Basketball Jones

Good call. I stand corrected, but barely standing after drinking some funky liquored-up egg nog. Was that rum, Pops?

Holy Cross is actually 8-2. I had a tough time ranking No. 6 Holy Cross, No. 7 Fern Creek and No. 8 Iroquois. I wanted to move Fern Creek and Iroquois ahead of Holy Cross this week, but it didn't feel right while Holy Cross is on such a roll. Consider the situation fluid. Happy Christmas!

6th Region Week 4 Review The region is getting top-heavy. Western is ranked sixth in the state with the only loss against top-ranked Warren Central. Pleasure Ridge Park is the region's only team still unbeaten against Kentucky competition. Butler and Holy Cross have received votes in the state poll. Western, Butler, Pleasure Ridge Park, Evangel Christian and Fern Creek have yet to lose to a regional team. DeSales has toughened up against a brutal schedule before playing a single regional contest. Just three points separate Butler, Pleasure Ridge Park and Evangel Christian in the KHSAA's RPI rankings behind region leader Western. Iroquois has won four straight games. I'm flip-flopping Butler and DeSales, for now, but keeping the top three the same. Regional Rankings 1. Western (10-1): The Warriors have won five games in a row for the second time this season following a 2-0 week at the Lemon Street Classic in Marietta, Georgia. They defeated two Georgia teams, Alexander (61-49) and Etowah (55-51), completing a 3-0 stay at the tournament. Trent Hinkle scored 15 points against Alexander. Jayden Miles (13 points, 12 rebounds) and Julius Edmonds (11 points, 13 rebounds) recorded double-doubles. Miles (15 points, 16 rebounds) and Edmonds (17 points, 11 rebounds) also posted double-doubles against Etowah. Hinkle leads the team with 14.1 ppg. Edmonds is next at 11.5 ppg. Miles leads with 9.8 rebounds per game, followed by Edmonds (7.6). 2. Pleasure Ridge Park (8-1): The Panthers, still unbeaten against Kentucky competition, won their only game of the week, wrapping up a 2-1 record at their own MAC's Holiday Classic. They beat St. Xavier by 10 with a team leading 17 points and six rebounds from Malachi Hamilton. Gregory Cole and Keith Robinson each scored 15. Robinson leads the team with 18.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. The Panthers' lone loss was against Cincinnati Taft. Evangel Christian beat Taft. However, I'm keeping PRP ahead of Evangel Christian. 3. Evangel Christian (8-2): The Eagles won their only game of the week, taking care of Cincinnati Taft, 66-57, at MAC's Holiday Classic at Pleasure Ridge Park, ending a 3-0 stay at the event. Top scorers were Kyran Tilley (23 points), Christian Doerr (19 points) and Cyr Malonga (14 points, nine rebounds.). Taft had been beating up on Kentucky schools here in the early going. The Eagles' two losses have come by a combined six points to a pair of teams with a 15-6 combined record. Doerr leads the team with 18.4 ppg. Tilley (17.7 ppg) and Malonga (16.9 ppg) are next. Malonga leads with 8.6 rebounds. 4. Butler (8-3): The Bears went 1-2 at the Mason County Invitational Tournament, smashing Fleming County but losing to unbeaten Mason County by 14 and Henry Clay by five. Dayton Williams had 26 points in the win. He leads the team with 15.5 ppg, followed by Terry Walker (13.9). Williams has corralled a team-high 6.4 rebounds. Butler is 3-3 following the season-opening five-game winning streak, which included a win over state-ranked Ballard. The Bears have the second-best KHSAA RPI at .617, just ahead of Pleasure Ridge Park (.616) and Evangel Christian (.614) but their opponents' record outside of Ballard is 26-41. 