Search the Community

Another season, another state semifinal run from a team in the 4th Region. For the second straight year, Warren Central made the run to the final four of the Sweet 16, making it five of the last six seasons the region’s representative made it that far. Six teams reached the 20 win plateau a season ago, though half the region also finished with losing records. Several teams return 4 or more starters, which sets the table for a highly competitive season. Of course, it wouldn’t be the 4th Region without the 14th District serving as favorites, as their state-longest streak is now at 18 consecutive region champions. Preseason 4th Region Rankings 1. Warren Central – Last year served as a stark contrast to the season before for the Dragons. Unlike the 2017/18 season when they set a school record for wins, the Dragons entered the postseason at just 16-10, and needing to make a run just to reach the 20-win plateau. They lost for the first time ever to South Warren. They were swept by Allen County-Scottsville, knocking them out of a 2A Classic run that they were anticipated to compete for a title in. Ultimately, last years Dragon team had the worst record of any region champion in program history. But at Warren Central, as nice as wins are, they measure success in region titles, and they brought home their 15th as they made a run to the Sweet 16 semifinals. Five seniors depart from last year’s squad, including three starters, most significantly Tayshaun Bibb (8.8 PPG) and Jamale Barber (5.1 PPG). What Warren Central does return is their two leading scorers, and a massive senior class. Dre Boyd headlines the class. Last year he was the team’s second leading scorer, averaging 13.8 PPG and making the Sweet 16 all-tournament team. It was there that he really shined, scoring 46 points in three games and willing his team to a victory over favored Madisonville in the quarterfinals. Boyd is long and athletic, with a nose for getting to the rim. He has spent time working on his midrange and three-point shots. If he can develop that aspect of his game, he’ll be a nightmare to matchup with. Kobe Brents returns as well, having led the team in scoring a season ago with 14.8 PPG. The sharpshooter shot 36.7% from three-point range, attempting 286 from behind the arc. He began to shoot more in the midrange in the postseason, and he took over their game against Greenwood in the second half running clearouts and pulling up from the elbow. They are two of 11 seniors on the roster. Tegra Muleka (5.9 PPG) started at times a season ago, but should finally ascend into the starting lineup for good. Geovonni Floyd (3.0 PPG) should also make a leap in his second year in the program – the key word is leap. Floyd can absolutely jump out of the gym. The fifth starter may fluctuate, as Coach Unseld will experiment with the rotation as he did a season ago. Expect a typical Dragon approach to each game, with fast pace of play and depth leveraged to wear out the opponent. Their rotation should go 9-10 deep with ease. They come out firing with a challenging schedule, opening with Wayne County, Owensboro, and Henderson County, each of which should be near the top of their regions, before giving us a strong read on the region with a home game with Glasgow on December 16th. 2. Bowling Green – There are a lot of programs that would be satisfied with six straight district titles, six straight trips to the region finals, and four region titles in that span. Bowling Green probably wouldn’t throw that away entirely, but they are also hungry after dropping the last two region finals to Warren Central, mere days after knocking them off for the district crown. The Purples have split with Warren Central 4-4 in their eight meetings in the last two years, but lost the final game each time. Last year, the team started 15-2, but went through some internal struggles that cost them two senior players, and left them with an incredibly young team. Ultimately, they were a deep three pointer away from winning the region, and will be well served by the return of that talented youth, more experienced and a year older. Kolbe Gray (8.2 PPG) and Jaylen Wardlow (1.9 PPG) are the only departures from the team’s final roster from last season. While their leadership and in Wardlow’s case defensive prowess will be missed, there are four starters returning and depth to back them up. You have to start with Isaiah Mason when looking at the Purples. Mason led the team in scoring with 14.8 PPG as a sophomore, and also in rebounding with 6 RPG. He has great length, and at 6’4” can play both inside and outside. He is judicious with his shot selection from behind the arc, but made 42.4% from outside – he is a very tough matchup. Cobi Huddleston also returns, and is an athletic post player that causes a lot of problems for teams in the region that cannot deal with his height inside. Jordan Dingle gives the Purples a twin tower presence. Dingle has a tight end’s build – he’ll play college football somewhere – and is a thicker body inside than the leaner Huddleston. Between the two of them, they are very difficult to work against inside defensively. Sophomore Turner Buttry also returns. Buttry is one of the best guards in his class statewide, and shot 45.3% from three a season ago. The Purples should go roughly ten deep, with the only seniors on the team Shy Boyd and Dorian Morrison complimenting the talented junior class with Jaxson Banks, Conner Cooper, Trace Flanary, and Dez Wilson. Like the Dragons, Bowling Green will feature a heavily uptempo attack and their trademark full court press. While they likely feel they should have won the last two years, these next two seasons are the years that they have been building towards since the arrival of the current junior class as freshmen two years ago. 3. Glasgow – The Scotties suffered a lot of adversity before the season a year ago. Center Jaden Franklin was lost for the season due to a football injury. Kobe Brents and Kris Horn transferred to Warren Central in the summer, leaving the team down two starters and some depth. Despite that, Glasgow turned in a strong 21-11 campaign, winning the 15th District title, and pushing Warren Central to the brink in overtime in the 4th Region quarterfinals. Eight lead changes and ten ties dotted the game, and you’d forgive supporters for thinking that perhaps the two players in the opposing team’s jersey might have made the difference. The plus of that adversity is that Glasgow returns four of five starters from last season, and with the return of Franklin, they basically get an entire experienced starting five back in action. Nick Sorrell is the unquestioned leader of the Scotties. A first-team all-region selection last season, he led the team with 19.4 PPG, and was also their leading rebounder with 8.8 RPG. He can score at the rim and outside, and gets to the foul line a lot – he attempted 248 a season ago. It would not be a stretch to imagine him getting up to 25 PPG if the team needs him to. Jaden Franklin returns after missing a year with his injury – he averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds as a sophomore two seasons ago, and will provide the team with a post presence they lacked a season ago. Tucker Kirkpatrick is the son of former Monroe County head coach Steve Kirkpatrick. In his first season