Basketball Jones

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.

2nd Region Week 5 Review Travis Perry, Lyon County's unbelievably prolific junior guard, moved into second place on Kentucky's all-time scoring list with another high-performance week against quality competition. A 31-point effort in a scintillating overtime win against Mason County moved Perry into second place and past Flat Gap’s Charlie Osborne. Perry's 3,669 career points trail Wayland's "King" Kelly Coleman by 668. Coleman scored 4,337 from 1953-56, which means he started his scoring run more than 70 years ago! Perry's full season update as he pursues the 67-year-old scoring mark appears below the regional rankings, which feature no changes in the top 10 as much as I want to break this ridiculous three-way tie for second. Regional rankings: 1. Lyon County (12-4) The Lyons had a busy week, finishing 3-1 for third place at Lexington Catholic's White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic. They opened with a 95-79 win against Covington Holy Cross and defeated Ballard, 86-80 with 25 and 37 points from Travis Perry. They lost to Lexington Catholic, 73-53, despite 27 points from Perry, but rebounded to beat Mason County, 92-85 in double overtime, avenging a three-point loss to Mason County in the third game of the season. Perry had 31 against Mason County, helping erase a 16-point deficit. The Lyons are 3-3 following a 9-1 start but their four losses have come against teams with a 46-10 combined record (Mason County, Great Crossing, North Oldham, LexCath). They remained unbeaten at 5-0 against regional opponents and are already 3-0 in district play. Every other team in the Second Region has at least one loss to another regional team. 2. Henderson County (8-5): The Colonels went 2-1 at their own Henderson Chevrolet, Buick, GMC Classic. They defeated Dawson Springs and Ohio County and lost to Evansville Reitz (IN). Gerard Thomas scored a team-high 27 points and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds against Dawson Springs. Thomas (22 points), Jake Rideout (20) and Cooper Davenport (19) led the way against Ohio County as the Colonels shot 43.8 percent from 3-point range. Henderson County beat Madisonville-North Hopkins by 21 on the road Dec. 9 and that's what keeps them even in this week's rankings despite the Maroons' better overall record, better regional record and better record in district play. 2. Madisonville-North Hopkins (11-3): The Maroons were 1-2 at the Panama City Beach Marlin Christmas Classic. They opened with a win against White County (TN), extending their winning streak to eight. They lost to University (FL) and Lambert (GA). Remember, Madisonville-North Hopkins beat University Heights by one on Dec. 15 and defeated Hopkins County Central by 11. They have also beaten Christian County and Hopkinsville. Their home loss to Henderson County is their only regional defeat. 2. University Heights (5-5): The Blazers went 1-1 at the Henderson Chevrolet, Buick, GMC Classic, losing to Ohio County and beating Muhlenberg County. The Blazers are 2-4 against tough competition after a 3-1 start that included a 12-point win against Henderson County, a head-to-head result which keeps them in this tie for now despite a lackluster overall record. For some perspective, the Blazers' five losses have come against teams with a record of 65-12 (Madisonville-North Hopkins, McCracken County, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Ohio County). 5. Hopkins County Central (7-5): The Storm went 2-1 at the Battle at the Border at Todd County Central. They lost to Central Magnet School (TN) in the opener but bounced back with wins over Heritage Christian and Trigg County. At this point, they are barely edging out Christian County for this spot. 6. Christian County (6-7): The Colonels went 2-1 against Tennessee competition at the Overton Christmas Tournament. They defeated Knowledge Academies and Maplewood and lost to Pearl-Cohn. Derrell Bateman dropped some knowledge on Maplewood with a game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds. Christian County has beaten Hopkinsville and has four Kentucky losses to this group: Madisonville-North Hopkins, 9-4 Paducah Tilghman, 12-4 Lyon County, 11-3 Bowling Green. Not too shabby. 