5. DeSales (5-5): Lost to Trinity for the second time this season by single digits, wrapping up a 1-2 stay at the King of the Bluegrass. Crew Gibson had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Will Gibson scored 10. The season's top three scorers are Brady Cummins (15.4 ppg), Crew Gibson (15.1) and Will Gibson (14.1), who leads with 9.7 rebounds. DeSales' four in-state losses have come against teams ranked in the top 11 of the Associated Press state poll: Ballard, Warren Central and Trinity. Desales Lost to Butler twice last season and hasn't beaten Butler since January of 2020 but DeSales has played the much tougher schedule so far this season. DeSales and Butler play Jan. 26 at Butler. 6. Holy Cross (7-2): The Cougars pushed their winning streak to seven with a win in their only game of the week against Portland Christian. Mike Loftis (21 points) and Jacob Hand (20) led the scorers. 7. Fern Creek (4-4): The Tigers have been off since Dec. 17. Noah Glover leads the team with 12.6 ppg. Fern Creek has a win against state-ranked Trinity. 8. Iroquois (7-3): The Raiders have won four in a row after a 3-0 week at their own Iroquois Invitational. They beat WEB DuBois, Shawnee and Louisville Collegiate, all by wide margins. Jamir Ford averaged 21.3 ppg with 31 against WEB DuBois. He leads the team with 19.8 ppg. 9. Fairdale (4-4): The Bulldogs won their only game of the week, beating Spencer County in their final game at the King of the Bluegrass. Dalton Hicks (33 points, 10 rebounds) and Jacob Tucker (30 points) did most of the damage. Fairdale has beaten Jeffersontown and Beth Haven. 10. Jeffersontown (3-5): The Chargers beat Summit Country Day (OH) by 14 at the Queen City Holiday Classic but they lack a quality win against a Kentucky team. Jeffersontown's lone common opponent with Beth Haven is Fairdale. Fairdale beat Jeffersontown by four in overtime. Fairdale beat Beth Haven by 14. 11. Beth Haven (9-1): The Bearcats won a pair of games at their own Holiday Classic, pushing the winning streak to five. They defeated Christian Educational Consortium and Indianapolis Horizon Christian. Jordan Harris scored 30 points vs. CEC. I can't see Beth Haven beating Jeffersontown head-to-head despite the better RPI. The two teams do not meet this season, so I'm using common opponent Fairdale as the litmus test. The last time Jeffersontown and Beth Haven played was 2021 and JTown won by 17. JTown was 14-3 versus the region last season and regional champion. Beth Haven was 2-5 vs. the region with a lot of competition against smaller schools outside the region. 12. Bullitt East (3-6): The Chargers went 1-2 at the More Than Basketball event in Nashville, Tennessee. The win came in the opener against Franklin Grace Christian Academy (TN). 13. Southern (3-6): Lost two to a pair of out-of-state teams at the Wide World of Sports KSA Events Holiday Classic in Orlando, Florida. 14. Doss (1-10): The Dragons got their first win against Oldham County by five at Pleasure Ridge Park's MAC's Holiday Classic. Marcus Barker dropped in 34 points and LeeTwon Bray scored 24. Barker leads the team with 24.7 ppg. Bray averages 16.4. Barker is shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point range. 15. Bullitt Central (1-7): The Cougars lost the only game of the week to Adair County, extending their losing streak to five. Bullitt Central won by 15 at North Bullitt Dec. 9 but it will be difficult to rank Central ahead of North if Central keeps losing and North keeps winning. 16. North Bullitt (6-4): The Eagles split two games at the Beth Haven Holiday Classic, losing to Christian Educational Consortium and beating Indianapolis Horizon Christian. Conner Boley scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win. The Eagles have won four of their last five games. 17. Moore (3-7): Lost two at the Rumble on the River including one to host Paducah Tilghman. 18. Valley (0-8): The Vikings haven't played since Dec. 17. 19. Whitefield Academy (1-9): The losing streak hit nine after an 0-3 showing against out-of-state teams at the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

