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1) Warren Central (20-6) - 2/14 60-52 W #5 Greenwood Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/18 at #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/21 at LaRue County 2) Bowling Green (22-5) - 2/11 62-61 W at Owensboro, 2/14 74-47 W #14 Warren East Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/18 vs. Hopkinsville, 2/21 at Ballard 3) Logan County (23-3) - 2/11 75-66 W #5 Greenwood, 2/15 77-49 W #10 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/18 at Ohio County, 2/20 at #15 Cumberland County 4) Barren County (19-8) - 2/11 70-63 W #11 Russell County, 2/14 93-61 W at #15 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/18 vs. #13 Metcalfe County, 2/20 at #6 Clinton County 5) Greenwood (15-13) - 2/11 66-75 L at #3 Logan County, 2/14 52-60 L at #2 Warren Central Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/18 vs. #12 Monroe County, 2/21 vs. Edmonson County 6) Clinton County (20-6) - 2/11 54-48 W at McCreary Central, 2/14 59-53 W at #12 Monroe County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/17 vs. #8 South Warren, 2/20 vs. #4 Barren County 7) Franklin-Simpson (12-13) - 2/10 64-70 L at Butler County, 2/13 78-74 W at #6 South Warren Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/18 vs. #14 Warren East, 2/20 at #9 Glasgow 8) South Warren (14-13) - 2/11 76-50 W at #14 Warren East, 2/13 74-78 L #8 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/17 at #6 Clinton County, 2/21 vs. Butler County 9) Glasgow (12-13) - 2/10 64-65 OT L #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/11 71-49 W at #13 Metcalfe County, 2/14 66-52 W at Caverna Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/18 vs. #15 Cumberland County, 2/20 vs. #7 Franklin-Simpson 10) Allen County-Scottsville (13-13) - 2/10 65-64 OT W at #9 Glasgow, 2/13 89-78 2OT W Metcalfe County, 49-77 L at #3 Logan County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/18 vs. #1 Warren Central, 2/20 at #17 Russellville 11) Russell County (13-14) - 2/11 63-70 L at #4 Barren County, 2/14 61-45 W Adair County, 2/15 60-47 W Jackson County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/18 at Danville, 2/21 at Rockcastle County 12) Monroe County (10-15) - 2/11 59-50 W #15 Cumberland County, 2/14 53-59 L #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/18 at #5 Greenwood, 2/20 at #14 Warren East 13) Metcalfe County (14-13) - 2/11 49-71 L #9 Glasgow, 2/13 78-89 2OT L at #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/15 87-78 W #17 Russellville Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/18 at #4 Barren County, 2/21 at Caverna 14) Warren East (4-19) - 2/11 50-76 L #6 South Warren, 2/14 47-74 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/17 at Caverna, 2/18 at #7 Franklin-Simpson, 2/20 vs. #12 Monroe County 15) Cumberland County (6-18) - 2/11 50-59 L at #12 Monroe County, 2/14 61-93 L #4 Barren County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/18 at #9 Glasgow, 2/20 vs. #3 Logan County 16) Todd County Central (6-18) - 2/14 80-78 2OT W at #17 Russellville Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/17 at Hopkins County Central, 2/18 vs. Muhlenberg County, 2/21 at Dawson Springs 17) Russellville (6-18) - 2/11 76-78 L Edmonson County, 2/14 78-80 2OT L #16 Todd County Central, 2/15 78-87 L at #13 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/18 vs. Fort Campbell, 2/20 vs. #10 Allen County-Scottsville Notes -In a true rarity, all the district matchups are set without requiring tiebreakers - everything settled on the court. The only tie across all four districts was for the 2 seed in the 16th District - Russell County won the coin flip with Cumberland County for that - but that didn't alter the matchup. In the 13th at Russellville, it will be Logan County (6-0) vs. Russellville (0-6) and Franklin-Simpson (4-2) vs. Todd County Central (2-4). In the 14th at South Warren, South Warren (2-6) will open with Warren East (0-8), with the winner facing Warren Central (7-1) - Bowling Green (6-2) will face Greenwood (5-3) in the 2/3 game. In the 15th at Allen County-Scottsville, Barren County (5-1) will face Monroe County (0-6), while Glasgow (4-2) will take on Allen County-Scottsville (3-3). Finally, in the 16th at Russell County, Clinton County (6-0) will face Metcalfe County (0-6) with Russell County (3-3) hosting Cumberland County (3-3). It all makes life easier on the district tournament managers. -The highest drama of the week came in battles for the top seed in the 14th and 15th. Glasgow hosted Allen County-Scottsville on Monday, needing a win to tie Barren County to push that to a coin flip. The Scotties finally had the services of their full team, and jumped out to a five point halftime lead on AC/S. But they were unable to hold it as Mason Shirley began an assault that would see him score 32 of the final 45 points for ACS en route to a (then) career-high 35 points. The game would go to extra time tied at 56, and Shirley would draw a questionable foul with 2 seconds remaining, hitting a pair of free throws to give them a 65-64 OT win, pulling Glasgow into the 2/3 game with them. Meanwhile in the 14th District on Friday, Greenwood visited Warren Central, hoping to get a road win and force a three-way tie for #1 along with Bowling Green. The first half was not a pretty sight as both teams saw huge stretches of time with difficulty making shots. Central jumped out to a 14-4 lead with 1:45 left in the first, and then scored only four points in the next 12 minutes of game-time. Greenwood took a while to take advantage, before grabbing a 19-18 lead after scoring five straight to start the third quarter. A Dragon three ended the run and the Gators never led again, frequently trailing by between 8-12 points in the second half. They whittled it down to four at 52-48 with just over a minute remaining, but a pair of Tay Smith threes pushed it back to ten, and that was that. It gave Warren Central their first outright #1 seed in six years, and pushed them back to our #1 for the first time since December. Greenwood would have needed some luck plus the win over Warren Central to grab the #1 seed, but with that loss, Warren East in 2013 (beneficiaries of a three-way tie that broke for them) remains the only team besides Warren Central or Bowling Green to be the #1 seed since it began in the 14th District in 1999. -Mason Shirley had a career week in an overtime week for the Patriots. Following that thriller against Glasgow, they needed two overtimes to knock off Metcalfe County. Shirley posted a double double in that one, with a new career high of 39 points to go with 11 rebounds. His 39 was just three shy of the school record. It's not been quite as good a year from Shirley as was expected after his breakout sophomore campaign a season ago, but those two games this week raised his scoring average by two full points, and they'll look to build some momentum going into a home district tournament meeting with Glasgow. They had won four in a row prior to dropping a matchup at Logan County on Saturday. -Logan County moved to 23-3 by knocking off Greenwood on Tuesday 75-66 and AC/S 77-49 on Saturday. Though they still have a matchup with Cumberland County, realistically, the matchup with Greenwood was their last hurdle between them and a perfect region record. With wins over Barren County and Greenwood under their belt, it adds some legitimacy to that record, despite not playing Warren Central or Bowling Green this season. They're 13-0 in region play, 13-1 at home, and carry a 19 game winning streak. If they clear Ohio County on Tuesday, they will almost certainly enter the region tournament in a few weeks on a 23 game winning streak and with their best record overall since 1984. -Bowling Green pushed their winning streak against Warren East to 52 with a 74-47 win on Friday. The stat is so large it literally numbs you to how impressive it is. FIFTY-TWO. The Raiders haven't beaten Bowling Green in the entire seeded era of the 14th District. They haven't been within single digits of the Purples in six years, and haven't lost by less than five in eight. With the win, Bowling Green closed their regular season region slate at 11-2 in region play, 7-2 against District 14 teams (with an extra win over Greenwood coming in their Christmas tournament). They have a layup on Tuesday in hosting Hopkinsville, before a daunting trip to Ballard on Friday. -Not much else of note happened during the week, as we've touched on the games that decided postseason seeding. The region now has four teams with 20+ wins with a week to go. Barren County should join them as soon as Tuesday, but it will be a longshot for anyone else to be added. Greenwood is the next highest total at 15 - they will need multiple postseason wins to reach the threshold. They are seeking their first 20-win season since 2011/12. -Both Greenwood and South Warren have endured a difficult stretch against a challenging schedule. Greenwood is now just 3-6 in their last nine games, with four losses against the #1, #3, and #4 teams in our rankings. South Warren is 3-7 in their last ten games, dropping a pair of games against Warren Central, and falling to Bowling Green, Greenwood, and Franklin-Simpson in-region as well. Both teams remain dangerous, but both are also in serious need of some momentum going into tough postseason games. The Spartans have the tougher schedule this week, and will need to win both to guarantee themselves their second winning record in the past seven seasons, though in all likelihood a split would do it given they'll be favored over Warren East in their first postseason game. If they can reach 17 wins, it would be the second highest total in program history.

