Game 3 Taylor County (19-12) vs. Bethlehem (14-14) Taylor County comes into the regional tournament as winners of the 20th district, pulling off the 2-point upset and avenging 2 regular season losses to Adair County. Early on, Taylor County was expected to be among the regional contenders but then had a stretch during the middle of the season that really caused the Cards to falter. They have rebounded well though and are playing as good right now as they have all season. They’ve won 11 out of their last 12 games dating back to January 30th and that lone loss came to Elizabethtown by 3. Taylor County is led in scoring by junior Layken Lyons with 20.8 points per game and C.J. Johnson right behind with 15.9 points per game. Bethlehem comes into the tournament as the runner-up in the 19th district, losing to Washington County 52-51. Bethlehem was the #2 seed in the district and 1st year Head Coach Brad Greenwell has to be happy with how his team has performed. I don’t think anyone realistically expected Bethlehem to be in the region this year. The Eagles are led by Nicholas Osborne, averaging 17.5 points per game. This series is pretty even dating back to 1997. They have played each other 23 times. Taylor holds the advantage 12-11. I’ll take the Cardinals in the first round by 10. Game 4 Larue County (22-9) vs. Elizabethtown (19-10) A rematch of last year’s finals rounds at the first-round games. These 2 teams have a lot of history between them, having faced off against each other 32 times since 1998. Etown leads the series 26-6. 7 of those games have been in the regional tournament with Etown winning each of those games. Coming into the tournament, Larue is another team that is playing as well as anyone else. The Hawks are on an 8-game winning streak, that dates back to February 9th. One of those wins includes an 18-point thumping of Etown at Etown. The Hawks get contributions from Daniel Allen, averaging 21. 3 points and 8 rebounds per game. Jagger Mardis has come on strong as of late and is averaging 16.4 points per game. The Panthers have not had their typical dominant season although they have played well most of the season. Etown went into the 17th district as the #3 seed, defeating Central Hardin in the semi-finals and then losing to North Hardin by 5. North dominated that game in the 1st half, but a 2nd half comeback nearly gave Etown another 17th district championship. That seems to be the story for the Panthers. They seem to be a much better 2nd half team, so if you don’t put them away early, don’t sleep on them in the 2nd half. The Panthers are led by Ayden Evans with 16.6 points per game and Alex Evans with 15 points per game. This should be another classic, but I think history repeats itself and the Panthers bounce the Hawks from the regional tournament again. Etown by 7.

Ugly finish with 5 technical fouls against Central Hardin. Stone received one, Coach Johnson received one, Ace Jaggers with 2 and then Brett Decker with 1 that was considered flagrant. Jaggers and Decker were both ejected. A disappointing end to the season to say the least.

What upsets if any do you see happening in your region? In the 5th region, I'm not sure I'd call it an upset but the 2/3 matchup in the 20th district could potentiall be an upset with Marion County beating Adair County. The 19th district expected finals could be close with Bardstown and Bethlehem but Bethlehem should prevail. I think the rest of the districts should go pretty close to seed. My 5th Region district predictions: 17th District- Winner- North Hardin, Runner-up Etown 18th District- Winner- Hart County, Runner-up Green County 19th District- Winner- Bethlehem, Runner-up Bardstown 20th District- Winner- Taylor County, Runner-up Marion County What do you have for your regions?

Washington County hosted Thomas Nelson for the 4/5 game in the 19th district last night. Washington County has struggled quite a bit this season, coming into the game with a record of 5-24. Thomas Nelson defeated Washington County in both matchups this year by 19 and 26 points respectively and entered the game at .500 with a 13-13 record. The Commanderettes also only had 5 players dressed due to injury and illness. This is at least the 2nd time this year that they have had to play with only 5 players. Thomas Nelson took a 10-point lead to the halftime break and led by as many as 13 in the 4th quarter, but some turnovers late and missed free throws ultimately doomed the Lady Generals. Washington County down 1 with about 20 seconds to go missed a shot on a drive to the basket, secured the offensive rebound, missed a three-point shot attempt and then with about a second to go was able to get another offensive rebound and putback to fall to win 42-41. The game wasn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but give credit to the young ladies from WC. They never quit and it paid off for them.