Some good, embedded reporting here. Thanks.

Sweet, dude. Thank you.

Too young (relative term) for this, but I like it! Berea hasn't won a regional game since Feb. 25, 2020, so it's cool to know some of this ancient history.

16th Region Week 4 Review A clear top eight has emerged in the rankings after the first month, bolstered by a rock-solid top six. The top two remain the same as top-ranked and defending regional champion Ashland Blazer and fellow regional finalist Boyd County hold down their spots. Bath County has the second-highest KHSAA RPI in the region at .639, but I'm not comfortable putting the Wildcats ahead of Ashland Blazer (.632) until they beat the Tomcats. I feel similarly about Ashland Blazer and Boyd County, which has the highest regional RPI at .695 but lost to the Tomcats earlier in the schedule. In fact, I still have Bath County locked in a three-way tie for third because of the loss to Russell, Russell's loss to Fleming County and Fleming County's absolutely brutal schedule that includes losses to Mason County, Bath County, Ashland Blazer, Butler and Highlands. 1. Ashland Blazer (6-4): The Tomcats went 2-1 for the second week in a row, all at the Pikeville Invitational. They opened with an 80-63 loss to once-beaten Harlan and beat Paul Laurence Dunbar, 74-70, and Pike County Central, 68-45. Zander Carter (26 points) and Rheyce Deboard (20) paced the scoring against Harlan. Carter (23), Tucker Conway (18) and Deboard (17) were the scoring leaders versus Dunbar. On the season, the scoring leaders are Carter (23.6 ppg), Deboard (14.7 ppg) and Conway (11.6 ppg). Carter leads with 6.9 rebounds per game and 50.3 percent FG shooting. Conway is shooting a team-best 48.3 percent (29 for 60) from 3-point range. The Tomcats beat Boyd County by nine on the road Dec. 13 and are one of two teams still unbeaten in regional action at 3-0 (Morgan County is 1-0). 2. Boyd County (9-1): The high-scoring Lions (86.3 ppg) won a pair of road contests by averaging 96 points, beating Johnson Central, 83-67, and Prestonsburg, 109-79, to run their winning streak to five. Jacob Spurlock (24 points, eight rebounds), Cole Hicks (16 points, eight rebounds) and Jason Ellis (15 points) led the way against Johnson Central. Against Prestonsburg, the Lions shot 60.8 percent from the field and hit all eight free throws as Hicks led with 27 points. Griffin Taylor scored 20, Spurlock added 17, Alex Martin had 16 and Ellis notched a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Spurlock leads the team with 20.2 ppg. Hicks averages 17.3. Ellis is averaging 15 ppg and a team-best 9.5 rebounds. 3. Bath County (7-1): The Wildcats won their only game, beating host Marion County by nine at the Autism Holiday Classic. Zack Otis scored 25 points and leads the team with 30.3 ppg. Lost to Russell by nine earlier in the schedule. 3. Fleming County (7-5): The Panthers went 1-2 at the Mason County Invitational Tournament with a close win over Greenwood and lopsided losses to Butler and Highlands. Seth Hickerson (31 points) and Adam Hargett (21) paced the win. Hickerson leads the team with 19.2 ppg. Beat Russell by 21 Dec. 16. 3. Russell (8-3): The Red Devils went 3-0 with a pair of wins at the Derby Classic over West Carter and host Raceland and a win at Ironton (OH). Damon Charles had 20 points against West Carter and 18 vs. Ironton. Russell beat Bath County by nine Dec. 8. 6. Morgan County (8-2): A 3-1 week at the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic propelled the Cougars to an early Christmas present, the gift of success. They defeated Monterey (TN) by one in overtime, beat Clinton County by two and downed Glasgow by 11 to run their winning streak to eight before losing to Rockcastle County by nine. Cameron Adams paced five scorers in double figures with 22 in the OT win. 7. Rowan County (5-4): The Vikings lost at Martin County by 21 in their only game of the week. Jayson Ingles led the Vikes with 17 points. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt over Raceland at the moment because of that 46-20 Rowan County win over Raceland in last year's first round of the 16th Region tournament and a better RPI. 8. Raceland (7-4): The Rams went 1-1 at their own Derby Classic, beating Paris and losing to Russell by 22. Christian Large scored a team-high 29 in the win. 9. East Carter (4-4): The Raiders went 0-2, dropping a pair of close games at the Sayre School-Jim Lankster Classic with losses by three to Bourbon County and by two to host Sayre. 10. Fairview (2-5): The Eagles did not play last week. Tanner Johnson leads the team with 20.1 ppg. 11. Lewis County (2-6): The Lions also did not play. Drew Noble leads with 15.4 ppg. 12. Menifee County (4-6): The Wildcats split two games, losing to Buckhorn and beating Lee County with 36 points from Brevon Ricker, who leads the team with 24.7 ppg. 13. Greenup County (3-6): The Musketeers went 2-0 with a pair of close home wins against Ohio teams, beating Franklin Furnace Green by three and Chesapeake by four. 14. West Carter (2-7): Went 1-1 at the Derby Classic at Raceland with a four-point loss to Russell and a four-point win against Paris. Nathan Webb scored 30 points against Paris and Jordan Fuston had a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds. 15. Elliott County (2-6): The Lions won their only game of the week, edging Jackson City at the Hyden Citizens Bank Classic at Leslie County. 16. Rose Hill Christian (1-8): The Royals finished the week 0-3, running their losing streak to seven. They lost to Jackson County, Berea and Heritage Academy at the Berea Holiday Classic.

Correction: Christian County beat Webb for the 1-2 week. I sleepy... Good night. And Happy Christmas Eve, everyone. You're a great audience.

