Basketball Jones

That's 19 wins in a row. Easily their best win of the season, to boot. I'm gonna say I'm surprised by the result and the margin. Just goes to show that teams like Frederick Douglass with gaudy records built on beating mostly lesser-caliber teams need to be taken a little more seriously come tournament time.

Yep, HCC had all the ejections. And despite their chaos, Caldwell County still lost.

Yep, you're right.

The heroes for HCC: Drake Skeen 24 points, Trevahn Jones 17, Davonyae Butcher 15, Namari Hall 12. Amazing. Still, the staff should have more control of its bench.

Your effort in the Eighth is monumental and highly informative, creating some real good banter. I for one appreciate how much time can go into a 5-to-10-minute read. Just real solid, dude. Thank you.

Dang, that's some pretty good work there. Thank you.

I'll pile on Caldwell. How did the coach and staff create an environment where ELEVEN players thought it was OK to run onto the court during a fracas? Eleven wrongs don't make a right! Sounds like a discipline problem to me, for all involved. At least they didn't let a 22-year-old assistant coach suit up to fill out the lineup lol.

Craziness in the Second Region and a new meaning to four on the floor here. Hopkins County Central beat visiting Caldwell County 72-51 last night while playing with four eligible players the entire second half! HCC actually played the last minute and change of the first half then all of the second half with four on the floor in a Seventh District game in Mortons Gap. There was some late second-quarter dissension that caused a fight to break out that resulted in one player from each team ejected for fighting and 11 other HCC players disqualified for leaving the bench during the fight.

A correction here. Model went 2-1 last week to improve to 10-13 on the season. Thanks, Klay!

6th Region Week 10 Review Last week, state small-school champion Evangel Christian moved ahead of previously No. 1 Western and took a perch atop the rankings. This week, it's Pleasure Ridge Park moving past Western, which is down to No. 3. Pleasure Ridge Park ascends to No. 2. There are no other changes in the rankings, which offer a clear and solid top five. More and more, Western, Butler and DeSales are looking interchangeable at 3, 4 and 5. Western has beaten Butler, which has beaten DeSales, which has beaten Western. Evangel Christian, Pleasure Ridge Park and Fern Creek remained unbeaten against their respective districts, all of which offer competitive races. Evangel Christian is the lone remaining unbeaten team against the region. Regional Rankings: 1. Evangel Christian (21-4): The Eagles split two games, beating Woodford County, 75-54, and losing to Madison Central, 63-46, snapping a six-game winning streak. All "A" Classic state tournament hero Christian Doerr scored 28 points against Woodford. He was held to 14 against Mad Central. The Eagles are 6-0 versus the region and 4-0 against the 23rd District. Their best regional win came against Pleasure Ridge Park. Outside the region, they have beaten Lincoln County, St. Xavier and Elizabethtown and won the All "A" Classic state tournament with a win over Covington Holy Cross in the final and a win against Owen County in the semifinals. 2. Pleasure Ridge Park (18-3): The Panthers won both games last week, handily defeating Shawnee and Fairdale to run their winning streak to seven. PRP is 9-1 against the region, including wins against Holy Cross and Jeffersontown, and 4-0 in the 21st District. They have lost to Evangel Christian by three. Outside the region, the Panthers have beaten St. Xavier and DuPont Manual. They beat Butler by 34 in last season's regional tournament and haven't lost to DeSales since 2016. 3. Western (17-7): The Warriors finished the week 2-0 with wins against Seneca and Butler. They had dropped four of five. They've beaten Trinity and Elizabethtown out of the region and are 5-3 against good out-of-state competition. They have just four losses to Kentucky schools. Western is now 6-2 against regional competition, losses coming to DeSales and Jeffersontown. Last season the Warriors beat Pleasure Ridge Park by one in overtime. They play in the regular season finale Feb. 17. 4. Butler (17-7): The Bears went 1-1 last week, beating Fairdale by eight and losing to Western by eight in double-overtime. Dontre Russell scored 16 points against Fairdale. Three of their last five games have been decided by eight points. The Bears have beaten Male, Ballard and Fleming County. Four losses have come against Mason County, Eastern, Male and LaRue County. They have also beaten DeSales. 5. DeSales (15-9): The Colts had a tough 0-2 week, losing to North Oldham by 12 on the road and losing to Covington Catholic by six on the road. Crew Gibson scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against North Oldham. He had 20 and 11 against CovCath. As I've been saying, DeSales and Butler have played as challenging a schedule as any of the teams in the top five, but PRP has been a major pain to both squads in the very recent past. They have beaten Western and Iroquois. 6. Iroquois (17-8): The Raiders went 3-0 with victories against Frankfort, Doss and Boone County, pushing their winning streak to four. They have beaten Holy Cross by 18. Jordan Williamson scored 28 points against Frankfort. He had 19 against Doss. Jamir Ford scored 20 against Boone County. 7. Holy Cross (15-8): The Cougars were 1-1 last week. They beat Southern with 25 points from Jacob Hand and 21 from Mike Loftis and lost to Beth Haven. They have beaten Fairdale. 8. Fern Creek (10-11): Lost to Ballard by 10 in overtime despite 18 points from Noah Glover in the only game of the week. The Tigers have beaten Trinity. They have a win against Jeffersontown. Big game Tuesday against Fairdale. As I've been saying, Fern Creek manhandled Fairdale by 30 last season so Fairdale has to beat Fern Creek to be ranked ahead of them despite the better overall record. 9. Fairdale (16-8): The Bulldogs finished the week 0-2 with losses to Butler and Pleasure Ridge Park. Dalton Hicks had 21 points vs. Butler. They have beaten Jeffersontown, and Beth Haven twice. 10. Jeffersontown (9-9): The Chargers won their only game of the week, beating Bullitt East for the second time this season with 22 points from Camron McDaniels. They have beaten Western. 11. Beth Haven (17-8): The Bearcats went 1-1, losing to Louisville Collegiate and beating Lou. Holy Cross, avenging an earlier loss. They have beaten Doss. Beat Western Hills in December. 12. Bullitt East (11-14): The Chargers went 2-1 with wins against Moore and Bullitt Central. Have beaten Doss. Have also beaten Iroquois and Lou. Holy Cross. 13. Doss (5-18): The Dragons lost to Iroquois in the only game of the week. They have beaten Moore. Beat Oldham County and Whitley County in back-to-back games in December. 14. Moore (10-15): The Mustangs went 1-2 for the week with a win over Southern. They have also beaten Bullitt Central and North Bullitt. Beat Beth Haven in early January. 15. Southern (8-17): The Trojans went 0-2 last week. They have beaten North Bullitt and Bullitt Central. 16. North Bullitt (11-12): The Eagles went 2-0 out of the region last week. Have split two games vs. Bullitt Central. 17. Bullitt Central (4-20): The Cougars went 1-1 for the week. 18. Valley (0-18): The Vikings were 0-2 on the week. 19. Whitefield Academy (7-15): Went 1-1 for the week.

