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Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (22-2) - 1/31 80-37 W #15 South Warren, 2/3 94-32 W #16 Glasgow Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/6 at #3 Greenwood, 2/7 vs. Owensboro, 2/10 at #7 Warren East, 2/11 vs. Male After a few weeks in a row with at least one difficult opponent scheduled, this was basically a bye week for the Purples, who throttled two of the worst teams in the region by an average of 52.5 points. Their victory over Glasgow was their largest margin of victory over any opponent since 1999. 2) Franklin-Simpson (19-6) - 1/31 66-81 L at Christian County, 2/3 57-36 W #4 Russellville, 2/4 80-75 W University Heights (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/9 vs. #14 South Warren, 2/10 at #11 Allen County-Scottsville The Wildcats fell for just the third time in the last 13 games in a road loss to highly rated Christian County, but bounced back to complete an unbeaten district slate with their second blowout win over Russellville on the year, holding the Panthers to 36 points, the lowest allowed by Franklin on the season. They should have little trouble rolling through the rest of the regular season unbeaten, and clinch their second consecutive 20+ win season. 3) Greenwood (16-10) - 1/31 44-53 L at #8 Barren County, 2/3 55-50 W at #15 South Warren Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/6 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 2/7 vs. #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/10 vs. #6 Warren Central The Gators took what on paper would appear to be a bad loss, but were without the services of Dawson Crump against Barren County, their best player and facilitator. With Crump back in the lineup, overcame an unexpected test by South Warren on Friday, in large part due to Crump's 16 points. Though they'll remain heavy underdogs against the Purples, the Gators can clinch at least a tie for first in the district if they can sweep their district games this week. A loss to Bowling Green would set up a Greenwood/Warren Central district tourney matchup. 4) Russellville (16-9) - 1/30 82-78 OT W at #13 Logan County, 2/3 36-57 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/6 vs. #6 Warren Central, 2/10 at #10 Todd County Central It wasn't Russellville's finest hour, needing overtime to knock off pesky Logan County before getting thwacked by Franklin-Simpson for the second time this season. Perhaps there was a little hangover from letting a game slip away in the All "A" Classic, but the loss to Franklin assured the Panthers of the 2 seed. They have yet to win more than three in a row this season. 5) Clinton County (18-7) - 2/3 53-73 L at Madison Southern, 2/4 75-54 W Holmes Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/6 vs. McCreary Central, 2/10 at #9 Monroe County The Bulldogs saw their four game winning streak come to the end in a blowout loss to Madison Southern, but rebounded with a 21 point win over flagging Holmes. Clinton County still has won 8 of their last 10 games, and will have an old 16th District rivalry game against Monroe County on Friday. If they can sweep both games this week, they'll reach 20 wins for the first time since 2013/14. 6) Warren Central (14-10) - 1/30 63-55 W #6 Warren East, 2/3 62-47 W at #6 Warren East, 2/4 53-62 L Christian County (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/6 at #4 Russellville, 2/7 vs. Owensboro Catholic, 2/10 at #3 Greenwood, 2/11 vs. Elizabethtown Central couldn't complete the week unbeaten, but it was their two wins over Warren East that were the most crucial. Entering the week a split would have left things to chance, and losing both would have meant a spot in the 4/5 matchup of the district tourney. But it was Warren Central that swept the matchups, guaranteeing them at least the 3 seed, likely across from Friday's opponent, Greenwood. This week features three very difficult matchups, and Tuesday's game against Owensboro Catholic will see Aces' HC Tim Riley return to the court that is named for him. 7) Warren East (12-11) - 1/30 55-63 L at #7 Warren Central, 1/31 84-75 W #14 Cumberland County, 2/3 47-62 L #7 Warren Central Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/7 at #14 South Warren, 2/10 vs. #1 Bowling Green The Raiders fell to 2-8 in their last ten games, dropping a pair of crucial games with Warren Central that will relegate them to facing South Warren in the 4/5 matchup of the district tournament. Coincidentally, they will complete the district slate against the teams that are likely both on their side of the bracket for that tournament, first facing South Warren before hosting Bowling Green, which the winner of that 4/5 matchup will likely see. Warren East has not defeated Bowling Green in 19 years, and hasn't advanced past the district semifinals in 20 years. 8) Barren County (12-14) - 1/31 53-44 W #3 Greenwood, 2/3 61-62 L at Hart County, 2/4 42-50 L at Adair County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/7 at #12 Russell County, 2/10 vs. #15 Cumberland County The Trojans were the beneficiaries of Dawson Crump's absence, giving them an unexpected win over Greenwood - their first win over a team in the region top ten other than Monroe County. That capped a 6-1 stretch for the Trojans, doubling their win total on the year. However, they stumbled in their last two matchups, including a dreadful loss to Hart County, which entered the week with just two wins. Barren County will finish the year with a 16th District challenge - playing every team in the district in the next three games. At minimum, that should give them a great chance to enter the postseason at .500. 9) Monroe County (12-11) - 1/31 68-63 W #16 Glasgow, 2/3 60-63 L at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/4 60-77 L Pulaski County (at Clinton County) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/7 at #15 Cumberland County, 2/10 vs. #5 Clinton County The Falcons continue to struggle with inconsistent play, and had a rough week that saw them struggle to put away Glasgow and fall to district tournament opponent Allen County-Scottsville on a buzzer beater three. Monroe County is now just 3-5 in their last eight games, and other than in their matchup with Cumberland County will be underdogs in their last four games. 10) Todd County Central (8-13) - 2/3 69-43 W Crittenden County, 2/4 64-60 W Murray Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/7 vs. Trigg County, 2/10 vs. #4 Russellville The Rebels' win over Murray is likely their most impressive victory on the year, as Todd continues to improve as the year draws to a close. Their two wins this week came after a strong effort against Franklin-Simpson last Friday. This week they get the chance to choose their tournament opponent. A win over Russellville would guarantee the Panthers as their opponent in the district tournament. A loss will leave them to a coin flip with Logan County for the 3/4 seed. 11) Allen County-Scottsville (9-14) - 1/30 42-55 L Edmonson County, 1/31 54-67 L at Hart County, 2/3 63-60 W #9 Monroe County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/7 at #3 Greenwood, 2/9 at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/10 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson It hasn't always translated to wins, but the Patriots have shown marked improvement as the year rolled on under first year HC Lex Lindsey. The win over Monroe County was the latest sign, and should give confidence as they approach the postseason, where they will again face the Falcons. 12) Russell County (5-19) - 1/31 63-28 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/4 41-56 L Western Hills (at Franklin County) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/6 at #15 Cumberland County, 2/7 vs. #8 Barren County, 2/10 at Adair County The Lakers blew out Metcalfe County on Tuesday, but four of their five wins on the season have come against Cumberland County and Metcalfe County, who are a combined 5-39. Add in 2-20 Thomas Nelson, and Russell County's five wins are over teams that are a combined 7-59. It remains a difficult season. 13) Logan County (6-18) - 1/30 78-82 OT L #4 Russellville, 2/3 38-77 L Hopkinsville, 2/4 85-57 W at #16 Glasgow Previous Rank: 13 This Week: No Games Signs of life from the Cougars! Logan County had lost 11 in a row before knocking off McLean County on January 27th, but followed that effort with a near victory over rival Russellville - falling in OT, and capped the week with a blowout win over Glasgow. They'll take an impromptu bye week before gearing up for the last week of the season. 14) South Warren (5-19) - 1/31 37-80 L at #1 Bowling Green, 2/3 50-55 L #3 Greenwood Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/7 vs. #7 Warren East, 2/9 at #2 Franklin-Simpson The results for the week scarcely matter for South Warren, with the biggest development being the return of Dylan Beckham, who has been out with injury since early December. The team's leading scorer when he went down, he remains the only player with a double digit scoring average, albeit in the first four games of the year. Beckham did not make a huge impact in the surprisingly close 55-50 loss to Greenwood, but could perhaps be a shot of adrenaline for the postseason. 15) Cumberland County (5-16) - 1/31 75-84 L at #6 Warren East, 2/2 73-82 L at Caverna, 2/3 65-87 L at Washington County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/6 vs. #12 Russell County, 2/7 vs. #9 Monroe County, 2/10 at #8 Barren County The promise of the early season 5-6 start has given way to a disappointing 10 game losing streak for the Panthers. They've often played their opponents relatively closely, but the wins have not come. Their schedule softens moving forward, so there is still a chance for momentum. 16) Glasgow (2-20) - 1/31 63-68 L at #9 Monroe County, 2/3 32-94 L at #1 Bowling Green, 2/4 57-85 L #13 Logan County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/7 vs. #17 Metcalfe County, 2/10 vs. Caverna Glasgow just can't buy a victory, and the wheels have come completely off the wagon as they have now lost 15 in a row, and haven't won since December 17th. The low point was a blowout loss to Logan County, who entered with just five wins. They should get a win on Tuesday when they host Metcalfe County, but nothing else is guaranteed for the rest of the games. 17) Metcalfe County (0-23) - 1/31 28-63 L #12 Russell County, 2/3 74-94 L at Caverna, 2/4 45-84 L at Campbellsville Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/6 vs. Marion County, 2/7 at #16 Glasgow, 2/9 vs. #11 Allen County-Scottsville It's probably not a strong opportunity for a win, but the Hornets' visit to Glasgow likely represents the best hope the rest of the way. Metcalfe County is one of two winless teams in the state.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (15-2) - 1/10 61-41 W at #16 South Warren, 1/13 70-48 W at #5 Warren Central, 1/14 75-58 W Dunbar (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/17 at Christian County, 1/20 vs. #6 Warren East The Purples ran their region win streak to 35 in a row in dominating fashion, including polishing off their largest win over Warren Central in 17 years behind an 18-2 second quarter run. They followed that up with a revenge win over Dunbar, the team that eliminated them in the Sweet 16 a year ago. That 17 point win was just another statement that the Purples are nigh-unbeatable by most teams. 2) Franklin-Simpson (13-4) - 1/9 74-44 W #11 Todd County Central, 1/10 65-53 W #8 Monroe County, 1/13 79-57 W at #3 Russellville, 1/14 36-52 L Owensboro Catholic (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/17 vs. #3 Greenwood, 1/20 vs. #14 Logan County, 1/21 at #8 Barren County The Wildcats started the week strong, and won in stunningly strong fashion over district rival Russellville, jumping out to a huge lead and never being seriously challenged en route to a 22 point victory. Their week was soured by a loss to third region power Owensboro Catholic, a game marred by atrocious shooting against the Aces zone. 3) Greenwood (11-8) - 1/10 45-63 L at Adair County, 1/13 78-50 W #6 Warren East, 1/14 57-45 W at #15 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/17 at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/20 at #5 Warren Central, 1/21 at #15 Glasgow The Gators didn't look good to start the week against Adair, but absolutely throttled Warren East to continue their message to the region that they are for real. The Gators had been swept a season ago by Warren East, and the Raiders likely thought they were coming in to make their own statement. Instead, Greenwood moved to 3-1 in district play, and can put themselves in dominant position for the 2 seed if they can knock off Warren Central this Friday. 4) Russellville (11-6) - 1/12 69-58 W at Muhlenberg County, 1/13 57-79 L #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/16 78-72 OT W #7 Clinton County (at Monroe County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/19 at #9 Monroe County, 1/21 at #16 South Warren The Panthers were flat embarrassed in a crucial district game against Franklin-Simpson, squandering their home court advantage and allowing Lovan to get loose for 32 points. Russellville's Achilles heel continues to be an over reliance on Pedro Bradshaw, who had 26 of his team's 57 in the loss. The Panthers fell behind 18-3 and 41-13 at the first two quarter poles. A nice bounce-back win over Clinton County on Monday kept them in the All A hunt, and they are the clear favorite for the title. 5) Warren Central (10-6) - 1/13 48-70 L #1 Bowling Green, 1/14 59-77 L Hopkinsville (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/17 at #16 South Warren, 1/20 vs. #3 Greenwood, 1/21 at Hopkinsville The Dragons would rather forget this week happened, with an embarrassing loss to Bowling Green followed by a nice effort against Hopkinsville that was doomed by the Tigers shooting 12/25 from three point range. The Dragons are now 1-3 since the start of the New Year, very similar to a January swoon they suffered through last season, and never really fully recovered from. This week holds what is suddenly a keystone district game, when they host Greenwood at Dragon Gym. A year ago they fell to Greenwood at home for the first time in 16 years, squandering a double digit lead in doing so. 6) Warren East (10-5) - 1/10 60-56 W at #9 Barren County, 1/13 50-78 L at #4 Greenwood, 1/14 43-57 L Shelby County (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/17 at Daviess County, 1/20 at #1 Bowling Green The Raiders had a lackluster win at Barren County on Tuesday before getting their heads handed to them in the final two games of the week. Leading scorer Trequon Patterson could not get anything going in either of their two losses, leading to their lowest scoring efforts since he joined the team. This week is no easier with dangerous Daviess County hosting East, and then the latest attempt by the Raiders to snap their 43 game losing streak to Bowling Green, a team they haven't beaten in 19 years - and not at Bowling Green in 20. 7) Clinton County (13-6) - 1/10 66-60 W #14 Cumberland County, 1/13 51-39 W at #13 Russell County, 1/16 72-78 L #3 Russellville (at Monroe County) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: No Games The Bulldogs held off a surprisingly close challenge from Cumberland County before knocking off rival Russell County on the road, wrapping up the #1 seed in the 16th District, and what basically amounts to a bye to the 4th Region tournament (with apologies to Metcalfe County). Clinton County kept that momentum going with a strong effort against Russellville, but yet again failing to find their way to a title. It's been four years since Clinton County has won the All A 4th Region title. 8) Barren County (7-11) - 1/10 56-60 L #6 Warren East, 1/13 50-49 W #8 Monroe County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/17 vs. Ohio County, 1/20 at #13 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/21 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson The Trojans rebounded from a recent swoon with a strong effort against Warren East before completing a seemingly unlikely sweep of Monroe County to almost certainly give them the 1 seed in the district. Barren County would have to lose out and have Allen County-Scottsville win out to fall into a tiebreaker scenario. Considering that one of those Barren County games is against Glasgow - winless in the district, it seems all but a done deal. 9) Monroe County (10-8) - 1/10 53-65 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/13 49-50 L at #9 Barren County, 1/14 75-41 W at #17 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/19 vs. #4 Russellville The Falcons squandered yet another game away against Barren County, putting them on the outs for the top seed in the district. They'll now have to contend with a losable game in the district semifinals. 10) Todd County Central (5-10) - 1/9 44-74 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/13 83-61 W #10 Logan County, 1/16 65-60 OT W #14 Cumberland County (at Monroe County) Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/17 vs. #17 Metcalfe County (at Monroe County) The Rebels move into the top 10 for the first time ever in the history of this poll. The major culprit was a 22 point beatdown of Logan County, a huge district win for a program that is attempting to regain its stature. They'll continue their pursuit of the All A Region title when they face Metcalfe County, and will almost certainly advance to meet the winner between Russellville and Monroe County. 11) Russell County (3-13) - 1/10 61-70 L at McCreary Central, 1/13 39-51 L #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/17 vs. Southwestern, 1/19 at Whitley County, 1/20 at #16 South Warren 12) Cumberland County (5-9) - 1/10 60-66 L at #7 Clinton County, 1/14 75-82 OT L at Somerset, 1/16 60-65 OT L #11 Todd County Central (at Monroe County) Previous Rank: 14 This Week: No Games 13) Allen County-Scottsville (6-10) - 1/10 83-70 W #10 Logan County, 1/13 66-55 W #12 Glasgow, 1/14 45-57 L #4 Greenwood Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/17 vs. Butler County, 1/20 vs. #8 Barren County 14) Logan County (4-13) - 1/10 70-83 L at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/13 61-83 L at #11 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/20 at #2 Franklin-Simpson 15) Glasgow (2-12) - 1/9 59-70 L at Green County, 1/13 55-66 L at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/14 54-89 L at Southwestern Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/19 at Adair County, 1/21 vs. #3 Greenwood 16) South Warren (4-14) - 1/10 41-61 L #1 Bowling Green, 1/14 45-70 L Marshall County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/17 vs. #5 Warren Central, 1/20 vs. #11 Russell County, 1/21 vs. #4 Russellville 17) Metcalfe County (0-16) - 1/13 44-84 L at Adair County, 1/14 41-75 L #8 Monroe County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/19 vs. #10 Todd County Central (at Monroe County)

