5thregionbasketball

Tuesday Night Results: 17th District: (4) John Hardin 54-46 Ft. Knox (5) 18th District: (3) Green County 58-56 Caverna (2) 19th District: (1) Washington County 59-46 Nelson County (4) Wednesday Games 19th District: (2) Bardstown vs (3) Bethlehem 20th District (1) Taylor County vs (4) Marion County (2) Adair County vs (3) Campbellsville

Tuesday night games saw all favorites win. Green defeated Larue, Bethlehem blew out Washington, Taylor defeated Campbellsville and Adair defeated Marion. Wednesday night games: 17th District (1) North Hardin vs (4) John Hardin (2) Elizabethtown vs (3) Central Hardin 19th District (2) Nelson County vs (3) Bardstown

Yep, I was way wrong on that one. Larue had been playing much better as of late and I expected them to play a little better, didn't happen though. Green/Hart should be a good one.

First upset in the region. The key for this was that the Dragons didn't play intimidated. First two meetings, they played very timid and almost afraid of Caverna. They didn't play that way tonight. Nice win for their program.

I think you're right about the best coach, at least in the schools you mentioned. I also think you're right that they'll end up at Rupp. But I think the region will be as fun as it has been in a few years because their is no dominant team. The region draw will be fun and hopefully create some exciting matchups. If the seeding holds up and all district winners are #1's, then whoever draws North will have the most difficult path, which would also help Etown's path to the finals.

Larue County defeated Hart County 15 to advance to 18th district championship. Nelson County ends Thomas Nelson season by 30. Games tonight (Tuesday, 2/21) 17th District (4) John Hardin vs (5) Fort Knox 18th District (2) Caverna vs (3) Green County 19th District (1) Washington County vs (4) Nelson County

Hart defeated Caverna by 41 to advance to 18th district championship. John Hardin wins big over Ft. Knox to advance to semi-finals. They get North Hardin. Washington County wins over Thomas Nelson, advances to semi-finals against Bethlehem. Games tonight (Tuesday, 2/21) 18th District (2) Green County vs (3) Larue County 19th District (1) Bethlehem vs (4) Washington County 20th District (1) Taylor vs (4) Campbellsville (2) Adair vs (3) Marion County

17th District at John Hardin 4vs5- John Hardin/Fort Knox The 17th district should be a lot of fun. However, this game should not be close. Xavi Smalley and Sharon Tidwell haven’t played the last few games due to some off court issues, but even without them, John Hardin should pull this game off. 1vs4-North Hardin/John Hardin North Hardin defeated John Hardin twice in the regular season. The first game at John was a 21 point win. The second game was much more competitive and the Trojans pulled off the win by 8 points. If Smalley and Tidwell play and can play with some chemistry this will be as fun a game to watch as there will be in the region this week. If John’s team chemistry issues continue, North will take this win. I think North wins this one. 2vs3 Elizabethtown/Central Hardin Familiar faces meet in the semifinal round instead of the championship game. Both teams have had by their recent standards and successes a lackluster year but still one of them will be advancing to the regional tournament. Etown will need a huge game from Sarah Clarke. They’ll be without guard Brooklyn Cann, so Central will have the opportunity to turn the defensive pressure up. If Central can knock down some shots early and stay confident, this will be a fun game as well. I think Etown by 7 or 8. Finals- North Hardin/Etown If Etown advances to the finals, they’ll have Cann back. That will make a difference but North is as determined as I’ve seen them in recent years. I think North wins this one in a game that will feel close for a while, but they’ll pull away and close it out. North by double digits. 18th District at Hart County 1vs4 Hart/Caverna I don’t think that this edition of this rivalry will resemble last year’s game that almost led to a Caverna upset. Caverna hasn’t had much go right this year and I don’t think they have anyone that can stop Dea Bradley. Hart by 20. 2vs3 Green/Larue I think we have the makings of an upset in this game. Green handled Larue in their first meeting but the second meeting was much closer. A 5-point win for the Dragons. Larue’s Natalie Gentry will have to touch the ball every possession for the Hawks and facilitate the offense but that’s a role she has been use to all season. I think Larue pulls the upset. Hawks by 3 Finals Hart/Larue Could be a fun one. The Bradley/Gentry matchup should be an excellent matchup to watch. Hart has won both games in the regular season by a total of 8 points. Could Larue pull off two upsets and win the district? It’d be a great story, but I think they fall just short and Hart wins the 18th district in a very good game. 19th District at Bardstown 4vs5 Thomas Nelson/Washington County They split in the regular season, with Washington County winning the last game. A good game from Raeann Nix for Thomas Nelson should secure the win for the Lady Generals. I’ll take Thomas Nelson by 8. 1vs4 Bethlehem/Thomas Nelson Your reward for winning your first round matchup is that you get to face regional favorite Bethlehem. Bethlehem is simply too much for Thomas Nelson or Washington County. This game is over by halftime. Bethlehem wins with a running clock. 2vs3 Nelson/Bardstown Nelson pulled off 2 wins in the regular season, both by slim margins. Bardstown has the homecourt advantage. Nelson had high expectations coming into this season. I think Macy Runner has a good game and leads the Cards to victory. I’ll take Nelson by 4. Finals Bethlehem/Nelson Bethlehem defeated Nelson first by 20 and then by 10. Nelson will have to do everything right in this game. I think they keep it close, but ultimately Bethlehem wins. I’ll take the Banshees by 6. 20th District at Marion County 1vs4 Taylor County/Campbellsville If Campbellsville would have been playing any other team in the district, I’d like their chances, but Taylor just has too many weapons, starting with Grace Bale. Taylor wins this one by 12. 2vs3 Adair County/Marion County Marion is very young. Keke Adams, a junior is their leader. If the younger players aren’t overwhelmed by playing in the district, I think Marion pulls the upset and advances to the regional tournament. Adair won both regular season games, the last game they won by just 2 points. Finals-Taylor/Marion This district tournament is Taylor’s to lose. I don’t think it matters if they are playing Marion or Adair, they’ll have a similar gameplan and I think Taylor wins by double digits. District Tournament Winners: 17th District- North Hardin 18th District- Hart County 19th District- Bethlehem 20th District- Taylor County Runner-ups: 17th District- Elizabethtown 18th District- Larue County 19th District- Nelson County 20th District- Marion County