Final Rankings and Postseason Preview 1) Warren Central (22-6) High Rank - 1, Low Rank - 2, Average Rank - 1 The season experienced a bit of a lull at its midpoint, but ultimately two-time defending region champion Warren Central ended up where it began – at the top of our rankings and as the region favorites. The Dragons raced out of the gates with a 3-0 start, knocking off preseason 3rd Region favorites Owensboro and showing off the three-point attack that would come to define their offense. Then came the lull, beginning with their worst loss of the year, falling 49-48 at home to Glasgow on a buzzer beater. Central would ultimately stumble through an 8-6 stretch against tough opponents, bottoming out in two blowout losses to John Hardin and Bowling Green. But the latter loss remains their last to date. Central has reeled off 11 consecutive wins, their longest streak in six years, and were the outright regular season district champions for the first time since that same 2013/14 season. The Dragons put up a lot of points, averaging 68.79 PPG – their highest season total since the 2012/13 season. The crux of that approach is a steady stream of three-point attempts. The Dragons average 24 attempts per game, accounting for roughly 45% of all their shots. Both Tay Smith and Kobe Brents rank in the top 25 in the state for three point makes per game at 2.9 and 2.8 respectively. Six different Dragons have made 17 or more three pointers on the season. When it’s not a three going up, it is usually region player of the year Dre Boyd doing the scoring – his 161 makes inside the perimeter are the most on the team by 93. His 18.4 PPG average is among the highest in the region, and he almost single handedly brought the Dragons back in their win over Bowling Green in late January, scoring 20 in the third quarter alone. Geovonni Floyd also does his damage inside, and is in the top 10 in the state for field goal percentage among qualified players. The Dragons are talented, veteran, and deep – and playing their best ball of the year. They are definitely vulnerable when they are unable to make their three-point shots, going 7/40 in their losses to John Hardin and Bowling Green, and one of the key parts of their lull was a sudden lack of defense. In four of their six losses, Central allowed over 70 points. Still, the Dragons have the profile of a frontrunner. They open the district with the winner of South Warren and Warren East. The tournament is at South Warren, and the host is expected to be their opponent, which may prove a little tricky. But ultimately, our prediction is that Central wins the region for the third straight year, and ends Bowling Green’s six year stint as district champions. 2) Bowling Green (22-7) High Rank - 1, Low Rank - 3, Average Rank - 2 Unlike Central, which bookended a rough patch with strong play, the Purples were the exact opposite. Their 15 game winning streak from mid-December to late-January was their longest since their state title campaign in 2017, but the bookends combined for just a 7-7 record. That includes a rare losing streak entering the postseason. The Purples lost their final two games of the regular season for the first time in 16 years. The loss to Ballard was understandable, but the home loss to Hopkinsville was definitely a head scratcher. Despite that, Bowling Green is a solid #2 and near co-favorite for the region crown. Averaging nearly 65 PPG, the Purples feature a mold that you could practically find in any of the last 13 years. They play aggressive defense, frequently with full-court pressure, and use their transition game to fuel their offensive attack, looking to get to the rim. Bowling Green attempts a three on only 28.18% of their field goals, choosing instead to go inside, where they hit nearly 52% of their shots. First-team all-region selection Isaiah Mason (a top selection for the second straight year) leads the way, averaging 16.2 PPG. Still just a junior, Mason has a strong mid-range game, and with his length he is tough to match up with properly. His 9.3 rebounds per game leads the team and rates him in the top 40 for the state. Junior Cobi Huddleston is a stronger defensive presence than offensive, but in a region without a lot of big men in the post, he has been known to bully his way to the basket when given the chance. When Bowling Green does shoot outside, sophomore Turner Buttry (11.8 PPG) has proven deadly accurate. A third-team all-region selection, Buttry is shooting 52.6% from three. Third-leading scorer Conner Cooper (10.8 PPG) compliments well from outside as well, knocking down a 42.4% clip. Perpetually young in the last few years, the Purples still don’t have a strong veteran presence, with only reserve Dorian Morrison seeing significant time. With the loss of Jordan Dingle to preseason surgery, Bowling Green typically is only going about 8 deep, so if a team can get into their depth by drawing some fouls, it can cause more problems than years past. Bowling Green lost only a pair of region games, but one was to their district semifinal opponent, Greenwood. That was way back in December, on the road, and their 42 points in that game represented a season low. They proved much more resilient in two home matchups with the Gators (one in a Christmas tourney), scoring 58 and 71 in winning both games. The Purples were just 1/16 from three in their loss, falling behind early and never recovering. A strong start will be crucial for BG, but they are rarely lulled into that many attempts from the perimeter, and if they attack the rim, another trip to the region tournament should be in the offing. They have made six consecutive region finals, and as mentioned each year (until it doesn’t happen), they have not failed to make the finals of a region tournament they advanced to since 2004 – 12 straight appearances. The 2012/13 season when they lost to Warren Central in the district semifinals is the only season they didn’t make the region finals in the last 12 seasons. Our prediction is that they keep that streak alive, reaching the finals, but falling to Central for the third straight year. 3) Logan County (25-3) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 7, Average Rank - 4 With apologies to Warren Cunningham, who won the KABC COY award for the region, John Tinsley’s job with this Cougar team demanded that recognition, and it was a shame he didn’t get it. Logan County started the year 4-3, but reeled off 21 wins in a row entering the postseason, good enough for the second longest streak in school history. The streak they’re chasing, a 24 game win streak that ran the final 22 games of their state title season in 1983-84 into the start of the next year, is in real jeopardy. The Cougars are overwhelming favorites in District 13, going 6-0 in district play and winning all but one of their matchups by double digits. Their 70.32 PPG leads the region, as does their 17.39 PPG average margin of victory. They went 15-0 in region play, the only unbeaten team in region play – no one else even had as few as one loss. The only game in which they did not score at least 65 points during their winning streak was a 50-49 win over Barren County on January 28th, where they were missing 1st Team all-region selection Anthony Woodard. The Cougars score, they play defense, they win. They are very balanced, with three players averaging between 13.2 and 14.0 PPG, and three others averaging between 8.6 and 9.5 PPG. Jay Hardison leads the team with 14.0 PPG and his 3.7 three pointers per game is #4 in the entire state. He leads the team in three-point percentage (44.8%) despite attempting 125 more than any other player on the team. And he wasn’t even one of the all-region selections. Aforementioned Anthony Woodard comes in at 13.6 PPG. The combo guard-forward is most definitely the most talented player on the team, and the most likely to see the ball in a crunch-time situation. Second-team selection Jose Nazario, a transfer from Puerto Rico, may prove to have been the missing link for the Cougars in their pursuit of a region title. The guard is third on the team with 13.2 PPG, and gave the team yet another strong scoring option, making just under 58% of all attempts. Nazario also leads the team with 8 rebounds per game. Scoring inside, scoring outside, and strong scoring depth – that’s very much a region contender. Their run to the region semifinals last year may prove critical to get them the experience in the tournament atmosphere they need. It also helps that they have easily the clearest path to the region tournament of any team in the region, facing a Russellville squad they beat by 35 and 28 this year. If there is any knock on the Cougars at all, it is that we haven’t seen what they can do against Warren Central or Bowling Green, as neither were on their schedule this year. Logan County fell against both last season, and have lost 14 in a row against the Dragons and 9 in a row against the Purples. Logan County did take down the other three District 14 teams – all at home – culminating with a 75-66 win over Greenwood on February 11th. Even without facing the favorites, it is clear to see that this team is for real, and probably the only team outside the 14th District that I’d feel comfortable in saying I can really see them cutting down the nets. It would help the Cougars greatly if they saw only one District 14 opponent (or hey, NONE), or if they had to face both, if they didn’t have to do it back to back. Given the right circumstances, the Cougars can make a run to the title or at least a runner-up appearance, but our prediction is that they will bow out in the region semifinals against one of the two teams above. 4) Barren County (21-8) High Rank - 4 Low Rank - 7, Average Rank - 5 Now, even though I’d have given the COY to John Tinsley, actual winner Warren Cunningham has done a splendid job with this Trojan team. A preseason dark horse, the Trojans started just 7-6, but closed with 14 wins in their final 16 games. One of those two losses was a one-point road loss at Logan County. They turned a five-point loss to Glasgow just prior to that run into a 17-point victory against the wounded Scotties at the end of the month, riding momentum to a 5-1 record in the 15th District and ultimately, the top seed in the district tournament. Barren County averages a healthy 65 PPG, and has not lost the entire season when they hit that mark. The team is led by first-team all-region selection Aden Nyekan. Last year we tabbed Nyekan as the future star for the team – the sophomore has arrived. Nyekan carries a 16.7 PPG average, leading the team with 7 rebounds per game as well. Nyekan has a strong inside presence, making almost 54% of his shots. Joining him in inside attack is senior Will Bandy, adding 13.5 PPG and 6.3 rebounds per game as well. Bandy is not afraid to step outside and shoot from the perimeter as well, leading the team by percentage with 44.9% accuracy from three. Jacob Shaw is the biggest volume shooter from three for the Trojans, leading the team with 48 makes and 39.3% accuracy. Like Bowling Green, their focus is much more on getting to the rim with more of a post focused attack. Barren County boasts one of the region’s top scoring defenses, holding opponents to just 53 PPG. The Trojans are looking to return to the region tournament for the first time since 2017, and will open with Monroe County. Barren County knocked off the Falcons in both meetings this season, winning by 10 at home in December before gutting out a 47-45 victory on the road on January 20th. That game was won on an Aden Nyekan buzzer beater layup. Barren County has really come on since that matchup, but it is a reminder that though they are the top seed, they are not an unimpeachable favorite. We expect them to win their, take the district, and bow out in the region semifinals on their return to the region tournament. 