5thregionbasketball

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.

5th Region Rankings & Review Week 11 1. Adair County (21-4) Previous Rank: 1 Last Week’s Results: L Central Hardin 66-77, W Metcalfe Co. 77-68, W Marion Co. 58-48, W Barren Co. 61-47 This Week’s Games: at Warren Central, at Russell Co. at Lyon Co. 2. Elizabethtown (17-6) Previous Rank: 3 Last Week’s Results: W Meade Co. 77-62, W Bullitt East 70-55 This Week’s Games: Larue Co. Taylor Co. at Jeffersontown 3. North Hardin (16-7) Previous Rank: 2 Last Week’s Results: L Taylor Co. 68-74, L Franklin Co. 73-75 This Week’s Games: at Warren Central, Green Co. 4. Larue County (16-9) Previous Rank: 4 Last Week’s Results: L Green Co. 60-61, W Bethlehem 64-52, W Fairdale 69-55 This Week’s Games: at Elizabethtown, at Marion Co. 5. Caverna (16-8) Previous Rank: 7 Last Week’s Results: W Hart Co. 54-38, W Russell Co. 76-68 This Week’s Games: Central Hardin 6. Green County (16-10) Previous Rank: 8 Last Week’s Results: W Larue Co. 61-60, W Hart Co. 53-39 This Week’s Games: Central Hardin, at North Hardin 7. Washington County (17-9) Previous Rank: 5 Last Week’s Results: W Southern 88-64, W Burgin 73-47, L Bethlehem 61-64, L Danville Christian Academy 49-62 This Week’s Games: Bluegrass United, at Hart Co. 8. Central Hardin (13-9) Previous Rank: 6 Last Week’s Results: W Fort Knox 101-83, W Adair Co. 77-66, L Bullitt East 55-65 This Week’s Games: at Caverna, at Green Co, Meade Co. 9. Taylor County (13-11) Previous Rank: 12 Last Week’s Results: W North Hardin 74-68, W Campbellsville 66-54 This Week’s Games: at Glasgow, at Elizabethtown, at Bethlehem 10. Bardstown (12-13) Previous Rank: 9 Last Week’s Results: W Marion Co. 51-49, W North Bullitt 75-49 This Week’s Games: at Spencer Co. 11. Hart County (13-9) Previous Rank: 10 Last Week’s Results: L Caverna 38-54, W Fort Knox 83-65, L Green Co. 39-53 This Week’s Games: Bullitt Central, at Metcalfe Co. Washington Co. 12. Bethlehem (12-11) Previous Rank: 11 Last Week’s Results: L Campbellsville 50-67, W Washington Co. 64-61, L Larue Co. 52-64, L Kentucky Country Day 59-64 This Week’s Games: at Meade Co. Taylor Co. 13. Campbellsville (10-14) Previous Rank: 13 Last Week’s Results: W Bethlehem 67-50, L Taylor Co. 54-66, W North Bullitt 70-54 This Week’s Games: at Somerset, at Casey Co. Eminence 14. Nelson County (7-16) Previous Rank: 14 Last Week’s Results: L Casey Co. 59-70, W Model 56-46, L John Hardin 57-59 This Week’s Games: at Danville 15. John Hardin (4-23) Previous Rank: 18 Last Week’s Results: W Nelson Co. 59-57 This Week’s Games: at Grayson Co. at Kentucky Country Day 16. Marion County (3-20) Previous Rank: 15 Last Week’s Results: L Bardstown 49-51, L Adair Co. 48-58, L Highland Latin 73-76 This Week’s Games: Garrard Co. Edmonson Co. Larue Co. Trinity Christian 17. Fort Knox (4-19) Previous Rank 17 Last Week’s Results: L Hart Co. 65-83, L Valley 55-77, L Beth Haven 43-76 This Week’s Games: Collegiate, Brown, Cloverport, Ft. Campbell 18. Thomas Nelson (3-19) Previous Rank: 16 Last Week’s Results: W Bullitt Central 66-65, L Meade Co. 49-68 This Week’s Games: Valley, Francis Parker, Holmes Thoughts: -It was an interesting week in the 5th Region with every team in the top 5 from last week with the exception of Elizabethtown losing at least one game. North Hardin and Washington County both lost twice last week. -Adair County holds onto the top spot. They lost by 11 to Central Hardin early in the week but rebounded with wins over Metcalfe and Marion County and ended the week with a nice win over Barren County. Adair will need to play better this week as they have 2 tough road games against Warren Central and state powerhouse Lyon Co. Sandwiched in between those 2 games is another road game against out of region rival Russell Co. -Elizabethtown slides into the number 2 spot after solid wins against Meade County and Bullitt East. I’m curious to see how they play this week with 3 games against solid competition in Larue County and Taylor County. -North Hardin suffered their first back-to-back losses all season this week, losing to an improving Taylor County and a 2-point loss to Franklin County. They’ll also get a shot at Warren Central this week and then matchup with Green County at the end of the week. -Caverna climbs to the #5 spot this week after 2 solid wins this week. The Colonels only game this week will be against Central Hardin. It will be a great opportunity for Caverna to show that they deserve to be in the top 5. -Green County could make the argument that they deserve to be in the top 5 as well. They won their 2 district games to capture the #1 seed for the 18th district tournament by defeating Larue Co and Hart Co. They’ll also get a shot at Central Hardin this week as well as North Hardin. -Washington County drops to its lowest rank of the season. While their win total is impressive, their strength of schedule has not been that great. They only have 4 wins against teams with winning records, Bowling Green, Taylor County, Bethlehem and Caverna. Gabe Weiss, the standout sophomore is injured again and did not play any this week. The Commanders are a much different team without him in the lineup. -Central Hardin, I feel like kind of gets a raw deal in the rankings this week, but I’m just not sure where to put them other than where they are at. They scored 101 points against Fort Knox this week and then knocked off Adair County by 11, but then lost to Bullitt East. While Bullitt East is a very good team, I feel like that was a very winnable game for the Bruins and probably would have moved them to the #5 spot. -Taylor County gets back into the top 10 with wins over North Hardin and a district win over Campbellsville to secure the #2 seed in the 20th district. The Cardinals are playing much better than they were a few weeks ago and are trending upward. -Hart County and Bethlehem are both teams that continue to confuse me. Hart County didn’t play in either of their 2 district games and instead of being the #1 seed, they will now be the #4 seed. Bethlehem is the same. They had a nice win over Washington County this week but also a 17-point loss to Campbellsville, a 12-point loss to Larue County and a 5-point loss to KCD. Both of these teams are the epitome to me of the Jekyll and Hyde team. Final District Standings: 17th District: 1) North Hardin 2) Central Hardin 3) Elizabethtown 4) John Hardin 5) Fort Knox 18th District: 1) Green County 2) Larue County 3) Caverna 4) Hart County 19th District: 1) Washington County 2) Bethlehem 3) Bardstown 4) Nelson County 5) Thomas Nelson 20th District: 1) Adair County 2) Taylor County 3) Campbellsville 4) Marion County