I certainly did.

16th Region Week 10 Review Defending regional champion Ashland Blazer and reigning regional runner-up Boyd County had a big head-to-head tilt last week that carried major rankings implications and Boyd County came out on top, splitting the regular season series. That's enough to move Boyd County ahead of their nemesis to the top of the rankings. The Lions also have a much better overall record and they are the hotter team. In another ascending move, Greenup County continues to move up, advancing into the top 10 and landing at No. 9, while squeezing Menifee County out of the top 10. Raceland also drops a spot after a disastrous week against the district. In a statistical oddity, Bath County is 5-0 against teams with the initials E.C. (as in East Carter, Elliott County and Estill County) but 9-10 against everybody else. Go figure. Regional Rankings: 1. Boyd County (18-4): The Lions went 3-0 for the week with a big win against Ashland Blazer. They beat the Tomcats, 88-80, on the road, avenging an earlier nine-point home loss to Ashland. Boyd County is hot, winning seven straight games. They also beat Fairview 101-76 for their fifth 100-point game of the season, and they took down a 19-9 Letcher County Central squad, 66-50. Rhett Holbrook scored 24 points against Fairfield and 22 versus Ashland Blazer. Jacob Spurlock led the way against Ashland with 23 points. Cole Hicks added 21 and Jacob Ellis had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds as five players scored in double figures. They now have 10 wins against state teams with winning records including quality non-regional wins against Pikeville, Eastern, Lawrence County and Campbell County. They are 6-1 against the region, the only loss coming against Ashland. They are 3-1 vs. the 64th District, the only loss to Ashland. Of course, they now have a win against Ashland in those races. 2. Ashland Blazer (16-10): The Tomcats had a busy week with some tough sledding, going 2-2 with wins against Bath County and Ironton (OH) and losses to Charleston George Washington (WV) and rival Boyd County. Rheyce Deboard led the way against George Washington with 25 points. He dropped in 28 against Boyd County. Some of the shine is coming off their season after a 12-6 start. They suffered their 10th defeat against Boyd County. They are 4-4 over the last eight games. The Boyd County loss means they are no longer unbeaten in the region (7-1) and the district (3-1). However, they have a nine-point win at Boyd County and a 22-point win versus Fleming County and they have beaten nine Kentucky teams with winning records. Three of their losses have come against CovCath, George Rogers Clark and Great Crossing. 3. Fleming County (17-8): The Panthers went 2-0 last week with a 69-61 win over Menifee County and a 74-34 thumping of St. Patrick. They have won five games in a row and eight of their last nine. They are 10-2 vs. the region and 5-1 vs. 61st District foes. Still don't have a loss to a bad team. Other previous results: Two losses to Mason County and losses to Owensboro Catholic, Butler, Highlands, Ashland Blazer and Bath County. They beat Russell by 21 earlier this season and Rowan County by 17. 4. Russell (20-3): The Red Devils enjoyed their seventh straight unbeaten week with a 51-41 win against Raceland. Their winning streak is now at 15. They are 15-1 vs. the region and 6-0 vs. the 63rd District where they have clinched the top seed in the district tournament. The last team to beat them was Fleming County, accounting for the lone regional loss, but they haven't played as tough a schedule as Fleming County with 10 regional wins coming against the bottom half of the rankings: West Carter (3), Lewis County (2), Raceland (2), Rose Hill Christian, Menifee County, Greenup County. They have wins against Morgan County, Rowan County, Bath County and East Carter. 5. Morgan County (16-6): The Cougars won their only game of the week, beating East Carter, 51-48 with a near-double-double from Cameron Adams (12 points, nine rebounds). They are 6-2 against the region including a 27-point win against Bath County, and 4-1 vs. the 62nd District. 6. Rowan County (13-11): The Vikings went 2-0 last week with a 57-47 district win against Bath County thanks in part to 16 points from Jayson Ingles. They have won seven of their last 10 games but their only wins against state teams with winning records outside the region came against Montgomery County and Somerset. They are 9-4 vs. the region and 4-2 vs. the 61st District. 7. Bath County (14-10): Finished the week 1-2, beating Elliott County but losing to Ashland Blazer and Rowan County. Zack Otis dropped in 34 points against Ashland Blazer. Beat Fleming County early in the season but has just two wins against Kentucky teams with winning records since Dec. 13 (Estill County, East Carter). They are 6-9 since the 8-1 start. They are 8-7 against the region, 3-3 vs. 61st District foes. 8. East Carter (13-9): A 1-1 week for the Raiders with a district win vs. Raceland as Ty Scott scored 18 points. They are 7-3 over the last 10 games but have just two wins against Kentucky teams with winning records (Bethlehem, Morgan County). They are 10-5 vs. the region, with two wins vs. Greenup County, and 4-1 against 62nd District opponents. 9. Greenup County (9-15): The Musketeers had a 1-2 week with a win against Raceland. They are 6-8 vs. the region with other wins against Menifee County and West Carter. They are 2-2 vs. 63rd District foes, two games ahead of Raceland. 10. Raceland (12-13): The Rams went 1-3, including district losses to Greenup County, East Carter and Russell. They are 7-9 in the region with two wins each against Elliott County and Fairview, and 0-5 vs. the 63rd District. They have also beaten Menifee County. 11. Menifee County (9-16): The Wildcats finished 1-2 for the week with a win over Jackson City. They are 5-9 against the region and 0-6 against the 61st District. Beat Fairview by 10 the previous week. 12. Fairview (11-14): The Eagles finished 1-2 for the week, beating Lawrence County in overtime. They are 5-12 against the region, 1-4 vs. the 64th District. They have beaten West Carter twice. 13. West Carter (5-16): The Comets beat Rose Hill Christian in the only game of the week. They are 3-14 in the region with a win vs. Elliott County, and 1-3 vs. the 62nd District. 14. Lewis County (6-17): The Lions went 1-1, picking up a district win over Greenup County. They are 5-7 vs. the region with two wins against Elliott County and one against Rose Hill Christian, and 2-3 vs. 63rd District foes. 15. Elliott County (2-20): The Lions lost their only game of the week, pushing their losing streak to 14. They are 0-14 against the region and 0-4 vs. the 62nd District. 16. Rose Hill Christian (4-18): The Royals went 0-2. The losing streak has hit seven. They are 0-8 in the region.