The regular season has finally come to an end and it’s the best time of year for high school basketball. This week’s rankings see a few changes at the top. Larue moves up to the #1 spot after defeating #1 Washington County. Elizabethtown moves into the #2 spot after defeating Taylor County. Taylor and Washington Counties round out the top 4. 5-9 remain the same. Bethlehem and Green County swap places, Campbellsville and Bardstown swap places and Marion County and John Hardin swap places. Here's this week’s rankings and then the district previews: Larue County 19-7 Elizabethtown 18-9 Taylor County 22-6 Washington County 21-8 Adair County 22-8 North Hardin 15-11 Caverna 19-9 Central Hardin 18-12 Bethlehem 18-12 Green County 15-14 Hart County 14-12 Bardstown 9-15 Campbellsville 11-19 Nelson County 9-20 Fort Knox 9-17 Marion County 3-25 John Hardin 2-25 Thomas Nelson 3-26 20th District @Marion County 1vs4- Taylor County/Marion County Taylor should win this game handedly. Taylor defeated Marion in both of their previous matchups. The first by 9 points and then the second much more decisively, winning by 49 points. Taylor wins with a running clock. 2vs3- Adair County/Campbellsville This semifinal should be more competitive than the first semifinal. The two teams split the regular season matchups. Both teams winning on the road. Adair won the last game by 5 and overall is playing much better basketball than Campbellsville. However, Coach Keith Adkins is one of the best coaches in the region (state as well) and he’ll have a gameplan that should keep this one close. In the end I think Adair pulls this one out in a 7-10 point win. Finals-Taylor County/Adair County Taylor won both regular season games. Taylor has been dominant all season with the exception of the last 2 weeks, when their schedule has gotten noticeably more difficult. I think Taylor wins this game and captures another 20th District Championship. 19th District @Bardstown 4vs5- Nelson County/Thomas Nelson Nelson won both regular season games against the Generals. This should be no different. Nelson by 15. 1vs4- Washington County/Nelson County Washington County won both regular season games by 20 and 21 points respectively. That trend should continue as well. Washington by 20+ 2vs3 Bardstown/Bethlehem This hasn’t been a typical year for Bardstown and Boo Brewer. But one thing that is the same is Bardstown’s competitiveness in the 19th District. 5 of Bardstown’s 9 wins have been district wins, good enough to give them the #2 seed. They won both games against Bethlehem in the regular season, and with this game being at Bardstown, I’ll give the slight edge to Bardstown. This should be a fun game to watch, Bardstown by 5. Finals- Washington County/Bardstown 2005 was the last time that Washington County has won the 19th district championship. Bardstown and Washington have turned into a pretty heated rivalry the past few seasons so I expect this game to be high intensity, and Washington County edging out Bardstown. Washington won both previous games by 8 points each. 18th District @Hart County 1vs4- Larue County/Hart County These two teams only met once in the regular season, and it was a 29 point win for Larue County. The Hawks are playing as well as any team in the region. Larue wins this one by 20. 2vs3- Caverna/Green County Green is playing much better as of late. But Caverna will be too much for the Dragons. If Caverna can get the inside out game going early, it could be ugly early. Caverna by 15. Finals- Larue County/Caverna Larue defeated Caverna by 20 points and 19 points within just a couple of days of each other about 3 weeks ago. Not much has changed in those 3 weeks. Larue by 15 to win another 18th District Championship. 17th District Tournament @Elizabethtown This district is the toughest to predict. 4vs5- John Hardin/Fort Knox These two split in the regular season with John winning the last game. John has lost their last 6 games, their last win coming against Fort Knox. But the schedule has been brutal. Metcalfe County, North Hardin, Elizabethtown, Lyon County, Trinity & Eastern. I’ll give the edge to John Hardin. John by 8. 1vs4- Elizabethtown/John Hardin This is really the only game I’m very confident in picking in this district. Etown wins this game going away. Should be a running clock by middle of 3rd quarter. 2vs3- North Hardin/Central Hardin This may be the best first round matchup of any games in the region. North won both previous encounters, the largest margin of victory was 7. It’s difficult to beat a team 3 times in a season. I think this game hinges on Brett Decker for Central to have a huge game. If he does Central has a shot. If he doesn’t North will face Etown for the district championship. At the end of the day, I’ll take North in a classic by 3 Finals- Elizabethtown/North Hardin Should also be a classic. It’s role reversal for North Hardin. Etown beat North both times in the regular season, but can they do it a 3rd time? In this game, for North to have a shot, Shaun Boykins has to have a great game. If he can keep them in the game, they have a chance. But playing at home will certainly favor the Panthers, so I’ll take the Panthers by 6 in a great game. District Winner Predictions: 17th- Elizabethtown 18th- Larue County 19th- Washington County 20th- Taylor County District Runner-up Predictions: 17th- North Hardin 18th- Caverna 19th- Bardstown 20th- Adair County