2nd Region Week 4 Review Lyon County junior guard Travis Perry was named Most Outstanding Player at the King of the Bluegrass Tournament at Fairdale and climbed to within three points of fifth place on the Kentucky all-time scoring list with 87 in three tournament games. Perry's full season update as he pursues the scoring record appears below the regional rankings. Lyon County finished fourth at the tournament during an otherwise rough week against top-notch competition that resulted in an 0-2 ledger. On the other hand, Madisonville-North Hopkins enjoyed an unbeaten week thanks in large part to TaMarcus Eaves who scored more than 30 points twice. Dawson Springs also had an unbeaten week. Even so, Lyon County remains No. 1 and I'm keeping the Henderson County, Madisonville-North Hopkins and University Heights cluster intact with a tie at No. 2 for one more week, although Madisonville-North Hopkins is making that increasingly difficult with another unbeaten performance lengthening a nice winning streak. Regional rankings: 1. Lyon County (9-3) Lost its last two games at the King of the Bluegrass after winning its first two at the tournament the previous week. Defeated by Great Crossing, 69-61, and North Oldham, 107-73, in the third-place game. Travis Perry (25) and Jack Reddick (20) were the only double-digit scorers against Great Crossing. The Lyons' three losses this season have come against teams with a 25-6 combined record. They remained unbeaten at 5-0 against regional opponents. Every other team in the Second Region has at least one loss to another regional team. 2. Henderson County (6-4): The Colonels went 2-1 at the Central Bank Jim Rose Classic, losing to Lincoln County and beating Calloway County and Scott County, all at Lexington Christian. Gerard Thomas scored 23 points against Calloway County and tallied 22 versus Scott County. Henderson County beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by 21 on the road Dec. 9 and that's what keeps them even in this week's rankings despite another great week for Madisonville-North Hopkins. 2. Madisonville-North Hopkins (10-1): Won three games, at its own First United Bank Holiday Classic, for the second week in a row, beating North Hardin, Hopkinsville and Owensboro Catholic, pushing the Maroons' winning streak to seven. TaMarcus Eaves scored 31, 41 and 17 points respectively for 29.6 ppg. Remember, Madisonville-North Hopkins beat University Heights by just one on Dec. 15. 2. University Heights (4-4): The Blazers dropped to .500 with a 1-2 showing at the First United Bank Holiday Classic at Madisonville-North Hopkins. Lost to Bowling Green by just six and to Owensboro by 10 and beat Webster County. Don't forget that University Heights beat Henderson County by 12 on Dec. 13. 5. Hopkins County Central (5-4): Went 2-1, all at the Whittaker Country Christmas Tournament with wins against McLean County and Bethlehem and a loss to Butler County. Drake Skeen averaged 20 ppg in the victories. 6. Christian County (4-6): Finished 1-2 against Tennessee teams at the Adidas Shootout, losing to Riverdale, Montgomery Bell Academy and Webb at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Derrell Bateman had a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds against Webb. 7. Hopkinsville (3-6): Went 1-2 at the First United Bank Holiday Classic with a win over Owensboro and losses to Madisonville-North Hopkins and Bowling Green. Antonio Williams had 27 points in the win. Lost to Christian County the previous week. Beat Webster County earlier in the schedule. 8. Webster County (5-5): Lost three straight at the First United Bank Holiday Classic, dropping to .500 on the season. Lost to Owensboro Catholic, University Heights and North Hardin. Deshawn Murphy scored 31 vs. North Hardin and averaged 23.3 ppg in the three contests. Beat Crittenden County by 25 back on Dec. 6 9. Crittenden County (5-5): Split a pair of games at the Roys BarBQue/First Southern National Bank Shootout with a loss to South Warren and a win against Clarksville Christian (TN) at Logan County. Crittenden County beat Trigg County Dec. 16. 10. Trigg County (7-4): Split two games, beating Thomas Nelson and losing to Todd County Central for the second time this season at its own KME Classic. Hunter Reynolds scored 22 points against Thomas Nelson and Jhaden Vaughn had 23 vs. Todd County Central. 11. Union County (4-5): Went 1-2 for the week all at the Whittaker Country Christmas Tournament. The Braves beat Cloverport but lost to Butler County and McLean County. Izaiah Manuel led with 24 points and six rebounds in the win. 12. Dawson Springs (5-7): Won two games at the St. Mary Christmas Classic, beating Fort Campbell and Livingston Central. Montgomery Johnston scored 15 points against Fort Campbell and 23 vs. Livingston Central. 13. Caldwell County (1-8): Edged Fort Campbell with 18 points from Colin Whittington at the St. Mary Christmas Classic. Beat Livingston Central earlier in the schedule. 14. Livingston Central (3-8): Lost its only game of the week to Dawson Springs at the St. Mary Christmas Classic after beating Dawson Springs earlier in the schedule. 15. Fort Campbell (2-8): Dropped both contests this week, losing to Dawson Springs and Caldwell County at the St. Mary Christmas Classic, extending the losing streak to five. High scorer both games for the Falcons was Eric Blaszkowski with 21 and 17 points, respectively. TRAVIS PERRY'S PURSUIT OF KENTUCKY'S ALL-TIME SCORING RECORD 2022-23 game-by-game results: Game number/Opponent/Points/Career total 1. Ohio County......................24 3,213 2. South Warren...................36 3,249 3. Mason County..................28 3,277 4. Livingston Central............24 3,301 5. Crittenden County............27 3,328 6. Christian County...............41 3,369 7. Trigg County......................38 3,407 8. Hopkins County Central...26 3,433 9. Harlan County...................29 3,462 10. Larue County...................34 3,496 11. Great Crossing.................25 3,521 12. North Oldham.................28 3,549 ------------------------------------------------------ Season total: 360 (30 ppg) Career total: 3,549 (No. 6 all-time) Points needed to pass King Kelly: 789 Regular season games remaining: 16 minimum Possible post-season games: 9 (2 district, 3 regional, 4 state) Total possible games: approximately 25 Scoring average required in 25 games to break the record this season: 31.5 ppg Next up on Kentucky's all-time scoring list: 5. 3,542 Chris Harrison (Tollesboro) 1987-91 4. 3,567 Harry Todd (Earlington) 1955-58 3. 3,587 Cameron Justice (Knott County Central) 2010-15 2. 3,647 Charlie Osborne (Flat Gap) 1953-57 1. 4,337 "King" Kelly Coleman (Wayland) 1953-56 Already passed this season: 7. 3,377 Jonathan Ferguson (Elliott County) 2003-09 8. 3,365 Charles Thomas (Harlan) 1990-95 9. 3,325 Clem Haskins (Taylor County) 10. 3,300 Ty Rogers (Lyon County) 1998-04 11. 3,255 Dontaie Allen (Pendleton County) 2014-19 12. 3,233 Fred Hale (Williamstown) 1969-73 13. 3,228 Ervin Stepp (Phelps) 1977-80 14. 3,226 Manual Forrest (Moore) 1977-81 15. 3,202 Todd Conley (Elkhorn City) 1991-94 16. 3,219 Nelson White (Powell County) 1951-55 17. 3,211 Tim Stephens (McCreary County) 1973-76 18. 3,192 Austin Crawford (Bracken County) 2013-17 *All names and numbers from the KHSAA. https://scoreboard.12dt.com/scoreboard/khsaa/kybbk22/?I'd=88752 https://khsaa.org/records/basketball/bbk-recordbook_indivteams.pdf

