5thregionbasketball

I would expect something to be announced very soon. Could be a familiar face returning to Taylor County.

Wouldn't be surprised to see him on the girls sideline at one of the other schools in the region.

Good administration is hard to find. Nelson County has had some really good admins but the superintendent has done a really good job of running off good admins. From what I've heard they'll also have to hire a principal to go along with AD

Swiney was a 1 year deal. Both parties agreed to that going in. I would not have been surprised to see Swiney decide to stay. A final 4 appearance changes attitudes about staying and going, especially when you have so much returning. I would think that this job will draw some pretty good interest, haven't heard any names yet, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they stay internal and hire Farrah McLean. She was Swiney's top assistant, instrumental in getting him to come to TC this past season and has deep roots and connections in TC. I know that there is a little drama with her because of Turner's resignation but as the old saying goes, "winning heals all things..." or something like that.

Now that the season has ended, what are everyone's expectations going into the next season? Who do you think the front-runners will be? Any coaching changes or other storylines emerge? 17th District The big question will be can North maintain their dominance on the 17th district as they have for the past 2 seasons. Obviously, losing a player like Berry hurts, but they played a majority of the season without him and they return most of their starting lineup with Mack, House and Cleaver. I'm not sure that there are any other teams in the district that will be able to matchup with them. Central would have been the closest but they lose 4 starters including Hogan and Nichols. 18th District Caverna loses their coach and basically their entire team that played any minutes this season. Whoever steps into that role as a coach will have a monumental task ahead of them. As was stated in another thread, Caverna didn't field a middle school team this past season so it could be some very dark days ahead for Colonel basketball. Green County showed some improvement at the end of the season and started to play towards what expectations were at the beginning of last season. However they lose transfer seniors Laws and Wade. Larue County returns several key pieces including Mikey Harris. Harris is what runs the show for the Hawks. They'll definetly miss the presence of Ayden Seidl but the Hawks have some pieces coming up through their middle school program as well. I think Larue is probably the heavy favorite in the 18th next year. 19th District Can Nelson build on the success they had this season? Does Gilbert stay? Can Thomas Nelson keep the momentum going even though they lose Cutter Boone, Carter Hamilton, and Hunter Mattingly? Bardstown returns Chi Poynter and Tylin Spaulding, so you can't forget about them. Somehow Bardstown was the district winner and never felt like they were better than the 3rd best team in the district, but I think that's largely due to the difficult schedule they play up front, so the win totals usually seem a little low. Bethlehem will likely be much better next season as well. If Bradley gets healthy and they can bring together some of the younger pieces who saw quite a bit of time this year and get them to mature a bit, I think we likely see Bethlehem fighting for the top spot in the district and a trip back to the region tournament. 20th District Taylor will return the duo of Vernon and Stone. Those two players alone would make most teams tough to beat. They'll have to figure out how they play with such a big presence in the middle missing in Bryten Close but with Stone and Vernon, I feel like most coaches would love to have that problem. Will they be able to piece it together to get them back to Rupp Arena? Adair County will be the other big question mark in the 20th, more specifically Coach Breeze. Will he stay or will he leave? He came back for this season after a summer debacle with their new hire Jordan Brangers. If he stays, you have to figure Adair will be in the hunt, he's in the top 5 of coaches in the region. If he leaves, who do they go after and how do they figure out how to replace Blakey, George and Gilbert? Let me know your thoughts!

Wondering the same thing?

Give credit to Taylor County and Coach Kays. As someone said above, they hit all the right buttons so far in this postseason.

I didn't get a chance to watch either game last night yet, but I felt like Caverna had a better shot at guarding Berry than Taylor does. Bryten Close is a matchup nightmare for every team, but I just don't think Taylor can keep pace with North.

I agree. I think this is North's year, still not sure about the Taylor Caverna game though.

I watched the game on NFHS network and thought for the most part it was pretty well officiated. There's always going to be a play here or there that coaches/fans/radio people disagree with and sometimes the official gets it wrong but I didn't see anything that looked blatantly biased. The official in question is one of the top officials in the region. He has been to the state tournaments the past 2 seasons. I know a lot of people hate on the referee's in the 5th, but if you watch games from other parts of the state, I think people would realize that the 5th has pretty good officials. There are several officials in the 5th that could go to other regions and be one of the top officials in that region right away.