11th Region Week 10 Review Lexington Catholic solidified its spot at No. 1 with an unbeaten week as No. 2 Great Crossing absorbed a second loss in eight days. LexCath is the only unbeaten team against the region. They are one of four unbeatens against district opponents along with Great Crossing, Frederick Douglass and Madison Central. Changes in the rankings include a Lexington Christian leap over Madison Central and Madison Southern to No. 4. The top three remain the same as No. 3 Frederick Douglass stayed red hot. Teams ranked No. 7 through 13 can be viewed as mostly interchangeable as parity has overtaken that portion of the rankings. The bottom six seem to be entrenched there. Regional Rankings: 1. Lexington Catholic (24-2): The Knights went 2-0 last week, beating Lafayette, 76-48 and Trinity, 52-47. Reece Potter had a double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds versus Lafayette. Their only losses have come against North Laurel and Mason County. They are 9-0 against regional opponents and they are in control of the 43rd District (7-0). The list of quality wins includes Frederick Douglass, Bowling Green, Lyon County, North Oldham, Male, Harrison County and Calloway County. 2. Great Crossing (21-5): The Warhawks responded to the loss against Lexington Catholic with a 108-45 rout of Frankfort Christian featuring 34 points from Vince Dawson but then they lost to Grant County, 61-55, while Dawson was held to 11. Great Crossing's other losses have come against Covington Catholic, Warren Central and George Rogers Clark. But they have a win against George Rogers Clark and have also beaten Ashland Blazer, Lyon County, Covington Holy Cross, Frederick Douglass and Spencer County. They are now 10-1 against the region and in control of the 41st District (7-0). 3. Frederick Douglass (21-2): The beat goes on for the Broncos with another 3-0 week. They took down Sayre, Scott County and Woodford County, running their winning streak to 18. Kai Simpson scored 17 points against Sayre. They are 11-2 against the region and in control of the 42nd District (7-0). The Broncos' only losses are to rankings leaders Great Crossing and Lexington Catholic. Outside of this week's wins against Sayre and Woodford County, they have beaten just three other Kentucky teams with winning records (Letcher County Central, Montgomery County, Harlan). 4. Lexington Christian (18-6): The Eagles enjoyed a 3-0 week with wins against Madison Central, Lafayette and Mercer County. Tyler Hall and Anderson Green scored 15 points each against Madison Central. They are 9-2 against the region with losses to LexCath and inexplicably to Lafayette. 5. Madison Central (13-12): The Indians lost by four to Lexington Christian despite 25 points from Jaylen Davis, and beat Evangel Christian, 63-46, and North Laurel, 74-58, for a 2-1 week. Davis scored 23 against Evangel Christian and Jayden West added 22. Davis erupted for 36 against North Laurel and averaged 28 points on the week. The Indians handed Warren Central its only loss but that came with point guard Hagan Harrison who has since left the team. The Indians are 8-6 following his departure (they were 5-6 with him). They are 6-3 overall against the region, 1-0 vs. the 44th District. Central beat Madison Southern by 20 with Harrison. 6. Madison Southern (16-9): The Eagles went 1-2, beating Paul Laurence Dunbar for the second time this season but losing to Rockcastle County and Pikeville. Zach Hudson scored 20 against Dunbar and Jay Rose added 19. They are lightly played locally with a 3-1 record in the region, the other win coming against Model. Handed Pulaski County one of its four losses. 7. Henry Clay (11-13): The Blue Devils went 1-2 last week with an 11-point win against East Jessamine that stopped a five-game losing streak. They also had a five-point loss to Scott County and a nine-point loss to Woodford County. Fifteen of their last 18 games have been decided by nine points or fewer. Henry Clay's first six losses came against Eastern, Harrison County, Simon Kenton, Lincoln County, Sayre and McCracken County. They have beaten Conner, Highlands and Butler. But they are now 6-7 in the region and 1-6 against the 42nd District. Have also beaten Bryan Station and Western Hills. 8. Bryan Station (9-14): The Defenders went 2-1, beating Sayre for the second time this season and Garrard County, and losing to Tates Creek in overtime despite 17 points and 22 rebounds from Jaden Biggers. They are 6-5 against regional opponents with a win against Western Hills. 9. Western Hills (14-9): The Wolverines went 2-0, defeating Scott County and Anderson County. Walter Campbell was the man against Sayre, scoring 38 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in a monster double-double. They are 8-5 in the region with a win against Sayre. 10. Sayre (16-9): The Spartans dropped all three games last week, losing to Frederick Douglass by 10, to Bryan Station by four and to Williamstown by four. They are 9-5 against regional opponents including two wins each against Henry Clay, Scott County and Frankfort. They have just two wins against Kentucky teams with winning records (Estill County and East Carter). 11. Paul Laurence Dunbar (8-16): The Bulldogs went 0-2. They have lost 10 of 14. Have beaten Lafayette twice and defeated Bryan Station and Tates Creek among their four regional wins. 12. Scott County (9-18): The Cardinals went 1-2 with a second win of the season against Henry Clay as Nick Mosby poured in 27 points. Their only other regional win came against Lafayette. 13. Tates Creek (9-15): The Commodores stopped a seven-game losing streak with a 3-0 week including wins over Bryan Station and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Before that, they had just three regional wins, two against Lafayette. 14. Lafayette (8-17): The Generals were 1-2 last week. They are 2-13 in the region with wins against Lexington Christian and Franklin County. 15. Franklin County (10-12): The Flyers finished the week 1-2. Their only regional wins are against Frankfort and Frankfort Christian. 16. Frankfort (12-11): The Panthers went 1-1 with a six-point win over Franklin County. Their other four regional wins have come against Model, Lafayette and Frankfort Christian twice. 17. Model (8-12): The Patriots were 1-2 last week. 18. Frankfort Christian (10-17): The Royals finished the week 0-3. 19. Berea (8-17): The Pirates went 0-2 for the week.

