5thregionbasketball

Week 4 saw several teams compete in pre-Christmas tournaments, a couple of teams host teams from out of the area in regular games and just 2 games featuring regional opponents. Coincidentally, Elizabethtown played in both of those games and won both of those games. Teams did fairly well this week, combined in the region going 21-14. Overall, the region has a losing record of 84-87. Elizabethtown, Taylor County and Caverna are all tied with the longest winning streaks in the region at 4 games. Marion County has the longest losing streak in the region at 15 games, dating back to Feb. 5th of last season. There are no 5th region teams ranked in the top 25. There are several changes in the top 10 this week. Teams 13-18 remain unchanged. The big story of the region this week though, was Larue County’s upset win at the King of the Bluegrass over George Rogers Clark. Here’s this week’s ratings, featuring a new number 1 team in the region. Ranking, Team, Record, Previous Ranking 1 Elizabethtown (6-3) (2) 2 Taylor County (9-1) (3) 3 Larue County (6-4) (6) 4 North Hardin (6-4) (4) 5 Washington County (6-4) (1) 6 Central Hardin (5-5) (5) 7 Adair County (9-3) (9) 8 Caverna (9-3) (11) 9 Bethlehem (5-5) (8) 10 Campbellsville (6-4) (10) 11 Green County (5-6) (12) 12 Bardstown (3-5) (7) 13 Hart County (4-4) (13) 14 Nelson County (3-6) (14) 15 Fort Knox (2-5) (15) 16 John Hardin (0-9) (16) 17 Marion County (0-8) (17) 18 Thomas Nelson (0-8) (18) 1. Elizabethtown claims the top spot this week, going 2-0, defeating previously ranked #1 Washington County 67-63. Jajuan Williams had 18 points and 5 rebounds. Obian Howard added 17 points and 7 rebounds. The Panthers also had a blowout win against district opponent Fort Knox. This week the Panthers head to Campbellsville for the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic. The Panthers along with Danville Christian Academy look to be the favorites in that tournament. 2. Taylor County had a good week, going 3-0 on the week. They finished up at PRP with a 76-72 win over Lafayette. Jackson Wise and Layken Lyons both contributed 19 points. Keeton Clements added 17 points. The Cardinals then went to Edmonson County and defeated Daviess County and Edmonson County before their scheduled matchup with Meade County was cancelled due to bad weather. Taylor County won’t return to the court until after the New Year, when they’ll meet Larue County in the 2A Sectional. 3. Larue County moves up 3 spots to number 3. Their highest ranking of the year so far. The Hawks had a much better than expected showing at the King of the Bluegrass tournament going 2-2. Of course, the big story in that is beating George Rogers Clark 72-71. The 5 started for Larue, played every second of that game. Daniel Allen had 21 points. The Hawks will head to Gatlinburg for 3 games this week. 4. North Hardin holds steady at the 4 spot. The Trojans went 1-2 in the First United Bank Holiday Classic at Madisonville North Hopkins. Even with the 2 losses it was not a bad showing at all for the Trojans. They dropped a 5-point decision to the host school and then a 9-point loss to Owensboro before picking up a 10-point win against Webster County. Shaun Boykins was impressive this week, averaging nearly 30 points in the 3 games. North Hardin will travel to Franklin-Simpson this week for a game with the Wildcats. 5. Washington County drops from the top spot down to number 5. They had a pair of losses, a 4-point loss to Elizabethtown and then a 14-point loss to Eastern. The Commanders have now lost 3 in a row. They’ll try and right the ship this week at Mercer County with 3 games against Rockcastle County, Boyle County and Lafayette. 6. Central Hardin drops 1 spot this week despite winning the only game they played. Their drop is not so much a reflection of their week as it is several other teams having a better week. The Bruins defeated St. Henry 73-68 in overtime. Jakob Fredrickson had a double-double with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Brett Decker added 19 points. Central Hardin heads to Mercer County as well this week for 3 games. They’ll meet up with Danville, Rockcastle County and Knox Central. 7. Adair County had a good week before Christmas going 3-0 with wins against Bullitt Central, Nicholas County and Monroe County. Sophomore guard Connor Loy averaged 25 points a game through that stretch. The Indians have just one game this week, they’ll travel to Allen County-Scottsville. 