DragonFire

Ballard hasn't gone all these years without making the region tournament by accident. The streak lives!

Well they didn't foul, didn't matter. Come at the king, best not miss.

Foul. FOUL. Don't let them shoot the three.

It’s crazy that they haven’t had a single season with less than 20 wins since 97/98. The next year Renner arrived, they won state, and they certainly haven’t come near a losing record in that time since till now. 1981 was only year they were close to a losing record, going just 12-11. But they had secured a winning record that year before even going into the final game of the regular season. This is unprecedented.

The Courier-Journal polled the members of the media poll for their winners, and the unanimous choices were: 2nd Region - Lyon County 13th Region - Harlan County I believe each is also unanimous here so far, joined by: 4th Region - Bowling Green 15th Region - Pikeville

Well, I decided to go bold with my predictions for the 16th District, but already 0 for 1. But it was worth it for that finish! I got Monroe County's score right at least....

March (well, February) Madness is here already! Monroe County trailed 60-53 with 1:35 left, but made a furious rally to set up a wild finish. Brison Nuckols knocked down a pair of free throws, then forced a turnover 8 seconds later. Monroe fed Nuckols again, and he again got to the line, hitting one, but missing the second, but the rebound was tapped out to a teammate, and eventually Caden Geralds hit a three from the wing to cut it to 60-59 with 1:11 left. Garrett Maddux missed an ill advised shot for Metcalfe, with the rebound to Monroe. Austen Arnett raced up the court, hit a layup, and was fouled to go to the line, where he completed the three point play. In 50 seconds, Monroe County had gone on a 9-0 run. Cade Button was fouled on the ensuing possession, going to the line for a pair of free throws with 35.3 seconds left. He hit both, but a foul was committed as the players were going for a potential rebound, sending Jameson Petett to the line. He hit the first, missed the second. 63-62 Monroe County, with 35.3 left. Metcalfe County brought the ball up, and found Hudson Jessie for a three on the wing to put the Hornets back up 65-63 with 30 seconds left. The Falcons missed their next attempt with the ball out of bounds to Metcalfe County with 10 seconds remaining. Monroe County stole the ball on the inbounds, with Brison Nuckols laying it in and drawing the foul, completing the go-ahead three point play to make it 66-65 with 6.2 left. Metcalfe County brought the ball into the frontcourt and called timeout with 3.7 left. After Monroe County called timeout to counter the set that was shown, Metcalfe County ran a play in front of their bench to find Maddux Garrett on the wing (still in front of their bench), and he nailed the game-winning three over Nuckols. Phenomenal ending!

They last missed in 1986, losing to Eastern in district semis by 65-61 score. They also missed in 1981 (losing to Eastern) and 1971 (Westport). That 1971 loss to Westport is literally the only district tournament game that Ballard has lost to anyone other than Eastern. Any round.