Heading into the last week of the regular season, teams are looking for those last few games to get some momentum going into the postseason. This past week saw a few teams get that momentum going. Washington County, Larue County, North Hardin, and Green County had the best weeks of teams in the region. Taylor County had their 6-game winning streak snapped and lost their first game to in-region competition. Elizabethtown took the loss in one of the marquee matchups of the week against Larue County. I personally think there are 3 teams that could come out of the regional tournament as winners but of course that all depends on the draw. However, I think this could be the most competitive regional tournament that the 5th Region has had in sometime. Here’s this week’s rankings and review. There’s a new team at the top and some reshuffling of the deck among the rest. 1. Washington County, 20-7, Last Week: 2 Washington County went 3-0 this past week and notched their 20th win of the season. The marquee win this week was against Danville Christian Academy. Beau Baker had 28 points in that game. The Commanders look to keep the momentum of a 4-game winning streak going into this week with games against Bullitt Central, John Hardin and then closing out the regular season with a marquee matchup against Larue County. 2. Taylor County, 21-5, LW:1 The Cardinals had their 6-game win streak snapped in a 15-point loss to North Hardin. The Cardinals rebounded with a fairly easy win over Somerset Christian and then lost by 13 to #1 in the state Warren Central. Taylor is still sitting in the driver seat when it comes to the 20th district as they’ll be the #1 seed. The Cardinals have 2 regular season games remaining, with one of those being at Elizabethtown. 3. Larue County, 17-7, LW: 4 Larue County’s nine point win this week against Etown was enough to move them up to the 3 spot in the rankings this week. The Hawks set atop the 5th Region KHSAA RPI standings with a .619. Larue has 2 remaining games in the season, both on the road against Campbellsville and top ranked Washington County. 4. Elizabethtown, 17-9, LW:3 The Panthers drop one spot this week after going 1-1, losing to Larue County and winning against Bullitt Central. Ayden Evans had a double-double in the win against BC with 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Panthers take on #2 Taylor County on Friday night. 5. Adair County, 20-7, LW:5 The Indians hold steady at #5 this week, going 2-1. They had quality efforts from Connor Loy, Brayton Coomer and Dawson Gilbert in their wins against Russell County and Williamsburg. Had their loss to Clinton county been by a smaller margin (20) they probably would have moved up to #4. The Indians finish the season with games against Nelson County, Caverna and Hart County. 6. North Hardin, 14-10, LW:9 North Hardin makes the biggest leap in the rankings this week to #6. The Trojans were able to knock off then #1 Taylor County and also picked up a win against Franklin County. The story of the week was Shaun Boykins. Boykins in the win against Taylor County had 40 points and 10 rebounds and missed about half the 4th quarter due to fouling out. Boykins was dominant and if he’s able to continue that kind of play, the Trojans should still be playing in 2 weeks. 7. Caverna, 17-9, LW:7 Not much action for Caverna this week, just one game, a win against Somerset Christian. A game that saw 4 Colonels get into double digit scoring. Caverna closes out the regular season with 2 home games against Adair County and Metcalfe County. 8. Central Hardin, 17-12, LW:6 The Bruins took a 3 game winning streak to Meade County and were able to come away with a win, but the streak stopped at 4 with a 1-point loss to Green County. They have 1 game this week at Bullitt East, so plenty of time to prepare for the 17th District tournament and North Hardin. North has defeated Central twice already this season. 9. Green County, 15-12, LW:10 Green moves up one spot to #9 after a very good week, winning 3 games in the 3 tries against Edmonson County, Cumberland County and Central Hardin. The Dragons have now won 6 in a row. If they could split the 2 games this week against Warren East and North Hardin, I would think they would be very happy going into the postseason. 10. Bethlehem, 15-11, LW:8 Bethlehem picks up a win against Campbellsville, but drops to KCD, a game that I feel like they should’ve won. The Eagles have an extremely busy last week of the season with 4 games against Trimble County, Marion County, Louisville Holy Cross and Frankfort Christian. The Eagles should be able to win 3 out of 4 of those games. 11. Hart County, 13-11, LW:11 Upcoming games- Monroe County, Adair County 12. Bardstown, 9-13, LW:13 Upcoming games, @Woodford County, Spencer County 13. Campbellsville, 11-16, LW:12 Upcoming games- Somerset, Larue County, @Cumberland County 14. Nelson County, 8-19, LW:14 Upcoming games-@Adair County, @Eminence 15. Fort Knox, 7-16, LW:16 Upcoming games- Cloverport, @Highland Latin, @Fort Campbell (All three are winnable games, would be first 10 win season since 2016/2017 season. 16. John Hardin, 2-24, LW:15 Upcoming games- Eastern, Washington County, @Marion County 17. Marion County, 2-24, LW:18 Upcoming games, Thomas Nelson, Bethlehem, John Hardin 18. Thomas Nelson, 2-24, LW:17 Upcoming games, Valley, @Marion County, Christian Ed. Consortium

