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A quick snapshot of the matchups in the 4th Region tournament: Game 1: February 28th - Bowling Green (14th District Champions) vs. Clinton County (16th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Bowling Green leads 3-0 -Last Region Meeting: Bowling Green 58 Clinton County 47 - 2015 4th Region Quarterfinals Bowling Green is fresh off its fifth straight 14th District title, likely confident as ever entering an event that they have been dominant at in the last decade. The Purples have made the region final in every region tournament they've reached since falling in the first round in 2004. And it's not for a lack of appearances, as this is the 11th region tournament appearance they've had since then. They have won 15 consecutive games in the region tournament. In addition to being 3-0 against Clinton County in the region tournament, they're 11-1 against the Bulldogs overall in the last 50 years, with the lone loss coming in 2006, their last losing season. They're 19-8 all-time against the 16th District in the region tournament, winning their last seven against their members. Their last loss was to Monroe County in 2004. The Purples are just 5-3 since the start of February, but all three losses were to teams that were considered among the best in their respective regions. The 21-10 record may not be as pretty as recent times, but they have played a challenging schedule. They overcame a 15 point deficit in the third quarter against Warren Central, taking the lead for the first (and only needed) time with 6 seconds left in their 67-65 victory in the finals. They enter with the mantle of favorite as a result. Clinton County was stunned in the 16th District finals by Russell County, denying the Bulldogs back to back district titles. Clinton County had won 15 in a row in district play before the loss. They have had historically bad luck in their draws this decade. They have drawn the region favorite and/or a team that advanced to the finals 5 of the last 7 years. One of those two years they didn't, they drew Barren County, the year that Barren County got to host the region tournament. The Bulldogs did get a first round win last year, taking advantage of Greenwood's plight when two of their top players were suspended. While they have not advanced out of the first round much recently, they have usually given competitive efforts, and do have great experience playing at Diddle. They have tournament experience as well, competing in the All A Classic state tournament. Their momentum is poor coming in, entering just 3-5 in their last eight games. Head coach Todd Messer is the longest tenured in the region, guiding the Bulldogs since the start of the 2006/07 season. Game 2: February 28th - Todd County Central (13th District Champions) vs. Monroe County (15th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Todd County Central leads 1-0 -Last Region Meeting: Todd County Central 84 Monroe County 70 - 2002 4th Region Quarterfinals Todd County Central has waited a long time for this game, reaching the region tournament for the first time since 2003. Since that region tournament was at Barren County High School, this is actually their first trip to Diddle Arena since the 2002 4th Region finals, where they fell to Warren Central. Even their lone meeting in the region tourney against Monroe County was not at Diddle - the 2002 quarterfinals were played at the district champion schools, so that game was at Monroe County. Their long wandering is over. The Rebels carry a 7-12 all-time record in the 4th Region tournament, and a 5-7 record in the first round. They have posted their first winning record in 14 years, gaining an unexpected district title after Logan County was upset in the first round. They've won 6 of their last 7 against Kentucky competition. They did not play Monroe County this year, but met them in December of 2016, falling 67-60. Nolan Barrow leads them with 17.4 PPG while big man John Calvery adds 13.3 PPG. Monroe County, like Clinton County, did not expect to find themselves in a district runner-up spot. They fell at Glasgow in the finals 60-54, just over three weeks from defeating the Scotties by 13 on the same floor. That denied them back to back titles, which they have not achieved since winning the 16th District three straight times from 2002-2004. They are just 5-5 in their last 10 games this season, and will be looking to advance to the region semifinals for the fourth time in their last five appearances (they have never made the finals). They carry a 4-20 all-time record in region tournament play, and are 2-7 against 13th District opponents, including last year's loss to Russellville. Steve Kirkpatrick has been head coach since the start of the 09/10 season, making him the second longest tenured in the region. The Falcons have one of the better scoring teams in the region, shooting 34.2% from three and featuring Billy Michael Dyer (18.4 PPG) and Chandler Clements (17.7 PPG). Game 3: March 1st - Russell County (16th District Champions) vs. Franklin-Simpson (13th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Franklin-Simpson leads 2-0 -Last Region Meeting: Franklin-Simpson 56 Russell County 33 - 2017 4th Region Quarterfinals There haven't been a pair of 20+ loss teams in the region tournament since 1992, when there were FOUR. This is the first meeting of 20-loss teams in the tournament since that same year, when two quarterfinal games featured those matchups. That was owed to spectacularly bad years by the 15th & 16th districts, and those districts drew each other in the first round. Russell County is into their 13th consecutive 4th Region tournament. They have never missed one in their time in the 4th Region. While they were expected to continue that streak this year, they had to survive an overtime session against Cumberland County to do so, and then very surprisingly dominated Clinton County in a 76-66 finals victory. The Lakers have now won three of the last four district titles in the 16th. Fortune continued to favor them in the form of probably the only region participant they could hope to beat, avoiding Warren Central and Monroe County - the latter beat them by 27 earlier this year and the former is, well, Warren Central. The Lakers are on a three game winning streak, which followed six losses in a row. They've won in spurts, but have yet to have a four game win streak this season, and haven't even done better than three wins in four games. The Lakers can score - both Scales and Richardson average over 15 PPG and the team averages over 66 PPG. It's been defense that ails them - they're allowing nearly 70 PPG, worst in the region tournament. Franklin-Simpson is even less likely to be here. The Wildcats have won two games since the start of the new year. One of those just happened to be a 65-61 upset of #1 Logan County in the district semifinals. The 65 points they scored there are the fifth highest output of the year for them, and two of those five had overtime involved. The team shot 50% from the field - they average under 40% on the year. But hey, they got the job done and got a dream first round draw. Like Russell County, this is likely the only opponent they could have drawn and hoped for a win. Franklin did advance to the region semifinals a year ago with a senior-laden team, the first time they had done so since 2009. Those are the only two times they've won a region quarterfinal since 2003. The Wildcats are there often, but don't advance often of late. It is not a positive for them to face a team in the Lakers that can score so well. They'll have to hope their defense can lock it down a bit, and that Russell County's inability to defend can lead to a higher score than normal. Game 4: March 1st - Glasgow (15th District Champions) vs. Warren Central (14th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Warren Central leads 4-1 -Last Region Meeting: Warren Central 72 Glasgow 66 OT - 2012 4th Region Semifinals While Glasgow has endured a bit of a torturous existence in the 4th Region tournament for the last two decades, surprisingly little of it has come at the hands of Warren Central. The Scotties are 5-11 in region tournament play since the mid-1990s, with only four meetings with Warren Central. It must be noted that one of those - their last meeting - came in a year when Glasgow was widely looked upon as the region tournament favorite, denying the Scotties a chance to end what is now a 40 year drought without a region title. This is just Glasgow's second region tournament appearance since then, the last ending with a 71-26 blowout by Bowling Green in 2016. Glasgow enters with the second highest win total in the region, a resurgent 22-8 record. With a team that has only two seniors, this run was perhaps expected next year. Four players average between 10 and 15 PPG, giving the Scotties multiple scoring options and making it difficult to lock down any single player. Glasgow has won 4 in a row since a stretch that saw them go 2-5. Their triple overtime victory over Barren County in the district tournament may be the best game in the region this year. Glasgow is 11-17 all-time against the 14th District in the region tournament, and has lost four in a row to district members, going back to 2002. (They've also lost 10 of 12 against District 14.) In their lone region tournament win over Warren Central, they advanced to the region finals, their only appearance in the championship since 1985. Though this isn't the semifinals, you can be confident that a win over Warren Central here will see Glasgow reach the finals. Warren Central is probably a mix of emotions to be in this spot. Upset because of their loss to Bowling Green which featured a school-record 48 points from guard Jordan Cousin. Upset to not have a trophy in tow. Upset to be the winningest team in the region going against the second-winningest. But.... they (along with Glasgow) have a cherry semifinal matchup if they were to advance, giving them an extremely clear path to the region finals. Given that basically every team that was expected to win district failed to do so, there are worse years to have finished as a runner-up. Warren Central is 54-12 all-time in the region tournament, and are 22-3 in the opening round, winning their last 7 and 16 of their last 17 opening matchups. They did fall in their last matchup with a 15th District opponent at region, losing to Barren County 58-53 two years ago. Their 26-5 record is top in the region, as is their 14-2 record against region opponents. They have lost 2 of 3 after the loss to Bowling Green, which followed a seven game win streak and a stretch where they won 17 of 18. Their 68.35 PPG average is just barely behind Bowling Green for tops in the region, and their 55.19 PPG allowed is #2 behind Allen County-Scottsville. Region POY Skyelar Potter averages 23.5 PPG while Jordan Cousin gives them another bona fide scorer with 15.2 PPG. They knocked off Glasgow 72-49 at Central back on December 11th. They are likely to be the most favored team to make the region finals by virtue of their potential semifinal matchup, but unless Bowling Green is gone before then, they are not the overall favorite.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (24-3) - 2/6 84-59 W #12 Russellville, 2/9 65-56 W #8 Greenwood, 2/10 67-59 W Mercer County Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/13 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/16 at LaRue County The Dragons are out to their best record at this point since the 2002/03 season, continuing their strong response to the loss to Bowling Green in late January. They've won six in a row, clinching a tie for #1 in the 14th District the day before one of their most impressive wins of the year, a home victory over BGP Top 20 Mercer County. That's a potential Sweet 16 preview if both teams were to advance that far. The Dragons are averaging a margin of victory of over 12 PPG, highest in the region as you would imagine for the only 20 win team. They should roll on Tuesday to complete their region slate before the postseason, but have a big road test at LaRue County, who at 23-2 have the best record in the 5th Region. 2) Bowling Green (18-9) - 2/6 57-81 L at Owensboro, 2/9 54-43 W #7 Warren East Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/13 at #12 Russellville, 2/15 vs. Christian County The Purples saw the end of a three game winning streak against Owensboro on Tuesday, falling to the Red Devils for the first time since the 2015 state title game. The Purples uncharacteristically only had 8 free throw attempts - making only two - and got a season low 2 points from Jarius Key. That plus 57.1% shooting by Owensboro spelled the worst game for Bowling Green since mid-December. They bounced back with a gutty comeback effort against Warren East, maintaining their mastery of the Raiders to move their win streak to 48 over East. They won the coin toss for the #1 seed in the district tournament at Greenwood, where they'll likely face host Greenwood on February 20th. They'll blow out Russellville on Tuesday before a big game against Christian County at home to close the regular season. 3) Monroe County (17-8) - 2/6 74-27 W #16 Cumberland County, 2/11 76-89 L Redemption Christian Academy (NY) (at Warren Central) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/13 at #8 Greenwood, 2/15 at #7 Warren East Illness cost us the marquee game of the week as Monroe County was due to meet Clinton County in a game that was canceled. The Falcons did pick up a game against Redemption Christian Academy out of New York, putting up a game effort but allowing a season high 89 points. The Falcons have bounced back well from an incredibly odd loss to Allen County-Scottsville, and will complete a tour through the 14th District this week ahead of the 15th District tourney. 4) Clinton County (16-11) - 2/5 60-61 L at McCreary Central Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/15 vs. #5 Barren County The Bulldogs have now lost four of five since the first game of the All "A" Classic. All of those games have been outside of the region which has made it a bit difficult to get a read on the Bulldogs, who were playing their best ball of the year in January. Jackson Harlan managed a "mere" 15 points in the loss to McCreary Central, lowering his ridiculous average to 27.1 PPG. It looked like he won't make 1,000 points on the season - he's at 731 - but he has put up a strong effort. 5) Barren County (18-9) - 2/6 70-57 W #13 Russell County, 2/9 76-48 W at #16 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/13 vs. #17 Metcalfe County, 2/15 at #4 Clinton County The Trojans are the hottest team in the region with 11 straight wins after their four game losing streak in January. The last five wins have been by an average of nearly 20 PPG, which won't slow down in meeting Metcalfe County on Tuesday. Their road trip to Clinton County will perhaps put that to a much greater test. The Trojans have just the 13th ranked offense in the region (they are 3rd in defense), but posted one of their strongest weeks this season, scoring 10 and 16 points above their average. 6) Glasgow (18-8) - 2/6 68-48 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/9 76-81 OT L at Caverna Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/12 vs. Butler County, 2/13 vs. #16 Cumberland County, 2/15 vs. #14 Franklin-Simpson Glasgow's slide continues as they have now have lost 5 of their last seven. Their win over Metcalfe County, a team winless in the region, was no surprise, but a loss to Caverna certainly was. That's a Colonel team that has fallen by double digits to both Barren County and Allen County. Once considered as high as 3rd in the region, it is becoming harder and harder to believe that this team will be able to overcome Barren County in the district tournament. Still, this is a team that had just four wins a season ago and still has a strong chance at reaching the 20 win plateau. 7) Warren East (15-11) - 2/6 56-51 W #11 South Warren, 2/9 43-54 L at #2 Bowling Green, 2/10 57-56 W at #10 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/13 at #14 Franklin-Simpson, 2/15 vs. #3 Monroe County Warren East ultimately locked up the #3 seed with a win over South Warren on Tuesday (though they also needed Greenwood's loss to Warren Central on Friday), but despite leading 21-18 over Bowling Green on Friday, could not snap their losing streak to the Purples. Perhaps it is a relief to the Raiders to draw Warren Central in the district tournament, who they've merely fallen to 43 of 47 times instead of 48 in a row as with BG. In more positive news, their win over Todd County Central on the road has assured them of their first winning record since the 2013/14 season, and with one more win they will post their most victories since 2012/13. 8) Greenwood (14-13) - 2/6 66-63 OT W at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/9 56-65 L at #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/13 vs. #3 Monroe County, 2/15 at #9 Logan County, 2/16 vs. Edmonson County Greenwood continues to be a complete wildcard. This is a team that nearly lost to both Franklin-Simpson and Allen County-Scottsville, requiring overtime to defeat the latter. But on Friday they stood toe to toe with Warren Central for the better part of 3.5 quarters, battling to a halftime tie at 31 and trailing just 54-50 midway through the fourth quarter. They will host the district tournament on their homecourt, and are a team that could threaten to explode and knock off a team like Bowling Green, or faceplant and lose to South Warren in the 4/5 game. Who can know? They have received strong play from the trio of Jack Roberts, Ben Carroll, and Luke Littrell. If they get hot from three, this is a dangerous squad. 9) Logan County (13-13) - 2/9 72-56 W at McLean County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/12 at Hopkins County Central, 2/15 vs. #8 Greenwood The Cougars are very close to their first winning record for a season since 2014/15, having now won 6 of 9 after knocking off McLean County on the road. Logan County is actually averaging a margin of loss of 2 PPG thanks to some early season blowouts. Austin Rayno and Kirby Epley continue to lead the way with 16.3 PPG and 13.0 PPG respectively. 10) Todd County Central (15-12) - 2/5 64-66 L at Clarksville Rossview (TN), 2/6 56-46 W at Trigg County, 2/9 72-65 W at #12 Russellville, 2/10 56-57 L #7 Warren East Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/15 vs. Caldwell County The Rebels have had a few waypoints to check off this season. The first was double digit wins - they hadn't reached that since 2009. The second they clinched this week, their first winning record since 2003/04. Their win over Russellville gave them the season sweep of the Panthers, who they will face in their district tournament opener at Logan County in just over a week. That will be where they hope to complete their third objective, their first region tournament berth since 2003. 11) South Warren (13-13) - 2/6 51-56 L at #7 Warren East, 2/8 76-69 OT W #15 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/16 vs. #12 Russellville The Spartans entered the week with a chance to get into contention for the 3 seed, but could not pull it off, faltering late after leading much of the night against Warren East. They were able to snap a three game losing streak when they came back from a double digit deficit entering the fourth quarter against Franklin-Simpson on the observed senior night for the Spartans (they play at home again this week). They are just 4-8 since the start of 2018, and will have only played four games in February by the time the 14th District tournament rolls around. South now has to either win against Russellville and their district opener against Greenwood or make a serious postseason run to gain their first winning record since 2013 - it would be just their third in the history of the program. 12) Russellville (7-16) - 2/6 59-84 L at #1 Warren Central, 2/9 65-72 L #10 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/13 vs. #2 Bowling Green, 2/16 at #11 South Warren The Panthers are still seeking their first win over a team not named Franklin-Simpson in 2013. They're now 0-9 in the other games in this calendar year. This week carries what is likely to be their only shot for that, when they visit South Warren on Friday. They'll take their 15th straight loss to Bowling Green on Tuesday in a rematch of last season's 4th Region finals. Hard to believe from a program that was utterly dominant over a Purple program that featured the likes of Josh Carrier at the beginning of the century. The Panthers are still the last team from outside the 14th District to win a region title, winning in 2001. 13) Russell County (9-19) - 2/6 57-70 L at #5 Barren County, 2/9 80-95 L Adair County, 2/10 65-84 L at Williamsburg Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/13 at Danville, 2/16 at Rockcastle County It's five straight losses now for the Lakers who haven't won since a district win over Metcalfe County in January. They've already played their last game against 4th Region competition before the postseason, losing all six games against non-16th District teams. They did have one of their best scoring performances against Adair County, getting 40 combined from Scales and Richardson. 14) Franklin-Simpson (6-19) - 2/8 69-76 OT L at #11 South Warren, 2/9 46-39 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/13 vs. #7 Warren East, 2/15 at #6 Glasgow It's been a difficult season for Franklin that has only gotten more difficult since January 1st, but at long last, the Wildcats snapped their losing streak at 10, with their best defensive effort of the year in holding Allen County-Scottsville to 39 points in a 46-39 home victory. It's their first win of 2018. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (9-17) - 2/6 63-66 OT L #8 Greenwood, 2/8 50-45 W #17 Metcalfe County, 2/9 39-46 L at #15 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/13 vs. #1 Warren Central On the other side of the Franklin result were the Patriots, who followed their best win of the year (over Monroe) and a hard fought loss to dangerous Greenwood with a lackluster five point win against Metcalfe County and an atrocious loss to Franklin-Simpson, who they have fallen to twice on the year. It's probable that the Patriots are going to fail to reach the 10 win plateau with a game against #1 Warren Central on tap to be followed by a game against Monroe County in the district tourney. 16) Cumberland County (4-22) - 2/6 27-74 L at #4 Monroe County, 2/9 48-76 L #5 Barren County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/13 at #6 Glasgow, 2/16 vs. Green County It's 11 straight losses now for the Panthers who had a season low 27 against Monroe County. 17) Metcalfe County (4-22) - 2/5 36-70 L at Marion County, 2/6 48-68 L #6 Glasgow, 2/8 45-50 L at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/10 69-72 L at Dawson Springs Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/13 at #5 Barren County, 2/15 at Caverna, 2/16 vs. Washington County The Hornets had one of their closest losses of the year, but have fallen 9 straight times with no serious win prospects left.