Rating the teams in the field, I would rate them this way: 1. North Hardin 2. Caverna 3. Taylor County 4. Larue County 5. Adair County 6. Bardstown 7. Thomas Nelson 8. Elizabethtown Looking at the bracket, here's my opinion: Game 1- Taylor County vs. Thomas Nelson Taylor should roll in this one. These two played in the last game of the regular season and Taylor won handedly 74-49. Thomas Nelson was a little shorthanded that night as several of their usuals played very limited minutes due to illness, but I just don't see this getting much better for Thomas Nelson. I'd take Taylor by double digits. Game 2- Caverna vs. Elizabethtown These two teams have not played each other in more than a decade, the last game coming in the 2015 regional tournament. That game saw Etown win by 13 points, but Caverna is rolling and this is not the typical Etown regional tournament team. Caverna is just much more athletic and physical than Etown. Etown will have to play the perfect game to keep this game close, although I do expect Etown to slow it down and stretch out the zone, much like Larue has done the past 2 times they have played. That does expose Caverna's biggest weakness in my opinion, which is they don't shoot the ball particularly well from outside. I think Caverna by double-digits Game 3- North Hardin vs. Larue County This is the best game in the first round. Larue will likely employ the same strategy that they used against Caverna. Slow it down, stretch the zone out and collapse on the middle. The problem for Larue is that North Hardin shoots the ball much better than Caverna does. Larue defeated North Hardin in the very early part of the season by 18 points. But that was at Larue, and a very different North Hardin team. Since Kerwian Berry has become eligible the Trojans are 16-2 and have won their last 8 in a row. I think this is a good close game, but I see North Hardin advancing to the semifinals. Game 4- Bardstown vs Adair County I think this is the only game where the district winner likely loses but I wouldn't be surprised for Bardstown to win. These two met toward the end of the season and Bardstown pulled off the victory, 60-57. Adair has to shoot the ball well from the get go because they just give up too many points on defense. Adair wants to play fast paced but the team in this regional tournament that matches up with that the best is likely Bardstown. Bardstown is athletic, quick and physical. Bardstown is much better in an uptempo game. While North and Larue might be the best game in the first round, this one might be the most competitive. I'll take the Indians by 5. Semi Finals Taylor County vs. Caverna This could have easily been the finals of the region. And outside of the finals, probably the game that I might most be looking forward too. Caverna knows it's now or never. They're loaded with seniors, so if they're going to go to Rupp, it has to be this year. But Taylor is right there in the mix. And this Cardinal group felt like they got shortchanged after a first round loss last year in the region. I'm not sure I can pick a winner in this one yet. North Hardin vs. Adair County This would be a rematch from last year's final that saw Adair win by a score of 62-48. I don't see a repeat of that happening right now. North defeated Adair in the last week of the regular season and I don't see this game being much different. I think the Trojans advance to the finals. Finals North Hardin vs. Taylor/Caverna Winner Either of these matchups would be fun to see. It puts 2 of the top 3 teams for most of the season in the finals which is what you want to see in the final game. I think this is the year though that the Trojans return to Rupp Arena. It would be the first time since 2010 that North has been crowned regional champion.

Can anyone provide insight as to why Adair's coach would call an official by name in his post-game interview and say he's terrible and be nothing more than an "AAU referee." I wasn't there but just from hearing game reports it seems like Taylor completely dominated the 2nd half, not sure you can pin that on a referee.

Larue clinches final spot in region. 3 district winners decided tonight in the 17th, 19th and 20th. 18th on Saturday night.

Gotta give the Indians credit, they survive and advance. Friday night should be a fun one with round 4 of Adair and Taylor. 7 teams have clinched a spot in the region tournament: North Hardin, Etown, Caverna, Bardstown, Thomas Nelson, Taylor County, Adair County. Final spot between Green County and Larue County will be determined tonight.