With just two weeks left in the season, district seeds have all been determined. The top 7 teams remain the same and as you look toward the regional tournament, Bardstown seems to be the only team outside of the top 10 with a chance to advance to the regional tournament. A couple of big games in the region last week, mostly turned out the way one would have thought. Larue County won two district games against Green and Caverna that locked up the #1 seed in the 18th district. Taylor County also won it’s two district games against Adair County and Campbellsville, locking up the #1 seed in the 20th district. Bardstown secures the #2 seed in the 19th district with a win over Bethlehem. Here's this week’s rankings and team overviews. 1. Taylor County 20-3 (LW:1) The Cardinals continue to be the #1 team in the region. They have managed to get to the 20-win benchmark. They were tested in both games this week as they played district foes, Campbellsville, and Adair County. They defeated Campbellsville by 5 and Adair County by 7. Jackson Wise led the Cardinals in scoring with 15 and 22 points respectively. Taylor County has two important games this week. Tuesday night they travel to North Hardin and then on Friday night, they host Warren Central. The Cardinals have won 6 in a row. 2. Washington County 17-7 (LW: 2) Washington County played 1 game this week. They had a 21-point win against Bluegrass United. The Commanders have 3 games this week. They finish district play against Thomas Nelson. They have already clinched the #1 seed. Then on Friday, they play Danville Christian and on Saturday, they meet up with Marion County. 3. Elizabethtown 16-8 (LW: 3) Etown went 2-1 this week. They had a 44-point win against John Hardin. Obian Howard had 22 points in the win. They also defeated Bardstown by 13. JQuan Williams had 22 points against the Tigers. They ended the week with a 3-point loss to 7th region Manuel. Ayden Evans had a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. The Panthers travel to #4 Larue County on Tuesday night. The Panthers are the #1 seed in the 17th district. 4. Larue County 15-7 (LW: 4) The Hawks go 2-1 on the week, defeating Green County and then Caverna. The wins against those teams locked up the #1 seed for the Hawks in the 18th district. The Hawks host Etown and Marion County this week. The big thing for the Hawks is to make sure everyone is healthy. Daniel Allen, top scorer for the Hawks didn’t play on Friday or Saturday with a hamstring injury. 5. Adair County 18-6 (LW: 5) Adair County avenged an early season loss to Campbellsville by defeating them on Friday night with a score of 65-60. The win gives Adair the #2 seed and they’ll face off against Campbellsville again in the 20th district tournament. Brayton Coomer had 20 points in the win against Campbellsville. Coomer had 19 points in the loss to Taylor County earlier in the week. The Indians dropped the game by 7 points. 6. Central Hardin 16-11 (LW: 6) Central Hardin had one of their best weeks of the season as far as weekly record goes, going 3-0 this past week. They defeated Ft. Knox to end their district season and then they traveled to Knightstown Indiana to play at the historic gym where Hoosiers was filmed. They defeated Newport Central Catholic and Atherton in their two games. The final 3 games of the season will be played on the road for the Bruins. They travel to Meade County and Green County this week. Central Hardin will be the #3 seed in the 17th district tournament. 7. Caverna 16-9 (LW: 7) Caverna has a tough week but stays in the 7 spot as they drop 2 games. They lost to Bethlehem early in the week by 6. Meek Ater had 29 points in that game. Then the Colonels lost to Larue County by 19 points. Caverna has dropped its last 3 games. They should right the ship this week with their only game against Somerset Christian. 8. Bethlehem 13-10 (LW: 9) The Eagles move up one spot to number 8 this week. Bethlehem went 2-1 with wins against Caverna and Newport Central Catholic. They dropped an important district game against Bardstown. They’ll be the #3 seed and that will set up a rematch with Bardstown in the 19th district tournament. The Eagles host a home school group from Lawrenceburg, Campbellsville and Kentucky Country Day. 9. North Hardin 12-10 (LW:8) The Trojans swap places with Bethlehem in the rankings. North goes 1-1 with a 31-point win against John Hardin but had a 29-point loss to Spencer County. They will get to test themselves against the top of the region Taylor County on Tuesday night. 10. Green County 12-12 (LW:11) Green County returns to the top 10 this week with two wins, one of which was against Hart County which gives them the #3 seed and keeps them out of the 4 spot and having to play Larue County in the first round of the district. The Dragons also had an overtime win against Casey County. Green will travel to Edmonson and Cumberland counties before hosting Central Hardin on Friday. 11. Hart County 10-10 (LW: 10) 12. Bardstown 9-12 (LW: 12) 13. Campbellsville 9-15 (LW:13) 14. Nelson County 7-15 (LW: 14) 15. Fort Knox 6-14 (LW:16) 16. John Hardin 2-22 (LW:15) 17. Thomas Nelson 2-21 (LW:17) 18. Marion County 1-21 (LW:18) District Standings 17th District: 1. Elizabethtown 2. North Hardin 3. Central Hardin 4. John Hardin 5. Fort Knox 18th District: 1. Larue County 2. Caverna 3. Green County 4. Hart County 19th District: 1. Washington County 2. Bardstown 3. Bethlehem 4. Nelson County 5. Thomas Nelson 20th District: 1. Taylor County 2. Adair County 3. Campbellsville 4. Marion County

Saw this topic being discussed for other regions, so who do you think gets the honors for the 5th this year? My picks in order would be: Montrelle Irvin- Taylor County James Haire- Elizabethtown Deron Breeze- Adair County Steve Barker- Caverna Paul Childress- Larue County T6- Stevie Woodson, Washington County, Michael Baffour- North Hardin, Matt Nickel-Central Hardin Thoughts?