The 14th District Era is alive and well, completing their 16th straight year of dominance a season ago behind their workhorse Bowling Green. The Purples, tired of losing to the team that wins it all, won the whole thing themselves as part of their 4th straight region title run, winning 29 games in a row en route to a 36-2 record and the first basketball state title in the school’s history. The Purples were rarely challenged as they ran their region streak to 48 in a row, with only their two meetings with Greenwood and a comeback win at Franklin-Simpson pushing them into single digit margins in the 2016/17 campaign. Still, there is much reason for optimism among not only teams chasing Bowling Green but teams chasing the 14th District. Most of the primary faces from Bowling Green are gone, including their head coach. This year there isn’t an 800 pound gorilla in the room, threatening to wipe out any who oppose them. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the 14th District isn’t favored yet again. Preseason 4th Region Rankings 1. Warren Central – It’s been a minute since a team other than Bowling Green was favored in the region, stretching back to the 2013/14 season when the Dragons entered as the preseason favorite. They backed that up with an undefeated run through the region during the regular season before the Purples kicked off their dynasty with back to back wins over Central in that postseason, and they’ve only lost to them once since. This ranking has as much to do with what Bowling Green lost as what Warren Central returns, but they do return a talented corps. The list begins with senior Skyelar Potter, who is coming off one of the highest scoring campaigns in Warren Central history, averaging 20.2 PPG over 28 games, which included a school record 45 in a single game. The 6’3” guard averaged a double-double, and roams the floor, playing on the perimeter as well as underneath the basket. Contributions from other players are vital, as no one else returning averaged over 4.8 PPG a season ago, but by and large, the Dragons will go as far as Potter takes them. The Dragons will not be a deep team like they were around 3-4 years ago, and are extremely guard heavy. Expect seniors Potter, Mee (4.8 PPG), Esmic (4.0 PPG), and Cousin (4.5 PPG) to start, with the last spot a bit more up for grabs, but most likely to be Tayshaun Bibb (3.4 PPG). Esmic and Mee in particular will be counted on to knock down shots from the perimeter to help open up lanes for Potter to drive the ball. A season ago the Dragons attempted just over 41% of all shots from the three point line, but only converted on 33.2% of those attempts. They’ll have to make more to be able to hold this spot. In all, Central is not likely to go beyond eight deep in their rotation most games, so health is paramount. A season ago the Dragons opened 6-0 which included impressive wins over Bullitt East and University Heights. But after losing guard Ziyan Milliken to a season ending calf injury, the team limped to an 11-14 finish. It’s a sign of just how fragile this group is. Potter is the primary reason for this rank, as he is the top player in the region, the most dynamic scorer, and the Dragons do have slightly more experience returning than most other teams around them. But they’re far from a lock. 2. Bowling Green – It’s been a while since Bowling Green had to figure out life without guys like Terry Taylor, Kyran Jones, and DeAngelo Wilson. Longer still since they were without head coach DG Sherrill. It was the end of an era in several ways when the Purples finished with the state title a season ago. DG Sherrill took an administrative job, finishing his 12 season at Bowling Green with a 307-92 record, good enough for the second highest win total in the program’s history. The senior class were part of four straight region titles – unprecedented at Bowling Green – and an incredible 127-18 record. They would have been a shoo-in for the top spot even with those losses if not for the transfer of Zion Harmon to Adair County, losing the top player in the nation for his age group. All four averaged in double digits a season ago. Players like Taylor and Jones had height and length, but could also play the perimeter, creating nightmare matchups that were made worse by Wilson driving and Harmon’s 44% three point shooting. They were a team for the ages. Their departures leaves Jarius Key as the big man on campus, their leading returning scorer at 5.1 PPG. Key is a 6’6” forward with great athleticism, and will continue the tradition of rebound dominance for the Purples. Key was the 6th man a season ago, and will be counted on to step into a huge role, but will be more of a man in the middle/underneath compared to roamers like Taylor and Jones. Speaking of Jones, the younger brother Trey Jones will ascend to the starting lineup this year. The guard should average in double digits, up from his 3.3 PPG in limited work a season ago. One of the keys to Bowling Green’s game the last several years has been perimeter shooting. In 2013/14 when their run began, they averaged 30.3% from three, attempting three pointers on 21% of all shots. Last year that increased to 43.1% from three with 28% of all attempts coming from behind the arc. An increase in volume from three combined with a higher percentage made helped raise their scoring average by nearly 7 points per game in that span. Senior guard Eli Thurman will be counted on to keep up that pace. He shot right on the average a year ago, firing up the second most attempts for the team on 28/65 (43.1%) shooting. Expect a bit more of defined roles from players this year compared to the multi-faceted players of past seasons, but for the most part, don’t expect anything to change under new coach Derrick Clubb. Other than his stint starting the South Warren boys’ basketball program, he has been embedded with the Purples as an assistant since Sherrill’s run began. He was present for four of Bowling Green’s five region titles. While it’s never easy to lose your head coach, having a familiar face like Clubb who will likely maintain the same style of play will help. The Purples will most likely continue their uptempo, pressing attack, and attempt to kill you with their depth. If they can hit their shots from three to keep the pressure off their preferred mode of attack – drives to the rim – they’ll become the odds-on favorites. 3. Barren County – The Trojans couldn’t reach the heights they had the previous few years last year, but for the fifth straight year they could claim to have been knocked out by the region champions, falling to Bowling Green in the quarters 62-45. It is the third straight year that the closest challenge for Bowling Green came by the Trojans. Only two seniors depart from a year ago, the most significant being Branson London, whose 7.9 PPG were third on the team and led the team in three point shooting. Leading scorer Jared Coomer returns for his senior year at the forward position, one of the tallest and most versatile players in the region. He hauled in 248 rebounds in addition to averaging 15.5 per game, shoot reasonably well from the foul line for a big man (72.4%), and can be a matchup problem for opposing teams with a perimeter game as well, knocking down 31/87 a year ago for 35.6%. The offense flowed through him a year ago after the departure of so many familiar faces, and that will continue. Sophomore Will Bandy will take on a larger role. He appeared in just 21 games last year, but averaged the second most points per game on the team at 8.8 per game. Senior guards Garrett Arterburn and sharpshooter Parker Stephens will provide the perimeter threats. Arterburn is the leading returner with 33 threes made, but will need to improve on a meager 28.2% shooting from the arc. Parker Stephens will be the better option, hitting 44.3% on 27/61 shooting from three a season ago. The Trojans are expected to duke it out with Monroe County for the 15th District, one of the top rivalries in the area a season ago. Barren County won the two regular season meetings by a combined 4 points – including one quadruple overtime game, but fell by five in double overtime in the district finals to the Falcons, sentencing them to the opening game against Bowling Green. 4. Monroe County – Reserve Luke Nixon was the only senior departing from Monroe’s district champion team a season ago, meaning basically the whole gang is back for another season in Tompkinsville. No returning player is more significant than Billy Michael Dyer. Dyer is the leading returning scorer in the region at 22.3 PPG his junior year, nearly six points higher than his already impressive total as a sophomore. The guard fills it up from the three point line, shooting 70/169 (41.4%) a season ago. Sophomore Tucker Kirkpatrick gives them another three point bomber, averaging an even higher percentage from the arc a season ago as a freshman at 46.3% on 56/121 shooting. The Falcons aren’t the highest “live by the three” team in the region, but over 36% of all team attempts and nearly 1/3 of their makes a season ago came from the three point line. They’ll often go as the three goes, as evidenced by their two games against Russellville. In the All “A” classic the Falcons shot 10/23 from three to remain competitive in a 14 point loss. In the region tournament, the Falcons shot 4/26 and were bludgeoned by 32. Expect some similar swings this year, but with the amount of experience returning to the team, if they can improve and be more consistent, they can legitimately claim dark horse status. 5. Glasgow – Below the top 4 teams, it is expected that there will be a bit of a gap, with several teams jockeying for position. While leading scorer Ben Hughes departed with three other seniors, a youth movement is leading the way for the Scotties. Sophomores Nick Sorrell and Kobe Brents averaged in double digits in their appearances a season ago, and Peyton Mills and Dalvin Smith are the only two seniors on the team. Smith in particular is intriguing, as injuries have robbed him of his past two seasons. Assuming he makes it to basketball season this time, the talented athlete will appear for his first time since his freshman season. The significant minutes forced onto the young players a season ago due to injuries were a significant factor in a 4-24 campaign, but there were competitive flashes, such as a near upset of Monroe County in late January. The Scotties will look to get back to the region tournament after a year away, and should give an early indicator of their viability with road trips to Warren Central and Monroe County. 6. Clinton County – The Bulldogs should feature their typically solid team, despite losing five seniors from last year’s region semifinalists. Featuring a roster with only three seniors, it will be junior Jackson Harlan leading the team. Harlan scored 25 points in their two region tournament games, and was a member of the all-region tournament team as well as being selected to the third team all-region for the regular season by the fourth region coaches. Harlan is the only returning starter for the Bulldogs, but the team should have ample time to figure everything out. The rest of the 16th District remains significantly down, making Clinton County an almost lock for a seventh straight region appearance. 7. Greenwood – The Gators experienced almost all the highs and lows there were to experience a year ago. Led by talented seniors Dawson Crump and Chris Agro, the Gators twice nearly pulled upsets against Bowling Green, including losing in overtime at home in early February. That game saw Crump drop 38 points on the Purples – the last points he’d every score at Greenwood as he and Agro found themselves suspended for six games afterwards. That appeared to completely submarine the season, until Greenwood found magic in their district tournament matchup in the form of Jack Roberts, whose 23 points led them to an upset over Warren Central and a region tournament appearance. With the departure of TEN seniors, Roberts is the leading returning scorer at 10.1 PPG, just now entering his junior season. Isiah Mason saw significant minutes as an eighth grader in those last six games, averaging 6.4 PPG for a shot in the arm, and should be a starter in an uncertain rotation. Bob Pels returns as HC off of what I consider the best coaching job in the region last year, raising a team no one expected to be very good beyond one player to a region tournament appearance. 8. Logan County – The Cougars hope some of the magic surrounding their football team can drift over to the hardwood. Logan County was very competitive a year ago, putting a real scare into Russellville in late January, and return leading scorers Austin Rayno (12.6 PPG) and Kelby Epley (10.9 PPG). In all the top six scorers return for a team that is finally out of the shadow of titans like Russellville’s Pedro Bradshaw and Franklin-Simpson’s Tavin Lovan. The Cougars are three years removed from their last region tournament trip, but should be in contention to make it back to Diddle. 9. Warren East – The Brandon Combs era at Warren East enters its fourth year as the Raiders continue to look for a breakthrough to return to the region tournament for the first time since 1997. First and foremost, they will have to correct a trend that has seen them start well in December before fading from January on. Last year the Raiders opened 10-3, but bottomed out with losses in 13 of their last 16 games. Seven seniors are gone off that team including leading scorers Trequon Patterson (21.1 PPG) and Patrick Satterfield (12.6 PPG). Junior Adante Barber will look to pick up the slack, returning with 5.7 PPG a season ago. The Raiders have flashed a great deal of raw athleticism in recent seasons, and are always a threat to put everything together to make a run. This is a good year to do it, though it will remain difficult in the 14th District. 10. Russellville – Pedro Bradshaw is gone to Belmont and head coach Phil Todd is off to retirement, meaning the most familiar faces from last year are gone. The Panthers were able to return to the region title game for the first time in 16 years, and senior Jacob Naylor returns to stabilize the Russellville attack. He averaged 11.1 PPG a season ago, providing a balance inside and outside with 61 makes inside the arc and 63 outside of it. With six seniors departed and only Naylor and Quarles returning with significant time, it will be tough to know on the front end what to expect from the Panthers under new coach Rex Booth. Booth had last coached at Hopkins County Central. 11. Allen County-Scottsville – Stability is a serious issue for the Patriots, as they are now on their fourth coach in four years. That has manifested in a program that hasn’t been to the region tournament since 2013, their only appearance since 2010. Despite the loss of six seniors, leading scorer Brett Rippy returns from a year ago, a 42.1% three point shooter that made more than the rest of his team combined. Marcus Carter will also be counted on for an inside presence. 12. Franklin-Simpson – No player who averaged more than 3.3 PPG returns for Franklin-Simpson, who are about to figure out life without Tavin Lovan. In 2014/15 when Lovan went out with an injury in the fifth game of the year, the Wildcats lost all but two games without him. It will be a rough season. Dee Ragland is the returning leading scorer for the Cats. 13. Todd County Central – The Rebels couldn’t make their way through a tough 13th District a season ago, but grabbed nine wins for the second year in a row and won a district game over Logan County. Only three seniors depart, and the top three scorers return for Todd Central, including Nolan Barrow with a 13.9 PPG average a season ago. 14. Russell County – Another year, another new coach as Will Carson takes over in Russell County, who found out how the other half lived last year in stumbling to just five wins. But the Lakers kept their region streak alive, never having missed the region tournament since joining the 4th Region in the 05/06 season. Keeping that alive again should be their goal, and guard Brayton Scales will likely raise them to that level, looking to improve on a 17 PPG average last year. 15. South Warren – Nelson Cundiff is still around for the Spartans, which is a victory right there for a squad that burned through three coaches in three years before him. The Spartans endured an injury to their best player Dylan Beckham a year ago, which derailed any prayer of climbing out of the 14th District basement. Five seniors departed off that team, leaving Tyler Martin (5.5 PPG) as the leading returning scorer. The Spartan basketball program is still years away. 16. Cumberland County – Kurtis Claywell raised the win total from one win to seven in his first year as head coach, but after a feel-good 5-6 start the team went 2-15 down the stretch. Sophomore Dawson Smith is one of the more prolific sophomores in the region, and finished third on the team a year ago with 8.3 PPG. They’ll try again to run down Russell County for the second spot in the region from the 16th. 17. Metcalfe County – The Hornets have lost 31 in a row and 45 of 46. They will get a win this year, but not much more than that. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Skyelar Potter, F, Sr. (Warren Central) – Potter will look to lead the Dragons back to Rupp. They’ll need a ton of scoring from him to do it. 2. Jared Coomer, F, Sr. (Barren County) – The big man is the focal point of the Trojan offense. 3. Jarius Key, F, Sr. (Bowling Green) – The super sub will move into the starting role and his athleticism will be counted on for the Purples. 4. Billy Michael Dyer, G, Sr. (Monroe County) – Up over 22 PPG, the question is how high Dyer’s scoring average can go. Look for him to have the highest per game scoring in the region. 5. Brayton Scales, G, Sr. (Russell County) – Scales was a bright spot on a bad team a year ago. 6. Trey Jones, G, Sr. (Bowling Green) – Another super sub on the state title Purple team, Trey will make a name for himself. 7. Nolan Barrow, G, Sr. (Todd County Central) – One of the top shooters in the region, Barrow shot better than 45% from the perimeter last season. 8. Jacob Naylor, G, Jr. (Russellville) – The top junior in the region, Naylor will have to pick up a lot of slack left with Bradshaw’s absence. 9. Jackson Harlan, G, Jr. (Clinton County) – Harlan is the only returning starter for Clinton County, and should anchor the 2018 edition. 10. Jack Roberts, G, Jr. (Greenwood) – The district tournament hero made some clutch shots down the stretch a year ago.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (13-2) - 1/5 59-48 W at #8 Warren East, 1/6 77-47 W at #3 Barren County Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/9 vs. Hopkinsville, 1/12 at #3 Bowling Green The Dragons still need a win this coming Friday to basically lock up the top spot for the remainder of the year, but the statement they made on Saturday was LOUD. The Dragons visited Barren County, the de facto #2 team in the region by that point, and put a running clock on the Trojans. It was their largest win in the series in six years, and their largest win at Barren County since the state title season in 2004. Central shot 50% from three and got 50 points combined out of Potter and Cousin. In short, it was their best game of the year, coming on the heels of a rather ugly win at Warren East. This Friday brings us the long-awaited Bowling Green/Warren Central tilt. It may be the first of four meetings. 2) Barren County (8-7) - 1/2 68-64 W at #2 Bowling Green, 1/5 65-78 L Adair County, 1/6 47-77 L #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/9 at #8 Warren East, 1/12 at #4 Monroe County You have to look past Barren County's loss to Warren Central, where they just simply ran into a freight train. Their win over Bowling Green was a significant psychological lift to a team that had come so close on several occasions to interrupting Bowling Green's region dominance, and broke through in a second half that saw them overcome a double digit lead behind 67% shooting from the field, where they hit 5/7 from three. It ended Bowling Green's region win streak at 50 in a row, and their 32 game home win streak. It pushed the Trojans up to #2 for the first time in two years. They face one of their most significant remaining games on Friday at Monroe County. 3) Bowling Green (10-6) - 1/2 64-68 L #3 Barren County, 1/5 73-61 W #12 Greenwood Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/9 vs. #6 South Warren, 1/12 vs. #1 Warren Central It's not time to bury the Purples, who are still quite dangerous, but their loss to Barren County was the latest sign that they are a more vulnerable team. This is their lowest rank since 2015. Ignoring the end of their long region and home streaks, it is quite rare to see the Purples give up a double digit lead, and especially at home. They rebounded nicely with a comfortable win over Greenwood and are still 5-1 after starting 5-5. They have a tricky game with South Warren on Tuesday that they can't overlook, but can wipe away everything with a win over Warren Central on Friday. They've won 8 straight and 10 of 11 against the Dragons, their best stretch in 16 years. 4) Monroe County (11-5) - 1/2 68-52 W #11 Logan County, 1/5 63-46 W at #14 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/8 vs. Taylor County, 1/12 vs #2 Barren County, 1/13 vs. #17 Metcalfe County The Falcons had a steady week against the lower half of the region, maintaining their consistent play. They are 5-1 in their last six, with solid wins over Muhlenberg County and Owensboro Catholic in that stretch. They grabbed another district win over AC/S to move to 2-1 in district play. As mentioned with Barren County, their home game against the Trojans represents an incredibly significant game, especially with a road trip to Glasgow at the end of the month. It took overtime the first time for the Falcons to emerge victorious. 