The regular season came to an end on Friday with North Hardin making the case that they are the best team in the region. The Trojans went 4-0 this week with a statement win over 2x defending regional champion Adair County, a dominating win over defending 4th region champion Bowling Green, and then a win in a very competitive game against Nelson County to end the season. Below you’ll find week 12’s rankings and then a breakdown for each district tournament. 1. North Hardin 22-6 Results: Adair Co. 81-73, Spencer Co. 67-57, Bowling Green 84-63, Nelson Co. 86-82. Current Streak: W6, Last 10 Games: 9-1 2. Caverna 21-7, Results: Adair County 77-53, Metcalfe Co. 74-57, St. X. 52-54. Current Streak: L1, Last 10 Games: 8-2 3. Taylor County 21-9, Results: Barren Co. 69-67, Burgin 70-26, Thomas Nelson 74-49. Current Streak: W5: Last 10 Games: 8-2 4. Larue County 18-9, Results: Warren Central 52-65, Boyle Co. 77-76 (overtime). Current Streak: W1. Last 10 Games: 5-5 5. Adair County 18:11, Results: North Hardin 73-81, Caverna 53-77, John Hardin 69-63 (overtime). Current Streak: W1. Last 10 Games: 4-6 6. Marion County 16-11, Results: Thomas Nelson 82-62, Bullitt Central 55-57, Danville 56-59. Current Streak: L2, Last 10 Games: 5-5 7. Nelson County 19-9, Results: Thomas Nelson 59-72, Hart Co. 58-59, North Hardin 82-86. Current Streak: L3. Last 10 Games: 5-5 8. Green County 11-14, Results: Bardstown 65-57, Cumberland Co. 74-52, Mercer Co. 69-41. Current Streak W6. Last 10 Games: 8-2 9. Bardstown 12-14, Results: Campbellsville 49-65, Green Co. 57-65, Spencer Co. 69-67. Current Streak W1. Last 10 Games: 6-4 10. Central Hardin 14-13, Results: Apollo 67-83, Meade Co. 76-71 (overtime). Current Streak: W1. Last 10 Games: 4-6 11. Thomas Nelson 14-14, Results: Nelson Co. 72-59, Marion Co. 62-82, Taylor Co. 49-74. Current Streak L2. Last 10 Games: 5-5 12. Washington County 13-15, Results: John Hardin 72-67, Southern 70-42. Current Streak: W3. Last 10 Games: 7-3 13. Hart County 12-16. Results: Bethlehem 66-58, Nelson Co. 59-58, Butler Co. 59-45. Current Streak: W5. Last 10 Games: 5-5 14. Elizabethtown 10-15, Results: Central 65-45, Campbellsville 72-69 (overtime). Current Streak W2. Last 10 Games: 4-6. 15. Campbellsville 10-18. Results: Bardstown 65-49, Bethlehem 64-57, Etown 69-72 (overtime). Current Streak L1. Last 10 Games: 6-4 16. Bethlehem 9-15. Results: Hart County 58-66, Campbellsville 57-64, Collegiate 68-53. Current Streak: W1. Last 10 Games: 3-7 17. John Hardin 6-23. Results: Washington Co. 67-72, Adair Co. 63-69 (overtime). Current Streak: L5. Last 10 Games 1-9 18. Fort Knox 3-16. Results: Portland Christian 50-61. Current Streak: L6, Last 10 Games: 1-9 17th District: at Elizabethtown North Hardin (1) vs. John Hardin (4) North is clearly the best team in the region and they matchup in the first round against John Hardin, who has spent most of the season at the bottom of the region. The Trojans won both games against the Bulldogs in the regular season by a score of 84-45 and then a much closer game at John Hardin 74-64. John Hardin, while still coming up on the wrong side of the scoreboard, they have played much better and been much more competitive. If they were playing anyone else in the 17th district besides North, I’d say they have a puncher’s chance, but the Trojans are just too strong. Prediction: North Hardin Etown (2) vs. Central Hardin (3) Central Hardin has been ranked much higher than Etown all season, but coming into the district, thanks to Etown’s win against the Bruins in early January, the Panthers will be the home team and the 2 seed. In the regular season, the Bruins won the first game at Etown by a score of 80-69, but the Panthers won game 2 at Central Hardin by a score of 71-65. Neither team is playing particularly well at the moment. Central Hardin was without Cam Hogan for about 2 weeks that really hurt them when it came to ballhandling. For me, the key in this game will be Robert Bertolucci for Central Hardin. When he shoots the ball well, it creates one more scoring threat and stretches the defense even more. He plays well, and the Bruins win. Prediction: Central Hardin 18th District: at Caverna Caverna (1) vs. Hart County (4) The 18th district feels the least competitive to me as far as first round matchups go. Primarily because I just don’t see anyway Caverna loses to Hart County. In the regular season Caverna swept the Raiders by scores of 67-53, and 71-47. Hart County is coming into tournament play on a 5-game winning streak, but I just don’t think it will matter. The Colonels will defend home court and have a chance to play in the district finals and then regional tournament. Prediction: Caverna Larue County (2) vs. Green County (3) At the beginning of the season, this would have been a game that I think everyone would have been excited to see in the district. And honestly, I think I would have thought the seeding would have been flipped. But it has not been the season the Dragons have hoped for or thought they would have with key players leaving the program. Having said that, the Dragons are playing better in the last 2 weeks of the season than they have played all year. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and come in on a 6-game winning streak. However, they are playing a Larue County team that has surprised many. Paul Childress has shown why he is one of the best coaches in the region and was rewarded with coach of the year honors. The Hawks have been able to not only be competitive but be a top team in the region in a year, where they were not really expected to do more than be a middle of the pack team. Larue swept the regular season meetings, with a 9-point win at home and a dominating win on the road. The last time Green County lost this season was that loss to Larue County. Prediction: Larue County (but much closer than most would have thought) 19th District: at Nelson County Nelson County (2) vs. Thomas Nelson (3) Nelson comes into the district on a 3-game losing streak, the biggest of the season for the Cardinals, however they looked much better against North Hardin on Friday night than they did against Thomas Nelson and Hart County. Thomas Nelson defeated Nelson County a week ago by 13 points in a game that was marred by controversy surrounding an official. I don’t think the outcome would have changed, but Nelson County will have to show much more discipline in the post-season. Thomas Nelson has played better this year, I just don’t think they are there yet. Prediction: Nelson County Bethlehem (4) vs. Washington County (5) The Eagles and Commanders play in the 4/5 play-in game with the winner getting to play Bardstown. These are two teams trending in different directions. Bethlehem is 3-7 in their last 10 games, while Washington County is 7-3. The loss of Jack Bradley for the Eagles just crushes them. I think this game goes to the Commanders. So, Washington will get to play another day, but I think that’s all they will get to play. You could rename the 19th district tournament over the last decade and a half “The Boo Brewer Invitational.” The Tigers are a staple in the finals of the 19th district tournament and I think they are just much more athletic than either Washington County or Bethlehem Prediction: Washington County, then Bardstown 20th District: at Campbellsville Taylor County (1) vs Campbellsville (4) Taylor County comes into postseason play, playing very well, winners of 5 in a row and having won 8 of their last 10 games. Bryten Close is back for the Cardinals which poses a matchup problem for everyone else. Campbellsville is playing better as of recent games and I think playing at home will help them, just not enough. Taylor won both games in the regular season by more than 20 points. I think this game is closer, but the Cards pull it out. Prediction: Taylor County Adair County (2) vs. Marion County (3) If there’s a team that should be on upset alert it’s the 2x defending regional champions Adair County. Adair has seemingly been a step off in the past 2 weeks, while the Knights have been playing very well. During the regular season Adair County won both games, the first by 14 points and the second game just by 1 point. If Marion can contain one of the three scorers (George, Blakey, Gilbert) and the magic in the air hits just right, I think the Knights can pull it off. I might be wrong, but who doesn’t love an underdog story, so give me the Knights in a major upset. Prediction: Marion County Current Streak Last 10 W6 (9-1)