8. Caverna makes the top 10 for the first time this season. The Colonels have a 4-game winning streak heading into Christmas. They won all 3 games they played in Ohio County at the Beaver Dam Classic. They defeated Ohio County 60-47, Grayson County 65-62, and Breckinridge County 69-56. They head to Barren County after Christmas for 3 more games. They’ll start with Evangel Christian. The Ater/Malonga matchup should be fun to watch. 9. Bethlehem drops a spot after a somewhat disappointing week, going 1-2 at the Whittaker Country Christmas tournament. They lost 76-70 to Hopkins County Central and 86-72 to McLean County before defeating Cloverport 90-54. They’ll head to the 14th region for the Railroad Classic at Estill County. Anything other than 3 wins will be disappointing for the Eagles at this tournament. 10. Campbellsville holds onto the number 10 spot for the second week in a row. The Eagles had one game this week, a 73-54 win over Somerset Christian. The Eagles had 5 players hit double digits in scoring. Deondre Weathers led with 16, Taylor Spaw had 14 and added 10 rebounds. The Eagles play host this week for their annual Christmas tournament that features 5th region teams, Elizabethtown and John Hardin. Southern, Franklin County, Oldham County, Danville Christian Academy and Crittenden County round out the field. 11. Green County went 2-1 this week and moves up one spot to number 11. The Dragons lost to South Laurel 79-56 but then defeated Lynn Camp 92-65 and Knox Central 68-43. Hayden Blakeman had 28 and 23 points respectively in the wins. The Dragons will face Clinton County in the Owensboro Health Holiday Classic at Grayson County. 12. Bardstown has the farthest drop in the rankings this week, dropping 5 spots. The Tigers dropped a 3-point decision to Letcher County Central in their only game this week. The Tigers are 3-5 on the season now and off to their worst start in recent history. They head to Eastern to play in the City of Middletown Classic that also features Desales and Butler. Bardstown’s first game will be against region 1 team St. Mary. 13. Hart County went 2-0 this week and hold steady in the 13 spot. The Raiders defeated Calhoun Academy from South Carolina 87-53 and then defeated Montgomery Central from Cunningham Tennessee 59-41. Jaxon Shoulders had 27 points and 15 points in the 2 games. The Raiders only game this week will be against Butler County at the Owensboro Sports Center. 14. Nelson County won its only game this week, a 63-60 win over Nicholas County. Havin Carothers led the Cardinals in scoring with 19 points. He also chipped in 6 rebounds. The Cardinals head to Columbia Illinois for 3 games this week. 15. Fort Knox had one game before Christmas and it was an 82-34 thrashing at the hands of district opponent Elizabethtown. The Golden Eagles have only 1 game left before the end of the year. They’ll play at Burgin on the 29th. They won’t play after that until Jan. 10th. 16. John Hardin didn’t play any games this week. They’ll look to get their first win of the season at the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic. They matchup with Franklin County in their first-round game. 17. Marion County hosted the Autism Holiday Classic and went 0-2. They dropped a game to Letcher County Central 57-42 and then was defeated by Bath County 51-42. Mason May was injured in the Letcher County Central game and it’s unknown how long he will be out. May has been the Knights second leading scorer. Hopefully May will recover quickly and make it back on the court for the Knights. 18. Thomas Nelson dropped 2 games this week at the KME Classic. The Generals almost hit the win column for the first time this week losing 44-42 to South Fulton Tennessee. Thomas Nelson heads to Pendleton County for the Phillip Wood Classic. I think this is the week Thomas Nelson breaks into the win column. A quick look at the district standings: 17th District Central Hardin 2-0 Elizabethtown 2-1 North Hardin 1-0 Fort Knox 1-2 John Hardin 0-3 18th District Larue County 1-0 Hart 1-1 Caverna 1-1 Green County 1-2 19th District Washington County 3-0 Bardstown 2-2 Bethlehem 2-2 Nelson 2-2 Thomas Nelson 0-3 20th District Taylor County 3-0 Campbellsville 2-1 Adair 1-2 Marion 0-3