7. Hopkinsville (5-7): The Tigers finished 2-1 at the City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern, beating Atherton and Bardstown but losing to DeSales. Antonio Williams scored 26, 19 and 32 points, respectively, for a 25.6 ppg weekly average. He's averaging a team-best 21.1 ppg on the season. The Tigers beat 10-3 Owensboro earlier in the season and also beat Webster County. 8. Webster County (6-7): The Trojans went 1-2 at the Murray Bank Hardwood Classic, beating Dyer County (TN) in the opener and losing to host Calloway County and Taylor County. Michah Austin led six scorers in double figures with 16 points. Beat Crittenden County by 25 back on Dec. 6. 9. Crittenden County (5-7): The Rockets lost both games last week, dropping decisions against Elizabethtown and Danville Christian at the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic. Crittenden County has beaten Trigg County. 10. Trigg County (8-6): The Wildcats finished 1-2 at Todd County Central's Battle at the Border, beating Gordonsville (TN) and losing to West Creek (TN) and Hopkins County Central. Jhaden Vaughn put up a huge double-double in the victory with 28 points and 19 rebounds. Trigg County has beaten Union County. 11. Union County (6-6): The Braves went 2-1 at the Henderson Chevrolet, Buick, GMC Classic with victories against Muhlenberg County and Dawson Springs and a loss to Ohio County. Izaiah Manuel scored 17 against Muhlenberg County. Kristopher Hughes had 24 against Dawson Springs. 12. Dawson Springs (5-10): Finished 0-3 at the Henderson Chevrolet, Buick, GMC Classic with losses to host Henderson County, Union County and McLean County. Montgomery Johnston scored a team-high 29 points against Union County. 13. Livingston Central (4-8): Out of action since Dec. 20. The leading scorer is Logan Wring (17.4 ppg). 14. Caldwell County (3-8): Hasn't played since Dec. 22. Xavier Bumphus is the leading scorer with 14.8 ppg. 15. Fort Campbell (2-8): The Falcons haven't played since Dec. 20. Their top scorer is Eric Blaszkowski (17.4 ppg). TRAVIS PERRY'S PURSUIT OF KENTUCKY'S ALL-TIME SCORING RECORD 2022-23 game-by-game results: Game number/Opponent/Points/Career total 1. Ohio County......................24 3,213 2. South Warren...................36 3,249 3. Mason County..................28 3,277 4. Livingston Central............24 3,301 5. Crittenden County............27 3,328 6. Christian County...............41 3,369 7. Trigg County......................38 3,407 8. Hopkins County Central...26 3,433 9. Harlan County...................29 3,462 10. Larue County...................34 3,496 11. Great Crossing.................25 3,521 12. North Oldham..................28 3,549 13. Cov. Holy Cross...............25 3,574 14. Ballard...............................37 3,611 15. Lexington Catholic...........27 3,638 16. Mason County..................31 3,669 ------------------------------------------------------ Season total: 480 (30 ppg) Career total: 3,669 (No. 2 all-time) Points needed to pass King Kelly: 669 Regular season games remaining: 15 minimum Possible post-season games: 9 (2 district, 3 regional, 4 state) Total possible games: approximately 24 Scoring average required in 24 games to break the record this season: 27.8 ppg Next up on Kentucky's all-time scoring list: 1. 4,337 "King" Kelly Coleman (Wayland) 1953-56 Already passed this season: 3. 3,647 Charlie Osborne (Flat Gap) 1953-57 4. 3,587 Cameron Justice (Knott County Central) 2010-15 5. 3,567 Harry Todd (Earlington) 1955-58 6. 3,542 Chris Harrison (Tollesboro) 1987-91 7. 3,377 Jonathan Ferguson (Elliott County) 2003-09 8. 