with the Scotties, the senior guard provided them with by far their most prominent outside threat – he shot 36.2% from three and his 71 makes were more than 50% of those made by the team. Robert Kingery (10 points, 6 rebounds) and Bowen Haney (9 points, 5 rebounds) round out the starting five for Glasgow. In all, there will be seven seniors on a veteran team. Coach Willett expects Landon Frasier to standout from the senior class and emerge as a vocal leader. A workhorse, he is a great on-ball defender that may work his way into the starting lineup. Outside the senior class, Sam Bowling (6’2” sophomore) and Jackson Poland (5’10” sophomore) are players that are expected to improve into contributors. Glasgow won the region’s 2A title a season ago, but drops back into the All-A this year, where they will be favored to bring home the crown. And as they proved last year, they are a real threat to win the regular region crown as well. 4. Greenwood – The Gators continue a recurring theme for the teams behind Warren Central – each return most of their starting lineup and each had reason to think they let a postseason win slip away. None have more of a case for that than Greenwood. The Gators led Central 34-22 midway through the third quarter and 36-26 with 2:21 remaining in the third after a made basket. They would not make another shot for the rest of the game, allowing a 19-1 run and exiting the postseason. That ended an eight-game winning streak that included a win over Warren Central, and left them with a case of “what if”. The team does have to replace second leading scorer and frequent hero Jack Roberts (14.7 PPG), but he is the only starter that departs, along with four other seniors. Ben Carroll was the leading scorer a season ago with 16.4 PPG, a third team all-region selection. At 6’7”, Carroll is one of the taller players in the region, but can drive the ball, shoot midrange, and shot 40.6% from three a season ago, attempting the second most threes for the team. There really aren’t but one or two players in the region that can truly match up with him, and he is in the running for player of the year in the region. Noah Stansbury joins Carroll as a perimeter threat. The junior guard led the Gators with 70 made three pointers a season ago and shot 37.2% from outside. Cade Stinnett’s emergence in his freshman year was a big reason for Greenwood’s surge. His modest 6.6 PPG were fourth on the team, but the 6’1 wing was a big piece in the cohesion of the team once he worked his way into the starting lineup. Playing style for this edition of the Gators is a bit of a mystery, as Will McCoy takes over as head coach after Bob Pels wasn’t retained. The first year HC inherits a team that is more known for their deliberate approach, averaging only 60 PPG last season for a program that is not known for pushing tempo. The Gators are part of the talented 14th District, which means they will have to get by either Warren Central or Bowling Green just to reach the region tournament, but if they can get there, they will emerge as one of the favorites. They remain the last team aside from Warren Central or Bowling Green to win a 4th Region title. Behind Ben Carroll, they are a very legit threat to bookend that 11-year run. 5. Barren County – Last year was a transitional year for the Trojans. After losing five seniors from 2017/18 and seeing their run of six straight region tournaments end that season, only two seniors took the floor Barren County, neither of which were heavily relied upon. That transitional state saw the type of balance that Thanos would be proud of. If Barren County won a game, they lost the next one. If they by chance lost two straight, they’d win two straight. The balance continued throughout the season and sure enough, they ended up 15-15 after a district semifinal exit against Glasgow. But the building blocks for this season were laid, and the Trojans were quite competitive, especially with rival Glasgow who they lost to three times by a combined 12 points. Warren Cunningham is back for his 12th season at the helm of Barren County – the Trojans have been coached by just three men in the last 30 years. He’ll have the services of four returning starters and the team’s six leading scorers from last season. Will Bandy is at the top of that list. A third-team all-region selection, Bandy averaged 15.6 PPG last year and was second on the team with 6.5 RPG. Bandy has a solid build and plays primarily inside, but can shoot from the perimeter if it is called for. He’ll be the senior leader on the team, one of five seniors, but the only one that started a year ago. The player to watch on the team may be sophomore Aden Nyekan. In his freshman year, the 6’4” forward averaged 14.3 PPG and appears to be the future face of the program. Nyekan hit 52.2% of his shots a season ago, and led the team among players who attempted more than 65 shots. His 7.3 rebounds per game were also tops on the team. Sophomore Mason Griggs (4 PPG) also saw starting action as a freshman, along with junior Gavin Withrow (8.6 PPG), who was third leading scorer on the team. Some keys to the success of the team will be the continued development of Withrow as a third scoring option, and an improvement in the perimeter shooting is vital. While the Trojans have a strong inside presence, in the modern game, 28.3% from three point range is just not going to do it. They’ll want to improve outside to open up the inside game, not allowing teams to pack the paint. Withrow was second on the team with 33.3% shooting from outside – if he can knock down a higher percentage moving forward, the Trojans can challenge for the district. 6. Logan County – The 2018/19 season was a historic one for Logan County. The Cougars grabbed their most wins in a season since their state title run in 1984. Their 72-70 overtime win over Metcalfe County in the 4th Region quarterfinals may have been closer than desired, but when Anthony Woodard dropped in a floater with just seconds remaining, it gave Logan County their first region tournament victory since 1998. It was a banner year, but unlike the teams above them on this list, they lost quite a bit from last season. Four of the top six players depart to graduation, with Kelby Epley (Thomas More) and Tommy Krohn (Brescia) moving on to play college ball. Anthony Woodard is a legit stud player returning for his junior season. Woodard averaged 12.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG a season ago. Woodard is a pure athlete, a star at wide receiver on the gridiron as well as on the court. He possesses great length, and can drive the ball very effectively as well. His game winning shot against Metcalfe saw him dribbling the ball at the halfcourt corner before driving into the lane to drop in the winning score. Dalton Thompson is also a returning starter, averaging 6.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG last season. Nathaniel Vick is a player coach Tinsley expects to make an impact, averaging 8.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG before getting injured midway through last season. Logan County was 14-2 at the time, and saw a slight dip to 11-5 afterwards. Coach Tinsley expects Dylan Basham and Jay Hardison to be potential impact players to emerge. He feels the team could improve their defense from last year when they averaged giving up only 55 PPG, and the stated goal of the team is to improve as the year goes on to be in position to make a run at titles in the postseason. 