Final Rankings and Postseason Preview 1. Bowling Green (27-2) High Rank - 1, Low Rank - 1, Average Rank - 1 It’s been 23 straight weeks at the top of the region rankings for Bowling Green, which is unsurprising given their 43 game region winning streak. The Purples have done nothing the entire year to besmirch their reputation as the frontrunner in the region, and as one of the most dominant teams in the state. The season has tracked remarkably similar to last year’s run. The Purples dropped a couple of games in the King of the Bluegrass, and didn’t lose again until the postseason. In all, Bowling Green has won 38 of their last 39 games played in January, February, or March. You could push that to 55 of their last 58, with all three losses coming to the teams that went on to win the state title. The point being, this is Bowling Green’s time of year. There is not a single weakness on this team, which has great length down low, athleticism everywhere, and oh yeah, makes 43% of their threes. They are almost indefensible for anyone. The Purples placed four players on the all-region teams, including Terry Taylor on the first team behind his 17.6 PPG and 11.9 RPG. They should roll to the 14th District title, and will cut down the 4th Region nets for the fourth consecutive year. 2. Franklin-Simpson (23-6) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 2, Average Rank - 2 Like the Purples, Franklin-Simpson did not budge from their ranking at any point during the season. They entered the year seen as the top contender to the top, and have mostly proven it, even though they twice failed to slay the Purple beasts. No loss was more devastating in that respect than the 62-59 loss they suffered at home against Bowling Green on January 23rd, despite leading by 13 points with just over 4 minutes left. They say it’s hard to beat a good team three times, and the Wildcats will be banking on that, as they are all but certain to see Bowling Green again. Overcoming that mental block may be difficult, but it’s really the only knock on their season. Of their six losses, only their 52-36 loss to Owensboro Catholic came to a team not in BluegrassPreps’ top 10. Franklin has posted strong wins over the likes of University Heights and Doss, while putting up strong efforts against CovCath and Fern Creek, while rolling to an unbeaten District 13 slate and only falling to Bowling Green in the region. 4th Region POY Tavin Lovan has posted 25.3 PPG, carrying the team on his back. He’s gotten balanced help from the likes of Trey Radcliffe (8.4 PPG) and Carlesso Doaks (7.3), but like always, they’ll go where Tavin takes them. It’ll depend on the draw for them, but wherever they meet Bowling Green, that’s where they’ll fall. We’ll say it’s in the region finals. 3. Russellville (19-10) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 5, Average Rank - 3 There’s a pretty sizable gap between our top two teams and #3. Russellville has been consistent this year, but aside from a stunning 69-65 win over Hopkinsville in December, they’ve mostly beaten the teams they should and lost to the ones they should. They’ve taken losses to Bowling Green (19 points) and Franklin-Simpson (22 and 21 points), showing just how far they have to go and not a lot of time to get there. Pedro Bradshaw is a standout for the Panthers again, posting 22.1 PPG and a state-leading 13.6 RPG en route to an all-region first team selection. Jacob Naylor has provided a solid compliment at 11.9 PPG, but most nights it all falls on Bradshaw to carry the load. The Panthers can be subject to some extremely low lows, such as their mere 36 points at Franklin-Simpson, on a night where Bradshaw scored 15 and no other player on Russellville scored more than 6. Russellville has not been past the first round of the region since 2013, and hasn’t advanced to the finals since 2001. With Phil Todd recently announcing his retirement following the year, this will be his last chance to duplicate what he did in that year, and get a title for a team outside the 14th. Alas, like Franklin, their road will end where they meet Bowling Green. If the draw is right, they can make the finals. They’ll at least extend their region tournament appearance streak to a record 14 in a row. 4. Warren Central (17-13) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 7, Average Rank - 4 The Dragons have had a volatile season. Central opened the year 6-0 with marquee wins over Henderson County and Bullitt East. But after losing Ziyan Milliken to a calf injury over the holidays, the team was never the same. As the season wore on, they lost bench man Tayshaun Bibb to injury as well, leaving the Dragons with a much shorter bench than usual – which was already short entering the year. The trouble has shown up mostly on the offensive end, as the Dragons have averaged a mere 53.78 PPG in their last 18 games, only topping 60 points five times. Not that the Dragons are without pluses. For starters, they have managed to play a very tough schedule closely, with tight losses and/or fourth quarter leads over the likes of Franklin-Simpson, Russellville, and Owensboro Catholic, and ended the season with a win over John Hardin – their best win since early December. They carry the momentum of that plus winning 3 of 4 into the postseason, where they’ll meet Greenwood at Dragon Gym. Central beat shorthanded Greenwood just 9 days ago, and the Gators will remain without their top two scorers. For the Dragons to make noise they will have to get big games out of Skyelar Potter (20.2 PPG, 11.8 RPG, all-region first team) and Josh Moss (10.4 PPG), and then have contributions from at least one other player. They are #4 mostly due to a region that is very down this year, but given the right draw and circumstances, a finals run is not out of the question. Our prediction is a district runner-up finish to Bowling Green, and then a region semifinal exit as long as they avoid the 13th District winner in the quarters. 5. Barren County (16-14) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 9, Average Rank - 7 The Trojans are another example of a team that probably wouldn’t be this high if this were last year, but Barren has been playing good ball down the stretch, to the tune of 10 wins in their last 13 games. That was a wild swing up in a season that had multiple swings for Barren County. After starting 4-0, they lost 11 of their next 13 before that final 13 game stretch. So there is some degree of which Trojan team shows up. The good news is, they’ll open with Glasgow, a team they walloped by an average of 18 PPG, and they are easily playing the best ball of any team in the 15th District – a district the Trojans finished a perfect 6-0 against. Unlike last year’s veteran heavy squad, the Trojans have only two seniors, most notably Branson London, the team’s third leading scorer at 8.9 PPG. But it’s all-region third team selection Jared Coomer that leads the way with 16.1 PPG. Coomer is a lanky forward that does just about everything for the Trojans, from posting up, to three point shots, to leading them in rebounds. Freshman Will Bandy (8.9 PPG) is another player to watch. By nature of their district, Barren County is almost a lock for the region tournament, but with so much youth – albeit talented youth – they’re a team targeting a future run. An ideal draw for the Trojans would be the 16th District rep, be it the champion or runner-up, but will likely be eliminated with any other draw. We expect a quarterfinal exit. 6. Clinton County (20-9) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 7, Average Rank - 6 Clinton County has been a steady eddy all year long, never rising about 5th and never falling below 7th in the rankings. They have a lot of wins, but many of them in unimpressive nature over unimpressive teams. They were blown off the map by Franklin-Simpson (20 points) and Greenwood (22 points), and their best win was likely a December victory over Barren County, who they fell to just three days ago in a rematch. Overtime wins over Monroe County and Allen County-Scottsville, as well as a subsequent overtime loss to Monroe County pain similarly bleak outlooks for their ability to compete with the top of the region. However, the Bulldogs did show up to play in one meeting with the current upper echelon of the region, a 78-72 OT loss to Russellville in the All “A” tournament. All of that makes it a bit difficult to peg Clinton County. They’re one of just three twenty win teams, and have Jackson Harlan, an all-region third team selection. But given that six wins came against the atrocious 16th District, and another three wins came against other teams in the 11-17 range of our ranks, it’s hard to trust them. They’re 2-5 against the rest of the region’s top ten. The Bulldogs have been to five consecutive region tournaments, but have yet to win a game at any of them, and are just 2-13 in their last 13 appearances. They’re going to walk all over the 16th District teams in their way, but they will only be favored at region if they draw the 15th District runner-up. The odds say they go out in the region quarters, and there is no doubt they leave by the end of the semifinals. 7. Greenwood (18-12) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 11, Average Rank - 5 The Gators carry more intrigue than perhaps any team below Franklin-Simpson. Their narrative was one of triumph just two short weeks ago, before everything flipped upside down. Greenwood started the year in 11th due to doubts about the pieces around Crump. Immediately the Gators showed they were a force to be reckoned with, jumping out to a 7-2 start with single digit battles against both Franklin-Simpson and Bowling Green. It all culminated in an overtime loss to Bowling Green that the Gators had virtually lock and stock, but let slip away due to missed free throws. But then came a suspension of Dawson Crump (17.6 PPG, all-region 1st team) and Chris Agro (10.5 PPG), the two leading scorers on the team. That suspension will run through the district tournament. It leaves only Alex Fee (9.6 PPG, all-region 3rd team) standing among a big three that had Greenwood considered as the second biggest threat to the Purple reign. Those suspensions have made them a heavy underdog to Warren Central, who beat them by 12 at Greenwood in the second game without Crump and Agro. But the intrigue comes from the possibilities if Greenwood could find their way past Central. If that happens, then likely by the opening of the region tournament Greenwood would be whole again, with some added experience to their reserves in tow. They’d perhaps be even better positioned for a run than they would have been. A player like 8th grader Isiah Mason has had a chance to see minutes, including dropping 16 points on Monroe County. Perhaps the added depth could key a big run. Our prediction is that Greenwood will exit stage left with a loss to Warren Central, but don’t count Greenwood out, especially given how first year HC Bob Pels has coached them up. IF they get by Central, they can make the region finals, and maybe even a true Cinderella run out of the region. 8. Monroe County (15-12) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 9, Average Rank - 9 The Falcons opened the year with a bang, notching a close overtime loss against Franklin-Simpson, which catapulted them to their high rank of 5. However, they immediately fell back down to 8th, which is where they stayed much of the year. Monroe County has often had all the looks of a team that was the best in the 15th District, but they could not solve Barren County, who beat them by a combined four points in two meetings, including a quadruple overtime win at Monroe County in early December. And while they proved they could play with a lot of the middle tier in the region, they also played down to some opponents, such as an early February loss at the buzzer to Allen County-Scottsville, their opponent in the 15th District tournament. The Falcons are yet another team with a single dominant player, in this case Billy Michael Dyer, whose 23.3 PPG is among the best in the region, and pushed him to an all-region second team selection. There is some danger in facing Monroe County, in that they shoot the lights out from the perimeter, shooting 40.7% as a team. Dyer is a volume 42.8% shooter from the arc, while Tucker Kirkpatrick has shot 47% on 83 attempts. If they can get hot, who knows what might happen. But if they go cold, they could just as easily lose to the Patriots in the first round. We think they finish as district runners-up, and exit in the quarterfinals of the region tournament, where they’ll be the second most sought-after draw. 9. Warren East (12-15) High Rank - 6, Low Rank - 11, Average Rank - 8 We’ve covered in depth the January-March woes of the Raiders, none worse than this season’s 2-12 finish, with their only wins coming over Glasgow and Cumberland County. They enter on the heels of five straight losses, and fell all the way into the 4/5 game of the 14th District tournament. That put them against South Warren, who they just lost to on February 7th, and on the same side as #1 Bowling Green, who have defeated them an astounding 45 straight times. No Raider player was alive the last time East made the region tournament in 1997, and most likely none of them were alive the last time East defeated Bowling Green (in 1998). If either of those streaks are to end, they will need a mammoth effort from Trequon Patterson (21.6 PPG, all-region second team) and Patrick Satterfield (12.5 PPG). The pair combined for 53 points the first time they faced Bowling Green, which they still lost by 22 points. Clearly, they will need a third contributor as well. Our prediction is that they don’t get it, and fall to the Purples in the semifinals by at least 20 points. 10. Todd County Central (9-16) High Rank - 10, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 11 The Rebels have continued their rebuilding project, and while their win total is the same as last year, they have shown far more competitive fight, as well as taking home their first district win since 2014. The Rebels are led by junior Nolan Barrow (14.4 PPG) and sophomore John Calvery (10.3 PPG), and the team will be well positioned to perhaps put together a run next season when Franklin and Russellville take a step back. The Rebels showed well in a late January loss to Franklin, but unfortunately drew Russellville, who has beaten them by an average of 24.67 PPG in three meetings. A district semi finish is where they’ll end, but they’ve come up a ways since two years ago when they had just three wins. 11. Allen County-Scottsville (10-18) High Rank - 11, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 13 The Patriots moved to their third head coach in three years, with veteran Lex Lindsey rallying the troops to a 10-18 record and a surprising 3-3 finish in the 15th, good enough to earn Lindsey co-COY honors in the region. There were several strong results in the back half of the year for the Patriots, such as close losses to Greenwood and Clinton County, as well as a big district win over Monroe County, their opponent in the district semis. We predict they don’t manage to take down the Falcons twice, but the Pats will return two of their three leading scorers for next season, perhaps making them ready to make a push against Barren County. 12. Logan County (7-19) High Rank - 9, Low Rank - 15, Average Rank - 10 Hopes were pushed high after an opening win against Warren East, but aside from an early December win over Hopkins County Central, there weren’t many high points for the Cougars. They did seem to pick up some better play in the last few weeks of the year, with close overtime losses to Barren County and Russellville, as well as narrowly falling by two points to a surprisingly good Edmonson County team, but Logan County won’t have any hope on the road against a Franklin-Simpson team that beat them by an average of 23 PPG. 13. South Warren (6-22) High Rank - 12, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 15 The Spartans squandered a lot of potential in the last few years, and entered this year devoid of even that. Things went from bad to worse immediately when they lost leading returner Dylan Beckham to injury in December, but have been bolstered by his February return (9.5 PPG on the year), and have paired him with leading scorer Jaxson Smith’s 9.6 PPG. Still, this was a team that scored below 40 points nine times and below 30 points three times. They won’t repeat their upset of Warren East, exiting in the 4/5 game of the 14th District tournament. 14. Russell County (6-23) High Rank - 11, Low Rank - 14, Average Rank - 12 This was a year the likes of which the Lakers had not seen since entering the region back in 2006. It is by far their worst record since joining the region, and you have to go all the way back to 1999 to find a worse one, when they went 3-22 as members of the 12th Region. The Lakers have never missed a fourth region tournament, and will need to win on the road at Cumberland County to keep the streak alive, where they just lost 13 days ago. Russell County did beat the Panthers twice this year, and our prediction is that they get it done again, and then exit immediately in the region tournament. But consider this the shakiest of all the region participant predictions. 15. Cumberland County (7-19) High Rank - 12, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 16 No matter what happens, this is a successful year for the Panthers, who just last year snapped a 44 game losing streak and then lost the next 16 games after that. Their seven wins are the most for the team in four seasons, and they beat Russell County for the first time since 2009, their last time they made the region tournament. They’ll have to do it again if they want to end that streak as well. They have homecourt to attempt it. 16. Glasgow (4-23) High Rank - 10, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 14 Glasgow showed some life in December with a close loss to Greenwood and starting 2-5, but lost their next 15 games before mercifully getting home games against Metcalfe County and Caverna. It was a terrible year for the Scotties any way you slice it, and they’ll exit against rival Barren County in the first round of the district tournament. The Trojans defeated them by 10 and 26 points this season. 