1) Bowling Green (25-5) High Rank - 1, Low Rank - 1, Average Rank - 1 2) Warren Central (13-10) High Rank - 2, Low Rank 11, Average Rank - 2 3) Clinton County (19-10) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 9, Average Rank - 4 4) South Warren (14-10) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 7, Average Rank - 3 5) Barren County (19-11) High Rank - 4, Low Rank - 9, Average Rank - 6 6) Warren East (19-10) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 10, Average Rank - 5 7) Franklin-Simpson (14-12) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 9 8. Greenwood (14-16) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 10, Average Rank - 8 9) Russell County (12-15) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 7 10) Monroe County (15-13) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 10 11) Cumberland County (15-13) High Rank - 6, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 11 12) Metcalfe County (10-20) High Rank - 11, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 14 13) Glasgow (8-16) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 12 14) Todd County Central (13-15) High Rank - 4, Low Rank - 15, Average Rank - 13 15) Logan County (14-15) High Rank - 13, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 15 16) Russellville (5-25) High Rank - 12, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 16 17) Allen County-Scottsville (3-24) High Rank - 17, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 17 18) Foundation Christian Academy (13-11) High Rank - 18, Low Rank - 18, Average Rank - 18 13th District (at Russellville) Preseason, Todd County Central was the clear favorite for the district, but very early on it was apparent that the Rebels weren't going to be quite what was expected. They started 0-2 and 3-5, and when they finally opened 13th District play, they promptly lost their first two games. Instead, Franklin-Simpson, who has been the top seed in the district the last three years, made it four in a row as they won all six of their district contests by an average of 14 PPG. That earned them a date with district tournament host Russellville, who the Wildcats have beaten in 13 of the previous 14 meetings, including a 24 point drubbing at Russellville earlier this year. The Wildcats have a balanced scoring attack, with five players averaging between 7.9 and 13.2 PPG for a low-scoring Wildcat squad (they average 58 PPG). OJ Gamble is the leader, averaging 13.2 PPG, almost exclusively from around the rim. Gavin Dickerson (11.8 PPG), Jakai Partinger (8.5 PPG), Mathias Dickerson (8.1 PPG), and Kamryn Ray (7.9 PPG) round out the attack for the Wildcats, who typically feature a 7-8 man rotation. The team does not shoot well from the perimeter, so playing with the lead is a must, as they are not likely to work their way back from significant deficits from deep. Franklin enters the postseason on a downbeat, dropping three of their last four, but they are a wide favorite in district play. Russellville, by contrast, is a team that looks ready to find the exits on the season. They've lost three in a row, and 13 of 15. They failed to top 55 points in either matchup with Franklin, and have failed to score 60 of more in 22 of their 30 games. A win in this matchup would be one of the most stunning results in recent memory. While Logan County is the 2 seed, if anyone is to challenge Franklin-Simpson, it is likely to be 3 seed Todd County Central. The Rebels have won four of six going into the postseason, which followed easily their worst loss of the year - a stunning 63-45 beatdown by Russellville. Perhaps that brought focus to the Rebels, whose most significant win in that stretch was a 14 point over Warren East. They are led by one of the most prolific scorers in the state, 1st Team All-Region selection Jamison Glass - the only member of the all-region teams from the 13th District. Glass has scored 669 points this year, averaging 26.8 per game, while bringing in 9.3 rebounds per game. Simply put - they're not going anywhere if Glass doesn't take them there. Like Franklin-Simpson, they struggle mightily from outside, shooting only 29% from three as a team. Glass combined for 70 points in his two matchups with Logan County, but the difference in the results was someone else coming with him. In the first game, Todd Central lost 80-68, with no one other than Glass scoring in double digits, and they were 3/20 from outside. In the second matchup, Keshawn Moore chipped in 18 points and they knocked down 10/20 from three, and the Rebels won in overtime. That seems to paint a challenging picture for the Rebels in the semifinal, since uncharacteristically good outside shooting fueled their victory. But their three point loss to Franklin was really the only time anyone pushed the Wildcats so far. Logan County has won 3 of 5 entering the postseason, albeit against mediocre competition. Their results against Todd County Central so far also basically came down to three point shooting. They were an unconscious 15/24 from deep in the first matchup, but just 3/19 in the second. The difference is that they shoot a little over 35% from three for