5th Region Week 12 Rankings and District Preview 1. North Hardin 19-9 2. Larue County 20-9 3. Adair County 24-6 4. Central Hardin 18-10 5. Elizabethtown 18-9 6. Washington County 20-9 7. Taylor County 17-12 8. Caverna 17-10 9. Green County 17-13 10. Hart County 16-11 11. Bardstown 13-15 12. Campbellsville 13-15 13. Bethlehem 13-13 14. Nelson County 8-18 15. Fort Knox 7-20 16. Thomas Nelson 6-21 17. John Hardin 4-26 18. Marion County 4-24 17th District at Central Hardin Quarterfinals: Fort Knox vs. John Hardin These 2 teams split during the regular season with each team winning on the road. The difference for these two teams seems to be John Hardin’s addition of Marquis Hayes and Fort Knox’s loss of Shemar Ward. Hayes became eligible after the first meeting and Ward was dismissed from the team before the second meeting. I’ll take John Hardin to win this one and give Coach Hyche his first career district tournament win. Semi Final: North Hardin vs. John Hardin/Fort Knox Your prize for winning the 4/5 game is the opportunity to play the #1 team in the region. North Hardin has been playing their best basketball as of late. They finished the regular season going 2 for 3 with wins over Spencer County and Frederick Douglas. Shaun Boykins is playing like a possessed man right now. North went combined 4-0 against John and Knox during the season with an average win margin of 45 points. North moves on to the district finals and a berth in the 5th Region tournament. Semi Final: Central Hardin vs. Elizabethtown This on paper should be the most exciting game in the postseason for the 5th Region. These two teams split during the regular season. Both teams held serve on their home court. Etown won the first game 83-78 in overtime and Central Hardin captured the second game 94-90 in double overtime. This game features both co-players of the year in Brett Decker for Central and Ayden Evans for Etown. Central comes into the game winners of 5 of their last 6, while Etown has dropped 3 of their last 4. I’ll take Central to win on their home court and advance to the finals in a classic to cap of the 23-24 trilogy. Finals: Central Hardin vs. North Hardin Should these two teams meet again in the finals it should be another great game. They split on the road during the regular season. This should be a fun one as both teams are playing their best basketball of the season. I’ll take North in a close one to give coach Baffour his first district tournament crown. This will be North’s first trip to the district finals since being a runner-up in 2017 and their first trip to the region since then as well. 18th District at Green County Semi Final: Green County vs. Hart County Hart County started off the district season in the drivers’ seat going 2-0 against Caverna and Larue. They then lost their next 4 district games and ended as the 4 seed. Green County on the other hand went 4-2 through district play. The Dragons swept the regular season series 78-68 and 53-39 respectively. Both teams have similar records, but I think Green has played a little bit tougher schedule. I think this one is competitive but in the end the Dragons end up 3-0 against the Raiders and move onto the 18th district finals. Semi Final: Larue County vs. Caverna Larue County has dominated the 18th district tournament for the last decade, winning the district crown for the last 7 years. The team with the next most district tournament championships in that time span would be Caverna, winning in 2015 and 2016. Caverna won the first matchup this season 74-72 on Dec. 12th. Larue would win the next one on Feb. 2 by a score of 63-47. The Hawks are playing as well as any team in the region not named North Hardin and bring a 6-game winning streak into district play. Caverna in the month of February is 4-3, but all of their losses have come from top teams in the region (Larue, Central Hardin, Adair). Caverna seems to play well at Green County as well, but until someone beats the champ it’s the champs to lose, so I’ll take the Hawks by 5. Finals: Green County vs. Larue County These two teams split during the regular season and tensions have been pretty high in those games. There was the ugly scene at the end of the first game at Larue County. The Hawks won that game 63-47. The Dragons got revenge just a week later with a 1-point win at home (61-60). I expect this game to be played with lots of emotion. This has probably been the best rivalry in the 18th district over the past few years in all sports. This is a toss-up game for me but if I have to pick one, I’ll take Larue in another close game. 19th District at Washington County Quarterfinal: Thomas Nelson vs. Nelson County This game intrigues me for a couple of reasons. Thomas Nelson is playing better the last 2 weeks of the regular season than they have played the last 2 seasons. Nelson County doesn’t seem