3,365 Charles Thomas (Harlan) 1990-95 9. 3,325 Clem Haskins (Taylor County) 10. 3,300 Ty Rogers (Lyon County) 1998-04 11. 3,255 Dontaie Allen (Pendleton County) 2014-19 12. 3,233 Fred Hale (Williamstown) 1969-73 13. 3,228 Ervin Stepp (Phelps) 1977-80 14. 3,226 Manual Forrest (Moore) 1977-81 15. 3,202 Todd Conley (Elkhorn City) 1991-94 16. 3,219 Nelson White (Powell County) 1951-55 17. 3,211 Tim Stephens (McCreary County) 1973-76 18. 3,192 Austin Crawford (Bracken County) 2013-17 *All names and numbers from the KHSAA. https://scoreboard.12dt.com/scoreboard/khsaa/kybbk22/?I'd=88752 https://khsaa.org/records/basketball/bbk-recordbook_indivteams.pdf

16th Region Week 5 Review Happy new year, folks. Let's take an updated look at the region. Russell and Morgan County enjoyed unblemished weeks. Russell went 3-0 to push its winning streak to six, the region's current longest. Ashland Blazer (3-0) and Morgan County (1-0) are the only unbeaten teams against regional competition. Russell is 7-1 against the region. Boyd County, Bath County and Raceland have also suffered just one regional loss. Despite a better overall record, Boyd County remains behind top-ranked Ashland Blazer due to the head-to-head loss to the Tomcats at home Dec. 13. Bath County fell out of a three-way tie for No. 3, dropping to No. 5, while Russell and Fleming County remain deadlocked at No. 3. This is how they look at the end of the calendar year. Regional rankings: 1. Ashland Blazer (7-6): The Tomcats took some lumps at their own Ashland Invitational, going 1-2 with a win against The Carmel School (VA). They lost to Simon Kenton, 55-54, despite team-high totals of 19 points and five rebounds from Zander Carter, and were beaten by Blue Ridge (VA), 81-66. 2. Boyd County (10-2): The Lions went 2-1 against Florida teams at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational, beating Palmetto, 89-77, and King, 77-71. They lost to Leto, 65-63. 3. Russell (11-3): Another strong week for the Red Devils, who went 3-0 at the King of the Smokies Tournament in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. They took down North Greene (Tenn) and two Alabama schools: Phil Campbell in overtime and Good Hope. Damon Charles scored 23 against North Greene. Carson Blum led with 16 versus Phil Campbell. Caleb Rimmer was tops with 20 vs. Good Hope. 3. Fleming County (8-6): The tough-scheduling Panthers split a pair of games at the Independence Bank Classic in Owensboro, losing to once-beaten Owensboro Catholic and beating Meade County. Other previous regional results: Beat Russell by 21 Dec. 16, lost to Bath County by one in overtime Dec. 13. Other losses have come against 10-2 Mason County, 10-4 Butler, 11-3 Highlands and Ashland Blazer. 5. Bath County (8-3): The Wildcats finished an underwhelming 1-2 at their own Dan Swartz Classic. They routed an overmatched Berea, lost to a 6-8 Paris squad and lost to a solid Harlan unit by 19. Zack Otis scored 23 in the win over Berea. Lost to Russell by nine earlier in the season and beat Fleming County by one in OT. 6. Morgan County (9-2): Won its only game of the week, beating Knott County Central by 21. Gatlin Griffith posted team-highs of 25 points and eight rebounds. 7. Rowan County (6-6): The Vikings finished 1-2 at the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic in Gatlinburg, Tenn., defeating Briarwood Christian (AL) and losing to Grace Christian Academy (Tenn) and Alcoa (Tenn). Dashawn Watson scored a team-best 20 points vs. Grace Christian. I'm still giving them the benefit of the doubt over Raceland for the time being because of their 46-20 win over Raceland in last year's first round of the 16th Region tournament. 8. Raceland (7-4): The Rams haven't played since Dec. 20. Their leading scorer is Christian Large (18.7 ppg). 9. East Carter (6-5): The Raiders went 2-1 at Estill County's Railroad Classic. They beat Oneida Baptist Institute and Bethlehem but lost to Paintsville. Evan Goodman scored 27 and 17 points, respectively, in the wins. Lost to Rowan County earlier in the season. 