5) Greenwood (17-13) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 8, Average Rank - 3 There are many years that Greenwood can be said to be up and down, but this season, they were almost inexplicable at times. The Gator starting lineup may well be the most talented in the entire region. Three of their starters were named to the all-region team. And yet….. they are just 17-13. They announced their presence with an 85-70 win over Glasgow in the second game of the season, and then promptly lost to a Russell County team that is frankly, not supposed to be in their league. They followed that with a loss to Allen County-Scottsville, and then reeled off four straight wins, including a road win over Clinton County and knocking off Bowling Green for the first time in seven years. And then they lost to Franklin-Simpson. All of that was in the first nine games – a microcosm of their entire year. Like many recent years, Greenwood seems destined to be the team you most believe could win the region tournament outside the favorites – if only they could get out of their own district tournament. Cade Stinnett, yet another super soph in the region – leads the team with 15.3 PPG. An athletic guard and second-team all-region selection, Stinnett leads the team in field goal percentage, making 50.3% of his attempts. He has been easily the most consistent scorer for the team. Some of that is due to the focus paid to Ben Carroll. The big man has been the team-leader, and is second on the team with 12.6 PPG. Also a second-team all-region selection, Carroll leads the team in rebounding, and they are at their best when the offense flows through him. That doesn’t always mean he is taking the shot, but Carroll is a talented distributor, a consistent outside threat (39.4%), as well as one of the best ball-handlers. That being said, the team might never be more dangerous than when Noah Stansbury is on fire. A third-team all-region selection, Stansbury is what you expect out of a coach’s son. He’s a good shooter (75/196 from three), a fantastic free throw shooter (85.3%), and plays with high basketball IQ. It’s not an accident that in their victory over Bowling Green that he came out on fire, burying the Purples with four threes and dropping in 24 points. He dropped 26 in their second meeting on 8/10 shooting from three, making fully half of the shots Greenwood made in a game they struggled. If he can get hot from three, anything can happen. Of course, the Gators allow 60 PPG as well – very uncharacteristic of the team over the year. It’s not likely at all they can beat Bowling Green allowing that many. They’ll open the postseason with the Purples, a team they’ve beaten just twice in the last 11 years, and both of those were at home. It’s our prediction that they are unable to get the job done in the postseason away from home, falling in the district semifinals. But if they can find their way past that game, there’s a great chance Greenwood could make their way to the region finals. Or lose in the first round of region. Seriously, it’s all possible with Greenwood. 6) Clinton County (21-7) High Rank - 6, Low Rank - 12, Average Rank - 8 The final team in these rankings with 20+ wins, Clinton County’s journey was much like that of Barren County. They had a bit of a rocky start, entering the new year with a 9-5 record, but closed strong with 12 wins in their final 14 games. The early part of the year can perhaps be chalked up to the lack of Jackson Harlan, the prolific scorer who graduated after taking POY honors last season. In his absence, the Bulldogs have been winning almost exclusively on the back of defense. Their 55 PPG average is well below that of their 20-win peers, but they lead the region in scoring defense, allowing only 49.42 PPG. They have won 15 of their 21 games scoring less than 60 points, a bit of an oddity in the modern game. It’s incredibly impressive, but it also makes them vulnerable. That allowed them to take losses such as a 46-45 result against Franklin-Simpson in December, and an almost unthinkable 52-50 loss to Metcalfe County in the region’s All “A” Classic in January. That loss was their only one to a district opponent, though it did not count in the official district standings. They wrapped up the top seed in the district before that game was even played. Chase Stines leads the team with 15.7 PPG, the only Bulldog averaging in double digits. He also leads the team with 5 rebounds per game. In a bit of an oddity, they will end up playing Metcalfe County in the 1/4 game, matching them against the only team that beat them in the district – a win that ultimately was Metcalfe County’s only win in the district. The Hornets have not looked great lately, making it rather unlikely that the upset will be pulled twice. Our prediction is that Clinton County wins their district, but exits in the region semifinals – unless they happen to face one of the above teams in the first round. Which, Clinton County has a habit of finding poor region draws. 7) Glasgow (14-13) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 9, Average Rank - 7 Finally, the sad story of Glasgow. Their high hopes for the season took an almost immediate detour when Tucker Kirkpatrick suffered a knee injury in their season opener against Monroe County. It was a harbinger of things to come. Kirkpatrick was just the first of several Scotties to deal with ailments over the season, as starters Bowen Haney and Jaden Franklin have also missed time – Franklin missed nearly a month. Everyone is back now, though Kirkpatrick is clearly limited. This all led to a 1-3 start for Glasgow that snowballed until they were 10-13, falling at home to Allen County-Scottsville to fall to #2 in the district standings. They have rebounded with four straight wins and finally as healthy as they could hope to be, but their development and flow has been completely shot. They are the most likely of any team to come from completely off the radar to make a run due to their talent, but they may never get the chance, having to open at Allen County-Scottsville in the district tournament. The team did place two on the all-region squad, with Jaden Franklin making the second team while Nick Sorrell got his second straight nod on the first-team. Sorrell averaged 19.1 PPG this year, trying to single-handedly lift the team as everyone around him got hurt. It was Sorrell who hit the game winner in their road win over Warren Central, the shining moment of the season to this point. The Scotties have the talent to do something, but it’s hard to see it coming together now. Our prediction is a district runner-up finish to Barren County, and a region quarterfinal exit. 8) Franklin-Simpson (13-14) High Rank - 7, Low Rank - 11, Average Rank - 9 The Wildcats have felt like they were “this close” at times this season. Franklin has had some top-notch wins, knocking off Clinton County, Greenwood, Owensboro, and South Warren. They’ve not really had a terrible loss since falling to Monroe County in the season opener, but the games they’ve lost, they’ve often been completely obliterated. That includes a three game home stretch that saw them lose to Logan County, Barren County, and Bowling Green by 14, 27, and 27. Franklin features a full-court pressure attack that can get them back into games, as it did in a double digit comeback at Clinton County back in a 46-45 win in December. The Wildcats don’t shoot particularly well, making just 42.7% of all shots and just over 29% from the perimeter. DeMarco Chatman was a third-team all-region selection, averaging 12.4 PPG and leading the team in rebounds with 6.4 per game. Kyjuan Stutzman leads the team with 14.7 PPG, owing to his volume from three. Franklin has only had one real winning streak, winning four in a row to open January. They are 4-3 in their last seven games, but other than that win streak, have won two in a row only one other time. They should have little trouble with Todd County Central in their district opener, winning their first two matchups by 13 and 24, but they should finish as runner-up to Logan County and exit in the first round of region. 9) South Warren (15-14) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 9, Average Rank - 6 I’ve frequently described South Warren as a dangerous team – and they are very much in the same way that Greenwood can be. But they are every bit as inconsistent as the Gators. The only thing consistent about the Spartan program is their .500 play. The team enters the postseason at 15-14, needing just a win over Warren East in the 4/5 district game to grab their second winning season in the last seven years. But this is a team that hasn’t entered the postseason with less than 14 losses since their opening season 9 years ago. They haven’t won more than 16 games in a season since then either. Six of the previous eight seasons for South Warren have seen them within two games of .500 in either direction, and the other two were way on the losing side. It’s hard to explain, because this program has real talent. Jace Carver averages 15 PPG, and shoots 39.2% from three. When he gets hot, as he did in a furious near-comeback over Bowling Green, they can be a real load to handle. Caleb Mitchell-Franklin (13.2 PPG) has really impressed me each time I’ve seen South Warren in person. The team has strong guard play, always has one of two guys with size, but never seems to put it all together. This year is no different, as the team has lost 8 of their last 12 coming into the postseason. Big plus for the squad – they host the district tournament. They open with Warren East, and will easily win that game, but then will face a surging Warren Central squad. South led at the end of the first quarter and at halftime of their home matchup with Central, ultimately falling by five. If they can get into a rhythm, they can absolutely pull the upset. But for a team that has never won a district semifinal, you really can’t predict that happening until you see it the first time – especially not against the region favorites. 10) Allen County-Scottsville (14-14) High Rank - 7, Low Rank - 11, Average Rank - 10 The Patriots suffered some big graduation losses from last year’s surprise success team, and while they’ve flashed at moments, has mostly been a middle of the pack team for the region. Third-team all-region selection Mason Shirley has been a consistently good player for the Patriots, leading them with 15.7 PPG. But the junior hasn’t quite taken the leap forward that was expected after a strong sophomore campaign, likely owing to increased attention. He is joined in double digit scoring by Jax Cooper (12.4 PPG) and Owen Stamper (10.4 PPG). But the team will go as Shirley goes. Against Glasgow, he scored a then-career high 35 points to steal a road victory in overtime, pulling the Scotties into a district tournament matchup with them. Three days later, he dropped 39 on Metcalfe County in a double overtime victory. He had just five in a 34-point loss to Warren Central five days later. Shirley will likely need to be superhuman again for the Patriots to beat Glasgow. I just don’t think it happens. 