17. Metcalfe County (0-29) High Rank - 17, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 17 We probably didn’t appreciate enough that when the Hornets fell to Betsy Layne 84-83 in double overtime on December 29th that their only real chance had just passed them by. Metcalfe County’s losing streak has reached 30 games, and that loss was the only one by less than 12. Just two seniors depart Metcalfe County after this year. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Tavin Lovan, G, Sr. (Franklin-Simpson) – Lovan remains at the top yet again, taking home POY honors for the 4th Region. He averaged just 25.3 PPG this season, down from last year. It was still 11th highest for the state. 2. Terry Taylor, F, Sr. (Bowling Green) – The engine that drives the Purples. His 17.6 PPG led the team, and he can play anywhere on the floor. Have fun guarding him from three where he shoots 49.1%. 3. DeAndre (Pedro) Bradshaw, F, Sr. (Russellville) – The Belmont-signee led the state in rebounds per game, and averaged 22.6 PPG. Like Taylor, he can and will shoot the three, and has great handles. 4. Dawson Crump, G, Sr. (Greenwood) – His suspension at the end of the year is a real shame, possibly depriving us of seeing one of the best ballhandlers and shooters in the region in the postseason. He dropped 38 on Bowling Green in his potential last game. 5. Zion Harmon, G, 8th (Bowling Green) – Skepticism abounded about the phenom, but he more than backed it up with 16.4 PPG. A 40% three point shooter, he is among the state’s leaders in FT% (87.5%). 6. Skyelar Potter, F, Jr. (Warren Central) – Potter couldn’t quite maintain his pace from beginning of the year, but still averaged 20.2 PPG to lead the Dragons. He’s a POY candidate for 2017-18. 7. DeAngelo Wilson, G, Sr. (Bowling Green) – Wilson could easily be higher on this list, as he hit his stride in a big way midseason. Wilson slashes into the paint with blinding speed, and gets to the rim despite his height. 8. Billy Michael Dyer, G, Jr. (Monroe County) – Dyer is a big scorer for the Falcons, and shoots 42.8% from the perimeter, despite having attempted 145 shots from the arc. 9. Kyran Jones, F, Sr. (Bowling Green) – This is off of where we usually have had Jones, but with Harmon’s ascension, he hasn’t been asked to do nearly as much this year. His 11.3 PPG are still third on the Purples. 10. Jared Coomer, F, Jr. (Barren County) – Coomer was the only returning starter from last year’s region runners-up, and backed it up with a 16.1 PPG average.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (18-2) - 1/17 74-59 W at Christian County, 1/20 88-66 W #6 Warren East, 1/23 62-59 W at #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/24 vs. Muhlenberg County, 1/27 vs. #5 Warren Central You wouldn't know it from the first two scores, but two of the three games Bowling Green played were complete dogfights. Christian County had the Purples down by double digits for much of the third quarter, but Bowling Green chipped away and then blew past them like they were standing still in the fourth. Zion Harmon led the team with 29 points to carry them on a night they needed it. After a district win against Warren East, they faced their toughest test in region play thus far (and probably for the remainder of the year), and Franklin-Simpson couldn't get the job done despite leading by 13 with 4:09 left. Bowling Green turned up the pressure, got to the rim, and the 'Cats couldn't hang on. 2) Franklin-Simpson (16-5) - 1/17 60-51 W #3 Greenwood, 1/20 63-50 W #14 Logan County, 1/21 48-42 W at #8 Barren County, 1/23 59-62 L #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/27 at #10 Todd County Central Speaking of the Wildcats, they'll rue their missed chance to end Bowling Green's now 37 game region winning streak. Despite trailing 9-0 early, the Wildcats dominated most of the game, but were outscored 20-4 in the final 4 minutes, and missed three crucial free throws late. But the week prior was still solid, especially a tight home win over surging Greenwood. Looking forward, the Wildcats may face some tough tests from Christian County and University Heights, but otherwise their district game against Russellville is the only game left circled on their schedule. 3) Greenwood (13-9) - 1/17 51-60 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/20 58-45 W at #5 Warren Central, 1/21 71-57 W at #15 Glasgow Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/27 at #6 Warren East, 1/28 at #13 Cumberland County Greenwood may have been disappointed to not get the win against Franklin, but "settled" for a crucial - and dominating - district win over rival Warren Central. Prior to last season, Greenwood had not won at Warren Central in 16 years, but has now won there two straight years. There's a good chance they'll have to win their again later in the postseason, but for now, they'll be satisfied with a win that saw them dominate the second half. The team continues to get standout play offensively from Dawson Crump and Chris Agro, as well as an intimidating inside presence in Alex Fee. 4) Russellville (13-6) - 1/19 69-55 W at #9 Monroe County, 1/20 79-62 W #10 Todd County Central (at Monroe County) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/24 at Christian County, 1/26 vs. East Ridge (at Frankfort) The Panthers added a trophy to their trophy case when they mowed through the All A field en route to the region title. It marks their first trip to the All A state tournament since 2006. Pedro Bradshaw continues to score at will, averaging nearly 22 points per game, and leads the state in rebounds with 14 per game. 5) Warren Central (11-8) - 1/17 72-46 W at #16 South Warren, 1/20 45-58 L #3 Greenwood, 1/21 50-69 L at Hopkinsville Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/24 vs. #14 South Warren, 1/27 at #1 Bowling Green Hard times continue for the Dragons, who have found great difficulty scoring without Milliken in the 2017 calendar year. Warren Central has topped 60 points only once in the last seven games, and are 2-5 in that stretch. They are playing a brutal schedule that has seen them lose to Bowling Green, Franklin-Simpson, Hopkinsville (twice), and now Greenwood, but they simply haven't been able to get needed wins. The loss to Greenwood makes them vulnerable when they meet Warren East later this month. A loss in either of those games will put them at risk of falling into the 4/5 game. 6) Warren East (10-8) - 1/17 59-85 L at Daviess County, 1/20 66-88 L at #1 Bowling Green, 1/21 80-86 L at Edmonson County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/27 vs. #3 Greenwood, 1/28 vs. #16 Glasgow Meanwhile, the Raiders are struggling themselves. They've now lost five in a row after starting the year 10-3, which has been an all too common sight for Warren East once the page turns to January. Since the start of January 2014, Warren East is 15-35 in the months of January, February, and March, with six losing streaks of four games or more. Like Warren Central, the schedule has been difficult this month, but they also blew a sizable lead against Edmonson County on Monday to exacerbate the issue. Friday they will have a must-win game against Greenwood to try to get a leg up in the chase for the 2/3 game. 7) Clinton County (14-6) - 1/23 54-53 W at Campbellsville Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/24 at #17 Metcalfe County, 1/27 vs. #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/28 at Jackson County The Bulldogs would probably be higher if not for the softness of their schedule. They clawed out a one point win over 4-16 Campbellsville, and the wins over 16th District opponents are not going to turn the tide of some early season face plants. They may well be better than this, but we haven't seen much hard evidence. This is likely the last truly dangerous team on the list because of so much unknown. 8) Barren County (9-12) - 1/17 61-43 W Ohio County, 1/20 48-41 W at #13 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/21 42-48 L #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/24 vs. #15 Logan County, 1/27 at #16 Glasgow The Trojans are quietly playing decent ball in the last few weeks, notching three wins while remaining competitive in losses to Warren Central, Warren East, and Franklin-Simpson. They have now clinched the top seed in the 15th District tournament, which should pit them against a team like Glasgow, which has been in complete freefall since the start of the year. Jared Coomer continues to be one of the standout juniors in the region, posting over 16 PPG. 9) Monroe County (10-9) - 1/19 55-69 L #4 Russellville Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/27 vs. #13 Cumberland County Another opportunity by the wayside for the Falcons, which are capable of more but find themselves winners of only 1 of their last 4 games. After an almost incomprehensible season sweep by Barren County, Monroe will likely find themselves pitted against Allen County-Scottsville in the postseason, who they defeated by 17 the first time they met. Billy Michael Dyer's 22 PPG continues to lead Monroe. 10) Todd County Central (6-11) - 1/19 73-44 W #17 Metcalfe County (at Monroe County), 1/20 62-79 L #4 Russellville (at Monroe County) Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/24 at Webster County, 1/27 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson There's not much shame in the loss to Russellville, and Todd Central has still shown great progress in their attempts to get back to respectability. 11) Allen County-Scottsville (7-11) - 1/17 60-53 W Butler County, 1/20 41-48 L #8 Barren County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/27 at #7 Clinton County, 1/28 at Caverna 12) Russell County (4-16) - 1/17 57-91 L Southwestern, 1/19 60-64 L at Whitley County, 1/20 49-53 L at #16 South Warren, 1/23 56-47 W #12 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/24 vs. Pulaski County, 1/27 vs. Casey County 13) Cumberland County (5-10) - 1/23 47-56 L at #11 Russell County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/26 at Clay County (TN), 1/27 at #9 Monroe County 14) South Warren (5-15) - 1/17 46-72 L #5 Warren Central, 1/20 53-49 W #11 Russell County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/24 at #5 Warren Central, 1/27 at Ohio County 15) Logan County (4-15) - 1/20 50-63 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/21 43-52 L Northeast Clarksville (TN) Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/24 at #8 Barren County, 1/27 vs. McLean County 16) Glasgow (2-14) - 1/19 61-81 L at Adair County, 1/21 57-71 L #3 Greenwood Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/24 at LaRue County, 1/27 vs. #8 Barren County, 1/28 at #6 Warren East 17) Metcalfe County (0-18) - 1/19 44-73 L #10 Todd County Central (at Monroe County), 1/23 47-65 L Thomas Nelson Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/24 vs. #7 Clinton County, 1/28 at Green County

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (20-2) - 1/24 86-59 W Muhlenberg County, 1/27 70-43 W #5 Warren Central Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/31 vs. #15 South Warren, 2/3 vs. #16 Glasgow The Purples continued their winning ways, running their win streak to 13 in a row. For the second straight year, they look like they will run the table in the regular season after a pair of losses in the King of the Bluegrass. Bowling Green has won 48 of their last 51 games played in January, February, and March, with all three losses coming to the eventual state champions, and two of those in the Sweet 16. Their win over rival Warren Central was a statement, the largest margin of victory for the Purples over WC in 18 years. The Purples hit five straight threes in running out to a 17-2 lead, and never looked back. They'll breathe very easy against their schedule this week. 2) Franklin-Simpson (17-5) - 1/27 66-55 W at #10 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/31 at Christian County, 2/3 vs. #4 Russellville, 2/4 vs. University Heights (at Bowling Green) You might not know it from the final score, but Franklin had to battle against Todd Central. Despite winning their opening matchup by 30, they fell behind to the Rebels by a 26-21 margin at halftime, in large part due to atrocious 8/25 shooting in the half. They rectified that with 30 points in the third quarter, but still led by only 6 with two minutes remaining before pulling it out. The Wildcats were 14/19 from the field in the second half, and were as always led by Tavin Lovan and his 27 points. A stud schedule awaits them this week, taking on BGP-ranked Christian County and second region power UHA with a big district game with Russellville in between. 3) Greenwood (15-9) - 1/27 69-66 W at #6 Warren East, 1/28 61-51 W at #13 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/31 at #8 Barren County, 2/3 at #15 South Warren The Gators pushed their win streak to 4 in a row, equaling their longest streak of the year. It wasn't easy, as they had to go on the road to Warren East and overcome an eight point halftime deficit and some shaky free throw shooting to gain the district win. With that win, Greenwood assured themselves of at least the 3rd seed in the district tournament, which will keep them away from Bowling Green in the semifinal round. It's a big turnaround from a year ago when they were bounced in the 4/5 game of the district tourney. 4) Russellville (15-8) - 1/24 83-97 L at Christian County, 1/26 63-52 W East Ridge (at Frankfort), 1/27 81-59 W Mayfield (at Frankfort), 1/28 51-61 OT L Newport Central Catholic (at Frankfort) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/30 at #13 Logan County, 2/3 at #2 Franklin-Simpson The Panthers continue to show that they can compete with anyone, even if they come up on the wrong side in their marquee games more often than not. Russellville was part of a show at Christian County that saw 180 points combined, but in a game they scored 83 points in they still lost by double digits. They followed that with a very strong showing at the All "A" State Tournament, but could not hold a double digit lead against Newport Central Catholic, ultimately bowing out in overtime. The Panthers can wrap up at least the 2 seed with a win over Logan County on Monday, and then will take aim at redemption when they visit Franklin on Friday. 5) Clinton County (17-6) - 1/24 60-37 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 1/27 55-54 OT W #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/28 86-54 W at Jackson County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/3 at Madison Southern, 2/4 vs. Holmes The Bulldogs finally get bumped up in the rankings by sheer amount of wins as the two 14th District schools ahead of them continue to struggle for Ws. Clinton County has quietly reeled off wins in 7 of 8 games, with their only loss to a strong Russellville team in OT over their All "A" region meeting. Their mere single digit win over AC/S is a reminder that this rank is fragile. With their win over Metcalfe County, Clinton County completed an unbeaten district 16 slate, and should face few tests before the 4th Region tournament in March. 6) Warren East (11-9) - 1/27 66-69 L #3 Greenwood, 1/28 75-63 W #16 Glasgow Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/30 at #7 Warren Central, 1/31 vs. #14 Cumberland County, 2/3 vs. #7 Warren Central The Raiders' losing streak eventually reached six in a row before they broke the seal with a home win over Glasgow on Saturday. It wasn't the win they wanted, as they hoped to knock off Greenwood on Friday night. An eight point halftime lead evaporated quickly, but East continued to stay hot on Greenwood's heels, and only after a Satterfield half court heave rimmed out at the buzzer was the loss taken. This week marks the two biggest games they have left on the schedule. If the Raiders can sweep Warren Central, they will clinch a spot in the 2/3 game. If they get swept, they're relegated to the 4/5 contest. Split, and then we'll see. A lot on the line for a team that continues to seek their first region tourney appearance in 20 years. 7) Warren Central (12-9) - 1/24 52-33 W #14 South Warren, 1/27 43-70 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/30 vs. #6 Warren East, 2/3 at #6 Warren East, 2/4 vs. Christian County (at Bowling Green) The Dragons have only wins over hapless South Warren to break up a losing spell in the last three weeks, taking a pair of losses each to Bowling Green and Hopkinsville, as well as the devastating home loss to Greenwood. The loss to Bowling Green was a low point, as the Purples swiftly dismantled Warren Central early, jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the first three and a half minutes, a total that would equal the Dragons' first half score (11). Like East, everything is riding on these games this week for Warren Central. The Dragons still feel they can make a run if they can regain their footing, but if they can't regain it in time to avoid a loss (or two) to East, they may find themselves in the 4/5 game - a death sentence that would run them into Bowling Green. 8) Barren County (11-12) - 1/24 52-50 OT W #15 Logan County, 1/27 66-40 W at #16 Glasgow Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/31 vs. #3 Greenwood, 2/3 at Hart County, 2/4 at Adair County It's now five wins in their last six games for the yo-yo Trojans. Even within the wins there are ups and downs, as Barren County raced out to a huge lead over Logan County, only to have to hold on when taken to overtime. But in the process they have completed a perfect 6-0 record in District 15 play, securing the top seed in the district for a second consecutive year and pushing their district win streak to 14 in a row. They'll get a measuring stick game against Greenwood on Tuesday, which should show just how much progress has been made. 9) Monroe County (11-9) - 1/27 85-71 W #13 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/31 vs. #16 Glasgow, 2/3 at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/4 vs. Pulaski County (at Clinton County) It was a quiet week for the Falcons, who notched a season high 85 points in their home win over Cumberland County. Monroe County is likely still a more dangerous team than the Barren County team that swept them this year, but the Falcons just couldn't get it done when they needed to in those games. Billy Michael Dyer remains over the 20 PPG threshold, averaging a healthy 22.5. Monroe County is locked into a postseason meeting with Allen County-Scottsville, meaning their meeting on Friday will be a good preview of their meeting a couple of weeks later. 