As of right now, I'd still say North is #1 team. They also defeated Adair this week. As of today I'd say it's North, Caverna, Taylor, Larue, then Adair.

Bardstown, Nelson, Thomas Nelson, Washington. I'm not sure that Washington can beat Bardstown however.

I think so too. Sets up a rematch from last night with TN and Nelson. How disappointing would it be for Nelson to have had such a good year and not get out of the district? I'm not sure if Thomas Nelson has ever not played in the play-in game. Probably have at some point, but it hasn't happened very often. 19th has 4 teams that could win the district depending on the matchup in the finals.

As we head into the final week of the regular season, a few teams seem to be getting hot or hotter at just the right time and a few teams look like they might have peaked too early. There were a few key games in the region this week. North Hardin continued their dominance in the 17th district with a 40-point win over Central Hardin. Central Hardin is one of the teams that is trending downward. They’ve played the last 2 weeks without their point guard Cam Hogan (he returned on Friday night against Washington County) and it has really exploited Central’s ability to get into their offense and have someone who can handle the ball. North Hardin’s week started with a loss to Manual, who depending on what outlet you look at is ranked somewhere in the top 25. It was a 23-point loss, which isn’t unusual for North losses this year. All 6 losses have been double-digit losses (all against very good competition), and the average point disparity has been 21.6 points in their loss. North did rebound with the win over Central and a very impressive win at Warren Central, defeating the ranked Dragons 65-59. Caverna continues to be a hot team. They picked up another 18th district win over Hart County early in the week. That game actually ended with about 1:47 left in the 4th quarter due to some shenanigans taking place with fans. Taylor County is winners of their last 7 of 9 games. The Cardinals were defeated by ranked North Laurel at North Laurel this week in a competitive game. Taylor defeated Etown and Iroquois decisively later in the week. Adair is trending downward. They’ve lost 3 out of their last 4, including this week a loss to Russell County. It’s not looking much better either for the Indians as they close the season out with North Hardin and Caverna. These are big games for the Indians to prove that they are still the team to beat in the 5th region. Each district is set with the exception of the 19th district. The 17th will see 1 seed North Hardin take on host and 4 seed John Hardin. Etown is the 2 seed and will play Central Hardin. 18th District, Caverna is the 1 seed and will host, they’ll open up with Hart County. Larue is the 2 seed and they will play Green County. I’m not sure Green County can beat Larue, but Green is playing about as well as they have played all year. The 20th district will be played at Campbellsville. Campbellsville is the 4 seed and will play Taylor County. I don’t expect the Eagles to win, but Campbellsville had their best week of the season this past week, and have won 3 out of their last 4 games. Adair County will play Marion County, who is also playing very well over the past 2 weeks, including a dominant win over border rival Washington County. The 19th district will be played at Nelson. Here’s what we know for sure: Bethlehem will play Washington County in the 4/5 play-in game. Thomas Nelson is locked in at the 3 seed. Nelson plays at Thomas Nelson on Monday night. If Nelson wins, they’ll be the 1 seed. If Thomas Nelson wins, Bardstown will be the 1 seed and that will set up a rematch between the Generals and the Cardinals. Nelson defeated Thomas Nelson earlier in the season by 4 points. Here’s this week’s rankings: 1. North Hardin 18-6- Results: Manual 66-89, Central Hardin 86-46, Warren Central 65-59. Upcoming Games: Adair County, at Spencer County, Bowling Green, at Nelson County 2. Caverna 19-6- Results: Hart County 71-47, Edmonson County 78-68. Upcoming Games: at Adair County, Metcalfe County, at St. X 3. Taylor County 18-9-Results: North Laurel 70-78, Iroquois 78-41, Elizabethtown 76-47. Upcoming Games: at Barren County, Burgin, at Thomas Nelson 4. Adair County 17-9- Results Southwestern 81-76, Russell County 65-70. Upcoming Games: at North Hardin, Caverna, at John Hardin 5. Larue County 17-8- Results: Elizabethtown 70-55, Glasgow 53-54, Thomas Nelson 66-42. Upcoming Games: Warren Central, at Boyle County 6. Nelson County 19-6- Results: MHG Prep 83-29, Model 66-59, Fort Knox 79-40. Upcoming Games: at Thomas Nelson, at Hart County, North Hardin 7. Marion County 15-9- Results: Washington County 82-51, Garrard County 66-61, Cumberland County 52-68. Upcoming Games: Thomas Nelson, at Bullitt Central, at Danville 8. Bardstown 11-12- Results: Eastern 56-61, Bethlehem 56-54. Upcoming Games: at Campbellsville, at Green County, at Spencer County 9. Central Hardin 13-12- Results: Green County 56-63, Owensboro 68-62, North Hardin 46-86, Washington County 65-70. Upcoming Games: Apollo, Meade County, Butler County, at Bullitt Central 10. Washington County 11-15- Results: Marion County 51-82, Central Hardin 70-65. Upcoming Games: at John Hardin, Southern 11. Thomas Nelson 13-12- Results: Southern 59-48, Brown 72-43, Bethlehem 69-55, Larue County 42-66. Upcoming Games: Nelson County, at Marion County, at Hart County, Taylor County. 12. Green County 8-14- Results: Central Hardin 63-56. Upcoming Games: Bardstown, Cumberland County, at Mercer County 13. Hart County 9-16- Results: Caverna 47-71, Edmonson County 59-63, Metcalfe County 67-57, John Hardin 77-63. Upcoming Games: at Bethlehem, Nelson County, Thomas Nelson, at Butler County 14. Elizabethtown 8-15- Results: Larue County 55-70, Taylor County 47-76. Upcoming Games: Louisville Central, at Campbellsville 15. Bethlehem 8-13- Results: Danville 62-65, Bardstown 54-56, Thomas Nelson 55-69. Upcoming Games: Hart County, Campbellsville, Collegiate 16. Campbellsville 8-17- Results: John Hardin 52-45, Monroe County 63-58, Evangel 44-73. Upcoming Games: Bardstown, at Bethlehem, Elizabethtown 17. John Hardin 6-21- Results: Glasgow 52-74, Campbellsville 45-52, Hart County 63-77. Upcoming Games: Washington County, Adair County 18. Fort Knox 3-15- Results: Collegiate 54-62, Whitefield Academy 37-66, Nelson County 40-79. Upcoming Games: Portland Christian

