Basketball Jones

I was late on the Jeff Beck tip but once I started listening to him I learned to love him. His records didn't seem as popular as other so-called guitar gods of that time but the feedback and distortion were mind melding on records I heard and I eventually found out that he made all kinds of music. When I first heard Freeway Jam, years after it was recorded, my mind was blown. I immediately went out and bought Blow By Blow. I also liked There & Back, a mellower album that also had a lot of instrumental stuff that's good to daydream to and good to read to. There is a really underrated song on it called The Pump, which I find quite hypnotic. Beck was really good but the guitar player I really like from that long-ago period is Robin Trower.

6th Region Week 7 Review Western remains perched atop the rankings ahead of Evangel Christian, despite Western's loss to Male last week and Evangel Christian's current 10-game winning streak. Strength of schedule does it for Western even though Evangel Christian has the superior KHSAA RPI: .660 to .622. In fact, the top 11 in the rankings remain the same as most of last week's action came at the Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament, which hosted 12 teams from the region. Bullitt East and Doss make incremental moves just outside the top 10. Western, Evangel Christian, Butler and DeSales have yet to lose to a regional foe. Pleasure Ridge Park is 6-1 versus the region and Fern Creek is 4-1. Jeffersontown is 2-2 against the region. Everybody else has at least three regional losses. The best teams with at least three losses against the region according to KHSAA RPI are Fairdale, Holy Cross, Beth Haven and Iroquois, in that order. But they are not ranked in that order here. Regional Rankings: 1. Western (14-4): The Warriors finished 2-1 at the Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament, beating Fairdale, 56-48, and Trinity, 48-42, and losing to surging Male, 69-56, in the semifinals for just their second loss to a Kentucky team. Julius Edmonds posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Fairdale. Josiah Lawson led with 13 points against Trinity. Western is 5-0 against regional competition and 2-0 versus the 22nd District. 2. Evangel Christian (15-2): The Eagles won their only game of the week, beating Elizabethtown, 73-64, at the RDT Construction New Year's Classic to push their winning streak to 10. They are 5-0 vs. the region and 3-0 against the 23rd District. They have beaten Pleasure Ridge Park. 3. Pleasure Ridge Park (12-3): The Panthers went 1-1 at the Louisville Invitational Tournament. They beat Southern, 92-71, but lost to Central, 59-57. Malachi Hamilton led the team with 17 points and six rebounds vs. Central. PRP is 6-1 against the region and 2-0 vs. the 21st District. 4. Butler (13-5): The Bears went 1-1 at the Louisville Invitational Tournament, losing to Male, 55-49, and beating Seneca by 35. Dayton Williams scored a team-high 12 points against Male. Markel Meriweather scored 15 points against Seneca. Butler is 3-0 vs. the region. 5. DeSales (11-6): The Colts beat Calloway County, 59-52, in their only game of the week at the Kentucky 2A Championship. Crew Gibson had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Brady Cummins led with 14 points. They are 1-0 against regional foes, the win coming against Iroquois. 6. Iroquois (12-7): The Raiders went 1-2 at the Louisville Invitational Tournament, beating Southern and losing to Trinity and Bullitt East. Jordan Williamson scored 22 points against Southern. Iroquois has beaten Holy Cross 7. Holy Cross (13-6): The Cougars went 1-2, losing to Kentucky Country Day and Bullitt at the Louisville Invitational Tournament and downing Moore with 23 points from all-time leading scorer Jacob Hand. Holy Cross is 4-4 vs. the region. 8. Fern Creek (6-9): The Tigers went 1-2 at the Louisville Invitational Tournament, losing to Central and Doss and defeating Atherton. 9. Fairdale (11-6): The Bulldogs went 2-1 at the Louisville Invitational Tournament with victories against Atherton and Beth Haven and a loss to Western. Dalton Hicks scored 20 versus Beth Haven. Fairdale is 4-3 vs. the region and 3-1 vs. the 21st District. 10. Beth Haven (13-5): The Bearcats went 2-2 last week, losing to Moore and Fairdale and beating North Bullitt and Portland Christian. Jordan Harris scored 28 points vs. North Bullitt and 30 vs. Portland Christian and averaged 21.5 ppg. for the week. 10. Jeffersontown (6-7): The Chargers split a pair of games at the L.I.T., beating Bullitt East and losing to DuPont Manual. Brenton Moore had 24 points vs. Bullitt East. 12. Bullitt East (6-11): The Chargers went 2-1 at the L.I.T., losing to Jeffersontown but defeating Lou. Holy Cross and Iroquois. 13. Doss (4-15): The Dragons went 2-1 with a loss to Male and wins versus Fern Creek and Moore, all at the L.I.T. 14. Moore (7-10): The Mustangs went 1-3 for the week, beating Beth Haven and losing to Ballard and Doss at the L.I.T., then losing to Lou. Holy Cross. They have beaten North Bullitt. 15. North Bullitt (9-8): The Eagles lost both games at the L.I.T., dropping contests against Seneca and Beth Haven. North Bullitt is 1-4 vs. the region, the win coming in a split of two games vs. Bullitt Central. The Eagles have beaten just two in-state teams with winning records. 16. Southern (6-12): The Trojans went 1-2 at the L.I.T., beating Atherton and losing to Iroquois and Pleasure Ridge Park. Southern has a win vs. Iroquois and Bullitt Central, the win against Iroquois the only one against a Kentucky team with a winning record. 17. Bullitt Central (2-13): The Cougars went 1-1 last week, losing to Frankfort and beating John Hardin. Bullitt Central beat North Bullitt by 15 on the road earlier in the season but it's the only regional win in four games. 18. Valley (0-11): The winless Vikings were idle last week. They are 0-6 vs. the region. 19. Whitefield Academy (3-12): Played once and lost to Frankfort Christian at home. Has not played a regional opponent.

It was LexCath's fifth game in seven days.