5) Glasgow (12-3) - 1/2 59-38 W at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/5 75-65 W at #6 South Warren, 1/6 73-53 W Thomas Nelson Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/8 vs. Green County, 1/12 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/13 at Boyle County The Scotties grabbed a district win over AC/S before notching two more wins to reach .800 through 15 games. That already represents their most wins in a full season in four years. Just four more wins would push them to their best year since winning 23 in 2011/12. They should tune up Green County and AC/S before hitting the road to take on a solid Boyle County team. 6) South Warren (9-6) - 1/5 65-75 L #5 Glasgow Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/9 at #3 Bowling Green, 1/11 at #16 Cumberland County, 1/13 at Caverna It was an uneventful week for the Spartans, who dropped their only game to Glasgow. South Warren lost despite hitting 11 three pointers and shooting 44% from behind the arc. They were done in by their shooting inside the perimeter, hitting just 8 of 22 shots. They'll try to grab a big upset when they visit Bowling Green - a team they've never beaten - before they likely close out the week with two easy wins to move into double digit victories. 7) Clinton County (10-7) - 1/4 45-60 L at Pickett County (TN), 1/5 75-51 W #17 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/9 at #16 Cumberland County, 1/12 vs. #15 Russell County, 1/13 vs. Montgomery County (at Southwestern) Nothing out of the ordinary for the Bulldogs, who keep coasting along, for the most part beating teams they should, losing to teams they should. They'll continue to devastate 16th District competition this week, and other than the All "A" Classic, there is little to move the needle from Clinton County for the next month. 8) Warren East (9-6) - 1/5 48-59 L #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/9 vs. #2 Barren County, 1/12 vs. #11 Greenwood The Raiders did a lot of what they had to in their game against Central, uglying the game up, holding the Dragons to low scoring. It's just the third time they've lost at home to Central when holding them below 60 points, and both of their last two wins in the series (in 2013), came when holding the Dragons that low. Like the Spartans, their shooting inside the arc was to blame for their woes. East shot 7/9 from three - they were an atrocious 12/39 inside the arc and were 3/9 from the foul line. They missed a lot at the rim, and were also missing one of their leading scorers in Treante Patterson. There's room for improvement which could give hope for their next matchup. 9) Logan County (6-8) - 1/2 52-68 L at #4 Monroe County, 1/5 68-64 W #10 Russellville, 1/6 59-60 L at #12 Greenwood Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/9 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/12 at #12 Todd County Central, 1/13 vs. North Hardin (at Central Hardin) The Cougars won the one that was most important, winning the first Clash of the Cats, raising them to 2-1 in district play. They battled Greenwood to the wire, but were done in by two free throws with less than five seconds left less than 24 hours after the rivalry win. Much like the 15th, the 13th is like musical chairs. They're all beating up on each other. Another opportunity arises on Friday. 10) Russellville (5-9) - 1/2 63-70 L at Ohio County, 1/5 64-68 L at #11 Logan County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/12 at #13 Franklin-Simpson The Panthers had solid momentum coming out of the holidays with two wins over District 14 opponents, but a loss to Logan County halted that. They're still 3-3 in their last six, but it's officially must-win time when they visit Franklin on Friday. The Panthers are 0-2 in district play, and another loss will put them in serious jeopardy of being the #4 seed come the postseason. 11) Greenwood (8-7) - 1/5 61-73 at #2 Bowling Green, 1/6 60-59 W #11 Logan County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/9 vs. Adair County, 1/12 at #8 Warren East Greenwood stuck with Bowling Green for a quarter, but it's no surprise that they fell for the 14th straight time to the Purples. The loss dropped them to 0-3 in district play with two games against Central still ahead of them. They got a needed win over the Cougars to stay above .500. If they fall to Warren East on Friday, it becomes statistically likely that they will be in the 4/5 game in February. 12) Todd County Central (9-6) - 1/5 67-48 W #9 Franklin-Simpson, 1/6 59-55 W at Calloway County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/12 vs. #9 Logan County The Rebels were on the verge of being left for dead when they followed their 5-0 start with a 2-6 stretch, but notched a thunderous 19 point win over Franklin-Simpson to climb to 2-1 in the district. Todd had not defeated Franklin since 2014. A win over Logan County would put them in the driver's seat for the #1 seed, which they'll want in their pursuit of their first region appearance in 15 years. 13) Franklin-Simpson (5-10) - 1/5 48-67 L at #13 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/12 vs. #10 Russellville Franklin has proven they can stay close to teams and that they can beat Logan County, but that was a hideous loss to Todd Central. The Wildcats are just not scoring, with their sixth game of 50 points or less. They're still 1-1 in district play, but they could really use a win over Russellville. 14) Allen County-Scottsville (6-10) - 1/2 38-59 L #5 Glasgow, 1/5 46-63 L #4 Monroe County, 1/6 49-42 W Edmonson County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/9 at #9 Logan County, 1/12 at #5 Glasgow, 1/13 vs. Nelson County (at Southwestern) The Patriots have four straight games scoring 50 points or less, and have been at that level in 11 of their 16 games. 15) Russell County (5-11) - 1/5 67-54 W #16 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/9 vs. McCreary Central, 1/12 at #7 Clinton County, 1/13 vs. Madison Southern The win over Cumberland was a needed win, but the two teams are likely to see each other three times anyway. 16) Cumberland County (4-12) - 1/2 76-59 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 1/5 54-67 L at #15 Russell County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/9 vs. #7 Clinton County, 1/11 vs. #6 South Warren, 1/13 at Clay County (TN) On the flip side of Russell County, the Panthers could use the confidence boost to beat the Lakers, but after completing the season sweep over Metcalfe, it'll be the third meeting with Russell County that will actually matter. 17) Metcalfe County (3-11) - 1/2 59-76 L #16 Cumberland County, 1/5 51-75 L at #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/12 vs. Adair County, 1/13 at #4 Monroe County There aren't many win possibilities left on the schedule.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (4-0) - 12/5 76-60 W Owensboro, 12/9 61-54 W Paducah Tilghman (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/11 vs. #5 Glasgow, 12/12 vs. #9 Logan County, 12/14 at #11 Franklin-Simpson The Dragons stayed unbeaten by knocking off Owensboro for the ninth time in their last ten meetings before overcoming a putrid second quarter to defeat Paducah Tilghman, the #1 ranked team out of the first region. The Dragons were outscored 17-3 in the second quarter against the Blue Tornado, turning a seven point lead into a seven point halftime deficit. Skyelar Potter scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter after sitting out the first quarter due to disciplinary reasons. 2) Bowling Green (3-2) - 12/5 67-46 W at Elizabethtown, 12/7 67-44 W #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/9 54-64 L Ensworth (TN) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/12 at #6 Greenwood, 12/15 at Hopkinsville, 12/16 vs. DeSales (at Barren County) Jarius Key continued to lift the Purples with 68 points in their three games this week, leading to two wins before out of state Ensworth snapped their three game winning streak. The win over Allen County was their 49th straight win in 4th Region play, and they'll go for #50 this week against district rival Greenwood. 3) Monroe County (4-1) - 12/5 65-63 W #6 Clinton County, 12/8 55-53 OT W at #4 Barren County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/12 vs. #14 Russell County, 12/15 vs. #5 Glasgow, 12/16 vs. Shelby County (at Barren County) Barren County/Monroe County continues to be one of the best tickets you can buy. In four meetings over the past two seasons, the two teams have played seven total overtime sessions and their games have been decided by a total of 11 points. This time, after Monroe failed at the foul line on two 1 and 1s to allow Barren to tie the game and sent it to OT, Chandler Clements scored all eight in OT for Monroe to bring home a crucial district win. Earlier int he week Monroe County knocked off old district rival Clinton County. This week has yet another big district game, this against Glasgow. 4) Barren County (3-2) - 12/5 55-39 W at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/8 53-55 OT L #3 Monroe County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/12 vs. Caverna, 12/14 at Edmonson County, 12/16 vs. St. Xavier On the other side of that big game, Barren County could not defend their home court for the second straight time against Monroe, falling when a Brandon Reed jumper for the tie was long. Earlier in the week the Trojans overcame a lackluster first half to take down for a tenth consecutive time. This week Barren County steps out of region play with a pair of winnable games before a meeting with seventh region team St. X. 5) Glasgow (3-0) - 12/8 66-57 W at #15 Russell County, 12/9 66-61 W at #9 Russellville Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/11 at #1 Warren Central, 12/12 vs. Southwestern, 12/15 at #3 Monroe County, 12/16 at Shawnee The Scotties have scored 66 in all three games they've played this year, and are a bit hard to nail down, much like the rest of the region. Each of their games have been closer than one might expect - but still, they're all wins. This week they step up in class in a big way, with a pair of road games at #1 Warren Central and #3 Monroe County. The Scotties have not won at Warren Central since 1985. 6) Greenwood (3-1) - 12/5 80-76 W #15 Russell County, 12/9 69-64 W at #6 Clinton County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/12 vs. #2 Bowling Green, 12/15 at #13 South Warren, 12/16 vs. Hart County The Gators have yet to have a game decided by more than 5 points this year, so they'll sure be battle tested entering a game against primary rival Bowling Green - the Gators have lost 12 in a row to the Purples. Jack Roberts poured in 28 against Russell County on Tuesday to continue to build momentum after last season's breakout. 7) Clinton County (3-3) - 12/5 63-65 L at #3 Monroe County, 12/8 63-46 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 12/9 64-69 L #7 Greenwood Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/12 vs. #16 Cumberland County, 12/15 at #14 Russell County, 12/16 vs. North Laurel (at Clay County) The Bulldogs have lost three of four and are 1-3 in games decided by single digits. They should coast in district play this week, but if they fall to either of those teams, then this season will rapidly take on a different outlook. 8) Todd County Central (4-0) - 12/5 75-70 W at East Robertson (TN), 12/8 82-46 W #9 Russellville Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/12 vs. #13 South Warren, 12/15 at #9 Logan County, 12/16 at Murray After trailing at the end of the first quarter, Todd Central UNLOADED on Russellville, gaining the running clock and remaining unbeaten. The Rebels have not made a region tournament since 2003, so gaining district wins will be vital in their pursuit of a good seed. 9) Logan County (3-2) - 12/5 82-80 W Ohio County, 12/8 57-60 L at #10 Franklin-Simpson, 12/9 54-81 L at Daviess County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/12 at #1 Warren Central, 12/15 vs. #8 Todd County Central, 12/16 vs. #13 South Warren After four scorers posted double digits in a nice 82-80 win over Ohio County, the Cougars let a district win slip away at Franklin-Simpson, after leading most of the game. That was followed by a listless effort in a blowout loss to Daviess County. The Cougars will square off with top rated Warren Central, who they have not beaten since 2000, before hoping to get back on track in district play against unbeaten Todd Central. 10) Russellville (2-2) - 12/5 66-62 W at #11 Warren East, 12/8 46-82 L at #13 Todd County Central, 12/9 61-66 L #5 Glasgow Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/15 vs. Christian County (at Hopkinsville), 12/16 at Hopkinsville The Panthers are almost impossible to figure out so far. After gaining a strong road win at Warren East where Jacob Naylor dropped 20 points, they were absolutely destroyed by Todd Central, before bouncing back for a very close home loss to Glasgow. Just.... all over the place. 11) Franklin-Simpson (1-5) - 12/5 59-62 L #16 South Warren, 12/8 60-57 W #8 Logan County, 12/9 61-69 L Central Hardin Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/14 vs. #1 Warren Central, 12/15 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville Speaking of tough to figure out - Franklin lost to previously winless South Warren before playing behind the entire game before knocking off Logan County. 12) Warren East (2-3) - 12/5 62-66 L #9 Russellville, 12/8 74-68 2OT at #16 South Warren, 12/9 54-50 W Owensboro Catholic (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/12 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/14 at #16 Cumberland County No game sums up how crazy this region has been more than the Raiders' win over Owensboro Catholic. The Aces jumped out to an 8-0 lead before an avalanche of Neal threes put the Raiders up entering the fourth, where they successfully took the air out of the ball to shorten the game and gain the win with some late free throws. It was honestly stunning. 13) South Warren (2-3) - 12/5 62-59 W at #10 Franklin-Simpson, 12/8 68-74 2OT L #11 Warren East, 12/9 72-49 W #14 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/12 at #8 Todd County Central, 12/15 vs. #6 Greenwood, 12/16 at #9 Logan County The Spartans just couldn't quite scratch out a needed win over Warren East, spoiling what would have been a perfect week. Daniel Moore had 22 points in the loss, their 11th in their last 12 district games. 14) Russell County (1-4) - 12/5 76-80 L at #7 Greenwood, 12/8 57-66 L #5 Glasgow Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/11 at #17 Metcalfe County, 12/12 at #3 Monroe County The wins haven't come yet, but the Lakers appear to be much improved from a year ago. Tate Richardson leads the Lakers with 16.4 per game while Brayton Scales has chipped in 14.0. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (2-3) - 12/5 39-55 L #4 Barren County, 12/7 44-67 L at #2 Bowling Green, 12/8 59-39 W #14 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/12 at #12 Warren East, 12/15 vs. #11 Franklin-Simpson The Patriots stepped up in competition and played well for stretches against Barren County and BG, but were still saddled with a pair of big losses. 16) Cumberland County (3-3) - 12/5 83-62 W #17 Metcalfe County, 12/8 39-59 L at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/9 49-72 L at #16 South Warren Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/12 at #7 Clinton County, 12/14 vs. #12 Warren East, 12/15 vs. Marion County Back to the drawing board for the Panthers who saw a promising 3-1 start crash with unexpectedly big losses to Allen County-Scottsville and South Warren. 17) Metcalfe County (0-5) - 12/5 62-83 L at #14 Cumberland County, 12/8 46-63 L #6 Clinton County, 12/9 55-73 L at Green County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/11 vs. #14 Russell County, 12/12 vs. Hart County, 12/15 at Christian Fellowship, 12/16 at Community Christian (Paducah) The Hornets are still seeking their first win since the 15/16 season.

1) Warren Central (7-0) - 12/11 72-49 W #5 Glasgow, 12/12 85-57 W #9 Logan County, 12/14 73-50 W at #11 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/21 vs. Jeffersontown (at Oldham County), 12/22 vs. TBA (at Oldham County), 12/23 vs. TBA (at Oldham County) The Dragons are out to their first 7-0 start in 16 years, completing a stretch that saw them win four games in six days, including their first three region games of the year. Skyelar Potter has stayed hot, scoring above 20 points in every game this year and posting a double-double in every game. Micale Mee averaged almost 15 PPG this week, including 23 against Franklin-Simpson. The Dragons will play in Oldham County's Christmas Tournament, where they are certain to face their toughest tests thus far. 2) Bowling Green (5-3) - 12/12 86-73 W at #6 Greenwood, 12/15 78-71 W at Hopkinsville, 12/16 45-66 L DeSales (at Barren County) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/19 at Fairdale, 12/21 vs. TBA (at Fairdale) The Purples ran their 4th Region win streak to 50 in a row and their 14th District streak to 29 in a row with their win over Greenwood. Both streaks date to January 2015. They followed that with another win over Hopkinsville - twice in 12 days - before having a horrid game against DeSales less than 24 hours later that saw the Purples outscored 14-0 to start the game. Jarius Key continues to be the man for the Purples, with 19 against Greenwood and 17 against DeSales. The Purples head to the King of the Bluegrass this week, where they'll open against host Fairdale. 3) Glasgow (6-1) - 12/11 49-72 L at #1 Warren Central, 12/12 71-70 W Southwestern, 12/15 80-79 W at #3 Monroe County, 12/16 81-63 W at Shawnee Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/19 vs. Bethlehem, 12/21 vs. Caldwell County (at Butler County), 12/21 vs. Murray (at Butler County), 12/22 vs. #16 Cumberland County (at Butler County) The Scotties move up despite the blowout to Warren Central, mostly because all evidence suggests any team other than Bowling Green is facing the same fate. The rest of their week and season has been perfect, with a solid win over Southwestern followed by a megaton win over Monroe County. Dalvin Smith won that game with a buzzer beater off a Nik Sorrell assist, grabbing the District 15 lead in the process. Glasgow is up to six wins after winning only four last season. 4) Monroe County (6-2) - 12/12 84-57 W #14 Russell County, 12/15 79-80 L #5 Glasgow, 12/16 66-54 W Shelby County (at Barren County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/21 vs. Apollo, 12/22 vs. TBA, 12/23 vs. TBA Monroe was on the other side of that buzzer beater, losing the chance to stay unbeaten in region and district play and gain a 2-0 start in district play. Still, the Falcons are off to a solid start to the year at 6-2, and Billy Michael Dyer has remained one of the top players in the region, averaging 21.5 per game. They play in the Owensboro Invitational this week. 5) Barren County (5-3) - 12/12 88-61 W Caverna, 12/14 44-38 W at Edmonson County, 12/16 43-53 L St. Xavier Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/21 vs. TBA (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/22 vs. TBA (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/23 vs. TBA (at Gatlinburg-Pittman) The Trojans continue to be pretty much all over the place. They struggled mightily with an Edmonson County team that has just two wins on the year and who count an 18 point loss to Cumberland County among their games. They then flipped around and battled gamely with a St. X team that has been in the BGP Top 20 at one point. The Trojans appear to be a team destined to be capable of spoiling someone's year but also being dangerously close to going out early. Unpredictability is a theme for the entire region below the top. 6) Clinton County (5-4) - 12/12 82-39 W #16 Cumberland County, 12/15 74-65 W at #14 Russell County, 12/16 57-70 L North Laurel (at Clay County) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/20 vs. Marion County, 12/21 vs. South Oldham, 12/22 vs. #11 South Warren The Bulldogs did what they needed to do this week, notching district wins over Cumberland County and Russell County, which puts them out to a 3-0 district start before we're even out of December. Jackson Harlan has carries most of the load, averaging an eye-popping 30.3 PPG through their first seven games. 7) Logan County (4-4) - 12/12 57-85 L at #1 Warren Central, 12/15 77-63 W #8 Todd County Central, 12/16 63-64 L #13 South Warren Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/19 vs. Butler (at Warren East), 12/20 vs. TBA (at Warren East), 12/21 vs. TBA (at Warren East) The Cougars are one of those teams that embody the unpredictability of the region. After a 3-0 start, they've gone 1-4 in their last five games. Losses to Warren Central and Daviess County are to be expected. A 14 point win over Todd County Central wasn't considering what the Rebels had done to Russellville. A buzzer beater loss to South Warren surely wasn't either, a year after beating the Spartans by 30. Logan County will try to get right in Warren East's holiday tournament this week. 8) Greenwood (4-3) - 12/12 73-86 L #2 Bowling Green, 12/15 60-61 L at #13 South Warren, 12/16 60-53 W Hart County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/19 vs. Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN) (at Warren East), 12/20 vs. TBA (at Warren East), 12/21 vs. TBA (at Warren East) Greenwood's rank, and Logan County's as well, are mostly leaps of faith based on some potential and past results. The Gators boast wins over Franklin-Simpson and Clinton County, and a close loss at Glasgow. Their loss to Bowling Green saw them hang in after a rough start. But after jumping out 10-0 on South Warren and leading all the way until the 4th Quarter, they dropped a crucial district game that they were most definitely favored in. Bright spot of the week - Luke Littrell scored a school record 42 points against Bowling Green on Tuesday. 