11) Russell County (13-16) High Rank - 9, Low Rank - 14, Average Rank - 11 Russell County saw an improved season after last year saw them miss the region tournament for the first time, but the Lakers remain far off the radar for contenders. Scott Hamm (14.4 PPG) and Briley Hadley (11.9 PPG) lead an offensive attack that averages 56 PPG. They’ll host a Cumberland County team that they split the regular season with, with each team winning their road matchup. This game will be at tournament host Russell County, which despite the unusual road team trend in their regular season series, bodes well for the Lakers. It seems unlikely they would lose twice at home to the Panthers, so the prediction is for Russell County to get back to region. But that’s all they’ll do. 12) Monroe County (10-17) High Rank - 10, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 13 The Falcons have their work cut out for them against Barren County, though they did play the Trojans to a 47-45 decision when they last met in January. The Falcons have closed out the regular season with just three wins in their final 12 games, and have fallen in three straight. Grayson Rich leads the team with 16.2 PPG, with Kale Hagan chipping in 11.1 PPG. The Falcons have frequently had trouble generating offense, with only one game in their last seven topping 70 points. Six of their ten wins this year came at home – our prediction is that they cannot pull the upset of Barren County away from the friendly confines. 13) Metcalfe County (15-14) High Rank - 9, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 12 The last month of the season derailed what was looking like a really great story for the Hornets. It’s still a good story, but one goal I was personally hoping for them – their first winning season in nine years – appears to be a longshot with Clinton County looming. The Hornets have fallen to this position with just two wins in their last nine games, turning 13-7 into 15-14. This will still be remembered as a year that Metcalfe County upset Clinton County and captured the 4th Region All “A” title, winning a game in the state tournament as well, even if the other goals don’t fall into place. Junior guard Boston Devore worked his way into a second-team all-region selection, posting 18.6 PPG to lead the squad. Peyton Dial (14.7 PPG) also averages in double figures. Metcalfe County features a three-point heavy attack, averaging almost 21 attempts per game, so if they get hot, they can be giant slayers. But it looks like they’ll bow out against Clinton County in the district semifinals. 14) Warren East (6-20) High Rank - 11, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 14 Warren East is seeking their first region tournament appearance in 23 years, but it’s all but an impossibility. The Raiders have stumbled to their worst record in almost a decade, going winless in district play and reaching 20 losses for the first time since 2010/11. Kaleb Matlock (10.5 PPG) and Isaiah Andrews (10.0 PPG) are the only players averaging in double figures for East. They fell by 22 and 26 to their first opponent South Warren, allowing 83 when they played South Warren on the road, which is where they’ll be in this one. With 19 straight district losses, there is no realistic way to believe they’ll win two straight now. 15) Cumberland County (6-20) High Rank - 15, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank – T-15 Dawson Smith leads a Cumberland County squad that averages 58.2 PPG, with Smith chipping in 16.9 per game. He averages a double-double, with his 10.1 rebounds per game coming in as tops in the region. The Panthers went 4-13 in region play, but 3-3 in their district. That included a surprising sweep of Metcalfe County, and a split with district tournament opponent Russell County. Their win was a 59-52 result at Russell County, who also hosts them in the district tourney. While that all sounds good, it seems unlikely the Panthers would be able to do that twice, and they enter at 2-8 since that win over Russell County on January 10th. Their road ends here. 16) Todd County Central (6-21) High Rank - 15, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 17 The Rebels just couldn’t get much going this year, winning their first two games but then losing 14 in a row afterwards. They did manage to knock off Russellville twice, getting two district wins, with the last an 80-78 win in double overtime. They fared worse against district tournament opponent Franklin-Simpson, dropping those games by 13 and 24. They’ll lose again here to close their season. 17) Russellville (6-20) High Rank - 14, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank – T-15 The Panthers won their first three games of the season, but have not won two in a row since, and enter the postseason on a nine game losing streak. Russellville went 0-6 in district play, and 0-10 in region play. Jaquis Todd has been a bright spot, averaging 16.3 PPG, but there is no scenario where Russellville upsets first round opponent Logan County, even at home. The Cougars started Russellville’s losing streak with an 82-54 result on January 31st. This will likely be more of the same. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Dre Boyd, G, Sr. (Warren Central) – Voted the POY by both the 4th Region coaches and the KABC. Boyd is physical on both offense and defense, and is deadly when he gets inside. 2. Isaiah Mason, G, Jr. (Bowling Green) – Mason is as steady as they come, leading the Purples in scoring and rebounding. 3. Nick Sorrell, G, Sr. (Glasgow) – Finished as one of the best scorers in the region despite a revolving door in his supporting cast this season. Sorrell is a player whose desire to win is always apparent. 4. Ben Carroll, F, Sr. (Greenwood) – Carroll may not have the flashy scoring average, but he possesses all the intangibles while providing the ability to do anything you want on offense and defense. 5. Aden Nyekan, F, So. (Barren County) – This is your future POY in the region. Nyekan is just a joy to watch play basketball. 6. Turner Buttry, G, So. (Bowling Green) – A deadly marksman from three and an incredible distributor, Buttry may actually be the key to Bowling Green’s success. 7. Anthony Woodard, F, Jr. (Logan County) – Woodard is just so smooth on the court, and an incredible athlete. 8. Tay Smith, G, Sr. (Warren Central) – One of the top three-point shooters in the state, Smith has an incredibly quick trigger from the perimeter, and his length is great for defense and rebounding. 9. Jose Nazario, G, Sr. (Logan County) – Nazario’s addition to Logan County pushed them from good to great. 10. Cade Stinnett, G, So. (Greenwood) – Another talented sophomore, Stinnett will be Greenwood’s go-to guy the next two seasons.

A quick snapshot of the matchups in the 4th Region tournament: Game 1: March 3rd – Bowling Green (14th District Champions) vs. Allen County-Scottsville (15th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Bowling Green leads 1-0 -Last Region Meeting: Bowling Green 61 Allen County-Scottsville 54 – 1984 4th Region Quarterfinals Bowling Green is into the region tournament yet again, securing their seventh consecutive region tournament appearance – all of them via a district championship. This time they knocked off top seed Warren Central by a 57-51 result, tying their district record for most consecutive district titles, previously set from 1939-1945. They weren’t particularly sharp offensively during that contest, shooting only 43.4% from the field, but defensively, they forced the Dragons into just a 36.2% night. It was the fewest total points Bowling Green allowed to a team not named Warren East in over a month. That earned them the right to take on a familiar opponent, albeit one they don’t see at region often. It’s actually hard to believe that this is just the second meeting at region between the Purples and Allen County-Scottsville, with the last coming back in 1984. Bowling Green has won 13 straight against the Patriots overall, last losing during the 06/07 season. They carry a 37-11 all-time mark against AC/S. Bowling Green won 79-65 when the two teams met at the start of February, getting an extremely balanced attack, with five players in double digits and seven players scoring between 8 and 15 points. They also went 10/18 from three, leaning on that more than normal. The Purples have the second-best record in the region at 24-7. They are favored in this game, but they also probably got as difficult a draw as was available to them, matching with arguably the most dangerous district runner-up they could, and drawing Logan County on their side. The Patriots could not ride recent momentum to a 15th District title, but they have definitely been on an uptick since that meeting with Bowling Green on February 1st. The team has gone 6-3 since, with their only losses coming to Logan County, Warren Central, and Barren County – all teams at the upper echelon of the region. Much of it has been on the back of Mason Shirley. The junior willed the Patriots to two victories over Glasgow, dropping 35 on the road in a mid-February matchup to pull them into a district tournament matchup, and then scoring 25 of Allen County’s 51-point total in a 51-48 district semifinal matchup to give them a berth in the region tournament. They were rewarded with what is arguably the worst draw of any team in the tournament, pulling the top-rated district champion out of the gate, and if they pull that upset, the #2 rated district champion likely waiting in the semifinals. It’s not a positive sign for a program seeking its first region tournament win since 2005, falling in seven straight contests. Incredibly, they haven’t drawn a 14th District team since 2006 – their 1995 win over Warren Central in the region quarterfinals is their only victory over a 14th District team in ten all-time meetings with a rep from that district. Game 2: March 3rd – Logan County (13th District Champions) vs. Cumberland County (16th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: First Meeting Despite playing in the region together for 38 years, this will be the first region tournament meeting between these two programs. The closest you’d get to a previous meeting was a 1982 64-57 victory by Auburn in the region quarterfinals. Logan County comes into the game as the holders of the second longest current winning streak in the state, and the second longest winning streak in the history of the Cougar program. Logan County has won 23 in a row since falling to Eastern by a 71-61 score on December 21st. They remain the only region team to not drop a game against the rest of the 4th Region, and they outlasted Franklin-Simpson for their second consecutive district title – a feat that they have accomplished only once before, in their first two years as a school. In their 71-21 win over Russellville, they posted the largest margin of victory in a 13th District tournament game in 25 years, and held Russellville to the lowest score in a district tournament game for that district since the 1940s. The Cougars are going to be a very tough out, and will be overwhelming favorites in the opening round. The only thing potentially working against them is a scenario where they may have to beat two 14th District teams on consecutive nights in the semifinals and finals. But it’s entirely possible that Logan County is a co-favorite with both Bowling Green and Warren Central. Meanwhile, Cumberland County has the worst record in the field by a lot, with their 7 wins coming in at just half the 14 that Franklin-Simpson has. The Panthers lost plenty this year, but did go 4-4 overall in 16th District play, winning the ones they needed to. That included overcoming a nine point deficit against Russell County, forcing overtime at the home of