2nd Region Week 10 Review There are no changes to the rankings but there could be a big change after Feb. 13 when co-leaders Lyon County and University Heights play in a rematch at Lyon County. University Heights beat Lyon County by 10 on Jan. 10 in the Second Region All "A" Classic. Speaking of big games, Henderson County knocked off McCracken County in a résumé-building win Saturday during what was a relatively light schedule for regional squads last week. Over at Lyon County, junior guard Travis Perry continued to make history. The state's second all-time leading scorer with one high school season still to play, set the Kentucky all-time record for 3-pointers made when he connected on his eighth basket from long range in a win against Crittenden County. That gave him 464 career 3-pointers, erasing the previous mark of 463 set by Dylan James of Sheldon Clark. Lyon County's Ty Rogers is fifth all-time with 407. Regional Rankings: 1. Lyon County (19-5) The defending regional champion won its first game of the week, beating Crittenden County, 95-50, then beat Caldwell County, 91-63 on Saturday. Travis Perry scored 29 points against Crittenden County and erupted for 37 against Caldwell County. Perry, averaging 30.6 points per game, ranking third statewide, now has 3,925 career points, just 412 behind legendary leader Kelly "King" Coleman (4,337 points from 1953-56 at Wayland). The Lyons are 11-1 versus regional competition and 6-0 against the Fifth District. They have beaten Mason County in a split, Ballard, Ohio County, South Warren, Harlan County, Covington Holy Cross, LaRue County and North Laurel. Losses have come against Mason County, Great Crossing, North Oldham, Lexington Catholic and University Heights. 1. University Heights (16-8): Beat Hopkins County Central, 69-51, and Christian County, 59-41. They have wins against Lyon County, Henderson County and Murray. Their two regional losses have come by one at Madisonville-North Hopkins and by two in an earlier meeting versus Christian County. Other losses came against Bowling Green, Owensboro and Ohio County. They are 9-2 in the region and 1-1 in the Eighth District. 3. Henderson County (17-7): The Colonels went 2-0 for the week. They beat Muhlenberg County 57-41 and handed McCracken County just its third loss of the season, 47-39. Beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by 21 in December and are 5-2 in regional action, with another win coming against Christian County. Their regional losses came against Webster County and University Heights. Have beaten Calloway County and Ohio County outside the region. Thery are 1-1 in the Sixth District. 4. Madisonville-North Hopkins (17-7): The Maroons won their only game of the week, beating Caldwell County for the second time in eight days. They've beaten University Heights, Christian County, Hopkinsville, Hopkins County Central and Webster County. They are 10-3 against the region, 5-0 vs. the Seventh District. 5. Christian County (12-10): The Colonels lost to district rival University Heights in the only game of the week. They are 5-4 against regional opponents and 4-1 in the Eighth District. They had already beaten University Heights by two and Hopkinsville twice. Their in-state losses have come against the likes of Madisonville-North Hopkins, Paducah Tilghman, Bowling Green and Lyon County. 6. Hopkinsville (9-14): The Tigers beat Fort Campbell for the second time 93-40 with 21 points from KeiMarion Smith, but they've played a tough schedule. Beat Webster County by 10 and beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by 15 in a season split. They beat Owensboro. They have tough losses against Lyon County, Ohio County, Henderson County and McCracken County. Also lost to Murray, Warren Central, DeSales and Bowling Green twice. They are 5-5 in the region. Have also beaten Webster County. 7. Webster County (12-9): The Trojans had the week off. Among their regional wins are Henderson County, Hopkins County Central, Crittenden County and Trigg County. They are 7-4 against the region, 2-0 versus the Sixth District. 8. Hopkins County Central (11-12): The Storm lost their only game of the week to University Heights. They are 6-5 against the region including wins against Trigg County, Union County and Livingston Central. 9. Crittenden County (11-13): The Rockets went 0-2 last week. They have wins over Trigg County and Union County. They are 6-6 vs. the region. 10. Trigg County (10-12): The Wildcats went 1-0, stopping a five-game losing streak. They have beaten Union County by 16 and Livingston Central by 25. They are 3-7 vs. the region. 11. Union County (10-11): The Braves lost their only game. They are 7-6 vs. the region. Have beaten Livingston Central, Dawson Springs and Caldwell County. 12. Livingston Central (5-15): The Cardinals were idle last week. They've lost seven straight but defeated Dawson Springs, Caldwell County and Fort Campbell. They are 4-10 vs. the region. 13. Dawson Springs (8-16): The Panthers went 0-2 for the week. Beat Caldwell County by two in an earlier meeting and has beaten Fort Campbell three times. They are 5-10 vs. the region. 14. Caldwell County (4-16): The Tigers lost both games last week. They beat Fort Campbell by one earlier in the season. They are 3-12 vs. the region. 15. Fort Campbell (4-15): The Falcons lost their only game of the week. They are 0-9 vs. the region.