With only 3 full weeks left in the regular season, the districts are starting to take shape. By the end of the week, we should have the seedings decided. This week’s ratings were more difficult than usual to determine. I try to consider week-to-week rankings, head-to-head matchups, overall record, record that week, and then who I just think are the best teams. This week’s ratings don’t reflect that as much as I’d hope for them to do. 1. Taylor County (19-3) Taylor County continues it’s winning ways, and one win shy of the 20-win mark on the season. They take a 5-game winning streak into Tuesday night’s game against Adair County. With their win against Campbellsville last week, they secured the number 1 seed for the 20th district. They travel to Adair County on Tuesday night and then host Doss on Saturday. 2. Washington County (16-7) The Commanders had an impressive come from behind win against Lexington Christian at the All A State tournament. I thought with a win in that game, they would be able to make it to the semi-finals against Evangel, but that was not to be. It was a disappointing loss to Owen County in the quarterfinals. Washington County is off until Friday, they host Bluegrass United, a Lexington homeschool team. 3. Elizabethtown (13-7) The Panthers have all but clinched the number 1 seed in the 17th district. As long as they don’t falter to John Hardin this week, they’ll be sitting in a good spot and play the winner of the 4/5 game which will be John Hardin and Fort Knox. Etown defeated North Hardin and Fort Knox this past week. They host John Hardin and Bardstown this week and take on Dupont Manuel to close out the week. 4. Larue County (14-6) Larue County needs one win in it’s next two district games to secure the 18th district. They were supposed to play Hart on Monday night in a game that has been cancelled due to weather. They’ll meet up with Caverna on Friday night and then they host Louisville Eastern on Saturday. 5. Adair County (17-5) The Indians crack the top 5 for the first time this season. They have quietly been getting it done in Columbia. They get a rematch this week with top ranked Taylor County. Taylor defeated Adair by 28 on December 13th. With this game being at Adair and the Indians playing quite a bit better, this should be an excellent game to watch. The Indians only other game will be an important game as well as they travel to Campbellsville. 6. Central Hardin (13-11) The Bruins are maybe the most confusing team in the region to me. They should be a top 3 team in the region. But based on record and head-to-head, 6 is probably a generous ranking. They beat Marion County by 33 but then dropped a district game to North Hardin (their 2nd loss to North) and then a 16-point loss to Warren East. They’ll play Fort Knox on Tuesday, and then they travel to Knightstown Indiana for a very cool experience where they’ll play two games in the Hoosiers Gym, the gymnasium used to film the movie, Hoosiers. They’ll play Newport Central Catholic and Atherton. 7. Caverna (16-8) Caverna goes 0-2 this week, with a 20-point loss to Larue County. They’ll get a chance to do better than that quickly as they play them again on Friday in their only game this week. Caverna also lost to Bethlehem. 8. North Hardin (11-9) The Trojans should probably be ranked higher. They lost to Etown on Tuesday, but rebounded with a win over Central Hardin. That should set them up as the 2 seed in the 17th district and set up a rematch between them and Central Hardin. North plays PRP, host their final district game against John Hardin and then close the week with Spencer County. 9. Bethlehem (12-9) The Eagles big win this week came against Caverna. They also defeated Brown. They matchup against Bardstown on Tuesday night to determine the 2/3 seeds. It will also guarantee that those two teams play again. The Eagles will also be traveling to Knightstown Indiana. They’ll face Newport Central Catholic as well. 10. Hart County (9-9) The Raiders continue to play .500 basketball. They went 1-1 this week. The Raiders most important matchup this week comes on Friday, when they travel to Greensburg for a game against Green County. The Raiders need the win to stay out of the 4 seed and guarantee a first round matchup with Larue County. 11. Green County (9-12) The Dragons went 2-1 this week, and played pretty good basketball with the exception of their loss to Larue County. As mentioned above, the Dragons host Hart County on Friday night. If Green wants any chance to advance to the regional tournament they need to win on Friday. 12. Bardstown (8-10) Bardstown has a busy week on the road this week with 3 away games. They meet Bethlehem to determine the 2/3 seed, travel to Etown on Friday night and then to Kentucky State to play Tates Creek. The Tigers have a 3 game winning streak that they’ll try and extend. 13. Campbellsville (8-13) Campbellsville has been heading in the wrong direction lately. With losses last week to Clinton and Taylor Counties, their losing streak sits at 6. They have a chance to snap that skid with a game against Marion County at home on Tuesday night. Friday night they host Adair County and Saturday they play at Larue County against Edmonson County. 14. Nelson County (6-15) Nelson County goes 1-2 on the week. A 4-point win against Bullitt Central was a good start to the week, but then disappointing efforts against Bardstown and Green County to finish out the week. Nelson County goes on the road 3 times this week with games at Hart County, Model (Richmond) and Marion County 15. John Hardin (2-20) The Bulldogs defeated Fort Knox to pick up their 2nd win of the season. Instead of a 2-point loss, this time it was a 14-point win. John has a grueling schedule to close out their season. 7 games left that consist of road games at Etown, North Hardin, Trinity and Lyon County. Home games against Eastern and Washington County. A win in any of those games would be huge for the Bulldogs. They end the season against Marion County. 16. Fort Knox (5-12) The Golden Eagles picked up a win against Portland Christian but dropped games to John Hardin and Etown. They host Central Hardin and then travel to Whitefield Academy this week. 17. Thomas Nelson (2-19) It would be hard to say that this week was more disappointing than any other week for the Generals as hardly anything has gone right this season, but in a week where I thought they had a chance to win 3 games, they ended up losing all 3 games. It’s been a long season for first year head coach Terrence Miles. 18. Marion County (1-19) Another coach that it’s been a long season for is Maze Stallworth. The Knights lost 3 times last week, their closest defeat was 9 points. Add into the mix the off-court team chemistry issues that seem to be happening and I would imagine Coach Stallworth is thinking the end of this season can’t come fast enough. The Knights are on a 8-game losing streak.