11th Region Week 7 Review A pretty solid top eight is taking shape in the region, which is paced by two of the best teams in Kentucky. Part of me has wanted to anoint Lexington Catholic as a new No. 1, and Frederick Douglass probably deserves more love than I'm giving. Even so, there are no changes to the top four and the bottom six in the rankings. Movement occurs in between. The highlights: Frederick Douglass and Madison Southern are now tied for fifth, Sayre moves into the top 10 up to eighth, and Scott County and Western Hills are also in the top 10. Among individuals, Reece Potter, who is verbally committed to Miami University, had a nice week for Lexington Catholic and Saxton Howard excelled for Lexington Christian. Madison Central continues to get solid performances from several players after losing a key member of the team. Frederick Douglas also is benefitting from the efforts of several quality players. Regional Rankings: 1. Great Crossing (15-3): The Warhawks played once and beat Madison Central, 64-53, at home. Vince Dawson led the way with 18 points. Malachi Moreno had a team-best 13 rebounds. They have won 14 of their last 16 games. Their losses came against state powers Covington Catholic, Warren Central and George Rogers Clark. They have a win against George Rogers Clark and have also beaten Ashland Blazer and Lyon County. They are 6-0 against the region and 3-0 versus the 41st District. The Knights probably deserve the top spot but Great Crossing is here because I think Great Crossing can beat Lexington Catholic head-to-head. If LexCath proves me wrong and beats Great Crossing later this month while not losing to anybody, LexCath goes straight to No. 1. 2. Lexington Catholic (19-1): The Knights played five games in seven days and went 4-1 with the loss coming in the fifth game against Mason County, 40-39, at the Kentucky 2A Championship. They ran their winning streak to 19 straight with wins against Bourbon County, Harrison County, Franklin-Simpson and Calloway County. Reece Potter had 22 points and nine rebounds against Bourbon County. Potter and John Reinhart scored 17 each against Harrison County. Potter scored 18 and Hudson Sparks had 17 vs. Franklin Simpson. Tyler Doyle scored 18 against Calloway County. The Knights are 5-0 against the region and 4-0 vs. the 43rd District. The Knights play Great Crossing Jan. 28 at Franklin County's Gary Moore Classic. They have never met in Great Crossing's four years with a basketball program. 3. Madison Central (9-8): The Indians, who have a 17-point win against once-beaten Warren Central but lost their starting point guard Hagan Harrison, went 1-2 last week. They lost to Ashland Blazer by 13 despite 19 points from Robby Todd and lost to Great Crossing by 11 despite 20 from Jayden West. They beat Wayne County with 23 points from Jaylen Davis at the 11th vs. 12th Region Classic. They are 6-1 against the region, 1-0 vs. the 44th District, and 4-2 since Harrison left the team, giving some confidence to keep them at No. 3 even though they can't be better without Harrison. That said, the losses are piling up and they could easily fall in the rankings with a bad week. 4. Henry Clay (9-8): The Blue Devils lost at Scott County by nine and beat Paul Laurence Dunbar and Bryan Station in a pair of close games. Ten of their last 11 games have been decided by nine points or fewer. Henry Clay's first six losses came against 12-4 Eastern, 13-4 Harrison County, 12-5 Simon Kenton, 12-5 Lincoln County, 12-5 Sayre and once-beaten McCracken County. The loss to Scott County shakes the confidence here but a win over Frederick Douglass will restore it. They have beaten Conner, Highlands and Butler, but the losses are starting to pile too high. They are 5-3 against the region. 5. Frederick Douglass (14-2): The Broncos pushed their winning streak to 11 with victories against Bryan Station, Scott County and Lafayette. Kai Simpson paced the team with 20 points against Bryan Station. Aveion Chenualt led with 22 versus Scott County. Armelo Boone had a team-high 24 vs. Lafayette. They are 5-2 versus the region and 3-0 against the 42nd District. Henry Clay beat them three times last season, including in the 11th Region tournament final, so they are still not ahead of Henry Clay, who they play Tuesday in their big chance to prove me wrong. Only losses are to regional rankings leaders Great Crossing and Lexington Catholic, but they have beaten just three Kentucky teams with winning records. 5. Madison Southern (12-6): The Eagles finished the week 1-1, with a win against Estill County and a loss to West Jessamine at the 11th vs. 12th Region Classic. Zach Hudson dropped in 29 points and Jay Rose had 22 against Estill County. The Eagles have beaten 12-5 South Laurel and handed Pulaski County one of its two losses but they've played just two games inside the region, going 1-1. 7. Lexington Christian (14-3): The Eagles went 3-0 for the week, beating Berea, then taking down Frankfort Christian and Sayre at the 11th Region All "A" Classic. Saxton Howard scored 21 points against Berea and 23 vs. Frankfort Christian. Connor Martin led the way with 25 against Frankfort Christian. The Eagles have won eight of their last nine games. They are 7-1 against the region, 3-1 vs. the 43rd District but have beaten just two Kentucky teams with winning records. 8. Sayre (12-5): The Spartans went 2-1 at the 11th Region All "A" Classic, beating Model and Frankfort and losing to Lexington Christian. Ian Reesor scored 25 points against Frankfort. The Spartans have beaten Henry Clay and are 5-2 vs. the region. 9. Scott County (8-11): The Cardinals went 2-1 for the week beating Henry Clay, then Mercer County at the 11th vs. 12th Region Classic. They lost to Frederick Douglass. 10. Western Hills (7-8): The Wolverines beat Frankfort for the second time this season in their only game of the week. They have other regional wins versus Sayre and Franklin County. They are 7-3 since the 0-5 start, and 3-1 vs. the 41st District. 11. Frankfort (9-7): The Panthers went 1-2 for the week beating Bullitt Central, losing to Western Hills, and falling to Sayre at the 11th Region All "A" Classic. Beat Lafayette but hasn't beaten a Kentucky team with a winning record. They are 4-5 since the 5-2 start. 12. Bryan Station (4-13): The Defenders finished 0-2 for the week, losing to Frederick Douglass and Henry Clay, extending their losing streak to nine. They have just two regional wins, against Western Hills and Lafayette. Another win was a 17-point victory against 12-5 Letcher County Central, which is second in RPI in the 14th District. 13. Paul Laurence Dunbar (6-11): The Bulldogs went 1-2 with a win against Tates Creek and losses to Henry Clay and Central. Nick Spalding scored 22 points in the victory The Bulldogs have just one other win against a regional foe and that came against Brian Station in the season opener. They have not beaten a Kentucky team with a winning record. 14. Tates Creek (6-9): Lost to Paul Laurence Dunbar in the only game of the week. Has lost four of five and hasn't beaten a state team with a winning record. 15. Lafayette 6-12): The Generals split two games, beating Wayne County and losing to Frederick Douglass. Lafayette's only regional win in nine games came against Franklin County. 16. Franklin County (7-7): The Flyers were idle last week. Their only regional win in six games came against Frankfort Christian. 17. Model (5-9): The Patriots lost their only game against Sayre at the 11th Region All "A" Classic. They are 0-3 against the region. 18. Frankfort Christian (7-12): The Royals went 2-2 during a busy week. They went 1-1 at the 11th Region All "A" Classic with a win against Trinity Christian and a loss to Lexington Christian. They followed with a win vs. Whitefield Academy and a loss to Casey County. They are 0-4 against the region. 19. Berea (6-13): The Pirates finished 0-2 last week, losing to Lexington Christian and Adair County. Berea has yet to play a regional game.

2nd Region Week 7 Review The region has developed a clear top five. Now, what to do with those five. University Heights upset the apple cart by upsetting Lyon County, the region's defending champion and top-ranked team, at the Second Region All "A" Classic Tournament. The Blazers had not beaten the Lyons since 2020 and entered play ranked tied for fourth in the region with losses to a pair of teams (Christian County and Madisonville-North Hopkins) that were between them and Lyon County in the rankings. University Heights is 5-2 against the region; Lyon County 6-1. Henderson County (4-1) is the only other team with fewer than one loss against regional competition, but that loss came against University Heights. University Heights and Hopkins County Central have two regional losses. Everybody else has three or more. University Heights might be better than we think. The Blazers now have victories against the top two teams in last week's rankings (No. 1 Lyon County, No. 2 Henderson County). No other regional team can say that. Their six losses to teams with a 78-28 combined record have come by an average of eight points. Their nine wins have come by an average of 25 points. The big question is this: Is University Heights worthy of the top spot with very narrow road losses to Madisonville-North Hopkins (by one point) and Christian County (by two points)? Also, if I put University Heights ahead of Lyon County because of the head-to-head advantage, should I put Madisonville-North Hopkins and Christian County ahead of University Heights using the same logic, even though Lyon County has beaten Christian County, and Madisonville-North Hopkins' only regional loss is to Henderson County? Both Lyon County and University Heights have good arguments for No. 1, so let's put them both there, for now. Regional Rankings: 1. Lyon County (14-5) The Lyons went 0-1 for the week, which can be counted as a disappointment. They were eliminated by University Heights, 74-64, in the first round of the Second Region All "A" Classic Tournament. The Lyons were defending regional and state All "A" Classic champions. That two high-quality teams like Lyon County and University Heights were meeting in the first round of a tournament while Dawson Springs played Fort Campbell in another opening-round game in an event that produced a 4-10 Heritage Christian squad as a finalist is fairly preposterous. Anyway, the Lyons have now gone 5-4 in the last nine games after a 9-1 start. Brady Shoulders, a recently minted 1,000-point scorer, led Lyon County with 28 points against University Heights. He's averaging 19.1 ppg on the season. Travis Perry scored 21, padding the second-highest point total in state history. Perry is averaging 30.3 ppg. 1. University Heights (9-6): The Blazers won the Second Region All "A" Classic, going 3-0 with wins over Lyon County, Crittenden County and Heritage Christian in the final. Lemar Northington scored a team-high 19 points for the Blazers and Quinton Quarles added 10 in the 72-35 rout of Heritage. University Heights, making its 26th state small-school tournament appearance, plays 16th Region champ Raceland in an All "A" Classic first-round contest Jan. 26 at Eastern Kentucky University. The Blazers will be well-tested. They have also beaten Murray and Henderson County. Their six losses have come against regional mates Madisonville-North Hopkins and Christian County plus McCracken County, Bowling Green, Owensboro and Ohio County. 3. Henderson County (12-5): The Colonels defeated Christian County, 54-49, with 17 points from Gerard Thomas, and beat North Hardin, 66-48, at the RDT Construction New Year's Classic at Central Hardin. Thomas is averaging 18.7 ppg. The Colonels have won four games in a row and eight of their last nine. Henderson County beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by 21 on the road in Dec and are 4-1 in regional action, with the lone loss to University Heights. 4. Madisonville-North Hopkins (14-4): The Maroons finished 1-1 for the week with a 65-35 win over Union County and a 61-37 loss to Evansville Reitz (IN) at the Banterra Bank Warrior Showcase in Indiana. Madisonville-North Hopkins has beaten University Heights, Christian County and Hopkins County Central. A home loss to Henderson County is their only regional defeat in nine games. 5. Christian County (10-8): The Colonels went 2-1 for the week. They lost by five to Henderson County despite another double-double, this one for 23 points and 10 rebounds, from Derrell Bateman. They defeated a pair of Indiana squads at the Banterra Bank Warrior Showcase. Bateman leads the team with 17.9 ppg and 10.8 rpg. Christian County has played eight out-of-state teams and has piled up the losses, but the Colonels have beaten University Heights and Hopkinsville. Their in-state losses have come against the likes of Lyon County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Paducah Tilghman and Bowling Green. 6. Hopkinsville (6-11): The Tigers put up some big numbers while going 1-2 for the week. They lost in a rout to Warren Central and split two games against Indiana teams at the Banterra Bank Warrior Showcase. Antonio Williams had a monster double-double of 17 points and 16 rebounds against Warren Central. KeiMarion Smith led with 18 points. Williams scored 32 and added 17 rebounds in a 99-59 win against Evansville Bosse (IN), stopping a four-game losing streak. Williams is averaging 20.2 ppg and 11 rpg. DeTravious Leavell scored a team-high 26 points, double his scoring average, in a loss against Castle (IN). Beat Owensboro earlier in the season and also beat Webster County. Have losses of 11 points or fewer against Madisonville-North Hopkins, Ohio County, Henderson County and McCracken County. 7. Webster County (7-8): The Trojans beat Trigg County in their only game. They beat Crittenden County by 25 in December but have only three wins against state teams with winning records. 8. Hopkins County Central (7-8): The Storm lost to Apollo in their only contest. They have wins against Trigg County and Union County. 9. Crittenden County (7-10): The Rockets went 1-2 with a win against Caldwell County and a loss to University Heights at the Second Region All "A" Classic. They also lost to Trinity (Whitesville). They have beaten Trigg County. 10. Trigg County (9-8): The Wildcats lost to Webster County in the only game of the week. Beat Union County by 16 earlier in the season. 11. Union County (7-8): The Braves lost to Madisonville-North Hopkins in their lone game. They have beaten Livingston Central. 12. Livingston Central (5-10): The Cardinals lost to Heritage Christian in the only game of the week. They have defeated Dawson Springs, Caldwell County and Fort Campbell. 13. Dawson Springs (6-13): Went 1-1 with a win against Fort Campbell and an overtime loss to Heritage Christian at the Second Region All "A" Classic. Has beaten Caldwell County and Fort Campbell. 14. Caldwell County (3-10): The Tigers fell in their only contest, losing to Crittenden County at the Second Region All "A" Classic. Beat Fort Campbell by one earlier in the season. 15. Fort Campbell (3-10): The Falcons lost their only game of the week to Dawson Springs at the Second Region All "A" Classic.