I can tell you that the several girls basketball tournaments I saw, didn't make enough from the gate to pay for the officials that day. I guess it's a good thing for sponsorships.

I've had a chance to watch Loy a couple of times this year already, and I'm more and more impressed with his development. He's always been good, but his court vision has improved and he may have one of the prettiest jump shots in the state.

I've been following the 5th Region for over 20 years. This may be the most down season across the region that I can remember. I thought Central would win a couple of those close games they have lost. Etown doesn't have the talent that they've had the last few years (still a couple of good players) but you can't ever count out a Coach Haire team. Larue is down, but they have been impressive this week at the KOB. Washington has talent but I think they may be a year away, maybe need a little more seasoning. After seeing most every team play now, I think North Hardin is the sleeper team. It seems to be a different culture in Radcliff right now and the players are buying in to the new coach. Caverna, might be the most improved team.

3 weeks in to the season, and I’m not sure there is a clear favorite in the region. At this point, I think anyone in the top 9, with the right matchup, could be a regional champion contender. Teams 10-14 could all be difficult outs for any team in the postseason. Here’s this week’s rankings: 1. Washington County (LW: 1) 2. Elizabethtown (2) 3. Taylor County (3) 4. North Hardin (6) 5. Central Hardin (5) 6. Larue County (8) 7. Bardstown (7) 8. Bethlehem (4) 9. Adair County (9) 10. Campbellsville (11) 11. Caverna (12) 12. Green County (13) 13. Hart County (10) 14. Nelson County (14) 15. Fort Knox (18) 16. John Hardin (15) 17. Marion County (16) 18. Thomas Nelson (17) 1. Washington County, (6-2) The Commanders hold on to the top spot this week. The Commanders went 2-1 on the week with wins over district opponents Bardstown and Nelson County. Their one loss this week came to 12th Region foe Danville. Washington County travels to Elizabethtown for a game Tuesday night and finish the week with the Capital City Classic. They play Eastern in the first game. Eastern and Washington County should be the two favorites to win that tournament. 2. Elizabethtown, (4-3) The Panthers had a light week with only 1 game on the schedule. It was a 25-point win against John Hardin. The Panthers have 2 games this week, hosting Fort Knox on Monday and hosting #1 Washington County on Tuesday night. 3. Taylor County (6-1) Taylor County went 2-1 on the week, securing a district win against Adair County. The Cardinals traveled to PRP for the Mac’s Holiday Classic. They dropped their first game against St. X and then held on for a 1-point win against Oldham County. They finish up in PRP with a game against Lafayette. They then travel to Edmonson County for 3 games in the Rafferty’s Caveland Classic. 4. North Hardin (5-2) The Trojans move up two spots this week. They had only 1 game this last week. A 40-point win against Meade County. It’s a busy week for the Trojans and a chance to test themselves as they travel to Madisonville-North Hopkins for the First United Bank Holiday Classic. Along with North Hardin and Madisonville-North Hopkins, the tournament features Bowling Green, Owensboro Catholic, University Heights, Owensboro, Hopkinsville, and Webster County. 5. Central Hardin (4-5) The Bruins hold steady at #5 despite dropping both games they played this week. All five losses on the season have come against quality competition which will help them down the stretch. They dropped a 1-point game to Boyle County and then suffered a 9-point loss to Boyd County the next day. The Bruins travel north to St. Henry on Tuesday for their only game of the week. 6. Larue County (5-3) The Hawks move up a couple of spots this week after going 2-1 this week. They picked up a much-needed district win against Green County. Then the Hawks went to Fairdale for the King of the Bluegrass Tournament. They won their first game against Fairdale 73-67, but then dropped their next game to Lyon County by 19. Larue finishes up at the KOB on Monday with a game against George Rogers Clark. 7. Bardstown (3-4) Boo Brewer’s club goes 1-1 on the week. Their win on Friday night snapped a 4-game skid. They lost earlier in the week to Washington County. They visit Madison Southern this week for the Lee’s Famous Recipe Holiday Classic. Their first game is against Danville Christian Academy, which should be a really fun game. 8. Bethlehem (4-3) The Eagles had a tough week and as a result drop to #8. The week started with just a 2-point loss to Anderson County and then ended with a 10-point loss to Bardstown. With Bardstown losing to Nelson, if Nelson could find another district win against Bardstown, Bethlehem or Washington County, it could make district seeding very interesting. The Eagles play in the Whittaker Country Christmas Tournament on Monday and Tuesday. I think the Eagles could go 3-0 in that tournament. 