5th Region Rankings & Review Week 10 1. Adair County (18-3) Previous Rank: 1 Last Week’s Results: (W) 72-61 Larue County, (W) 83-66 Campbellsville, (W) 67-55 Woodford Co. This Week’s Games: at Central Hardin, at Metcalfe Co. Marion Co. Barren Co. 2. North Hardin (16-5) Previous Rank: 2 Last Week’s Results: (W) 89-42 Meade Co, (W) 83-44 Ft. Knox, (W) 1-0 John Hardin (forfeit) (W) 91-49 East Jessamine This Week’s Games: at Taylor Co. Franklin Co. 3. Elizabethtown (15-6) Previous Rank: 3 Last Week’s Results: (W) 1-0 John Hardin (forfeit), (W) 87-66 Bardstown, (W) 49-46 Warren Central This Week’s Games: Meade Co, at Bullitt East 4. Washington County (15-7) Previous Rank: 5 Last Week’s Results: (W) 57-55 Caverna, (W) 74-42 Nelson Co. This Week’s Games: Southern, Burgin, at Bethlehem, at Danville Christian Academy 5. Larue County (14-8) Previous Rank: 4 Last Week’s Results: (W) 63-47 Green Co. (L) 61-72 Adair Co. (W) 63-47 Caverna This Week’s Games: at Green Co. at Bethlehem, Fairdale 6. Central Hardin (11-8) Previous Rank: 6 Last Week’s Results: (W) 87-35 Ft. Knox, (L) 72-86 Lyon Co. This Week’s Games: at Ft. Knox, Adair Co. Bullitt East 7. Caverna (14-8) Previous Rank: 7 Last Week’s Results: (L) 55-57 Washington Co. (W) 73-48 Glasgow, (L) 47-63 Larue Co. (W) 70-67 Warren East This Week’s Games: Hart Co. Russell Co. 8. Green County (14-10) Previous Rank: 8 Last Week’s Results: (L) 47-63 Larue Co. (W) 67-47 Nelson Co. (W) 80-64 Highland Latin (W) 81-64 John Hardin This Week’s Results: Larue Co. at Hart Co. 9. Hart County (12-7) Previous Rank: 10 Last Week’s Results: (L) 49-58 Taylor Co. (W) 90-54 Bluegrass Blazers (W) 73-70 Bethlehem (OT) This Week’s Games: at Caverna, Ft. Knox, Green Co. 10. Taylor County (11-11) Previous Rank: 12 Last Week’s Results: (W) 58-49 Hart Co, (W) 74-41 Marion Co. (W) 95-65 Doss This Week’s Games: North Hardin, at Campbellsville 11. Bethlehem (11-8) Previous Rank: 11 Last Week’s Results: (W) 58-56 Bardstown, (L) 70-73 Hart Co. (OT) This Week’s Games: at Campbellsville, Washington Co. Larue Co. at Kentucky Country Day 12. Bardstown (10-13) Previous Rank: 9 Last Week’s Results: (L) 56-58 Bethlehem, (L) 66-87 Elizabethtown, (L) 45-65 Wayne Co. This Week’s Games: at Marion Co. at North Bullitt 13. Campbellsville (8-13) Previous Rank: 13 Last Week’s Results: (L) 66-83 Adair Co. (W) 62-47 Metcalfe Co. This Week’s Games: Bethlehem, Taylor Co, North Bullitt (at Larue Co) 14. Nelson County (5-14) Previous Rank: 14 Last Week’s Results: (L) 69-77 Breckinridge Co. (L) 47-67 Green Co. (L) 42-74 Washington Co. This Week’s Games: Marion Co. at Casey Co. Model, at John Hardin 15. Marion County (3-16) Previous Rank: 15 Last Week’s Results: (L) 41-74 Taylor Co. This Week’s Games: at Nelson Co. Bardstown, at Adair Co. Highland Latin 16. John Hardin (3-23) Previous Rank: 18 Last Week’s Results: (L) 0-1 Elizabethtown & North Hardin (forfeit) (W) 70-57 Thomas Nelson, (L) 64-81 Green Co. This Week’s Games: at Evangel, Nelson Co. 17. Fort Knox (4-15) Previous Rank: 17 Last Week’s Results: (L) 35-87 Central Hardin, (L) 44-83 North Hardin, (W) 64-62 Whitefield Academy This Week’s Games: Central Hardin, at Hart Co. at Valley, at Beth Haven 18. Thomas Nelson (2-18) Previous Rank: 16 Last Week’s Results: (L) 70-74 Bluegrass United, 57-70 John Hardin This Week’s Games: at Bullitt Central, Meade Co. Thoughts ·Adair County continues to impress. 2 wins against top competition this week in Larue County and Woodford County and locking up the district’s top seed with a win over Campbellsville. ·North Hardin also continues to play well and have secured the 17th district #1 seed. They take a 5 game winning streak into their game against Taylor County on Tuesday night. ·The top 4 teams in the region (Adair, North Hardin, Etown & Washington County) all have 5-game winning streaks going into their games this week. ·Elizabethtown absolutely dominated Bardstown in the 2nd half of their game this past week. They capped off the week with an impressive win against Warren Central ·By the end of this week, district play will be wrapped up. The only district that is still undecided in terms of #1 seeds is the 18th district. If Larue wins against Green, Larue will be the #1 seed. Green can capture the #1 seed by winning out this week and Hart Co. could capture the #1 seed if they win out and Larue loses to Green. Expect the Green/Larue game to be very physical and emotional as last week’s game had some extracurricular activities after the game. ·Taylor County had a very good week, winning all 3 of their games. That gets them back to .500 on the season and back in the top 10 at the number 10 spot. ·Bardstown had maybe the worst week they’ve had all season, dropping all 3 of their games and in their first game they had several players ejected for coming off the bench during a little bit of a scrum. They have 2 winnable games this week that should get them back on the right track as they head toward the postseason. ·Lastly, continued thoughts and prayers to the John Hardin Bulldog family as they continue to deal with the untimely death of their coach, Austin Jones. The Bulldogs forfeited their first 2 games of the week but then played a very emotional game on Friday night. They played with great heart and intensity and were able to pick up the W. Congrats to them.