16th Region Week 7 Review Ashland Blazer is now the only unbeaten team against regional competition after Morgan County lost to Russell and East Carter. Ashland Blazer, Boyd County and Russell are the only teams with fewer than two losses against other regional teams. Ashland Blazer and Russell ended the week riding winning streaks. Morgan County and Fleming County are sitting on two regional losses each. Everybody else has three or more. Four teams, Ashland Blazer (2-0 in the 64th), Russell (3-0 in the 63rd), East Carter (2-0 in the 62nd) and Bath County (2-0 in the 61st) remain unbeaten against district opponents. Among the better individual performances, Rheyce Deboard had a nice week for Ashland Blazer. There are no changes to the top seven, but East Carter and Menifee County switched spots in the back half of the top 10, giving East Carter the biggest ascending move of the week. Regional Rankings: 1. Ashland Blazer (12-6): The Tomcats went 3-0 for the week with home wins against Madison Central (81-68) and Bath County (70-56) and a rout of Raceland. Rheyce Deboard scored a team-high 34 points against Mad Central and had 24 against Bath County. The four-time defending regional champs have won five straight games. They are 5-0 against regional teams, including a nine-point win at Boyd County. 2. Boyd County (11-4): The Lions dropped their only game of the week, losing 81-77 at Letcher County Central. They could have been a little rusty after a 12-day layoff. Nevertheless, they have lost three of four after their 10-1 start. 3. Fleming County (11-7): The Panthers went 2-0 with victories over Rowan County and Augusta and improved to 6-2 in the region. The win against Augusta was just their second against a team with a winning record (they also beat Russell). However, they don't have a loss to a mediocre team. Other previous results: Two losses to Mason County, one of them by just five points, and losses to once-beaten Owensboro Catholic, Butler, Highlands, Ashland Blazer and Bath County. They beat Russell by five on the road last season and by 21 at home this season. 3. Russell (15-3): A fourth straight unbeaten week for the Red Devils, who went 2-0 with victories against Morgan County and Greenup County. Damon Charles scored 22 points against Morgan County and 18 vs. Greenup County. Russell has won 10 games in a row. The Red Devils are 11-1 vs. the region, the lone loss to Fleming County in December. Three of those regional wins have come against West Carter. Beat Bath County by nine Dec. 8 and has also beaten Raceland and East Carter but has not played as tough a schedule as Fleming County. 5. Morgan County (12-4): The Cougars were 1-2 for the week beating Powell County by 16 and losing to Russell by six and East Carter by seven. Preston Hoskins scored 22 in the win. They are 3-2 against the region including a 27-point win against Bath County. 6. Bath County (10-5): The Wildcats lost by 14 at Ashland Blazer and beat East Carter by one. Lost to Russell by nine earlier in the season and beat Fleming County by one in OT. They are 6-3 against the region. 7. Rowan County (7-9): The Vikings snapped a four-game losing streak with a 1-1 week that featured a road win against Lewis County. They lost at home to Fleming County and are 4-3 vs. the region. Still giving them the benefit of the doubt over Raceland because of a 46-20 win vs. Raceland in last year's 16th Region tournament. Beat Menifee County by 21 earlier in the season and beat East Carter by seven 8. East Carter (9-7): The Raiders beat Greenup County by 10 and Morgan County by seven at home and lost to Bath County by just one on the road. They have won three of their last four games and are 6-4 vs. the region but have beaten just two teams with winning records (Morgan County and Bethlehem). 9. Raceland (10-6): The Rams defeated Fairview with 20 points and nine rebounds from Conner Thacker and beat Menifee County by four in OT at the 16th Region All "A" Classic. They were routed by Ashland Blazer. Johnson Central is the only Kentucky team with a winning record that they have beaten, but they are 6-3 against the region. They've only played one district game and lost it. 10. Menifee County (7-10): The Wildcats finished 1-1 while hosting the 16th Region All "A" Classic and have dropped nine of their last 14 games. They beat West Carter with 21 points from Brevon Ricker but lost to Raceland in overtime with 23 from Ricker. They are 4-4 vs. the region with an earlier win against Raceland and 0-3 against the district 11. Fairview (7-8): The Eagles lost to Raceland for the second time this season at the 16th Region All "A" Classic and beat Rose Hill Christian. 12. Lewis County (3-13): The Lions were winless for the second week in a row, going 0-3 against Rowan County, Augusta and Lawrence County. They have lost five straight. 13. West Carter (3-10): The Comets lost to Menifee County by seven at the 16th Region All "A" Classic. 14. Greenup County (3-12): The Musketeers have dropped six straight after losing to East Carter and Russell. 15. Elliott County (2-13): The Lions lost to Powell County and Belfry, pushing their losing streak to seven. Still looking for their first win in eight games against another team from the region. 16. Rose Hill Christian (3-11): The Royals went 1-1 with a win over Covenant (WV) and a loss to Fairview. They are 0-7 vs. the region.

My heartfelt condolences, man. I think putting a dog down is one of the worst things someone can go through. I think I've cried more for pet loss than I have for lost people. It gets better though when all those wonderful sepia-toned memories crowd out the awful end, especially if you want to get a new dog and it works out!

CovCath usually wins the points-off-turnovers category, sometimes by a lot, but the Colonels had just 9 points off turnovers tonight while Conner had 11. It looks like a big difference was at the free throw line: Conner 25-for-30 for 83.3% CovCath 10-for-15 for 66.7% Conner wins by 6. Conner outscores CovCath by 15 at the line. To win the big games you must get to the free throw line and then you must make them. — Rick Majerus

I can't speak for the whole state but virtually every prep sportswriter in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is somehow using BGP info, polls and rankings -- statewide and regional -- for KY research. Take my word for it.