10) Todd County Central (6-13) - 1/24 65-74 L at Webster County, 1/27 55-66 L #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/3 vs. Crittenden County The Rebels hopefully proved to themselves that they can compete when they took a halftime lead on the Wildcats in their meeting this past Friday. The Rebels have not won a district tournament game in 14 years, and they will meet either Russellville or Franklin-Simpson in the postseason. They need the confidence that they have a shot. 11) Allen County-Scottsville (8-12) - 1/27 54-55 OT L at #7 Clinton County, 1/28 58-49 W at Caverna Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/30 vs. Edmonson County, 1/31 at Hart County, 2/3 vs. #9 Monroe County The Patriots are 6-5 in their last 11 games, with strong efforts against the likes of Greenwood, Barren County, and Clinton County in their losses. They'll get a feel for how much they've improved when they meet Monroe County on Friday, who knocked them off in Tompkinsville by a 68-51 score back on January 7th. 12) Russell County (4-18) - 1/24 42-77 L Pulaski County, 1/27 52-65 L Casey County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/31 at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/4 vs. Western Hills (at Franklin County) The nightmare has continued for the Lakers, who have lost 9 of 10. Win #5 should come on Tuesday against Metcalfe County, but all bets are off for the remainder of their schedule. 13) Logan County (5-16) - 1/24 50-52 OT L at #8 Barren County, 1/27 65-42 W McLean County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/30 vs. #4 Russellville, 2/3 vs. Hopkinsville, 2/4 at #16 Glasgow Signs of life for the Cougars, who snapped an 11 game losing streak three days after nearly overcoming a huge deficit on the road at Barren County. The home game in the Clash of the Cats looms on Monday, and in a scheduling quirk, only one game is left on their schedule after this week. 14) Cumberland County (5-13) - 1/26 66-96 L at Clay County (TN), 1/27 71-85 L at #9 Monroe County, 1/28 51-61 L #3 Greenwood Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/31 at #6 Warren East, 2/2 at Caverna, 2/3 at Washington County The Panthers have gone the other direction, losing seven in a row despite being fairly competitive in their losses. They'll visit their former coach Brandon Combs when they play Warren East on Tuesday. 15) South Warren (5-17) - 1/24 33-52 L at #5 Warren Central, 1/27 44-61 L at Ohio County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/31 at #1 Bowling Green, 2/3 vs. #3 Greenwood South has lost 10 of their last 11 games, and fell to 0-6 in district play, assuring themselves of a spot in the 4/5 game, which will almost certainly extend their drought of having never made it out of the district tournament. 16) Glasgow (2-17) - 1/24 28-68 L at LaRue County, 1/27 40-66 L #8 Barren County, 1/28 63-75 L at #6 Warren East Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/31 at #9 Monroe County, 2/3 at #1 Bowling Green, 2/4 vs. #13 Logan County Glasgow has now suffered 12 losses in a row, and their 28 points posted against LaRue County were their lowest since managing only 26 points in a region tournament loss to Bowling Green last season. 17) Metcalfe County (0-20) - 1/24 37-60 L #7 Clinton County, 1/28 52-80 L at Green County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/31 vs. #12 Russell County, 2/3 at Caverna, 2/4 at Campbellsville It's 21 losses in a row for winless Metcalfe County, with only their double overtime loss to Betsy Layne in December coming by less than double digits.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (26-2) - 2/6 79-71 OT W at #3 Greenwood, 2/7 83-61 W Owensboro, 2/10 101-69 W at #7 Warren East, 2/11 69-45 W Male Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/14 vs. #3 Russellville The week began with what was easily the biggest test that they have faced in the district and region in quite some time. For the first time since the 2015 Region Semifinals, a region team took them to an overtime session, and in-district, it's the first time since the last district or region loss BG took, a 64-58 OT loss to Warren Central in 2015. But much like the 2015 Region Semis against Barren County, their opponent in some ways was complicit in letting them escape with poor free throw shooting. Greenwood had the opportunity for as many as four free throws and the ball, already holding the lead, with less than 40 seconds remaining. They hit one, and turned it over on their next possession. After BG tied the game, a Greenwood steal should have led to a potential game-winning layup, but instead they settled for a jumper that missed, and it was all Purples from there. Bowling Green followed that up with a pair of blowout wins, including their first 100+ point effort in 14 years. All that stands between them and a second consecutive undefeated 4th Region run is a home game against #3 Russellville. BG will be heavily favored. 2) Franklin-Simpson (21-6) - 2/9 70-29 W #14 South Warren, 2/10 75-43 W at #11 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/14 at #9 Warren East, 2/16 vs. #16 Glasgow The Wildcats are 12-3 since the start of 2017, and had one of their easiest weeks yet in blowout victories over South Warren and Allen County-Scottsville. In their win over South Warren, they shot a scorching 56% from the field and 63.6% from three. Those are the kind of efforts they will need more of as they begin to make their charge towards a potential third meeting with Bowling Green. This week they should have no trouble running over Warren East and Glasgow as tuneups to their district tourney meeting with Logan County. 3) Russellville (18-9) - 2/6 62-53 W #6 Warren Central, 2/10 78-59 W at #10 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/14 at #1 Bowling Green, 2/17 vs. #13 South Warren The Panthers continued a super-solid 2017 calendar year, moving to 11-4 since January 1st. All of those losses were quality, with a pair of losses to Franklin, a loss to Christian County, and their All A loss to NewCath. This week they snapped a 10 game losing streak to Warren Central, winning for the first time since 2008, breaking away from a 48 all tie late. They wrapped up a 4-2 district slate with a 78-59 win over Todd County Central, who they will try to beat a fourth time in the district tournament next week. Their marquee matchup this week is an awaited road trip to Bowling Green. The Panthers have not beaten the Purples since 2008, and haven't won at BG since 2007. 4) Warren Central (15-13) - 2/6 53-62 L at #4 Russellville, 2/7 44-46 OT L Owensboro Catholic, 2/10 51-39 W at #3 Greenwood, 2/11 53-55 L Elizabethtown Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/14 vs. #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/17 vs. John Hardin The Dragons aren't all that deserving of this rank, but events away from the team have elevated them. Their three losses of the week are very much indicative of the season since losing Ziyan Milliken - close, but can't finish. The Dragons have faded in the fourth quarter of many games, and have been unable to maintain small leads or battle back from narrow deficits. They never led Russellville, but battled back to a tie midway through the fourth, only to have a turnover and lapse on defense eliminate any hope they had. After leading a very good Owensboro Catholic team for most of the second through fourth quarters, the Dragons missed a three for the win in regulation, then gave up an offensive rebound putback with 4 seconds left to fall to the Aces. Then against Elizabethtown, the Dragons played from behind much of the evening, then turned it over down 2 with 16 seconds left, and missing a three at the buzzer for the win. In the middle of all of that was a great gift from Greenwood in more ways than one, that will be discussed below. Warren Central has some talent, but too much inconsistency and too many injuries to prove a serious threat to the teams above them. 5) Clinton County (19-8) - 2/6 59-43 W McCreary Central, 2/10 72-78 OT L at #9 Monroe County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/13 vs. #13 South Warren, 2/16 at #6 Barren County The Bulldogs remain the enigma they have been for almost the entire season. It's not the record - it's the opponents. Most of Clinton County's wins have come over poor teams, and often with struggles. And their losses are often blowouts, and not necessarily to teams they should lose to. The latest was an overtime loss at Monroe County, the second time this year that Clinton County found themselves in overtime with the Falcons. That this came a week after Monroe lost to ACS - a team who Clinton County also struggled with a week before that - makes it difficult to build confidence in the Bulldogs. They'll have a prove-it game against Barren County on Friday, before beginning their walkover on the way to the 4th Region tournament that is the 16th District tourney. 6) Barren County (14-14) - 2/7 56-39 W at #12 Russell County, 2/10 67-43 W #15 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/14 at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/16 vs. #5 Clinton County The Trojans knocked off a pair of 16th District teams in dominating fashion this week, giving them 8 wins in 11 games. If you could just erase that 2-11 stretch in December, Barren County would likely be much further up these rankings. The Trojans have slowly positioned themselves as a dark horse that could bite a region tournament opponent that is not on their game. They'll continue their 16th District challenge this week, then prepare for their district semifinal against rival Glasgow. 7) Monroe County (14-11) - 2/7 68-44 W at #15 Cumberland County, 2/10 78-72 OT W #5 Clinton County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/14 vs. #8 Greenwood, 2/16 vs. #9 Warren East The Falcons followed a rough stretch that saw them struggle with Glasgow and lose to Allen County-Scottsville with possibly their finest win of the year, a 78-72 overtime victory over Clinton County. That avenged an early December road loss to their former 16th District rivals, and perhaps positioned them for some momentum heading into the postseason. First up in that momentum charge is faltering Greenwood, before senior night against a similarly lagging Warren East club. A win over either would give them their first victory over a 14th District squad since knocking off Warren Central in the 2014 Owensboro Invitational. 8) Greenwood (17-12) - 2/6 71-79 OT L #1 Bowling Green, 2/7 46-43 W #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/10 39-51 L #6 Warren Central Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/14 at #7 Monroe County Last Monday, who would have thought the Gators would find themselves here? Their game against Bowling Green was grand, a definite "shoulda won" in which Greenwood let some golden chances slip through their fingers. It was the developments that took place within the next 24 hours that derailed what looked to be an almost certain shot at a 4th Region run. When Dawson Crump and Chris Agro sat out against Allen County-Scottsville, it wasn't necessarily noticed. The news broke before their district finale against Warren Central that Crump and Agro, the two leading scorers for Greenwood, have been suspended through the district tournament. It's a devastating blow that immediately showed itself in a 12 point loss at home to Warren Central, who they'll play in the postseason in 9 days. To make matters worse, Greenwood had to cancel two games due to the 30 game limit, which took away additional chances to get true game practice with the personnel they'll have. There's still hope for Greenwood if they can find a win against Central, but it will not be easy. 9) Warren East (12-13) - 2/7 58-60 L at #14 South Warren, 2/10 69-101 L #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/14 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson, 2/16 at #7 Monroe County It's been discussed before, but the second half of the season has been very unkind to the Raiders in recent years. Since the start of the 13/14 season, Warren East is 35-14 in November and December. Once the page turns to January, that plummets. In January through March of those same seasons, the Raiders are a mere 17-40. East's only wins since January 10th have come over Cumberland County and Glasgow, the 15th and 16th rated teams in the region. This week they fell to South Warren, a team they beat by 23 points when they met December 9th, and their opponent in the 4/5 game of next week's 14th District tournament. That was followed with their 45th straight loss to Bowling Green, allowing the Purples to put up their first 100 point effort in 14 years. The Raiders have talent, but they are almost out of time to figure out how to marshal that and find a way to return to the region tourney. They now have to make sure they can beat South Warren just to have that shot at Bowling Green again. 10) Todd County Central (9-15) - 2/7 77-43 W Trigg County, 2/10 59-78 L #4 Russellville, 2/11 67-83 L at Hopkins County Central Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/16 at Caldwell County The Rebels have hung around, putting up some good efforts in losses while stringing together some wins. Whatever ultimately happens the rest of the way, the season has been a success, with an 18-21 record in their last 39 games, and building a foundation that will see their top three scorers return next season. They wrap up with Caldwell County, before squaring off for the fourth time with Russellville. 11) Allen County-Scottsville (10-16) - 2/7 43-46 L at #3 Greenwood, 2/9 63-39 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/10 43-75 L #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/14 at #4 Warren Central, 2/17 vs. #14 Russell County 12) Logan County (6-18) - No Games Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/13 at Rossview (TN), 2/17 at Edmonson County 13) South Warren (6-20) - 2/7 60-58 W #7 Warren East, 2/9 29-70 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/13 at #5 Clinton County, 2/16 at Daviess County, 2/17 at #3 Russellville 14) Russell County (5-22) - 2/6 67-76 OT L at #15 Cumberland County, 2/7 39-56 L #8 Barren County, 2/10 33-69 L at Adair County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/14 vs. Madison Southern, 2/17 at #11 Allen County-Scottsville 15) Cumberland County (6-18) - 2/6 76-67 OT W #12 Russell County, 2/7 44-68 L #9 Monroe County, 2/10 43-67 L at #8 Barren County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/13 vs. Clay County (TN), 2/14 vs. #16 Glasgow, 2/17 at Green County 16) Glasgow (4-20) - 2/7 70-46 W #17 Metcalfe County, 2/10 76-74 W Caverna Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/13 at Butler County, 2/14 at #15 Cumberland County, 2/16 at #2 Franklin-Simpson 17) Metcalfe County (0-26) - 2/6 46-70 L Marion County, 2/7 46-70 L at #16 Glasgow, 2/9 39-63 L #11 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/14 vs. #6 Barren County, 2/16 vs. Caverna, 2/17 at Washington County

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (12-2) - 1/3 70-44 W at #9 Barren County, 1/7 73-70 W Dixie Heights (at Muhlenberg County) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/10 at #16 South Warren, 1/13 at #5 Warren Central, 1/14 vs. Dunbar (at South Warren) The snow took some edge off the week for the Purples, who were due to face off against Greenwood, who played them within single digits back in mid-December. Bowling made due with a shellacking of Barren County in a rematch of last season's region finals, and then pulled out a tight one with Dixie Heights in Muhlenberg County, where Dixie showed off a three point barrage. This week has some big games, with the always dangerous cross-town rivalry with Warren Central on tap, and then a rematch with defending state champ Dunbar, who knocked them out of the Sweet 16 last season. 2) Franklin-Simpson (10-3) - 1/3 49-37 W at #3 Warren Central Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/9 vs. #11 Todd County Central, 1/10 vs. #8 Monroe County, 1/13 at #3 Russellville, 1/14 vs. Owensboro Catholic (at South Warren) It wasn't always pretty, but Franklin-Simpson passed the test of their #2 ranking with a road win at Warren Central, their first win at Central since December of 2004. The Wildcats trailed 20-16 at the half and 33-29 after three due to cold shooting, but dominated the fourth quarter 20-4. While holding the Dragons scoreless for the final 4:41 of the game, Franklin-Simpson scored twelve straight points to break the 37 all tie. This week has one of the two most important games on their schedule, when they visit #3 Russellville in one of the games that will decide the #1 seed in the district. 3) Russellville (9-5) - 1/3 85-61 W Ohio County, 1/6 75-65 W #10 Logan County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/12 at Muhlenberg County, 1/13 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson The Panthers have been a bit up and down, and far too reliant on Bradshaw, but finally find themselves back where they started, #3. Their win over a solid Ohio County team is probably their most impressive performance of the year, with six players in double digits, all between 10-15 points. They were led by Micah Naylor, who was a perfect 4/4 from downtown to lead the Panthers to a 7/11 shooting clip behind the three point arc. As mentioned above, their matchup with Franklin is a crucial district contest, especially at home. 4) Greenwood (9-7) - 1/3 60-66 L Daviess County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/10 at Adair County, 1/13 vs. #6 Warren East, 1/14 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville Their loss against Daviess County wasn't exactly the best result, but they continue to get a much more balanced performance than a season ago, when Crump seemed to be relied on for everything. Both Chris Agro and Alex Fee are averaging in double digits alongside Crump, and Jack Roberts is now just behind with 9.2 PPG. Not many of the top-flight teams in the region can boast solid supporters alongside their stud scorers, but the Gators can. They get a tough test from Adair County on Tuesday before hosting a big district game against a surging Warren East squad. 