His dad was a heck of a baseball player in his high school years. Congratulations to the Dawson family.

Week 9 Review & Rankings 1. Adair County (15-3) Previous Rank: 1 Last Week’s Results: (W) 77-72 Taylor Co This Week’s Games: at Larue Co, Campbellsville, at Woodford Co. 2. North Hardin (12-5) Previous Rank: 2 Last Week’s Results: (L)64-72 Central Hardin, (W)91-44 John Hardin This Week’s Games: at Meade Co, at Ft. Knox, at John Hardin, at East Jessamine 3. Elizabethtown (12-6) Previous Rank: 3 Last Week’s Results: (W)56-53 Fern Creek (OT), (W)85-39 Ft. Knox This Week’s Games: at John Hardin, at Bardstown, at Warren Central 4. Larue County (12-7) Previous Rank: 4 Last Week’s Results: (W)63-52 Campbellsville, (W)61-43 Hart Co. This Week’s Games: Green, Adair Co, Caverna 5. Washington County (13-7) Previous Rank: 5 Last Week’s Results: (W)76-49 Thomas Nelson, (W)66-48 Marion, (W)72-59 Thomas Nelson This Week’s Games: @Caverna, Nelson Co. 6. Central Hardin (10-7) Previous Rank: 7 Last Week’s Results: (W)80-48 Breck. Co. (W)72-64 North Hardin This Week’s Games: Ft Knox, Lyon Co @Warren Central 7. Caverna (12-6) Previous Rank: 6 Last Week’s Results: (L)33-43 Pikeville (All A) This Week’s Games: Washington Co, Glasgow, at Larue Co, Warren East 8. Green County (11-9) Previous Rank: 8 Last Week’s Results: (W)63-58 Russell Co, (L)63-82 Ohio Co. This Week’s Games: at Larue Co. at Nelson Co. Highland Latin, John Hardin 9. Bardstown (10-10) Previous Rank: 9 Last Week’s Results: (W)66-53 Thomas Nelson, (W)55-50 Nelson (OT) This Week’s Games: Bethlehem, Elizabethtown, at Wayne Co. 10. Hart County (10-6) Previous Rank: 10 Last Week’s Results: (W)52-41 Edmonson, (L) 43-61 Larue Co. This Week’s Games: Taylor Co, Bluegrass Baptist, at Bethlehem 11. Bethlehem (10-7) Previous Rank: 12 Last Week’s Results: (W)76-63 North Bullitt, (W)69-51 Brown, (W)53-42 Model This Week’s Games: at Bardstown, Hart Co. 12. Taylor County (8-11) Previous Rank: 11 Last Week’s Results: (W)74-52 Campbellsville, (L)72-77 Adair Co. This Week’s Games: at Hart Co, Marion Co, Doss 13. Campbellsville (7-12) Previous Rank: 13 Last Week’s Results: (L)52-74, Taylor Co, (W)63-57 Marion (OT) This Week’s Games: at Adair, Metcalfe Co. 14. Nelson County (5-11) Previous Rank: 14 Last Week’s Results: (L)48-66 Bullitt Central, (L)50-55 Bardstown (OT) This Week’s Games: at Breckinridge Co, Green Co, at Washington Co, Marion Co. 15. Marion County (3-15) Previous Rank: 15 Last Week’s Results: (L)48-66 Washington Co, (L)57-63 Campbellsville, (L)51-85 Kentucky Country Day This Week’s Games: at Taylor Co, at Nelson Co. 16. Thomas Nelson (2-16) Previous Rank: 16 Last Week’s Results: (L)49-76 Washington Co, (L)53-66 Bardstown, (L)59-72 Washington Co. This Week’s Games: Bluegrass United, at John Hardin 17. Fort Knox (3-13) Previous Rank: 17 Last Week’s Results: (W)52-41 Portland Christian, (L) 66-77 John Hardin, (L)39-85 Elizabethtown This Week’s Games: at Central Hardin, North Hardin, Whitefield Academy 18. John Hardin (2-20) Previous Rank: 18 Last Week’s Results: (L)58-69 Atherton, (W)77-66 Ft. Knox, (L)44-91 North Hardin This Week’s Games: Etown, North Hardin, Thomas Nelson, at Green Co. Thoughts: - First and foremost, prayers to the John Hardin family, as they deal with the loss of their coach. The Bulldogs have not had the kind of year that they had hoped to have, but obviously the death of a coach far outweighs wins and losses. - Adair County hangs on to top spot in the region with a very gritty win against Taylor County on Friday night. That game had a great atmosphere and don’t be surprised to see those 2 teams play again at Taylor County for the 20th district championship. - Central Hardin got a big win in the district against North Hardin. Brett Decker had 37 points in that game. - North’s loss to Central was the only loss for any of the top 6 teams in the region this week and it came to the #6 team. Early on in the season, I thought there were about 8 or 9 teams that could compete for the regional title. I believe we are down to these 6 teams and one of them is guaranteed to not make the regional tournament as Etown, Central and North are all in the 17th district. - Bethlehem had a nice week winning 3 games. They carry a 5-game winning streak into their district game with Bardstown on Tuesday night. - If the season ended today here’s how the districts would seed: 17th District: North Hardin (#1 seed clinched) Central Hardin Elizabethtown John Hardin Fort Knox 18th District: Green Co Hart Co Caverna Larue Co 19th District: Washington Co Bardstown Bethlehem Nelson Co. Thomas Nelson 20th District: Adair Co. Taylor Co. Campbellsville Marion Co.

Newspaper in Etown has posted on their twitter account. Head coach Austin Jones passed away overnight.

Some very difficult and sad news out of John Hardin this morning that goes way beyond wins and losses. I'll update a little later once more information is public, but the coaching staff, players, parents of players and administration could certainly use your prayers.