the year, so it is a much higher expectation they could make up ground from there. Samson Hightower leads the Cougars for the year with 14.7 PPG, and is second on the team with 37 made threes, shooting 45.1% from outside. The Rebels will have to defend the perimeter well to pull out the win here. So while Todd Central might be the bigger threat to challenge Franklin, they may not have the actual opportunity.... Predictions Semifinal - Franklin-Simpson 62 Russellville 45 Semifinal - Todd County Central 64 Logan County 60 Final - Franklin-Simpson 60 Todd County Central 51 14th District (at South Warren) In terms of average rank over the course of the year, the top three teams in the region all come from the 14th District, though South Warren enters a bit further behind in terms of rank entering postseason. Those three teams are 14-3 against the rest of the region, with Bowling Green going a perfect 4-0 against out of district competition, and 6-0 against district competition. While Bowling Green has been pushed by Warren Central twice, they enter district tournament play as heavy favorites to cut down nets at South Warren and Diddle Arena. Their 25 wins in the regular season were their most since they won 27 in 2017, the year they cut down the nets. The last three times they entered postseason play with 24 or more wins, they won the region tournament, and you'd have to go back 25 years to find the last time they had 25+ wins going in that they failed to win it. The Purples have an average margin of victory of almost 16 PPG, and average 70.2 PPG. They've been held to less than 64 points only twice since December 23rd - their two matchups with Warren Central. They score a lot, they're deep, and they smother you with pressure. The Purples placed two on the 1st Team all-region squad, big man Mason Ritter and guard MJ Wardlow. Deuce Bailey was also a second team selection. Ritter, who was also named co-POY for the region by the KABC, is the best big man in the region, and by far the best matchup advantage for the Purples. The Columbia signee averages 14.7 PPG, hitting 67.1% of his attempts (14th ranked in the state), and pulls down nine boards per game. When he gets the ball in the low block, the possession is over, it is at least two points. Wardlow is the leading scorer on the team, averaging 18.2 PPG, highly adept at all three levels on offense. He can drive the rim, knock down the midrange, and shoots 47.6% from three, leading the team with 40 triples. Deuce Bailey is a real x-factor. A bit prone to streakiness in his shooting, if he is on, he will absolutely bury you. In general, the Purples feature incredible guard play, aggressive defense, and have the best big man. When Ritter is off the floor, they can be somewhat vulnerable to length, but he rarely leaves the floor. They'll meet a Greenwood team that they've won five in a row and 37 of 40 against. They haven't lost a game to Greenwood anywhere but at Greenwood since 2009, and haven't dropped a game in the postseason against them since the 2008 region finals. They won by margins of 48 and 21 against the Gators this year. Greenwood does enter postseason play on a mild uptick, winning their last two and four of six, but it would be almost miraculous for Greenwood to win here. Nick Simpson (15.4 PPG, 3rd Team all-region) and Garrett Hatchett (10.8 PPG) lead Greenwood in scoring. Their only prayer is to try to keep the pace and scoring low. They were 5-14 this year when allowing 60 or more, and they've only won one of their last 24 matchups with the Purples where they gave up 60 or more. In the other semifinal, you've got significantly more intrigue, though still a clear favorite. Warren Central enters as our #2 ranked team in the region and #2 seed in the district. They've been a tale of three teams this year. There was the team that started the year before January 1, going 1-4 with the absence of Kade Unseld and Elijah Starks, who were recovering from injury and waiting to become eligible, respetively. There was the team that played without Kade Unseld after January 1, when Unseld sat out due to load management. Despite having almost everyone else available in those games, they still managed to only go 2-2 in those games, with a loss to Christian County a particularly bad one given the quality of opponent. Finally, there's the one with Kade Unseld, which has gone 10-4, with those losses being all to top 5 opponents (Lyon County, Bowling Green x 2, Lexington Catholic). That team averaged 70 PPG, and proved highly capable of playing with the best teams, especially pushing the Purples. It's not exactly a surprise - Kade Unseld was named player of the year by the 4th Region voters as a 1st team selection, and was the co-POY for the region as named by the KABC. Unseld averages 16.1 PPG, with 5 RPG and 4.7 APG. He is their best ball handler, distributor, and purest shooter, though his averages have taken a hit as he works his way back from knee surgery. Simply put, they need him to be his best for them to be his best. The leading scorer for the team and most consistent player is Elijah Starks, also a 1st Team all-region selection. Starks has