to get any consistency. There is also the whole merger issue at hand, with Thomas Nelson looking like it will dissolve back into Nelson County in the next year or so. I think Thomas Nelson pulls off the upset and advances to the semifinals. Semi Final: Washington County vs. Thomas Nelson/Nelson County Much like the 17th district, your prize for winning your first game is to get one of the best teams in the region. Washington County started off the year strong but faltered a little bit down the stretch. But with the district being held in Springfield this year, I expect the Commanders to cruise to a large victory regardless of which team they play. Semi Final: Bethlehem vs. Bardstown In Coach Brad Greenwell’s first year, he grabs the #2 seed in the district. His reward for doing so is to play Bardstown, who has absolutely owned the 19th district. You have to go back to 2013 to find a different winner of the district tournament than Bardstown. Bethlehem won that game in 2013 by 9 against who else, Bardstown. The last time Bardstown didn’t make the trip to the 5th Region tournament and the 19th district championship game was 2003. These 2 teams split during the regular season. Bardstown won the first by 5, Bethlehem won the second by 2. I’ll take Bardstown to the finals by 6. Finals: Washington County vs Bardstown Washington County hasn’t won the district tournament since 2005. They were heavily favored last year, and Bardstown beat them in the finals 72-59 in a game that wasn’t even that close most of the way. But with a little more experience and having the home court advantage, I think Washington finally gets the district crown back and they win by 10. 20th District at Taylor County Semi Final: Adair County vs. Marion County Adair has been one of the top teams in the region all season, and Marion has been toward the bottom of the region all season. Marion County plays hard, and Coach Thomas coaches hard, but the talent gap is just too wide. Adair swept the regular season matchups and I look for more of the same. I’ll take Adair by 15. Semi Final: Taylor County vs. Campbellsville The cross-town rivalry between these two schools always makes for a fun environment for the game, but it really hasn’t been much of a rivalry in recent years. Taylor won both games during the regular season by double digits and it should be more of the same in the district tournament. I’ll take Taylor by 14. Finals: Adair County vs. Taylor County This should be a fun one. Adair County won both games during the regular season. They won at home by 9, and then at Taylor by 5. That game at Taylor County was one of the best environments I’ve seen for a regular season high school basketball game in recent years. I expect that gymnasium to be rocking on Friday night for this one as well. It will come down to the play of Connor Loy and Isaiah Cochran. If both of them are playing well that night, Taylor will have its work cut out for them. On the other hand, if they are not, or one of them is not playing well, and Layken Lyons, CJ Johnson, Jackson Wise or Keeton Clements can get it going then it should come down to the wire. Honestly, I think Taylor has more weapons than Adair, but the question is can they get over the hump. I’ll take Adair by 3 in a thriller. Predictions for Region 17th District- Champion- North Hardin 17th District- Runner-up- Central Hardin 18th District- Champion- Larue County 18th District- Runner-up- Green County 19th District- Champion- Washington County 19th District- Runner-up- Bardstown 20th District- Champion- Adair County 20th District- Runner-up- Taylor County

5th Region Week 12 Review & Rankings 1. North Hardin (17-8) Previous Rank: 3 Last Week Results: (L) Warren Central 61-71, (W) Green Co. 69-59 This Week’s Games: Spencer Co. Frederick Douglas, at Desales 2. Larue County (18-9) Previous Rank: 4 Last Week’s Results: (W) Elizabethtown 72-54, (W) Marion Co. 77-55 This Week’s Games: at Iroquois, Pulaski Co. 3. Adair County (22-6) Previous Rank: 1 Last Week’s Results: (L) Warren Central 59-65, (W) Russell Co. 77-67, (L) Lyon Co. 48-98 This Week’s Games: Caverna, Hart Co. 4. Central Hardin (16-9) Previous Rank: 8 Last Week’s Results: (W) Caverna 97-70, (W) Green Co. 78-70, (W) Meade Co. 90-59 This Week’s Games: Holy Cross, Doss, at Fern Creek 5. Elizabethtown (18-8) Previous Rank: 2 Last Week’s Results: (L) Larue Co. 54-72, (W) Taylor Co. 62-59, (L) Jeffersontown 41-44 (double overtime) This Week’s Games: Seneca 6. Washington County (19-9) Previous Rank; 7 Last Week’s Games: (W) Bluegrass United 62-53, (W) Hart Co. 62-48 This Week’s Games: at Danville 7. Taylor County (15-12) Previous Rank: 9 Last Week’s Results (W) Glasgow 82-70, (L) Elizabethtown 59-62, (W) Bethlehem 71-64 This Week’s Games: at Barren Co. Boyle Co. 8. Caverna (16-9) Previous Rank: 5 Last Week’s Results (L) Central Hardin 