9. Adair County (6-3) The Indians hold steady at #9. They go 1-2 this week. A 28-point loss to Taylor County was the lowlight of the week for them. They were able to scratch out a 2-point win against Glasgow and then dropped a game to Grayson County to end the week. If the Indians are going to be competitive this year, they have to get some help for Connor Loy. They travel to Bullitt Central and Monroe County with a home game against Nicholas County sandwiched in between this week. 10. Campbellsville (5-4) The Eagles had their best week of the season, going 3-0. They got a much needed district win against Marion County on Tuesday night, and followed that up with an overtime win against Caverna and then a 5-point win against Apollo. They only have 1 game on the schedule this week. They host Somerset Christian, before hosting the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic next week. 11. Caverna (6-3) The Colonels were just 2 points away from being in the top 10 this week. They had a very impressive win against 4th region rival Barren County and then a 20-point win against Nelson County. They just couldn’t quite pull out the win against Campbellsville and lost in overtime. Caverna might just be the most improved team in the region. They head to Ohio County for 3 games this week, with the potential to bring home the 1st place trophy. 12. Green County (3-5) The Dragons just can’t seem to get any sustained momentum going. They finished last week with the upset win against Bardstown, but then Larue County wins by 12 in a game that didn’t feel that close. The Dragons rebounded with a district win against Hart County. If Green can’t prove that they can play with Caverna or Larue County, it won’t matter much if they are 3 or 4 seed going into the district. They open up the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge against South Laurel. South Laurel looks to be the favorite to win that tournament. 13. Hart County (2-4) The Raiders returned to the court after a week lay-off from the flu and the result was 3 games and 3 losses. They lost by 9 to Edmonson County, dropped an OT game to Russellville and then a 6-point loss to Green County. The silver lining should be that after that long of a lay-off, they were competitive in all 3 games. Hart County travels to Logan County for Roy’s BBQ/First Southern National Bank Shootout. Their first game is against Calhoun Academy out of St. Matthews, South Carolina. 14. Nelson County (2-6) The Cardinals seemed to be building some momentum. They ended last week with the win against Bardstown, then got a 2nd district win against Thomas Nelson. The win streak was over at 2 though. They dropped 2 games, each by 20 points, to Washington County and Caverna. They host Nicholas County this week before heading to Columbia Illinois for a post-Christmas tournament. 15. Fort Knox (2-4) The Golden Eagles found the win column twice this week. They beat John Hardin on Tuesday night. It was the first win for the Golden Eagles against John Hardin in 20 years. A stretch of 42 games, dating back to John Hardin’s first year in existence. The next two games came against Homeschool groups. They lost to LKY out of Louisville by 8 and then absolutely pummeled Wellspring Guardians out of Richmond, 85-17. This is the first time since I’ve been compiling the weekly ratings that Fort Knox has not been ranked 18th. They travel to Elizabethtown on Monday night for their only game this week. 16. John Hardin (0-9) The Bulldogs top the 3 remaining winless teams in the region. Losses to Ft. Knox (see above) St. X and Elizabethtown rounded out their schedule. The Bulldogs despite not having near the scoring talent that they had last year, are still playing quality competition. I think they’ll get in the win column sooner rather than later. They don’t play any games this week, but head to Campbellsville next week for Campbellsville’s Christmas tournament. 17. Marion County (0-7) The Knights had another winless week. They dropped 2 games to Campbellsville and then an opening round game of the Autism Holiday Classic that they are hosting, to Letcher County Central. They play Fern Creek on Monday, and Bath County on Tuesday. 18. Thomas Nelson (0-6) Terrence Miles is still looking for his first career win as a head coach. If it’s going to happen before Christmas, it looks like their best chance could come against Trigg County at the KME Classic. Todd County Central should be the favorite to win that tournament.