Scott Winter Classic and Swauger Holiday Classic down for the count. That takes out a lot of tonight's action. Almost all of the schedule has been wiped out, leaving me really jonesin' for some basketball! 2022/23 Kentucky High School Boys Basketball (12dt.com)

Shields was remarkably consistent in his career. Here's a comparison of the two coaches. Ken Shields 460-257 prep record .641 winning percentage 306-170 NKU record .642 winning percentage 766-427 total record . 642 winning percentage *766 are the most wins by an NKY male coach Dave Faust 454-382 prep record .543 winning percentage

St. Henry 81, Villa Madonna 36 Coach Dave Faust needs six wins to tie Ken Shields and seven to pass him. The Dave Faust Wins Countdown To Pass Ken Shields 451 start of season 452 beat Cooper, 53-50 453 beat Conner, 71-61 454 beat Villa Madonna, 81-36 455 456 457 458 459 Record: Ken Shields 460 461

St. Henry coach Dave Faust entered the season third on the Ninth Region all-time victory list with 451 in 30 seasons. Faust has since passed Stan Arnzen (452 wins) and moved into second place with a win against Conner. Former St. Thomas and Highlands high school coach Ken Shields holds the record with 460, all before he started coaching at Northern Kentucky University. Faust as of this writing 6 pm, Dec. 22, needs seven wins to tie Shields and eight to pass him. As coach Shields would probably say, "That's monumental!" The Dave Faust Wins Countdown To Pass Ken Shields 451 start of season 452 beat Cooper, 53-50 453 beat Conner, 71-61 454 455 456 457 458 459 Record: Ken Shields 460 461

I like this post! But don't forget about Pleasure Ridge Park. The Panthers' lone loss is to Cincinnati Taft. They are 8-0 vs. KY competition, although they will get tested tonight against Boyd County. PRP is king of the hot starts: 9-1 start in 2021-22, 10-2 in 2020-21, 9-2 in 2019-20.

And that, said Pooh, is that!

Hey thanks for reading so closely. I couldn't look Coach Cody in the eye if I outranked his 15-15 team from 2021-22, that returns four starters, by a 9-20 squad he beat three teams last season at home, on the road and on a neutral court while eliminating Franklin County from the 41st District tournament. Three of Franklin County's last 10 games last season were losses to Western Hills. Even if Franklin County has more wins right now, I'd like to see Franklin County actually beat Western Hills for the first time since Jan. 22, 2021, before I rank Franklin County ahead of Western Hills, if that makes any sense. They play each other Jan. 6 at Western Hills. The rematch is Jan. 27 at Franklin County.

Just for the sheer spectacle of it, I would like to see them reintroduce tug-of-war and chariot races. I mean, seriously, that would be dope. Never cut curling. What a beautiful thing. By the way, how do you stop bacon from curling in the frying pan? Take away their brooms. lol

The second AP Kentucky high school boys basketball poll. Rank School (FPV) Record Total Points Previous 1. Warren Central (6) 7-0 69 2 2. Covington Catholic 7-0 57 3 3. George Rogers Clark (1) 6-1 55 1 4. Great Crossing 8-1 51 NR 5. Bowling Green 7-0 44 6 6. North Laurel 6-3 19 7 6. Western 8-1 19 8 8. Mason County 6-0 14 9 9. Trinity 5-2 13 5 10. Lyon County 8-1 12 NR Others receiving votes: Ballard 9, Harlan 8, North Oldham 6, Butler 2, Highlands 2, Lexington Catholic 2, Holy Cross 1, McCracken County 1, Pulaski County 1

Highlands No. 7 there.