7. Franklin-Simpson – The Wildcats success a season ago cannot be measured just by their 16-13 record. First, that record reflects an 0-3 start and an 0-2 finish – a strong 16-8 in between. Second, the young team developed as the year went along, as evidenced by turning around a 15 point loss to Logan County on December 7th into a five point win over them in January. And third, by young, I mean YOUNG. Franklin-Simpson didn’t have a single senior on last year’s team. Not ONE. That means essentially the whole team is back, though third leading scorer Dayveon Harris is no longer with the program, denying them one of their best rebounders. The returning players are headlined by DeMarco Chatman. Chatman, one of four seniors on the current Wildcat team, was a third-team all-region selection last season. A 6’1” guard, he led the team with 15.9 PPG and 6.7 PPG. Junior guard Andreyous Miller also averaged in double digits with 11.6 PPG, and was one of the leading free throw shooters on the team, gong 77/112 from the line for the season. With such a young team, Franklin-Simpson really struggled to score last season, and like Barren County, will need to improve from behind the arc, hitting on just 114/387 (29.5%) of attempts from three. Dawson Knight led the team in that regard, knocking down 40/111 attempts for 36% field goal percentage, and he should figure to improve on that this season. As a team, the Wildcats averaged only 55.45 PPG last year, more than 11 points off the pace they set in Tavin Lovan’s senior season. The team should be a virtual lock for the region tournament as neither Russellville nor Todd County Central appear ready to challenge them in the district tournament, so they’ll be setting their sights on running down Logan County to take back the district crown. 8. South Warren – Under coach Blane Embry, South Warren had one of their strongest seasons to date. The record isn’t as sparkling as their inaugural year, but for the first time in several years, they made a real push for the region tournament, and closed with one of their best January/February slates in the program’s history. The team went 10-5 after the new year, narrowly falling against Greenwood and Bowling Green (twice), but also picked up their first ever win over Warren Central. Their 66-60 loss to Bowling Green in the district semifinals marks the second closest result they’ve had in the semifinal round. Three starters return for the Spartans, but they do have to figure out how to replace all-time leading scorer Tyler Martin, who had 36 of their 60 points in the district semifinals. Emerging star Jace Carver enters his sophomore year off an 18/19 campaign that saw him post 12.3 PPG and hit 39.1% from behind the arc. Tayshaun Jones (6.7 PPG) and Isaac Young (1.1 PPG) also saw time in the starting lineup a season ago. Sophomore Caden Veltkamp (8.6 PPG in 24 games) should be a boost to the lineup as he should be fully healed from a broken wrist midway through the football season. Veltkamp was the best three point shooter on the team a year ago, hitting 42% of his attempts. South Warren proved much more willing to push the pace of play last season, and their total points and points per game were second highest in the program’s nine seasons. The Spartans open with seven straight region opponents, so we’ll find out how they truly measure up right away. Highlights of the stretch include a district home game against rival Greenwood and road trip to Barren County and Logan County. Coach Embry is one of the most respected coaches in the region, and has already proven that he can take South Warren to places they haven’t been before. With only three seniors on the roster, this may not be the year they run down the top of District 14 to reach the region tournament, but with continuity, it will happen soon. 9. Clinton County – The Bulldogs brought home their second district title in three years last season, and their 24-8 record was good enough for third best in the region. Clinton County won their second straight 4th Region All “A” title, and advanced to the 4th Region semifinals with a dominating win over an impressive Allen County-Scottsville team. It was a strong showing, but now they must find a way to regroup after the loss of player of the year and WKU signee Jackson Harlan (23.9 PPG) and Campbellsville signee Seth Stockton (14.3 PPG and 9.5 RPG). While they lack the top of the line individual scoring coming back, Clinton County does return two starters and four of their top seven players, looking to make it up in the aggregate. Coach Messer believes this is his deepest group he has had in his tenure at Clinton County. 6’3” junior guard Chase Stines leads the returning starters, averaging 8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists last season, with senior forward Evan Dearborn (6 PPG, 3 RPG) also returning. Each are expected to take on significant leadership roles, along with senior Caleb Guffey and junior Nick Brown. The ceiling for the team lies in a talented sophomore class that coach Messer believes can take them to another level as they develop. Cohen Davis is an eighth grader that may even earn some depth minutes. The Bulldogs should be in the All “A” mix, though not the favorite with Glasgow returning, and they’re easily the favorites in the 16th District again. They should be able to extend their current streak of eight straight region tournament appearances. 10. Allen County-Scottsville – The Patriots brought home their best record in 12 seasons last year, returning to the 20-win plateau with a 23-9 record, and making their first appearance in the region tournament since 2013. Notably, they swept eventual region champion Warren Central in a home and home series, and had a season sweep of Greenwood as well. The season did languish after a 15-2 start, and AC/S failed to win a game at the region tournament for the sixth straight appearance, but the season should be a solid foundation. Coach Brad Bonds returns for his second season after winning coach of the year for the region last year, which right away is a solid base. The previous three coaches had stayed only one year apiece. Five seniors have to be replaced, including leading scorer and team leader Brett Rippy (17.2 PPG). Junior guard Mason Shirley is the name to get most excited about. Shirley was a shooter without a conscience last season, radiating confidence on the floor. As a sophomore, he averaged 14.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 7 assists per game. A well-rounded player, Shirley will be looked upon to carry a lot of the load. Senior forward Owen Stamper also returns, almost averaging double digits last year with 9.5 PPG, and was the leading rebounder with 6.6 per. Coach Bonds expects breakout seasons from Charlie Calvert and Jax Cooper as the team looks to achieve their goal of back to back 20-win seasons. It would be a first for the program since achieving that each year from 2004-2007. 