DCA vs Lyon Co. Pikeville vs Murray Co. Finals: Lyon Co over Murray

5th Region Rankings and Review Week 8 1. Adair County (13-2) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: Evangel, Casey Co. at Taylor Co. 2. North Hardin (10-4) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: at Elizabethtown, Central Hardin, John Hardin 3. Elizabethtown (10-5) Last Week’s Results: Washington County 76-67 Games This Week: North Hardin, Fern Creek, Fort Knox 4. Larue County (10-7) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: Campbellsville, at Hart Co. 5. Washington County (10-7) Last Week’s Results: Bardstown 65-58 (OT) Elizabethtown 67-76 Games This Week: Thomas Nelson, at Marion Co, at Thomas Nelson 6. Caverna (12-5) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: Pikeville (All A Classic State Tournament) 7. Central Hardin (8-7) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: Breckinridge Co. at North Hardin, Butler (at Taylor Co.) 8. Green County (10-8) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: No Games Scheduled 9. Bardstown (8-10) Last Week’s Results: Washington Co. 58-65 (OT) Seneca 74-75 (Double OT) Games This Week: Thomas Nelson, Nelson Co. 10. Hart County (8-5) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: at Monroe Co, Edmonson Co. Larue Co. 11. Taylor County (7-10) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: Campbellsville, Adair Co. 12. Bethlehem (7-7) Last Week’s Results: Anderson Co. 53-47 Games This Week: North Bullitt, Brown, Doss (at Taylor) 13. Campbellsville (6-10) Last Week’s Results: No Games Games This Week: at Larue Co, at Taylor Co, at Marion Co. 14. Nelson County (5-9) Last Week’s Games: No Games Games This Week: at Bullitt Central, at Bardstown 15. Marion County (3-12) Last Week’s Games: No Games Games This Week: Washington Co, Taylor Co, at KCD 16. Thomas Nelson (2-13) Last Week’s Games: No Games Games This Week: at Washington Co, at Bardstown, Washington Co. 17. Fort Knox (2-11) Last Week’s Games: No Games Games This Week: Portland Christian, John Hardin, at Elizabethtown 18. John Hardin (1-18) Last Week Games: Iroquois 63-64 Games This Week: at Atherton, at Fort Knox, at North Hardin Thoughts: -I was out of town last week, so I didn’t have a week 7 recap, so this week’s rankings are kind of a reset and where I see the teams in the region based on the entire season. -Adair County has a big week as the #1 team. They are scheduled to host Evangel and then they travel to Taylor County. A win against Taylor on Friday night will lock up the #1 seed for the 20th district. -It’s a big week in the 17th district with North Hardin playing 3 district games, Etown playing 2 games, Central Hardin with 1 game, Fort Knox plays 2 games and John Hardin plays 2 games. By the end of this week, we should have a pretty good idea what the 17th district tournament is going to look like. -Caverna heads to the All A State Tournament this week. They’ll play Pikeville in their first game on Thursday. Admittedly, I don’t know much about the 15th Region, but based on RPI, Pikeville should be the likely winner. -Taylor County, who has lost 7 of its last 8 games, has a chance to get back on the winning side. They host district rivals in Campbellsville and #1 Adair County this week. -Bardstown was able to get in 2 games this week. They lost both but one in overtime and the other in double overtime. They should end up being the #2 seed in the 19th district tournament but don’t count them out when it comes to the district and region. Boo Brewer’s teams are never a team you want to play in late February or early March. -Nelson County shows a record on KHSAA of 4-6. They do not have the games that they played in Illinois over Christmas break on there anymore. They went 1-3 in 4 games during that tournament. If anyone has any idea why these games aren’t showing up and not being counted, I’d love to know. -John Hardin may have its best chance to get in the win column again this season this week. They travel to Atherton and Fort Knox. Fort Knox defeated John earlier in the season by 13 points, but it’s been a long layoff for Fort Knox. They’ve only played 1 game since the calendar turned to 2024. If John doesn’t get a win in either of those 2 games, I don’t think they’ll win another game the rest of the season.

The running clock rule is only in effect for the second half of a game.

The All A Classic gets going tonight with a quarterfinal game between Caverna and Bethlehem at Bethlehem. I think Caverna wins this one by about 20. Semifinals are Tuesday and Wednesday with Green County hosting. Green will play Campbellsville on Tuesday night and the winner of Caverna/Bethlehem plays Fort Knox on Wednesday. The finals will be on Friday night, which should feature Caverna and Green County. I think Green County wins it, but I wouldn't count Caverna out. Who do you think goes to Corbin to represent the 5th Region?