Lyon County is ranked eighth in the updated MaxPreps boys high school basketball rankings. Henderson County is 17th. Kentucky High School Basketball Rankings - MaxPreps

Ashland Blazer is ranked 19th in the latest MaxPreps Kentucky high school boys basketball rankings. Kentucky High School Basketball Rankings - MaxPreps

All win-loss records are not updated. KY High School Basketball Rankings Last update: 12/19/2022, Minimum Games Played: 5 Learn more about the rankings # School Ovr. Rating Str. +/- 1 Covington Catholic (Park Hills) 6-0 27.2 12.9 +1 2 Warren Central (Bowling Green) 6-0 25.8 11.3 -1 3 McCracken County (Paducah) 5-0 23.6 9.7 +1 4 Great Crossing (Georgetown) 8-1 22.8 11.3 +5 5 Harlan 6-0 21.9 8.5 6 George Rogers Clark (Winchester) 6-1 21.4 10.6 -3 7 Pulaski County (Somerset) 7-0 20.6 5.7 -1 8 Lyon County (Eddyville) 8-1 20.5 7.5 +4 9 Bowling Green 7-0 19.6 5.5 -2 10 Mason County (Maysville) 6-0 19.3 3.3 +1 11 Collins (Shelbyville) 8-0 19.0 2.9 -1 12 Marshall County (Benton) 6-1 17.2 6.4 -4 13 Boyd County (Ashland) 7-1 16.8 4.6 +12 14 Highlands (Fort Thomas) 8-0 16.6 0.2 +3 15 Western (Louisville) 7-1 16.4 4.9 -2 16 North Oldham (Goshen) 7-3 15.9 9.6 +22 17 Henderson County (Henderson) 4-2 15.8 11.5 +3 18 Owensboro Catholic (Owensboro) 5-0 15.7 0.8 -3 19 Blazer (Ashland) 4-2 15.6 11.0 +13 20 Bracken County (Brooksville) 6-1 15.6 4.5 +1 21 North Laurel (London) 5-3 15.5 11.5 -5 22 Harlan County (Harlan) 4-2 15.1 9.5 -8 23 Evangel Christian (Louisville) 6-1 15.0 2.8 +4 24 Danville 5-1 15.0 4.9 -6 25 Taylor County (Campbellsville) 5-0 14.7 -0.1 -6 Kentucky High School Basketball Rankings - MaxPreps

Hats off to you for capping my rankings with a funny...