the Lakers and sprinting away in the extra session, securing a 67-61 OT victory and reaching their first region tournament since 2009. The Panthers hosted Logan County just two weeks ago, falling 66-50. The combined win totals of the three non-16th District teams Cumberland County beat this year are not even as many as Logan County has on their own – to call them an underdog would be understating it. It would be completely shocking for the Panthers to pull an upset. Game 3: March 4th – Barren County (15th District Champions) vs. Warren Central (14th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Warren Central leads 6-1 -Last Region Meeting: Barren County 58 Warren Central 53 - 2016 4th Region Semifinals For the third straight year, the 15th District champion draws Warren Central. The previous two led to defeat for the 15th District rep, while Central went on to win the region title. Barren County does have a win from the last time these two met at Diddle, knocking off the Dragons en route to a region runner-up finish. That’s the only time Warren Central has lost before the final in the last nine region tournaments they’ve made. No players from that team may remain, but Barren County is not likely to be as bright eyed as some might be playing the Dragons. The two teams did not meet this year, as their regular season game was a casualty of Central’s 2A Classic run. Barren County comes in with 16 wins in their last 18 games, and winners of six in a row. They really turned a corner at the start of January, putting a road scare into Bowling Green just prior to the run. The Trojans are a highly capable team, averaging 65 PPG while allowing only 53 PPG. They carry a 16-4 region record, losing only to Glasgow, Bowling Green, Logan County, and South Warren. Their strength is in the interior, where Aden Nyekan and Will Bandy combine to average 30 PPG. The Trojans aren’t going to be favored in this one, but if they can get past it, they become a real threat to take the whole region, as they would not be expected to have as difficult a semifinal as a potential region final opponent would have. Warren Central has had to scratch and claw in each of the two previous seasons in the first round before getting to breathe in the semifinals. If they advance past this one, there’s a good chance that will repeat. While not as difficult a projected first opponent as Logan County, Barren County is a very dangerous draw for the Dragons, starting out with the region’s #4 team entering the postseason. Central saw a 12 game winning streak end in the loss to Bowling Green in the district finals, and it is now their sixth district runner-up finish in the last seven years. Their 51 points in that contest were their least since the 85-47 beating they took at the hands of John Hardin in December. They will need to bounce back immediately on that end, and they will need to do better than the 3/24 three point shooting performance they had against Bowling Green to do it. While Barren County is a difficult draw, it is nevertheless true that Central got about as good a draw as they could hope for with Logan County on the other side with Bowling Green. Central remains the region favorite, and if they get past this difficult opener, they should be extremely favored to reach the finals. Game 4: March 4th – Clinton County (16th District Champions) vs. Franklin-Simpson (13th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Franklin-Simpson leads 1-0 -Last Region Meeting: Franklin-Simpson 80 Clinton County 51 - 2002 4th Region Quarterfinals Another matchup without a deep history at the region tournament, this is just the second meeting between these two teams in a region tournament. The two teams do have a history this season, meeting at Clinton County on December 6th. That matchup was a rather strange one, as Clinton County was all over Franklin, leading 38-12 with just over 2 minutes left in the third quarter. Franklin-Simpson unleashed their press and stunned Clinton County with a 34-7 run to win the game 46-45. Clinton County is known for their defensive strength, allowing just under 50 PPG, which leads the region. That’s what made that outburst all the more unexpected. They’ve had some hiccups here and there since, but in typical Bulldog fashion, they reached 20 wins, won the 16th District, and reached the region tournament for the ninth straight year, the current longest streak in the region. They are 14-2 in the 2020 calendar year, falling only to Metcalfe County in the All A Classic, and dropping an overtime heartbreaker to Barren County. They have to be considered the favorite here due to recent play and the total body of work, even with that home loss way back when. The Bulldogs will look to work it down low to Chase Stines, their leading scorer with 15.6 PPG. Clinton County has not won a region tournament game against a 13th District representative since 1982, knocking off Olmstead. They have made the region semifinals in two of the last three region tournaments, but they have never advanced to the region semifinals in consecutive region tournaments. Meanwhile, Franklin-Simpson fits more of the enigma type. The Wildcats played very few games out of region this year. They hovered just above or below .500 for much of the year, and won more than two games in a row only one time, that coming at the start of January. In the district tournament they did as expected with Todd County Central, winning by 20, but gave an unexpectedly strong effort against Logan County, pushing them into the fourth quarter before faltering late. The Wildcats don’t shoot well from the perimeter, but they’re also not afraid to throw up those attempts – the classic live by the three, die by the three approach. That can make them dangerous, as does a full court pressure attack that rates as one of the best at creating turnovers in the region. If they can get hot from three early, and create turnovers with pressure, there’s a pretty good chance of them springing the upset. They are 17-4 all-time against teams from the 16th District, though they did lose their last meeting with a 16th District team, falling to Russell County 53-38 two years ago.

1) Bowling Green (17-3) - 1/20 79-62 W #2 Warren Central, 1/21 64-50 W Christian County, 1/24 70-41 W at #14 Warren East Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/28 at #7 Franklin-Simpson, 1/31 at #2 Warren Central 2) Warren Central (13-6) - 1/20 62-79 L at #1 Bowling Green, 1/21 61-45 W #5 South Warren, 1/24 70-63 OT W at #3 Greenwood Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/28 at #5 South Warren, 1/31 vs. #1 Bowling Green 3) Logan County (16-3) - 1/21 76-43 W #14 Warren East, 1/24 65-51 W at #7 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/28 vs. #6 Barren County, 1/31 at #17 Russellville, 2/1 vs. #9 Glasgow 4) Greenwood (12-9) - 1/21 54-51 W #7 Franklin-Simpson, 1/24 63-70 OT L #2 Warren Central, 1/25 52-76 L LaRue County (at John Hardin) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/28 at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/31 vs. #14 Warren East 5) South Warren (12-8) - 1/21 45-61 L at #2 Warren Central, 1/24 77-46 W at #12 Russell County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/28 vs. #2 Warren Central, 1/31 vs. Ohio County, 2/1 vs. #13 Monroe County 6) Barren County (13-6) - 1/20 47-45 W at #13 Monroe County, 1/21 63-61 W Ohio County, 1/24 57-45 W #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/25 77-50 W at #7 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/27 at Hart County, 1/28 at #3 Logan County, 1/31 vs. #9 Glasgow, 2/1 at #16 Todd County Central 7) Franklin-Simpson (9-10) - 1/21 51-54 L at #3 Greenwood, 1/24 51-65 L #4 Logan County, 1/25 50-77 L #6 Barren County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/28 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 1/31 vs. #16 Todd County Central 8) Clinton County (15-6) - 1/21 60-41 W #12 Russell County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/27 at Campbellsville, 1/31 at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/1 vs. Jackson County 9) Glasgow (9-9) - No games Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/28 vs. LaRue County, 1/31 at #6 Barren County, 2/1 at #3 Logan County 10) Metcalfe County (13-8) - 1/23 48-47 W Louisville Holy Cross (at Eastern Kentucky University), 1/24 55-67 L Murray Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/27 at #13 Monroe County, 1/31 vs. #15 Cumberland County 11) Allen County-Scottsville (9-9) - 1/24 45-57 L at #6 Barren County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/28 vs. #4 Greenwood, 1/31 vs. #8 Clinton County, 2/1 at #1 Bowling Green 12) Russell County (8-12) - 1/21 41-60 L at #8 Clinton County, 1/24 46-77 L #5 South Warren, 1/25 43-79 L at Pulaski County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/27 at #15 Cumberland County, 1/31 vs. Casey County 13) Monroe County (7-11) - 1/20 45-47 L #6 Barren County, 1/24 50-84 L Taylor County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/27 vs. #10 Metcalfe County, 1/31 vs. Adair County, 2/1 at #5 South Warren 14) Warren East (3-14) - 1/21 43-76 L at #5 Logan County, 1/24 41-70 L #1 Bowling Green, 1/25 59-50 W #15 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/31 at #4 Greenwood, 2/1 at Marshall County 15) Cumberland County (4-15) - 1/24 61-64 L Hart County, 1/25 50-59 L at #14 Warren East Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/27 vs. #12 Russell County, 1/28 at #16 Todd County Central, 1/31 at #10 Metcalfe County, 2/1 at McCreary Central 16) Todd County Central (4-14) - 1/21 65-62 W #16 Russellville Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/28 vs. #15 Cumberland County, 1/31 at #7 Franklin-Simpson, 2/1 vs. #6 Barren County 17) Russellville (5-11) - 1/21 62-65 L at #17 Todd County Central, 1/24 60-67 L at Edmonson County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/28 at Fort Campbell, 1/31 at #3 Logan County, 2/1 vs. Caverna (at Adair County) Notes -The early season struggles for Bowling Green seem a distant memory now. Even as recently as their matchup with Barren County on January 7th, there were signs of weakness. But the Purples are now the owners of a 14 game winning streak, third longest in the state. Since the Barren County game, they have not scored less than 64 points, and have won those six games by an average of 16.8 PPG. That includes their 79-62 win over Warren Central, which marked a season high for points, and kept them in control of their own destiny for the #1 seed in District 14. The Purples shot 65.9% from the field in that game, and were 17/23 from the foul line. It cemented their status as the top team in the region, at the very least until their rematch at Warren Central this Friday. If they win that rematch with Central, then they become a virtual lock for the top spot in the district. They'd need only beat South Warren and Warren East in their final two district games. They've never lost to South Warren, and they just finished polishing off their 51st straight victory over East, this week by a 70-41 score. -The Purples have now won 19 of 20 at home, encompassing the past two seasons. It is likely that the only hurdle they have between them and a perfect season at home is their matchup with John Hardin on February 7th. -For Warren Central, the loss to Bowling Green was a gut check, the second straight in blowout fashion after getting their heads handed to them by John Hardin. They found a way to a fairly easy win against South Warren on Tuesday despite having a short bench due to illness and injury, but