11. Warren East – Last year saw a return to an issue that has plagued the Raiders for almost the entire decade – a strong start in November and December that evaporated after the new year. East is 72-31 in the early months from 2011 on, but just 44-78 after. Last season, East started 8-4, but went just 3-14 the rest of the way, bowing out in the quarterfinal game of district, marking the 22nd consecutive season without a region tournament appearance. The year was not without positives, as the Raiders won their Christmas tournament, and Coach Brandon Combs moved into third all-time on Warren East’s coaching wins list. Injuries played their part in the struggles last season, and certainly the hope will be that the players forced to take on roles during that time will emerge better players for the future thanks to the experience. Two starters return in 6’6” senior post Ryan Carter (7.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 49.1 FG%) and sophomore wing Kaleb Matlock (8.5 PPG). Matlock was one of those players forced to take on a larger role as a freshman, and knocked down 32 three pointers in the latter half of the year. Matlock has added muscle to his frame and will be relied on to develop rapidly. That’s a recurring theme for this Raider edition, and Coach Combs feels that how quickly the youth adapts to varsity will determine their season. 8th grader Ty Price is an impact transfer into the program rated as one of the top players in his class – he’ll run point for the team. Sophomore Brytton Walker moves over from Madisonville as well. Coach Combs noted the 6’7” post has dropped 25 pounds from last year and has looked good in fall workouts and practice. 6’4” sophomore Devaughn Williams should also provide the team with great size, returning after tearing his ACL prior to the season last year. East has the ability to play big this year, which should be an advantage against several of the lineups in their district. Defense and rebounding will be the points of emphasis for the squad, and they’ll look to prepare for every game like it is a postseason elimination game. The battle to return to the region may still be too much for this year, but the Raiders may have some matchup advantages to make things interesting. 12. Monroe County – 2018/19 saw Monroe County’s streak of back to back trips to the region tournament end, in a season that mostly went the wrong direction after the start of the new year. The Falcons began the season 3-0 and 6-2, but managed only five wins in their final 18 games, bowing out against Allen County-Scottsville in the 15th District semifinals. New head coach Ashley Geralds takes over this season to try to guide the Falcons back. Geralds has previously been head coach at Green County for four years, and has spent 17 years coaching at the junior high and high school level. He has the unenviable task of replacing Chandler Clements, who averaged 25.3 PPG for the Falcons last season. Grayson Rich is the leading returning scorer with 12.8 PPG, hitting almost 38% of his three point attempts. Senior guard Jholdi Brooks (8.5 PPG) should be a strong second option, and is the defensive stopper for the Falcons, leading them in steals a season ago. Coach Geralds expects his five seniors (Rich, Brooks, Kale Hagan, Curtis Petett, Wade Thompson) to step up and take leadership roles for the squad. All of them have extensive experience on varsity with the exception of Petett, who is returning from a knee injury. Geralds expects Clayton Biggerstaff, Tucker Glass, Jameson Pruitt, and Brandon Sheffield to log significant minutes as the team pursues the region’s Class A title. 13. Metcalfe County – The Hornets had a fantastic 2018/19 season. They returned to the region tournament for the first time in eight years, and very nearly pulled off a massive upset of Logan County, falling 72-70 in overtime. Their 11 wins gave them their first double digit total in eight years, and in fact it was more wins than their previous four seasons combined. Most notably, the Hornets ended Russell County’s record region tournament run with a 62-58 OT win in the district semifinals. Five seniors are gone from the team, including second leading scorer and leading rebounder Tyler London (14.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG). Boston Devore returns for his junior season, leading the team in scoring with 15.8 PPG last year. An all-region tournament selection, Boston was ranked in the top 30 of the state with an 81.8% clip from the free throw line. Coach Brockman describes Devore as the hardest working player he has, a true gym rat. Braxton Davis is another returning starter, and will be looked upon to be the lockdown defender for the squad. Coach Brockman noted him as a high IQ player who knows when to take shots and when to get it to another guy for the open look. Wyatt Fields is the man in the middle at 6’5”, and his length will be relied on for rebounding and defensive purposes. Peyton Dial will ascend to starting guard and floor general, taking over for graduating Trevor Fields. The Hornets scored over 63 PPG last year, but it is clear that defense is an emphasis for Coach Brockman as they pursue a state goal of gaining the first winning season for the program since 2010/11. In particular he noted Davis, Fields, Dial, sophomore Wyatt Blythe, and football convert Gabe Zurmehly as players who will be relied upon to lock down on defense. The Hornets allowed 60 points or more in 26 of their 32 games last season, going 5-1 when they held their opponent to less. 14. Russell County – The Lakers are still trying to regain their footing as the program endured their third straight losing season last year, and failed to make the region tournament for the first time as a member of the 4th Region. That 13 season streak was the longest in the history of the region. Fortunately, the bulk of the team (and scoring) returns for head coach Billy Carson in his third year with the program. Ben Abrell’s leadership will be the major loss to graduation, but five players return who started at some point. Junior forward Scott Hamm led the team with 14.1 PPG and 7.1 RPG last season, and in Coach Carson’s opinion, is one of the region’s most underrated players. Senior forward Briley Hadley (11.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG) will be a starter for the fourth straight year. Ryan Coffey (8.6 PPG), CJ Vonfumetti, and Colby Smith round out the returning starters. Hamm and Coffey should the vocal leaders for the squad while Hadley will be more of a leader by example. 6’5” sophomore wing Jay Milburn is a player to watch outside the starting lineup, a player who is getting better and more aggressive as he understands the aspects of the game outside of shooting. Colton Feese also moves over from Adair County. The freshman started 24 games last season as an 8th grader. The Lakers’ stated goal is to get back to the region tournament with a district title in tow. 15. Cumberland County – The struggle continues for the Panthers, who suffered their tenth consecutive losing season last year. Cumberland County did have a solid stretch of four wins in seven games, and pushed Clinton County in a 62-55 district tournament loss. Coach Kurtis Claywell enters his fourth year with the program, down four seniors from last season. Two of his top three scorers graduated, but leading scorer Dawson Smith returns. Smith averaged 19.4 PPG a year ago, knocking down 47 three pointers for the Panthers. Cameron Owsley also returns, the team’s second leading rebounder a year ago with 6.5 per game and fourth leading scorer with 9 PPG. The team must improve from the line and from three to have a chance to reach their first region tournament this decade. The squad shot 30.8% from three last year, and just 62.7% from the line. Defense is also a focus - their 77.6 points allowed per game was the worst in the region. 