9) Todd County Central (5-2) - 12/12 58-54 W #13 South Warren, 12/15 63-77 L at #9 Logan County, 12/16 58-64 L at Murray Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/21 at Webster County, 12/22 vs. Western (at Webster County), 12/23 vs. Christian County (at Webster County) The loss to Logan County was a real disappointment for the Rebels who were seeking to extend their win streak and get a big leg up in the district race. The game was tied at 36 all at halftime, and per the recap at yoursportsedge.com, John Calvery was hit with a personal foul then a technical foul int he fourth quarter, right after the Rebels had cut it to two points. That Logan County lost to South Warren the following day made it all the more strange, given the Rebels knocked off South Warren earlier this week. Nolan Barrow had 19 points in that game. 10) Warren East (4-3) - 12/12 45-40 W #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/14 70-42 W at #16 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/18 vs. Trinity (Whitesville), 12/19 vs. #13 Franklin-Simpson, 12/20 vs. TBA (at Warren East), 12/21 vs. TBA (at Warren East) The Raiders have rebounded from an 0-3 start with four straight wins to get back over .500. Treante Patterson carried East to their win over Allen County with 24 of the Raiders' 45 points before a very balanced win over Cumberland County saw four players score between 11 and 13 points. East enters a four game home stand, which includes their Christmas tournament. They'll tangle with Franklin-Simpson to open that one. 11) South Warren (4-4) - 12/12 54-58 L at #8 Todd County Central, 12/15 61-60 W #6 Greenwood, 12/16 64-63 W at #9 Logan County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/20 vs. South Oldham (at Clinton County), 12/21 vs. Marion County (at Clinton County), 12/22 at #6 Clinton County The Spartans had an extremely clutch end of the week, getting a district win over Greenwood via a Daniel Moore free throw with 1.8 seconds remaining, and followed that with a buzzer-beating three pointer by Tyler Martin to take down Logan County. It's the first time South Warren has been .500 or better this late in the year since 2014/15. They'll try to climb over .500 for the first time since 2015/16 this week. 12) Russellville (2-4) - 12/15 81-111 L Christian County (at Hopkinsville), 12/16 62-74 L at Hopkinsville Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/20 at Hancock County, 12/21 vs. TBA (at Hancock County), 12/22 vs. TBA (at Hancock County) The Panthers can be forgiven these losses against competition that are pretty far over their head. They've lost four in a row. 13) Franklin-Simpson (2-6) - 12/14 50-73 L #1 Warren Central, 12/15 44-36 W at #15 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/19 at #10 Warren East, 12/20 vs. TBA (at Warren East), 12/21 vs. TBA (at Warren East) The Wildcats led after one quarter against Warren Central before the roof crashed in on them. Points are at a premium for Franklin, who haven't topped 61 points this year. They averaged over 67 last season. 14) Russell County (2-6) - 12/11 86-57 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 12/12 57-84 L at #3 Monroe County, 12/15 65-74 L vs. #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/20 at McCreary Central, 12/22 vs. Lincoln County (at McCreary Central), 12/23 vs. Wayne County (at McCreary Central) The Lakers managed to grab a district win over Metcalfe County, and remained competitive with Clinton County to close the week. Tate Richardson and Brayton Scales are averaging over 14 PPG apiece for Russell County. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (2-5) - 12/12 40-45 L at #12 Warren East, 12/15 36-44 L #11 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/20 at Heritage (TN), 12/21 vs. TBA (at Heritage (TN)), 12/22 vs. TBA (at Heritage (TN)) The Patriots have stayed close at times, but are just 1-5 after a suddenly-solid win over South Warren to open the year. 16) Cumberland County (3-6) - 12/12 39-82 L at #7 Clinton County, 12/14 42-70 L #12 Warren East, 12/15 48-90 L Marion County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/21 at Butler County, 12/22 vs. #3 Glasgow (at Butler County) The Panthers are going the wrong direction, losing five in a row, none by less than 20 points. The gap between them and the teams above them appears to be significant. 17) Metcalfe County (2-7) - 12/11 57-86 L #14 Russell County, 12/12 51-87 L Hart County, 12/15 73-59 W at Christian Fellowship, 12/16 72-34 W at Community Christian (Paducah) Previous Rank: 17 This Week: No Games It was a great week for the Hornets, who not only ended their 38 game losing streak, but won back to back games. It's their first two game win streak since winning three in a row in 2010/11, which was their last winning season and last region tournament appearance. They've only won 16 games since that streak.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (8-2) - 12/21 57-56 W Jeffersontown (at Oldham County), 12/22 39-71 L at Oldham County, 12/23 51-58 L DeSales (at Oldham County) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/27 vs. Holmes (at Ohio County), 12/28 vs. Marshall County (at Ohio County), 12/29 at Ohio County The Dragons ran their record out to 8-0 - their best start since 93/94 - before coming completely undone in their closing two games of Oldham County's Christmas tournament. The decline began before the end of their opener, where they jumped to a 40-21 lead at the half before their offense completely abandoned them the rest of that game and most of the other two. It continues a trend of poor Christmas tournament performances for Central. Their loss to DeSales, who also defeated Bowling Green by 21, highlights the deficiency as a whole. Central will try to bounce back in Ohio County's Christmas tourney. 2) Bowling Green (6-5) - 12/19 77-89 L at Fairdale, 12/21 66-79 L Pulaski County (at Fairdale), 12/22 80-73 W Anderson County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/27 vs. Hopkins County Central, 12/28 vs. TBA, 12/29 vs. TBA The Purples suffered their longest losing streak in four years courtesy of DeSales and the King of the Bluegrass tournament. The Purples were invited on the strength of a player that transferred out before the season (Zion Harmon), and were swiftly overmatched in the state's premier holiday classic. Still, the Purples managed a win over Anderson County and measured themselves against some of the best in the state - never a bad thing. They return to host their own Christmas tourney this week, where they may end up squaring off with Monroe County and put their region win streak on the line. 3) Glasgow (9-2) - 12/19 50-42 W Bethlehem, 12/21 71-73 L Caldwell County (at Butler County), 12/21 53-42 W Murray (at Butler County), 12/2254-39 W #16 Cumberland County (at Butler County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/29 vs. #5 Barren County The Scotties have continued their stellar start to the year, minus their hiccup against Caldwell County. This is a Scottie team that won 4 games last year and hasn't had a winning record since the 2013/14 season. So it's important to keep that perspective when noting their 9-2 record. They are very much improved. This week brings a very, very important game when the Scotties host rival Barren County. As Glasgow already has a road win at Monroe County, this could stake them to a 2-0 start against their primary district rivals in a year where the top seed will be very, very important in the 15th District. 4) Monroe County (7-4) - 12/21 63-66 L Apollo, 12/22 46-50 L Bullitt East (at Apollo), 12/23 53-52 W Owensboro Catholic (at Apollo) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/27 vs. Madison Southern (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) The Falcons stumbled in the opening two games of the Owensboro Invitational, but got a key win in upsetting a sliding Owensboro Catholic team. To give a feel of how close their pool was, Monroe County lost to Apollo, who lost to Owensboro Catholic, who lost to Bullitt East by just 1. A bounce in a different direction and perhaps the Falcons could have carried on to the finals. They will visit Bowling Green for the Meijer Classic, and perhaps a measuring stick game against the Purples should both advance to the finals. 5) Barren County (6-5) - 12/21 51-60 L Flowery Branch (GA) (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/22 64-52 W at Gatlinburg-Pittman (TN), 12/23 54-56 L Halls (TN) (at Gatlinburg-Pittman) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/29 at #3 Glasgow The Trojans took to the road in the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic in Tennessee, coming away with one win in three games to extend their skid to three losses in four games. Jared Coomer continued his strong play with an average of 19 PPG in the tournament. Will Bandy has proven a solid #2 scorer as he has raised his average into double digits for the season. As mentioned in the Glasgow recap, Barren County has an extremely important game this week when they visit the Scotties. If they can upset Glasgow, they'll complete a round robin among the top three teams - essentially resetting the district race. 6) Warren East (7-4) - 12/18 91-83 W Trinity (Whitesville), 12/19 65-64 W #13 Franklin-Simpson, 12/20 62-71 OT L North Hardin, 12/21 72-68 OT W Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN) Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/28 vs. Lecanto (FL) (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 vs. #10 Todd County Central (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 vs. #13 Russellville (at Allen County-Scottsville) The Raiders were overtime warriors in their holiday classic, requiring extra time in two of their three games, splitting those results. That came after East overcame a double digit deficit against Franklin-Simpson in the tourney opener. Tashawn Neal topped 20 points in two games while Patterson averaged just over 14 PPG in the three games. East's loss to North Hardin snapped a six game winning streak - their longest since the 2013 season. In all, the Raiders have gone 7-1 since opening the year with three straight losses, catapulting them back into dark horse status. 7) South Warren (7-4) - 12/20 88-86 OT W South Oldham (at Clinton County), 12/21 76-63 W Marion County (at Clinton County), 12/22 72-62 W at #6 Clinton County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/27 vs. West Creek (TN) (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. Madison Southern (at Bowling Green), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) The Spartans rise all the way to #7 this week, and there simply isn't a harder team to figure in the region. How in the world South lost to Allen County-Scottsville by 33 in the opener is a complete mystery. South is above .500 this late in the year for the first time since 2014/15. They had the best week in the region, winning three in a row to take the Clinton County holiday tournament, capping it with a double digit win over the host Bulldogs. The Spartans have scored 70+ four times this season - they topped that amount four times all of last season. 8) Franklin-Simpson (4-7) - 12/19 64-65 L at #10 Warren East, 12/20 69-48 W Edmonson County (at Warren East), 12/21 78-75 2OT W #7 Logan County (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/27 vs. Jeffersontown (at Edmonson County), 12/28 vs. Adair County (at Edmonson County), 12/29 at Edmonson County The Wildcats have seen a similar meteoric rise. After starting the year 1-6, the Wildcats have righted the ship with a 3-1 stretch. They've knocked off district rival Logan County twice in the last two weeks, and while it is a negative that they were run down by Warren East after jumping to a huge lead, they still had a close result against one of the hottest teams in the region. They're having to make their hay with defensive efforts, as they have yet to top 70 points in a regulation game. 9) Clinton County (7-5) - 12/20 71-65 W Marion County, 12/21 78-74 W South Oldham, 12/22 62-72 L #11 South Warren Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/27 vs. Central Hardin (at Carroll County), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Carroll County), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Carroll County) Clinton County has much more potential than this ranking, but it is simply time to drop them based on their on the court product. They have yet to win more than two games in a row on the year, and have fallen at home to both South Warren and Greenwood - neither of which were expected to be among the region's elite. It is perhaps a byproduct of a very top-heavy team, with Jackson Harlan still averaging over 30 PPG and Seth Stockton just over 14 PPG. No one else averages more than 6.4 PPG. Slow down Harlan, and Clinton County is likely sunk. 10) Todd County Central (6-4) - 12/21 65-73 L at Webster County, 12/22 74-67 W Western (at Webster County), 12/23 60-66 L Christian County (at Webster County) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/28 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/29 vs. #6 Warren East (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 vs. #12 Greenwood (at Allen County-Scottsville) The close result against Christian County jumps off the page, but the Colonels were missing Detorrion Ware in that one. The Rebels have now dropped four of five since opening 5-0, though most of their losses have been competitive. They'll measure up against three non-district opponents in the South Central Bank-Halton Classic at Allen County-Scottsville, and we should get a better idea of just how they stack up. 11) Logan County (5-6) - 12/19 54-68 L Butler (at Warren East), 12/20 65-43 W #8 Greenwood (at Warren East), 12/21 75-78 2OT L #13 Franklin-Simpson (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: No Games The Cougars continue to flash potential - such as unloading on Greenwood to drill them out of the top 10, but continued their 2-6 slide after their 3-0 start. This included their second loss to Franklin-Simpson, albeit one that doesn't count in the district standings. They get a week off to regroup. 12) Greenwood (5-5) - 12/19 68-72 L Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN) (at Warren East), 12/20 43-65 L #7 Logan County (at Warren East), 12/21 70-53 W Edmonson County (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/28 vs. #13 Russellville (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 vs. Lecanto (FL) (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 vs. #10 Todd County Central (at Allen County-Scottsville) We hung with the Gators as long as we could, but their 2-4 run since opening 3-1 required a course correct. Their 22 point loss to Logan County was easily their ugliest result of the year. 13) Russellville (3-6) - 12/20 69-77 OT L at Hancock County, 12/21 58-60 L Providence (IN) (at Hancock County), 12/22 73-29 W Cannelton (IN) (at Hancock County) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/28 vs. #12 Greenwood (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/30 vs. #6 Warren East (at Allen County-Scottsville) The Panthers snapped a six game skid with their win over Cannelton. Anthony Woodard and Jacob Naylor have combined for nearly 30 PPG. 14) Russell County (3-9) - 12/20 89-81 W at McCreary Central, 12/21 67-74 L East Jessamine (at McCreary Central), 12/22 51-68 L Lincoln County (at McCreary Central), 12/23 59-70 L Wayne County (at McCreary Central) Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/28 vs. TBA (at Greenup County), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Greenup County), 12/30 vs. TBA (at Greenup County) Single digit losses to Greenwood, Glasgow, and Clinton County suggest that the Lakers are closer to contention than last year, but they're still well off where the program was through two years ago. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (3-7) - 12/20 39-51 L at Heritage (TN), 12/21 69-57 W Clinton (TN) (at Heritage (TN)), 12/22 52-61 L Grainger (TN) (at Heritage (TN) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/28 vs. #10 Todd County Central, 12/29 vs. #13 Russellville, 12/30 vs. Lecanto (FL) The Patriots will look to rebound from a slow start in their home Christmas tournament. They're 1-2 at home so far this year. 16) Cumberland County (3-8) - 12/21 75-95 L at Butler County, 12/22 39-54 L #3 Glasgow (at Butler County) Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/28 vs. Livingston Central (at LaRue County), 12/29 at LaRue County, 12/30 vs. Grayson County (at LaRue County) The promise of a 3-1 start has devolved into a seven game losing streak. 17) Metcalfe County (2-7) - No Games Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/27 at Whitefield Academy, 12/28 vs. Berea (at Whitefield Academy), 12/28 vs. Beth Haven (at Whitefield Academy) 3) Glasgow (9-2) - 12/19 50-42 W Bethlehem, 12/21 71-73 L Caldwell County (at Butler County), 12/21 53-42 W Murray (at Butler County), 12/2254-39 W #16 Cumberland County (at Butler County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/29 vs. #5 Barren County 4) Monroe County (7-4) - 12/21 63-66 L Apollo, 12/22 46-50 L Bullitt East (at Apollo), 12/23 53-52 W Owensboro Catholic (at Apollo) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/27 vs. Madison Southern (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) 5) Barren County (6-5) - 12/21 51-60 L Flowery Branch (GA) (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/22 64-52 W at Gatlinburg-Pittman (TN), 12/23 54-56 L Halls (TN) (at Gatlinburg-Pittman) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/29 at #3 Glasgow 6) Warren East (7-4) - 12/18 91-83 W Trinity (Whitesville), 12/19 65-64 W #13 Franklin-Simpson, 12/20 62-71 OT L North Hardin, 12/21 72-68 OT W Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN) Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/28 vs. Lecanto (FL) (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 vs. #10 Todd County Central (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 vs. #13 Russellville (at Allen County-Scottsville) 7) South Warren (7-4) - 12/20 88-86 OT W South Oldham (at Clinton County), 12/21 76-63 W Marion County (at Clinton County), 12/22 72-62 W at #6 Clinton County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/27 vs. West Creek (TN) (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. Madison Southern (at Bowling Green), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) 8) Franklin-Simpson (4-7) - 12/19 64-65 L at #10 Warren East, 12/20 69-48 W Edmonson County (at Warren East), 12/21 78-75 2OT W #7 Logan County (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/27 vs. Jeffersontown (at Edmonson County), 12/28 vs. Adair County (at Edmonson County), 12/29 at Edmonson County 9) Clinton County (7-5) - 12/20 71-65 W Marion County, 12/21 78-74 W South Oldham, 12/22 62-72 L #11 South Warren Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/27 vs. Central Hardin (at Carroll County), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Carroll County), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Carroll County) 10) Todd County Central (6-4) - 12/21 65-73 L at Webster County, 12/22 74-67 W Western (at Webster County), 12/23 60-66 L Christian County (at Webster County) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/28 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/29 vs. #6 Warren East (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 vs. #12 Greenwood (at Allen County-Scottsville) 11) Logan County (5-6) - 12/19 54-68 L Butler (at Warren East), 12/20 65-43 W #8 Greenwood (at Warren East), 12/21 75-78 2OT L #13 Franklin-Simpson (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: No Games 12) Greenwood (5-5) - 12/19 68-72 L Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN) (at Warren East), 12/20 43-65 L #7 Logan County (at Warren East), 12/21 70-53 W Edmonson County (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/28 vs. #13 Russellville (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 vs. Lecanto (FL) (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 vs. #10 Todd County Central (at Allen County-Scottsville) 13) Russellville (3-6) - 12/20 69-77 OT L at Hancock County, 12/21 58-60 L Providence (IN) (at Hancock County), 12/22 73-29 W Cannelton (IN) (at Hancock County) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/28 vs. #12 Greenwood (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/30 vs. #6 Warren East (at Allen County-Scottsville) 14) Russell County (3-9) - 12/20 89-81 W at McCreary Central, 12/21 67-74 L East Jessamine (at McCreary Central), 12/22 51-68 L Lincoln County (at McCreary Central), 12/23 59-70 L Wayne County (at McCreary Central) Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/28 vs. TBA (at Greenup County), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Greenup County), 12/30 vs. TBA (at Greenup County) 15) Allen County-Scottsville (3-7) - 12/20 39-51 L at Heritage (TN), 12/21 69-57 W Clinton (TN) (at Heritage (TN)), 12/22 52-61 L Grainger (TN) (at Heritage (TN) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/28 vs. #10 Todd County Central, 12/29 vs. #13 Russellville, 12/30 vs. Lecanto (FL) 16) Cumberland County (3-8) - 12/21 75-95 L at Butler County, 12/22 39-54 L #3 Glasgow (at Butler County) Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/28 vs. Livingston Central (at LaRue County), 12/29 at LaRue County, 12/30 vs. Grayson County (at LaRue County) 17) Metcalfe County (2-7) - No Games Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/27 at Whitefield Academy, 12/28 vs. Berea (at Whitefield Academy), 12/28 vs. Beth Haven (at Whitefield Academy) The Hornets enjoyed their week off on the heels of a two game win streak.