averaged 17.7 PPG and 9.1 RPG since becoming eligible January 1. Starks has an incredible engine, going full bore the entire game. Another Bowling Green transfer who has been critical is Drevin Bratton, a 3rd Team all-region selection. Bratton bore the entirety of the scoring load in the December games, and has proven very versatile, shooting 45.7% from three while hitting 55% of all his shots. The trio give Central great size and length, if not the type of size featured by Ritter. Bratton in particular was dominant against South Warren this year, combining for 43 points in their two matchups, shooting an unconscious 19/24 from the floor. Starks also poured in 31 in the two matchups. The Spartans have their hands full trying to stop them. As for South Warren, their scoring average has come up to 64 PPG this year, but they’ve also allowed that many per game as well. The Spartans have only scored 64+ against Warren Central three times, all of them at home, and it included their lone win, a 76-74 OT win five years ago. They’ve famously never won a district semifinal game, going 0-9 in the round thus far, and a 2020 win over Warren East in the “play-in” game is their only district tournament win on their home court. Still, it is an advantage they’ll be glad to have – they were 7-5 in home games this year, with two of the losses coming to Bowling Green and Warren Central. Their first matchup with Central at home was a 69-60 decision, a very competitive game that wasn’t really comfortable for Central until about midway through the final quarter. The Spartans are one of the best three point shooting teams in the region, knocking down 40.5% from outside, with threes making up 38.5% of their total attempts. One hole in Warren Central’s defense is defending the three point line – they often dare teams to beat them from outside. It is an opportunity for a strong Spartan attack. That attack is led by Drew Hudson, a 2nd Team all-region selection, leading scorer for the Spartans at 15.2 PPG, and the school’s all-time leader in made three pointers. Hudson knocks down a 39.8% clip from outside, a strong percentage given he has attempted 176. Second leading scorer Griffin Rardin doesn’t attempt as many, just 108, but makes 50.9% and averages 2.6 makes per game. He was 4/5 in their close loss, and an uncharacteristic 1/5 from deep in their blowout loss to Central. They’ll need to be on to have a realistic chance. Predictions Not Pictured - Foundation Christian Academy Semifinal - Bowling Green 75 Greenwood 46 Semifinal - Warren Central 62 South Warren 55 Final - Bowling Green 61 Warren Central 50 15th District (at Allen County-Scottsville) This district seemed pretty easy to figure for the first month and a half, and then got reaaaaaaal weird out of nowhere in late January. Barren County managed to wrap up the top seed in the district after four games, starting a perfect 4-0, sweeping Warren East, and winning those four games by an average of 17 PPG. Maybe their problem in their final two district games is that they just didn’t have anything on the line, but I would say two identical 58-43 losses to Glasgow and Allen County-Scottsville was probably the last thing I’d have expected. The loss to Allen County-Scottsville was especially alarming. That came on February 5th, just three weeks ago. It is the only win AC/S had against a region opponent this year, and the Patriots finished the year just 3-24. And Barren County will be playing *checks notes* Allen County-Scottsville in the 1/4 in the exact same spot – Patriot Gym. Barren County enters the postseason winners of five of their last eight games, but just two of those were outside their home gym. In fact, Barren County has won only two of their last nine games away from home. It’s simply not what you’d expect from a team that became the first in the entire region to wrap up the top seed in their district. Barren County features a rotation of 8-9 players, and has only one player scoring in double digits, 2nd Team all-region selection Tate Spillman. Spillman averages 14.6 PPG, with 55% of his attempts being three pointers. The Trojans are very much a modern attack in that regard – over 50% of their attempts come from deep. They hit only 32.2% from three, and that likely explains the variance in their results. Shooting at home, you’re comfortable with the atmosphere, the depth perception, so likely to hit a higher clip. And frankly if you’re not on from three, you’re going to have a lot of empty possessions that put you behind the 8 ball. They were 5/24 from deep in the loss against the Patriots three weeks ago. If that happens again, they’re in trouble. Still, surely that result won’t happen again. That win is the only win AC/S has in the 2024 calendar year, and their only other win against a KHSAA team came against John Hardin in late December. The Patriots rarely score over even 50 points – they did it only nine times, and their only game over 60 came against the Bluegrass Blazers home school team. For AC/S to have a shot, they have to keep the pace low and the scoring low. Chase Ross (10.4 PPG) leads the Patriots in scoring. The other semifinal will put the old “hard to beat a team four times” mantra to the test. Life in the 15th District has been good to Warren East, as the Raiders have had a noticeable uptick in wins since joining last year. They won 21 games last year and 19 this year – both are higher than any season they had since 2012/13, and that’s the only season in the 25 seasons prior to the last two that East reached 19+ wins. And of course, last year featured East’s first district title since 1989 and their return to the region tournament. Their two losses to Barren County before January 6th doomed any chance they had of grabbing the #1 seed, and they finished tied for the top spot but lost the tiebreaker thanks to those losses. That put them against a Glasgow squad that they beat three times this year, by margins of 10, 27, and 2. The larger margins each came at home, with the first matchup not counting towards district standings as it was a 2A sectional game. We don’t really have a baseline for how this game might go on a neutral court – the two teams haven’t met at a neutral venue in almost 20 years. East’s performance this year earned head coach Kyle Benge coach of the year honors by the KABC. It also landed Kaleb Prince 2nd Team all-region honors, as his 15.2 PPG led the team. Brenden Bratcher (11.7 PPG) is the only other Raider to average double figures. Still, 64.4 PPG average is the highest by the team since the 2015/16 season, and fifth highest in the last 35 seasons. Kaleb Prince scored 23, 23, and 21 in three matchups with Glasgow, and they will clearly need him to continue that consistency to pull the victory. It’s far from a sure thing despite the three victories, especially as the Raiders enter the game with three losses in four games. Even so, Glasgow is far from playing their best ball, though they won their final game of the regular season, a surprising 69-62 win over Cumberland County. It’s one of only three wins they’ve had since January 5th, and they’re 3-9 in that stretch. They have not had consecutive wins at any point in that stretch, though it also did feature the 58-43 win over Barren County, their best win of the year. The Scotties are not deep – they typically only feature seven in their rotation, and only two average in double figures – John Carter Walbert (15.7 PPG), and Jerrick Martin (11.3 PPG). Glasgow has a higher focus on shooting inside as compared to the rest of the region, attempting only 30% of their shots from three. They’ll need Walbert to be on to have a chance – he had 20 points in their first loss and 26 in their third, both competitive games. He managed only 12 in their blowout loss, including going 0/5 from three. The Scotties pushed East last year, and will be looking to get past their new rival to reach the region tournament after a year off – 2022 was their only appearance at Diddle since 2019. Predictions Semifinal - Barren County 55 Allen County-Scottsville 42 Semifinal - Warren East 68 Glasgow 59 Final - Warren East 62 Barren County 51 16th District (at Russell County) I’m not saying it will be the highest quality basketball you can see, but if you want to see one district tournament where just about anything could happen, this is the district tournament to attend. You wouldn’t think it could be quite that unpredictable given that Russell County and Clinton County both finished at 6-2 in district play with Cumberland County just behind at 5-3, but there were a lot of close games and unpredictable results. The top seed wasn’t decided until a coin toss broke the tie between Russell County and Clinton County – the Lakers grabbed the top spot despite getting absolutely dragged by Clinton County in an 83-48 massacre for the Bulldogs to achieve that tie. That result was part of a long stretch of really not playing well that Russell County is in the midst of. They enter the postseason on a four game losing streak, and they are 4-10 in their last 14 games. Three of those wins were in district play, including a 54-48 win over potential opponent Monroe County. But it also featured a surprising 79-78 loss to another potential opponent – Metcalfe County. At home, no less, where the district tournament will be played. Russell County had beaten Metcalfe County by 27 on the road earlier in the year, making it a shocking result. The challenge for the Lakers will be to rediscover their form in time for their matchup on Tuesday – by that point they’ll be two weeks removed from their most recent win. They will at least be more rested than their opponent, who will have played two days prior. Russell County plays up to 9 men in their rotation, so will likely be looking to push some pace and wear their opponent down. They have three players who average in double figures, led by Mayes Gosser (13.6 PPG), who was a 3rd Team all-region selection. Gosser also leads the team in rebounds, with 6.8 per game. Owen Loy (12.5 PPG) and Braydon Cerrato (11.4 PPG) also average in double figures. Their preferred opponent is likely Metcalfe County, despite that stunning loss. The Hornets have only managed a 10-20 record on the year, and Russell County did have the blowout win over them previously, while Monroe County has 15 