It's a nice win. Always nice to beat a no. 1 team in any region. They are ranked #1 right now according to my rankings as well. But this might be the weakest 5th region that we've seen in years. I think the 45th district may be tougher than the entire 5th region. Boyle County had a win on Friday night over another top 5th region team in Central Hardin.

Week 2 provided several district matchups, a few upsets, and an instant classic in the Central Hardin-Elizabethtown matchup. There remains only one unbeaten team in the region, and four teams still looking for their first win. Here’s the rankings for this week: Week 2 1. Washington County (LW:4) 2. Elizabethtown (1) 3. Taylor County (2) 4. Bethlehem (5) 5. Central Hardin (6) 6. North Hardin (7) 7. Bardstown (3) 8. Larue County (8) 9. Adair County (9) 10. Hart County (10) 11. Campbellsville (11) 12. Caverna (16) 13. Green County (12) 14. Nelson County (14) 15. John Hardin (13) 16. Marion County (15) 17. Thomas Nelson (17) 18. Fort Knox (18) 1. Washington County (4-1) The Commanders go 2-0 this week with wins over district rival Bethlehem and a gritty come from behind win against Campbellsville. Beau Baker led the Commanders with 22 points and Noah Reynolds added 20 against Bethlehem. Baker had 11 points and 8 rebounds, while Reynolds led WC in scoring with 15 against Campbellsville. This week WC travels to Bardstown and then to Nelson County for a pair of district games. They finish the week off with a home game against Danville. 2. Elizabethtown (3-3) The Panthers go 1-2 on the week, and drop from the top spot in the rankings to No. 2. No doubt the Panthers would have liked to have gone 2-1 or even 3-0 this week, but they played tough competition. The dropped their first game of the week to Bowling Green, 59-58. Ayden Evans had 20 points and 9 rebounds. They had an instant classic against Central Hardin at the Old East Hardin School, in front of a packed house. The game had that big game feel and was more than likely a preview of the 17th district final and easily could be the 5th Region Championship game. Evans had 27 points in the overtime loss. Etown righted the ship on Saturday with a win against CAL in the Ky Straight Apparel Classic. JuJuan Williams led the Panthers with 16 points in the three-point win. The Panthers don’t take floor again until Friday night at district opponent John Hardin. 3. Taylor County (4-0) The Cardinals are the only remaining undefeated team in the region. It’s hard to imagine that they went 2-0 and dropped a spot in the rankings. At the end of the day a win is a win, but their wins were less than impressive against crosstown and district rival Campbellsville 33-30. And against winless Marion County, 60-51. Layken Lyons had 16 points against Campbellsville and Keeton Clements had 22 against Marion County. This week the Cardinals host Adair County on Tuesday night and then travel to PRP for the MAC’S Holiday Classic. They’ll matchup against St. X in their first game. 4. Bethlehem (4-1) Bethlehem goes 2-1 on the week and moves up one spot in the rankings. The Eagles lost by 14 to Washington County to start the week. They rebounded well though as they defeated Thomas Nelson by 23 and Apollo by 11. Casey Steadmon had 23 points against Washington County. Steadmon didn’t play against Thomas Nelson or Apollo. The Eagles got big contributions from Zack Wickliffe and Nicholas Osborne in the games against Thomas Nelson and Apollo. The Eagles hit the court this week hosting Anderson County and then traveling across town to play Bardstown. 5. Central Hardin (3-3) The Bruins bounced back from an 0-3 start and have won 3 in a row. The Bruins had 2 blowout wins this week, a 27-point win against Hart County, with Ace Jaggers leading in scoring with 24 points. And then a 28-point win against John Hardin with Brett Decker leading in scoring with 32 points. The game of the week though was highlighted by maybe the shot of the year for 5th Region teams. With only a few seconds remaining in regulation and down 3 to Elizabethtown, the Bruins had to go the length of the floor. A baseball style pass that Decker had to really elevate to catch and then drained just an incredible shot at the buzzer to tie and force overtime. Central Hardin would win by 4 in OT. Decker had 32 points in that game as well. The Bruins host Grayson County, visit Boyle County and then travel to Rowan County to face Boyd County this week. 6. North Hardin (4-2) The Trojans had a good week going 2-1 on the week with wins over Larue County and Fort Knox and dropping a 10 point decision to Barren County. The Trojans seem to be a much different team than we saw at the end of the season last year. They seem more focused and disciplined. They defeated Larue County 62-56. Taveon Smith had 22 points. In the 46-point blowout of Fort Knox, Shaun Boykins had 28 points. Boykins contributed 33 points and Smith 25 points in their 68-78 loss to Barren County. North Hardin has just one game on the schedule this week as they will host Meade County on Tuesday night. 7. Bardstown (3-3) The Tigers had a tough week. They were beaten 73-44 by Trinity. Then they lost to district foe Nelson County 63-46 and ended with a loss to Green County 64-58. The Trinity loss is understandable. Trinity is loaded and the game was competitive for a half. However, the losses to Nelson County and Green County have to be considered upsets. Things don’t get any easier this week for the Tigers as they host two district games with Washington County and Bethlehem. 