Can I just say how completely crazy and inconsistent this region has been so far? I feel 100% confident in the top two. 100% confident in the next three - in some order. Beyond that? They're all beating each other. Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (11-2) - 12/27 67-53 W Holmes (at Ohio County), 12/28 60-56 OT W Marshall County (at Ohio County), 12/29 84-67 W at Ohio County Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/5 at #8 Warren East, 1/6 at #3 Barren County The Dragons are at their best mark through 13 games in 15 years, and rebounded from a poor showing in Oldham County to win the holiday tourney at Ohio County. That included a solid overtime win over Marshall County where the Dragons had to come back from 14 points down in the 3rd Quarter, surviving an 11/18 three point shooting effort by the Marshals. The Dragons finally get into the meat of the region starting this week, opening their district play at Warren East before traveling to take on #3 Barren County. Barren County won two years ago when they hosted the Dragons. 2) Bowling Green (8-5) - 12/27 78-29 W Hopkins County Central, 12/28 72-54 W Muhlenberg County, 12/29 90-77 W West Creek (TN) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/2 vs. #3 Barren County, 1/5 vs. #12 Greenwood, 1/7 vs. Adair County (at McCracken County) The Purples kept pace in winning their holiday tourney in dominating fashion. The Purples have topped 62 points in all but two games on the year, and are scoring in bunches. Jarius Key averaged nearly 25 PPG in the tourney. Their four game win streak is their highest of the year, and they'll have a chance to host #3 Barren County in an intriguing game before closing the week with another district game against Greenwood and taking on former player Zion Harmon in McCracken County. That Barren County game is notable as it is the biggest test yet of BG's 50 game region win streak, and the Trojans were the last region team outside district 14 to knock them off (2013). 3) Barren County (7-5) - 12/29 77-69 W at #3 Glasgow Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/2 at #2 Bowling Green, 1/5 vs. Adair County, 1/6 vs. #1 Warren Central Barren County officially earned themselves a mulligan on their early season loss to Monroe County thanks to Monroe defeating Glasgow, and now the Trojans picking up over Glasgow. Through a month, nothing is settled at the top of District 15, and the top seed will be crucial this year. As for the week to come, it would be tougher to find a more difficult slate of games. The Trojans will have little doubt as to where they stand after visiting Bowling Green and hosting Warren Central, while also hosting that Zion Harmon guy that everyone talks about. 4) Monroe County (9-5) - 12/27 63-43 W Madison Southern (at Bowling Green), 12/28 70-72 L West Creek (TN) (at Bowling Green), 12/29 54-52 W Muhlenberg County (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/2 vs. #11 Logan County, 1/5 at #14 Allen County-Scottsville You're going to hear about it for three straight entries, but the most important game for Monroe County wasn't any they played, but rather Barren County's win over Glasgow, which put Monroe back in charge of their destiny in the district. In their own games, Monroe County had a solid trip in the Meijer Classic at Bowling Green, finishing third, but missed out on a measuring stick game with Bowling Green thanks to an unexpected last second loss to West Creek. The Falcons should roll this week. 5) Glasgow (9-3) - 12/29 69-77 L #5 Barren County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/2 at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/5 at #6 South Warren, 1/6 vs. Thomas Nelson Aaaaand again, Glasgow's loss was significant in how it reset the district. The Scotties could have given themselves a huge leg up had they knocked off the rival Trojans, but will have to settle for being even. They were doomed by a 14-0 Trojan run in the second quarter, and were never closer than six after, shooting 38% from the field. Glasgow is still in good shape, and should grab a district win at the Patriots before hosting a surging Spartan team. 6) South Warren (9-5) - 12/27 62-75 L West Creek (TN) (at Bowling Green), 12/28 76-67 W Madison Southern (at Bowling Green), 12/29 75-70 W Hopkins County Central (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/5 vs. #5 Glasgow South Warren finished the Meijer Classic in fifth place, but most significantly enter the new year with their best first month record since their inaugural season in 2010/11. To say this was unexpected would be putting it mildly. South has won 7 of their last 8 games and have gotten standout play from Tyler Martin (21.5 PPG), Daniel Moore (10.9 PPG), and Colin Moore (10.2 PPG). This week will be another chance to prove themselves when they host Glasgow. 7) Clinton County (9-6) - 12/27 54-55 L Central Hardin (at Carroll County), 12/28 80-64 W (at Carroll County), 12/29 67-55 W at Carroll County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/4 at Pickett County (TN), 1/5 vs. #17 Metcalfe County Last week we reset Clinton County back to 9th, and they rise back up due to the incomprehensible results below. The Bulldogs were done in by a missed free throw with less than 15 seconds left and up one, leading to a Central Hardin layup with under 3 seconds left to take the loss. They rebounded with a pair of wins but have still yet to win more than two in a row this year. They'll try to rectify that at Pickett County before they continue their dominance of the 16th District on Friday. 8) Warren East (9-5) - 12/28 67-48 W Lecanto (FL) (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 76-53 W #10 Todd County Central (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 62-63 L #13 Russellville (at Allen County-Scottsville) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/2 at #13 Todd County Central, 1/5 vs. #1 Warren Central East has played exceedingly well in December in recent years, but are still prone to strange results. Something about Russellville is hard for them to solve this year, with two of their five losses coming to the Panthers. That's despite East blowing the doors off Todd Central.... who blew the doors off of Russellville. That's just a sign of this year. East will meet Todd County again this week before they look to take a big step when they host top ranked Warren Central. 9) Franklin-Simpson (5-9) - 12/27 48-63 L Jeffersontown (at Edmonson County), 12/28 60-80 L Adair County (at Edmonson County), 12/29 58-43 W at Edmonson County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/5 at #13 Todd County Central The Wildcats remain difficult to figure out. They have played strong defense, holding 1/3 of their opponents under 50 points, and by virtue of their win over Logan County (who they've twice beaten but only one counting towards district), they remain in good shape in their district. But the wins just haven't come against superior competition. Their next two games will be in-district play against Todd Central and Russellville. 10) Russellville (5-7) - 12/28 85-57 W #12 Greenwood (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 65-66 OT L at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/30 63-62 W #6 Warren East (at Allen County-Scottsville) Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/2 at Ohio County, 1/5 at #11 Logan County Russellville sandwiched great efforts against the 14th District against an inexplicable loss to Allen County. Against East, the Panthers fell behind 8-2, closed the quarter on a 15-3 run, fell behind by 13 again in the second half, before surviving two misses at the rim for the win. It was Russellville's second win over East this season. Naylor had 19 in the win for the Panthers. 11) Logan County (5-6) - No Games Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/2 at #4 Monroe County, 1/5 vs. #10 Russellville, 1/6 at #12 Greenwood The Cougars had the week off to take in the chaos around them. The game of the week for them is the first clash of the Cats on Friday. 12) Greenwood (7-6) - 12/28 57-85 L #13 Russellville (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 70-51 W Lecanto (FL) (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 81-72 W #10 Todd County Central (at Allen County-Scottsville) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/5 at #2 Bowling Green, 1/6 vs. #11 Logan County Greenwood closed the week strong after a blowout loss at the hands of Russellville, winning of Lecanto and snagging a win over Todd Central. That gives Greenwood a winning record heading into the new year, along with the rest of District 14. 13) Todd County Central (7-6) - 12/28 59-50 W at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/29 53-76 L #6 Warren East (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/30 72-81 L #12 Greenwood (at Allen County-Scottsville) Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/2 vs. #8 Warren East, 1/5 vs. #9 Franklin-Simpson, 1/6 at Calloway County The Rebels continue to decline after their strong start to the year. Leading scorer Nolan Barrow was held to just nine points in their loss to Greenwood, while Tashaun Foster led the team with 24. 14) Allen County-Scottsville (5-8) - 12/28 50-59 OT L #10 Todd County Central, 12/29 66-65 OT W #13 Russellville, 12/30 50-43 W Lecanto (FL) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/2 vs. #5 Glasgow, 1/5 vs. #4 Monroe County, 1/6 vs. Edmonson County The Patriots have had quite a few close results this year, but easily had their best result in knocking off Russellville in overtime. 15) Russell County (4-11) - 12/28 50-61 L Bell County (at Greenup County), 12/29 60-65 L McLean County (at Greenup County), 12/30 72-54 W Prestonsburg (at Greenup County) Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/5 vs. #16 Cumberland County The Lakers snapped a five game losing streak with their win over Prestonsburg. 16) Cumberland County (3-11) - 12/28 59-63 L Livingston Central (at LaRue County), 12/29 33-92 L at LaRue County, 12/30 37-57 L Grayson County (at LaRue County) Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/2 at #17 Metcalfe County, 1/5 at #15 Russell County After starting 3-1, the Panthers have now lost ten straight. 17) Metcalfe County (3-9) - 12/27 63-69 L at Whitefield Academy, 12/28 64-40 W Beth Haven (at Whitefield Academy), 12/28 61-84 L Berea (at Whitefield Academy) Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/2 vs. #16 Cumberland County, 1/5 at #7 Clinton County Metcalfe County's two game win streak ended, but they added they are still 3-2 in their last five.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (17-2) - 1/16 73-38 W #7 South Warren, 1/19 71-60 W at #11 Greenwood Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/23 at #11 South Warren, 1/26 vs. #2 Bowling Green The Dragons are out to their best record through 19 games in almost 30 years, picking up back to back district victories after a week off from the snow. They did have to survive a game Greenwood team playing on their own home floor, trailing by as many as 8 before seizing control of the game in the third quarter. If Central can continue on track, they'll likely have to beat Greenwood there again in the district tournament. They can basically sew up the #1 seed if they can defend their homecourt against Bowling Green on Friday. 2) Bowling Green (12-7) - 1/19 81-57 W at #5 Warren East Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/22 vs. #13 Franklin-Simpson, 1/23 at Muhlenberg County, 1/26 at #1 Warren Central Bowling Green made it 47 in a row against Warren East, blowing the Raiders out of their own gym for one of their most impressive wins of the year. It's the latest evidence that despite the loss to Barren County, the Purples are clearly the biggest threat to knock Central out of the top slot. Winners of 7 of 9, Bowling Green has a busy start to the week before the all-important road game at Warren Central. If they can get the win, it becomes likely a coin toss will decide the top slot in the district. 3) Monroe County (14-6) - 1/15 73-50 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 1/20 86-37 W #10 Russellville (at Clinton County), 1/21 47-51 L at #8 Clinton County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: No Games Monroe County took their first loss of the calendar year, falling to Clinton County on the Bulldogs' home floor. It snapped a six game win streak, and was the second lowest scoring output of the year for the Falcons. They may try to pick up a game during the week now that they won't have the All "A" Classic on deck. Otherwise, they'll have a nine day layoff before a potential district clinching game at Glasgow on the 30th. 4) Glasgow (15-3) - 1/18 78-77 W Adair County, 1/20 74-73 W at #11 Greenwood Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/22 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/23 vs. LaRue County, 1/26 at #7 Barren County, 1/27 vs. #6 Warren East Speaking of Glasgow, they kept it rolling with their fifth and sixth straight wins. The first was a comeback win over the Zion Harmon-led Adair County Indians, before gutting out a road win at dangerous Greenwood. Their 15 wins matches their highest output for an entire season in the last six years, and they remain on pace for their best record since the turn of the century. They have a full week with a pair of district games on tap, the most crucial of which is a road trip to Barren County. They'll try to avenge an 8 point loss on their home floor on December 29th. If they lose, they'll lose control of their destiny in chasing the district's top seed. 5) Clinton County (14-7) - 1/20 72-62 W #12 Todd County Central, 1/21 51-47 W #3 Monroe County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/25 vs. Robertson County The Bulldogs rode homecourt advantage to their first All "A" title in five years, capping it with a four point win over their old district rival Monroe County. Clinton County has been frequently unimpressive, though Jackson Harlan remains the leading scorer in the region. Their five game win streak is their first over two games in a row this season. They'll meet Robertson County in the All "A" state tournament, the representative from the 10th region. 6) Warren East (10-7) - 1/19 57-81 L #2 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/22 vs. #9 Greenwood, 1/23 at #12 Russellville, 1/26 at #9 Greenwood, 1/27 at #4 Glasgow Warren East's losing streak to Bowling Green turned 20 this year, and it continues to be an albatross around their neck. Brevon Whitney was the only Raider who came to play, pouring in 27 in the losing effort. A perfect indicator for how the game went was leading scorer Tashawn Neal. Neal entered the game shooting 45% from three on the year. He missed all four of his attempts and limped to four points. If Bowling Green fails to knock off Warren Central to climb to the top seed in the district, then East is going to have to go through the Purples to return to the region tournament. Their region tourney drought became old enough to drink this year..... They'll want to get both of those games against Greenwood to feel confident about getting into the 2/3 game. 7) Barren County (10-9) - 1/19 62-56 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/20 51-49 W at #13 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/23 at #8 Logan County, 1/26 vs. #4 Glasgow, 1/27 at #10 Todd County Central The Trojans finally stopped the bleeding this week, snapping a four game losing streak that featured a hideous 25 point loss to district foe Monroe County. This week they were still playing down to the competition, beating ACS and Franklin-Simpson by a combined 8 points, but a win is a win is a win. These are confidence boosters that the Trojans sorely needed with their district tilt vs. Glasgow on Friday upcoming. 8) Logan County (10-10) - 1/19 74-49 W #13 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/23 vs. #7 Barren County, 1/26 at #12 Russellville The Cougars had twice fallen to Franklin this season, both times by three points, but they unloaded their frustration at home, running the Wildcats off the floor in a 25 point blowout. That win pushed them to 4-1 in district play, making their path to #1 quite simple. They need either a district win or a Russellville district loss to clinch the top seed. And wouldn't you know, they could take care of both birds with one stone on Friday. Austin Rayno dropped 28 on Russellville in their 68-64 victory earlier this month. 9) Greenwood (8-10) - 1/19 60-71 L #1 Warren Central, 1/20 73-74 L #4 Glasgow Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/22 at #6 Warren East, 1/23 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/26 vs. #6 Warren East, 1/27 vs. #16 Cumberland County The Gators battled to the buzzer against Warren Central, and jumped out to an 18-10 lead behind some hot three point shooting from Luke Littrell. Greenwood made four of their first seven attempts from the arc - two of which were DEEP behind it - but lost their steam, missing their last six, and proving unable to stay within double digits of the Dragons. That's a potential district semifinal matchup as the Gators drop to 0-4 in district play. They followed that up with another "quality loss", falling just short in a homestand against #4 Glasgow. The Gators have dropped four of five, but three of those losses were to #1 Warren Central, #2 Bowling Green, and #4 Glasgow. The other? To a solid Adair County. They're better than their record. 10) Todd County Central (10-8) - 1/18 72-64 W #16 Cumberland County, 1/20 62-72 L at #8 Clinton County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/23 vs. Webster County, 1/26 at #13 Franklin-Simpson, 1/27 vs. #7 Barren County The Rebels now have their most wins in a season since 2009, and with a single win more they'll have their highest total since 2004 - their last year with a winning record. They may be able to achieve that with a favorable schedule ahead of them, and while they fell to All "A" champ Clinton County, their district matchup with Franklin on Friday is far more important. The Rebels unloaded with a 19 point victory over Franklin earlier this month, and with a win, can assure themselves of no worse than the #3 seed in the postseason, a good chip given that probable #1 Logan County is the only district team they've lost to. 11) South Warren (10-9) - 1/16 38-73 L at #1 Warren Central, 1/19 67-60 W at #15 Russell County, 1/20 67-89 L at Hart County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/23 vs. #1 Warren Central, 1/25 at #16 Cumberland County, 1/26 vs. Ohio County South Warren is going the wrong direction. One of December's best surprises, they are now 1-4 in January. The loss to Central was expected, but a running clock doesn't bode well for them. And while they were playing their third game in three days, the 22 point loss to Hart County was decidedly unexpected. They'll likely be trying to stay above .500 by the end of the week. 12) Russellville (6-10) - 1/20 37-86 L #3 Monroe County (at Clinton County) Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/23 vs. #6 Warren East, 1/26 vs. #8 Logan County Russellville is another team that felt like it turned a corner in late December, but have lost 3 of 4 in the new year. The 49 point drubbing by Monroe County was an obvious low point. They do get to play 6 of their last 8 games at home, and start a four game homestand by hosting East this week. They are still alive for the top seed in their district, but have to win out against District 13. The first of those games is against Logan County on Friday. 13) Franklin-Simpson (5-13) - 1/19 49-74 L at #9 Logan County, 1/20 49-51 L #6 Barren County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/22 at #2 Bowling Green, 1/26 vs. #10 Todd County Central The points continue to be scarce for Franklin, as they have not topped 49 since the start of the calendar year. In fact, they've landed on 49 points in three straight games. The close loss to Barren County was encouraging, but would be moreso if the Trojans were playing better. Bowling Green will likely batter them tomorrow, before Franklin faces a must-win against Todd Central. 14) Allen County-Scottsville (6-12) - 1/19 56-62 L at #6 Barren County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/22 at #4 Glasgow, 1/23 at #9 Greenwood, 1/26 vs. #5 Clinton County, 1/27 vs. Caverna The Patriots made it much closer than their game in December, but ultimately fell for the 11th straight time against district rival Barren County. That result likely condemns them to the #4 seed in the postseason. They'll clinch it if they fall to Glasgow tomorrow. 15) Russell County (6-13) - 1/19 60-67 L #7 South Warren Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/22 at #16 Cumberland County, 1/23 at Pulaski County, 1/26 at Casey County The Lakers fell in their first game in 8 days, and have now lost 7 of 10, albeit in close fashion in many of those losses. Despite regularly being one of the best teams in the region outside the last two years, Russell County dropped to 1-5 against South Warren. 16) Cumberland County (4-14) - 1/18 64-72 L at #12 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/22 vs. #15 Russell County, 1/25 vs. #11 South Warren, 1/27 at #9 Greenwood After their 13th loss in 14 games, the Panthers are now the owners of the worst record in the region. They're obviously better than the Metcalfe County team that they swept, but it remains to be seen if they'll be able to avoid staying below them record-wise. 17) Metcalfe County (4-13) - 1/15 50-73 L #3 Monroe County, 1/20 70-50 W Red Boiling Springs (TN) Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/23 at Edmonson County, 1/27 vs. Green County The Hornets grabbed a 20 point win over Red Boiling Springs to climb out of the region basement by record, snapping a modest five game losing streak.