1. Taylor County (17-3) Taylor County takes the top spot for the first time this year although they haven’t been ranked worse than 3rd since the season began. They are 3-0 since their overtime loss to McCreary Central in the 2A state tournament. And 6-1 in the month of January. This past week, they had three convincing wins against Nelson County, Russell County and John Hardin. Layken Lyons had 21, 20 & 19 points respectively. Keeton Clements added 26 points and 20 points in the wins against Russell County and John Hardin. The Cardinals host Hart County and Campbellsville this week. 2. Washington County (14-6) Washington County locked up the number 1 seed in the 19th district with a pair of district wins this week against Bardstown & Thomas Nelson. Beau Baker had 25 points in the win against Bardstown and Riley Brown led scoring with 17 against former school Thomas Nelson. The Commanders are scheduled to travel to Burgin before playing in the All A State Tournament. They matchup with Lexington Christian in the first round in what I think will be a pretty good game. The winner of that game I think makes it to the semi-finals where they will likely face Evangel, Murray or Harlan. 3. Elizabethtown (12-6) The Panthers had one game this week, it was a defeat to DeSales. They travel to North Hardin Tuesday night for a district showdown. If the Panthers win that game, they control their own destiny and should lock up the number 1 seed for the 17th district. They’ll also play Fern Creek and district foe Fort Knox on the road this week as well. 4. Larue County (12-6) Larue County moves up one spot this week after going 3-0. The Hawks picked up wins against Butler, Hart County and Madisonville North Hopkins. Daniel Allen had a strong week, averaging 26 points a game. The next 3 games for the Hawks are crucial, as they are all district games. They’ll host Caverna and Green County this week. Wins in both of those games should lock up the one seed for them. 5. Central Hardin (12-9) The Bruins drop one spot this week after a 2-1 week. The Bruins picked up wins over Breck County and Fort Knox, but dropped a 2-point decision to Eastern. Liberty commit Brett Decker averaged 28 points per game this week. The Bruins travel to Marion County on Tuesday, host North Hardin in a big-time district game on Friday and then travel to Warren East on Saturday. 6. Caverna (16-6) Caverna is up one spot to it’s highest ranking this season at #6. The Colonels went 2-0 this week, defeating Green County by 27 and then blowing out Christian Ed. Consortium. Two of their next three games are against Larue County which will likely determine the seeding for the 18th district. Meek Ater had back-to-back double-double games this week with 16 points and 12 rebounds and then 34 points and 15 rebounds. 7. Adair County (15-5) Adair County goes 2-1 this week, with wins over Southwestern and Metcalfe County. They lost by 26 to Wayne County. Brayton Coomer had a career high, 29 points against Metcalfe County on Saturday night. The Indians are on the road this week with 2 games against Casey County and then district opponent Marion County. 8. North Hardin (10-8) The Trojans have a big week in front of them this week and it will set the tone for the rest of the season. Two district games against Elizabethtown and Central Hardin. The results of those games should make pretty clear the seeding for the 17th district tournament. If North wins both of those games, they would be the number 1 seed. The Trojans went 2-1 last week, defeating John Hardin and Ft. Knox and losing to St X. 9. Bethlehem (10-9) Bethlehem went 1-1 on the week, a loss to Frankfort and a win against Shawnee. Casey Steadmon joined the 1000-point club this week. Bethlehem travels to Brown and then hosts Caverna in a game that should help us see how both of those teams stack up. 10. Hart County (8-8) Hart County returns to the top 10 for the first time since week 2. The Raiders go 2-1 this week to get to .500. They had wins against Bullitt Central and a four-point win against regional opponent Campbellsville. They ended the week with a blowout loss to Larue County. Hart County is on the road twice this week against Meade County and Taylor County. 11. Green County (8-11) Green County drops a spot and out of the top 10 this week after going 0-2 with losses to Butler County and a blowout loss to Caverna. The Dragons are on a 4-game skid and will hope to right the ship against Glasgow on Tuesday. They travel to Larue County on Friday night for a district game. 12. Campbellsville (8-11) Campbellsville is on a four-game skid and have lost five out of six in the month of January. They certainly aren’t trending in the right direction. Things don’t get any easier for them this week with games against Clinton County and top ranked cross-town rival Taylor County. 13. Bardstown (6-10) The Tigers go 1-1 this week, a loss to Washington County to start the week, but rebounded nicely with a 42-point win against Thomas Nelson. Bardstown hosts John Hardin on Monday night and then host Nelson County in a district matchup. Bardstown needs to win that game to stay out of the 4/5 play-in game. 14. Nelson County (5-14) Nelson County drops 2 games this week, to Washington County and Taylor County. They have 3 games this week against Bullitt Central, Bardstown (see above) and then end the week with Green County. 15. Fort Knox (4-11) Fort Knox loses two games this week to district opponents North Hardin and Central Hardin. The Golden Eagles are currently on a 6 game losing streak. They have a chance to end that with games against Portland Christian, and then district matchups against John Hardin and Elizabethtown. 16. Thomas Nelson (2-16) The Generals go 0-2 this week and their losing streak extends to 4 games. Thomas Nelson has 3 games this week that I think are all winnable games for the Generals. They travel to Louisville to play Francis Parker, and then host LKY (homeschool) and WEB DuBois. 17. Marion County (1-17) Things just keep getting worse for the Knights. 0-3 this week and none of the games were close. Leading scorer Markell Bell hasn’t played since Jan. 7th and is now not on the roster. Just looking through social media posts it seems he has left the team. Marion County will play Central Hardin and Adair County. They are scheduled to play Cumberland County but with Cumberland County playing in the All A State, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that game cancelled. 18. John Hardin (1-18) John Hardin was the last team in the region to get into the win column, but they got there. They defeated North Bullitt, 71-52. They host Ft. Knox on Tuesday night, a winnable game for the Bulldogs. District Standings (if the season ended today, this is what the seeding would look like) 17th District 1. Elizabethtown 2. North Hardin 3. Central Hardin 4. Ft. Knox 5. John Hardin 18th District 1. Larue County 2. Caverna 3. Green County 4. Hart County 19th District 1. Washington County 2. Bethlehem 3. Bardstown 4. Nelson County 5. Thomas Nelson 20th District 1. Taylor County 2. Campbellsville 3. Adair County 4. Marion County

Yeah, they lost top 7 scorers to graduation. Jake Owens was their leading returning scorer averaging about 4 point a game coming into the season. Owens is a nice guard, can shoot, but he just doesn't have much help around him. Other than him, there might have been one or two other players that got some varsity time last year, but not much competitive time. Coach Jones was the assistant for McCurry during his tenure there so he's familiar with the program. I think given the youthfulness of his team, he could be poised for a nice season in another year or so, but this year has certainly been rough and next year, probably won't be much better.

Working on my rankings and review right now, but it's definitely a good win for them against North Bullitt. I honestly, didn't think they'd win that game, but I admittedly don't know much about North Bullitt's program. I think this week will be much of the same though. Bardstown is having a bad year too, but they have the athletes to compete with most teams in the region. Bardstown should win by 15. Tuesday against Fort Knox is a winnable game for them. They lost earlier in the year by 2, but led by 10 with 5 minutes to go in that game. Being at home should help them. I think they'll win that game. I wouldn't say that I have a great grasp on the 4th region but I've read dragonfire's reports and looking at KHSAA. The Metcalfe game should be competitive but I think the edge goes to Metcalfe. Realistically, I don't think John has much of a chance after Tuesday to win again until the last game of the regular season at Marion County. They will be in the 4/5 game against Ft. Knox for the opening round of the district, they should win that, and then will be a pretty quick exit from the semi-finals against whoever the #1 seed ends up being.