the jewel of the week was a critical overtime victory over Greenwood by a 70-63 score. The Dragons trailed by 8 in the fourth quarter and by six with less than two minutes left. But after starting a ghastly 3/25 from three, they finally found the touch, going 4/5 in the final six minutes of basketball, and never trailed in overtime. They too control their own destiny in District 14, needing only to win out to take the top seed. Their schedule is slightly more difficult than Bowling Green, because in addition to playing the Purples, Central still has a mid-February return date with Greenwood, albeit both coming at home. -Greenwood is a hard luck loser out of the #3 spot, dropping to #4. By almost any measure, they should have won the game against Warren Central, which would have kept them in a stronger position for chasing the top spot. Greenwood repeatedly missed free throws as they tried to close the game out, missing six of their last seven attempts. Two of those misses came from an ill Noah Stansbury, who had missed only seven free throws all year entering the contest. The last three misses came with a 58-56 lead, and that margin allowed Dre Boyd to drive the lane and draw a foul, tying the game with two free throws. Ben Carroll missed a fadeaway 18 footer at the buzzer that would have given them the win, and the rest was history. Their game against LaRue County hardly factors, as they were missing three starters with the flu in the game. -Meanwhile, it is finally time to move Logan County up. The Cougars are 16-1 after starting the year 0-2, and are the last unbeaten team in games against 4th Region opponents. They have not scored less than 65 points since their last loss on December 21st, and after a 14 point win over Franklin-Simpson, they need only a single win against Russellville or Todd County Central to clinch the top seed, or a single loss by Todd County Central. In other words, they've clinched the top spot. The team remains remarkably balanced, with four players averaging in double figures, led by Anthony Woodard's 13.3 PPG. I've mentioned this previously, but I consider it a legitimate possibility that they don't lose another game before the postseason. Their only truly daunting matchups are home games against Glasgow and Greenwood, and a road trip to Ohio County on February 18th. -Barren County had a strong week, bringing home four wins, including two District 15 wins to move them to 4-1 in district play. That sets up this week's matchup with Glasgow at Barren County as a very, very big game. Glasgow remains 3-0 in district play, but would have to win against both Monroe County and Allen County-Scottsville should they falter against Barren County, while the Trojans would be in the clubhouse with a 5-1 record. It also means that Glasgow will clinch the top spot if they can win on Friday. Barren County has won six in a row since they failed to hold on to a double digit lead against Bowling Green on January 7th. -Clinton County finished off their 6-0 district record (not counting their All "A" loss), but they'd already clinched the 16th's top spot. This week may sort out the rest. Tomorrow, Russell County will travel to Cumberland County. Russell County sports a 1-3 district record, while Cumberland County is 2-2. If Cumberland County wins, they will assure themselves of no worse than the #3 seed, staying away from Clinton County. If Russell County wins, it means that either of the two teams plus Metcalfe County could end up anywhere from 2-4. Metcalfe County will join the action as they host Cumberland County on Friday. -There aren't quite as many top tier games this week as there were last week, but several of great importance. The games this week most likely to change rankings: 1/27 #12 Russell County at #15 Cumberland County, 1/31 #1 Bowling Green at #2 Warren Central, 1/31 #9 Glasgow at #6 Barren County, 1/31 #8 Clinton County at #11 Allen County-Scottsville.

1) Bowling Green (20-5) - 2/4 72-64 W at #5 South Warren, 2/7 51-66 L John Hardin Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/11 at Owensboro, 2/14 vs. #14 Warren East 2) Warren Central (19-6) - 2/3 56-35 W at Christian County, 2/5 79-38 W Hopkinsville, 2/7 82-35 W #14 Warren East, 2/8 67-64 W Lafayette Jefferson (IN) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/14 vs. #5 Greenwood 3) Logan County (21-3) - 2/4 79-56 W at McLean County, 2/8 81-45 W at #16 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/11 vs. #5 Greenwood, 2/15 vs. #10 Allen County-Scottsville 4) Barren County (17-8) - 2/4 74-69 W #4 Greenwood, 2/7 48-67 L Central Hardin Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/11 vs. #11 Russell County, 2/14 at #15 Cumberland County 5) Greenwood (15-11) - 2/4 69-74 L #6 Barren County, 2/7 65-60 W #5 South Warren, 2/8 61-68 L Bardstown (at Warren Central) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/11 at #3 Logan County, 2/14 at #2 Warren Central 6) South Warren (13-12) - 2/4 64-72 L #1 Bowling Green, 2/7 60-65 L at #4 Greenwood Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/11 at #14 Warren East, 2/13 vs. #8 Franklin-Simpson 7) Clinton County (18-6) - 2/8 66-44 W Breathitt County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/11 at McCreary Central, 2/14 at #12 Monroe County 8) Franklin-Simpson (11-12) - 2/4 55-56 L at #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/7 78-49 W #17 Russellville Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/10 at Butler County, 2/13 at #6 South Warren 9) Glasgow (10-12) - 2/4 63-61 W #12 Monroe County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/10 vs. #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/11 at #13 Metcalfe County, 2/14 at Caverna 10) Allen County-Scottsville (11-12) - 2/4 56-55 W #7 Franklin-Simpson, 2/7 66-56 W at #12 Monroe County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/10 at #9 Glasgow, 2/13 vs. Metcalfe County 11) Russell County (11-13) - 2/4 67-46 W #13 Metcalfe County, 2/7 60-64 L Breathitt County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/11 at #4 Barren County, 2/14 vs. Adair County, 2/15 vs. Jackson County 12) Monroe County (9-14) - 2/4 61-63 L at #9 Glasgow, 2/7 56-66 L #10 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/11 vs. #15 Cumberland County, 2/14 vs. #7 Clinton County 13) Metcalfe County (13-11) - 2/4 46-67 L at #11 Russell County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/11 vs. #9 Glasgow, 2/13 at #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/15 vs. #17 Russellville 14) Warren East (4-17) - 2/4 71-70 W at #17 Russellville, 2/7 35-82 L at #2 Warren Central Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/11 vs. #6 South Warren, 2/14 at #1 Bowling Green 15) Cumberland County (6-16) - No games Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/11 at #12 Monroe County, 2/14 vs. #4 Barren County 16) Todd County Central (5-18) - 2/4 47-41 W at Montgomery Central (TN), 2/8 45-81 L #3 Logan County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/14 at #17 Russellville 17) Russellville (6-15) - 2/4 70-71 L #14 Warren East, 2/7 49-78 L at #7 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/11 vs. Edmonson County, 2/14 vs. #16 Todd County Central, 2/15 at #13 Metcalfe County Notes -It was a bit more difficult for me to leave the status quo at the top two this week. Bowling Green and Warren Central now sport almost identical records (20-5 to 19-6). Both have similar losses to quality teams, with Bowling Green having three of their five losses to BGP top-20 teams and Warren Central having four of their six in the same category (one is BG themselves). Central has the worst loss (Glasgow), but now has the best win, that coming on Saturday against Lafayette Jefferson (IN), a team that is rated 11th in all of Indiana by MaxPreps and the Sagarin ratings. If both teams hold serve this week, then likely I will move Warren Central ahead next week. But let's see what Greenwood does with the Dragons. The two teams meet at Warren Central, where the Dragons have beaten them two straight years after losing three straight to them in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Those are the only three Gator wins at Warren Central in the past 20 years. -Speaking of that, a crowded scenario at the top of District 14 has played out. South Warren did their best to muddy the waters this week, rallying from 27 down against Bowling Green to draw within four with the ball before falling by eight, and then holding a four point lead at Greenwood late before allowing the Gators to score the final nine of the game to fall by five. We are left with Warren Central alone at the top with a 6-1 district record, and both Bowling Green and Greenwood at 5-2 apiece (in official standings). Bowling Green will meet Warren East at the end of the week, which, that's a win, let's just be honest. That means that if Greenwood were to win at Warren Central, all three teams would be 6-2 in the district, and we'd go to a three-way tiebreak, where any of the three teams could end up matched with one of the others in the 2/3 game. You'd hear the cheers of the region if Bowling Green and Warren Central were matched in the district semifinals. -Logan County keeps humming along, and they have extended their winning streak to 17 games, second only to Ashland's unbeaten record for longest streak in Kentucky. It's the longest win streak for Logan County in the Riherds scoreboard era (since 1998), and my guess is that it's their longest since they won the state title in 1984 - if it wasn't then, it's their longest ever. They completed their district slate at a perfect 6-0, and their 7 point win over Franklin-Simpson in December was their only district game that was even close. There is no team in the region as much a lock for the region tournament. In all likelihood, their matchup with #5 Greenwood on Tuesday and a road trip to Ohio County on February 18th are the only barriers to them taking this win streak into the postseason. -Barren County's week ended with a thud on Friday when they dropped a 19 point decision at Central Hardin, but prior to that, they had run off 10 wins in 11 games, with the lone loss coming at Logan County by a single point. They have quietly rounded into shape the last month, beginning with close calls with a healthier Glasgow and Bowling Green right before that 11 game stretch. The Trojans were 7-6 on January 8th, and now with a run through the 16th District coming up, look like they will enter the postseason with 20 wins at least. Aden Nyekan has pushed his average up to 16.8 PPG, and dropped 27 in a road win over Greenwood on Tuesday, going 13/22 from the field. The sophomore is one of the best of the best in the region. -Glasgow remains an intriguing team. They're still without Jaden Franklin, but Tucker Kirkpatrick has been back on the floor, helping the Scotties end their four game skid in staying alive for the top seed in the 15th District with a 63-61 win over Monroe County. They have seen their record dip under .500 thanks to a 2-5 stretch, but if they were to get fully healthy, they could be very dangerous. Nick Sorrell had 19 points in the win over Monroe County, right at his 19.1 PPG average for the season. -Allen County-Scottsville locked themselves into the 3 seed in the 15th District with a ten point win over Monroe County, pushing the Falcons to an 0-6 slate in-district for the season, and locking them into the 4 spot. AC/S can pull Glasgow into the 2/3 game with them by winning on the road on Monday. If the Scotties win, then there will be a coin flip for the 1 seed.