St. Henry 61, Newport Central Catholic 57 Coach Dave Faust notched career win No. 457 tonight. He needs three wins to tie Ken Shields and four to pass him for most all-time in Ninth Region history. The Dave Faust Wins Countdown To Pass Ken Shields (updated) 451 start of season 452 beat Cooper, 53-50 453 beat Conner, 71-61 454 beat Villa Madonna, 81-36 455 beat Ludlow, 86-49 456 beat Scott, 78-69 457 beat Newport Central Catholic, 61-57 458 459 Record: Ken Shields 460 461 Next St. Henry game: Jan. 13 vs. Newport or Beechwood 6 p.m. at Beechwood at the Ninth Region All "A" Classic.

11th Region Week 6 Review Great Crossing, Lexington Catholic and Madison Central are the only teams still unbeaten against regional competition. All three remain in the top five although point guard Hagan Harrison's sudden departure from the Madison Central team following his transfer there may affect the Indians in the long run However, they won their first three games without him in the lineup. In fact. I'm moving them up to No. 3. because they beat defending regional champion Henry Clay and Montgomery County last week without Harrison. It seems counterintuitive to move Frederick Douglass down one spot in the midst of a nice winning streak but I just have a feeling about Mad Central and I'm not ready to say Frederick Douglass is better than Henry Clay, based on recency bias. Overall, this is a solid top seven but it's a crapshoot after that. Regional rankings: 1. Great Crossing (14-3): The Warhawks went 2-1 with easy wins against Franklin County and Scott County and a tough 52-51 loss to George Rogers Clark after beating Clark by two in overtime earlier in the season. Malachi Moreno had 14 points and 14 rebounds against Franklin County. They have won five of their last six games and 13 of 15. Their other losses came against state powers Covington Catholic and Warren Central. They are 5-0 against the region. 2. Lexington Catholic (15-1): The Knights have won 15 games in a row after a 2-0 week in which they downed Lexington Christian, 67-66, and Male, 69-55 at the Second Chance Shootout. Reece Potter scored 28 points against Lexington Christian. Their only defeat was a loss to a 9-7 North Laurel squad that has lost seven of its last 11 games. Lexington Catholic is 5-0 against the region. The Knights play Great Crossing Jan. 28 at Franklin County's Gary Moore Classic. They have never met in Great Crossing's four years with a basketball program. Get your tickets. 3. Madison Central (8-6): The Indians, who have a 17-point win against once-beaten Warren Central, went 3-0 with wins against Paul Laurence Dunbar, Montgomery County and Henry Clay. Jaylen Davis scored 30 points against Montgomery County and had 22 against Henry Clay. That is a good week for a team that's down one very important player. They are 6-0 against the region but Hagan Harrison (17.6 ppg) will be missed if he ends up not returning. 4. Henry Clay (7-7): The Blue Devils dropped to .500 with two regional losses, pushing their losing streak to four. They lost to regional mates Sayre by six and Madison Central by two. Mason Hawkins scored 26 against Sayre. Henry Clay's other losses have come against 11-3 Eastern, 11-2 Harrison County, 11-4 Simon Kenton, 10-5 Lincoln County and unbeaten McCracken County. They have beaten 9-4 Conner, 12-5 Highlands and 12-4 Butler. 5. Frederick Douglass (11-2): The Broncos extended their winning streak to eight games with victories against Tates Creek and Boone County. Kai Simpson scored 22 points against Tates Creek. Henry Clay beat them three times last season, including in the 11th Region tournament final, so they are still behind Henry Clay. Only losses are to regional rankings leaders Great Crossing and Lexington Catholic, but they have beaten just four Kentucky teams with winning records: 10-5 Letcher County Central, 8-7 Garrard County, 11-5 Montgomery County and 13-2 Harlan. Lost to Madison Central by 18 last season. 6. Madison Southern (11-5): The Eagles scored 99 points twice last week and went 3-0 with victories against East Jessamine (99-84), Model, and Thomas Nelson (99-34) at Garrard County's Elleman Contracting Classic. Brett Erslan scored 25 against East Jessamine. Jay Rose had 27 against Thomas Nelson. They have also beaten 11-4 South Laurel and handed 14-2 Pulaski County one of its two losses. 7. Lexington Christian (11-3): The Eagles were 1-1 for the week, losing to Lexington Catholic and beating Paul Laurence Dunbar for the second time. Anderson Green scored 25 against Dunbar. Until this week, all that was keeping them from being unbeaten was a two-point loss to Grant County and a seven-point loss to West Jessamine. 8. Paul Laurence Dunbar (5-9): Winless on the week at 0-3, dropping contests to Madison Central, Lexington Christian, and West Jessamine at George Rogers Clark's Tim Short Automotive Classic. The Bulldogs have just one win against a regional foe and that came against Brian Station in the season opener. 9. Bryan Station (4-11): The Defenders finished the week 0-2 with losses to Simon Kenton and Woodford County. They have just two regional wins, against Western Hills and Lafayette. 10. Western Hills (6-8): The Wolverines beat Franklin County in their only game. They have other regional wins versus Sayre and Frankfort. 11. Sayre (10-4): The Spartans won two road games, beating Henry Clay and Frankfort, extending their winning streak to four. Sayre has few high-quality wins. Their only previous regional victory came against Tates Creek 12. Tates Creek (6-8): Split two home games, losing to Frederick Douglass and beating Lafayette for the second time. Also has a regional win against Franklin County but that's it. Lost to Bryan Station by 24 last season. 13. Scott County (6-10): The Cardinals were 0-2 with losses to Bourbon County and Great Crossing. They have just one regional win, against Lafayette. 14. Frankfort (8-5): The Panthers lost to Sayre and beat Frankfort Christian for the second time. Other regional wins have come against Lafayette and Model. 15. Lafayette (5-10): The Generals lost their only game of the week, dropping a contest against Tates Creek. Lafayette's only regional win in seven games came against Franklin County. 16. Franklin County (7-7): The Flyers dropped to .500 with an 0-3 week with losses to Great Crossing, Western Hills and Grayson County. Their only regional win in six games came against Frankfort Christian. 17. Model (5-8): The Patriots lost both games, falling to the Kentucky home school Christian Educational Consortium and Madison Southern. Model is winless against the region. 18. Frankfort Christian (5-10): The Royals went 1-1 for the week with a win vs. Francis Parker and a loss to Frankfort. They are 0-3 in regional play with two losses to Frankfort and one to Franklin County. 19. Berea (6-11): The Pirates finished 1-2 last week, beating the Richmond, Ky. home school team Wellspring Guardians and losing to Casey County and Buckhorn. Berea has yet to play a regional game.