That fellow on the right is pretty good, too.

Good back and forth there, fellas. Thanks.

Hmmm....

Jack Kaelin really was one of a kind, with an accent on kind. All those years keeping the basketball scorebook and he even coached the bowling team not to mention track and cross country, and was the athletic director for a bit, too. Getting him to speak German was priceless. Just such a great move for the school to recognize him in this way.

Poor Shotwhisperer. All he wanted was a list of the top three candidates for Mr. Basketball and some vouching for the best player and a hockey game broke out!

There's been some debate about this (not much locally of course). Should you give the tournament MVP to a player who breaks game and tournament scoring records but whose team did not win the tournament (Jacob Meyer of Holy Cross). Or should you give the MVP to a player who leads the tournament champion in scoring every game (Christian Doerr of Evangel Christian). Meyer won MVP. Evangel Christian won the tournament. I have no dog in this. I'm just interested in knowing if anybody believed Doerr should have been named MVP (he was named all-tournament) even though Meyer's credentials were obvious. Or is Meyer's performance so historically stupefying that's it's kinda dumb to even bring this up.

...but he never had a pinch hit like this.

If we're gonna be brown, let's really be brown and double down... Until today, the greatest pinch hitter in sports history was original Red Lenny Harris. He broke Manny Mota’s MLB record with his 151st pinch-hit. He finished with 188 pinch hits in 18 years.