5th Region Rankings & Review Week 6 1. Adair County (12-2) Previous Rank: 1 Last Week’s Results: Marion Co. 91-35, Russell Co. 70-56, Larue Co. 60-62 This Week’s Games: McCreary Central 2. North Hardin (9-3) Previous Rank: 3 Last Week’s Results: Etown 61-60, Central Hardin 76-70 This Week’s Games: at Hart Co. at North Oldham 3. Larue County (10-6) Previous Rank: 10 Last Week’s Results: Taylor Co. 74-50, Washington Co. 76-68, Adair Co. 62-60 This Week’s Games: Fleming Co. (2A State Championship Tournament) 4. Washington County (8-5) Previous Rank: 2 Last Week’s Results: Larue Co. 68-76 This Week’s Games: Doss, at Woodford Co. 5. Elizabethtown (9-4) Previous Rank: 4 Last Week’s Results: North Hardin 60-61, Green 64-57 This Week’s Games: at Central Hardin 6. Caverna (9-5) Previous Rank: 7 Last Week’s Results: John Hardin 89-66 This Week’s Games: at Bethlehem (All A), at Marion, Hart Co. 7. Green County (9-7) Previous Rank: 8 Last Week’s Results: Metcalfe Co. 88-70, Hart Co. 78-68, Etown 57-64 This Week’s Games: Campbellsville (All A) 8. Bardstown (8-7) Previous Rank: 6 Last Week’s Results: Desales 69-87 This Week’s Games: at Collins 9. Hart County (7-4) Previous Rank: 5 Last Week’s Results: Glasgow 58-69, Green Co. 68-78 This Week’s Games: North Hardin, at Caverna 10. Central Hardin (7-7) Previous Rank: 9 Last Week’s Results: John Hardin 99-59, North Hardin 70-76 This Week’s Games: Elizabethtown 11. Taylor County (7-9) Previous Rank: 11 Last Week’s Results: Larue Co. 50-74 This Week’s Games: at Warren Central 12. Campbellsville (6-9) Previous Rank: 12 Last Week’s Results: Monroe Co. 57-64, Meade Co. 62-54 This Week’s Games: at Green Co. (All A) 13. Bethlehem (5-6) Previous Rank: 13 Last Week’s Results: Thomas Nelson 70-66, Nelson Co. 57-41 This Week’s Games: Caverna (All A) 14. Nelson County (4-9) Previous Rank: 14 Last Week’s Games: John Hardin 58-50, Bethlehem 41-57, Desales 43-89 This Week’s Games: at Thomas Nelson 15. Marion County (3-11) Previous Rank: 15 Last Week’s Games: Adair Co. 35-91 This Week’s Games: Caverna 16. Thomas Nelson (2-11) Previous Rank: 16 Last Week’s Games: Bethlehem 66-70 This Week’s Games: Nelson Co. 17. Fort Knox (2-10) Previous Rank: 17 Last Week’s Games: No Games This Week’s Games: TBD at Green Co. (All A) 18. John Hardin (1-16) Previous Rank: 18 Last Week’s Games: Central Hardin 59-99, Nelson Co. 50-58, Caverna 66-89 This Week’s Games: at Meade Co. Thoughts: -Adair County holds onto top spot despite losing to Larue Co in the 2A sectional finals. -North Hardin moves up a spot, has a great week against 17th district opponents and picks up big wins over Elizabethtown and Central Hardin. -Larue County probably had the best week of any team in the region, going 3-0 through the 2A sectionals and winning their section. They dominated Taylor County from the tip, defeated Washington County by 8 and then held off Adair County to win the sectional. Larue has now won 8 of their last 10 games. -Hart County stay in the top 5 didn’t last long. A 5 ranking was probably to high for the Raiders but they had won the games they should’ve won. This week they dropped 2 games including a district game to Green Co. -Speaking of Green County, they are a team on the rise. They played well in all of their games this week, going 2-1. They kick off All A action on Tuesday night and should be the favorite to win the All A in the 5th Region this year. I predict a Caverna/Green Co. final. -Not much change in the bottom of the region this week and doesn’t look like much will change for several of those teams in the foreseeable future. -As a region, they went 15-18 this week. Not a lot of games coming up this week, but games of note are: North Hardin at North Oldham, Washington County at Woodford County, Elizabethtown at Central Hardin, Hart County at Caverna, All A Finals which should be Caverna and Green County and then Larue vs Fleming County in the first round of the 2A state tournament. District Standings: 17th District: North Hardin 3-0, 5 District Games Remaining Elizabethtown, 3-1, 4 District Games Remaining Central Hardin, 2-2, 4 District Games Remaining Fort Knox, 1-2, 5 District Games Remaining John Hardin, 0-4, 4 District Games Remaining 18th District Green County, 2-0, 4 District Games Remaining Hart County, 2-1, 3 District Games Remaining Caverna, 1-2, 3 District Games Remaining Larue County, 0-2, 4 District Games Remaining 19th District Washington County, 3-0, 5 District Games Remaining Bardstown, 3-1, 4 District Games Remaining Bethlehem 3-3, 2 District Games Remaining Nelson County, 2-3, 3 District Games Remaining Thomas Nelson, 0-4, 4 District Games Remaining 20th District Adair County, 3-0, 3 District Games Remaining Taylor County, 1-1, 3 District Games Remaining Marion County, 1-2, 3 District Games Remaining Campbellsville, 0-2, 4 District Games Remaining

