2nd and Goal

Looking at the big picture, this is a very good job for two reasons. First, the 3rd region often has a significant amount of parity, thus the program is in the hunt for a region title most years. Second, there is enough talent to compete though it comes in 2 or 3-year waves. Under Coach Decker's most recent tenure, his program dealt with a significant number of injuries with the last wave of talent thus preventing them from performing to their potential, especially against the difficult schedule the coach always put together to make sure his teams were battle tested. In the short run however, this job will require some patience by administration and fans. They graduated their 3 leading scorers. A few of this year's seniors took their Covid year which potentially delayed the development of their current underclassmen. Matt Brigance has been Decker's assistant for years. He has a great basketball mind and would be the logical replacement here.

Looks like my prediction was correct! Congratulations to Lyon County and I am happy to see the state championship trophy back in Region 2 for the first time since 2011.

Henderson County battled the Lions for a half, but Jack Reddick's 3-pointer to open up the 2nd half from a step in front of the center circle was a huge momentum shift in the game. The first half saw both teams trading jabs as Lyon County opened up in a man-to-man defense. The Lions abandoned their typical high-intensity zone pressure for a solid half-court defense. The Colonels struggled to get clean looks but stayed within striking distance by limiting Lyon County's transition offense and being deliberate with the ball. However, after Reddick drained the deep 3 to open the 3rd quarter, the Lion's defense went into attack mode and forced a handful of turnovers over the next two minutes. In 3 minutes, Lyon County had completed a 14-0 run to take a 16-point lead. The Colonels regrouped to launch their own 13-3 run to cut the lead to 6 with under 2 left in the 3rd Quarter. Perry ended the Colonel's run with a deep 3 of his own to put LC back up 9. At that point, strong ball handling and great FT shooting allowed Lyon County to play keep away for the last 10 minutes of the game. Henderson County took their first loss in the 2nd region last night to a great Lyon County team. They are losing some key pieces in PG Alec Satterfield, the school's new all-time leader in single-season and career assists. In addition, they are losing some key supporting role players, particularly Thompson and Sonogo-Kendrick who played key roles off the bench in last night's championship game. However, The Colonel's return all-region guard Cooper Davenport and juniors Suggs, Moss, and McKinney. Thus, I expect Henderson County to contend again next season. Lyon County proved they have the versatility to play a slow-tempo half-court game in addition to their trademark breakneck pace. This will serve them well at Rupp Arena next week. Lyon County has a special senior class boasting 3 D1 players in Perry- UK, Reddick- FGCU, and Shoulders- UT Martin. In addition, their young role players in Kirk, Breedlove and Defew have improved significantly this season. This is a much more complete team representing the 2nd region this year than last season. My prediction is the Lyon County Lions will cut down the nets at Rupp Arena next Saturday night.