My apologies for not posting last week. We are now halfway through the season and there are still just as many questions as at the beginning of the season. Elizabethtown and Taylor County continue strong play and have occupied the top 2 spots most of the season. Washington County and Central Hardin are still probably the two most individually talented teams in the region, but something just doesn’t seem to click on a consistent basis for them. Larue County and North Hardin are still a mystery to me. Some nights they look like they could be regional contenders and then some nights, they look like it might be a struggle to get out of the district, which should still be a concern for North, with the likelihood of having to play Central in the first round of the district. Caverna and Adair County are teams that I personally think are overachieving and will be teams that nobody will want to play come district time. 1. Elizabethtown (12-5) The Panthers hold onto the top spot, going 4-1 since the start of the new year. Two of those wins come against district rivals, North Hardin and Central Hardin. Etown looked fairly dominant in both of those wins. Their most recent loss came at the hands of Evangel. 2. Taylor County (14-3) Taylor County went 3-1 over the last 2 weeks. They defeated Larue County in the 2A sectional which was a big win for the Cards. They also picked up a win against district foe Marion County. They lost to McCreary Central in overtime in the 2A State Tournament. 3. Washington County (12-6) Washington County has had a good start to their new year. Going 4-1, including winning the 5th Region All A tournament. They defeated Caverna to pick up the trophy. They had a 6-game winning streak snapped this past Saturday with a 9-point loss to Central Hardin. 4. Central Hardin (10-8) The Bruins picked up a nice win against Washington County on Saturday, but it’s been very inconsistent from one game to the next. Losses to district opponents North Hardin and Elizabethtown makes the Jan. 26th rematch against North Hardin almost a must-win game. 5. Larue County (9-6) The Hawks have only played 2 games since the start of 2023. A 2-point loss to Taylor County and a dominant 20-point win against Garrard County. The Hawks return to the court with three games this week, hosting Butler County and district foe Hart County and then playing in the Nathan McCurry Classic at John Hardin against Madisonville-North Hopkins 6. Adair County (12-4) Adair County is on a 3-game winning streak, with wins over McCreary Central, Berea and Thomas Nelson. The Indians have 3 games against out of region teams this week. 7. Caverna (14-6) The Colonels are 4-1 to start 2023. A string of wins against Marion County, Hart County, Campbellsville and Fort Knox have them at 14 wins already this season. They dropped the All A regional finals to Washington County by 12 points. Caverna has a home district game against Green County this week. 8. North Hardin (8-6) The Trojans are 2-2 over the last 2 weeks. An important win against Central Hardin for district implications but that was followed by a 17-point loss to district opponent Etown. Henderson County defeated North Hardin by 18 on Saturday. The Trojans have the chance to build some momentum with 2 district games against John Hardin and Fort Knox. They’ll close the week with a game against St. X. 9. Bethlehem (9-8) The Eagles are playing well right now. They are 3-1 over the last 2 weeks, picking up wins against Thomas Nelson and Nelson County respectively. They also had a 4-point win over Breck County. Their lone loss during that time came against Washington County in the All-A tournament, a 3-point loss. I’m still trying to find out if that game will also count as a district game. 10. Green County (8-9) The Dragons are trying to get back some positive momentum after losing two in a row to top 5 teams, Etown and Washington County. They have a big district game on Friday night at Caverna. They need to be very competitive in that game to show they can have a chance to advance to the regional tournament. 11. Campbellsville (8-8) 12. Bardstown (5-9) 13. Hart County (6-7) 14. Nelson County (5-12) 15. Fort Knox (4-7) 16. Thomas Nelson (2-13) 17. Marion County (1-14) 18. John Hardin (0-16)