6th Region Week 3 Review Three weeks of basketball does a better job than two when it comes to parsing some of the differences between high school teams during the small sample size that is the December pre-holiday schedule. As the calendar readies its annual flip from December to January, you at long last have football players and other fall athletes getting their sea legs as hoopsters, transfers fully integrating with their new teams and new coaches finally coaxing the buy-in from his charges. All these challenging elements experienced by mere teenagers with so much going on in their ever-changing lives amid the crazy chaos of surprises, upsets and the insidiously deceiving loss. A basketball season is like a fine wine, revealing its true facets over time. But we taste wine when it's time because if we taste too soon we cannot dine with wine. With the perpetually beautiful and renewed boys high school basketball season, we want to know how it's doing before it's done doing what it does, belying the real taste. With wine, we slowly sip. With basketball, we hurry and dunk. With that in mind, I present to you my updated rankings. The top team is the same: Western rules. There is a flip-flop at Nos. 2-3. Butler busts a move. Holy Cross also makes a jump. Doss takes a dive. Regional Rankings 1. Western (8-1): The Warriors went 3-0 with local victories against Doss and Central plus a win over Walnut Grove (GA) at the Lemon Street Classic in Marietta, Georgia. Trent Hinkle scored a team-high 21 points against Doss while Julius Edmonds had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Hinkle had 15 points and 12 rebounds versus Central. Hinkle is averaging a team-best 14.8 points per game. He's missed just two free throws in 31 attempts. The Warriors continue play this week in Georgia. 2. Pleasure Ridge Park (7-1): The Panthers had their season-opening seven-game winning streak snapped by Cincinnati Taft at their own MAC's Holiday Classic to close the week, but they remain unbeaten against Kentucky schools. PRP beat its first seven KY opponents by an average of 20 points. The Panthers defeated Lafayette in their first tournament game last week. They beat Central and Moore on the road to begin the week. Gregory Cole scored 29 points against Central. He had 21 against Moore. Keith Robinson had 21 vs. Central and 23 against Lafayette and pulled down 10 rebounds in both games. 3. Evangel Christian (7-2): The Eagles went 3-1 with wins against Moore, Oldham County and St. Xavier, the last two coming at MAC's Holiday Classic at Pleasure Ridge Park. Cyr Malonga had team-highs of 25 points and 19 rebounds against Moore. Christian Doerr scored 23 against Danville Christian. 4. DeSales (5-4): The Colts split two games at the King of the Bluegrass, losing to state-ranked No. 2 Warren Central by just six and beating Woodford County by five. Will Gibson scored a team-high 17 points vs. Warren Central. Brady Cummins added 13. Crew Gibson scored 12. DeSales' three in-state losses have come against teams with a combined record of 16-3 and all three opponents were ranked in the top five of last week's Associated Press state poll: Trinity 5-2, Ballard 4-1, Warren Central 7-0. They play Trinity again tonight at 9 at the King of the Bluegrass. 5. Butler (7-1): The Bears went 2-0 with victories against state-ranked No. 4 Ballard and Christian Academy-Louisville. Terry Walker and Dayton Williams scored 18 points each against Ballard. Markel Meriwether led with seven rebounds; Williams corralled six. Walker led with 17 points vs. CAL and Meriwether added 14. Jaymone Clark was top rebounder with six in that one. 6. Fern Creek (4-4): The Tigers dropped to .500 after a 4-1 start with an 0-3 week. They fell to DuPont Manual in overtime, Male and Harrison County. Noah Glover scored 24 points against DuPont Manual. Don't forget, they beat Trinity Dec. 10 7. Iroquois (4-3): Split two, losing to Shelby County by two in overtime and beating Kentucky Country Day by 14. Jordan Williamson nearly had a double-double with 33 points and nine rebounds vs. Shelby County while Jamir Ford scored 21. Williamson and Ford both scored 20 against KCD with Ford pulling down 10 rebounds for the double-double. 8. Holy Cross (7-2): The Cougars are rolling, extending their winning streak to six with a 4-0 week. They beat Fairdale at home and won three games at the Louisville Christmas Classic. Mike Loftis had 31 points against Fairdale. Jacob Hand averaged 26.7 ppg with a high of 35 at the Classic. 9. Jeffersontown (2-5): Played once and lost on the road to Seneca despite 16 points each from Brandon Gatewood and Genesis Nimely, who had a double-double with 13 rebounds. 10. Fairdale (3-4): The Bulldogs went 0-3 with losses to Louisville Holy Cross, and LaRue County and Harlan County at the King of the Bluegrass. Jacob Tucker scored a team-high 32 points against Holy Cross. He averaged 17.6 ppg for the week. 11. Beth Haven (4-1): The Bearcats enjoyed a 3-0 week with a road win over Valley and a pair of wins at the Stock Yards Bank & Trust Challenge against Pendleton County and West Carter at Rowan County. Jordan Harris was top scorer against Pendleton County and West Carter. 12. Bullitt East (2-4): The Chargers split a pair of games, losing to Collins and beating Doss. Camron Brogan led with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Doss. 13. Southern (3-4): Went 2-0 for the week with wins against Bullitt Central and WEB DuBois. Jaylen Brown scored 19 points vs. Bullitt Central and Caetrell Thompson had a double-double. Tahj Meadows posted team highs of 24 points and nine rebounds vs. WEB DuBois. 14. Doss (0-10): The Dragons remained winless, dropping four more during a forgettable week. They lost to Western, Bullitt East, Cincinnati Taft and Lafayette. Crickets at the KHSAA web site where there hasn't been any statistical update since Dec. 10. I wonder how Marcus Barker is doing. 15. Bullitt Central (1-6): The Cougars lost all four games, dropping contests against Atherton, Southern, Oldham County and Meade County. 16. North Bullitt (5-3): The Eagles went 3-0 with victories against Portland Christian, Shawnee and Waggener. Kaylen Alexander scored 16 points against Portland Christian. 17. Moore (3-5): Went 1-2 and stopped a four-game losing streak with a win against Atherton. Lost to Evangel Christian and Pleasure Ridge Park at home. 18. Whitefield Academy (1-6): Went 0-3 with losses to Kentucky Country Day, Brown and Trinity Christian. 19. Valley (0-8): Still looking for its first win after finishing the week 0-3 with losses to Brown, Beth Haven and Leslie County.