Ranking the Field 1. Lyon County (29-3) 2. Henderson County (24-6) 3. University Heights (23-6) 4. Christian County (15-17) 5. Madisonville North Hopkins (17-15) 6. Caldwell County (19-13) 7. Union County (13-17) 8. Trigg County (12-19) First Round Matchups Henderson County vs. Trigg County (Wednesday, 6pm) Henderson County defeated Trigg County two weeks ago on the road 77-48. Trigg County played the Colonels to a 1 possession game at half-time before Henderson County went on a tear in the second half to put the Wildcats away. The potential absence of leading scorer and rebounder Jhaden Vaughn with a knee injury that kept him out of the district tournament could make this uphill climb even more difficult for Trigg County should he not be able to go on Wednesday. Trigg County has found a secondary scoring option down the stretch this season as junior guard Caleb Fogle has shot the ball extremely well from 3 over the last few weeks. However, the Colonels boast the most efficient offense in the 2nd Region shooting nearly 51% as a team, one of the stingiest defenses allowing only 52 ppg, and a host of offensive weapons with Cooper Davenport (14.3 ppg), Alec Satterfield (10 ppg) and Elijah Suggs (7.3 ppg) leading the Colonels as of late. It would take a monumental effort by Trigg County and an off night by the Colonels for the Wildcats to pull the upset. UHA vs. Caldwell County (Wednesday, 7:30pm) The Blazers of UHA are on a 5 game winning streak and boast a potent offensive attack. Gavin Grubbs (15.8 ppg) and Quentin Quarles (15.5 ppg) give the Blazer's backcourt a significant advantage in this quarterfinal matchup. Caldwell County's big man JayDarius Wilson (20.8 ppg and 10.9 rpg) will have to do much of the heavy lifting for the Tigers to overcome the Blazer's speed and athleticism. Because the height and length of Elijah Walton and Kyler Baker for Heights can help neutralize Wilson, I think Heights will win this game going away. The Blazers shoot the ball too well from 3 and will use their superior speed to create a tempo to their liking. Madisonville North Hopkins vs. Union County (Thursday, 6pm) Madisonville secured itself a winning season, taking care of business in the district tournament with wins over Hopkins County Central and Caldwell County. The Maroons have proven themselves to be a dangerous team with wins over Hopkinsville and Christian County. They gave Lyon County a scare 3 weeks ago in a 70-73 loss to the Lions. Madisonville won the regular season matchup over Union County in early January in a 77-70 victory at home. The backcourt of Kanyon Johnson (13 ppg) and Lemontae Ratcliff (11.8 ppg) will give the Maroons the advantage in this one. Union County lost its All-District sophomore star Daishawn Curry (13.9 ppg) to a sprained ankle in the 6th District Tournament and is doubtful to play on Thursday. His absence will be felt as Madisonville's press is likely to create problems for the Braves. Though Union County point guard Jarren Johnson had one of his best performances of the season against Madisonville, the Maroons will likely get the best of the shorthanded Braves. Lyon County vs. Christian County (Thursday, 7:30pm) Undoubtedly the best matchup of the first round. Lyon County defeated the Colonels of Christian County 66-49 in early January in the City of Hopkinsville Classic. Christian County's defense proved to be formidable in slowing the Lion's three-headed monster limiting Perry and Reddick to below their season averages. However, the Colonel's offensive struggles (0-13 from 3) kept the game out of reach. Christian County has played one of the toughest schedules in the state and finished their regular season schedule winning 4 of their last 5. However, Lyon County's offensive firepower, led by Kentucky's all-time leading scorer Travis Perry, will likely prove to be too much for the Colonels who average under 60 points per game. Lyon County's 87.4 points per game and uptempo style is really difficult to counter, even for deliberate teams like Christian County. The Colonel's physicality could keep things interesting for a while but Darrell Bateman (23.6 ppg and 12.3 rpg) is going to need a major effort from teammates Jordan Miles (14.2 ppg) and Prince Northington (7.6 ppg) to have a shot at beating Lyon County.

Final per Scoreboard.

Final per Scoreboard.

The 6th District used to include Providence High School. When Providence consolidated with Webster County, the 6th became a 3-teamer with Henderson County, Union County, and Webster County.

Week 13 Recap Lyon County made a strong statement to finish their season with 7 wins in a row including a lopsided 87-59 win over Calloway County to finish the year. Henderson County went 1 and 1 on the week with a convincing road win over Trigg County before losing the next night at Castle High School out of Newburgh, IN. UHA picked up 2 solid wins in their final week over an improved Hopkins Central Team and 3rd Region contender Owensboro Catholic. Webster County looks to be picking up steam at the right time winning their last 3 in a row including a home win over Madisonville to finish the season. Christian County and Hopkinsville both dropped their last game of the year on the road to Evansville Central and Owensboro respectively. Rankings 1. Lyon County (27-3) 2. Henderson County (23-6) 3. Christian County (14-16) 4. UHA (23-6) 5. Webster County (15-12) 6. Madisonville North Hopkins (15-15) 7. Hopkinsville (11-16) 8. Caldwell County (18-12) 9. Dawson Springs (18-12) 10. Union County (12-16) 11. Hopkins County Central (10-17) 12. Trigg County (11-18) 13. Livingston Central (9-19) 14. Heritage Christian Academy (15-14) 15. Fort Campbell (6-14) 16. Crittenden County (3-24) District Tournament Preview Best 1st Round Matchup: Hopkinsville vs. Christian County on Wednesday at CCHS. These two teams split in the regular season. In a half-court, tempo-controlled contest, Christian won 47-39 early in the season on their home floor. Hopkinsville won the late season matchup 57-55 on their home floor led by a 21-point, 19-rebound performance by Antonio Williams. Hopkinsville is the more efficient, higher-scoring team however Christian County's half-court defense is solid and if they can get the slower pace of play they prefer, and take advantage of hosting the Tigers on Kerry Stovall court, the Colonels will likely pull away late in what could be another instant classic between these programs. Can any of these avoid the sweep? Dawson Springs is 0-2 against Caldwell County this season. However, the Panthers are winners in 4 of their last 5 and are averaging 7 made 3's a game. Both teams are 18-12 this season. Dawson Springs has a shot to turn the tables on Caldwell but they will have to find an answer for Caldwell's big man JayDarius Wilson to make the 2nd Region Tournament. Webster County is 0-2 against Union County this season. However, those losses have been by a total of 5 points combined. Union County enters the District Tournament losing its last 3 games. Webster enters the tournament as winners of their last 3. Union County limited the Trojans to 4 made 3's in their first contest, however, Webster County hit 7 in their second matchup. Noticeably absent from that second matchup was Webster County's leading scorer DeShawn Murphy. With Murphy back in action and the Trojans trending in the right direction, I think Webster County has the best chance to avoid a sweep by Union County and punch their ticket to Hopkinsville. Livingston Central is 0-2 against Trigg County this season. The Cardinals have lost the two regular season matchups by a combined 10 points. Trigg County has been able to neutralize Logan Wring in the first their first two matchups this season, holding the big man under his season average in both contests. Trigg County's Jhaden Vaughn is the best player and athlete on the floor in this one and he is capable of taking the game over. However, Livingston Central has an advantage in the paint averaging 8 more rebounds per game. They also shoot FT much more efficiently than Trigg County. Maybe the 3rd time's a charm for the Cardinals.