5) Warren Central (10-4) - 1/3 37-49 L #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/7 48-39 W #9 Barren County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/13 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 1/14 vs. Hopkinsville (at South Warren) The loss to Franklin-Simpson wasn't what knocked the Dragons down, although it didn't help. A nightmare fourth quarter cost them a shot at an impressive win against the Wildcats, and it didn't appear the funk had left them by the time they played a flagging Barren County team on Saturday. The Dragons fell behind 10-0, failing to score in the first half of the quarter, before recovering to trail 12-10 after one. Then, they failed to score in the first half of the second quarter, again putting them behind the 8-ball. It wasn't until a finishing 19-8 kick in the fourth that Warren Central was able to gain and keep the lead. It's been a few lackluster performances since losing Ziyan Milliken, and offensively, the Dragons will need a significant uptick heading into two daunting games this weekend. 6) Warren East (9-3) - 1/3 84-57 W #12 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/10 at #9 Barren County, 1/13 at #4 Greenwood, 1/14 vs. Shelby County (at South Warren) The Raiders are probably bitter about the snow taking away a potential upset shot against Warren Central, as Warren East is one of the hottest teams in the region. Winners of 8 out of their last 9 - including 7 of their last 8 since Trequon Patterson joined the team - East has averaged nearly 72 PPG in their last seven games, holding opponents to 60. And they continue to get steallar scoring from Patterson, who is already up to 221 points through 8 games for a 27.6 PPG average. After a tuneup with Barren County, they'll visit Greenwood in their search to avoid Bowling Green in the district tournament. 7) Clinton County (11-5) - 1/3 72-61 W Pickett County (TN) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/10 vs. #14 Cumberland County, 1/13 at #13 Russell County It was a quiet week for Clinton County, and the next week should remain quiet as they will continue their roll through the 16th District. One notable stat from their win over Pickett County - the Bulldogs attempted 38 free throws, hitting 25. A lot to take away from that, from great job getting to the line that many times, but a terrible percentage shooting them! 8) Monroe County (9-6) - 1/3 74-67 W at #10 Logan County, 1/7 68-51 W #16 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/10 at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/13 at #9 Barren County, 1/14 at #17 Metcalfe County The Falcons couldn't shake loose of Logan County for most of their game last Tuesday, but ultimately pulled away behind another strong performance from Billy Michael Dyer, who had 25. It was the first meeting between the two teams in five years, and Monroe has still not lost to the Cougars since 2001. They followed that with a needed district win over Allen County-Scottsville to reach the halfway point of their district slate at 2-1. They'll get a measuring stick game against Franklin-Simpson before a must-win game on the road at Barren County on Friday. The Trojans won at Monroe County on December 9th in quadruple overtime, and another loss would likely end the Falcons' hopes of obtaining the top seed. 9) Barren County (6-10) - 1/3 44-70 L #1 Bowling Green, 1/7 39-48 L at #3 Warren Central Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/10 vs. #6 Warren East, 1/13 vs. #8 Monroe County The Trojans continue to struggle, falling to 2-10 after their 4-0 start to the year. The scoring continues to be difficult for Barren County, with only 83 points combined in this week's games, albeit against strong competition. They'll square off against another top 14th District team before hosting the all-important district game against Monroe County on Friday. The Trojans are already 3-0 in the district, and would almost certainly clinch the top seed with another win over Monroe County. 10) Logan County (4-11) - 1/3 67-74 L #8 Monroe County, 1/6 65-75 L at #5 Russellville Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/10 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/13 at #11 Todd County Central The Cougars have now lost 6 in a row, and have not won since a 56-26 blowout win over of South Warren on December 17th. Kelby Epley attempted to get the Cougars an out of district win over Monroe County, leading Logan County with 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting, including 3/6 from three. They followed that with a nice effort against Russellville in the Clash of the Cats, losing by a respectable 10 points. They'll have two winnable games this week, but the district contest against Todd County Central is crucial. 11) Todd County Central (3-9) - 1/3 57-84 L at #6 Warren East Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/9 at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/13 vs. #10 Logan County The Rebels have a losing streak of their own, falling in four straight since a December 19th win over Cumberland County. They took it on the chin in a 27 point loss to Warren East, and the road gets no easier with a pair of 13th District opponents. Todd Central has not notched a district win since defeating Franklin-Simpson 65-64 on February 8th, 2014. They don't figure to have much hope of stopping that against Franklin, but perhaps can break a three year losing skid to Logan County on Friday. 12) Glasgow (2-9) - 1/3 70-80 L #16 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/9 at Green County, 1/13 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/14 at Southwestern The Scotties have now lost four in a row, with this loss to Allen County being the most surprising of the streak. The 80 points allowed represented a season high score for the Patriots, and the fourth time this season that Glasgow has allowed 80+ (with an additional game allowing 79). Glasgow had swept the Patriots a year ago, and were favored to do so again. The Scotties still have a stronger body of work based on some closer contests, but if they fall again to the Patriots this coming Friday, they'll tumble much further down the rankings. 13) Russell County (3-11) - 1/3 52-82 L at Marion County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/10 at McCreary Central, 1/13 vs. #7 Clinton County A year ago, the Lakers opened with a 15 point win over Marion County. Fast forward a year and it was a thirty point drubbing on the road. The good news remains that Russell County is pointed to the future with only two seniors on the team, but they've already suffered their most losses in six years, with nearly two months to go in the season. You have to go back 14 years to find the last losing season for the Lakers. In just a few games from now, they may very well clinch the end of that streak. 14) Cumberland County (5-6) - 1/3 72-51 W #17 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/10 at #7 Clinton County, 1/14 at Somerset The Panthers emerged off a long Christmas break to play a game and then have another canceled by snow, which will ultimately leave them playing only a single game in 20 days by the time they visit Clinton County tomorrow. The good news it that one game was a district win over Metcalfe County, pushing their official district record to 2-1. It's the first time they have posted multiple district wins in four years. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (4-9) - 1/3 80-70 W at #11 Glasgow, 1/7 51-68 L at #8 Monroe County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/10 vs. #10 Logan County, 1/13 vs. #12 Glasgow, 1/14 vs. #4 Greenwood The 80-70 win over Glasgow could be used as a rallying point for the season. The Patriots are now 3-4 over their last seven games, and the win over Glasgow puts them on the inside track to escape the 1/4 game in the district tournament. They can virtually assure themselves of that if they can pull off a repeat performance when they host Glasgow on Friday. 16) South Warren (4-12) - 1/7 29-49 L at Henderson County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/10 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 1/14 vs. Marshall County The Spartans have fallen in five straight games, and have not scored more than 50 points in their last six. In all, they have scored over 50 points only five times in 17 games. Their 29 points against Henderson County were not even a season low, having managed only 26 against Logan County in December. With a tough schedule moving forward that features two games against Bowling Green, two against Warren Central, as well as games against Franklin-Simpson, Greenwood, Warren East, Russellville, and Ohio County, it is possible that their January 20th matchup with Russell County is the only prospective win left on the schedule. 17) Metcalfe County (0-14) - 1/3 51-72 L at #14 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/13 at Adair County, 1/14 vs. #8 Monroe County 15 straight losses for the Hornets, and this won't be the week they have a chance to break that. January 23rd against Thomas Nelson should be circled 8 times.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (1-0) - 12/3 99-67 W McCracken County (at Marshall County) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/6 vs. Elizabethtown, 12/9 at Hopkinsville, 12/10 vs. North Hardin (at Henderson County) The three-time defending region champions and state frontrunners had a thunderous opening in the Marshall County Hoopsfest, racing out to 99 points against McCracken County in a 32 point victory. The total was the highest scoring output in 13 years for the Purples, and came without the benefit of players such as Kyran Jones and DeAngelo Wilson, among others. Austin Peay signee Terry Taylor led BG with 29 points, while 8th grade phenom Zion Harmon had 22 points. These guys are good. 2) Franklin-Simpson (3-0) - 11/29 73-70 OT W at #8 Monroe County, 12/1 58-50 W at #11 Greenwood, 12/2 68-48 W #5 Clinton County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/6 at #12 South Warren, 12/9 at #9 Logan County The Wildcats opened with a couple of perhaps concerning results, but they still lack several football players in their lineup. After gutting out wins over Monroe County and Greenwood, their most impressive result was dominating Clinton County on short rest. Tavin Lovan is off to a rapid start, averaging 28 PPG and scoring about 25 points in every game. 3) Warren Central (2-0) - 11/29 62-57 W Bullitt East, 12/2 68-53 W Henderson County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/6 at Owensboro, 12/9 vs. University Heights (at Hopkinsville) Warren Central overcame a 13 point deficit in their season opener against Bullitt East before leading coast to coast against 2nd Region dark horse Henderson County. A bit of a surprise to be 2-0, Warren Central had not won their opening two games since the 2012/13 season. Skyelar Potter is averaging 24 PPG through the first two games. 4) Russellville (0-0) - Did Not Play Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/6 vs. #11 Warren East, 12/9 vs. #15 Todd County Central, 12/10 vs. University Heights (at Hopkinsville) The Panthers drop only because of the strong start by Warren Central. Russellville should coast in their two season opening games, but the real litmus test will be against UHA a night after the Blazers tangle with Warren Central. 5) Monroe County (1-2) - 11/29 70-73 OT L #2 Franklin-Simpson, 12/2 80-41 W #17 Metcalfe County, 12/3 60-89 L Butler (at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/6 at #7 Clinton County, 12/9 vs. #6 Barren County The Falcons almost pulled off a huge upset over the shorthanded Franklin-Simpson Wildcats in their season opener, but could not hold a late 61-53 lead. Billy Michael Dyer almost carried Monroe to the win, dropping 33 points, including 7/14 shooting from behind the arc. They'll have two prove it games this week, including a crucial district contest against Barren County. 6) Barren County (2-0) - 11/29 55-40 W at Green County, 12/2 44-34 W at #12 South Warren Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/6 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/9 at #5 Monroe County The Trojans are showing off a more measured attack through their first two games after taking heavy graduation losses from last year's region runner-up. They were 2-5 last season when scoring 55 points or below, and have already equaled that win total in their first two games. Jared Coomer led Barren with 11 of their 19 first half points against South Warren, finishing with a game-high 19. 7) Clinton County (1-2) - 11/29 70-56 W Casey County, 12/2 48-68 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 12/3 43-63 L at Male Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/6 vs. #5 Monroe County, 12/9 vs. #x Metcalfe County, 12/10 at #8 Greenwood The Bulldogs suffered through a brutal back-to-back to end the week, taking one on the chin from both Franklin-Simpson and Louisville Male. It's not the type of start Clinton County wanted, reminiscent of last season's 0-3 start. Last year they ended the year poorly, and are now just 2-8 in their last ten games spanning the seasons. 8) Greenwood (2-1) - 11/29 75-57 W at #9 Logan County, 12/1 50-58 L #2 Franklin-Simpson, 12/2 61-60 W #10 Glasgow Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/6 at #13 Russell County, 12/9 at Edmonson County, 12/10 vs. #7 Clinton County The Bob Pels era opened in style for the Gators, notching a win over Logan County a night after the Cougars had knocked off district rival Warren East, and overcoming a 12-0 deficit to put a scare into Franklin-Simpson before faltering late. They ended the week with a solid win over Glasgow, overcoming a third quarter 10 point deficit, and surviving a last second shot. Chris Agro is averaging more than 10 PPG as a solid compliment to star Dawson Crump. 9) Logan County (1-2) - 11/28 62-59 W #6 Warren East, 11/29 57-75 L #11 Greenwood, 12/3 70-74 L at Muhlenberg County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/6 at Ohio County, 12/9 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson, 12/10 vs. Hopkins County Central (at Webster County) The Cougars started with a surprising win over Warren East, but came crashing down to Earth on tired legs the following night against Greenwood. Logan County has shown great balance to start the year, with Third Bell, Kelby Epley, Lorenzo Garcia, and Austin Rayno all averaging between 9 and 10.5 PPG. 10) Glasgow (0-2) - 11/28 50-84 L at Marion County, 12/2 60-61 L at #11 Greenwood Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/6 vs. Somerset, 12/9 vs. #13 Russell County The Scotties were pasted by Marion County but showed resilience in battling back from an early 10 point deficit against Greenwood before a late Ben Hughes shot failed to find the mark to give the Gators the win. Hughes had just two points against Marion County, but exploded for 32 points against the Gators. 11) Warren East (1-1) - 11/28 59-62 L at #9 Logan County, 11/29 80-35 W #17 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/6 at #4 Russellville, 12/9 vs. #12 South Warren This is probably too low for Warren East, who simply found themselves shuffled to the back after their surprising defeat at Logan County. Patrick Satterfield picked up where he left off last year, averaging 19 PPG in the first two games of the season. The Raiders will host South Warren in a crucial district game on Friday. 12) South Warren (1-2) - 11/28 47-83 L at Owensboro, 11/29 54-46 W at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/2 34-44 L #7 Barren County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/6 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson, 12/9 at #11 Warren East Spartan efforts for their first winning season since 2012/13 got off to an inauspicious start with a blowout loss to Owensboro and home opener loss to Barren County sandwiched around gutting out a victory at Allen County-Scottsville. Dylan Beckham leads the Spartans in scoring with 15 PPG through three contests. They'll likely take a loss to Franklin-Simpson before visiting Warren East. South has not won two straight over the Raiders since their inaugural season, and won the last meeting between the two in 2015/16. 13) Russell County (0-1) - 12/3 47-85 L John Hardin (at LaRue County) Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/6 vs. #8 Greenwood, 12/9 at #10 Glasgow, 12/10 at Jackson County After being tied at 14 all with 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the Lakers were outscored 61-19 through the end of the third quarter of their running clock loss to the Bulldogs. There's a lot of unknowns around Russell County thanks to the departure of their head coach and best player. The Lakers turned it over 23 times and shot 45% from the field. Brayton Scales had 19 while Devin Clark chipped in 12, and Ben Walters added 10. The three players accounted for 87% of the scoring. 14) Allen County-Scottsville (1-1) - 11/29 46-54 L #12 South Warren, 12/2 56-54 W at Edmonson County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/6 at #6 Barren County, 12/9 at #16 Cumberland County The Lex Lindsey era is under way at Allen County. After an opening loss to South Warren, the Patriots overcame a 53-46 deficit with under four minutes left, winning on a Brett Rippy baseline reverse layup with five seconds left. The possession was set up by an Edmonson County offensive foul with 16.5 seconds left. (Not AC/S related, but Edmonson County didn't sub a single time. Crazy.) 15) Todd County Central (1-2) - 11/29 48-64 L Webster County, 12/1 50-52 OT L Kenwood (TN), 12/3 71-34 W Fulton City Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/9 at #4 Russellville, 12/10 at Henderson County Last year the Rebels didn't win a single game until January, going winless for the 2015 calendar year. So in that regard, they're already off to a rousing success. 16) Cumberland County (1-2) - 11/28 31-71 L at Taylor County, 11/29 37-67 L Adair County, 12/2 59-53 W Campbellsville Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/6 at #17 Metcalfe County, 12/9 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville Also a rousing success, new HC Kurtis Claywell gained his first victory in a 59-53 win over Campbellsville. It's the first non-region win for the Panthers since 2014, and their first win in the season's opening three games since 2012. 17) Metcalfe County (0-2) - 11/29 35-80 L at #6 Warren East, 12/2 41-80 L at #8 Monroe County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/6 vs. #16 Cumberland County, 12/9 at #7 Clinton County, 12/10 vs. Green County The Hornets have not defeated a 4th Region team outside the 16th District since knocking off Glasgow in February of 2015.