6th Region Week 6 Review Western remains atop the rankings despite a second straight loss to an out-of-state team. In fact, no changes to the top five despite a thorough reexamination of the rankings. The first change is Iroquois moving up to No. 6 from No. 8 in a leap over Holy Cross and Fern Creek. Everything else is pretty much the same although Moore moves up some in the back half of the rankings. Individually, Holy Cross junior Jacob Hand had a hand in some school history last week. You gotta hand it to this guy for having a handy last name. Regional Rankings: 1. Western (12-3): The Warriors finished 2-1 for the week at the Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans, losing by one to New Orleans Newman and beating New Orleans St. Augustine by eight and Miami Norland (FL) by five. At 4-0, they are one of five teams still unbeaten against regional foes among teams that have played at least one regional contest. They are joined by Evangel Christian (5-0), Fern Creek (4-0), Butler (3-0) and DeSales (1-0). Western's only in-state loss came against top-ranked Warren Central by seven Dec. 10. 2. Evangel Christian (14-2): The Eagles extended their winning streak to nine with their third straight 3-0 week that included wins against Bullitt Central, Shawnee and Lou. Holy Cross. Christian Doerr scored 21 points against Holy Cross. Their two losses have come by a combined six points to a pair of teams with a 21-9 combined record (Walton-Verona and Danville Christian) but they have beaten just five teams with a winning record. They did beat Pleasure Ridge Park by three Dec. 30. 3. Pleasure Ridge Park (11-2): The Panthers won their only game of the week, routing DuPont Manual by 26 with 21 points from Jakob Dixon. Their losses have come against Cincinnati Taft by nine and Evangel Christian by three, so 12 points separate them from an unbeaten season. Though they are 5-1 against regional teams, there are not a lot of quality wins overall, victories over 12-4 Lou. Holy Cross and 8-6 St. Xavier being the most prominent. Those are their only wins against teams with winning records, so they haven't really been tested a lot. But you know what? They have the region's second-best scoring defense (52 ppg) and they've been handling Butler and DeSales head-to-head of late. 4. Butler (12-4): The Bears went 2-0 and pushed their winning streak to four with lopsided victories against Doss and DuPont Manual. Dayton Williams had 17 points versus Doss. Butler is unbeaten against the region but hasn't really been tested a lot either, with three wins overall against winning teams: Kentucky Country Day, Ballard and Fleming County. PRP doesn't quite have a win over an opponent like Ballard. Butler's schedule looks a bit tougher than PRP's. But Butler lost to PRP twice last season, one of them by six in double overtime during the regular season. Butler lost to PRP, 79-45! in the first round of the Sixth Region Tournament, then lost the majority of its starters to graduation. PRP lost to Jeffersontown by eight in last year's regional semifinals and returned three starters. Is it really a slam dunk to say that Butler can make up 34 points on PRP with fewer returning starters than PRP? That's a pretty tall order. Can't wait to find out. Butler was in the regional for the first time since 2020. Butler is 0-2 in regional tournament play since winning the region in 2019. PRP is 2-3 in the tournament in the same span, so PRP during that time has had the strongest, most sustained presence when the chips are down in the regional tournament plus they have won three of their last four games against Butler since the beginning of the 2018-19 season. I'm pretty much of this mind: Until Butler shows me it can beat PRP, PRP will be ahead of Butler in the rankings. But they don't play each other until Feb. 10. That's another month of hair-splitting between these two squads. 5. DeSales (11-5): The Colts went 3-0 for the second week in a row, blasting Nelson County at the Kentucky 2A Championship Sectional Tournaments and beating Iroquois and Bardstown. Crew Gibson had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds vs. Iroquois. They have won six straight games. DeSales' four in-state losses have come against Warren Central, Ballard and Trinity twice. But, as I've said, Desales lost to Butler twice last season and hasn't beaten Butler since January of 2020. That's a factor in the rankings. However, DeSales has played a tougher schedule than Butler and PRP suggesting that the Colts have been tested more. So, they've got that going for them. DeSales and Butler square off Jan. 26 at Butler. It should be noted too that DeSales hasn't beaten PRP since 2016. Though their games have generally been close, PRP has won three straight against DeSales. That's a factor, as well. But they are not scheduled to play this season. Right now, DeSales has stronger wins than PRP but that doesn't necessarily mean DeSales can beat PRP. 6. Iroquois (11-5): The Raiders went 2-1 for the second consecutive week beating WEB DuBois by 48 and Lou. Holy Cross by 18. But they lost at DeSales by seven. Not a lot of quality wins here with just four victories against teams with winning records but boy do they have two great scorers. Jordan Wiliamson (35) and Jamir Ford (33) combined for 68 points in the win over Holy Cross. 7. Holy Cross (12-4): The Cougars were 1-2 for the week, the loss snapping a 10-game winning streak. They beat Beth Haven by nine at the 6th Region All "A" Classic with 25 points from Jacob Hand but lost to Evangel Christian by 19 to get eliminated from tournament play. They also lost to Iroquois at home. Hand became the school's all-time leading scorer against Iroquois, moving past Dominique Mack. 8. Fern Creek (5-7): The Tigers won their only game of the week, beating Bullitt East with 20 points from Camren Trice to stop a six-game losing streak. Fern Creek has a 12-point victory against 12-4 Trinity but it's their only quality win. Their losses have come against the likes of once-beaten Warren Central, 14-3 Bowling Green, 11-2 Harrison County, Male and St. Xavier, so they have been tested more than Fairdale, which lost by 30 to Fern Creek in last season's meeting. 9. Fairdale (9-5): The Bulldogs have won five in a row after a 2-0 week with easy wins against Valley and the Kentucky home school Christian Educational Consortium. Dalton Hicks had 27 points against CEC. Fairdale has beaten Beth Haven by 15 and Jeffersontown and they also beat 10-4 Spencer County. 10. Beth Haven (11-3): The Bearcats lost their only game of the week, falling to Lou. Holy Cross by nine at the 6th Region All "A" Classic. I'm keeping Beth Haven in a tie for 10th with Jeffersontown because I remain underwhelmed by Jeffersontown. But it should be noted that Beth Haven's only regional win in three games is against Valley. Beth Haven also lost to Fairdale and hasn't beaten a team with a winning record. The eight Kentucky teams they have beaten have combined for just 24 wins. 10. Jeffersontown (5-6): The Chargers split a pair of games, losing to Male by six and beating Waggener by 17. They still lack a quality win against a Kentucky team. Their only regional win is against Doss. Their only common opponent with Beth Haven is Fairdale. Fairdale beat Jeffersontown by four in overtime. Fairdale beat Beth Haven by 14. Standing note: I still can't see Beth Haven beating Jeffersontown head-to-head but they remain in a tie for 10th. The recent history: The last time Jeffersontown and Beth Haven played was 2021 and JTown won by 17. JTown was 14-3 vs. the region last season and regional champ. Beth Haven was 2-5 vs. the region with a lot of games against smaller schools outside the region. 12. Southern (5-10): The Trojans halved two games, losing to Eastern and beating the Louisville home school LKY. Southern is 2-3 against the region with a win against Iroquois. 13. Bullitt East (4-10): The Chargers dropped both games, losing to Fern Creek and Ballard. Bullitt East's three in-state wins have come against teams totaling a combined three wins. Bullitt East has just one regional win. 14. Moore (6-7): Played one game and beat North Bullitt, 82-56, on the road for its first regional W. 15. North Bullitt (9-6): The Eagles finished 1-2 with a 26-point home loss to Moore and a win at Bullitt Central. They are 1-3 vs. the region and still need quality wins against Kentucky competition. Five of the Eagles' six in-state wins have come against teams combining for just 15 victories. 16. Doss (2-14): The Dragons went 0-2, losing to Evangel Christian and North Bullitt, and have lost four straight. They've yet to beat a regional opponent in five tries. 17. Bullitt Central (1-12): The Cougars have lost 10 games in a row after dropping both contests last week. They fell to Evangel Christian by 30 and to North Bullitt by seven at home. Bullitt Central beat North Bullitt by 15 on the road earlier in the season but has done little else while going 1-3 vs. the region. 18. Valley (0-10): The winless Vikings lost both games last week, dropping contests against Fairdale and Shawnee. 19. Whitefield Academy (3-11): Played once and lost to Brown at the 7th Region All "A" Classic.