1) Bowling Green (14-3) - 1/14 66-46 W #5 South Warren Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/20 vs. #2 Warren Central, 1/21 vs. Christian County, 1/24 at #14 Warren East 2) Warren Central (11-5) - 1/16 83-59 W Knox Central (at Owensboro Sports Center), 1/18 47-85 L John Hardin (at Owensboro Sports Center) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/20 at #1 Bowling Green, 1/21 vs. #5 South Warren, 1/24 at #3 Greenwood 3) Greenwood (11-7) - 1/13 61-48 W Hopkinsville, 1/17 71-52 W at #14 Warren East Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/21 vs. #7 Franklin-Simpson, 1/24 vs. #2 Warren Central, 1/25 vs. LaRue County (at John Hardin) 4) Logan County (14-3) - 1/18 65-58 W Madison Southern (at Southwestern) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/21 vs. #14 Warren East, 1/24 at #7 Franklin-Simpson 5) South Warren (11-7) - 1/14 46-66 L at #1 Bowling Green, 1/17 57-50 W Christian County, 1/18 64-70 L at Hopkinsville Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/21 at #2 Warren Central, 1/24 at #12 Russell County 6) Barren County (9-6) - 1/14 72-40 W at #14 Warren East Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/20 at #13 Monroe County, 1/21 vs. Ohio County, 1/24 vs. #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/25 at #7 Franklin-Simpson 7) Franklin-Simpson (9-7) - 1/14 47-41 W #10 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/21 at #3 Greenwood, 1/24 vs. #4 Logan County, 1/25 vs. #6 Barren County 8) Clinton County (14-6) - 1/13 48-36 W #6 Glasgow, 1/16 50-52 L #13 Metcalfe County (at Cumberland County) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/21 vs. #12 Russell County 9) Glasgow (9-9) - 1/13 36-48 L at #8 Clinton County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: No games scheduled 10) Metcalfe County (12-7) - 1/13 83-64 W at #17 Todd County Central, 1/16 52-50 W #8 Clinton County (at Cumberland County), 1/17 51-38 W #12 Monroe County (at Cumberland County), 1/18 69-60 W Adair County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/23 vs. Louisville Holy Cross (at Eastern Kentucky University) 11) Allen County-Scottsville (9-8) - 1/14 41-47 L at #9 Franklin-Simpson, 1/17 66-38 W at Westmoreland (TN) Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/24 at #6 Barren County 12) Russell County (8-9) - 1/14 60-45 W McCreary Central Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/21 at #8 Clinton County, 1/24 vs. #5 South Warren, 1/25 at Pulaski County 13) Monroe County (7-9) - 1/13 51-48 W #16 Russellville, 1/16 76-69 W at #15 Cumberland County, 1/17 38-51 L #13 Metcalfe County (at Cumberland County) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/20 vs. #6 Barren County, 1/24 vs. Taylor County 14) Warren East (2-12) - 1/14 40-72 L #7 Barren County, 1/17 52-71 L #3 Greenwood Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/21 at #5 Logan County, 1/24 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 1/25 vs. #15 Cumberland County 15) Cumberland County (4-13) - 1/16 69-76 L #12 Monroe County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/24 vs. Hart County, 1/25 at #14 Warren East 16) Russellville (5-9) - 1/13 48-51 L at #12 Monroe County, 50-48 W Whitesville Trinity Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/21 at #17 Todd County Central, 1/24 at Edmonson County 17) Todd County Central (3-14) - 1/13 64-83 L #13 Metcalfe County, 66-47 W Friendship Christian (TN) Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/21 vs. #16 Russellville, 1/23 vs. Jo Byrns (TN) Notes -Bowling Green has now won 11 straight overall, which allowed them to move to the top of the region ranks a couple of weeks ago and keeps them marching up the BGP rankings. That's their longest winning streak since they won 29 in a row during their state title run in the 2016/17 season. It's the longest winning streak of the Derrick Clubb era. -Speaking of Bowling Green streaks, their 20 point win over South Warren moves them to 24-0 all-time against the Spartans. There is some hope for the Spartans, who dropped their first matchup by 35 a season ago before closing to 4 and 6 in their latter two matchups. It's the 11th time out of the 24 matchups that Bowling Green won by 20 or more. -Bowling Green will look to add to their other incredible winning streak this Friday - that being the 50 straight wins they have over Warren East. I understand the Raiders have had hard times over the years, but honestly, that might be the most impressive streak I've ever encountered. I've mentioned this before, but it becomes even more impressive when you consider that Warren East led the series by a 41-35 margin when the streak began. Bowling Green has now won more games in a row over East than East has ever won against them period. -Warren Central experienced a "best of times, worst of times" trip through the 2A Classic in Owensboro. On Thursday, the Dragons were nearly flawless, so long as you exclude their inexplicable third quarter where they blew a 14 point lead. Warren Central was 16/31 from three in that game, winning the rebound battle by 13 rebounds, and winning the 1st, 2nd, and 4th quarters by a combined 38 points. On Saturday against #1 John Hardin, they hit 16 shots again. That's shots, not threes - 16 shots total as they suffered their worst loss in nine years and put up their season low score of 47. They are a better team than they showed that day, but John Hardin absolutely reaved their souls in that game. -Warren Central has to refocus fast, as I do not think it is an exaggeration to call this their most important week of the year. This week they take on Bowling Green, South Warren, and Greenwood - their three primary rivals in the 14th District. The Bowling Green and Greenwood games are on the road. The Dragons cannot afford to let the John Hardin game hang in their minds. A 3-0 trip through the week with the two big rivals coming to Central later on would set them up nicely for the #1 seed in the postseason. 0-3 would be disastrous, putting them at risk at sinking to the 4/5 game. They split with all three teams a season ago. Central has won the first matchup of the year with Bowling Green in each of the last two seasons, but have won only once in their last five games against the Purples at Bowling Green. -Moving beyond the top two teams, most of the rest of the top ten was fairly static. Glasgow took a hit as they fell to Clinton County 48-36, and posted their lowest score since falling 94-32 to the state champion Bowling Green team in 2016/17. Landon Frasier did return to score two in this matchup, but Jaden Franklin and Tucker Kirkpatrick remained out of the boxscore. Nick Sorrell had his worst game of the year, going just 1/7 from the field and posting only seven points. It's just hard to keep them ranked higher when there's so much uncertainty about their personnel. If they get healthy for a stretch run, the record really won't matter, but honestly, it feels almost like a cursed season. -Metcalfe County surges back into the top 10 thanks to their run to the All "A" region title, surpassing last season's 11 win total in the process to grab their most wins since the 2010/11 season. They won the All "A" region title that season too. Incredibly, they are 0-4 in their official district standings thanks to increasingly stunning losses to Cumberland County and Russell County, and they were swept by Clinton County. No matter, they grabbed some revenge on Clinton County with a 52-50 win in the All "A" semifinals. That 2010/11 team was their last winning season, and the Hornets appear increasingly likely to refresh that. That team won 16 games, and Metcalfe County looks to have a very good shot of getting past that win total - their previous high above that was 21 games in the 07/08 season. -The 16th District tournament will be one to watch this year. Clinton County has clinched the #1 seed, but their six games against district opponents have now been decided by a combined average of 5.5 PPG. And that includes a 13 point win over Cumberland County - remove that and the other five games were decided by an average of 4 PPG. A lot to shake out in the 2-4 positions there, but a lot can happen. -Logan County and Franklin-Simpson tangle this Friday. Logan County is still unbeaten in region play, but will make the trip to Franklin for a game that will basically clinch them the #1 seed. In actuality, they could lose it based on tiebreakers if either Todd County Central or Russellville were to win out in the district and Logan County were to lose their remaining games after Franklin (one each against Todd County Central and Russellville), but come on, that's not going to happen. If Franklin-Simpson were to deal the Cougars the loss, then it is likely those two will come down to a coin flip for the top spot at the end of the year. -Glasgow still leads District 15 with a 3-0 record, and thankfully for them, they still have another 12 days before they have their next district contest, the crucial road game against Barren County. If all goes as planned for the Trojans, they will enter that game at 4-1 in district play, and looking to clinch at least a tie for the top spot. -Games this week most likely to affect the region rankings - 1/20 #2 Warren Central at #1 Bowling Green, 1/21 #7 Franklin-Simpson at #3 Greenwood, 1/21 #5 South Warren at #2 Warren Central, 1/24 #4 Logan County at #7 Franklin-Simpson, 1/24 #2 Warren Central at #3 Greenwood, 1/25 #6 Barren County at #7 Franklin-Simpson. In other words, you can scarcely go wrong with a Franklin-Simpson or Warren Central game this week.