16. Russellville – The Panthers were coached by just two men from 1990-2017, but suddenly find themselves with their third coach in four seasons, as Carlos Quarles moves up from assistant to head coach this year. The Panthers struggled to an 8-17 record last season, falling in eight of their last nine games to miss the region tournament for a second consecutive season. Worse than that, first-team all-region selection Jacob Naylor (25.1 PPG) graduates as well as second leading scorer Elijah Kemp (13.3 PPG), and third leading scorer Shawn Steele (4.2 PPG). That representing over half the team’s production a year ago. It’s a tough situation for a squad looking to return to region. Jaquis Todd (4.1 PPG) returns off of starting eight games a season ago. Coach Quarles anticipates Todd along with Xavier Coleman and Chaun Cheaney to emerge as team leaders. 17. Todd County Central – A new old face returns to head up the Rebels this season as Dennis Pardue takes the helm. Pardue was head coach of the Rebels for six seasons from 1998-99 – 2003-04, guiding them to the region final in 2002. He inherits a team that went 5-24 last season, with one of those wins coming by forfeit. Todd County did not win a single game after New Year’s Day, and enter the season on a fifteen game losing streak. Second-team all-region selection John Calvery departs, along with his team leading 17.5 PPG. Austin Rager (8.6 PPG) returns, the team’s leading three point shooter with 40 makes last season. Todd County only lost two seniors and has a large senior class, but seems like an incredibly long shot to be able to climb into contention for the district and region tournament. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Ben Carroll, F, Sr. (Greenwood) – A difficult matchup for every team, Carroll can play both inside and outside with ease. 2. Dre Boyd, G, Sr. (Warren Central) – Boyd was at his best on the big stage a year ago, and will look to channel that season-long. 3. Isaiah Mason, G, Jr. (Bowling Green) – Mason knocked down 42.4% of his three point attempts a season ago, and shot nearly 55% from the field overall. 4. Nick Sorrell, G, Sr. (Glasgow) – Sorrell is one of the most prolific scorers in the region, and along with Mason one of just two all-region selections returning. 5. Anthony Woodard, F, Jr. (Logan County) – Woodard plays with an intensity that sometimes boils over, but may be the best athlete in the whole region. 6. Kobe Brents, G, Sr. (Warren Central) – Brents is pure from three, but when he switches to midrange, that’s when he really opens things up for the Dragons. 7. Mason Shirley, G, Jr. (Allen County-Scottsville) – Shirley is brash and confident, but he has the game to back it up. 8. Will Bandy, F, Sr. (Barren County) – The Trojans’ leading scorer, Bandy is a better player inside, but can shoot from the perimeter too. 9. Turner Buttry, G, So. (Bowling Green) – Buttry is one of the best players in the state for his class, and is a deadeye shooter. 10. Aden Nyekan, F, So. (Barren County) – It would not be an earth-shattering surprise if Nyekan ended up leading the Trojans in scoring this year. He is the future of the program. Just missed: Jace Carver, South Warren; DeMarco Chatman, Franklin-Simpson, Cobi Huddleston, Bowling Green

1. Knott County Central (3-1): The Patriot swent 2-1 last week in the WYMT Classic. They kicked things off by defeating Pike County Central 67-40 but they would fall in the very next game to Knox Central 74-57 in the semi-finals but would bounce back and defeat Clay County 68-57. Knott Central travels just down the road Friday to take on district foe, Cordia in a big district showdown. The Patriots will follow that up on Saturday by traveling to Pike Central to take on Belfry at 5:30 PM in the Buffalo Wild Wings Shootout. 2. Perry County Central (1-2): The Commodores split two games they had in the WYMT Mountain Classic. First, falling to Clay County in a barn burning game 75-73 but defeating district rival, Leslie County 71-47. Perry Central will host Leslie County,again, on Wednesday night. Perry Central travel to Pike Central to take on Ashland Blazer in the Buffalo Wild Wings Shootout. 3. Cordia (2-3): After starting the season off 0-3, the Cordia Lions have bounced back and won both of their previous two games, defeating Hazard 65-57 and Buckhorn 60-46 both on the road. The Lions will have two big home district games this week on back to back nights. Thursday night the Lions welcome in the Cougars of Letcher Central and on Friday night the Lions welcome in the Patriots of Knott Central. 4. Wolfe County (2-3): After going 2-1 and riding the hot shooting hand of Deven Stone, the Wolves have hit a snag, losing both of their games this week in the WYMT Classic. The Wolves got hammered by Knox Central 90-52 and then by Pike Central 60-40. Wolfe County travels up the road to Jackson to take on the Tigers of Jackson City on Tuesday and on Friday they host another district foe, Breathitt County in what will be two crucial games for the Wolves. 5. Estill County (1-4): Estill County got one in the win column last Tuesday night when they went on the road and defeated Rockcastle County thanks to senior guard, Caleb Bonny’s game winning heroics. However, the Engineers would fall in both games on Friday and Saturday, losing to Jackson County 51-46 on Friday night and Harlan County 63-58 on Saturday night, both in the PRTC Classic at Jackson County. The Engineers actually performed really well against Harlan County, who was thought to win by double digits. Could it be the start of a turn-around for the Engineers and get back on track as a region contender? 6. Breathitt County (3-2): The Bobcats won on back to back nights this week as they defeated Jackson City 65-52 and Hazard 76-64, both on the road. Junior guard, Kyle Fraley led the Bobcats with 18 in the win over Jackson City. Can the Bobcats keep up this good work this week, as they have three big games? Monday @Riverside Christian, Friday @ Wolfe County and Saturday @ Pike County Central. 7. Hazard (1-2): Hazard finally got the season started but on the wrong foot as they lost two of their first three games. Hazard opened the season with a loss to Cordia 65-57, a second loss came at the hands of Breathitt County 76-64 but the Bulldogs would get a W for the win column as they would defeat Barbourville 67-59. Hazard will look to keep the W’s coming this week as they host Lee County on Tuesday and Buckhorn on Thursday. 8. Powell County (2-1): The Pirates were just 5 points away from starting the season off 3-0 but a 57-53 loss to Paintsville but a halt on that theory. The Pirates will host Model on Tuesday, travel to Leslie County on Friday and host Rowan County on Saturday. 9. Leslie County (2-2): After starting the season off 2-0, the Eagles have since lost their last two games to even their record at 2-2. Leslie County lost to Floyd Central in a 60-59 heart breaking loss for the Eagles and then got hammered by Perry Central 71-47. Leslie County will face Perry Central again this week (Wednesday) and Powell County on Friday. 