wins and really pushed Russell County in both matchups. Metcalfe County does play between 7-9 in their rotation, so does have some ability to withstand short rest, but they are also much more heavily reliant on a single player. That would be Cade Button, a 3rd Team all-region selection, who averages 24.4 PPG. Button has attempted almost 30% of the shots for the team this year, averaging 48.4% from the field. Hudson Jessie (and I double checked to make sure I had the first and last names right on that as I sure would’ve thought they were reversed) is the only other Hornet averaging in double figures, with 13.0 PPG, and he also leads the team with 7.9 per game – he has almost 30% of their total rebounds. It puts a lot of pressure on those two players or for someone else to step up. In the first two matchups with Russell County, that was Kruz Tucker, who led the team with 15 points in their first matchup, and had 20 points in the second matchup, hitting 6/7 from three. The Hornets were 12/18 from three in that game – not a reliable and sustainable rate to pull an upset. In their matchups with Monroe County, a six point loss and two point win in double overtime, Button had 25 in each. They also settled for three point attempts in each game – attempting 59 combined. Metcalfe County has only one win in their last eight games. Meanwhile, Monroe County has won two of three and a respectable four of their last nine. Their attack is more balanced, with three scorers in double digits, and they play eight men in their rotation. Austen Arnett leads the team with a 16.6 PPG average, with Brison Nuckols (15.4) and Branson Williams (12.0) also pitching in. Williams is almost exclusively an inside player, while Nuckols and Arnett will play both inside and outside, particularly Arnett. Williams also averages 10.2 boards per game, placing him 34th in the state for that category. The difference in their Metcalfe County results was more a result of what the Hornets did than Monroe – Metcalfe hit significantly more threes in their win. Monroe County shot abysmally from outside in both games – they’re much more consistent if they can get down low (as most teams are). That played its part in their losses to Russell County as well, as they attempted 39 threes in those two games combined – they’re not likely to win that way. If they make it to that game, look for them to emphasize getting down low, and trying to improve on the 39.5% FG% they had their last matchup. The other semifinal matchup might be the most even semifinal in the entire region. Clinton County and Cumberland County each defeated the other on the road – Clinton County won by 2 at Cumberland County two weeks ago while Cumberland County won by 6 at Clinton County in December. Both games featured each team scoring in the 50s – expect the same this time around as well. While they split the games this year, this was a series Clinton County had dominated for a long time prior. In fact, Cumberland County lost 38 in a row to Clinton County before winning earlier this year. So there will be a bit of a psychological advantage there in all likelihood, despite the fact many of those games were highly competitive. Clinton County has one of the best posts in the region, 3rd Team all-region selection Cannon Young. Young averages 14 PPG, hitting 53.6% of his attempts, and pulls in 9.2 rebounds per game. Cohen Davis leads the team in scoring with 14.3 PPG, and leads the team in threes with 43 makes. Steele Burchett adds 13.1 PPG. Clinton County plays through the inside game, attempting only 25% of their shots from outside. That focus also makes them very tough to beat on the boards – they average 34.3 per game, rating 12th in the state. In their first matchup (the 58-52 loss), Clinton County went 5/22 from three. They made the adjustment, and in the second matchup, went 3/11 from three, and got to the line more often, taking 13 more free throws in the matchup. Look for them to lean back into that. Meanwhile, Cumberland County features Zachery Harwood, the lone 2nd Team all-region player from the 16th District. Harwood averages 16.4 PPG, and 11.7 boards per game, good enough to lead the region and place 12th in the state. Harwood has a 55.4% FG%, a dogged inside presence. He is the only Panther averaging in double figures, and they go roughly eight deep. As a team they shoot poorly from outside, hitting only 27.5% from three. In their loss to the Bulldogs, they went 1/15 from three. In their win, they managed a more respectable 4/18 effort. They’ll likely need to take some attempts from outside to keep Clinton County honest, but it’s clear they don’t excel from outside and if they fall in love with shooting outside, they may find the battle to be severely uphill. With Cumberland County it will really be a case of can they find a way to beat a team that has dominated them for so long. They have only one postseason win against Clinton County in the last quarter century. Predictions Quarterfinal – Monroe County 66 Metcalfe County 59 Semifinal – Monroe County 57 Russell County 54 Semifinal - Clinton County 59 Cumberland County 56 Final - Clinton County 70 Monroe County 55