10. Fairview (4-6): The Eagles finished the week 2-1 with victories against Dawson-Bryant (OH) and host Pendleton County and a loss to Anderson County at Pendleton County's Phillip Wood Classic. Steven Day led with 26 versus Dawson-Bryant. Tanner Johnson was the leader with 27 vs. Pendleton County. 11. Menifee County (5-8): The Wildcats finished 1-2 at the Railroad Classic at Estill County. They fell to host Estill County, beat Jackson City and lost to Oneida Baptist Institute. 12. Lewis County (3-8): The Lions went 1-2 at Bath County's Dan Swartz Classic, losing to Frederick Douglass and Bishop Brossart and beating Elliott County. 13. Greenup County (3-9): The Musketeers finished 0-3 at the Carolina Invitational in Charleston, S.C., falling to Darlington (SC) and to Kentucky schools Johnson Central and Lawrence County. 14. West Carter (2-7): Haven't played since Dec. 20. Brett Dailey leads the team with 14.8 ppg. 15. Elliott County (2-9): The Lions went 0-3 at the Dan Swartz Classic at Bath County, losing to Paris, Berea and Lewis County. 16. Rose Hill Christian (1-8): The Royals haven't played since Dec. 22. Christian Blevins is the scoring leader with 18.6 ppg.

St. Henry 78, Scott 69 Coach Dave Faust notched career win No. 456 tonight. He needs four wins to tie Ken Shields and five 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 78-69 457 458 459 Record: Ken Shields 460 461 Next St. Henry game: Jan. 3 at home vs. Dixie Heights

St. Henry 86, Ludlow 49 Coach Dave Faust needs five wins to tie Ken Shields and six to pass him. 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, 86-49 456 457 458 459 Record: Ken Shields 460 461 Next St. Henry game: Dec. 29 at Scott

11th Region Week 4 Review Great Crossing rose to No. 4 in the state rankings last week and Lexington Catholic received votes. Great Crossing, Lexington Catholic, Lexington Christian, Henry Clay and Madison Central have yet to lose to a regional team. LexCath has won nine games in a row. Great Crossing put together an eight-game winning streak. LexCath, Frederick Douglass, Madison Southern and Sayre enjoyed 3-0 weeks. Two players, Paul Laurence Dunbar's Nick Spalding and Frankfort's Caleb Hack, put up 40-point performances last week. The top two teams remain the same in the rankings. There are some small changes after that but nothing major. Regional Rankings: 1. Great Crossing (9-2): The Warhawks played elite competition and had their eight-game winning streak snapped with a loss to the state's top-ranked team Warren Central, 89-56, ending their stay at the King of the Bluegrass. They defeated third-ranked George Rogers Clark, 64-62, in overtime and 10th-ranked Lyon County, 69-61, earlier in tournament action. Malachi Moreno (21 points) and Junius Burrell (20) sparked the Warkhawks against GRC. Vince Dawson led with 16 versus Lyon County. Gage Richarson had a team-high 13 vs. Warren Central. Moreno paces all players with averages of 16.8 points and 11.0 rebounds. Dawson averages 15.4 ppg. 2. Lexington Catholic (9-1): The Knights are on a roll, extending their winning streak to nine with a 3-0 week against Florida teams at the First Academy Invitational in Orlando. They defeated Melbourne Holy Trinity Episcopal by 21, beat Orlando Victory Christian Academy by 23 and host First Academy by 23. Reece Potter scored 17 against Holy Trinity and Hudson Sparks had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Potter led with 26 points vs. Victory Christian and Hudson scored 24. Potter leads the team with 22 ppg and 9.3 rebounds. 3. Henry Clay (6-3): The Blue Devils had a very respectable 2-1 showing at the Mason County Invitational Tournament, beating Highlands by nine, losing to McCracken County by six and beating Butler by five. 4. Frederick Douglass (6-2): The Broncos went 3-0 at the Gateway Holiday Classic at Montgomery County. They defeated Knott County Central , host Montgomery County and Garrard County. 