16th Region Week 6 Review Ashland Blazer and Morgan County remain the only unbeaten teams against regional competition, both at 3-0. Russell is now 9-1 against the region. Ashland Blazer stays on top of the rankings despite more than expected losses. The Boyd County Lions remain at No. 2 even though they have cooled off from a hot start. Tough-scheduling Fleming County has moved into a tie at No. 3 with lesser-challenged but red-hot Russell. Surging Morgan County leapfrogs recently reeling Bath County into the No. 5 spot. Menifee County moves into the top 10. Menifee County's Brevon Ricker, Ashland Blazer's Zander Carter, Bath County's Zack Otis, Morgan County's Gatlin Griffith and Fleming County's Seth Hickerson continued to pour in the points. Regional rankings: 1. Ashland Blazer (9-6): The Tomcats went 2-0 for the week with lopsided wins against Johnson Central and Pikeville. Zander Carter scored a team-high 33 points against Johnson Central. He's averaging 24.2 points per game. The four-time defending regional champions have won three of their last four games following a 5-5 stretch that included a nine-point road win against Boyd County. 2. Boyd County (11-3): The Lions lost their lone game of the week, dropping a 67-58 decision against 9-4 Pike County Central at the Kentucky 2A Championship Sectional Tournaments. Jacob Spurlock had 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. They have dropped two of three after the 10-1 start. 3. Fleming County (9-7): The Panthers finished 1-1 for the week. They nabbed an easy win against Rose Hill Christian as Adam Hargett scored 30 points. But they took a second loss of the season against highly ranked Mason County despite 32 points from Seth Hickerson at a Kentucky 2A Section 6 contest. Hickerson is averaging 19 ppg. The Panthers are 5-2 against the region. Other previous results: Lost to once-beaten Owensboro Catholic by 13, beat Russell by 21 and lost to Bath County by one in overtime. Other losses have come against Butler, Highlands and Ashland Blazer. They've been tested. 3. Russell (13-3): Yet another winning week for the Red Devils, who went 2-0 with wins against East Carter and Lewis County. Damon Charles was the only double-digit scorer against East Carter with 17 points. The Red Devils have now won eight straight games. The lone regional loss was to Fleming County by 21 in December. Beat Bath County by nine Dec. 8 but has not played nearly as tough a schedule as Fleming County. 5. Morgan County (9-2): The Cougars absolutely destroyed Bath County, 81-54, behind 34 points from emerging star Gatlin Griffith, who hit nine 3-pointers. And they whacked West Carter, 69-55. Griffith, a transfer from Elliott County, had 19 points in that one. Third on the Cougars with 13.5 ppg, Griffith has led the team in scoring in three straight contests while averaging 26 ppg in that span, nearly double his season average. Morgan County, Ashland, Boyd County and Russell are the only teams in the region with fewer than two losses against other regional teams. 6. Bath County (9-4): The Wildcats snapped a three-game losing streak with a win at Elliott County, thanks in large part to Zack Otis' 17 points. They lost at Morgan County by 27 despite 26 from Otis, averaging 28.7 ppg. Lost to Russell by nine earlier in the season and beat Fleming County by one in OT. They are 5-2 against the region. 7. Rowan County (6-8): The Vikings have lost four straight after an 0-2 week which included losses to Mason County at the Kentucky 2A Championship Sectional Tournaments and Floyd Central. Still giving them the benefit of the doubt over Raceland because of their 46-20 win versus Raceland in last year's first round of the 16th Region tournament. Beat Menifee County by 21 earlier in the season. 8. Menifee County (6-9): The Wildcats finished 1-1 for the week with a win against Raceland and a loss to 9-7 Wolfe County. Brevon Ricker hit 17 of 18 free throws and went off for 40 points against Raceland. Ricker had 25 against Wolfe County and is averaging 25.5 ppg. 9. Raceland (7-5): The Rams lost to Menifee County and played Elliott County on Saturday at the 16th Region All "A" Classic at Menifee County. Raceland hasn't beaten a Kentucky team with a winning record. 10. East Carter (7-6): The Raiders lost to Russell and beat West Carter with 17 points from Evan Goodman. 11. Fairview (6-7): The Eagles went 2-1 with victories vs. Adams County Christian (OH) and Grace Christian (WV), and a loss to Calvary Baptist Academy (WV). They have lost to Raceland. 12. Lewis County (3-10): The Lions went 0-2 with a loss to Montgomery County and another to Russell. 13. West Carter (3-9): Had a 1-2 week with losses to Morgan County and East Carter and a win against Rose Hill Christian at the 16th Region All "A" Classic. 14. Greenup County (3-10): The Musketeers dropped their fourth in a row with a loss to Estill County at a Kentucky 2A Section 6 contest, their only game of the week. 15. Elliott County (2-10): The Lions lost to Bath County and played Raceland Saturday night at the 16th Region All "A" Classic while looking for their first win against another team from the region. 16. Rose Hill Christian (2-10): The Royals were 1-2 for the week with a win against Hannan (WV) and losses to Fleming County, and West Carter at the 16th Region All "A" Classic. They are 0-6 in regional play.

2nd Region Week 6 Review Lyon County continued to get high-scoring performances from Kentucky's second all-time leading scorer Travis Perry and stays at No. 1 while remaining unbeaten against regional competition. With a 2-0 week, Henderson County breaks out of a tie to claim the No. 2 spot alone while dropping previously tied Madisonville-North Hopkins to No. 3. Christian County moves into a tie with University Heights at No. 4. There were some powerful double-doubles around the region including Christian County junior forward Derrell Bateman's fifth in a row. The Travis Perry update will return next week. Regional rankings: 1. Lyon County (14-4) The Lyons went 2-0 with a rout of Livingston Central and a 90-83 win against North Laurel at Lexington Catholic's Second Chance Shootout. Brady Shoulders scored his 1,000th career point versus Livingston Central. Travis Perry, offered a scholarship by the University of Kentucky, dropped in a career-high 45 points against North Laurel with 10-for-16 shooting from 3-point range in an epic showdown against North Laurel's Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard (32 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists). The Lyons remained unbeaten at 6-0 against regional foes and 4-0 in Fifth District play. All other regional teams have at least one loss to another regional team. 2. Henderson County (10-5): The Colonels went 2-0, beating Hopkinsville by 10 on the road and defeating Apollo by 14 at home. Gerard Thomas had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds against Hopkinsville. Henderson County beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by 21 on the road Dec. 9 and are 3-1 in regional action. Other than Lyon County, both Henderson County and Madisonville-North Hopkins are the only other regional teams with fewer than two regional losses. 3. Madisonville-North Hopkins (13-3): The Maroons followed a two-game losing streak with a 2-0 week away from home, smashing Dawson Springs on the road and handling Greenwood at Bowling Green's German American Bank Classic. Madisonville-North Hopkins beat University Heights by just one on Dec. 15 and defeated Hopkins County Central by 11. They have also beaten Christian County. The home loss to Henderson County is their only regional defeat in eight games. 4. Christian County (8-7): The Colonels are back over .500 with a 2-0 week featuring home victories against University Heights and Caldwell County, with a fifth straight double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds from Derrell Bateman vs. Caldwell County. Christian County has beaten Hopkinsville and has four Kentucky losses to this group: Madisonville-North Hopkins, Paducah Tilghman, Lyon County and Bowling Green. 4. University Heights (6-6): The Blazers split two games, losing at Christian County 57-55 and winning big at Crittenden County. They are 3-5 against quality competition after a 3-1 start that included a 12-point win against Henderson County. For some perspective, the Blazers' first five losses came against Madisonville-North Hopkins, McCracken County, Bowling Green, Owensboro and Ohio County. 6. Hopkinsville (5-9): The Tigers lost a couple tough ones against rugged competition, falling to Henderson County by 10 and losing to unbeaten McCracken County by five. Antonio Williams had a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds vs. Henderson County. The Tigers beat Owensboro earlier in the season and also beat Webster County. 7. Hopkins County Central (7-7): The Storm lost to Paducah Tilghman by 12 and to Marshall County by 15 in two home games. 8. Webster County (6-8): The Trojans lost to Paducah Tilghman by 11 at the Kentucky 2A Championship Sectional Tournaments. Deshawn Murphy led the way with 21 points. They beat Crittenden County by 25 back on Dec. 6. 9. Crittenden County (6-8): The Rockets were grounded by University Heights in the lone game of the week. Crittenden County has beaten Trigg County. 10. Trigg County (8-7): The Wildcats played once and lost to Union County by two in overtime at a Kentucky 2A Section 1 contest. They were paced by Luke Washer's 20 points and Jhaden Vaughn's double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds. Trigg County beat Union County by 16 earlier in the season. 11. Union County (7-7): The Braves were 1-1 for the week with an OT win over Trigg County and a loss to Calloway County at the Kentucky 2A Championship Sectional Tournaments. Has beaten Livingston Central. 12. Livingston Central (5-9): Beat Fort Campbell but routed by Lyon County for a 1-1 week. Beat Dawson Springs by eight earlier in the season. 13. Dawson Springs (5-12): The losing streak hit five with an 0-2 week including losses to St. Mary and Madisonville North Hopkins. Beat Caldwell County on the road in early December. 14. Caldwell County (3-9): Lost badly to Christian County in the only game. Beat Fort Campbell by one earlier in the season. 15. Fort Campbell (3-9): The Falcons went 1-1 for the week, losing to Livingston Central and beating Foundation Christian Academy.

Dang. That's pretty sad stuff. He's being way too hard on himself. I see this letter as a coping mechanism. He's bummed out. There have been many clinical studies suggesting that giving thanks makes us happier because gratitude helps people feel positive emotions, relish good experiences and deal with adversity. The medical community at large believes that being mindful of one's blessings rewires neural passageways and generates hope. He's writing this letter to help give himself a boost, even if he doesn't know it. I assume he comes back after some reflection. Hopefully, coach Feldhaus has kept the door open. To my knowledge, he hasn't written a Dear Football letter. He was the team's starting quarterback and second-leading rusher in the fall. Just judging the comparison, though, he seems to have a better chance playing in college as a basketball player than a football player. And I bet he's going to figure that out pretty soon. I wish him luck.