1) Bowling Green (10-2) - 12/28 67-15 W Murray, 12/29 72-51 W Owensboro, 12/30 55-42 W #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/3 at #9 Barren County, 1/6 at #4 Greenwood, 1/7 vs. Dixie Heights (at Muhlenberg County) Bowling Green rebounded nicely from their first two losses of the year by sweeping their holiday tournament in dominating fashion, with all three results coming by double digits. That included an early matchup of the region's top two teams, with the Purples knocking off Franklin-Simpson a few weeks ahead of their scheduled meeting. The Purples continue to get standout play from 8th grade phenom Zion Harmon, who led the team with 19 points against Franklin-Simpson, including going 10/10 from the line. 2) Franklin-Simpson (9-3) - 12/28 70-65 OT W Doss (at Bowling Green), 12/29 63-58 W Male (at Bowling Green), 12/30 42-55 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/3 at #3 Warren Central, 1/6 vs. #12 Todd County Central The Wildcats ran a gauntlet to get to their matchup with Bowling Green, knocking off Doss in overtime (BluegrassPreps' #11 ranked team) and then pulling out another tight contest with Male. Tavin Lovan continues to average around 25 PPG, but got little help in the marquee matchup with the Purples. Lovan had 20 of the team's 22 points, and while he was 8/17 from the floor, the rest of the team combined to go 9/33. 3) Warren Central (9-3) - 12/27 58-60 L Covington Holy Cross (at Apollo), 12/28 78-53 W Louisville Holy Cross (at Apollo), 12/29 73-71 2OT W Butler (at Apollo) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/3 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/6 vs. #6 Warren East, 1/7 vs. #9 Barren County The Dragons stumbled during the holiday season, and suffered an injury to three point sharpshooter Ziyan Milliken during a matchup with Henry Clay, which cut into the shallow depth of the team. After a brutal loss to a previously one-win Covington Holy Cross, the Dragons rebounded with two wins. In their win over Louisville Holy Cross, the team was boosted by Skyelar Potter's 45 points and 10 three pointers, both single-game records for the Dragons. They face a tough measuring stick game against Franklin-Simpson on Tuesday, before a crucial district game against surging Warren East. 4) Greenwood (9-6) - 12/28 65-70 OT L Male (at Bowling Green), 12/29 51-56 L Doss (at Bowling Green), 12/30 61-50 W #15 South Warren (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/3 vs. Daviess County, 1/6 vs. #1 Bowling Green The Gators were the anti-Franklin-Simpson, not quite able to pull out tough contests against Male and Doss before a double digit win over South Warren. Still, the Gators continue to show that they are a legitimate threat to play spoiler as they have put a good scare into every good team they've played. The Gators have four players averaging over 9 PPG, giving them a balance that helps shift all the focus off of Dawson Crump and his 16 PPG. 5) Russellville (7-5) - 12/26 70-69 OT W Sheldon Clark (at Lexington Catholic), 12/27 67-76 L Dunbar (at Lexington Catholic), 12/28 68-53 W Breathitt County (at Lexington Catholic), 12/29 72-76 L South Laurel (at Lexington Catholic) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/3 vs. Ohio County, 1/6 vs. #10 Logan County The Panthers have alternated wins and losses in their last eight games, as they continue to go against a brutal schedule. They have been battle tested to be sure, but it is a bit difficult to place them exactly at this point. The team around Pedro Bradshaw is not giving him a lot of help, as his 21.8 PPG average is the only one on the team above single digits. For example, in a 49-44 win over Barren County, Bradshaw hit 50% of the team's made baskets and had almost 50% of their points. They have a high ceiling, but Bradshaw needs some support. 6) Warren East (8-3) - 12/28 72-57 W #11 Logan County, 12/29 69-61 W John Hardin Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/3 vs. #12 Todd County Central, 1/6 at #3 Warren Central The Raiders continue to surge after the addition of transfer Trequon Patterson, who has averaged 24 PPG in 8 contests so far. Warren East has racked up a 7-1 record in those games, which includes impressive wins over Graves County and John Hardin. Now they will try to continue that momentum, to reverse a recent trend that has seen them go 35-14 in November and January over the last four seasons, but followed up with a 13-30 record in the following January and February campaigns. This week they'll try to get their first win against Warren Central under Coach Combs. 7) Clinton County (10-5) - 12/26 53-50 W #9 Barren County (at Edmonson County), 12/27 58-59 L at Edmonson County, 12/28 34-48 L Ohio County (at Edmonson County) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/3 vs. Pickett County (TN), 1/6 at #17 Metcalfe County The Bulldogs continued their up and down campaign with a close win over Barren County followed by a poor loss at Edmonson County and an abysmal scoring performance in a 14 point loss to Ohio County. Clinton County is attempting 17 three point shots a game, but have hit on only 31%, the likely culprit for failing to average 60 PPG so far. 8) Monroe County (7-6) - 12/28 78-65 W Marion County (at Campbellsville), 12/29 49-74 L Adair County (at Campbellsville), 12/30 63-57 W at Campbellsville Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/3 at #10 Logan County, 1/6 vs. #16 Allen County-Scottsville The Falcons had dual third place finishes in the Warren East Holiday Hoops Classic and Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic, falling to the champions of each (Collins and Adair County, respectively). They've rebounded with a healthy 6-2 stretch after falling in three overtime games earlier in the year. Billy Michael Dyer continues to carry the team with 23.5 PPG. No one else on the squad averages more than 7.9 PPG. 9) Barren County (6-8) - 12/26 50-53 L #6 Clinton County (at Edmonson County), 12/27 49-60 L Ohio County (at Edmonson County), 12/28 55-57 L at Edmonson County, 12/30 61-51 W #10 Glasgow Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/3 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 1/6 at Adair County, 1/7 at #3 Warren Central The Trojans are just 2-8 since opening the year 4-0, which includes two losses to Edmonson County, but also close contests against Russellville, Calloway County, and Clinton County. The Trojans have found it very difficult to put up points, with their 70 points against Monroe County serving as a season high, which required quadruple overtime to reach. Their 61 point effort against Glasgow last week is their only other contest where they reached even 60 points. 10) Logan County (4-9) - 12/28 62-83 L John Hardin (at Warren East), 12/28 57-72 L at #7 Warren East Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/3 vs. #8 Monroe County, 1/6 at #5 Russellville Frankly, Logan County is getting this ranking by default. The Cougars have lost four in a row after a December 17th win over South Warren, and lost each by double digits. But the teams below them have been far worse. The week upcoming provides some opportunity to advance, with a home game against #8 Monroe County and a district game against the Panthers. Logan County lost their three games against Russellville last year by an average of 12 PPG. 11) Glasgow (2-8) - 12/30 51-61 L at #9 Barren County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/3 vs. #16 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/6 at #15 South Warren The Scotties had a light holiday break, with a double digit loss to Barren County the only result. Their two wins on the year come against teams that are a combined 2-22. 12) Todd County Central (3-8) - 12/30 75-78 L Hopkins County Central Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/3 at #6 Warren East, 1/6 at #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/7 vs. Calloway County The Rebels have lost three in a row, albeit in competitive fashion. Most recently they posted a season high of 75 points in their loss to Hopkins County Central, and continue to get strong performances from Nolan Barrow (15 PPG) and John Calvery (13.7 PPG). Barrow has hit on nearly 44% of all three point attempts (17/39). 13) Russell County (2-10) - 12/28 55-65 L at LaRue County, 12/30 53-70 L Highlands (at LaRue County) Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/3 at Marion County, 1/5 at Whitley County, 1/6 at #14 Cumberland County The Lakers continue to suffer through their rebuilding year, but did pick up a 61-58 win over Cumberland County during the Warren East Holiday Hoops Classic. It was a preview of their must-win road game at the Panthers on the 6th. This postseason remains the most likely risk to their region appearance streak yet. 14) Cumberland County (4-6) - No Games Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/3 vs. #17 Metcalfe County, 1/6 vs. #13 Russell County At four wins, the Panthers have already equaled their season high for wins in the last four seasons. Before taking the week off between Christmas and New Years', they followed disappointing losses to Todd Central and Russell County with a 66-64 decision over Caverna, who have a win over Barren County on their record. 15) South Warren (4-11) - 12/28 49-63 L Owensboro (at Bowling Green), 12/29 44-53 L Murray (at Bowling Green), 12/30 50-61 L #5 Greenwood (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/6 vs. #11 Glasgow, 1/7 at Henderson County After a 3-1 run through the Twin Lakes Classic, the Spartans came back to earth with a trio of losses at Bowling Green in the Meijer Holiday Classic, including a second loss on the year to Greenwood. South is averaging just under 46 PPG, and continue to struggle in the absence of Dylan Beckham, who still leads the team in per game scoring despite having not played since the fourth game of the year. 16) Allen County-Scottsville (3-8) - 12/28 57-63 L Rockcastle County, 12/28 63-59 W Elizabethtown, 12/29 62-68 L Webster County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/3 at #11 Glasgow, 1/6 at #8 Monroe County, 1/7 vs. Adair County Lex Lindsey's squad enjoyed a 2-3 run in the last two weeks, notching wins over Metcalfe County and Elizabethtown. They have two district road games this week, which likely fall in the must-win category if they want to avoid the district's 4 seed. 17) Metcalfe County (0-13) - 12/28 39-71 L Green County (at Campbellsville), 12/29 83-84 2OT L Betsy Layne (at Campbellsville), 12/30 47-81 L Marion County (at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/3 at #14 Cumberland County, 1/6 vs. #7 Clinton County The Hornets' losing streak has reached 14, and they may have missed their best chance for a victory after falling in double overtime against previously winless Betsy Layne. Metcalfe County has been held under 40 points in five of their games, and under 50 in all but three games. The 83 points they scored in their double overtime loss were a season high by 22 points.