11th Region Week 9 Review Lexington Catholic is the new No. 1 after defeating Great Crossing by nine at the Gary Moore Classic at Franklin County. LexCath has won three straight games since losing to Mason County and is the last remaining unbeaten team against regional competition. Among teams with at least one district game played, the four remaining unbeatens against district opponents are Lexington Catholic, Great Crossing, Frederick Douglass and Madison Central. Other changes in the rankings include a shuffling of the order Nos. 7-11. The bottom eight is the same. This week, we focus on important regional results and highlight district race leaders. Regional Rankings: 1. Lexington Catholic (22-2): The Knights started the week with a 70-52 win over Tates Creek with a team-high 18 points from Reece Potter. Then they took down Great Crossing, 61-52. It was 10-10 after one quarter against Great Crossing. LexCath led 25-23 at halftime but the Knights outscored the Warhawks 36-29 in the second half. LexCath shot 58 percent from the field after the break compared to 31 percent in the first half. They had a crucial effort from John Reinhart who drilled four of six 3-point shots and led the way with 16 points. Everybody else on the team was 1-for-13 from 3-point range. A big difference in the game was long-range shooting. LexCath outscored the Warhawks 15-6 on 3-pointers, a margin of nine. LexCath won by nine, underscoring Reinhart's importance. Tyler Doyle and Reece Potter added 14 points each for the Knights. Rowan Williams led the team with nine rebounds. Potter corralled seven boards and had three steals and two blocked shots. The Knights' only losses have come against North Laurel and Mason County. They remain unbeaten at 8-0 against regional opponents and against the 43rd District (6-0). The list of nice wins is getting longer. They have also beaten Frederick Douglass, Bowling Green, Lyon County, North Oldham, Male, Harrison County and Calloway County. 2. Great Crossing (20-4): The Warhawks went 2-1 while suffering their first regional loss at the hands of the Knights. Malachi Moreno paced the Warhawks with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Lexington Catholic. But Vince Dawson was the only other double-figure scorer with 10, more than five below his season average. The Warhawks played just six players and shot 2-for-13 from behind the arc. In an oddity, they outscored LexCath 17-5 on second-chance points. The loss stopped a seven-game winning streak. The Warhawks warmed up for LexCath with a pair of wins against Frankfort. Great Crossing's losses have come against LexCath, Covington Catholic, Warren Central and George Rogers Clark. But they have a win against George Rogers Clark and have also beaten Ashland Blazer, Lyon County, Covington Holy Cross, Frederick Douglass and Spencer County. They are now 9-1 against the region and 6-0 versus the 41st District. 3. Frederick Douglass (18-2): The Broncos won their only game, beating Henry Clay for the second time this season, 65-57, running their winning streak to 15. Melo Boone scored 19 points. They also have regional wins against Madison Central and Paul Laurence Dunbar. They are now 9-2 against the region and 5-0 against the 42nd District. The Broncos' only regional losses are to rankings leaders Great Crossing and Lexington Catholic, but they have beaten just three Kentucky teams with winning records (Letcher County Central, Montgomery County, Harlan). 4. Madison Central (11-11): The Indians mauled a 17-4 Harlan County squad by a score of 70-46 at the Rocket Classic at Rockcastle County. Robby Todd scored 22 points and joined the school's 1,000-point club. That put the brakes on a three-game skid, all of them tough losses against quality competition (Frederick Douglass, Lincoln County, Trinity). Handed Warren Central its only loss but that came with point guard Hagan Harrison in the lineup. He has since left the team. The Indians are 6-5 following his departure. They are 6-2 against the region, 1-0 vs. the 44th District. Central beat Madison Southern by 20 with Harrison. 5. Madison Southern (15-7): The Eagles went 1-1, losing to North Laurel and beating Boyle County with 33 points from Zach Hudson. They haven't played a lot locally. They are 2-1 in region with wins against Dunbar and Model but have won seven of their last nine games overall. Handed Pulaski County one of its three losses. 6. Lexington Christian (15-6): The Eagles went 1-1 for the week, beating Oldham County by 25 and falling to Washington County in the first round of the All "A" Classic state tournament. Saxton Howard and Tyler Hall scored 21 apiece vs. Oldham County. They are 7-2 against the region with losses to LexCath and Lafayette. They have beaten Sayre. 7. Henry Clay (10-11): The Blue Devils dropped their only game last week, losing to Frederick Douglass by eight. They seem to play 'em close. Thirteen of their last 15 games have been decided by nine points or fewer. Henry Clay's first six losses came against Eastern, Harrison County, Simon Kenton, Lincoln County, Sayre and McCracken County. They have beaten Conner, Highlands and Butler. They fell to 6-6 in the region. 8. Bryan Station (7-13): The Defenders won their only game, beating Sayre, improving to 5-4 against regional foes. Daeveon Adams had a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds. They have also defeated Western Hills and Scott County. 9. Western Hills (12-9): The Wolverines enjoyed a 4-0 week, beating Tates Creek, Frankfort Christian, Franklin County and Louisville Collegiate. Walter Campbell scored 20 vs. Tates Creek. Elijah Thompson had 24 against Frankfort Christian. They are now 7-5 in the region with a win against Sayre. 10. Sayre (16-6): The Spartans had a 2-1 week, losing to Bryan Station and beating Scott County and Franklin County. They are 9-3 against regional foes including two wins each against Henry Clay, Scott County and Frankfort. They've got just two wins against Kentucky teams that have winning records (Estill County and East Carter). 11. Paul Laurence Dunbar (8-14): The Bulldogs stopped a five-game losing streak with a 2-0 week. Both wins came against Lafayette, doubling their regional win total in three days. They are 4-8 against regional opponents with the other wins coming against Bryan Station and Tates Creek. 12. Scott County (8-16): The Cardinals suffered another winless week at 0-2, running the losing streak to five. Their two regional wins came against Henry Clay and Lafayette. 13. Tates Creek (6-15): Went 0-3 for the second straight week. Lost six straight and 10 of 11. Has beaten Lafayette twice among three regional wins. 14. Lafayette (7-15): The Generals lost twice last week. They are 2-12 in the region with wins against Lexington Christian and Franklin County. 15. Franklin County (9-10): The Flyers lost both games last week. Their only regional wins are against Frankfort and Frankfort Christian. 16. Frankfort (11-10): The Panthers went 1-2 on the week. Their four regional wins have come against Model, Lafayette and Frankfort Christian twice. 17. Model (8-12): The Patriots were 1-2 last week. They have no regional wins. 18. Frankfort Christian (10-14): The Royals finished the week with a 2-2 record, including a 12-point win over Berea, its first against a regional opponent. 19. Berea (8-15): The Pirates went 1-1 for the week. No regional wins.