Week 12 in Review This year’s 2nd Region Tournament is shaping up to be “must-see” basketball action. Christian County has won 4 games in a row including a road win over 1st Region favorite Calloway County. Madisonville played Lyon County to the wire on Friday, falling by 3 in a 73-70 contest. Henderson County lost 2 in a row this week before getting back on track with a convincing road win at Butler County. Lyon County dominated Adair County in a 50-point win on Saturday. UHA dropped a road game at Paducah Tilghman before routing district foe Heritage Christian. Caldwell County made a statement as well defeating 1st Region contender Graves County. Though Lyon County is certainly the favorite, the parity that has developed with the rest of the field will make for some exciting basketball over in the 2nd region over the next few weeks! Rankings 1. Lyon County (25-3) 2. Henderson County (22-5) 3. Christian County (14-15) 4. UHA (19-6) 5. Madisonville North Hopkins (15-13) 6. Hopkinsville (11-15) 7. Webster County (14-12) 8. Caldwell County (16-11) 9. Union County (11-13) 10. Dawson Springs (15-11) 11. Hopkins County Central (9-16) 12. Trigg County (10-16) 13. Livingston Central (9-17) 14. Heritage Christian Academy (14-14) 15. Fort Campbell (6-14) 16. Crittenden County (3-21)

The week's story was Jack Reddick's return for Lyon County, who, along with Travis Perry’s 46-point night, helped the Lions defeat Bowling Green 90-89 in double OT. I think this game was an impressive showing by Bowling Green, considering they played district rival Warren Central in a grind-it-out 46-41 win the night before. With Lyon County back to full strength, they are solidly ranked at #1 in the region. Henderson County earned the first spot in the 2nd Region tournament by completing 6th district play at 4-0. The winner of the 3-team district receives the bye to the district championship game and thus the region tournament. The Colonels survived an overtime game with Webster County on Tuesday before going on the road to earn a convincing win over Union County on Friday 71-44. Other notable games this week include UHA’s overtime win over Hopkinsville 81-79 on Gavin Grubb’s last-second baseline floater. Even without Tylin George, the Blazers are a dangerous team and if George can return before the season’s end they have all the pieces to make a deep postseason run. Rankings 1. Lyon County (23-3) 2. Henderson County (20-3) 3. UHA (18-5) 4. Christian County (10-15) 5. Madisonville North Hopkins (15-11) 6. Hopkinsville (9-15) 7. Webster County (12-11) 8. Caldwell County (14-9) 9. Union County (11-12) 10. Dawson Springs (14-10) 11. Hopkins County Central (8-15) 12. Trigg County (10-13) 13. Livingston Central (8-16) 14. Heritage Christian Academy (13-12) 15. Fort Campbell (5-13) 16. Crittenden County (3-18)