5th Region Rankings & Review Week 5 1. Adair County (10-1) Previous Rank: 2 Last Week’s Results: No Games This Week’s Games: at Marion Co. 2A Tournament 2. Washington County (8-4) Previous Rank: 1 Last Week’s Results: Fleming Co. 58-47, Lexington Cath. 67-93, Cooper 40-55 This Week’s Games: at Thomas Nelson, 2A Tournament 3. North Hardin (7-3) Previous Rank: 5 Last Week’s Results: South Laurel 57-64, Lincoln Co. 88-66, Green Co. 77-68 This Week’s Games: Etown, at Central Hardin, Shawnee? (at Central Hardin) 4. Elizabethtown (7-3) Previous Rank: 3 Last Week’s Results: Atherton 66-64, Eastern 37-54 This Week’s Games: 5. Hart County (7-2) Previous Rank: 7 Last Week’s Results: Douglas Al. 56-59, Young Americans Christian 70-58, Ezell Harding 53-43 Games This Week: at Glasgow, at Green Co. 6. Bardstown (8-6) Previous Rank: 11 Last Week’s Results: Cumberland Co. 77-66, Barren Co. 63-61, East Jessamine 61-55 Games This Week: 2A Tournament, at Collins 7. Caverna (8-5) Previous Rank: 9 Last Week’s Results: Eagleville TN 65-73, Hale Co. Al 72-69, Coffee Co. Central (Loss, No Score posted) This Week’s Games: at John Hardin, at Bethlehem (All A) 8. Green County (7-6) Previous Rank: 8 Last Week’s Results: Marshall Co. 52-65, Bishop Brossart 77-54, North Hardin 68-77 This Week’s Games: Metcalfe Co. Hart Co. at Etown 9. Central Hardin (6-6) Previous Rank: 4 Last Week’s Results: Webster Co. 59-60, Male 67-81 This Week’s Games: at John Hardin, North Hardin 10. Larue County (7-6) Previous Rank: 10 Last Week’s Results: North Laurel 74-65, Frederick Douglas 67-69, Desales 64-72 This Week’s Games: Taylor Co. 2A Tournament 11. Taylor County (7-8) Previous Rank: 6 Last Week’s Results: Lexington Cath. 46-81, Bourbon Co. 63-45, North Laurel 63-68 This Week’s Games: at Larue Co. 2A Tournament 12. Campbellsville (5-8) Previous Rank: 12 Last Week’s Results: Edmonson Co. 45-52, Metcalfe Co. 78-67 (OT) Cumberland Co. 65-60 This Week’s Games: Monroe Co. Meade Co. 13. Bethlehem (3-6) Previous Rank: 14 Last Week’s Results: No Games This Week’s Games: at Thomas Nelson, Nelson Co, 14. Nelson County (3-7) Previous Rank: 15 Last Week’s Results: Civic Memorial 55-52, Gibault 47-52, Columbia 35-68, Freeburg 44-52 This Week’s Games: John Hardin 2A Tournament, at Bethlehem 15. Marion County (3-10) Previous Rank: 13 Last Week’s Results: South Oldham 34-78, St. Mary 68-93, Thomas Nelson 51-76 This Week’s Games: Adair Co. 2A Tournament 16. Thomas Nelson (2-10) Previous Rank: 17 Last Week’s Results: Boone Co. 43-71, Valley 54-58, Marion Co. 76-51 This Week’s Games: Bethlehem, at Washington Co. 17. Fort Knox (2-10) Previous Rank: 16 Last Week’s Results: Knox Central 32-70, Burgin 52-53, Shawnee 43-46 This Week’s Games: No Games 18. John Hardin (1-13) Previous Rank: 18 Last Week’s Results: Logan Co. 66-76, Paducah Tilghman 57-88, Allen Co. Scottsville 52-58 This Week’s Games: Central Hardin, at Nelson Co. (2A Tournament) Caverna Thoughts -Overall, not a great post-Christmas break for teams in the 5th Region. Combined teams went 17-31 -Adair County moves into the top spot after Washington County drops 2 out of 3 in Lexington at the White, Maggard, Greer Holiday Classic. Washington County, after starting out 6-0 has now dropped 4 of their last 6 games. -Bardstown had the best week of any team in the region, going 3-0 at the Campbellsville Holiday Classic. Their win over Barren County was a nice win for the Tigers. -Taylor County falls out of the top 10, seemingly for the first time since I’ve been doing these rankings. I have no doubt that they will get it back together, but they have dropped 5 of their last 6. Granted those 6 games were at the King of the Bluegrass and the White, Maggard, Greer Holiday Classic, but I would venture to say that Coach Irvin was expecting more from his team. The road doesn’t get any easier anytime soon as they play Larue County this week in the 2A tournament. Should they win, they’ll get Washington County and the finals will pit the winner of that game and likely Adair County on January 6th. A difficult 3 game stretch for sure, but could really do wonders for them if they were able to win all 3. -As mentioned above the 2A sectionals get going this week. The 5th Region is actually represented in 3 different sectionals. In Section 2, Hart County has already been eliminated. I believe that is the only sectional completed to date. Section 3 will see Bardstown face the winner of CAL/Desales and in the other semi-final game Nelson and John Hardin. Those games will be played on Jan. 4th with the finals on Jan. 6th at Nelson Co. In Section 4, Marion host Adair County and Larue host Taylor on Jan. 2nd. The winner of Marion/Adair will face Russell Co. in the semi-finals and Washington Co. awaits the winner of Larue/Taylor. Semifinals will be on Jan. 4th and finals on the 6th, both taking place at Russell County. -Happy New Year!!

Week 4 Rankings & Review 1. Washington County- (7-2) Previous Rank: 1 Last Week Results- Newport 55-64, North Oldham 60-67, Taylor County 72-69 Games This Week- Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic 2. Adair County- (10-1) Previous Rank: 2 Last Week Results- Glasgow 61-71, Monroe County 71-69 Games This Week- No Games 3. Elizabethtown- (6-2) Previous Rank: 3 Last Week Results- Fort Knox 67-45 Games This Week: City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern 4. Central Hardin- (6-4) Previous Rank: 5 Last Week Results- Union City TN 80-60, Beech (Hendersonville TN) 59-70 Games This Week: Henderson Chevrolet, Buick & GMC Classic at Henderson Co. 5. North Hardin (5-2), Previous Rank: 6 Last Week Results- Butler 87-70 Games This week: Richmond Car & Truck Classic at Madison Central 6. Taylor County (6-6), Previous Rank: 4 Last Week Results- Fairdale 67-70, Male 64-80, Washington County 69-72 Games This Week: Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic 7. Hart County (5-1), Previous Rank: 7 Last Week Results: No Games Games This Week: Smoky Mountain Holiday Classic 8. Green County (6-4), Previous Rank: 8 Last Week Results: Bluegrass United 63-48, St. Henry 75-61 Games This Week: Richmond Car & Truck Classic at Madison Central 9. Caverna (7-3), Previous Rank: 9 Last Week Results: Red Bank (Chattanooga TN) 60-70, East Jessamine 78-58, Murray 62-45 Games This Week: Don Webb Classic at Scottsboro Alabama 10. Larue County (6-4), Previous Rank: 10 Last Week Results: Henry Co. 69-25, Marion Co. 63-48, Meade Co. 73-53 Games This Week: White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic 11. Bardstown (5-6), Previous Rank: 11 Last Week Results: Manuel 55-84, Seneca 71-79, North Bullitt 74-63 Games This Week: Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic 12. Campbellsville (3-7), Previous Rank: 15 Last Week Results: Somerset Christian 97-65, John Hardin 74-55, Meade Co. 44-47, Marion Co. 56-42 Games This Week: Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic 13. Marion County (3-7), Previous Rank: 13 Last Week Results: Breckinridge Co. 59-58, Larue Co. 48-63, Campbellsville 42-56 Games This Week: Henry County Invitational Tournament 14. Bethlehem (3-6), Previous Rank: 14 Last Week Results: Owensboro Christian Knights (homeschool) 92-51, Edmonson Co. 68-56, Daviess Co. 45-69 Games This Week: No Games 15. Nelson County (2-4), Previous Rank: 12 Last Week Results: No Games Games This Week: Columbia-Freeburg Holiday Tournament at Columbia Illinois 16. Fort Knox (2-7), Previous Rank: 16 Last Week Results: Elizabethtown 45-67 Games This Week: Burgin Holiday Classic 17. Thomas Nelson (1-8), Previous Rank: 17 Last Week Results: Beth Haven 42-77, Christian Ed. Consortium 50-62, Atherton 59-68 Games This Week: Henry County Invitational Tournament 18. John Hardin (1-10), Previous Rank: 18 Last Week Results: Campbellsville 55-74, East Ridge 76-63, Henry Co. 60-75 Games This Week: H&H Holiday Hoopfest at Logan County Thoughts - The King of the Bluegrass didn’t go very well for the 2 5th Region Teams. Washington County went 1-2 with their only win coming against regional opponent Taylor County. Meanwhile Taylor County went 0-3 - With Washington County losing and Adair County surprisingly slipping to Glasgow, there are zero undefeated teams left in the region. Had Adair won that game against Glasgow, they would have been the #1 ranked team this week. - Larue County wins its own tournament, the Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic. That tournament featured four 5th Region teams but by most standards was a pretty weak field. Regardless, it’s a good momentum builder for the Hawks as they head to the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic this week. - Campbellsville wins 3 out of 4 games this week to get them in the win column. They are hosting the only games in the region this week with their post-Christmas tournament, The Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic. That tournament will feature, Campbellsville, Edmonson Co, Bardstown, Cumberland Co, Metcalfe Co, Barren Co, Casey Co, & East Jessamine. - There was not a lot of movement in the rankings this week and I don’t expect much after this week either, but once the New Year gets here, teams will be playing a lot more region teams and district play will really start taking shape. - Merry Christmas!