16th Region Week 9 Review Just one change in the weekly rankings with Greenup County and Fairfield switching spots just outside the top 10. Greenup County moves up to No. 11 on a knife's edge after defeating Fairview by just one at home in overtime. Elsewhere, Ashland Blazer remains on top. Boyd County stays at No. 2. Tough-scheduling Fleming County and streaking Russell remain stubbornly tied at No. 3. As stated previously, there are not many regional teams with a lot of wins against successful Kentucky teams. Let's take a glance at that this week while updating looks at regional and district records and seeing who's hot and who's not. Regional Rankings: 1. Ashland Blazer (14-8): The Tomcats finished the week 1-1, beating Fairview 77-55 and losing to Covington Catholic, 83-57. Check out the team scoring against Fairview: Rheyce Deboard 18, Zander Carter 17, Asher Adkins 16, Tucker Conway 15. They had a more difficult time moving the ball against mighty CovCath. The four-time defending regional champions are 6-0 against regional teams, including a nine-point win at Boyd County and a 22-point win versus Fleming County. They are 3-0 versus 64th District opponents. They are 2-2 after a five-game winning streak with seven wins in nine games. They have beaten eight Kentucky teams with winning records, and had the guts to schedule Simon Kenton in the first round of their own tournament (they lost to the Pioneers). Three of their losses have come against some of the best in the state: CovCath, George Rogers Clark and Great Crossing, so they have not shied away from tough challenges. 2. Boyd County (15-4): The Lions went 2-0 for the week. They enjoyed an 87-61 win against Johnson Central with 40 points from Jacob Spurlock, and routed West Carter 101-50 with 23 from Spurlock. It was their fourth 100-point game of the season. The Lions have won four straight games after losing three of four. They have eight wins against state teams with winning records including quality wins against Pikeville, Eastern, Lawrence County and Campbell County. But they haven't played a lot locally as of yet. They are 4-1 against the region, the only loss coming against Ashland. They are 1-1 vs. the 64th District, the only loss to Ashland. They have a big game Tuesday at home vs. Russell. They are not scheduled to play Fleming County. 3. Fleming County (15-8): The Panthers went 2-0 with a 77-71 win against Montgomery County and a 35-29 defensive struggle against Rowan County. They now have six wins against Kentucky teams with winning records. They are 9-2 vs. the region and 4-1 vs. 61st District foes. They still don't have a loss to a bad team. Other previous results: Two losses to Mason County, one of them by five, and losses to Owensboro Catholic, Butler, Highlands, Ashland Blazer and Bath County. They beat Russell by 21 at home earlier this season. Have won eight of 10. 4. Russell (19-3): The Red Devils just keep on winning with a sixth straight unbeaten week on the strength of victories over 14-10 Lawrence County by 13 and Lewis County by four. The Lawrence County win is fine. They need to be beating Lewis County by a lot more than four points, but Lewis County seems to be playing them tough of late despite usually coming out on the losing end. Damon Charles had 24 points and 17 rebounds against Lawrence County. Gavin Carter had 22 against Lewis County but Charles took just four shots and scored one point. Charles did have 11 rebounds against Lewis County, showing he can help even when smothered by opposing defenses when he has the ball. The Red Devils are now 14-1 vs. the region, the loss coming against Fleming County. They have definitely taken care of the lower teams in the rankings. Three of their regional wins have come against West Carter, two against Lewis County. They have one each vs. Rose Hill Christian, Elliott County, Menifee County and Greenup County. They have also beaten teams just below them in the rankings: Morgan County, Bath County, East Carter and Raceland. I've emphasized that they haven't played as tough a schedule as Fleming County. However, they are 5-0 vs. the 63rd District and have six wins against Kentucky teams with winning records. 5. Morgan County (15-6): The Cougars had a 2-1 week with wins against Elliott County and Greenup County. Gatlin Griffith scored 26 points against Elliott County. They are 5-2 against the region including a 27-point win against Bath County, one of three wins against state teams with a winning record (also Magoffin County and Estill County). After a 4-4 stretch, they have won three of their last four games. 6. Rowan County (11-10): The Vikings went 1-1 last week, beating Menifee County and losing to Fleming County. They have won five of their last seven games but their only wins against state teams with winning records outside the region came against Montgomery County and Somerset. Moved to 7-4 vs. the region with wins against Bath County and East Carter for a total of four wins vs. winning KY teams. They are 3-2 vs. the 61st District. 7. Bath County (13-8): Finished the week 2-1 highlighted by a win vs. Menifee County. They lost to 11-11 Paris despite 36 points from Zack Otis. Beat Fleming County and East Carter very early in the season but has just one win against a Kentucky team with a winning record since Dec. 13 (Estill County). They have won three of four games but they are 5-7 since the 8-1 start. They are 7-5 against the region, 3-2 vs. 61st District foes. 8. East Carter (12-8): A 1-1 week for the Raiders with a win vs. West Carter. They are 6-2 over the last eight games but have just two wins against Kentucky teams with winning records (Bethlehem, Morgan County). They are 9-4 vs. the region and 4-0 against 62nd District opponents. 9. Raceland (11-10): The Rams went 1-1, beating West Carter. They are 1-5 over their last six games. They are 7-6 in the region with two wins each against Elliott County and Fairview, and 0-3 vs. the 63rd District. They have also beaten Menifee County and Rose Hill Christian but no wins vs. a Kentucky team with a winning record. 10. Menifee County (8-14): The Wildcats finished 1-2 for the week with a win vs. Fairview, snapping a five-game losing streak. The only victory against a Kentucky team with a winning record is vs. Raceland. They are 5-8 against the region and winless against the 61st District. 11. Greenup County (8-13): The Musketeers had a 1-1 week with a win against Fairview and a two-point loss to Morgan County, snapping a five-game winning streak. They are 5-6 vs. the region with other wins against Elliott County, West Carter, Lewis County and Menifee County, and 1-1 vs. 63rd District foes. But no wins vs. winning state teams. 12. Fairview (10-12): The Eagles finished 0-3 for the week including a loss to Greenup County while extending their losing streak to five. They dropped to 5-9 against the region. They are 1-3 vs. the 64th District. Still no wins against a KY team with a winning record. They have also beaten West Carter. 13. West Carter (4-16): The Comets went 0-3. They are 2-14 in the region with wins vs. Elliott County and Rose Hill Christian, and 1-3 vs. the 62nd District. They have lost nine of their last 11. No wins against a winning team. 14. Lewis County (4-14): The Lions went 1-2. They are 4-7 vs. the region with two wins against Elliott County and one against Rose Hill Christian, and 1-3 vs. 63rd District foes. They have lost eight of their last 10. The only win against a state team with a winning record is against Raceland. Nobody below them here has a win against a winning team. 15. Elliott County (2-19): The Lions finished 0-2 for the week, extending the losing streak to 13. They are 0-13 against the region and 0-4 vs. the 62nd District. 16. Rose Hill Christian (4-16): The Royals went 0-3. The losing streak stands at five. They are 0-7 in the region.