Every team was in action following the Christmas holiday. Most teams didn’t play any in-region matchups, so very little change in the rankings. As a whole, the region is below .500 with a 105-111 win/loss record. This week the region went 21-24. A couple of notables though, Taylor County, Adair County and Caverna all hit double digits in the win column. Thomas Nelson finally broke through with a win this season. Marion County and John Hardin are still without a win. This week will see several 2A sectional games as well as district matchups. Here’s a look at the rankings heading into week 6 of the season. Very few changes. (Ranking) (Team) (Record) (Previous Ranking) 1. Elizabethtown (8-4) (1) The Panthers went 2-1 this week at the Campbellsville Holiday High School Classic. They took 3rd place as the result of a loss on day 2 of the tournament to Oldham County, 63-60. They started off with a big win over Crittenden County and ended the tournament with a win over Southern. The Panthers are on the road this week for 2 games against Meade County and Green County. 2. Taylor County (11-2) (2) Taylor County had a good week as they went 2-1 at the Murray Bank Hardwood Classic. They defeated White’s Creek TN and Webster County with a loss to St. Benedict from Cordova TN sandwiched in between. The Cardinals will have one of the 2 marquee matchups in the region this week. Their lone game is against Larue County in the 2A Sectional. 3. Larue County (8-5) (3) The Hawks traveled to Gatlinburg, coming off a much better than expected showing at the King of the Bluegrass. Larue County dropped their first game to Alcoa TN, but rebounded nicely with wins over Murray and Briarwood Christian from Montgomery Alabama. Daniel Allen had a nice week with 19 points and 25 points in the first 2 games. Carson Childress picked up 27 points in the win against Briarwood. Allen did not play in the final game of the trip as he is out with some sort of foot injury. Larue County plays Taylor County in the 2A Sectional at Marion County on Thursday night, with the winner playing the winner of the Marion County/Russell County game. 4. Central Hardin (8-5) (6) The Bruins had a great week going 3-0 at the Ellis Trucking Christmas Classic. The Bruins defeated Danville, Rockcastle County and Knox Central. As a result, the Bruins jump up 2 spots from last week. Liberty commit, Brett Decker had a nice tournament scoring 21, 29 and 11 points in the 3 games. The Bruins have 2 district games this week. They host John Hardin on Tuesday night and then travel up to Radcliff for a game against North Hardin on Friday night, in what should be the 2nd of 2 marquee matchups in the region. 5. Washington County (8-5) (5) The Commanders hold steady at no. 5 this week after going 2-1 in the Ellis Trucking Christmas Classic. The week started off rough with a 10-point loss to Rockcastle County, but the Commanders came back with back-to-back wins against Boyle County and Lafayette. Washington County will have a few days off before returning to the court. They play one game this week, a district matchup at Thomas Nelson. 6. North Hardin (6-5) (4) The Trojans drop a couple of spots this week. They only played one game. It was a loss to Franklin-Simpson. It was just a 2-point loss. Taveon Smith had 21 points in the game. Their drop is more about what Central Hardin and Washington County did this past week, then what the Trojans did. North will have a chance to move back up in the top 5 this week as they have two home games against Hart County and then the big district matchup against Central Hardin on Friday night. 7. Adair County (10-3) (7) Adair County played one game this week, it was a 26-point win over Allen County-Scottsville. Connor Loy had 27 points in the game. The Indians travel to Rockcastle County for their only game this week on Saturday. 8. Caverna (10-5) (8) Caverna went 1-2 this week, but both losses came to very quality teams. They took a beating at the hands of Evangel. A 32-point loss. But they were able to beat Riverdale out of Murfreesboro TN by 15. They dropped a rematch to Barren County, as Barren was able to avenge a 2-point loss earlier in the year with a 5-point win in the return game. Caverna will host Marion County on Tuesday night and then they look to get even with district rival Hart County on Friday night in a game at Hart County. 9. Campbellsville (7-6) (10) The Eagles move up one spot this week after going 1-2 in their tournament. Campbellsville played in 3 close games, losing by 3 to Southern and 6 in overtime to Danville Christian Academy. Their win came against John Hardin. The Eagles travel to Monroe County this week and then host Burgin on Friday night as they prepare for the All A Classic. 10. Green County (7-7) (11) The Dragons are back in the top 10 for the first time since the pre-season rankings came out. They went 2-1 this week. They defeated Clinton County by 13, lost to South Warren by 9, and then defeated Nicholas County by 22 to close out the week. The Dragons travel to Metcalfe County and then host #1 Elizabethtown on Friday night. 11. Bethlehem (6-7) (9) Bethlehem continues to trend downward after going 1-2 this week, and now having lost 6 of their last 8 games. They had a dominant game against Cordia, winning 80-9, but lost by 10 to East Carter and 7 to Estill County. I said last week that anything less than 3 wins would be a disappointment as I thought Bethlehem would win easily the Railroad Classic, so this week was more than disappointing for the Eagles. They’ll have a chance to right the ship on Tuesday as they play district opponent Thomas Nelson and then on Friday night, they play district opponent Nelson County. 12. Bardstown (4-7) (12) Boo Brewer’s Tigers just can’t seem to get any consistency going. They defeated St. Mary by 2, but then dropped their next 2 games to Eastern and Hopkinsville in games that the score would indicate weren’t all that competitive. Bardstown has lost 7 of their last 9 games. They are participating in the 2A Sectionals this week. They will play CAL in their first game. If they’re able to advance, they’ll meet the winner of Nelson County and Desales in the finals. 13. Hart County (4-5) (13) Hart County goes 0-1 this week with a 15-point loss to Butler County in their lone game. The Raiders will play #6 North Hardin and then host district rival Caverna. Hart defeated Caverna earlier in the season in a game at Caverna. 14. Nelson County (3-9) (14) The Cardinals traveled to Coach Kueker’s hometown in Illinois to play at least 3 games this past week. I say at least as scores from that tournament have been hard to come by. They lost the first 3 games they played in. Their closest effort was a 12-point loss. They have a busy week ahead of them. They play Desales in the 2A sectional on Tuesday, host Breckinridge County on Wednesday and then play district opponent Bethlehem on Friday. Should they defeat Desales, they’ll also play on Saturday against the winner of Bardstown and CAL. 15. Fort Knox (4-6) (15) Fort Knox visited Burgin for a trio of games this week, defeating Burgin twice, once in double overtime. In their 3rd game, they lost to LKY, a homeschool group, from Louisville. The Golden Eagles are off until next week, when they’ll host the semi-finals and final rounds of the All A Classic. 16. Thomas Nelson (1-9) (18) The Generals move up 2 spots, as they finally get in the win column. They defeated Pendleton County 50-49 on a last second shot. They lost to Anderson County earlier in the week. They have a tough week ahead, playing Bethlehem on Tuesday night, Washington County on Friday night (both district games) and then on Saturday, they travel to Garrard County to play Madison Southern. 17. John Hardin (0-12) (16) The Bulldogs had a tough week in Campbellsville. They went 0-3, losing to Franklin County, Campbellsville, and Crittenden County. The Bulldogs nearly pulled off an upset in their game against Campbellsville. They gave up the lead late in the game after leading the entire game and with under a second to go narrowly missed a full court shot that would have given them the win. Worse than losing 3 games this week, is that leading scorer Jake Owens went down with an ankle injury in the game against Crittenden County. Hopefully, he recovers soon. The Bulldogs meet-up with district rival Central Hardin on Tuesday night. 18. Marion County (0-11) (17) The Knights struggled this week in Barren County. Losing 3 times. They played all 3 games without leading scorer Markell Bell and second leading scorer Mason May. Jalil Smith picked up the scoring slack for the Knights this week as he averaged almost 16 points a game and led the Knights in scoring in all 3 games. The Knights travel to Caverna on Tuesday and then host Russell County in the 2A sectionals.

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.