Basketball Jones

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.

Sorry about that...

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

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

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

Some good, embedded reporting here. Thanks.

Sweet, dude. Thank you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that, said Pooh, is that!

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

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

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

Highlands No. 7 there.