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (15-2) - 1/9 57-47 W Hopkinsville, 1/11 66-56 W at #3 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/16 vs. #7 South Warren, 1/19 at #11 Greenwood The Dragons faced a pair of 4th quarter challenges, and while it wasn't pretty in either case, they gutted out two wins to push their win streak to seven. The two games were eerily similar in their breakdown. Central held identical 48-32 leads in the third quarter before each opponent turned on the pressure, forcing miscues and climbing back into the game. The only difference is that Bowling Green made it all the way back before Central scored the final 10 to pull out the win. That was despite having four players with four or more fouls out of a seven man rotation, with two fouling out. The win was their first over Bowling Green in three years - eight straight losses. Skyelar Potter had 27 in the win. 2) Bowling Green (11-7) - 1/9 66-46 W #6 South Warren, 1/12 56-66 L #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/16 vs. Christian County, 1/19 at #5 Warren East The Purples were dropped to three after the loss to Barren, but I should have known better. Bowling Green is the only team in the region that can truly go toe to toe with Warren Central, and they proved that on Friday, roaring back from a 16 point deficit before running out of gas. It ended a 31 game district winning streak, but proved that the Purples are still very much a threat in the district and region. Jarius Key had 17 for Bowling Green, but it was Trevor Dennis's 16 points thanks to 4/5 shooting from three that helped lift the Purples into contention in the game. They'll face a tough game against Christian County on Tuesday (weather permitting) before putting their 20 year win streak against Warren East on the line. 3) Monroe County (12-5) - 1/11 63-38 W #2 Barren County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/15 vs. #17 Metcalfe County (at Clinton County) Monroe County seized control of the 15th District by absolutely BATTERING a reeling Barren County team. The Falcons have been getting it done all year with their defense, holding seven of their last eight opponents to 52 points or less. The 1-2 combo of Clements and Dyer led the way again as Clements led all scorers with 23 and Dyer chipped in with 18. The two had enough points to win by themselves. All that stands between them and the top seed in the district is a trip to Glasgow in three weeks. They are the favorites in the region All A. 4) Glasgow (13-3) - 1/8 69-38 W Green County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/15 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/18 vs. Adair County, 1/20 at #11 Greenwood The Scotties had a quiet week thanks to the snow, notching only a blowout victory over Green County. Their game on Monday against Allen County was delayed from Friday, and may be delayed further. They've won four straight, not losing yet in this calendar year. If they get to play it, their matchup with Adair will be a big test of that. 5) Warren East (10-6) - 1/9 58-52 W #2 Barren County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/19 vs. #2 Bowling Green This frankly feels high for East, as they have suffered some truly head scratching losses this year against Logan County and Russellville (TWICE), but they battled well with top rated Warren Central the week before, and looked strong in a home win over Barren County. The Raiders are an intriguing team, with athleticism, multiple scorers, and a knock-down shooter in Tashawn Neal, who is shooting 47.4% from three (47.4%). What they need more than anything, is a win over Bowling Green. It's been 20 years and 46 straight losses to the Purples. If East is serious about making the region tourney, they are going to have to find a way past the Purples. 6) Barren County (8-9) - 1/9 52-58 L at #8 Warren East, 1/11 38-63 L at #4 Monroe County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/16 at Ohio County, 1/19 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/20 at #13 Franklin-Simpson It's almost as if the Trojans had their season made when they knocked off Bowling Green because they have looked fairly awful ever since. Losing by 30 to Warren Central was one thing. Losing by 25 to district rival Monroe County - who they took to overtime the first time they met - is quite another entirely. Coomer was just 3/10 against the Falcons, good for just 10 points. That's not going to get it done for a Trojan team that desperately needs him to lead the way. They'll try to recover this week with three winnable games. 7) South Warren (9-7) - 1/9 46-66 L at #3 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/16 at #1 Warren Central, 1/19 at #15 Russell County, 1/20 vs. Kenwood (TN) 18 games, 18 losses in the series against Bowling Green. The Spartans have proven reliable enough to be able to compete against the middle of the region, but they appear no closer this year to making the leap into competing with the top. The latest lesson in that will likely come on Tuesday at Warren Central. South Warren hit as many shots from three as they did from inside the arc against Bowling Green, with six apiece. 8) Clinton County (12-7) - 1/9 79-47 W at #16 Cumberland County, 1/11 61-59 W #15 Russell County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/18 vs. TBA The Bulldogs continued their 16th District dominance, albeit in less dominating fashion in the latter half of the week. Jackson Harlan remains one of the top scorers in the satte, averaging 27.6 PPG. They can perhaps climb up the ranks with a good showing in the All A tournament, which they are hosting. 9) Logan County (9-10) - 1/9 50-48 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/11 64-62 W at #12 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/16 vs. Muhlenberg County, 1/19 vs. #13 Franklin-Simpson The Cougars gutted out a close win over Allen County-Scottsville before picking up a crucial road win at Todd Central. Combined with Franklin's loss to Russellville, it put Logan County back in the driver's seat in the district. Though Logan County has lost twice to the Wildcats, only one of those counts towards their district record. That means if the third time is the charm for Logan, they'll only have to beat Russellville the following week to take the #1 seed. 10) Russellville (6-9) - 1/11 64-49 W at #13 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/18 vs. TBA (at Clinton County) Speaking of Russellville, they outscored Franklin by 16 points in the fourth quarter to flip a one point deficit into a 15 point victory. The Panthers, like much of the region, have been maddeningly inconsistent. They hold two wins over Warren East and a close loss to Glasgow, but also the blowout loss to Glasgow and a loss to Allen County-Scottsville. Still, their win over Franklin flips the narrative. They went from serious danger of the #4 seed to being possibly the only other team that could unseat Logan County for #1. 11) Greenwood (8-8) - 1/9 61-70 L Adair County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/16 vs. #13 Franklin-Simpson, 1/19 vs. #1 Warren Central, 1/20 vs. #4 Glasgow The Gators were spared from having to experience the torment of Zion Harmon after he left Bowling Green last year for Adair County, but it still wasn't enough for the Gators to grab a win over the Indians. Ben Carroll was 9/18 from the field to lead Greenwood with 24 points. Jack Roberts and Luke Littrell had 17 and 15 respectively, continuing to be the cornerstones of the team. They have a winnable game against Franklin before a pair of tough home games to close the week. 12) Todd County Central (9-7) - 1/11 62-64 L #9 Logan County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/15 vs. #16 Cumberland County The Rebels saw their two game win streak halted in a tough district loss to Logan County, dropping them to 2-2 in district play. Both losses were to Logan County, meaning the Rebels would need a lot of help to climb back into the top seed. Still, if they can maintain their dominance over Franklin-Simpson and Russellville (winning by 19 and 36 points over the pair this year), a region berth is in the offing. 13) Franklin-Simpson (5-11) - 1/11 49-64 L #10 Russellville Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/16 at #11 Greenwood, 1/19 at #9 Logan County, 1/20 vs. #6 Barren County It's four losses in their last five games now for Franklin, who have bookended a 4-3 stretch with a combined 1-8 run. Scoring continues to be a struggle - three of the four losses in this run they failed to hit 50 points. 14) Allen County-Scottsville (6-11) - 1/9 48-50 L at #9 Logan County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/15 at #4 Glasgow, 1/16 at Butler County, 1/19 at #6 Barren County The Patriots are also having scoring issues. While they have the top scoring defense in the region - allowing just under 52 PPG - they also have the worst scoring offense in the region. AC/S is putting up an average of 49 per game. Brett Rippy is doing his part, averaging 16.4 PPG. So far the top three in the district have iced them out of a win, but the Patriots get two more shots this week. 15) Russell County (6-12) - 1/9 64-59 W McCreary Central, 1/11 59-61 L at #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/16 at Southwestern, 1/19 vs. #7 South Warren The Lakers quietly put up three straight wins in a row to double their season total before dropping a close decision against Clinton County. Tate Richardson had 24 in the upset effort with Brayton Scales adding 16. The good news is that the Lakers really won't have to focus much on Clinton County in terms of postseason aspirations. 16) Cumberland County (4-13) - 1/9 47-79 L #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/15 at #12 Todd County Central Cumberland County fared significantly worse against Clinton County, getting smashed by 32 points. They're now 1-12 in their last 13, and a promising 3-1 start is a distant memory. 17) Metcalfe County (3-12) - 1/11 55-95 L Adair County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/15 vs. #3 Monroe County (at Clinton County), 1/20 vs. Red Boiling Springs (TN) Unlike Greenwood, Metcalfe County took a direct hit from Zion Harmon, who posted 38 on them.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (2-0) - 11/28 87-64 W at Henderson County, 12/1 58-57 W Apollo Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/5 vs. Owensboro, 12/9 vs. Paducah Tilghman (at South Warren) The Dragons got the desired results in some different ways, but are out to the 2-0 start. Henderson County jumped up 25-12 on the Dragons before Central blitzed back, leading by as many as 32 before settling in for the 23 point win. Against Apollo, Central had more trouble finding the shooting touch, and survived a driving layup attempt that would have felled them at the buzzer. Skyelar Potter has topped 20 points in each outing, and as expected, will be the driving force for the team. 2) Bowling Green (1-1) - 12/2 62-68 L Daviess County (at Muhlenberg County), 12/3 72-55 W Hopkinsville (at Marshall County) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/5 at Elizabethtown, 12/7 vs. #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/9 vs. Ensworth (TN) The Purples found out how the other half lives in their season opener, falling to the Panthers to snap a 29 game winning streak in Derrick Clubb's first game as head man at BG. Jarius Key had 27 in the opener, and is every bit the dominating presence inside that we thought he'd be. Bowling Green bounced back with a solid win over a mostly Jalen Johnson-less Hoptown squad, connecting on over 50% of their total field goals and three point attempts. Both sides of the coin visible on back to back nights. There will be moments of inexperience, but the talent of BG is undeniable. 3) Monroe County (2-1) - 11/28 60-54 W #12 Franklin-Simpson, 12/1 82-51 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 12/2 77-81 L Elizabethtown (at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/5 vs. #6 Clinton County, 12/8 at #4 Barren County Monroe gets the bump this week mostly based on some underwhelming results by Barren, but the Falcons opened with a so-so win over Franklin-Simpson before standing toe to toe with an Elizabethtown team that is in the top five of their region, before falling 81-77. Billy Michael Dyer had 29 in that one as the Falcons shot 50% from the field. They have a big week against Clinton County followed by a road trip to primary district rival Barren County. 4) Barren County (2-1) - 11/28 48-33 W Green County, 12/1 63-50 W South Warren, 12/2 57-58 2OT L Henderson County (at Muhlenberg County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/5 at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/8 vs. #3 Monroe County The Trojans start at 2-1, but were very unimpressive in a 13 point win over South Warren, a team fresh off a 33 point beating by 15th District rival Allen County-Scottsville. That was a game the Spartans led during the third quarter. Their double overtime loss to Henderson County is in stark contrast to how Warren Central performed against the Colonels, and paints a bleak picture of their ability to rise to the top at this stage of the season. They'll get the chance to prove that margins don't matter when they play Allen County-Scottsville on Tuesday, before their crucial home game against district rival Monroe County on Friday. 5) Glasgow (1-0) - 12/1 66-65 W #7 Greenwood Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/8 at #15 Russell County, 12/9 at #9 Russellville Glasgow had a soft open to the season, starting with just the single game against the Gators. Their back and forth game is representative of a grouping in the rankings from 5-8 where the pack is relatively close to each other. Brents led the Scotties with 20 points. The Scotties won four games all last season, and should be in position to have about matched that by the end of the season's second week. 6) Clinton County (2-1) - 11/27 75-58 W at Casey County, 12/1 45-37 W #12 Franklin-Simpson, 12/2 69-76 OT L Male Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/5 at #3 Monroe County, 12/8 at #17 Metcalfe County, 12/9 vs. #7 Greenwood It's been the Jackson Harlan show as the Bulldogs have gotten out to a 2-1 start. Harlan has posted an average of 33 PPG, including dropping 44 on Male. Male may not be a top five team in the 7th Region, but any time you compete well against a 7th Region team, you're doing something right. 7) Greenwood (1-1) - 11/30 48-46 OT W at #12 Franklin-Simpson, 12/1 65-66 L at #5 Glasgow Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/5 vs. #15 Russell County, 12/9 at #6 Clinton County The Gators had a tight week, playing two games decided by a combined three points, one of which went to overtime - meaning two games that were a combined one point margin at the end of regulation. Jack Roberts, hero of the 14th District tourney a season ago, nailed a game winner against Franklin-Simpson to give Greenwood the win. Their matchup at Clinton County is one to keep an eye on. 8) Logan County (2-0) - 11/27 59-52 OT W at #9 Warren East, 12/1 86-73 W vs. #14 Russell County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/5 vs. Ohio County, 12/8 at #10 Franklin-Simpson, 12/9 at Daviess County The Cougars endured a tight back and forth affair with the Raiders, winning on the road against Warren East for the first time in seven years. They'll look to keep things going in a week that features a road trip to district rival Franklin-Simpson. The Cougars are likely eager to get out to a strong start in district play, and finally get to see a Franklin team without Tavin Lovan. 9) Russellville (1-0) - 12/1 53-45 W #11 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/5 at #11 Warren East, 12/8 at #13 Todd County Central, 12/9 vs. #5 Glasgow The Panthers gutted out a tight win against Allen County-Scottsville, shooting an abysmal 31.7% from the field and 20% from three in the victory. Jacob Naylor and Anthony Woodard led the way with 12 points apiece. Russellville will visit an improving Todd County Central team that they beat four times a season ago, before hosting #5 Glasgow. 10) Franklin-Simpson (0-3) - 11/28 54-60 L at #4 Monroe County, 11/30 46-48 OT L #7 Greenwood, 12/1 37-45 L at #6 Clinton County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/5 vs. #16 South Warren, 12/8 vs. #8 Logan County, 12/9 vs. Central Hardin The Wildcats may not have won a game in their debut without Tavin Lovan, but posted three solid results against teams in the upper half of the 4th Region ranks. Dee Ragland led the way with a 17 PPG average in the first two matchups. They'll likely get their first win of the year against South Warren before hosting a not-quite-must-win-but-really-need-to-win matchup against Logan County. 11) Warren East (0-2) - 11/27 52-59 OT L vs. #8 Logan County, 12/1 42-49 L Edmonson County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/5 vs. #9 Russellville, 12/8 at #16 South Warren, 12/9 vs. Owensboro Catholic (at South Warren) The Raiders' loss to Logan County wasn't all that concerning. A 7 point loss to an Edmonson County team that got walloped by Cumberland County is. 12) Allen County-Scottsville (1-1) - 11/28 63-30 W at #15 South Warren, 12/1 45-53 L at #10 Russellville Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/5 vs. #4 Barren County, 12/7 at #2 Bowling Green, 12/8 vs. #14 Cumberland County Solid start for the Patriots, but they've got a brutal week with Barren County and Bowling Green in two out of three nights. The Pats haven't beaten the Purples in over a decade. 13) Todd County Central (2-0) - 12/1 55-54 W at Kenwood (TN), 12/2 85-53 W at Fulton City Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/5 at East Robertson (TN), 12/8 vs. #9 Russellville The competition wasn't much, but the Rebels grabbed a season opening win for the first time in five years. 14) Cumberland County (2-1) - 11/28 48-87 L at Adair County, 12/1 66-62 W at Campbellsville, 12/2 75-57 W Edmonson County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/5 vs. #17 Metcalfe County, 12/8 at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/9 at #16 South Warren The Panthers impressed with an 18 point win against Edmonson County. Dawson Smith has averaged 17.3 points through three games. 15) Russell County (1-2) - 11/28 65-59 W Jackson County, 11/30 74-90 L Clay County (at North Laurel), 12/1 73-86 L at #8 Logan County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/5 at #7 Greenwood, 12/8 vs. #8 Glasgow Tate Richardson has dropped an average of 20 points per game through the first two of the year, as the Lakers try to erase the moemory of last season's 7 win campaign. 16) South Warren (0-2) - 11/28 30-63 L #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/1 50-63 L at #3 Barren County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/5 at #10 Franklin-Simpson, 12/8 vs. #11 Warren East, 12/9 vs. #14 Cumberland County The Spartans were very competitive with Barren County after getting obliterated by Allen County in their season opener. Colin Moore and Tyler Martin averaged in double digits for the first two games. 17) Metcalfe County (0-2) - 11/28 52-78 L Butler County, 12/1 51-82 L #4 Monroe County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/5 at #14 Cumberland County, 12/8 vs. #6 Clinton County, 12/9 at Green County The Hornets have lost 33 in a row.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (18-3) - 1/23 69-56 W at #11 South Warren, 1/26 57-66 L #2 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/30 vs. Taylor County, 2/2 vs. #7 Warren East, 2/3 at Elizabethtown A huge run in the second quarter decided each game for the Dragons this week. Unfortunately for them, only one of those was by them. The Dragons blew open the game against South Warren with a 19-1 run, turning a 4 point lead into 22 midway through the quarter. Perhaps it was ominous that the Dragons then sleptwalked through much of the rest of the game, including immediately allowing 9-0 after that run, but their win put them in striking distance of the best record in school history and clinching the top seed in the district. But that was before the Purples smothered Central in a decisive 21-2 run - including 15 in a row - in the second quarter of their game on Friday, flipping a 10 point lead into a 9 point deficit for the Dragons. Most have observed that Bowling Green is likely the only team that can beat Central in the region - now everyone knows that is the case. Central remains the favorite and has the #1 spot still due to the Purples having an additional region loss, but the Dragons have some soul searching to do, and must find the drive and energy that they had in their first game against Bowling Green. Lest the Purples suspect blood in the water.... (Useless note - the Dragons have never had a perfect January. If Central beats Taylor County on Tuesday as expected, this would be the 13th season that they went through January with only a single loss, including 11 times in the last 17 years. This would be the 5th time out of those 13 that Bowling Green was the lone blemish - including four of the past six occurrences. I had it all keyed up for a cool stat but nooooooooo.) 2) Bowling Green (15-7) - 1/22 60-43 W #13 Franklin-Simpson, 1/23 55-50 W at Muhlenberg County, 1/26 66-57 W at #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/30 at #11 South Warren, 2/1 vs. University Heights, 2/3 vs. Adair County Meanwhile a season that was looking a bit lackluster after a loss to Barren County to open the month has brightened considerably. The Purples have now won six of seven since that setback. While they didn't look their best against Franklin or Muhlenberg, and are down a man with Eli Thurman out until at least district, they came up big when they had to in spoiling Warren Central's homecoming, and launching right back into consideration for the top seed in the district. It's their 11th win out of 13 against Central, and they did it with their smothering defense. Usually it's the full court pressure that unnerves teams, but this time it was in the halfcourt set, with the Purples making Central fight for every open look, and feeding off the energy of every missed shot. The Purples held Central to 42% shooting (19/45), and used a very strong night at the foul line (22/26) to make up for their own somewhat lackluster shooting (21/45). BG needs only beat South Warren on Tuesday and Warren East on February 9th to clinch at least a tie for the #1 seed. They haven't lost to East in 20 years - they've NEVER lost to South. Look out, things are looking up for BG. 3) Monroe County (14-6) - No Games Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/30 at #6 Glasgow, 2/2 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/3 vs. North Hardin (at Clinton County) The Falcons sat the week out thanks to a hole in their schedule where the All "A" was supposed to go - they lost to Clinton County in the finals a week before. Glasgow's loss to Barren County means all Monroe County has to do is win on the road at Glasgow on Tuesday to sew up the top spot in the district. Lose, and they'll need a win on Friday against the Patriots to force a three way tie. Glasgow won the first matchup 80-79. 