Obviously, it all depends on the regional draw, but I like North's chances better than anyone else. They have all the pieces, and very disciplined. Caverna has the talent, but very streaky and the knock on this group of players over the years has been being undisciplined. Taylor can pull it off. They can shoot, play pretty good defense. Adair's biggest issue is their defense. It's not good. They seemingly have to score 80 or more points to win every night. Larue would have to play perfect games and do exactly what they did in the last game against Caverna to beat any of the other 4 teams. Slow the pace down, limit possessions, play good defense. Having said all that, don't count out a Paul Childress team.

Teams finally got back on the floor this past week. Every team except for Fort Knox played at least 2 games, a few teams got in 4 games this week. I moved some teams around in the top 5. I believe this week’s rankings reflect what I’ve thought for several weeks but didn’t necessarily have the game results to back it up. In talking with quite a few people around the region, this also seems to be the consensus as well. North Hardin takes over the number 1 spot. They are on a tear right now, they’ve won 9 games in a row, the longest winning streak of anyone in the region by a lot. The next largest winning streak is 2 games by several teams. North’s average win margin during this streak is 15 points. Caverna has moved up into the number 2 spot. Caverna is also 9-1 in their last 10 games, losing only to Lyon County in the All-A State Championship game. Caverna avenged their only district loss this season to Larue County on Friday night in a low-scoring affair, 39-37. District games should wrap up this week, so after the rankings, I’ll list the district standings. 1. North Hardin 16-5, Results: W-Evangel 83-70, Bullitt East 66-46, East Jessamine 92-65, Franklin Co. 93-55. Games this Week: at Manual, Central Hardin, at Warren Central. Current Streak W9, Last 10 Games: 9-1 2. Caverna 17-6, Results: W-Walton-Veronal 53-39, L-Lyon Co. 46-49, W-Glasgow 89-65, Larue Co. 39-37. Games this Week: Hart Co, at Edmonson Co. Current Streak W2, Last 10 Games:9-1 3. Taylor County 16-8, Results: L-Monroe Co. 54-56, W-Adair Co. 79-73. Games this Week: at North Laurel, Elizabethtown. Current Streak W1, Last 10 Games:7-3 4. Adair County 16-8, Results: L- Bardstown 57-60, W-Marion Co. 77-76, L-Taylor Co. 73-79, Trinity 46-62. Games this Week: Southwestern, at Russell Co. Current Streak L2, Last 10 Games:5-5 5. Larue County 15-7, Results: W-Green Co. 73-44, L-Caverna 37-39, Bullitt East 52-55 Games this Week: at Elizabethtown, Glasgow, Thomas Nelson. Current Streak L2, Last 10 Games:6-4 6. Nelson County 16-6, Results: W-Elizabethtown 82-78, Washington Co. 81-73, L-Monroe Co. 58-69. Games this Week: MHG Prep, Model, at Fort Knox. Current Streak L1, Last 10 Games:6-4 7. Central Hardin 12-9, Results: W- Campbellsville 69-51, L-Bethlehem 58-66, W- John Hardin 79-52, L-Lafayette 60-77. Games this Week: at Green Co. Owensboro, at North Hardin, at Washington Co. Current Streak L1, Last 10 Games: 5-5 8. Bardstown 10-11, Results: W- Adair Co. 60-57, Thomas Nelson 53-43, L-Rockcastle Co. 50-63. Games this Week: Eastern, Bethlehem, at Christian Co. Current Streak L1, Last 10 Games: 6-4 9. Marion County 13-8, Results: L-Adair Co. 76-77, W- Campbellsville 60-58. Games this Week: at Washington Co. Garrard Co. at Cumberland Co. Current Streak W1, Last 10 Games: 5-5 10. Washington County 10-14, Results: L- Campbellsville 58-60, W-Bluegrass United 70-53, L-Nelson Co. 73-81, W- Bethlehem 61-56. Games this Week: Marion Co. Central Hardin. Current Streak W1, Last 10 Games: 6-4 11. Bethlehem 8-10, Results: W- Central Hardin 66-58, L- Washington Co. 56-61. Games this