8. Larue County (3-2) Larue County stays at number 8 this week. They went 1-1 on the week dropping a game to North Hardin and then defeating Southwestern 61-38. Carson Childress scored 17 points in the loss to North Hardin. Daniel Allen led the scoring with 17 against Southwestern. Freshman Jagger Mardis scored 14 and 13 points respectively. The Hawks have what could be a very tough week coming up. They travel to Green County for a district matchup and then will participate in a loaded King of the Bluegrass Tournament. It could be a short stay for the Hawks in Fairdale. 9. Adair County (5-1) Deron Breeze’s squad lost their first game this week to district opponent Campbellsville. The 9-point loss was sandwiched between a 6-point win against another district opponent, Marion County and a blowout win over Somerset Christian. Connor Loy paced the Indians scoring attack averaging 17 points in the three games. Adair County travels to Taylor County, hosts Glasgow and then hits the road again to Grayson County this week. 10. Hart County (2-1) Hart County only played one game this week. A 27-point loss to Central Hardin. Jaxson Shoulders had 24 points and 16 rebounds in the loss. The flu was the big story in Munfordville. Hart County was out of school after Monday and postponed remaining games in the week. The Raiders return to the court this week with 3 games. At Edmonson County, and then home games with Russellville and Green County. 11. Campbellsville (2-4) Campbellsville goes 1-2 on the week but were competitive in both losses. They lost a 3-point game to at the time 2nd ranked Taylor County. They scored a 9-point win against Adair County and then dropped a 6-point loss to Washington County in a game that led much of the way. Each game saw a different player lead the Eagles in scoring. If the Eagles are going to compete in the district and region this year, they are going to need consist efforts every night from Landon Colvin, Chase Hord and Taylor Spaw. This week the Eagles visit Marion County, host Caverna and then travel to Apollo to finish the week. 12. Caverna (4-2) Caverna makes a big move up the ratings this week from 16 to 12. They played in 4 games, winning 3 of them. They defeated Shawnee and Glasgow on the road to start the week and then took a district win from Green at Green County. Their only loss this week was a 23-point loss to Webster County. The big kid, Meek Ater, gets most of the attention from opposing teams and with good reason, but teams better not forget about Tayden Logsdon and Jaylin Crane. Forget about them, and they’ll make you pay. The Colonels host Barren County on Tuesday night and then travel to Campbellsville and Nelson County. 13. Green County (2-4) The Dragons get their first wins of the season this week under Jordan Gilbert. They go 2-1 on the week but drop one spot in the rankings. Green County defeated Marion County 61-39. Led by Kelson McKinney and Jayden Marr with 15 points. They dropped a district game to Caverna, 71-54. Eli Bishop had 18 for the Dragons. And then scored an upset win against Bardstown 64-58. Hayden Blakeman had 23 in the win. The Dragons will have the same issue as Campbellsville. Consistency. They need consistent efforts every night from Blakeman, Marr and McKinney. 14. Nelson County (1-4) The Cardinals go 1-1 this week. They dropped a 21 point decision to Mercer County, but scored a huge 17-point upset over district rival Bardstown. Landon Scott had 16 points for Nelson in the win against Bardstown. Havin Carothers nearly had a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Nelson County, this week heads across town to Thomas Nelson, then hosts Washington County and Caverna. 15. John Hardin (0-6) It was another rough week for the Bulldogs. 3 games, by an average of 28 points a game. The Bulldogs are 0-6 but to their credit have played a very tough schedule to this point. However, it doesn’t get any easier for them. They’ll be looking for their first win of the season on Tuesday night as they travel to Fort Knox, but then they go to St. X and host Elizabethtown. 16. Marion County (0-5) The Knights went 0-3 this week in losses to Green County, Adair County and Taylor County. The silver lining should be that they were competitive in those 3 losses. The Knights are on a 12-game losing streak going back to last season. Their last win was a 9-point win over Nelson County on Feb. 5th of last season. If Markell Bell can stay out of foul trouble, he has the potential to take over just about any game that he plays in. Marion County has one game this week, a home game against Campbellsville. 17. Thomas Nelson (0-5) The Terrance Miles era hasn’t started the way any Generals fans would’ve liked. They went 0-2 this week, suffering a 58-point loss to Desales and a 23-point loss to Bethlehem. This week they host Nelson County and look to get in the W column with a game against the Central Ky. Homeschool group. 18. Fort Knox (0-3) The Golden Eagles went 0-2 this week, dropping a 21-point loss to Beth Haven and then a rout to North Hardin. Fort Knox plays only 1 game this week as they host John Hardin on Tuesday night in a game where one team will get their first win of the season.