10. Buckhorn (2-3): Buckhorn is having trouble getting things going, as they went 1-1 last week with a loss to Cordia 60-46 but picked up win #2 as they cruised past Jackson City 62-39. It doesn’t get any easier for the Wildcats this week as they travel to Knox Central on Monday, travel to Hazard on Thursday and host Perry Central on Saturday. 11. Letcher County Central (1-3): Letcher Central picked up their first win on the season last week defeating Betsy Layne 61-43 but was punished for it by falling hard to Eastside VA 70-39. The bad thing for LCC is, they will host Eastside VA later on in the year on the Cougars own home floor. 12. Jackson City (3-3): After starting the season off 2-0, the Tigers have now gone 1-3 in their previous 4 games, which includes a 2 game losing streak. 13. Owsley County (4-1): The Owls seen their win streak snapped as they fell to Pineville 67-59 in the PRTC classic. 14. June Buchanan (1-4): June Buchanan has dropped two more games so far this season. Will the big long delay of games hurt them? Going from Dec. 5th to Dec. 16th without a game, is a long long time to go without playing a game. 15. Lee County (0-7): The Bobcats keep getting hammered this season. They’ve scored a total of 170 points so far but have game up nearly 600. 16. Riverside Christian (2-4): The Rams defeated KSFTD for the second time this season, unfortunately, that may be all the wins the Rams get.

1. Knott County Central (8-1): The Patriots have rallied for 6 straight wins since their 74-57 loss to Knox Central in the WYMT Classic back in early December. 3 of those 6 wins came within this past week as they defeated Breathitt County 70-61 on the Bobcats own home floor. A 30 point win over district rival Letcher Central 78-48 and a thrilling 66-62 win over Louisville Central in the KY Bank Challenge at Rowan County. The Patriots will now head to Lexington Catholic to participate in the Traditional Bank classic and will open up with Henderson County. 2. Perry County Central (5-4): The Commodores are starting to put up solid wins. Perry Central went 2-1 last week with two back to back 58-57 wins over both Cordia and Louisville Central (Rowan County KY Bank Challenge) but falling to George Rogers Clark 63-51 in the Rowan County KY Bank Challenge. Perry Central will go to Belfry later on in the week for the Mountain Schoolboy Classic, where they will face Magoffin County, Johnson Central and Shelby Valley. 3. Cordia (5-6): The Lions went 2-2 last week with wins over Lawrence County 74-55 and East Ridge 53-52 both in the consolation bracket of the Prestonsburg Hi-Tech Grapix Design Tournament. The Lions would lost two heartbreakers though, 58-57 to Perry Central and 65-63 loss to 15th region power house, Pikeville. Despite the losses, the Lions proved that they can win the region. Cordia heads to Somerset this coming week to participate in the Lake Cumberland Holiday Tournament. Wayne County is the opening round opponent. 4. Estill County (5-5): After starting the season off sluggish, it seems the Engineers have found their grove,winning 3 straight and 2 on back to back days. Estill County traveled to Campton this past Tuesday to face Wolfe County, another region contending team and the Engineers would come out on top 72-58. Estill County would go on to face Boyd County in the Rowan County KY Bank Challenge, Estill fell behind 13-0 but ended the first quarter on a 7-0 run, once Estill took the lead, that’s all she wrote for the Lions as the Engineers would cruise to a 66-59 win. Estill County wouldn’t have a problem with Franklin County on the next day as they rolled past the Flyers 64-46, also in the KY Bank Challenge at Rowan County. Estill County is playing it’s best ball of the season right now and could spell trouble for the rest of their opponents. Estill County heads to Bath County on Thursday for the CSI Classic, they will open up with Robertson County. 5. Wolfe County (5-4): The Wolves split their games last week, falling to Estill County 72-58 but bouncing back and picking up a much needed win over Hazard 56-52. Can the Wolves re-group this coming week as they head to the Traditional Bank Classic or will they struggle to find their grove? Daviess County is no easy opening round opponent. 6. Leslie County (4-4): Leslie County splti their two games last week as well. The Eagles would fall to Williamsburg 78-73 but would bounce back in a big big way as they would throttle Breathitt County by 30 88-58 on the Bobcats own home floor. The Eagles struggled with their tournament last season going 1-2 (winning the last game), will that be the same case this year or will they finally get things going in Hyden? 7. Powell County (5-3): The Pirates are having a fantastic season so far despite being 5-3 on the season. Powell County picked up 3 solid wins last week with two of them being district wins. Powell County defeated Rowan County 67-52 then would defeat both Owsley County 70-46 and Lee County 84-32 all 3 on the Pirates own home floor. Things don’t get any easier for the Pirates from here, they head to Mt.Sterling this week to participate in the Gateway Holiday Classic and will open up with Woodford County, which will be the first of two meetings between the two teams this season. Woodford makes the trip to Stanton January 31st. 8. Breathitt County (4-7): The Bobcats are starting to struggle really bad, losing 5 straight, but the bad part is, 3 of those were within striking distance, no more than a 9 point loss in those 3 games. The other two games, however, were a different story, blowouts both to Leslie County by 30 88-58 and North Laurel 81-39. Can the Bobcats get things turned around or will they continue to slide? Ashland Invitational won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagination. 9. Hazard (3-3): The Bulldogs had just one game last week and it was a streak snapped as they seen their 3 game win streak get snapped by Wolfe County 56-52 but the Bulldogs coaches were in Campton twice last week,scouting both Estill County and Wolfe County (before the Wolfe County game). Hazard heads to Hyden to participate in the Leslie County Tournament, facing Middlesboro, McCreary Central and the host school, Leslie County. 10. Letcher County Central (3-8): Despite picking up a win last week over June Buchanan, the Cougars have lost 3 straight and continue to struggle. Central Bank Classic and LCA await the Cougars from Whitesburg this coming week. 11. Owsley County (5-3): After starting the season 4-0, the Owls have went in the opposite direction, 1-3 in their last 4 games with two district losses by a big margin. 12. Jackson City (3-7): Much like Owsley County, the Tigers also started the season off good, 3-1 but have since lost 6 straight. 13. Buckhorn (2-8): Buckhorn has lost 5 straight including two overtime heart breakers to Rowan County 40-37 and Bell County 60-58. 14. June Buchanan (3-7): The Crusaders picked up back to back wins last week to stop their 5 game skid streak. 15. Riverside Christian (2-7): The Rams losing streak has reached 4 straight and 5 of their last 6. 16. Lee County (0-12): Lee County is still searching for win #1 on the season and to stop all the blowout losses. Could this be a year that Lee County goes winless and gets blownout every single game?