4) Clinton County (15-8) - 1/25 69-51 W Robertson County, 1/26 33-57 L Walton-Verona Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/30 vs. Campbellsville, 2/2 vs. Madison Southern, 2/3 vs. Somerset The Bulldogs saw the end of a season high six game win streak when they fell to Walton-Verona in the All "A", but that's a BGP top-20 team. No shame there for Clinton County, which has already grabbed the top spot in the 16th District. Everything now is about readying for the region tournament, and they play only a handful of region games for the rest of the regular season. None are this week. 5) Barren County (13-9) - 1/23 67-54 W at #8 Logan County, 1/26 60-53 W #4 Glasgow, 1/27 56-48 W at #10 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/29 at #12 Russellville, 1/30 at #8 Greenwood, 2/2 vs. Hart County The Trojans entered this week having received a standing 8-count (to use a boxing analogy). They were 10-9 and looking a bit wobbly. The month has seen a high (68-64 road win over Bowling Green), but many lows (four game losing streak, very close wins over ACS and Franklin). This week got them back on track, with a double digit road win against Logan County and a road win at Todd Central sandwiched around the important district win over Glasgow. Jared Coomer hit his first four from the floor en route to 28 points in that win, giving them a shot to play back into the top seed. They'll now root for Glasgow to knock off Monroe County - who has twice beaten Barren - to put them in position for #1. If that game doesn't go their way, they'll have to beat the rival Scotties a third time in the district tournament. 6) Glasgow (17-5) - 1/22 48-45 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/23 48-63 L LaRue County, 1/26 53-60 L at #7 Barren County, 1/27 62-58 W #6 Warren East Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/30 vs. #3 Monroe County, 2/3 at #9 Logan County Glasgow has had a top notch year, but perhaps some cracks in their armor are appearing. They had to weather a last second three that would have sent their game against ACS into overtime, and then dropped two straight, including their return game against Barren County. That was a game they just absolutely needed to have, as losing it cost them control of their destiny in the fight for #1. They need to beat Monroe County on Tuesday, then have Monroe beat ACS, then win the tiebreaker among them, Monroe, and Barren to get #1 and a likely trip to region. It's an uphill climb. 7) Warren East (12-9) - 1/22 60-54 W #9 Greenwood, 1/23 67-59 W at #12 Russellville, 1/26 61-82 L at #9 Greenwood, 1/27 58-62 L at #4 Glasgow Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/30 vs. #16 Cumberland County, 2/2 at #1 Warren Central Best of times and worst of times this week for East. The Raiders overcame a late deficit against Greenwood to get a needed district win to open the week and then finally beat Russellville after two previous losses the next night. But then on Friday they got absolutely CRUSHED at Greenwood, which would have all but clinched their spot in the 2/3 game, and kept them in contention for the district's top spot. The Raiders still have road game against Warren Central and Bowling Green, two games they will not be favored in. They get a tune-up against Cumberland County before they attempt to break an 11 game losing streak against Central. 8) Greenwood (11-11) - 1/22 54-60 L at #6 Warren East, 1/23 58-54 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/26 82-61 W #6 Warren East, 1/27 79-62 W #16 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/30 at #5 Barren County, 2/2 vs. #11 South Warren, 2/3 #14 Franklin-Simpson Greenwood had Warren East's week, but in reverse. They took a brutal loss on the road to open the week, coming back from a double digit deficit against East to take the lead, before a questionable technical foul while down 1 eliminated any hope they had of winning that game. They were similarly down big to the Patriots before Jack Roberts recovered his form from last year's district tourney, dropping 21 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to complete a huge comeback. That springboarded into Friday where Roberts again had a huge game, posting 25 alongside Ben Carroll's 24 as the Gators crushed East with 64% shooting. That at least gives them a small chance of getting out of the 4/5 game in the postseason (they likely need East to lose out), but they'll face the first step towards that on Friday when they host South Warren, who stunned them 61-60 back in December. 2 out of 3 wins this week would guarantee they enter next week with a winning record. 9) Logan County (11-11) - 1/23 54-67 L #7 Barren County, 1/26 74-64 W at #12 Russellville Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/29 at Hopkinsville, 2/3 vs. #6 Glasgow While Logan County would have loved a win over Barren County to open the week, their win over Russellville in the second Clash of the Cats was the crucial one. The win wraps up their district slate at 5-1, and gives them the #1 seed outright. The only negative there is that they appear likely to face Franklin-Simpson, who has twice defeated them this year (only one counted towards district). Still, the Cougars have won 4 of 5 and have their most wins in three years, while pursuing their first region tourney berth and winning record since that same season. 10) Todd County Central (12-9) - 1/23 60-37 W Webster County, 1/26 68-61 W at #13 Franklin-Simpson, 1/27 48-56 L #7 Barren County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/30 vs. Hopkinsville, 2/2 at Crittenden County The Rebels got the season sweep of Franklin-Simpson behind 50% shooting and standout games from Nolan Barrow (25 points, 7/11 shooting) and John Calvery (24 points). It's their first sweep of the Wildcats in the regular season since 2001/02, so it's been a minute. Todd Central made the region finals that year, and it was their next to last region tournament berth. The Rebels are hoping to duplicate as much of that success as possible. Nolan Barrow leads the team with 17.1 PPG and is shooting 50% from three (44/88). 11) South Warren (12-10) - 1/23 56-69 L #1 Warren Central, 1/25 76-68 W at #16 Cumberland County, 1/26 67-64 W Ohio County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/30 vs. #2 Bowling Green, 2/2 at #8 Greenwood, 2/3 vs. Taylor County The Spartans came with a much better effort against Central after getting running clocked just five days before, and rounded out the week with a pair of wins to keep them above .500. Assuming they don't add some odd game during the early part of the week, the Spartans will have a winning record in February for the first time in four years. They actually still control their destiny in trying to escape the 4/5 game, and we should know if that's still possible by the end of their game at Greenwood on Friday. 12) Russellville (6-12) - 1/23 59-67 L #6 Warren East, 1/26 64-74 L #8 Logan County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/29 vs. #5 Barren County, 2/2 vs. #14 Franklin-Simpson, 2/3 at Marshall County The Panthers remain competitive in most games, but have dropped five of six after falling twice this week. Jacob Naylor had 21 against Logan County, but his 2/9 shooting from three was emblematic of the struggle from the perimeter for the whole team, who went 6/21 from the arc. If they beat Franklin on Friday, they'll set the 13th District tourney in stone, clinching a matchup with Todd Central. 13) Russell County (8-14) - 1/22 78-71 W at #16 Cumberland County, 1/23 64-78 L at Pulaski County, 1/26 63-45 W at Casey County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/30 at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/3 vs. Marion County The Lakers are heating up a bit at the proper time, winners of five of their last eight. That included a very close loss on the road to Clinton County, and a pair of wins over Cumberland County, who they will meet in the 16th District tournament in February. Russell County has already exceeded last season's win total, and have a few favorable games still ahead of them. Tate Richardson and Brayton Scales have combined for over 31 PPG. 14) Franklin-Simpson (5-15) - 1/22 43-60 L at #2 Bowling Green, 1/26 61-68 L #10 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/30 vs. Christian County, 2/2 at #12 Russellville, 2/3 at #8 Greenwood Franklin is still searching for their first victory of 2018, but did briefly break out of their terrible scoring slump with 61 points in their loss to Todd County Central. That modest amount represents their fourth highest output of the entire season. They'll need a win at Russellville to avoid falling to the #4 seed and a matchup with Logan County - although they have beaten the Cougars twice and lost to Todd Central twice. So maybe losing is in their best interest? 15) Allen County-Scottsville (7-14) - 1/22 45-48 L at #4 Glasgow, 1/23 54-58 L at #9 Greenwood, 1/27 56-45 W Caverna Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/30 vs. Hart County, 2/2 at #3 Monroe County A week of "close but no-cigar" games. "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." "No moral victories." They lost is what I'm saying, but they did have strong showings against Glasgow and Greenwood. The loss at Greenwood in particular was strong aside from the fact that they lost a big lead when Jack Roberts went unconscious on them in the 4th Quarter. The Pats are assured of the bottom seed in the 15th District Tournament, but still have no clue who they'll face. Their last district game is on the road at Monroe County on Friday, who beat them by 17 in Scottsville on January 5th. 16) Cumberland County (4-17) - 1/22 71-78 L #15 Russell County, 1/25 68-76 L #11 South Warren, 1/27 62-79 L at #9 Greenwood Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/30 at #7 Warren East, 2/1 vs. Caverna, 2/2 vs. Washington County It's now 16 losses in 17 games for the Panthers. It's time for them to gear up and focus on turning the tide against Russell County, their district tourney opponent in three weeks. Any other wins before then will be gravy, and frankly, unlikely. 17) Metcalfe County (4-15) - 1/23 48-66 L at Edmonson County, 1/27 50-62 L Green County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/30 at #13 Russell County, 2/2 vs. Caverna, 2/3 vs. Campbellsville Tyler London averaged 17 points in the two losses this week for Metcalfe, who have lost seven of their last eight.

Final Rankings and Postseason Preview 1. Warren Central (25-4) High Rank - 1, Low Rank - 1, Average Rank - 1 The Dragons sat at the top of our ranks to open the preseason, dethroning Bowling Green after a 23 week run at the top. Central has done very little to dissuade that ranking this season, with perhaps the only moment of doubt coming after a 66-57 loss to Bowling Green in late January. The Dragons ran up a 13-1 region record, with only that loss to Bowling Green and a road win at Greenwood coming by single digit margins. Their season record is good enough for one of the best in the history of Warren Central, a reflection of the effort and desire borne from last season’s unconscionable loss in the district tournament at home. While not invincible, the Dragons are the clear frontrunner. They are led by 4th Region player of the year Skyelar Potter, who averages 24.2 PPG while shooting 56% from the floor, in addition to 10.8 RPG. He also set a Dragon record for most charges taken during a season – he’s a complete player. Jordan Cousin (14.3 PPG) and Micale Mee (10.3 PPG) complete a trio of scorers for the Dragons, who still lack the depth they have enjoyed in the past. Going only about 8 deep, they cannot afford injury or foul trouble. There is likely not a team in the region other than Bowling Green that can beat them, and none can do it if they are at their best. Our prediction is that they will get their first title trophies since 2013, ending Bowling Green’s run at the top in both the district and region. 2. Bowling Green (19-10) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 3, Average Rank - 2 Despite a mass exodus from last season’s state champions – including some unexpected losses like Zion Harmon and Tre Jones, the Purples have held their heads high and continued the standard of excellence we’ve grown accustomed to from them. Nothing about their style has changed under new HC Derrick Clubb, aside from them usually springing their trademark full court press in the second half rather than beginning to end. The four time defending champions saw the end of all their long winning streaks, be it region, district, or home, but have only fallen twice in region play, to Barren County and Warren Central, both at home. After starting just 5-5, the Purples reeled off 11 wins in their next 13 games before cooling off with a 3-3 finish. Jarius Key has been the engine that drives the team, dominating the paint with 18.6 PPG and just shy of 10 RPG. A big factor in their success has been the emergence of Ziyon Kenner, who has proven to be a serviceable slasher to the rim in averaging 10.7 PPG. Kenner played basketball at Christian County before sitting out last year at Bowling Green and focusing on football. His presence has been an undeniable boost, as was transfer Isaiah Mason (6.8 PPG), a freshman that joined the powerful Purple freshman crop that will secure their success for years to come. They are by far the biggest threat to Warren Central, and they very well could bring home their fifth consecutive region title. If they were to do that, it would not be surprising to see their streak reach eight in a row. Our prediction is that they meet Warren Central two more times, falling in each to finish as runners-up. But winning begets winning, so no one should be shocked if they cut down the nets again. 3. Clinton County (17-11) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 9, Average Rank - 6 Last year there clearly was a sizable gap between the top two teams and #3, and this year is no different. Clinton County has a solid team, but honestly, they just sort of ended up here. The Bulldogs have one of the widest swings in ranks this year, dropping to ninth just after Christmas on the strength of a double digit loss at home to South Warren, and rising all the way to third after a double digit win over Barren County in the season’s final week. Everything gives the sense that the Bulldogs are a competent team that is capable of a semifinal run but probably not further, but could also easily crash out in the region quarterfinals as they did for five straight years before advancing to the semis last year. Clinton County is led by Jackson Harlan, whose 27.1 PPG is one of the top scoring averages in the state. Harlan is a sharpshooter, knocking down nearly 40% of all three point attempts. He is assisted by Seth Stockton (13.4 PPG), but those are the only two Bulldogs averaging more than 6 PPG. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly their home win in the All A finals over former district rival Monroe County, and that Clinton County will advance to the region tournament is certain thanks to a 6-0 record in the 16th District, earning a matchup with Metcalfe County. An ideal draw for them would be to get the 13th District runner-up in the quarterfinals, but there is no draw that would be favorable to get to the finals. Our prediction is that if they avoid the 14th District runner-up, they’ll reach the semis for the second straight year. 4. Monroe County (18-9) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 4, Average Rank - 3 A recurring theme in this preview will be inconsistency. Monroe County might be the most consistently inconsistent team from this point on. They started the year in fourth, never dropping below that mark, but never rising above third. They’ve had some tremendous highs, from sweeping Barren County with the second matchup being a 25 point blowout to a 53-52 win over 3rd region contender Owensboro Catholic. There have been other moments, such as their three point loss to Allen County-Scottsville which simply defies explanation. The Falcons had beaten ACS by 17 earlier in the year – ON THE ROAD. And yet they took a loss at home to their semifinal game in the district tournament. That in no way should repeat but who would have thought it would happen the first time? Monroe averaged a healthy 10.7 point margin of victory on the year, and as expected they have received standout play from Billy Michael Dyer, whose 17.5 PPG narrowly lead the team. But this year there’s a Robin to his Batman (or maybe even another Batman), which is the biggest reason why his scoring has dropped by nearly 5 PPG. Chandler Clements (17.4 PPG) has lightened the load for Dyer, giving the team another bona fide scoring threat to draw attention away from Dyer. While ranked below Clinton County, Monroe is likely a much bigger threat to make the finals due to greater depth and diversity of scoring. They shoot an acceptable 35% from the perimeter, with Tucker Kirkpatrick scorching the nets with 47.5% shooting from three. The Falcons are our pick to win the competitive 15th District, and while we don’t think they could beat Warren Central, they might be a threat to Bowling Green. If Monroe can stay away from Central, they’re a threat to make the finals. We think they go out in the semis. 5. Barren County (19-10) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 7, Average Rank - 4 Barren County is the only team besides Warren Central and Bowling Green to rise above the rank of #3 this year, doing it for a single week in January. They owed that to the megaton 68-64 win on the road at Bowling Green, which raised their record to 8-5 and ended years of frustrating losses to the Purples. Everything appeared to be going great. Riiiiiiiight up to their next game, a 13 point home loss to Adair County. Then a 30 point running clock beating by Warren Central. Then a 6 point loss to Warren East. And finally the slide culminated with a 25 point loss to Monroe County. It was as hideous as the Bowling Green game was pretty, and it still appeared to take the Trojans a couple weeks to recover. They righted the ship with 11 straight wins, but it was a sign that while the Trojans were capable of much, they could also find themselves drummed out of the postseason immediately. They open postseason play with rival Glasgow, who they swept on the season with margins of 8 and 7 points. The tournament is at Glasgow, which is not an ideal scenario. They’re led by Jared Coomer’s 16.9 PPG, a strong number but not quite the leap we were expecting from the clear focal point for the team. Will Bandy (11.4 PPG) and Parker Stephens (9.2 PPG) are also key in their run. The Trojans still rest their laurels on their defense, allowing just over 55 PPG. Their zone defense is never fun to go against, but if a team heats up from the perimeter, they’re toast. Their opener against Glasgow is pretty much a tossup, but they should get by that, finish as runners-up to Monroe County, and then they’re looking for anything by the 14th District champions in the quarterfinals. Our prediction is for them to go out in the quarterfinals, but a semifinal run is possible. If they can recapture the magic of their Bowling Green victory, maybe, just maybe, they can return to the finals. 6. Logan County (15-13) High Rank - 6, Low Rank - 11, Average Rank - 8 The Cougar season is already a success by most metrics, though they’ll undoubtedly be looking for more. They have clinched their first winning season since 2015, compiled a 5-1 record in official 13th District play (they met Franklin-Simpson in a holiday tourney that did not count towards the standings), securing the #1 seed in the 13th District tournament. They are entering the postseason with great momentum, winning their last four and 8 of 11. And they have the privilege of hosting the district tournament at home, where they are 8-2 on the year. They are led in scoring by Austin Rayno’s 16.6 PPG, but feature three other players who have averaged 9.6 PPG or more – Kelby Epley (12.8 PPG), Tommy Krohn (10.4 PPG), and Mykal Hampton (9.6 PPG). Logan County averages just over 64 PPG, though they have allowed more than they’ve scored despite their winning record. They will square off with Franklin-Simpson in the district semifinals, which is actually an unfavorable draw by the season results. The Wildcats did knock off Logan County twice in December, but have seen their play steadily decline. Logan County was dominant in a 74-49 win at home over Franklin in mid-January, a game that saw 13 Cougars score. Our prediction is that Logan County will return to the region tournament for just the second time since 2012, but unless they draw the 16th District runner-up, their season will end in the quarterfinals. 7. Greenwood (16-14) High Rank - 6, Low Rank – 12, Average Rank - 9 Greenwood is one of the most dangerous teams below the obvious ones at the top. They are also the team that you could just as easily see go down in a fireball to someone they shouldn’t. Their variance from 6 to 12 in our ranks represents one of the widest swings on the year, and it is due to their typical ability to play up to an opponent but also to play down and lose to those they shouldn’t be near. Of note on the year, Greenwood has defeated Monroe County, Clinton County, and fiercely battled with Bowling Green and Warren Central in each matchup. They’ve also lost to Logan County twice, South Warren, Russellville (by 28!), and endured closer than expected battles with Franklin-Simpson and Allen County-Scottsville. In fact, they trailed ACS by huge margins both times, requiring comebacks. Those wild swings are personified in their dynamic guards Jack Roberts (17.5 PPG) and Luke Littrell (15.6 PPG). Those two will hit some absolutely ridiculous shots, pulling from 25 feet when they’re feeling it, and grow on scorching streaks. They may also score less than five on off nights. Big man Ben Carroll provides a bit more consistency, reliably adding 15.0 PPG and pulling down 7.3 rebounds a night. He brings a strong defensive presence in the middle and can swing outside to knock down a three when needed. The Gators have finished the season on an uptick, with wins in 8 of their last 11. They start in the 4/5 game with South Warren, who they shockingly fell to in December. Their January game sums up Greenwood – the Gators started the game up 20-0. The lead got as low as 7 before halftime. It can come and go that fast for Greenwood. They host the district tournament, where they’re 10-5 on the year. The last time the tournament was at Greenwood, they made a magical run to region out of the 4/5 game. If they could duplicate that feat, they could conceivably run as far as the region semifinals. But the more likely result is bowing out after a 15th consecutive loss to Bowling Green. 