This week's story was Henderson County’s upset win on the road over Lyon County 78-73. Cooper Davenport led the Colonels with 33 points on the night, shooting 8/12 from 3. Lyon County was shorthanded in this one, as the Lion’s point guard Jack Reddick was out with an ankle injury. Though this game doesn't cause me to switch Henderson and Lyon’s spots in the rankings, it certainly makes the health of Jack Reddick and his importance to Lyon County even more obvious. It also establishes Henderson County as a legitimate contender in Region 2. Christian County came out losing streak this week winning its last 2 games over 4th region power Warren Central and then dominating UHA in an 84-59 district win. The Colonel’s schedule has been tough this season and they are a team that looks to be playing good basketball at the right time. Caldwell County will look to extend its 4 game winning streak as it faces district rival Madisonville this week. Henderson County will attempt to lock up the bye in the 3-team 6th district this week as they face Webster County and Union County to finish out district regular season play. Some other great matchups this week include Christian County vs. Calloway on Tuesday and Evangel Christian on Saturday. Lyon County’s matchup against Bowling Green on Saturday will be another one to keep an eye on. Rankings 1. Lyon County (21-3) 2. Henderson County (18-3) 3. UHA (15-5) 4. Christian County (9-14) 5. Madisonville North Hopkins (13-10) 6. Hopkinsville (9-13) 7. Caldwell County (13-7) 8. Union County (10-11) 9. Webster County (12-10) 10. Trigg County (9-11) 11. Dawson Springs (12-10) 12. Hopkins County Central (6-14) 13. Heritage Christian Academy (10-11) 14. Livingston Central (8-13) 15. Crittenden County (3-15) 16. Fort Campbell (5-10)

No doubt Reddick's absence was felt last night as Henderson County was able to put additional pressure and coverage on Perry and Shoulders. Cooper Davenport for Henderson was fantastic last night. He hit 8 3's, tying a school record, and made big plays when they needed it scoring 33 points on the night. The Colonels were able to win despite Lyon County forcing 18 turnovers, pulling 20 offensive rebounds, and doubling up Henderson County on FT attempts. In addition to Davenport's shot-making, the Colonel's depth proved to be a factor in this one. Henderson County got great play from the bench to pull the upset. Hopefully, Lyon County can get back to full strength as the postseason is right around the corner. Even without Reddick they are one of the best teams in the state but it will be hard for them to win the big one if not at full strength.

Thanks for the correction. I did not see the game for myself, only the box score, and was surprised to see that he did not score. I just assumed he didn't play.

This week's story was Lyon County’s chase for an All-A State title before the senior trio of Perry, Shoulders, and Reddick graduate. The Lions rolled past Owensboro Catholic in the opening round and overcame the pesky defense of Walton-Verona in the quarterfinals. However, Lyon County came up short, 50-48, in a grind-it-out game against Newport in the semifinal round. The Lions played without Jack Reddick in this one and his absence was certainly felt. The Lions will look to bounce back in a battle of the region's top teams on Tuesday as they host Henderson County. Henderson County went 2-0 in district play this week with a 19-point win at Webster County and a 9-point win at home against the much-improved Union County Braves. University Heights had an impressive week defeating McCracken County by 20 points at home and earning a big district win over Christian County. Star sophomore Tylin George took a scary fall in the game against Christian and the region’s thoughts and prayers go out to this young man and the Blazer community. Madisonville had a good week with wins over Hopkinsville and Caldwell County on the road. Lastly, Hopkinsville defeated Christian County 57-55 at home splitting the series between these crosstown rivals for the season. Rankings 1. Lyon County (20-2) 2. Henderson County (16-3) 3. UHA (13-4) 4. Madisonville North Hopkins (11-8) 5. Christian County (7-14) 6. Hopkinsville (7-12) 7. Union County (9-9) 8. Webster County (12-8) 9. Caldwell County (9-7) 10. Trigg County (6-7) 11. Dawson Springs (11-8) 12. Hopkins County Central (5-12) 13. Livingston Central (5-12) 14. Crittenden County (2-13) 15. Heritage Christian Academy (9-9) 16. Fort Campbell (4-8)

In the 2nd Region: Henderson County (15-3) returns 3 starters and 4 of their top 5 scorers in Cooper Davenport, Lacon McKinney, Elijah Suggs, and Dwaine Moss. Madisonville (10-8) returns 4 starters and 4 of their top 5 scorers in Kanyon Johnson, Lemontae Ratcliff, Landon Smith, and Aaron Richardson. UHA (12-4) returns 2 starters and their leading scorer in Tylin George. Union County (9-8) seems to be on the rise winning their last 3 in a row and they return their top 6 players for next season. Dawson Springs (10-8) has put together a good season and returns their starting 5 next season.