33 point lead!!!

I am straight up having a good time today.

That three nearly went for Reed! (He was out of bounds and they didn't call it but still!) Fun half. So my usual - Do that. Exactly that. In the second half.

Bowling Green is averaging 75 PPG over their last seven, and without the Warren Central game anchoring down that stretch, it's 80.33 PPG in the other six. Strong momentum going into the postseason.

I don't know why they had it 73-56, unless they made a change in the official book. It was 73-57. It was 60-56 with just over 4 minutes left, and Lexington Catholic had called a timeout to slow down a Central run. They scored on a lob play from out of bounds on the ensuing possession, forced a tough shot on the other end, and followed that with a corner three, and that was just the decisive kick they needed. They finished the game on a 13-1 run. Central does a lot of daring teams to beat them from three. Lexington Catholic happily obliged. The Knights do pretty much everything well. I was impressed with their full court pressure, their passing, etc., but it was that three point shooting that just buried Central. Every time they made a push, three ball by LexCath to push it back. Nevertheless, this is exactly the type of game Central needed. They faced a more hostile crowd than they've faced all year. They faced the type of pressure they will face against Bowling Green. And they battled, though they failed in the finishing kick. I'm very glad this was the type of game they got, even if I wish they'd not have let it get away from them late like that.

There is some comfort in that. They are very close to being much more highly regarded. But, of course, blowing the leads in the first place is a real concern.

She can pass Maravich in points but she won’t really surpass him IMO. Without the three point line she’s way short - he made nearly 200 more FGs than her. In one less year.

The suggestion is for every other year - mostly for scheduling issues that would arise with single year relegation - which I think would help smooth out what you're saying. For sure, there are going to be exceptions, but experiencing something negative (or overly positive) for two years sorta pales in comparison to the hellscape a lot of these teams deal with now, where they are stuck indefinitely where they don't belong.

I've been told that the last media poll is going to come out on Monday, to coincide with the postseason start (at least for most districts - there's a couple with games before then). So at least it clears that mystery and isn't something too dire. Just wish it had been more publicized!

Hopefully just a one-time thing, but I was incredulous. I looked on Frakes' Twitter page, found no mention of what his ballot would be (which he does most/all weeks), no mention of the poll coming out, nothing in the paper. Looked at last week's article, couldn't find anything about it not happening this week. My hope is that there was someone that just hadn't sent in what they were supposed to and they don't want to release it without everyone's input, but who knows. The product has been much better than the old AP poll, hopefully they figure it out and hit the ground running next year. I guess they could in theory release one next week, but I don't remember them ever releasing a poll during the postseason before.

I keep saying it - Promotion and Relegation system, that is what they should do. They never will do it, but I think that would revolutionize how well this stuff works. Let teams find their levels, make it performance based, not exclusively based on factors that aren't necessarily the only ones that matter. We've seen plenty of large schools that fail (how long has it been since Henry Clay was good?), and plenty of smaller schools that can really compete with the big boys (Mayfield for example). Large schools with 30 players on their team. Small schools with 70. Clearly, factors other than populace come into being. Now, you'd have to figure out some method of determining who the best and worst in the classes are, but every two years, take the top 4 in classes 1A-5A and promote them, and the bottom 4 in classes 2A-6A and relegate them. I believe you'd see a world of difference in how some teams would compete, and essentially 6A would become the best of the best (not totally far off how things are viewed now).

Their best win was over North Oldham last week, and I'm fairly certain that's why they got the full ranking treatment this time around. Kentucky High School Sports Zone was the only one that has consistently ranked them the last several weeks, but this week everyone jumped in. They did it on a back to back as well, having played McCreary Central the night before. As @LethalPG noted, good chance that's due to the addition of the new player. They've won 8 in a row, 15 of 16 games, with the lone loss coming to Newport in the All A. They haven't exactly played a murderer's row in that time, but Wayne County and Washington County are not bad additions as well.