Week: at Danville, at Bardstown, at Thomas Nelson. Current Streak L1, Last 10 Games: 3-7 12. Thomas Nelson 10-11, Results: W- John Hardin 63-50, L-Bardstown 43-53. Games this Week: Southern, Brown, Bethlehem, at Larue County. Current Streak L1, Last 10 Games: 6-4 13. Elizabethtown 8-13, Results: W- John Hardin 65-64, L- Nelson Co. 78-82, W- Bullitt East 54-51. Games this Week: Larue Co. Taylor Co. Current Streak W2, Last 10 Games: 3-7 14. Green County 7-14, Results: L-Larue Co. 44-73, W- Hart Co. 81-64, LKY 67-42. Games this Week: Central Hardin. Current Streak W2, Last 10 Games: 4-6 15. Hart County 7-14, Results: L- Bullitt Central 67-70, Green Co. 64-81. Games this Week: at Caverna, Edmonson Co. at Metcalfe Co. at John Hardin. Current Streak L5, Last 10 Games: 2-8 16. John Hardin 6-18, Results: L-Elizabethtown 64-65, Thomas Nelson 50-63, Central Hardin 52-79, W- Western 71-67. Games this Week: at Glasgow, Campbellsville, Hart Co. Current Streak W1, Last 10 Games: 2-8 17. Campbellsville 6-16, Results: W- Washington Co. 60-58, L- Central Hardin 51-69, Marion Co. 58-60, W- Metcalfe Co. 68-59. Games this Week: at John Hardin, Monroe Co. at Evangel. Current Streak W1, Last 10 Games: 2-8 18. Fort Knox 3-12, Results: L- Doss 36-47. Games this Week: at Collegiate, at Whitefield Academy, Nelson Co. Current Streak L2, Last 10 Games: 2-8 17th District at John Hardin 1. North Hardin 5-0, 2. Elizabethtown 3-3 3. Central Hardin 3-2 4. John Hardin 0-6 North has clinched the 1 seed. If Central wins against North this week, they will be the 2 seed. If they lose, Etown will be the 2 and Central the 3. 18th District at Caverna 1. Larue County 5-1 2. Caverna 4-1 3. Hart County 1-4 4. Green County 1-5 Caverna and Hart will play this week. That game will determine all of the seeding for this week. Should Hart pull the upset the seeding will stay as it is listed above. However, if Caverna wins, Caverna will be the 1, Larue 2, Green Co. 3 and Hart Co. 4. Ironically, it would not change any of the matchups, just seeding. 19th District at Nelson County 1. Nelson County 6-1 2. Bardstown 5-2 3. Bethlehem 2-4 4. Thomas Nelson 2-4 5. Washington County 2-6 So, the 19th has several things that could happen. Nelson wins against Thomas Nelson and they lock in the 1 seed. Nelson will likely be the 1 seed, but should they lose and Bardstown win against Bethlehem, Bardstown would be the 1 seed. Thomas Nelson needs to win 1 of their last 2 district games to avoid being the 5 seed, if they win both games they’ll stay out of the 4/5 game altogether, and if they split, it will be decided by the Bethlehem/Bardstown game. Washington County can do no better than the 4 seed, so they will play in the 4/5 game regardless of what else happens. 20th District at Campbellsville 1. Taylor County 5-1 2. Adair County 4-2 3. Marion County 2-4 4. Campbellsville 1-5 The 20th district is set. Taylor gets Campbellsville and Adair gets Marion. They game between Taylor and Adair in the 2A finals at Marion County did not count toward their district games.

Several teams got to play Monday night, all seemingly pretty close and competitive games Campbellsville 60-Washington County 58 Elizabethtown 65-John Hardin 64 Monroe County 56-Taylor County 54- Heard that Coach Kays was ejected after the game. North Hardin 83-Evangel Christian 70 Several more teams are schedule to return to action tonight (Tuesday). Bardstown at Marion County Bullitt East at North Hardin Central Hardin at Campbellsville Fort Knox at Hart County Glasgow at Caverna John Hardin at Thomas Nelson Larue County at Green County Washington County at Bethlehem If all of these games get played tonight, Adair County will be the only team to not have returned to action. They are scheduled to play Marion County on Wednesday.