70-97 This Week’s Games: at Adair Co. at Metcalfe Co. 9. Green County (16-12) Previous Rank: 6 Last Week’s Results (L) Central Hardin 70-78, (L) North Hardin 59-69 This Week’s Games: at Warren East, Cumberland Co. 10. Hart County (15-10) Previous Rank: 11 Last Week’s Results: (W) Bullitt Central 68-50, (W) Metcalfe Co. 65-55, (L) Washington Co. 48-62 This Week’s Games: at Nelson Co. at Adair Co. 11. Bardstown (12-14) Previous Rank: 10 Last Week’s Results: (L) Spencer Co. 47-70 This Week’s Games: Mercer Co. WEB DuBois 12. Campbellsville (11-15) Previous Rank: 13 Last Week’s Results: (L) Somerset 47-61, (W) Casey Co. 70-45 This Week’s Games: Danville, Thomas Nelson 13. Bethlehem (12-13) Previous Rank: 12 Last Week’s Results (L) Meade Co. 54-77, (L) Taylor Co. 64-71 This Week’s Games: Marion Co. 14. Nelson County (7-17) Previous Rank: 14 Last Week’s Games: (L) Danville 56-62 (Overtime) This Week’s Games: Hart Co. Eminence 15. Fort Knox (6-20) Previous Rank: 17 Last Week’s Games: (L) Collegiate 54-70, (W) Brown 64-59, (W) Cloverport 63-36 This Week’s Games: at Brown 16. Thomas Nelson (5-20) Previous Rank:18 Last Week’s Games: (L) Valley 59-74, (W) Francis Parker 60-51, (W) Holmes 83-51 This Week’s Games: at Campbellsville, Brown 17. John Hardin (4-25) Previous Rank: 15 Last Week’s Games: (L) Grayson Co. 56-76, (L) Kentucky Country Day 47-85 This Week’s Games: at Apollo 18. Marion County (4-23) Previous Rank: 16 Last Week’s Games: (W) Garrard Co. 62-49, (L) Edmonson Co. 59-68, (L) Larue Co. 55-77, (L) Trinity Christian 56-57 This Week’s Games: at Bethlehem Thoughts -North Hardin assumes the top spot in this week’s rankings. North has been a pretty consistent team all season, but they kind of fall in to the top spot based more on what other teams didn’t do rather than what they did. They did have a good win against Green County on Friday night and a 10-point loss against Warren Central, that saw the Trojans play pretty well. -Larue County is riding a 4-game win streak that included a very dominant performance against Elizabethtown. That game was never close. Jagger Mardis shot the lights out in that game and if he can continue to shoot well and pull defenses out, that will make Larue a very dangerous team down the stretch. -Adair County dropped 2 games in the same week for the first time all season. Granted, those games were against top competitors, losing to Warren Central and to Lyon County, but the Lyon County game was a 50-point blowout. Realistically, I didn’t expect Adair to win that game, but certainly didn’t think they would be beaten that badly. While Adair has still won the majority of their games recently, they have not been playing as well. If Adair is going to make a deep run, they’ve got to course correct quickly. -Central Hardin is a team that is playing its best basketball at the right time. A 27-point blowout at Caverna and then an 8-point win at Green this week in a game that wasn’t that close. Central led by 20 for most of the game. Central hosts the district tournament, so you have to think that gives them an edge as well as they are playing. -Elizabethtown got smacked by Larue County. The game was never close. They defeated Taylor by 3 in a game that I thought Taylor probably should have won and then managed to only score 41 points in a double overtime loss to J-town. Coach Haire has been very critical of the team chemistry right now. You never count Coach Haire and the Panthers out, but I put them in the same category of Adair County. If they are going to make a run, they need to get some things figured out quickly. -Taylor County went 2-1 this week. The Cardinals have been playing much better as of late. The opposite is true for Caverna and Green County. They combined went 0-3 last week. I’ve been high on both teams this season but maybe reality is starting to set in for them, that they are just outside of the top tier teams in the region.

Welp, these rankings were basically useless after Tuesday night. #1 Adair goes down by 6 to a very good Warren Central team on the road. This isn't by any means a knock on Warren Central but I think just proves that while the 5th has been pretty competitive against in-region competition, it hasn't faired to well outside the region against strong teams. #2 Etown just got manhandled by Larue. Larue has found some outside shooting and while I didn't think they were in that top level of regional contenders this season, if they continue to shoot and defend like they did last night, I wouldn't want to play them. #5 Caverna and #6 Green County had opportunities to show they belonged in the top 5 of teams and both got smacked by Central Hardin on back-to-back nights. Central is showing that they deserve to be considered. Central beat Caverna by 20+ and while the final margin against Green ended up only being 8, it was 20+ for much of the game.