8. Glasgow (20-8) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 8, Average Rank - 5 Though their season has experienced a downtown in the last month, the Scotties remain one of the greatest success stories of the year. They are one of just two teams to enter the postseason with 20+ wins, and that total gives them more than they’ve had in all but one season since 2002. They’ve locked down their first winning season since 2014 with more wins than the previous three seasons combined. A 500% increase on the previous season’s wins is success any way you cut it. Still, they’re 4-5 in their last 9 after starting 16-3, which have tempered their hopes some. Most of those losses were understandable (Barren County, Monroe County, LaRue County), though their loss to Caverna was less so. Adding on their three wins by a combined 5 points that preceded the skid, and it can be argued they’ve been slumping since mid-January. The Scotties feature incredible balance, with five players averaging between 8.8 PPG and 13.7 PPG. Kobe Brents (13.7), Nick Sorrell (12.1), Dalvin Smith (11.2), Jaden Franklin (10.5), and Peyton Mills (8.8) account for basically all the team’s scoring. Brents is a sharpshooter who is hitting on 40% of his three point attempts while averaging seven attempts a game. Dalvin Smith reflects Glasgow’s redemption arc, returning after two seasons off due to football injuries, providing the Scotties with great athleticism and some monster dunks. Their misfortune is to draw Barren County in the district semifinals, a team that has defeated them 13 times in a row. On the plus side, Glasgow is at home, where they are 10-3 on the year. If they rediscover the magic they opened the season with, this is a team that could rise to the region semifinals with the right draw. But our prediction is that they will need to be satisfied with a fantastic 20 win season and look to the future – they lose just two seniors. 9. Warren East (16-12) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 12, Average Rank - 7 Compared to some of the past few years, the Raiders 7-7 mark after January 1st is not that bad. They’re just 25-50 in the latter half of the season since the start of 2014. That swoon can often be attributed to playing Bowling Green and Warren Central four times in those months, but they have had struggles against other teams as well. This year the latter half saw them neither win nor lose more than two in a row. They did manage to hold on to the #3 seed in the district tournament, which after the draw matched them with Warren Central. While that is not a good draw, they have “only “ lost 14 in a row to the Dragons, in contrast to the mammoth 48 game skid against Bowling Green. If the Raiders are to pull the upset, they will need a huge game from leading scorer Tashawn Neal. Neal averages 16.6 PPG, and shoots an outstanding 43.9% from three. Earlier in the year in an upset of Owensboro Catholic, he hit SEVEN. Neal loves the corner, and if he can get hot, they can do some damage. Scoring has been a struggle lately for the Raiders, with the team failing to top 60 points in any of their last six games, and only climbing into the 50s twice. In their 14 game losing streak to Warren Central the Dragons have only failed to score 60 or more a single time. They have to find the touch somehow. Our prediction is that they don’t find enough, and they’ll still be searching for their first region tournament berth since 1997. 10. Todd County Central (16-12) High Rank - 8, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 11 Todd Central is arguably an even greater success story than Glasgow. The Rebels had not posted double digit victories in nine years. They haven’t had a winning season since 2004, which they’ve now clinched. The last box to check is a return to the region tournament, where they haven’t been since 2003, the second longest drought in the region. The Rebels came out on fire, with a 5-0 start, before settling in for .500 ball for the remainder of the season. They posted a 4-2 record in district play, earning the #2 seed and a matchup with Russellville, who they defeated by 36 and 7, the latter result coming just 11 days before their semifinal matchup. Nolan Barrow and John Calvery carry the scoring load with 17.1 PPG and 1.34 PPG respectively. Barrow is shooting almost 47% from three point range. Russellville eliminated Todd County Central in the semis seven times during this drought. Our prediction is that Todd makes their triumphant return to the region tournament before bowing out in the quarters. 11. South Warren (14-13) High Rank - 6, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 10 South Warren got a three with less than ten seconds left to knock off Russellville this past week, giving them a winning record to enter the postseason for the first time since 2013. They’ll have to upset Greenwood on the road to keep that winning record, which would be just the third finish above .500 in school history. They split with the Gators, falling by 9 at Greenwood, the site of the district tournament. Winners of just 5 out of their last 13, Tyler Martin is relied on for a heavy burden, averaging 20.2 PPG. South teams are at their best when they can slow the tempo and get into a defensive battle, but even that’s been difficult, with the Spartans allowing over 66 PPG. They have a slim chance at upsetting Greenwood to get to the semis, but they have no shot at Bowling Green. Our prediction is they exit in the district quarterfinals for the second straight year. 12. Russellville (7-18) High Rank - 9, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 12 Russellville along with Franklin was the hardest hit team by graduation from last year, and their slide has gotten faster after the start of January. Franklin-Simpson is the only opponent the Panthers have beaten in the new year, going 2-0 against the Wildcats and 0-11 against everyone else. Russellville is on a five game skid, including a loss to their opponent Todd County Central. Russellville has the longest streak of region tournament appearances in the history of the region, advancing to the last 14 tournaments. Our prediction is that road ends here despite the efforts of Jacob Naylor (17 PPG) and the next Russellville superstar, freshman Anthony Woodard (15.9 PPG). 13. Russell County (10-20) High Rank - 13, Low Rank - 15, Average Rank - 15 Graduation and transfers smacked the 2016-17 Lakers in the face, and they have not yet fully recovered. Russell County is 6-18 outside of 16th District play, and snapped a six game skid on the last day of the regular season. Tate Richardson’s 15.5 PPG leads the team and Brayton Scales is right behind with 14.8 PPG. Those are two of ten seniors on the squad, a foreboding sign for the future. Their ten wins improves on last season’s total, and they’ll remain favored over Cumberland County to keep their region tournament streak alive – they haven’t missed since entering the region in 2006. Our prediction is they keep that streak alive, and then lose two in a row to exit the postseason. 14. Franklin-Simpson (6-21) High Rank - 8, Low Rank - 15, Average Rank - 13 Life without Tavin Lovan was every bit as bad as Franklin might have predicted. An 0-4 start carried some optimism with close results against Monroe County (6 points), Greenwood (2 in OT), and Clinton County (8), and a solid December saw two wins over Logan County and some solid efforts such as a 1 point loss to Warren East. But from January on, this was a team that struggled to score and posted only a single win, a 46-39 victory over Allen County-Scottsville. This will go down as their worst season in 20 years. Dee Ragland is the only Wildcat to average in double digits, posting 12.2 PPG. Franklin failed to score more than 50 points nine times out of their last 16 games. They visit Logan County in the district tournament, where it is expected they will close their season. 15. Allen County-Scottsville (9-18) High Rank - 11, Low Rank - 15, Average Rank - 14 It wasn’t an outstanding season for the Patriots, but they did prove competitive in a pair of losses to Greenwood, tough battles with Logan County and Glasgow, and the highlight of the year was undeniably their upset road win against #1 seed Monroe County. They match up with the Falcons again in the district tournament. That February 2nd win might work against them there, since the Falcons are likely to be keyed up for that. The best news for ACS is that leading scorer Brett Rippy is just a junior, giving a solid piece to build around next season. 16. Cumberland County (4-24) High Rank - 14, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 16 On December 5th, Cumberland County was 3-1. Unfortunately, a January 2nd win over Metcalfe County was all they got the rest of the way. They’ll try yet again to knock Russell County out of the region tournament for the first time, returning for the first time since 2009 themselves, but they’ll have to rediscover something that they haven’t had since that great start. 17. Metcalfe County (4-24) High Rank - 17, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 17 The important thing for Metcalfe County is that they ended a 38 game losing streak when they knocked off Christian Fellowship 73-59 on December 15th. They won the next night as well, and ultimately won three of four after ending the streak. They enter the postseason in the midst of an 11 game losing streak, where they’ll exit against Clinton County. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Skyelar Potter, F, Sr. (Warren Central) – Potter averaged over 24 PPG and was recently named the KABC Player of the Year for the Region. 2. Jarius Key, F, Sr. (Bowling Green) – Key stepped out of the shadow of last year’s heralded group, posting 18.6 PPG. Athletic and long, a dynamic man in the middle. 3. Jackson Harlan, G, Jr. (Clinton County) – Incredibly, Harlan is just a junior. Leads the region in scoring with 27.1 PPG. He’s a 39.5% three point shooter and an 83.8% FT shooter. 4. Jared Coomer, F, Sr. (Barren County) – While he didn’t see a big jump in scoring from a year ago, he still posted 16.9 PPG. He can score in the paint, midrange, or from behind the arc. 5. Jordan Cousin, G, Sr. (Warren Central) – Cousin made a huge leap this season, averaging nearly 50% shooting from the floor. Brings the most length of any Dragon. 6. Chandler Clements, F, Jr. (Monroe County) – Clements is the more efficient of the Monroe duo, averaging 17.4 PPG while shooting nearly 56% from the floor. 7. Billy Michael Dyer, G, Sr. (Monroe County) – Dyer’s volume has dropped this year along with his points per game, but he’s still one of the top scorers in the region. 8. Jack Roberts, G, Jr. (Greenwood) – Roberts is still prone to play the hero, such as when he dropped 30 points on Allen County-Scottsville to account for more than half his team’s total points. 9. Nolan Barrow, G, Sr. (Todd County Central) – Barrow fills it up from behind the arc, just barely shooting better from inside than he does outside. 10. Tashawn Neal, F, Sr. (Warren East) – Neal is a consistent three point shooter, and saw his average jump by nearly 10 PPG.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (21-3) - 1/30 87-56 W Taylor County, 2/2 68-42 W #7 Warren East, 2/3 72-71 W at Elizabethtown Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/6 vs. #12 Russellville, 2/9 vs. #8 Greenwood, 2/10 vs. Mercer County The Dragons rebounded from their loss to Bowling Green with two blowout wins and a solid road win in a tough spot to close the week. Their 87 points against Taylor County matched a season high, and they pushed away from Warren East with a dominant third quarter after leading only 28-20 at the half and going 0/7 from three. Their focus on going inside against East in that second half should be something they look to as what to do typically. They finished the week at Elizabethtown in an early morning game (11 CST) that had all the looks of a trap game, but were carried by Jordan Cousin's career high 32 points, surviving a missed front end of a 1 and 1 and a Panther shot for the win. They'll look to wrap up no worse than a tie for #1 in the district on Friday, before a big matchup with one of the top teams in the state and a potential Sweet 16 preview when they meet Mercer County. 2) Bowling Green (17-8) - 1/30 64-49 W at #11 South Warren, 2/2 75-83 L University Heights, 2/3 95-71 W Adair County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/6 at Owensboro, 2/9 vs. #7 Warren East The Purples were a little lackluster at times in knocking off South Warren, but closed the week with five strong quarters. Just five because UHA was pounding them by 25 before a furious fourth quarter comeback fell just short. Bowling Green managed to cut it all the way to six points before running out of steam. That's been a bit of a recurring theme for BG, as they seem to play very well when throwing caution to the wind and playing with abandon. Saturday's win over Adair County was a symbolic one. Not only were the 95 points their season high, they came against Zion Harmon, who won a state title with them the year before. The Purples were clearly focused and up for that one, scorching Adair with 58% shooting from the field. After a tough road game against Owensboro, they, like Warren Central, will try to wrap up no worse than a tie for #1 when hosting Warren East on Friday. 3) Clinton County (16-9) - 1/30 55-56 L Campbellsville, 2/2 80-65 W Madison Southern, 2/3 52-60 L Somerset Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/5 at McCreary Central, 2/9 vs. #4 Monroe County The Bulldogs have risen this high a bit by default. Not to knock them as they are winners of 7 of 10, with two losses coming against good competition, but they would not be here if not for the Falcons stumbling. Clinton County did post one of their highest point totals of the year in an 80-65 win against Madison Southern, and followed that with a strong effort against a Somerset team fresh off a win over Pulaski County, one of the best teams in the state. Jackson Harlan is up to a ridiculous 687 points on the year. Perhaps his most impressive stat is his 84.7% free throw shooting. There aren't too many young men shooting that well from the charity stripe. 4) Monroe County (16-7) - 1/30 61-48 W at #6 Glasgow, 2/2 60-63 L #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/3 71-50 W North Hardin (at Clinton County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/6 vs. #16 Cumberland County, 2/9 at #3 Clinton County Even in an unpredictable year, there may not be a more "what the?" game than Monroe County losing to Allen County-Scottsville. AT HOME. This is a team that the Falcons burned by 17 on the road just a few weeks ago. There was nothing on the line for either team and perhaps Monroe could have been playing coy given that they are guaranteed to play the Patriots in the first round of district, but it was an incredibly odd result. Monroe County is now 2-2 in their last four, and will close the season with three straight road games, including traveling to Clinton County on Friday. 5) Barren County (16-9) - 1/29 79-69 W at #12 Russellville, 1/30 61-48 W at #8 Greenwood, 2/2 81-48 W Hart County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/6 vs. #13 Russell County, 2/9 at #16 Cumberland County I was tempted to push Barren County above Monroe County this week, but I still can't quite forget that 25 point beating the Trojans received against Monroe back on January 11th. That is at current time their last loss, as they have ripped off 8 wins in a row to get back into their preseason form. Their road win against Greenwood is one of their more impressive results, given that the Gators tend to be very potent at home. The Trojans are almost certainly going to win their next three before ending the season at Clinton County. This very well could be a team that enters the postseason with 20 wins and on a 12 game win streak. Jared Coomer dropped 21 points and didn't miss a shot inside the arc against Hart County on Friday. 6) Glasgow (17-7) - 1/30 48-61 L #3 Monroe County, 2/3 65-67 L at #9 Logan County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/6 at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/9 at Caverna Glasgow couldn't repeat their success from early in the year in falling at home to Monroe County, and suddenly the Scotties have lost four of five after starting 16-3. Perhaps the fatigue of an overachieving team is starting to set in. Fortunately, their schedule is extremely soft for the next two weeks, which should give them ample opportunity to build momentum ahead of a district semifinal matchup with Barren County. They can't afford losses like the one they took at Logan County. 7) Warren East (13-10) - 1/30 83-73 W #16 Cumberland County, 2/2 42-68 L at #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/6 vs. #11 South Warren, 2/9 at #2 Bowling Green, 2/10 at #10 Todd County Central It's a bit unfair to note Warren East's troubles after January 1st given that is when they get into the heart of district play against the toughest district in the region. Still, this is another season where the Raiders have stubbed their toe after a strong December. They're just 4-5 since January 1st, and face a must-win at home on Tuesday against South Warren. Lose there, and the potential becomes high that they will finish in a tie for third with Greenwood and South Warren. And at that point, it's anyone's guess who ends up in the 4/5 game. If they beat South Warren, they'll have yet another shot at their tormentors Bowling Green with the potential to drag the Purples into a district semifinal rematch. 8) Greenwood (13-12) - 1/30 48-61 L at #5 Barren County, 2/2 69-60 W #11 South Warren, 2/3 57-54 W #14 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/6 at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/9 at #1 Warren Central The Gators have been another difficult team to figure out. Within the season and within games they are very streaky. After a mid-January slump with five losses in six games, they've flipped it with five wins in six games. You'll find a similar pattern within their games. Against South Warren they were out to a 20-0 lead before having to hold on late as South got within single digits with plenty of time. Greenwood got 26 points from Ben Carroll in the win, adding to the resurgent Jack Roberts' 23 points. The Gators are extremely dangerous at home, which is where the district tourney is, but you don't know which team will show up. They will have a last chance at getting out of the 4/5 game on their own when they visit Warren Central on Friday. The Gators have won three in a row at Central. 9) Logan County (12-13) - 1/29 59-80 L at Hopkinsville, 2/2 56-63 L Clarksville Northeast (TN), 2/3 67-65 W #6 Glasgow Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/9 at McLean County The Cougars were unfortunate in their timing in playing a Hopkinsville team that is now full-strength. That game might have gone down very differently in December. They closed the week with a nice win against Glasgow, and will be taking it easy with only two games between now and the postseason. That's where Logan County's focus should be - they'll be the top seed and looking to return to region. 10) Todd County Central (13-10) - 1/30 52-81 L Hopkinsville, 2/2 68-50 W at Crittenden County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/5 at Clarksville Rossview (TN), 2/6 at Trigg County, 2/9 at #12 Russellville, 2/10 vs. #7 Warren East Speaking of looking to return to region, Todd County Central will be in that same boat, looking to return for the first time in 15 years. They, like Logan County, were unfortunate to play Hopkinsville now, allowing 39 points to Johnson and Cager. The Rebels will have a full week including their return matchup with Russellville. It'll be interesting to see how that game plays out. The two met way back on December 8th where the Rebels throttled the Panthers 82-46. After two months of waiting for a rematch, the two will now play twice in two weeks, as they'll also meet in the 13th district tourney. 11) South Warren (12-12) - 1/30 49-64 L #2 Bowling Green, 2/2 60-69 L at #8 Greenwood Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/6 at #7 Warren East, 2/8 vs. #15 Franklin-Simpson The Spartans have won just three of their last 10 games, and will be fighting to stay at or above .500 this week in addition to hoping for a chance to escape the 4/5 game in the district tournament. They don't control their destiny at all as they need to beat Warren East to match the two wins the Raiders and Greenwood already have, and then need each to lose their games on Friday. And still it would come down to a three way tiebreaker. Tyler Martin added a pair of double digit efforts during the week, while the Spartans got a similar effort unexpectedly from freshman Jace Carver. 12) Russellville (7-14) - 1/29 69-79 L #5 Barren County, 2/2 71-68 W #14 Franklin-Simpson, 2/3 56-58 L at Marshall County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/6 at #1 Warren Central, 2/9 vs. #10 Todd County Central The Panthers have only won two games since the start of the new year, but they were crucially both over Franklin-Simpson, setting the 13th District tournament in stone and clinching a matchup with Todd County Central in the semifinals. Their matchup on Friday is the only one not against a 14th District member in their last four games. It's a tough closing stretch for the Panthers. 13) Russell County (9-16) - 1/30 81-50 W at #17 Metcalfe County, 2/2 55-86 L at Southwestern, 2/3 66-71 L Marion County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/6 at #5 Barren County, 2/9 vs. Adair County, 2/10 at Williamsburg The Lakers keep puttering along, winning over the teams they should and losing to the teams you'd think they would. Not too high, not to low. Tate Richardson and Brayton Scales average over 30 PPG combined out of the 66 PPG the entire team averages. 14) Allen County-Scottsville (8-15) - 1/30 42-46 L Hart County, 2/2 63-60 W at #3 Monroe County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/6 vs. #8 Greenwood, 2/8 vs. #17 Metcalfe County, 2/9 at #15 Franklin-Simpson I suppose ACS should have some anxiety that perhaps they wasted their shot so to speak in a stunning road upset of Monroe County, the team they'll face in the district tournament. Still, even if they go on to lose that rematch, their win over the Falcons is undoubtedly their season highlight so far. 15) Franklin-Simpson (5-18) - 1/30 57-74 L Christian County, 2/2 68-71 L at #12 Russellville, 2/3 54-57 L at #8 Greenwood Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/8 at #11 South Warren, 2/9 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville That's 9 straight losses for the Wildcats, who have still not earned a victory in 2018. On the plus side, they have scored 54 points or more in four straight games, after failing to top 50 in five straight. That has to count as progress. 16) Cumberland County (4-20) - 1/30 73-83 L at #7 Warren East, 2/1 58-70 L Caverna, 2/2 53-64 L Washington County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/6 at #4 Monroe County, 2/9 vs. #5 Barren County Cumberland County is the mirror image of Franklin with 9 straight losses, though they barely scraped a win in 2018 with a victory on January 2nd. Judging from their schedule, they are not likely to win a game before their postseason matchup with Russell County. 17) Metcalfe County (4-18) - 1/30 50-81 L at #13 Russell County, 2/2 63-82 L Caverna, 2/3 57-60 L Campbellsville Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/5 at Marion County, 2/6 vs. #6 Glasgow, 2/8 at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/10 at Dawson Springs The Hornets have been competitive, falling by just three to a Campbellsville team that was fresh off a victory over Clinton County.