Week 9 saw all of 7 games played. 5 games played on Saturday, and Caverna played 2 in the All-A semifinals and finals, defeating Walton-Verona in the semis and losing to Lyon County 46-49 in the finals. North Hardin was the only other team to touch the win column. They defeated Green County 78-52, highlighted by an 80 foot buzzer beater in the 3rd quarter by Keriawn Berry. Larue County, Elizabethtown, Bethlehem and John Hardin were all defeated in their respective games on Saturday. Much of the region will return to play on Monday night, but with games being rescheduled and postponed, I am not trying to track games this week until they happen. One game of note is Friday, Adair County travels to Taylor County for round 3 this season. Adair is 2-0 against the Cardinals but both games have been decided by a total of 5 points. As far as rankings go, Caverna and North were both rewarded for their wins and Larue dropped with their loss, all 3 remain in the top 5. 1. Adair County 15-5- No Games 2. Taylor County 15-7- No Games 3. Caverna 14-5- W- Walton Verona 53-39, L-Lyon County 46-49 4. North Hardin 12-5- W-Green County 78-52 5. Larue County 14-5- L-Spencer County 73-74 6. Nelson County 14-5- No Games 7. Central Hardin- 10-7- No Games 8. Bardstown 8-10- No Games 9. Marion County 12-7- No Games 10. Washington County 8-12- No Games 11. Thomas Nelson- 9-10- No Games 12. Bethlehem- 7-9- L-Bullitt Central 60-70 13. Hart County 7-12- No Games 14. Green County- 5-13- L-North Hardin 52-78 15. Elizabethtown- 6-12- L-Meade County 72-78 16. John Hardin- 5-15 – L- Oldham County 52-66 17. Campbellsville- 4-14- No Games 18. Fort Knox- 3-11- No Games