5th Region Rankings & Review Week 3 1. Washington County, 6-0, (2-0 W- Bardstown 73-60, Nelson Co. 59-48) Previous Rank: 1 Games this Week- Newport (at King of the Bluegrass Tournament) 2. Adair County, 9-0 (3-0, W- Elizabethtown 71-57, Campbellsville 92-66, South Warren 81-69) Previous Rank: 2 Games This Week: At Glasgow, At Monroe Co. 3. Elizabethtown, 5-2 (1-1, L- Adair County 57-71, W- John Hardin 80-56) Previous Rank: 3 Games This Week: At Ft. Knox 4. Taylor County, 6-3 (3-0, W- Central Hardin 77-66, Marion Co. 69-51, Doss 79-56) Previous Rank: 5 Games This Week: At Fairdale (King of the Bluegrass) 5. Central Hardin, 5-3 (2-1, L- Taylor Co. 66-77, W- Boyle Co. 94-56, Evansville Bosse 74-53) Previous Rank: 4 Games This Week: Beech TN Holiday Tournament 6. North Hardin, 4-2 (2-1, W- Campbellsville 79-43, L- Male 58-67, W- Madison Cent. 71-52) Previous Rank: 6 Games This Week: At Butler, At Jeffersontown 7. Hart County 5-1, (2-0, W- Meade Co. 55-53, Larue Co. 66-57) Previous Rank: 9 Games This Week: No Games This Week 8. Green County, 4-4, (3-0, W Marion Co. 78-53, Caverna 65-55, Bullitt East 75-65) Previous Rank: 10 Games This Week: Sayre School-Jim Lankster Classic 9. Caverna, 5-2, (1-1, W- Larue Co. 74-72, L- Green Co. 55-65) Previous Rank: 8 Games This Week: BCBS Holiday Classic Chattanooga TN 10. Larue County, 3-4 (1-2, L- Larue Co. 72-74, Hart Co. 57-66, W- Boyle Co. 84-57) Previous Rank: 7 Games This Week: Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic (at Larue Co.) 11. Bardstown, 4-4 (2-1, L- Washington Co. 60-73, W- Bethlehem 75-70, South Laurel 66-64 OT) Previous Rank: 11 Games This Week: MAC’s Holiday Classic (at PRP) 12. Nelson County, 2-4 (1-2, L-Franklin Co. 44-69, W- Thomas Nelson 54-37, L- Washington Co. 48-59) Previous Rank: 13 Games This Week: No Games This Week 13. Marion County, 2-5 (L- Green Co. 53-78, Taylor Co. 51-69) Previous Rank: 12 Games This Week: Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic (at Larue Co.) 14. Bethlehem, 1-5 (0-2, L-Grayson Co. 56-73, Bardstown 70-75) Previous Rank: 14 Games This Week: Rafferty’s Caveland Classic (at Edmondson Co.) 15. Campbellsville, 0-6, (0-2, L-North Hardin 43-79, Adair Co. 66-92) Previous Rank: 15 Games This Week: AT Somerset Christian School, Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic (at Larue Co.) 16. Fort Knox, 2-6, (2-2, W- John Hardin 69-56, Burgin 37-33, L- Shawnee 46-57, McLean Co. 39-63) Previous Rank: 18 Games This Week: Elizabethtown 17. Thomas Nelson, 1-5, (0-1, L- Nelson Co. 37-54) Previous Rank: 16 Games This Week: Beth Haven Holiday Classic 18. John Hardin, 0-8 (0-2, L- Fort Knox 56-69, Elizabethtown 56-80) Previous Rank: 17 Games This Week: Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic Thoughts: -Washington County remains undefeated and in the number 1 spot. We should get a chance to see how good Washington County actually is over the next few days when they play at The King of The Bluegrass. -Adair County had a very impressive win this week against Elizabethtown. Connor Loy dropped 30 in that game. They had 2 more games this week that they seemingly slept walked through and managed to drop 92 and 81 points in those two games. If they can continue that kind of offensive output in games that they don’t play very well, they will be very dangerous. -Hart County had the best week of any team in the 5th Region. They had two nice wins against Meade County and then a huge district win against Larue County. It was their first win against Larue County in 19 tries. Their last win against Larue was way back on Jan. 15, 2016. -The 18th district is absolute chaos right now. Larue County was the heavy favorite to walk through the 18th this year and they sit at 0-2 in district play, dropping two straight to district rivals Caverna and Hart Co. Hart holds wins over Larue and Caverna. Green holds a win over Caverna. Caverna holds a win over Larue, and Larue is winless, but you can’t expect them to stay that way. -John Hardin continues to struggle and honestly their schedule isn’t going to help them much. They are 0-8 and just looking ahead I don’t see a real winnable game on their schedule until January 20th when they host Iroquois. -The region continues to show it has depth. The top 10 teams in the region should all be competitive against one another. Bardstown, at 11 shouldn’t be counted out. Past those teams, the region drops off quite a bit, but this is by far the deepest the region has been in some time.

North Hardin beat Ft. Knox last week 94-3. No starter for North played past halftime (maybe not much in 2nd quarter either) and I specifically heard North coach tell players to run through their offensive play x amount of times before they took a shot and it had to be a layup. Score looks awful, but they didn't run it up on them.