The 2016-17 season is upon us, coming off the 15th year of the 14th District Era of dominance, and the 3rd year of the Purple dynasty. Bowling Green had a few challenges as the year rolled along, and Barren County gave them a go, but ultimately, the Purples whitewashed the region en route to an 18-0 region slate – part of 30 consecutive region wins – and their third straight region title. The only thing that didn’t go their way was the state tournament draw, which squared them off with eventual champion Dunbar in the quarterfinals. Though the Purples led into the third quarter, they faltered late, and had to look to this year to finish what they’ve started in the Sweet 16. Preseason 4th Region Rankings 1. Bowling Green – Last season the Purples continued to raise the bar to new heights, as they had the two years prior. Bowling Green ran out to a sterling 31-3 record, equaling a school record for wins, and have now posted 91 wins in their last three years. After a loss to Ballard in the King of the Bluegrass, the Purples would reel off 25 straight wins before their loss to Dunbar. If you played the Purples last season and were not from Louisville or Lexington – you lost. But they are still seeking the state title that has eluded them, that they have some close to obtaining. After all, their three Sweet 16 losses were to the eventual champions. Gone from last year’s team are two key pieces, Thomas Booker, who tied Kyran Jones for second leading scorer by PPG (12.3), and Perry Ayers, often seen as the heart and soul of the team and someone who just somehow always made the plays. And while they will miss those pieces, they have a veritable embarrassment of riches returning. It begins with senior forward Terry Taylor. The 6-6 Austin Peay signee has been a cornerstone of the last two region title teams, and averaged a double-double last season, with 15.3 PPG and 11.9 RPG. He’s an absolute nightmare to match up with, as he can post up, drive to the rim, or shoot from outside. He should join the 1,000 point club at Bowling Green very early in the season. Alongside him is forward Kyran Jones, who likewise averaged a double-double, with 12.3 PPG and 10.1 RPG. You can basically apply the same analysis as to his capabilities compared to Terry Taylor – post, drive, shoot. Jones has been playing football this season for the first time, so may take a bit of time to warm back up, but by January should be in full swing. Guard DeAngelo Wilson also returns with an 11.8 PPG average from last season. Wilson has quick hands and is lightning quick, with a knack for driving to the rim, drawing contact, and getting to the line. The Purples have young talent to build around as well, receiving eighth grader Zion Harmon via transfer, rated the #1 player in America for the class of 2021 by some publications, and we should also see the first appearances for freshman Vito Tisdale, a two sport stud player who has often been rated the top player in Kentucky for the freshman class. Simply put, the Purples have talent coming out of their ears. Coach Sherrill’s squad seems to be close to a lock for their fourth consecutive title, and should open the year as the state’s top ranked team and odds on favorite to cut down the nets at Rupp. 2. Franklin-Simpson – The only thing that Bowling Green doesn’t have is the region’s best player (arguably). That honor is bestowed on Franklin’s Tavin Lovan, who averaged – AVERAGED – an eye-popping 26.3 PPG for Dee Spencer’s squad a year ago. We said it last year and it remains true – no team relies on a single player as much as Franklin does on Lovan, but he usually delivers the goods. He’s not the best shooter, but he’s typically the best athlete on the floor, has great handles, and can drive the rim at will. Crucially, he shoots nearly 80% from the foul line, where he had 266 attempts a season ago. And, like Taylor and Jones from Bowling Green, he averaged a double double with 11.3 rebounds as well. As Lovan goes, so will go the Wildcats. Though that’s not to say he’s totally alone. Only little used De’shun Martin does not return from last year’s 24-5 squad. Carlesso Doaks (9.2 PPG), Ollie Eutsey (8.2 PPG), Daelon Payne (6.3 PPG), and Josiah Robey (6.0 PPG) – all part of a huge senior class – return to help shoulder the load. Their emergence and Lovan’s health were the big difference in a 9-18 season the year before and the 24 win team in 15/16. They’ll have heavy competition from Russellville in the 13th District, which returns a great deal as well, but the Wildcats are the early favorite. Key games to circle include January 13th and February 3rd when they tangle with Russellville, and January 23rd when they host Bowling Green. Those three games should give us what we need to know about their chances of contending for the region title, which they have not brought home in a quarter century. 3. Russellville – Call this 2B. The Panthers had an outstanding year of their own a season ago, running up an 18-8 record, but faltered in most of the biggest games, going 1-4 against Bowling Green and Franklin-Simpson and getting run down in the opening round of the region tournament by a sensational performance by Kel Stotts and Russell County. It continued a region tournament drought for Russellville – still the last non-14th District team to win the region (2001) – sending them out after the first round for the fifth time in six years. But like the Wildcats, they return almost everyone, including big man DeAndre Bradshaw. Bradshaw, who committed to Belmont in August, averaged 21.1 PPG a season ago for the Panthers, and pulled down 12.2 boards per game, making him yet another top tier talent in the region to average a double-double. Despite being 6’5”, he is one of the best ballhandlers on Russellville’s team, and his length gives teams a lot of trouble on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers do lose two seniors from a year ago, including second leading scorer Jason Mitchell, but bright spots returning include a trio of players to average around 9 PPG, in Jaylyn McMurry, Jacob Naylor, and Micah Naylor. They’re part of a massive class of 11 seniors returning for Russellville, which should give Phil Todd’s squad a healthy dose of urgency. Russellville has not brought home a trophy since Bradshaw’s freshman year, and after this season, they may be in rebuilding mode. They’ll have an early season test in hosting Hopkinsville on December 12th, and have a loaded February slate, traveling to both Franklin-Simpson and Bowling Green while hosting Warren Central. 4. Warren Central – There may be a decent gap between our 3 and 4 teams. There is no doubt that Bowling Green, Franklin-Simpson, and Russellville are at the top, but there will be several teams looking to claim the role of dark horse. This is another year where that includes the Warren Central Dragons. It’s not a role they are used to, having played the role of front runner for so many years since the turn of the century. Last season saw them miss the region finals for the first time since 2009, falling just short against Barren County in the semis after upsetting Franklin-Simpson in a first round blowout. Five seniors depart from that team, including crucial players like Darrell Bowman (15.2 PPG) and Tristen Murray (12.3 PPG), their two leading scorers. Leading their hopes this season will be talented junior forward Skyelar Potter (9 PPG), a bit of a guard/forward hybrid who has the ability to play down around the rim, rebounds well, and was co-leader on the team with 40% shooting from behind the arc. They will need him to do big things if they are to hold off teams chasing them for that role behind Bowling Green in District 14. Other key contributors include three point specialist Ziyan Milliken (40% from three), center Josh Moss – who has great potential but in his senior year it will have to become reality, and PG Luke Bailey, who has a similar style to that of Bowling Green’s DeAngelo Wilson. The Dragons open with some heavy hitters like Bullitt East, Henderson County, and Owensboro, but the story on them may be told in January as it was to some extent last year. They’ll host Franklin-Simpson, Warren East, Barren County, and Bowling Green, before playing Hopkinsville twice in a week’s time. All of that in an 18 day span. The window may be closing on the Dragons for contention, they’ll have to find a way past the Purple monster. 5. Clinton County – Last year was an ugly kind of bookend season for the Bulldogs. After starting 0-3, Clinton County reeled off a 14-5 stretch and looked to build momentum into February. But the end was a 1-6 disaster that saw the Bulldogs only defeat one-win Cumberland County. For the fifth consecutive year, the Bulldogs found themselves out of the region tournament after the first round. They’ll roll back in this year with most of their starters returning, including All-16th District players Jamison Summers, Brett Gibson, and Colin Langford. The Bulldogs typically play a methodic, medium paced game, and are not likely to burn up the scoreboard. Their lack of depth will likely limit their upside, but due to their district, they are always in the mix for the region tournament. They have some key early matchups against Franklin-Simpson, Male, and Monroe County, and will tangle with Russellville in the All “A” opener. 6. Warren East – The Raiders are still looking to emerge from the wilderness that has seen them fail to advance to the region for two decades. After opening 8-1 last season, they stumbled to a 6-14 close, including falling in seven of their last eight games. They lose three of their four leading scorers from that 14-15 team, but return Patrick Satterfield, who just oozes athleticism. Lightning quick, he averaged 12.2 PPG a season ago. You can extend the athletic description to most of Warren East’s team, which has usually flashed raw athleticism in recent years, but can’t quite put it all together. 7. Barren County - The Trojans were this close to ending Bowling Green and the 14th District’s dominance a season ago, but could not hold a late lead, falling 49-46 in the region title game. Unlike many of the teams in the region, they were more of a veteran squad, and so should take a step back from contention. Junior Jared Coomer is the biggest name returning, averaging a modest 7.5 PPG and 7 RPG a season ago, and Chase Dile and Branson London are the only seniors on the roster. 8. Monroe County – The 2015-16 Falcons suffered a massive disappointment when they fell 56-54 in the district tournament to a Glasgow squad they had defeated by an average 31.5 PPG during the regular season. It was an ugly end to an eight win season, but the Falcons have a talented junior class headlined by Billy Michael Dyer and Ty Mink. Dyer was the leading scorer a season ago with 16.6 PPG, while Ty Mink added 9 PPG. The 15th District is up for grabs this year, and the Falcons will hope to return to the region tourney after a year’s absence. 9. Logan County – Coming off of a district champion effort with a massive senior class, the Cougars took a step back, yielding to the dominant Franklin-Simpson and Russellville squads. Logan County had flashes a season ago, with strong efforts against Russellville. They lose leading scorer Noah Whittinghill, but return Lorenzo Garcia (12 PPG) to a team that will feature a good-sized senior class. 10. Glasgow – A season ago the Scotties had their brightest spot in a run to the region’s All “A” crown, and a light surge with an upset of Monroe County to secure a spot in the region tournament. Ben Hughes is the key returner for the Scotties, averaging nearly 10 points per game a season ago. Dessi Austin has a solid frame developed while quarterbacking for the football team, and should also be a key contributor. 11. Greenwood – The Jordan Carter era ended abruptly after two years, giving way to Bob Pels at the helm of the Gators. His most valuable asset will be guard Dawson Crump, a sharpshooter that often proved willing to shoot from just about anywhere. 12. South Warren – The Spartans are channeling the Warren Central football plan, burning through coaches quickly, landing on Nelson Cundiff for the fourth coach in four years. South Warren didn’t manage to escape the district in four years with Dayton Gumm, and will lean on Dylan Beckham (7.8 PPG) in a rebuilding season. 13. Russell County – This is a ranking almost entirely on faith in the Laker system, which has typically kept them near the top of the region. Six seniors departed last year’s region semifinal squad, but the most devastating loss was Kel Stotts, who transferred back to Adair County. Landon Hargis is the lone senior on the squad, and new coach Billy Edge has a squad of almost entirely unknown quantities. 14. Allen County-Scottsville – Speaking of multiple coaches…. Lex Lindsey has come out of retirement to take on a Patriot squad that is on its third coach in three years. They lost seven seniors from a 6-23 squad, including their top four scorers. Jack Ward (5.5 PPG) will try to pick up the slack. 15. Todd County Central – New HC Frank Johnson will look to build on the momentum of a team that snapped a long losing streak and won nine of 15 down the stretch last season. 16. Cumberland County – The Panthers got just one win last year – over Metcalfe County – but returns second leading scorer Elidjah Anderson for new head coach Kurtis Claywell. 17. Metcalfe County – The Hornets have one advantage over some of their fellow low-ranked squads – they have the same head coach from a year ago in David Clemmons. Nick Pennington’s 4.9 PPG is the highest from returning players. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Tavin Lovan, G, Sr. (Franklin-Simpson) – Enjoy the last year of Lovan in the region. He’s sure to put on a scoring showcase. 2. Terry Taylor, F, Sr. (Bowling Green) – Taylor has been the biggest key to the Purples’ success, and is a double-double machine. 3. Kyran Jones, F, Sr. (Bowling Green) – Another double-double man, he’ll confound coaches who have to choose who to focus on, him or Taylor. 4. Pedro Bradshaw, F, Sr. (Russellville) – Pedro will remind you of a smaller scale Anthony Davis type – tall guy with great ball handling. 5. DeAngelo Wilson, G, Sr. (Bowling Green) – The last of the BG trinity, he gets to the rim any time he wants. 6. Skyelar Potter, F, Jr. (Warren Central) – The great Dragon hope will have to shoulder a heavy scoring burden. 7. Patrick Satterfield, G, Sr. (Warren East) – Satterfield is a pure athlete with blinding speed. 8. Billy Michael Dyer, G, Jr. (Monroe County) – After posting 16.5 PPG as a sophomore, Dyer could push into the twenties. 9. Jared Coomer, F, Jr. (Barren County) – Coomer is the last man standing from last year’s big names on the region runner-up Trojans. 10. Dawson Crump, G, Sr. (Greenwood) – Crump is a player that will shoot from anywhere.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (7-1) - 12/13 66-59 W #5 Greenwood, 12/17 60-50 W Doss (at Fairdale), 12/18 69-67 W Ballard (at Fairdale), 12/19 66-83 L Berkmar (GA) (at Fairdale) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/20 vs. Covington Catholic (at Fairdale) After thoroughly dominating the competition through their first four games, the past 8 days have represented a slight coming back to the pack for BG. They are still the surefire #1 team, but received a serious test from Greenwood, and picked up tight wins over Doss and Ballard before finally running out of steam in their third game in three days against a very good Berkmar team. The Purples have still not lost to a Kentucky team in the past year, other than falling to Dunbar in the Sweet 16. 2) Franklin-Simpson (7-2) - 12/15 58-41 W #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/16 94-64 W at Fairdale, 12/18 71-79 L Covington Catholic (at Fairdale), 12/19 67-78 L Fern Creek (at Fairdale) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: No Games Scheduled The Wildcats also fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in the past week. After a solid win over ACS and an obliteration of Fairdale, CovCath and Fern Creek knocked them out of the King of the Bluegrass. Still, those are two of the top 10 teams in the state, and they didn't get embarrassed. The Fern Creek game was a 1 point game late. Lovan continues his torrid pace, averaging over 25 PPG. 3) Warren Central (6-0) - 12/12 82-65 W at #10 Glasgow, 12/13 89-50 W at #9 Logan County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/20 vs. Valley (at Henry Clay), 12/21 TBA, 12/22 TBA Although they may owe some of it to a lighter schedule last week compared to their opening games - as well as no games since Tuesday - the Dragons emerge as the last unbeaten standing in the 4th Region. Their 6-0 start is their best since the 2001/02 season, which was the first season of their unprecedented six straight 4th Region titles. Their win over Logan County featured a mind-boggling 26-0 run, spanning almost 7 minutes of the 3rd and 4th quarters. They'll take on a tough Valley team at Henry Clay tonight. 4) Russellville (4-1) - 12/12 69-65 W Hopkinsville, 12/16 49-44 W at #6 Barren County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/20 vs. High Point Christian Academy (NC) (at Henry Clay), 12/21 TBA, 12/22 TBA The Panthers had a bit of an uneven week, but had a super strong win over Hopkinsville, which was basically a prove-it moment for them. Couple with a close loss to UHA, it's another sign that the Panthers are a dangerous team. Bradshaw continues to lead them, with 20 PPG and 12 RPG to give them a double-double every night. The close result over a flagging Barren County team is a bit of a red flag, especially given that Bradshaw had 24 points, and no other Russellville player had more than 6. They can't beat top teams like that. 5) Greenwood (7-2) - 12/13 59-66 L at #1 Bowling Green, 12/16 49-32 W #12 South Warren, 12/17 66-38 W at Hart County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/21 at Owensboro, 12/22 vs. Ohio County (at Owensboro), 12/23 at Apollo The Gators may not have gotten the win, but the close result against the Purples was a definite shot across the bow. It was their closest result at Bowling Green in seven seasons, and a strong indicator of their potential to play spoiler. Crump was electric in the game, dropping a 30 spot to keep the Gators going. Their 7-2 start remains their best start since 2009/10, which was that very year they last hung with the Purples so well on the road. 6) Clinton County (6-3) - 12/13 77-57 W at #14 Cumberland County, 12/16 71-52 W #13 Russell County, 12/19 78-49 W Alvin C. York Institute (TN) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/20 vs. Monterey (TN), 12/20 vs. Nelson County, 12/21 vs. #15 South Warren The Bulldogs rise back up near their preseason ranking of 5 almost by default. It certainly wasn't for the quality of their competition, with blowout district wins over Cumberland County and Russell County. Clinton County has looked awful in matchups against top teams like Franklin-Simpson and Greenwood, but have a higher ceiling than many/most of the teams beneath them. 7) Warren East (5-2) - 12/13 60-54 W at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/17 72-65 W Graves County (at Murray), 12/19 77-42 W #13 Russell County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/20 vs. #12 Todd County Central, 12/21 TBA The Raiders sandwiched a couple of wins over also-rans around the meat of the week - a win over highly regarded Graves County in what was essentially a road game. The Raiders were previously 11th due to an opening loss to Logan County and then a very light schedule, but received a chance to prove themselves when the Purples had to move out of the game against Graves. Trequon Patterson has given the Raiders an instant lift in his first two games. The Dragon transfer dropped 28 in his first game against Allen County-Scottsville, before exploding for 41 in the victory over Graves County. 