2nd Region Week 9 Review The region continues to solidify its order. There are no changes to the rankings but there could be a big change this week as co-leaders Lyon County and University Heights face off in a rematch Tuesday at Lyon County. The rankings hierarchy has distinct tiers: A clear top two within a clear top five within a pretty solid top seven. There seems to be a chasm between No. 7 Webster County and No. 8 Hopkins County Central. Teams ranked 8-11 are closely bunched. The bottom four seem pretty entrenched although it surely hasn't been pretty. Regional Rankings: 1. Lyon County (17-5) The defending regional tournament champion won its only game last week, beating Hopkinsville, 77-66. The Lyons have won eight of their last 10 games. They are 9-1 versus regional competition and 5-0 against the Fifth District. Boast wins over Mason County, Ballard, Ohio County, South Warren, Harlan County, Covington Holy Cross, LaRue County and North Laurel. They have been tested. 1. University Heights (12-8): The 2021 regional champions went 1-2 for the week. They began the week with their second loss of the season to McCracken County. They beat Raceland, 69-35, in the first round of the All "A" Classic state tournament but were eliminated by Owensboro Catholic, 61-60, in triple-overtime. They have wins against Lyon County, Henderson County and Murray. Their two regional losses have come by one at Madisonville-North Hopkins and by two at Christian County. Other losses came against Bowling Green, Owensboro and Ohio County. 3. Henderson County (15-7): The Colonels went 1-1 for the week, losing to Webster County and beating Union County with 26 points from Cooper Davenport. Henderson County beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by 21 on the road in December and are 5-2 in regional action, with a win against Christian County and losses to Webster and University Heights. They beat Calloway County and Ohio County outside the region. 4. Madisonville-North Hopkins (16-7): The Maroons got back on the winning track with a 2-0 week, beating Owensboro 64-63 with 32 points from TaMarcus Eaves, and routing Caldwell County, 86-35. They boast wins over University Heights, Christian County, Hopkins County Central, Hopkinsville and Webster County. They are 9-3 against the region. 5. Christian County (12-9): The Colonels won their only game, beating Fort Campbell. They are 5-3 against regional opponents. They have a nice win against University Heights and they have beaten Oldham County. Their in-state losses have come against the likes of Lyon County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Paducah Tilghman and Bowling Green. They have beaten Hopkinsville twice. 6. Hopkinsville (8-14): The Tigers went 1-2 with a win against Fort Campbell and losses to Lyon County and Owensboro. Antonio Williams scored 23 points against Lyon County. Beat Owensboro earlier in the season. Also beat Webster County by 10. Beat Madisonville-North Hopkins in a season split by 15. The record is somewhat deceiving. They have a lot of tough losses with defeats of 11 points or fewer against Lyon County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Ohio County, Henderson County and McCracken County. They also lost to Murray, Warren Central, DeSales and Bowling Green twice. Just 4-5 against the region though. 7. Webster County (12-9): A 3-0 week for the Trojans with wins over Henderson County, Hopkins County Central and Daviess County. Micah Austin scored 27 against Hopkins County Central. They beat Crittenden County and Trigg County earlier in the season as well. They are 7-4 against regional foes. 8. Hopkins County Central (11-11): The Storm had a 2-2 week with victories against Livingston Central and Dawson Springs and losses to Webster County and McCracken County. They are 6-4 against the region including wins against Trigg County and Union County. 9. Crittenden County (11-11): The Rockets went 1-1, losing by 13 to Union County and beating Hickman County. Travis Champion scored 35 points against Union County They have a previous win over Union County. They are 6-5 vs. the region. 10. Trigg County (9-12): The Wildcats went 0-2 with losses to Apollo and Carlisle. Beat Union County by 16 earlier in the season. They are 3-7 vs. the region. 11. Union County (10-10): The Braves finished 2-1 for the week, beating Crittenden County and Graves County and losing to Henderson County. Kristopher Hughes had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds against Crittendon. In a statistical oddity, they beat Livington Central by 16 points twice this season. They are 7-6 vs. the region. 12. Livingston Central (5-15): The Cardinals went 0-2 with losses to Hopkins County Central and St. Mary, extending their losing streak to seven. They have defeated Dawson Springs, Caldwell County and Fort Campbell. They are 4-10 vs. the region. 13. Dawson Springs (8-15): Lost its only game to Hopkins County Central. Beat Caldwell County by two in an earlier meeting and has beaten Fort Campbell three times. They are 5-10 vs. the region. 14. Caldwell County (4-14): The Tigers lost their only game vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins. They beat Fort Campbell by one earlier in the season. They are 3-10 vs. the region. 15. Fort Campbell (4-14): The Falcons went 0-2 last week. They are 0-8 vs. the region.