11th Region Week 3 Review Defending regional tournament champion Henry Clay was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten after a 4-0 start. The hot teams now are this season's favorites. Great Crossing is unbeaten since losing to Covington Catholic. Lexington Catholic hasn't lost since dropping the opener to North Laurel. They are 1-2 atop this week's rankings. Lexington Christian makes a little move in the top 10. Individually, Vince Dawson and Malachi Moreno maintained greatness for Great Crossing while Reece Potter continued to have great nights for Lexington Catholic. Madison Central's Big 3 of Hagan Harrison, Jaylen Davis and Robby Todd also had big weeks. Javeon Campbell of Western Hills muscled his way to another strong week. Moreno, Potter, Todd and Campbell are walking double-doubles waiting to happen. Regional Rankings: 1. Great Crossing (7-1): The Warhawks pushed their winning streak to seven with a second consecutive 3-0 week. They dismantled Western Hills at home, beat Spencer County by 11 at the King of the Bluegrass Tournament in Fairdale and edged George Rogers Clark, 64-62, in overtime also at the King of the Bluegrass. Vince Dawson nailed all four 3-point shots and led with 24 points against Western Hills. He scored 26 against Spencer County. Malachi Moreno had 14 points and seven rebounds versus Western Hills. He had 22 points and 14 rebounds vs. Spencer County. 2. Lexington Catholic (6-1): The Knights enjoyed another 2-0 week while extending their winning streak to six. They clobbered Tates Creek and handled Paul Laurence Dunbar. Seven-foot senior center Reece Potter, a Miami University recruit, had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds vs. Tates Creek. Rowan Williams also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Potter had 27 points and 15 rebounds against Dunbar. Potter shot 17-for-31 from the field for the week and made 11 of 13 free throws. 3. Madison Central (4-3): The Indians moved above .500 with two straight wins last week. They downed Scott County by 26 with 33 points and 10 rebounds from Hagan Harrison. They defeated Madison Southern by 20 with 21 from Harrison and 26 from Jaylen Davis. Both players are averaging better than 22 ppg. Robby Todd had a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds against Madison Southern. Todd is averaging 14.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. The combined record of the three teams that have beaten Madison Central (Pulaski County, George Rogers Clark and Ballard) is 18-2. 4. Henry Clay (4-2): The Blue Devils won their first four games then went 0-2 last week with double-digit losses to 5-2 Eastern and 7-1 Harrison County. Mason Hawkins led Henry Clay with 17 points against Eastern. 5. Frederick Douglass (3-2): The Broncos did not play last week. They take the court again Wednesday with the first of three games at The Gateway Holiday Classic at Montgomery County. Kai Simpson leads the team with 23.2 ppg. Their only losses have come against Great Crossing and Lexington Catholic. 6. Madison Southern (3-4): The Eagles broke even for the week, beating South Laurel and losing to Madison Central. Zach Hudson had 29 points in the win. Braden Hudson added 19. 7. Lexington Christian (5-1): The Eagles edged Paul Laurence Dunbar, 61-59, in overtime in their only game of the week. Tyler Hall led a balanced effort with 14 points and seven rebounds. 8. Paul Laurence Dunbar (2-3): Lost two straight road games, by two in overtime to Lexington Christian and by 11 to Lexington Catholic. Nick Spalding scored 17 in both games. 9. Bryan Station (3-4): The Defenders split a pair of games, beating Lafayette and losing to Grant County. Amari Owens had 16 points in the win and Jaden Biggers and Felix De Los Santos both registered double-doubles. 10. Scott County (3-5): The Cardinals lost two games, falling to Madison Central and Collins, extending their losing streak to four. 11. Tates Creek (4-4): Went 2-1 for the week, opening with a loss to Lexington Catholic but ending the week with two straight in the win column vs. Lafayette and Franklin County. Eric Hackett scored a team-high 28 points against Lafayette. 12. Western Hills (2-5): The Wolverines lost their first five games but have now won two straight with home wins against Sayre and Shelby County. Javeon Campbell had a massive double-double of 21 points and 20 rebounds against Sayre. He's averaging around 21 points and 14 rebounds per game. 13. Sayre (3-3): The Spartans lost by three to Western Hills in their only game of the week. Brock Coffman had 23 points and eight rebounds in the win. 14. Lafayette (4-6): The Generals went 1-3 for the week with the lone win coming against Doss. They lost to Bryan Station, Tates Creek and Pleasure Ridge Park. Beat Franklin County earlier in the schedule. 15. Franklin County (4-3): The Flyers split a pair of road games, routing Frankfort Christian behind Andrew Chenault's 17 points but losing to Tates Creek. 16. Frankfort (4-2): The Panthers went 2-0, defeating Waggener and Model in competitive home games. 17. Model (4-4): The Patriots went 1-1 for the week, losing to Frankfort and beating Robertson County. Keshav Bhandari paced the win with 15 points. 18. Frankfort Christian (3-5): The Royals were 0-2 for the week with losses to Franklin County and Paris. Michah Sowders scored 27 against Franklin County. 19. Berea (2-6): The Pirates went 0-3 for the week with losses to Jackson County, East Carter and Elliott County.