8) Monroe County (4-4) - 12/13 77-46 W at #13 Russell County, 12/16 54-44 W at #10 Glasgow, 12/19 79-74 W Caverna (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/20 vs. Collins (at Warren East), 12/21 TBA The Falcons rebounded from a rough week to pick up a needed district win over Glasgow and solid win over Caverna - which had recently knocked off Barren County, a 2OT winner over Monroe the previous week. The Falcons could just as easily be 7-1 right now, if not for three overtime losses. 9) Barren County (4-4) - 12/13 49-55 L at Caverna, 12/15 50-52 L Edmonson County, 12/16 44-49 L #4 Russellville, 12/19 51-61 L Meade County (at Webster County) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/20 vs. Calloway County (at Webster County), 12/21 at Webster County The Trojans went the other way compared to teams above them, suffering four straight losses after opening unbeaten in their first four contests. Most were forgivable - especially losses to Russellville and Meade County - but Edmonson County was not. It was the first win of the year for the Wildcats, a team that had lost to Allen County-Scottsville earlier in the season. The Trojan offense has been mostly stagnant, as they continue to struggle to replace the scoring of a season ago. 10) Glasgow (2-6) - 12/12 65-82 L #3 Warren Central, 12/16 44-54 L #8 Monroe County, 12/17 72-62 W Shawnee, 12/19 63-69 L Boyle County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/20 at Bethlehem The Scotties held tough after facing an early large deficit against Warren Central, playing most of the rest of the game even after the first quarter. But they couldn't get a home win in a crucial district contest, which will once again have them playing from behind in the standings. 11) Logan County (4-6) - 12/13 50-89 L #3 Warren Central, 12/16 76-67 W #16 Todd County Central, 12/17 56-26 W at #12 South Warren, 12/19 45-55 L at Kenwood (TN) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: No Games Scheduled After pestering Warren Central for 2.5 quarters, the roof fell on the Cougars, who were buried in the midst of a 26-0 run by the Dragons. But they maintained the rest of the week, grabbing a district win over surging Todd County Central, and obliterating a bad South Warren team. 12) Todd County Central (3-5) - 12/13 71-58 W at #12 South Warren, 12/16 67-76 L at #9 Logan County, 12/19 72-62 W #14 Cumberland County (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/20 at #7 Warren East, 12/21 TBA The Rebels continue to show improvement, competing well with Logan County in between wins away from home against South Warren and Cumberland County. It's hard to believe that 365 days ago they were winless. 13) Russell County (1-7) - 12/12 55-41 W #17 Metcalfe County, 12/13 46-77 L #8 Monroe County, 12/16 52-71 L at #7 Clinton County, 12/19 42-77 L at #11 Warren East Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/20 vs. #14 Cumberland County (at Warren East), 12/21 TBA The Lakers continue to spiral after the departure of their scorers from a season ago. A 14 point victory over Metcalfe County is a real reason for concern, and they appear to have no realistic shot at beating a decent region team this year. We also get a quicker than expected read on whether they are in real danger of missing the region tournament this year when they face Cumberland County in the Warren East holiday tournament. A loss there may be an indicator that Cumberland County could get them come tourney time. 14) Cumberland County (3-5) - 12/13 57-77 L #7 Clinton County, 12/16 72-87 L at Marion County, 12/19 62-72 L #16 Todd County Central (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/20 vs. #13 Russell County (at Warren East), 12/21 TBA The Panthers had a disappointing follow-up to their 3-2 start, especially a somewhat-surprising loss to Todd County Central. But the Panthers will get a consolation prize when they face district rival Russell County. It could be a huge confidence booster. 15) South Warren (2-7) - 12/13 58-71 L #16 Todd County Central, 12/16 32-49 L at #5 Greenwood, 12/17 26-56 L #9 Logan County, 12/19 56-52 W Nelson County (at Clinton County) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/20 vs. Monterey (TN) (at Clinton County), 12/21 at #6 Clinton County The Spartans remain off to their worst start since 2011/12, though they did snap their losing streak at six with a win over Nelson County. South Warren has yet to top 60 points in a game. 16) Allen County-Scottsville (1-5) - 12/13 54-60 L #11 Warren East, 12/15 41-58 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/20 vs. #17 Metcalfe County, 12/22 vs. Louisville Collegiate The Patriots should gain their second win of the Lex Lindsey era with a game against winless Metcalfe County tonight, but so far their highlights have been mostly confined to playing close results, such as the one against Warren East. 17) Metcalfe County (0-8) - 12/12 41-55 L at #13 Russell County, 12/13 56-76 L at Hart County, 12/16 41-72 L Edmonson County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/20 at #16 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/21 vs. Louisville Collegiate A winless season is starting to look like a real possibility. Right now a late January home game against Thomas Nelson is their great hope.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (4-0) - 12/6 97-58 W Elizabethtown, 12/9 82-57 W at Hopkinsville, 12/10 85-51 W North Hardin (at Henderson County) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/13 vs. #5 Greenwood, 12/17 vs. Doss (at Fairdale) These results ought to be eye-popping to the entire state, to say nothing of the 4th Region. Bowling Green is the #1 team for a reason, and they flexed their might by averaging 88 PPG in their three wins last week, and have won by an average of 32.5 PPG in their four games this year. The Purples knocked off the #1 teams in the 2nd and 5th regions in less than 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. The Purples are possibly exceeding the hype. 2) Franklin-Simpson (5-0) - 12/6 72-52 W at #12 South Warren, 12/9 84-51 W at #9 Logan County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/15 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/16 at Fairdale The Wildcats didn't exactly square off with the best in the region, but they own by impressive 20 and 33 point margins this week, including getting off to a 1-0 start in the 13th District by knocking off Logan County. Lovan averaged merely 18 PPG in the two wins, dropping his season average to 24 PPG. The Wildcats will likely face their first significant test of the year when they visit host Fairdale in the King of the Bluegrass. 3) Warren Central (4-0) - 12/6 68-67 OT W at Owensboro, 12/9 71-68 W University Heights (at Hopkinsville) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/12 at #10 Glasgow, 12/13 at #9 Logan County The Dragons had a heartstopping week, knocking off Owensboro on the road via a Jaylen McFadden layup with 6 seconds remaining in overtime on Tuesday, and followed with an even stronger win over dangerous University Heights in the Toyota of Hopkinsville Classic. The Dragons did blow double digit leads in each game - they led Owensboro by as many as 15 - but gained continued experience in close results. Skyelar Potter continues to shine, having topped 20 points in every game this year. 4) Russellville (2-1) - 12/6 71-53 W #11 Warren East, 12/9 77-39 W #15 Todd County Central, 12/10 70-72 L University Heights (at Hopkinsville) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/12 vs. Hopkinsville, 12/16 at #6 Barren County Russellville got their feet wet for the first time after taking the first week of the season off. They came from behind to blowout Warren East in the fourth quarter before an easy district win over Todd County Central, where Pedro Bradshaw had a triple double. They dropped their first decision of the year against UHA in the Toyota of Hopkinsville Classic in an up and down affair. The Panthers rolled up huge deficits twice, and trailed by 10 to start the fourth, before rallying to a 72-70 defeat. Bradshaw had 32 points and 15 rebounds in the loss, per Chris Jung of the Kentucky New Era. They get another tough test against Hopkinsville on Monday night, before traveling to Barren County to end the week. 5) Greenwood (5-1) - 12/6 68-52 W at #13 Russell County, 12/9 68-58 W at Edmonson County, 12/10 70-48 W #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/13 at #1 Bowling Green, 12/16 vs. #12 South Warren, 12/17 at Hart County The Gators continue their rapid ascent up our rankings, as they remain off to their best start since starting 6-1 in the 2011/12 season. After starting the week with their first win ever at Russell County, they won on back to back nights against Edmonson County and Clinton County. The win over Clinton County was especially impressive, with a 22 point blowout of a team expected to compete to be in the top 5. The Gators have been incredibly balanced, with four players averaging over 10 PPG, including leading scorer Dawson Crump (15.7) and returning big man Alex Fee (10.5 PPG). Fee had a quadruple double in the victory over Clinton County. They'll find out truly how close/far they are when they visit #1 Bowling Green on Tuesday. 6) Barren County (4-0) - 12/6 57-46 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/9 70-67 4OT W at #5 Monroe County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/13 at Caverna, 12/15 vs. Edmonson County, 12/16 vs. #4 Russellville The undefeated Trojans were denied a move up the ranks due to the Gators, but they played the game of the week in the region in a hard-fought 70-67 quadruple-overtime victory over Monroe County. Branson London paced the Trojans with a career-high 29 points, and Jared Coomer had 27 as Barren County blew a 46-37 lead with less than four minutes left, but never allowed Monroe County a chance to take the game outside of a Mink shot that was blocked by Coomer in the second OT. The wins during the week put Barren County at 2-0 in the district already, and most crucially their win over Monroe was on the road. Barely two weeks into the season, Barren County already has a stranglehold on the #1 seed. 7) Clinton County (3-3) - 12/6 65-64 OT W #5 Monroe County, 12/9 73-29 W #17 Metcalfe County, 12/10 48-70 L at #8 Greenwood Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/13 at #14 Cumberland County, 12/16 vs. #13 Russell County The Bulldogs had a strong start to the week with an OT win over rival Monroe County, overcoming some atrocious three point shooting (2/16) to do so. It's a common theme for Clinton County so far, as they are shooting just 26% from behind the arc thus far. After an easy district win over Metcalfe County, the Bulldogs were pasted on the road by Greenwood. They have yet to flash the potential that their experience suggested, and with Russell County's decline, this has the appearance of a dismal season for the 16th District. 8) Monroe County (1-4) - 12/6 64-65 OT L at #7 Clinton County, 12/9 67-70 4OT L #6 Barren County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/13 at #13 Russell County, 12/16 at #10 Glasgow The Falcons are probably one of the best 1-4 teams in the state, and would also probably like to stop seeing overtime games. Three overtime games have resulted in three overtime losses for Monroe, and they haven't won an overtime game in two seasons. Billy Michael Dyer did all he could to lift Monroe to a win in their loss to Barren County, scoring 29 points, including 10 in the third quarter, before fouling out in triple overtime. Monroe has two road games this week, but should be favored in each. 9) Logan County (2-4) - 12/6 50-63 L at Ohio County, 12/9 51-84 L #2 Franklin-Simpson, 12/10 65-60 W Hopkins County Central (at Webster County) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/13 vs. #3 Warren Central, 12/16 vs. #16 Todd County Central, 12/17 at #12 South Warren The Cougars have gone the wrong direction after a surprising opening win over Warren East, dropping two this week, including a shellacking at the hands of Franklin-Simpson. They did rebound nicely with a victory over previously unbeaten Hopkins County Central in Webster County. Sophomore Kelby Epley has paced the Cougars with 12.2 PPG and 35% three point shooting on the year. 10) Glasgow (1-3) - 12/6 58-92 L Somerset, 12/9 69-53 W #13 Russell County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/12 vs. #3 Warren Central, 12/16 vs. #8 Monroe County, 12/17 vs. Shawnee The Scotties got on the board with their first win of the season, bouncing back from a 34 point loss to defeat Russell County for the first time since 2010. Jasper Mundy keyed the Scotties with 22 points - making up for an uncharacteristic scoreless performance from Ben Hughes - and leads Glasgow with 12.6 PPG on the season. The Scotties get a measuring stick game against Warren Central before hosting Monroe County in a big district game on Friday. 11) Warren East (2-2) - 12/6 53-71 L at #4 Russellville, 12/9 62-39 W #12 South Warren Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/13 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/17 vs. Graves County (at Murray) The Raiders continued their up and down ways with a blowout loss to Russellville before dominating South Warren in their district opener. Even within the single game against Russellville it was up and down, as the Raiders jumped out to a 34-28 lead at the half before being outscored 43-19 in the second frame. The Raiders continue to get standout play from Patrick Satterfield, who has topped double digits in every game as part of his 17.3 PPG average. They will be boosted by the eligibility of transfer Trequon Patterson this week. 12) South Warren (1-4) - 12/6 52-72 L #2 Franklin-Simpson, 12/9 39-62 L at #11 Warren East Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/13 vs. #16 Todd County Central, 12/16 at #5 Greenwood, 12/17 vs. #9 Logan County The Spartans have yet to top 54 points in any game so far and have allowed 62 or more in three of their five games. Last year's squad was similarly scoring-challenged, posting seven games in December where they failed to top 54. It's not a good start for a program that hasn't had a winning season since 2012/13 and has never advanced to the region tournament. 13) Russell County (0-4) - 12/6 52-68 L #8 Greenwood, 12/9 53-69 L at #10 Glasgow, 12/10 62-69 L at Jackson County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/12 vs. #17 Metcalfe County, 12/13 vs. #8 Monroe County, 12/16 at #7 Clinton County The Lakers are mired in the longest losing streak they've had since the 2005/06 season, and are winless after four games for the first time since the 1998/99 season when they began 0-9. The good news is that they will almost certainly stop those streaks against Metcalfe County on Monday, but the bad news is that things aren't otherwise going to improve much. 14) Cumberland County (3-2) - 12/6 66-38 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 12/9 79-74 OT W #14 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/13 vs. #7 Clinton County, 12/16 at Marion County Break up the Panthers! Cumberland County just beat their first 13th, 14th, or 15th District opponent since 2011, extending their win streak to three games. After winning just a single game in the past two seasons, it is the longest winning streak for the Panthers since opening 2012/13 with four straight wins. They'll get a significant test of progress when they host Clinton County on Tuesday. They have not defeated the Bulldogs since the 2009 16th District tournament. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (1-3) - 12/6 46-57 L at #6 Barren County, 12/9 74-79 OT L at #16 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/13 vs. #11 Warren East, 12/15 at #2 Franklin-Simpson It's been a struggling start for new HC Lex Lindsey and a Patriot program that has won just 14 times since January 1st, 2015. This week saw a strong effort against Barren County before the Trojans pushed the game out of reach by the middle of the fourth quarter. That result was followed by the first loss by AC/S to Cumberland County since 2003. It may be another week before the Patriots find a favorable matchup for a second win. 16) Todd County Central (1-4) - 12/9 39-77 L at #4 Russellville, 12/10 45-75 L at Henderson County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/13 at #12 South Warren, 12/16 at #9 Logan County The Rebels suffered through a week where they lost by an average of 34 PPG and dropped to 0-1 in their district. They'll visit South Warren, where they've won one game in their seven game series so far with the Spartans, before getting another crack at a 13th District win. 17) Metcalfe County (0-5) - 12/6 38-66 L #16 Cumberland County, 12/9 29-73 L at #7 Clinton County, 12/10 29-56 L Green County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/12 at #13 Russell County, 12/13 at Hart County, 12/16 vs. Edmonson County The Hornets have yet to score more than 41 points through five games, and haven't allowed less than 56. It's a lethal combination.