5. Madison Central (4-4): The Indians lost their only game of the week to once-beaten Collins by 11, despite 17 points from Hagan Harrison and a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds from Robby Todd. The combined record of the four teams that have beaten Madison Central (Pulaski County, George Rogers Clark, Ballard, Collins) is 32-5 and none of those four losses came by more than 11 points. They are 4-0 against the region. 6. Madison Southern (6-4): The Eagles went 3-0 at their own Lee's Famous Recipe Holiday Classic with victories against Dixie Heights, Danville Christian and Pulaski County. They had three 20-point scorers against Dixie with 23 from Jay Rose, 22 from Casen Nobbe and 21 from Zach Hudson. Rose led with 23 against Danville Christian. He is averaging a team-high 23.3 ppg. 7. Lexington Christian (7-2): The Eagles finished 2-1 at their own Central Bank Jim Rose Classic, beating Waggener and Lincoln County and losing to West Jessamine. Saxton Howard scored 16 against Waggener and Brayden Mirus had 22 vs. Lincoln County. 8. Paul Laurence Dunbar (3-5): Went 1-2 at the Pikeville Invitational, losing to Bracken County by six and Ashland Blazer by four and taking out Teays Valley Christian. Nick Spalding went off for 42 points in the win. He averaged 29 ppg for the week and carries a 21.4 average for the season. 9. Bryan Station (4-6): The Defenders finished 1-2 at the Lee's Famous Recipe Holiday Classic at Madison Southern. They routed Richmond Wellspring Guardians (home school) and lost to Pulaski County and Danville Christian. Matthew Golinski had 22 points in the win. 10. Sayre (6-3): The Spartans enjoyed a 3-0 week, beating Tates Creek, and knocking off Lexington Bluegrass United (home school) and East Carter at their own Sayre School-Jim Lankster Classic. Jaxson Howard led the way against LBU with 15 points. 10. Western Hills (3-7): The streaky Wolverines lost their first five games, won three straight and have now lost two in a row after an 0-2 week. They lost to Harrison County and Atherton in separate tournament games. Javeon Campbell recorded a double-double with 19 points and 18 rebounds vs. Harrison County. Western Hills has beaten Sayre. 12. Tates Creek (4-5): Lost to Sayre in the only game of the week. Jacobi Commodore had team-high totals of 12 points and 10 rebounds. 13. Scott County (4-7): The Cardinals went 1-2 at the Central Bank Jim Rose Classic at Lexington Christian. They lost to Vestavia Hills (AL) and Henderson County and smashed Waggener. 14. Frankfort (6-2): The Panthers went 2-0 for the second week in a row, pushing their winning streak to four. They beat Frankfort Christian and Lafayette at home. Caleb Hack scored 30 points against Frankfort Christian and Jordan Blythe added 26. Hack erupted for 44 against Lafayette. Hack is averaging a team-best 27.7 ppg. Blythe is averaging 20.1. 15. Lafayette (4-6): The Generals were 0-2 for the week, losing to Taylor County while wrapping up their stay at Pleasure Ridge Park's MAC's Holiday Classic, and dropping an overtime contest against Frankfort. Lafayette has beaten Franklin County. 16. Franklin County (5-3): The Flyers won their only game, routing East Jessamine by 21 at the Capital City Classic Holiday Tournament. Zach Claudio scored 14 points. 17. Model (5-6): The Patriots went 1-2 for the week, all at the Berea Holiday Classic. They beat Heritage Academy with a team-high 16 points from Shalin Kutty-Poffenberger but lost to Pineville and Jackson County. 18. Frankfort Christian (4-6): The Royals finished 1-1 for the week with a win against Burgin and a loss to Frankfort. Weston Jones had 24 points in the win. 19. Berea (4-7): The Pirates went 2-1 for the week at their own Holiday Classic, stopping a five-game losing streak. They beat Rose Hill Christian and East Ridge.

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