The season has gotten off to a rocky start for pre-season #1 Central Hardin, while familiar face Elizabethtown has ascended to the top of the ratings. Taylor County is showing early on that they can play without standout Mason Guffey. Bardstown seems to have heard all the hype around Washington County and Bethlehem this year and would like people to remember that they have owned that district for the past several seasons. Week 2 brings us several district matchups in each district which should help clarify where teams might end up at the end of the season. Also, next week's review will be more in-depth with stats and such from games. My real job has demanded more time this week than usual, which necessitated a less-thorough review. Here's the ratings, heading into week 2: 1. Elizabethtown 2. Taylor County 3. Bardstown 4. Washington County 5. Bethlehem 6. Central Hardin 7. North Hardin 8. Larue County 9. Adair County 10. Hart County 11. Campbellsville 12. Green County 13. John Hardin 14. Nelson County 15. Marion County 16. Caverna 17. Thomas Nelson 18. Fort Knox 1. Elizabethtown, 2-1 The Panthers have played well to begin the season. A loss to Western to start, but nice wins against Barren County and Doss, have the Panthers sitting atop the ratings for week 1. Key Games this week: Bowling Green, @Central Hardin 2. Taylor County, 2-0 Taylor County is off to a great start, even without top player Mason Guffey. Taylor’s preseason rating may have been a bit low due to Guffey being out all season. They scored wins this week against Washington County and Green County. Key Games this week: @Campbellsville, Marion County, Adair County 3. Bardstown, 2-0 The Tigers had a pair of blowout wins to begin the season against Marion County and Thomas Nelson. Key Games this week: Trinity, @Nelson County 4. Washington County, 2-1 Expectations are high in Springfield. They faltered to begin the season with a loss to Taylor County, but rebounded against rival Marion County and closed out the week with a win against Sayre. Key Games this week: @Bethlehem, @Campbellsville 5. Bethlehem, 2-0 The Eagles also have high expectations for this season. They picked up a win against Sayre and district opponent Nelson County. Key Games this week: Washington County, @Thomas Nelson 6. Central Hardin, 0-3 The Bruins may have had higher expectations than any other team in the region. They’ve played tough competition to begin the season but so far have yet to scratch the win column. A blowout loss to North Oldham to start the season, followed by losses to Harrison County and Bracken County. Key games this week: @John Hardin, Elizabethtown 7. North Hardin, 2-1 The Michael Baffour era in Radcliff is off to a good start. A 5-point loss to Oldham County, followed by wins against Campbellsville and Paris. Key Games this week: Larue County, @Ft. Knox 8. Larue County, 2-1 The Hawks end the first week with a 2-1 record. A win against an outmatched Trailblazer Academy, followed by a loss to Collins and bookended with a win against Glasgow. Key Games this week: @North Hardin, @Hart County 9. Adair County, 3-0 The Indians are rolling out of the gates. They picked up 3 wins to start the season. A win over Boyle County, who is still missing some football players, and wins against Cumberland County and Green County. Key Games this week: Marion County, Campbellsville 10. Hart County, 2-0 Hart County takes care of business against Cumberland County and Caverna to start the season. Key games this week: Central Hardin, Larue County 11. Campbellsville, 1-2 The Eagles of Campbellsville were about a half-second away from being 2-1 instead of 1-2 to start the season. A big loss to Spencer to start the season followed up with a 2-point loss to North Hardin in a game that the Eagles could’ve won, followed by a win against Grayson County. Key Games this week: Taylor County, @Adair County, Washington County 12. Green County, 0-3 The Dragons appear, at least, early on to be a team that will be pretty good if they can figure out how to put 4 quarters together in one game. They start the season 0-3 with losses to Taylor County, a 2 point loss to Adair County and then a loss to Frankfort. Key games this week: @Marion County, Caverna, @Bardstown 13. John Hardin, 0-2 The rebuild at John Hardin is on. A 19 point loss to Bullitt East and a 30 point loss to Butler start the season for the Bulldogs. Key games this week: Central Hardin 14. Nelson County, 0-2 Nelson County is 0-2 to begin the season with losses to Edmonson County and Bethlehem. The Bethlehem loss may not have been as bad as expected. Key games this week: Bardstown 15. Marion County, 0-2 The Knights are hoping that their atrocious season a year ago doesn’t follow them into this season. So far, it’s more of the same, with losses to Bardstown and Washington County. Key Games this week: Green County, @Adair County, @Taylor County 16. Caverna, 1-1 The Colonels are the only team ranked from 12-18 to pick up a win in the first week of the season. It was however a win against Fort Knox. They dropped their other game last week to district and crosstown rival Hart County. Key Games this week: @Glasgow, @Green County 17. Thomas Nelson, 0-3 New coach Terrence Miles was hoping for a better start to the season for the Generals. They suffered blowout losses to South Oldham, Bardstown, and Ohio County. The smallest margin of loss was 34 points to Ohio County. Key games this week: Bethlehem 18. Fort Knox, 0-1 It’s always difficult to know what the Eagles might have, but with only 1 game played so far, it doesn’t look like things will be much different than they have been the past few seasons. They suffered a 34-point loss to Caverna in the only game they played this week. Key games this week: @Beth Haven, North Hardin