Yep, he's out, at least for now anyway. HIGH SCHOOL BOYS HOOPS: Indians top Dunbar; Eagles win on road; Model falls | Sports | richmondregister.com The Indians (6-6) had only one opportunity to work out together - without their starting point guard - prior to a match-up with long-time 11th Region rival Paul Laurence Dunbar. And they made the most of it. "Practice (on Monday) was great," Madison Central coach Allen Feldhaus Jr., said. "It was probably one of the best we've had all year." The Indians followed up that great practice with a great all-around performance. Jaylen Davis had 27 points, eight rebounds and four rebounds as Central rolled to a 74-43 win over Dunbar on Tuesday in Richmond. Robby Todd finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Indians shot 56.5 percent from the field and had 17 assists. It was Central's first game since point guard Hagan Harrison announced he had stepped away from the team - and the game. The senior had averaged 17.6 points and 5.0 rebounds a game so far this season. I wonder what happened.

Holy Cross 75, Conner 72.

Agree on Gannett. The business model never kept pace with the changing times. A lot of really capable people got out of Gannett sports, creating a brain drain, affecting quality. Regarding journalism dying, there's some pretty good journalism going on in here! So, not dying but maybe morphing into something new, shall we say. In my opinion, sites like Bluegrasspreps.com are the wave of the future, and that's going to rock a lot of boats.

Gotta take a person very seriously when they use slavishly in a sentence. I agree with the sentiment here but I'm guessing there's a little bit more to it than that. I heard at least one writer didn't vote because they were furloughed for the week and didn't want to work while not working. Gannett furloughed a lot of people in December and some KY people were part of that. Gannett said in the fall that it was going to pause 401(K) matching, introduce a mandatory five-day unpaid leave during the holidays (with two voluntary options: an adjusted workweek or unpaid sabbatical) and make an indefinite hiring freeze. Working for Gannett's LCJ, I'm pretty sure Frakes was furloughed as well but the man is dedicated to his job. Frakes has stood the test of time, so if he voted while on furlough, I wouldn't be surprised. But other furloughed peeps might have checked out for the week.

Valid points and worth consideration. Thanks again, man.

Thanks. But I would argue that PRP's 10-point win over St. Xavier and 20-point win against Lou. Holy Cross did not come against nobodies. Those teams aren't bad, dude, and PRP handled them.

Totally plausible. We shall see... Great Crossing plays Mad Central Jan. 13. LexCath and Great Crossing play Jan. 28 at the Gary Moore Classic at Franklin County. LexCath plays at Mad Central Feb. 7. Get your tickets.

6th Region Week 5 Review Western, ranked tied for sixth in Kentucky in the last Associated Press state poll, remains atop our rankings this week despite a home loss to an out-of-state team. Evangel Christian is up a spot to No. 2 following a three-point win against Pleasure Ridge Park on a neutral court. That knocked PRP from the ranks of the unbeaten versus Kentucky competition. Everything else is pretty much the same. Individually, there were some nice duo performances by Evangel Christian's Kyran Tilley and Cyr Malonga, Iroquois' Jordan Wiliamson and Jamir Ford, Fairdale's Dalton Hicks and Jacob Turner, and the lofting hands of Holy Cross shooters Jacob Hand and Mike Loftis. Regional Rankings 1. Western (10-2): The Warriors lost their only game of the week 49-41 to St. Louis Vashon at home, snapping a five-game winning streak. At 4-0, they are one of four teams still unbeaten against regional foes among teams that have played at least one regional contest. They are joined by Evangel Christian (3-0), Fern Creek (3-0), and Butler (2-0). Western's only in-state loss came against top-ranked Warren Central by seven back on Dec. 10. 2. Evangel Christian (11-2): The Eagles pushed their winning streak to six with a 3-0 week at the Trojan Hoops Holiday Classic at Barren County. They blasted Caverna with 21 points from Kyran Tilley and took care of Southwestern with 18 points and 11 rebounds from Cyr Malonga. They outlasted Pleasure Ridge Park with 21 points from Tilley, 18 points and 10 rebounds from Malonga and 16 points from Christian Doerr. The Eagles' two losses have come by a combined six points to a pair of teams with a 17-7 combined record (Walton-Verona and Danville Christian). 3. Pleasure Ridge Park (10-2): The Panthers are no longer unbeaten versus Kentucky schools after a loss to Evangel Christian at Barren County's Trojan Hoops Holiday Classic. PRP routed Marion County, 70-34, and took care of Station Camp (TN), 58-48, before the loss. The Panthers' only previous loss was against Cincinnati Taft. Evangel Christian has beaten Pleasure Ridge Park and Taft. 4. Butler (10-4): The Bears went 2-1 at the City of Middletown Holiday Classic, losing to host Eastern in the opener then defeating St. Mary and Atherton. Jaron Sullivan scored a team-high 23 points, 18 above his season average, against. St. Mary. Dontre Russell and Dayton Williams led with 14 apiece against Atherton. 5. DeSales (8-5): The Colts went 3-0 at the City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern, beating Central, Hopkinsville and the host. Crew Gibson and Tyler Klein scored 19 points each against Central. Gibson scored 22 against Hopkinsville. He had 21 against Eastern. Crew is averaging a team-high 16.4 ppg. Remember, DeSales' four in-state losses have come against highly decorated teams Warren Central, Ballard and Trinity twice. Also, Desales lost to Butler twice last season and hasn't beaten Butler since January of 2020, so that's a factor as well in the rankings. However, DeSales has played the much tougher schedule so far this season. 6. Holy Cross (11-2): The Cougars extended their winning streak to 10 with a 3-0 performance at the Bill Perkins Holiday Classic. They defeated Sayre, Barbourville and Newport Central Catholic. Jacob Hand (33 points) and Mike Loftis (20) led the way against Sayre. Loftin scored 32 and Hand had 20 against Barbourville. Hand scored 20 against NCC and Loftis had 14. On the season, Hand is averaging 24.5 ppg and Loftis 17.9 for 58 percent of the scoring. That season-opening loss to 2-8 Waggener is becoming more of an outlier as the season goes along. Their only other loss came against Pleasure Ridge Park. 7. Fern Creek (4-6): The Tigers ran into a couple of buzzsaws and lost two games at Lexington Catholic's White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic, dropping decisions against Bowling Green and Warren Central. They have lost five in a row against a tough schedule after a 4-1 start that included a win over state-ranked Trinity and three quick regional victories. 8. Iroquois (9-4): The Raiders went 2-1 at the South Oldham Christmas Tournament, beating Garrard County and Beechwood and losing to host South Oldham. Jordan Wiliamson scored 27 points and Jamir Ford added 20 vs. Garrard. Ford scored 26 against Beechwood. Williamson had 22 vs. South Oldham and Ford added 21. Ford leads the team with 20.5 ppg. 9. Fairdale (7-5): The Bulldogs went 3-1 at the Daytona Beach Sunshine Classic, losing the opener to David Crockett (TN) but winning the next three against Hialeah (FL), Cincinnati Hughes and Science Hill (TN). Dalton Hicks (26) and Jacob Turner (25) combined for 51 points against Hialeah. Hicks had 20 vs. Hughes. Fairdale has beaten Beth Haven and Jeffersontown. 10. Beth Haven (11-2): The Bearcats went 2-1 at the Henry County Invitational Tournament, beating 2-11 Henry County and 5-8 Western Hills and losing to a once-beaten Grant County squad by 20. Connor Stinnett scored 23 points versus Henry County. Jordan Harris went off for 39 against Western Hills. I'm moving Beth Haven into a tie at this spot with Jeffersontown because I am underwhelmed by Jeffersontown so far. Even so, Beth Haven's only regional win in two games is against Valley. Beth Haven lost to Fairdale. 10. Jeffersontown (4-5): The Chargers were idle last week. They lack a quality win against a Kentucky team. Their only common opponent with Beth Haven is Fairdale. Fairdale beat Jeffersontown by four in overtime. Fairdale beat Beth Haven by 14. Still can't see Beth Haven beating Jeffersontown head-to-head but I'm putting them into a tie for 10th for now. 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 (4-8): The Chargers went 1-2 at the Henry County Invitational Tournament, beating host Henry County and losing to Western Hills and Shelby County. They are 1-1 against the region. 13. Southern (4-8): The Trojans split a pair of games at the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic, beating host Campbellsville and losing to Franklin County. Southern is 2-3 against the region. 14. Doss (2-12): The Dragons went 1-2 at the Grace Health Cumberland Falls Invitational at Corbin, beating Whitley County in the opener before losing to Knoxville Catholic and a good Newport squad by just two. They've yet to beat a regional opponent in four tries. 15. Bullitt Central (1-10): The Cougars went 0-3 at the Owensboro Health Holiday Classic at Grayson County with losses to Nicholas County, Glasgow and Daviess County. Bullitt Central beat North Bullitt by 15 on the road but has done little else while going 1-1 vs. the region. 15. North Bullitt (8-5): The Eagles went 2-1 at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational, beating Florida teams Armwood and Riverview but losing to Palm Beach Lakes. North Bullitt is 0-2 vs. the region and needs some quality wins against in-state competition. The Eagles' four Kentucky wins outside of a 9-4 Anderson County squad have come against teams combining for just 10 wins. 17. Moore (4-7): Won its only game, beating Portland Christian, but is 0-3 versus the region 18. Valley (0-8): The Vikings have been idle since Dec. 17. They are 0-5 against the region. 19. Whitefield Academy (3-10): Snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 2-1 week at its own Ray Zellar Christmas Classic. Defeated Cloverport and Villa Madonna and lost to Leslie County. Have yet to play a regional foe.