The end of the 14th District’s dominance was right there for the taking. Russell County used an 11-3 run over a 4 minute span to cut Warren Central’s lead from 9 points to 1 single point with 2:21 left in the game. The Dragons were attempting to stall out the clock, but were having a difficult time of managing it. But as has seemed to happen over the last decade plus, the big shot came from the big city boys, as a Nay Walker three pushed it back to 4 points with just over 1 minute left in the game. The Lakers couldn’t recover, and the Dragons brought home their ninth title in 12 years. And guess what? They’re favored to make it ten in 13. Preseason 4th Region Rankings 1. Warren Central – You can call it one long dynasty or two distinct ones, as the Dragons have now won three titles in the last four years to go along with the six straight they won from 2002-2007. Coach William Unseld has guided the Dragons to a 53-16 record in his two years at the helm, and he reached the 50 win milestone faster than any Dragon HC before him. He and his team will be favored to gain even more accolades as he has a veritable embarrassment of riches. Last year the Dragons went 11 deep with regularity and this year should provide a similar approach. They return three starters and have eight seniors on their roster. To put that into perspective, that’s more seniors than they have on their football team. Key losses include leading scorer from last year Nay Walker as well as sharpshooter Kaelon Dickerson, but the two most difficult matchups on the team return in long and athletic Chris Porter-Bunton and Byron Carver, the strong post presence. The two seniors combined for 38 points in last year’s Sweet 16 loss to Montgomery County. A player to watch for is junior guard Jared Savage, who should step in as a starter after playing reserve minutes last year. Savage has an incredible stroke and should pick up the slack left from the departing seniors from beyond the perimeter, alongside senior guard Wayne Baird. 2. Russell County – The first two teams are right back where they ended last year. The Lakers reached their first region final since the 1950’s last season, and will be hungry for more. They’ll have to do it without Tyler Robertson, the graduated Player of the Year in the region who averaged 21.4 PPG a season ago. But the Lakers lost only three seniors from that team and return three starters, senior Alex Turner, senior Blake Ellis, and Nick Coffey. Coffey is one of the best big men in the region and is still just a junior. By this time next year he’ll be one of those proverbial seventh year seniors that seem to have been around forever. Coffey hit on just over 68% of his field goals a year ago and averaged nearly 10 rebounds a game. He’s just a load to handle down low. The Lakers got a boost in their attempt to break through this year with the arrival of freshman guard Kel Stotts. The transfer from Adair County averaged 11.4 PPG as an 8th grader last year for the Indians, and could be the next Tyler Robertson for Russell County. The Lakers, 26-6 a year ago, bring a smallish senior class of four into this season, but will continue to enjoy the advantage of arguably the best coach in the region Willie Feldhaus, who always has the team prepared. Of all the teams outside the 14th District, they are year in and year out the team you’d most expect to win it. 3. Bowling Green – Last year did not exactly go as planned. The Purples were defending region champs and had played in five straight region finals. But they struggled mightily in December as their football players were worked back into the mix, and had a losing record as late as January 28th. But late they were playing ball as well as any team in the region, but had the misfortune of ending up in a district semi game against Warren Central thanks to a three way district tie, and fell 59-55. The good news is that they drop only two seniors from that team, and should return four starters. The jewel continues to be senior Nacarius Fant, the guy who just excels at whatever he does. A player that could make the difference for the Purples is senior center Joseph Ayers. Ayers might be the tallest player in the region and is all but impossible to shoot over without getting the ball returned to sender. He’s improving offensively as well, and if he can get it figured out on that end of the court, the sky is the limit. His brother is another player to watch, sophomore Perry Ayers. He played extremely limited minutes last season, but has exploded on the AAU circuit, and gives the Purples a powerful depth weapon. He may be the best player in the region by the time he’s a senior. Like the Dragons, expect Bowling Green to go 9-11 deep. The Purples finished 18-12 a year ago, ending a string of five straight seasons with 20+ wins. 4. Clinton County – If not for bad luck, the Bulldogs would have none at all. Two years ago Clinton County had the misfortune of drawing region favorite Glasgow in the first round of region, falling by 11 in overtime. Last year, they drew Barren County, which entered the tournament at 24-5, tied for the best record in the region. The Bulldogs fell again, 71-66, finishing their year at 18-12. The good news is that they lost only one player who scored in that game, Ryan Beard. Meanwhile their two bell cows return, senior forward Colby Langford and junior guard Keifer Dalton. They combined for 55 of Clinton County’s points in that game, and are certainly talented enough to score at that clip at any time this year. But what helps is the veteran group around them. In addition to four seniors, Clinton County rosters six juniors, giving them the most upperclassmen in the region this side of Warren Central. Two of the best players in the region plus a whole lot of experience around them? Sounds like a contender to me. 5. South Warren – It couldn’t have been easy for the Spartans last year watching Greenwood do what they thought they’d be doing. South Warren entered the district tournament relegated to the 4/5 game, but were squaring up against Greenwood, a team they’d beaten by 17 and 18 during the regular season. If they got by that, they’d face Warren East, who they’d lost to twice by a combined 6 points, once on a tip-in at the buzzer. The titans of the district were safely on the other side. But the Gators stunned the Spartans 52-50 and then upset Warren East to