Yes, lost basically everything they had. Top 7 scorers all gone due to graduation. Highest returning scorer will be Jake Owens who averaged about 4 ppg.

Agreed. Outside of just a few teams I think they're should be many competitive games all season.

5th Region Pre-Season Rankings/Prediction 1. Central Hardin- Central Hardin returns potential Player of the Year in Brett Decker, who averaged over 20 points per game last season. He’ll have a strong supporting cast with Ace Jaggers and Jakob Fredrickson and Etown transfer Jett Williams, once he gets ruled eligible. 2. Washington County- If the Commanders don’t take the 19th district this year, well there is always next year as they should be strong next season as well. Beau Baker will lead the Commanders. Baker averaged 15 ppg last season and will be a force on the boards as well. Stevie Woodson’s squad will also have seasoned pg Noah Reynolds to run the offense and Kamar Phillips as a double digit scorer to lean on. Adding Riley Brown from Thomas Nelson could be the difference maker for the Commanders. 3. Elizabethtown- James Haire will return an upper classmen heavy squad, however most of the experience will be found with his juniors. Losing Alandre Murphy’s 16.9 ppg will be tough to replace, and the supporting cast of Ryan, Peeler and Hall will be a difficult rebuild. The Panthers will need Ayden Evans to show the region why he should be in the conversation for player of the year. 4. Bethlehem- The Eagles return everyone, that includes Casey Steadmon who averaged 17.9 ppg last season, Hayden Osborne who averaged 14 ppg and Nicholas Osborne who averaged 10.2 ppg. The Eagles will be eying a return to the 5th Region tournament for the first time since 2018. 5. Larue County- The Hawks have been dominating in the 18th district and they hope to continue that this season. Carson Childress and Daniel Allen return a big chunk of the Hawks offense from last season, averaging 15.3 and 11.8 ppg respectively. Of course, the noticeable missing piece will be Cutter Boley who transferred before the beginning of the school year. 6. Bardstown- The Tigers have been in the 19th district like Larue County has been in the 18th district. Boo Brewer’s team will have to replace a lot of scoring this season without Andrew Mason and Bryce Riley. They’ll look for Grant Bowling to shoulder the bulk of the load. Never count out the Bardstown Tigers. 7. Green County- The Dragons could be a sleeper team to watch in the region. They have a new coach in Jordan Gilbert, and they lost Kellen Whitlow to graduation. But the Dragons return Hayden Blakeman, who averaged 19 ppg as a Freshman. Jayden Marr, Houston Hodges and Kelson McKinney will be counted on to contribute quite a bit as well. 8. Taylor County- The Cardinals are probably underrated in this list but they’ll be without Mason Guffey, who averaged 18.6 ppg last year due to a torn ACL. Layken Lyons will have to pick up the slack, he’s certainly capable, and they’ll have Jackson Wise running the point. The Cardinals will depend heavily on the defense to make up for what they’ll miss in Guffey’s scoring. 9. North Hardin- The Trojans will have a whole new look on the sideline this year. After the way the season ended for them, they’re looking for a bit of a culture change. Michael Baffour will be the new man at the helm to lead the Trojans. He’ll have returning Taveon Smith, who could quietly be one of the best players in the region. Shaun Boykins 9.5 ppg returns this year as well. 10. Hart County- Justin Line will have the Raiders ready to go when the season gets started. Jaxson Shoulders will look to build on a solid season from a year ago, where he averaged 12.6 ppg. He’ll have Jordan Bradley and Clark Rexroat to help the Raiders make a run in the 18th district. 11. Adair County 12. John Hardin 13. Campbellsville 14. Marion County 15. Nelson County 16. Caverna 17. Thomas Nelson 18. Fort Knox 17th District 1. Central Hardin 2. Elizabethtown 3. North Hardin 4. John Hardin 5. Fort Knox 18th District 1. Larue County 2. Green County 3. Hart County 4. Caverna 19th District 1. Washington County 2. Bethlehem 3. Bardstown 4. Nelson County 5. Thomas Nelson 20th District 1. Taylor County 2. Adair County 3. Campbellsville 4. Marion County

I haven't done my background checking for my rankings for bluegrass preps yet this year, but I would agree that these do not seem that reliable. Nothing against Washington County but they'll have had to improve greatly and just about everyone else drop a notch to be pre-season #1.

Nelson County has hired Mark Evans, former head coach from Mercy.

Michael Menifee has stepped down as head coach for the Lady Cardinals citing personal reasons.

Yes.

Taylor assistant coach is accurate. Believe this will keep a couple of kids who were thinking of transferring to Green at Taylor.

Haven't seen this one posted anywhere. The current boys coach is also the AD. I wonder if there is a change there as well.

He retiring or heading somewhere else?

What happened with Willett?

Hearing that they are down to a final 3, two of which might include Bracken HC, Adam Reed and Thomas Nelson HC, Josh Kays.

All of Coach Brewer's kids have graduated. Have also heard his name rumored to this job, but recently told he might be in consideration to join Kenny Payne's staff at U of L.

Hearing that the Taylor/Green County game was called in the 6th inning due to benches either emptying or nearly emptying. Have been told multiple ejections. Anyone know what happened?

I was told yesterday, that the entire coaching staff was non-renewed. That doesn't necessarily mean that they won't be back, but just that, they've been non-renewed.

My understanding was that he was given the option to resign the day after the incident. He did resign and they were waiting to announce the job opening. Not sure why they would wait so long, but that's their decision. Cofer will land somewhere if he wants to continue to coach. He's an excellent coach, but just my opinion, he always had a few people who stirred things up and kept things contentious for him. If the next coach at North is going to be successful, then they also need to remove an assistant coach as well.

That's a great nickname for the Perry kid. Have only seen Lyon play once this year. Have seen John Hardin a few times. I'll take John Hardin in a close one.