This one will be fun!! The Cochran/Evans matchup will be fun to watch. Whoever wins that battle, I think their team wins. Should be a good atmosphere for a Tuesday night in Columbia.

It depends on the Macy injury. She hasn't played in Bethlehem's last 2 games. I haven't mentioned it here just because everything I've heard has been purely rumor. If she's not injured very badily and can heal quickly and get back on the court, I don't see anyone touching Bethlehem. If the injury is serious, I still think Bethlehem is the favorite but I like Taylor, Hart and North Hardin's chances a lot better.

1.) Washington County 4-0 (2-0) Bethlehem 69-52, Bowling Green 57-54 Previous Rank: 1 Games This Week: Bardstown, AT Nelson County 2.) Adair County 6-0 (3-0) John Hardin 77-33, Taylor Co. 66-57, Grayson Co. 91-69 Previous Rank: 4 Games This Week: Elizabethtown, AT Campbellsville, South Warren AT Green County 3.) Elizabethtown 4-1 (2-1) Bowling Green 44-37, Central Hardin 83-78 (OT), Lexington Cath. 50-79 Previous Rank: 2 Games This Week: AT Adair, John Hardin 4.) Central Hardin 3-2 (2-1) John Hardin 79-39, Elizabethtown 78-83 (OT), Ryle 63-60 Previous Rank: 5 Games This Week: AT Taylor Co. Boyle Co. AT Evansville Bosse 5.) Taylor County 3-3 (1-2) Wayne Co. 70-68, Adair Co. 57-66, Male 54-76 Previous Rank: 3 Games This Week: Central Hardin, AT Marion Co. AT Doss 6.) North Hardin 2-1 (2-0) Larue Co. 64-63, Ft. Knox 87-37 Previous Rank: 7 Games This Week: Campbellsville, @Male, Madison Central AT Green Co. 7.) Larue County 2-2 (1-1) North Hardin 63-64, WEB DuBois 100-89 Previous Rank: 6 Games This Week: AT Caverna, Hart Co. Boyle Co. AT Green Co. 8.) Caverna 4-1 (2-1) Barren Co. 66-55, Hart Co 57-58, Daviess Co 79-72 Previous Rank: 9 Games This Week: Larue Co. Green Co. 9.) Hart County 3-1 (2-0) Campbellsville 66-53, Caverna 58-57 Previous Rank: 10 Games This Week: Meade Co, AT Larue Co. 10.) Green County 1-4 (0-2) Mason Co. 77-80, Augusta 73-75 Previous Rank: 8 Games This Week: Marion Co. AT Caverna, Bullitt East 11.) Bardstown 2-3 (1-2) Trinity 43-81, Nelson Co. 69-38, Evangel 75-47 Previous Rank: 11 Games This Week: AT Washington Co. AT Bethlehem, South Laurel AT Green Co. 12.) Marion County 2-3 (1-1) Campbellsville 50-48, Apollo 36-44 Previous Rank: 15 Games This Week: AT Green Co. Taylor Co. 13.) Nelson County 1-2 (0-1) Bardstown 38-69 Previous Rank: 12 Games This Week: Franklin Co. Thomas Nelson, Washington Co. 14.) Bethlehem 1-3 (1-1) Washington Co. 52-69, Thomas Nelson 54-21 Previous Rank: 13 Games This Week: AT Grayson Co. Bardstown 15.) Campbellsville 0-4 (0-2) Hart Co. 53-66, Marion Co. 48-50 Previous Rank: 14 Games This Week: AT North Hardin, Adair Co. 16.) Thomas Nelson 1-4 (1-1) Christian Ed. Consortium 76-60, Bethlehem 21-44 Previous Rank: 17 Games This Week: AT Nelson Co. Grayson Co. 17.) John Hardin 0-6 (0-4) Hancock Co. 41-52, Central Hardin 39-79, Adair Co. 33-77, Madisonville North Hopkins 42-81 Previous Rank: 16 Games This Week: Ft. Knox, AT Elizabethtown 18.) Ft. Knox 0-4 (0-2) Beth Haven 52-69, North Hardin 37-87 Previous Rank: 18 Games This Week: AT John Hardin, Burgin AT Highlands Latin Thoughts: -The top 5 teams are all still the same, but a little bit different. Washington County solidified their spot at the top this week with a win over Bowling Green on Saturday. -Adair County is rolling to start the season. A big district win against Taylor County on Friday night gets their district season off to a good start. They’ll be tested early this week when they host Elizabethtown. -Elizabethtown drops a spot after a rough loss to Lexington Catholic. Prior to that game last week though E-town had 2 really strong wins, one against Bowling Green and an overtime win against district rival Central Hardin. -Central Hardin had a good week going 2-1 with that loss being the OT loss to E-town. They travel to Taylor County for a top 5 matchup. -Taylor ended the week dropping 2 in a row. One to Adair and then a 22-point loss to Male. -Larue Co. and North Hardin swapped spots after North pulled out a 1-point victory against Larue, at Larue. Larue has 2 district games this week that could give them a big edge early in the season. -The 18th district right now seems to be pretty even, with all four teams in the top 10, holding spots 7-10. Hart picked up a big district win against Caverna. I still think Caverna is a slightly better team, but if Hart can keep producing wins, it will be hard to keep them from moving up. Green County dropped two very close games to top 10th region teams in Mason Co and Augusta. Don’t sleep on Green County. -After the top 10, things really drop off for the 5th Region. Campbellsville is off to a terrible start, and it won’t get any better this week. Things don’t look much better for Thomas Nelson. John Hardin or Ft. Knox will get their first win of the season on Monday, when they play each other.

1. Bethlehem (4-1) 2. Taylor County (4-1) 3. Hart County (3-1) 4. John Hardin (4-0) 5. North Hardin (3-2) 6. Green County (3-1) 7. Elizabethtown (3-2) 8. Bardstown (4-0) 9. Marion County (3-2) 10. Central Hardin (1-4) 11. Thomas Nelson (2-2) 12. Adair County (1-3) 13. Nelson County (1-3) 14. Washington County (1-4) 15. Campbellsville (0-4) 16. Larue County (0-6) 17. Caverna (2-3) 18. North Hardin Classical (1-3) 19. Fort Knox (0-3)