go to region, leaving South Warren still seeking their first postseason victory. And despite being 5th preseason in the region, they’re still looking up at their 14th District big brothers, Warren Central and Bowling Green. They’ll have four starters returning to try and take those teams down, but it’ll be someone from outside those ranks to lead them. Not a consistent starter a year ago, senior Zach McDaniel had a strong offseason on the AAU circuit, rising through the ranks to now be considered one of the best prospects in the region. He’ll join three other senior starters in Austin Bybee, Brad Logsdon, and Drew Wilken, as well as one of the many talented underclassmen in the region sophomore Bryan Cummings. The Spartans dropped only three seniors from a 16-14 campaign, and coach Derrick Clubb will try to rally his troops to improve on that and a 2-7 district record from a year ago. 6. Barren County – The Trojans are not quite the threat they were last year with the loss of four seniors and three starters, but still return the strong senior duo of Charley McCoy and Barrett Billingsley. McCoy in particular can fill it up from beyond the arc, but they'll need big seasons from both to try to move up ahead of their 14th District and 16th District rivals ahead. They’ll try to improve on last year’s region semifinal loss to Warren Central with the aid of four other seniors. The Trojans were 25-6 last season. 7. Franklin-Simpson – The Wildcats have been one of the younger teams in the region for a few years now, but they’re about to start cashing in on that experience. Still, it’ll be one of the youngest among them to lead them, the uber-talented freshman Tavin Lovan. Lovan’s the son of former WKU player Tony Lovan, and the skills seem to run in the family. Lovan averaged 10 PPG a year ago. Look for the Wildcats to improve significantly on their 15-15 record from a year ago. 8. Greenwood – The Gators made that Cinderella run to the region tournament last year, finishing at 16-16 after a loss to Russell County in the first round. They’ll return three starters including Dylan Dewitt, who seemingly singlehandedly lifted the Gators over Warren East in the district semis with 23 points. Other returning starters are junior Alex Schneller and senior Edin Hasanovic. The most significant loss among their five graduates is guard Antonio Bradley. 9. Monroe County – The Falcons are seeking their first region tourney berth since going back to back in 2010 & 2011, and will turn to junior guard Dillon Geralds to lead them. Geralds led the team in scoring with 15.2 PPG last season and was their leader in field goals as well as 3 pointers made. The Falcons will be dealing with the loss of several seniors from their 16-11 team a year ago, none more important than Chad Wilson and his 12.6 PPG. Monroe will be light on seniors, rostering just one, but may be poised for a real run next year with eight juniors. 10. Glasgow – The Scotties took a step back last year following the departure of a massive senior class, but had several bright spots in a 12-12 campaign. This year they have another large group of six seniors to try to take them back to the region tournament. Senior guard Quentel Bradley is the player to watch, and they also have the services of Anthony Walker, a senior guard transferred from Greenwood. 11. Warren East – East missed their chance to return to the region tournament for the first time since 1997 last year despite gaining the top seed in the district, and they’ll have to cope with the loss of five seniors and four starters. They received more bad news when forward Eli Brown tore his ACL during football season. Key players are Brandon Walker and Mason Lee. Walker is returning from a broken hand that helped derail their postseason hopes last season. 12. Russellville – Seniors Barrett Croslin and Christian Naylor return to lead a Panther team that lost three starters and five seniors. Russellville usually does a good job of reloading and should return to the region tournament from a weak 13th District, but shouldn’t expect much else. 13. Allen County-Scottsville – Jared Walden and Evan Day headline a Patriot team that was gutted by the graduation of four starters. The 15th District is the second toughest district this season, and AC/S will struggle to return to the 4th Region tournament where they haven’t won a game since 2005. 14. Todd County Central – The Rebels put a run into Franklin-Simpson last year, falling by 6 in the district tournament. They have six seniors and 10 upperclassmen returning as they yet again attempt to win their first postseason game since 2003. 15. Logan County – Leading scorer Torin Graham graduated, but his brother Tahmir returns to head up a Cougar team that stumbled to a 6-20 record last season. 16. Cumberland County – It’s seemingly always an uphill battle for the Panthers, but they will have six seniors looking to improve on an 8-20 season last year. 17. Metcalfe County – A young team with only a pair of seniors returning from a 1-29 campaign is not a recipe for success. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Chris Porter-Bunton, F, Sr. (Warren Central) – Porter-Bunton gives the Dragons their greatest matchup advantage. 2. Nacarius Fant, G, Sr. (Bowling Green) – Fant will look to improve on a disappointing 2012-13 campaign. 3. Byron Carver, F, Sr. (Warren Central) – Carver is not the tallest post player, but has a very solid frame to bang in the blocks. 4. Nick Coffey, C, Jr. (Russell County) – If there’s a rebound to be had Coffey is pulling it down. And he hardly misses any shots. 5. Colby Langford, F, Sr. (Clinton County) – Langford strangely gets overshadowed by his teammate Dalton. Colby scores in bunches. 6. Brandon Walker, G, Sr. (Warren East) – The Raiders were a different team without Walker following his broken hand injury. A 6th man last year, this time he’ll be the team leader. 7. Zach McDaniel, F, Sr. (South Warren) – Tall and athletic, he can shoot from anywhere on the court. 8. Charley McCoy, G, Sr. (Barren County) – The Trojans will need big things from their senior guard to boost themselves into true contention for the region title. 9. Keifer Dalton, G, Jr. (Clinton County) – The other half of a strong scoring duo for the Bulldogs. He can fill it up from deep. 10. Tavin Lovan, G, Fr. (Franklin-Simpson) – A superstar in the making for the Wildcats.