*Great Crossing remains a unanimous number 1. As they won their last regular season game earlier this week to finish 29-1 (and undefeated against Kentucky competition, suffering their only loss in the final of the prestigious Beach Ball Classic in double overtime), it's safe to say they'll remain so for any polls that might be released. Also, if they manage to run the table at state and finish with 38 wins, I believe that will be the most in the state since Marion County also posted 38 wins in 1993. Something to watch out for. *36 teams were rated in at least one poll, up one from a week ago. *Eastern (Nations Elite 21, KYHSZ 24), LaRue County (Nations Elite 24), and Central Hardin (KYHSZ 25) each joined the rankings this week. Elizabethtown and University Heights both dropped - UHA only managed to stay for a week, knocked out thanks to a bad loss to Paducah Tilghman. *Seven unicorns this week (teams rated by only a single outlet) - Spencer County (Nations Elite 19), Lloyd Memorial (KSR 20), Wayne County (KYHSZ 22), Bell County (Martin Media 23), and Oldham County (KSR 23) joined LaRue County and Central Hardin in that regard. Big Things Kentucky is the only outlet that did not have a unicorn, but that likely owes to the fact that they only rate 20 teams. *15 teams were rated by every outlet, down one from a week ago (despite having one fewer outlet): Great Crossing Lexington Catholic Newport Lyon County Covington Catholic Bowling Green St. X Evangel Christian George Rogers Clark Trinity Harlan County Manual North Oldham Woodford County Danville Christian *I'm going to assume Big Things Kentucky meant Harlan County at #11, and not the very real team of Harlan that also exists with a far worse record than the one listed. *Big Things Kentucky continues to be the only one that doesn't rate DeSales. The Colts have now reached 12th in two outlets. DeSales would likely drop in a subsequent poll after losing to Male yesterday, and it definitely isn't going to get them rated by Big Things Kentucky who also doesn't rate Male. *Henderson County was another narrow miss - they were ranked as highly as 14th by KSR, while Kentucky High School Sports Zone had them out entirely. They did suffer a surprising loss to Owensboro last week, and KYHSZ barely had them in to begin with, so it's not surprising that they were dropped. *George Rogers Clark is up to 15th in the Nations Elite poll, finally closing that sizable gap. They're still 4 spots worse than the next lowest outlet (KSR 11th), but that's down from the 9 spot gap they had been at. *In general, there were less outliers this week, perhaps due to the loss of the media poll. No team that was ranked in all five polls had a disparity of more than 8 spots from their best rank to lowest. Evangel Christian was rated #8 by both Nations Elite and KSR but just 16th by Big Things Kentucky (the only outlet to not have them in the top 10), and North Oldham (Big Things 9th, KSR 17th) and Woodford County (Nations Elite 10th, KSR 18th) were the other two with eight spot differences. *You could somewhat count Bryan Station, which was rated as highly as 13th by both Martin Media and Big Things Kentucky, but totally out of the Nations Elite and KSR polls. So at least 13 spots difference there.... *But that isn't even as big as Cooper, which KSR has ranked #10, and both Martin Media and Big Things Kentucky have out entirely. That's three straight weeks that Cooper has been unranked by only those two. But hey, they only have won 10 of 11 games with wins over Covington Catholic, Lloyd Memorial, and Campbell County (CovCath being consensus ranked and some outlets having the latter two), with their only loss being by 6 to Newport. Their only bad loss was by 5 to Ryle, and it was a month ago. *We were back up to four consensus top 5 teams this week, with Great Crossing, Lexington Catholic, Newport, and Lyon County all rated in the top five of each. Covington Catholic, Bowling Green, and St. X were not only consensus top 10, they were also all consensus top 7, so the polls agree - those are your seven best teams. Up to five of that group could make it to the Sweet 16.

I waited in vain for the media poll. If they announced they weren't releasing it this week, I sure missed that news. Given the whole reason for that poll in the first place was because of the historic lack of reliability from the old AP poll, just failing to release one the last week of the regular season (and therefore the last one they'd likely release) seems to be a slightly dark omen. A shame, too, because it has been much better than its predecessor. But for those who actually did release this week....