11th Region Week 5 Review Regional contenders showed last week they can slay some beasts in a tournament setting, boding well for postseason play. Madison Central surprised state No. 1 Warren Central. Lexington Catholic knocked off No. 10 Lyon County. Frederick Douglass defeated Harlan, which rests just outside the Associated Press top 10. State-ranked Great Crossing plus Lexington Catholic, Lexington Christian, Henry Clay and Madison Central remained unbeaten against regional competition. Individually, Great Crossings' Vince Dawson, Lexington Catholic's Reece Potter, Armelo Boone from Frederick Douglass, Madison Southern's Jay Rose and Nick Spalding from Paul Laurence Dunbar all had some big games. Rankings-wise, no major changes in the top 10, with a pretty strong top seven and an elite top two. Here ya go. Regional rankings: 1. Great Crossing (12-2): The Warhawks went 3-0 at the Smoky Mountain Winter Classic in Gatlinburg. Tenn., with victories against three teams from different states. They took down Maryland's South River, 66-40; smashed Kentucky counterpart Pikeville, 74-57; and outlasted Alabama's Spain Park, 60-53. They have now won 11 of their last 12 games with the only loss in that span coming against Warren Central (they lost to Covington Catholic by five in the second game of the season). Vince Dawson led the team in scoring every game. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds against South River. He dropped in 26 points against Pikeville and scored 17 vs. Spain Park. Malachi Moreno added 15 points and eight rebounds vs. Spain Park and averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds per game for the week. Dawson is averaging a team-best 18.4 ppg on the season. Moreno is next at 15.3 ppg with a team-high 10.7 rebounds. 2. Lexington Catholic (13-1): The Knights dominated against quality competition at their own White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic, going 4-0 with three different leading scorers. They crushed a 20-win team from a year ago in Christian Academy-Louisville, 77-43; handled 11-3 Bowling Green, 61-44; lashed 12-4 Lyon County, 73-53; and toppled 11-5 North Oldham, 55-47. Hudson Sparks scored a team-high 17 points against CAL. Reece Potter recorded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds against Bowling Green. Tyler Doyle led with 19 points versus Lyon County and Potter put up another double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. Potter had a team-best 16 points against North Oldham. Potter leads the team with 19.2 ppg and 9.3 rebounds. 3. Henry Clay (7-5): The defending regional champion Blue Devils went 1-2 at the Ashland Invitational Tournament with a win over The Carmel School (VA) and losses to Simon Kenton and Lincoln County. They are 3-5 after the 4-0 start. However, Henry Clay's five losses have come against teams with a combined record of 47-14 (also 9-3 Eastern, 10-2 Harrison County and unbeaten McCracken County). They have beaten 7-4 Conner, 11-3 Highlands and 10-4 Butler. 4. Frederick Douglass (9-2): The Broncos went 3-0 at a tournament for the second successive week, this time going unbeaten at Bath County's Dan Swartz Classic with wins against Lewis County, Harlan and Paris. They have won six games in a row but I keep thinking that Henry Clay beat them three times last season, including in the 11th Region tournament final, so they are still behind Henry Clay another week. With defenses increasingly focusing on leading scorer Kai Simpson, second-leading scorer Armelo Boone led the team in scoring every game, tallying 12, 18 and 23 points in that order. Simpson had a week-high 19 versus Paris. Only losses are to regional rankings leaders Great Crossing, ranked No. 4 in the state, and Lexington Catholic. 5. Madison Central (5-6): The Indians went 1-2 against brutal competition at Lexington Catholic's White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic with a shocking 60-43 win in the opener against previously unbeaten and state No. 1 Warren Central, a six-point loss to eighth-ranked Mason County and a three-point loss to 11-3 Bowling Green. They've also beaten Madison Southern. Jaylen Davis led four players in double figures with 22 points in the win. 6. Madison Southern (8-5): The Eagles finished 2-1 against Florida teams at the Mainland Christmas Shootout in Daytona Beach, Fla. They beat Ridge Community and Vero Beach but lost to Deerfield Beach. Jay Rose scored 29 points against Ridge and 32 against Vero Beach. They have beaten 10-3 South Laurel and handed 13-1 Pulaski County its only loss. 7. Lexington Christian (10-2): The Eagles finished 3-0 at the Carolina Invitational in Charleston, S.C, with victories against Northview Academy (TN), Northwood Academy (SC) and Wildwood (FL), extending their winning streak to four. All that's keeping them from being unbeaten is a quality two-point loss to 13-1 Grant County and a perplexing seven-point loss to 5-8 West Jessamine. However, they have just two victories against Kentucky teams with winning records (Garrard County and Lincoln County). They did beat Paul Laurence Dunbar by two in overtime on the road. 8. Paul Laurence Dunbar (5-6): Went 2-1 at the Lowcountry Roundball Classic in North Charleston , S.C. Defeated Stall (SC) and Forsyth Country Day (NC) but lost to Goose Creek (SC). Nick Spalding erupted for 43 points against Stall and scored 21 versus Forsyth Country Day. The Bulldogs have just one win against a regional foe and that came against Brian Station in the season opener. 9. Bryan Station (4-9): The Defenders finished 0-3 at the Kelleher Law Holiday Hoopfest in Naples, Fla, losing to Florida schools Naples Golden Gate, Lake City Columbia and Gainesville. They have just two regional wins, against Western Hills and Lafayette. 10. Western Hills (5-8): The Wolverines went 2-1 at the Henry County Invitational Tournament with victories against Bullitt East and Frankfort and a loss to Beth Haven. Western Hills has beaten Sayre and Frankfort. 11. Sayre (8-4): The Spartans went 2-1 at the Bill Perkins Holiday Classic at Williamsburg, losing to Lou. Holy Cross in the opener but bouncing back with wins against Tennessee schools Knoxville Grace Christian Academy and Powell First Baptist Academy. Ian Reesor had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds vs. First Baptist. Sayre has few high-quality wins. Their only regional victory came against Tates Creek the previous week. 12. Frankfort (7-4): The Panthers went 1-2 at the Henry County Invitational Tournament, beating Shelby County but losing to Grant County and Western Hills. Their three regional wins have come against Lafayette, Model and Franklin Christian. 13. Tates Creek (4-6): Lost to Florida foe Downey Christian in the opener of the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational in Wesley Chapel, Fla. Has beaten Lafayette and Franklin County. 14. Scott County (6-8): The Cardinals went 2-1 at the King of the Smokies Tournament in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. They beat Elizabethtown and Jefferson County (TN) and lost to Bearden (TN). Lone regional win came against Lafayette. 15. Lafayette (5-10): The Generals were 1-2 at the Ellis Trucking Christmas Classic with a win over host Mercer County and losses to Danville and Washington County. Lafayette's only regional win in seven games came against Franklin County. 16. Franklin County (7-4): The Flyers went 2-1 at the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic, beating John Hardin and Southern but losing to Oldham County. Their only regional win in four games came against Frankfort Christian. 17. Model (5-6): The Patriots have been idle since Dec. 22. They have played just one regional opponent, a loss to Frankfort. Their leading scorer is Cale Vicars (14.2 ppg). 18. Berea (5-9): The Pirates have won three of five, but they have yet to face a regional opponent. They went 1-2 last week at the Dan Swartz Classic, grabbing a win against Elliott County but losing to host Bath County and Bishop Brossart. 19. Frankfort Christian (4-9): The Royals are on a four-game losing streak after an 0-3 week with losses to Villa Madonna, Francis Parker and Cornerstone Christian at the Ray Zellar Christmas Classic at Whitefield Academy. They do not have a regional win in two games.

This is probably true, but the season is still rather new. I have to think things are that much more difficult this season after the difficult coaching change just before the start of the schedule. Odds are Ashland will be playing its best ball in February and March.