Thanks to the Guru for getting a report out for me last week. Several teams are starting to play much better basketball, and a few transfers have gotten eligible and are making a difference. I’m doubtful that much basketball gets played this week with the snow and ice storm, maybe a few games later this week. There isn’t any change in the top of the rankings, but I think that’s likely to change in the next week or two. Here’s the rankings for this week: The Contenders 1. Adair County 15-5- The Indians hold onto the top spot this week, but I’m not convinced they’ll stay there much longer. Adair dropped a 1-point loss to Pulaski County, region 12’s number 1 RPI team, so I’m hesitant to call that a game that should affect their rating too much. The game that is much more concerning to me is the 75-72 win they had against Campbellsville. Campbellsville is at the bottom of the region, has two 20-plus point losses to Taylor County, a 9-point loss to Marion County and has an upset win against Adair earlier this season. Maybe Campbellsville just has the number of Adair County. Adair County is scheduled to play at Madisonville North Hopkins on Tuesday and host Marion County on Friday. 2. Taylor County 15-7- The Cardinals had a very good week going 3-0 against the competition. The highlight of the week was a 74-63 win against top ranked region 12 team Danville Christian. Cooper Stone had 39 points, and Bryce Vernon had 23 points respectively in the game. Taylor is scheduled to host Thomas Nelson on Tuesday and then play Iroquois in the H&W Showcase at Marion County on Saturday. 3. Larue County 14-4- The Hawks have been my surprise team all year. And they just continue to win. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They had a dominating win against Campbellsville and then defeated Hart County in an 18th district game. Harris had 23 and 22 points in those games. Larue can clinch the #1 seed with a win in their game on Friday against Caverna at the Hawk’s nest. 4. Caverna 14-5- While Larue has been playing well, there isn’t a team hotter in the region than the Colonels of Caverna. Winners of 8 in a row that included a 20-point win in the first round of the All A State Tournament against Owensboro Catholic and then a 48-46 win over Clinton County (ranked 2 in the 4th region). Being able to add Gavin Lightning this month has been a difference maker for the Colonels. They’ll be tested this week, and should they win all (maybe just most) it would be hard for them to not jump back to the top spot. They are scheduled to host Hart County on Monday, that game probably won’t happen, travel to Larue County on Friday in a game that likely decides the number 1 seed in the district. They host Jeffersontown on Saturday and then travel back to Owensboro for the semifinals and possibly finals of the All-A state tournament. They’ll play Walton Verona in the semifinals and should they advance, they’ll get the winner of Newport and Lyon County. Fatigue would be my big concern for the week, as they could play 6 games, 5 in 4 days. 5. North Hardin 11-5- The Trojans finally have Keriawn Berry eligible, and he’s made an immediate impact. Since joining the team, the Trojans are 3-1 and the one game that Berry didn’t score double digits, was the one game that they lost, losing to Lexington Catholic 56-81. The Trojans ended the week with a 65-62 win over Apollo. If all games scheduled get played (they won’t) North will have a busy week with 4 games, starting with Bowling Green who just upset Warren Central, then they’ll host district opponent Central Hardin on Wednesday, Washington County on Friday and PRP on Saturday. North has already locked up the #1 seed in the 17th district tournament. Potential Disruptors: 6. Nelson County 14-5- The Cardinals have had a little bit of a return to earth this past week. They rebounded after the loss to Bullitt Central with a win over Louisville Central 68-58 but then dropped a district matchup to Bardstown in what was a revenge game for the Tigers. Nelson County still controls their own destiny in the 19th district. If they win out, they will be the #1 seed. They’ll visit Meade County on Tuesday, Thomas Nelson on Friday in an important district game and then Burgin on Saturday. 7. Central Hardin 10-7- The Bruins defeated 17th district opponent John Hardin by 14 points, 78-64. Carson Nichols had 34 points, while Camdyn Hogan had 25 points. Central will travel to North Hardin in a 17th district game on Wednesday. The result will only affect who wears the home jersey in the 2/3 game. The Bruins will be either the 2 or 3 seed and will play Etown in the 17th district tournament. 8. Bardstown 8-10- The Tigers are not as basketball talented as they have been in years past, but they are very athletic and you never count out a Boo Brewer coached team. They’ve also played a pretty solid schedule that is now starting to pay off for them. Bardstown scored 2 big 19th district wins last week over Bethlehem and Nelson County. Both wins were on the road. They’ll invite Bethlehem over on Tuesday for a rematch. Bardstown can lock up the #2 seed with a win. 9. Marion County 12-7- The Knights dropped a 2-point game in overtime to Washington County who is starting to play much better basketball. They rebounded with a win over East Jessamine. The argument can be made that Marion hasn’t played an overwhelmingly tough schedule, but outside of the 28-point loss to Taylor, they don’t really have a bad loss. They play hard and when shots fall, they can make most games competitive. 10. Washington County 8-12- The Commanders seem to have turned the corner in the past 2 weeks, winning 4 of their last 5 games including all 3 games they played last week against regional opponents. Washington County becomes a potential disruptor considering they will most likely be the 4 or 5 seed, so they’ll have to play in the play-in game and then likely play Nelson County in a 1/4 game. Not as likely to disrupt: 11. Thomas Nelson 9-10- The Generals just can’t seem to find any consistency. They followed up a 6-point win 2 weeks ago against Bardstown with a double-digit loss to Collegiate. Then this past week was capped off with a 15-point loss to Washington County. They’re scheduled to travel to Taylor County on Tuesday and then host Nelson County on Friday in a very important district matchup. 12. Bethlehem 7-8- Bethlehem seems to me very much like Thomas Nelson, just not very consistent. They lost to Bardstown but then had a large win against Fort Knox. The Eagles are scheduled to go across the street to play Bardstown on Tuesday, host Hart County on Friday and then travel to Bullitt Central on Saturday. The Rest of the Region: 13. Hart County 7-12- It was a tough week for the Raiders going 0-3 including a loss to Larue County. They are supposed to visit Caverna on Monday, and Bethlehem on Friday. A loss to Caverna will make the Feb. 6 game against Green County a must win game to stay out of the 4 spot, but I’m not sure it will matter. 14. Green County 5-12- The Dragons have won 2 in a row and had their largest win of the season this week against Etown, defeating the Panthers by 30 points. They host Russell County and Metcalfe County this week, before traveling to North Hardin on Saturday to play Louisville Central. 15. Elizabethtown 6-11- The Panthers are struggling, no other way to say it. They are on a 3-game losing streak for the 3rd time this season, having lost this week to Green County and North Hardin. They are scheduled to visit John Hardin and Bardstown this week and then play Meade County at North Hardin. 16. John Hardin 5-14- The Bulldogs aren’t showing up in the win column very often, but I will say that they have played very well the past 2 weeks. They are scheduled to play Etown on Tuesday, and I wouldn’t be shocked for the Bulldogs to win that game. The schedule is favorable for the Bulldogs to get a few wins over the next few weeks, so here’s to hoping that the Bulldogs can string a few wins together. 17. Campbellsville 4-14- Campbellsville dropped 3 more games this week. It’s been a tough season for the Eagles. They have the longest losing streak in the region at 7 games right now and are just 1-9 in their last 10 games. They host Monroe County on Tuesday. 18. Fort Knox 3-11- Fort Knox got into the win column this week for just the 3rd time this season, defeating Eminence 71-63. They’re scheduled to play Portland Christian and Francis Parker (whom they defeated earlier this season) this week, but those games will likely be cancelled and not replayed which is unfortunate for the Eagles because those are winnable games.

I would agree that the 5th is down this year. Etown has been down for the past few seasons which really hurts the 5th. Etown used to be sort of the elite of the region so when they are good it's better for the region. Adair, Taylor and Caverna are all really good, but maybe not quite as good as was expected. Green County was thought to have been a regional contender this year, but it's an absolute cluster in Greensburg. North and Central seem to be hit and miss. Although I still wouldn't count North out, especially if Berry gets eligible soon. The only 2 teams that seem to me have exceeded expectations this season are Larue County and Nelson County. No coincidence that those teams have 2 of the top coaches in the region.