1) Bowling Green (19-4) - 1/28 84-57 W at #7 Franklin-Simpson, 1/31 55-61 L at #2 Warren Central, 2/1 79-65 W #11 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/4 at #5 South Warren, 2/7 vs. John Hardin 2) Warren Central (15-6) - 1/28 79-74 W at #5 South Warren, 1/31 61-55 W #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/3 at Christian County, 2/5 vs. Hopkinsville, 2/7 vs. #14 Warren East, 2/8 vs. Lafayette Jefferson (IN) 3) Logan County (19-3) - 1/28 50-49 W #6 Barren County, 1/31 82-54 W at #17 Russellville, 2/1 72-61 W #9 Glasgow Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/4 at McLean County, 2/7 at #16 Todd County Central, 2/8 vs. #11 Russell County 4) Greenwood (14-9) - 1/28 72-68 W at #11 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/31 67-54 W #14 Warren East Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/4 vs. #6 Barren County, 2/7 vs. #5 South Warren, 2/8 vs. Bardstown (at Warren Central) 5) South Warren (13-10) - 1/28 74-79 L #2 Warren Central, 1/31 69-72 L Ohio County, 2/1 76-51 W #13 Monroe County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/4 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 2/7 at #4 Greenwood 6) Barren County (16-7) - 1/27 73-58 W at Hart County, 1/28 49-50 L at #3 Logan County, 1/31 80-63 W #9 Glasgow, 2/1 73-49 W at #16 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/27 at Hart County, 1/28 at #3 Logan County, 1/31 vs. #9 Glasgow, 2/1 at #16 Todd County Central 7) Franklin-Simpson (10-11) - 1/28 57-84 L #1 Bowling Green, 1/31 63-39 W #16 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/4 at #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/7 vs. #17 Russellville 8) Clinton County (17-6) - 1/27 56-44 W at Campbellsville, 1/31 59-56 W at #11 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/7 vs. Madison Southern, 2/8 vs. Breathitt County 9) Glasgow (9-12) - 1/28 39-62 L LaRue County, 1/31 63-80 L at #6 Barren County, 2/1 61-72 L at #3 Logan County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/4 vs. #12 Monroe County 10) Allen County-Scottsville (9-12) - 1/28 68-72 L #4 Greenwood, 1/31 56-59 L #8 Clinton County, 2/1 65-79 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/4 vs. #7 Franklin-Simpson, 2/7 at #12 Monroe County 11) Russell County (10-12) - 1/27 56-46 W at #15 Cumberland County, 1/31 78-56 W Casey County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/4 vs. #13 Metcalfe County, 2/7 vs. Breathitt County, 2/8 at #3 Logan County 12) Monroe County (9-12) - 1/27 67-62 OT W #10 Metcalfe County, 1/31 70-61 W Adair County, 2/1 51-76 L at #5 South Warren Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/4 at #9 Glasgow, 2/7 vs. #10 Allen County-Scottsville 13) Metcalfe County (13-10) - 1/27 62-67 OT L at #13 Monroe County, 1/31 51-79 L #15 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/4 at #11 Russell County, 2/7 at Casey County 14) Warren East (3-16) - 1/31 54-67 L at #4 Greenwood, 2/1 36-70 L at Marshall County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/4 at #17 Russellville, 2/7 at #2 Warren Central 15) Cumberland County (6-16) - 1/27 46-56 L #12 Russell County, 1/28 63-60 W at #16 Todd County Central, 1/31 79-51 W at #10 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/6 vs. Caverna 16) Todd County Central (4-17) - 1/28 60-63 L #15 Cumberland County, 1/31 39-63 L at #7 Franklin-Simpson, 2/1 49-73 L #6 Barren County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/4 at Montgomery Central (TN), 2/7 vs. #3 Logan County 17) Russellville (6-13) - 1/28 58-53 W at Fort Campbell, 1/31 54-82 L at #3 Logan County, 2/1 48-58 L Caverna (at Adair County) Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/4 vs. #14 Warren East, 2/7 at #7 Franklin-Simpson Notes -It was right around the time that Bowling Green was finishing their 12-0 run to take their largest lead of the game against Warren Central in the first half that I made my decision that even if the Dragons came back, I was keeping Bowling Green as the top team in the rankings. It was the end of a 15 game win streak, but Bowling Green remains the team with the more impressive resume and the more impressive win in the two games between the two. The first half took a bit different route to Bowling Green getting a big run (threes), but at halftime, the game was eerily similar to how the first one played out. They couldn't hold the win, but it was impressive enough to keep them at the top. -That being said, that was a critical win for Warren Central. They needed the confidence boost, because at halftime, it sure was beginning to feel like they just simply weren't on the same level as Bowling Green. Few teams are, the way Bowling Green shot early. Bowling Green is a team that wants to get to the rim and finish in close. That has been their identity for years. IMO the goal in any game is to make them beat you from the outside. Well, they shot 4/5 from three in the first quarter and 6/11 for the first half - they were beating them from the outside. When you saw that they were only 5/14 from inside the arc (they shot 75% inside the first game), then you start to get a picture of how things might go wrong. Sure enough, they were just 1/5 from three in the second half, and while the percentage improved from two (6/14), it wasn't enough. It was a better defensive effort for Central this time, and Bowling Green was held to only seven points in the fourth quarter. Dre Boyd had a performance for the ages in the third quarter, dropping twenty points to close the deficit for Central. The Kobe Brents' three were the only points in the quarter for the Dragons that didn't come from Boyd. -The fallout from the game means that Warren Central has the inside track to the outright #1 in the district. All they have to do is beat Warren East and Greenwood to clinch. If they were to lose to Greenwood, depending on how the other games played out, it may be a three way tie at the top between those two and Bowling Green. -With Bowling Green's loss, the best record in the region and the longest winning streak belongs to Logan County. The Cougars have won 15 in a row, and only a ten point loss to Eastern has set them back in their last twenty games. Their 19-3 record is the best overall in the region, and they remain the only unbeaten team in region play, moving to 11-0 with three region wins during the week. Their 50-49 win over Barren County to open the week was a close shave, but made impressive when you understand that the team is without junior Rooster Woodard, one of the region's top players and their leading scorer and rebounder prior to suffering an injury. Nyekan missed a shot at the buzzer that would have given the Trojans the win, but Logan County survived. -The 16th District continues to be inexplicable, as Cumberland County dropped the house on Metcalfe County, winning by a 79-51 margin in a game that set the postseason pairings in the district in stone. Despite having the second best overall record in the district and winning the region's All "A" Classic tournament, Metcalfe County is officially 0-5 in the district and locked into the 4 seed. They will take on top seed Clinton County, who had a perfect 6-0 record in the official standings this season, but did fall to that same Metcalfe County team in the All "A". Russell County and Cumberland County will meet, having split their regular season matchups. -Logan County's win over Russellville made their #1 seed in the postseason official, while Franklin-Simpson locked into the 2 seed. Todd County Central needs a win and a Russellville loss to clinch the 3 seed. They play Logan County on the 7th while Russellville plays Franklin-Simpson that same night, while the two teams then meet on the 14th. -Barren County's 17 point win over hobbled Glasgow finished their district slate at 5-1, clinching at least a tie for the district's top spot. Glasgow is 3-1, and must beat both Monroe County on the 4th and Allen County-Scottsville on the 10th to prevent Barren County from getting the top spot outright. A win in either of those games will clinch at least the 2 seed for Glasgow. The Scotties remain without Jaden Franklin, who has been out for weeks now. Franklin is the team's second leading scorer and leading rebounder. The Scotties have lost all three games in his absence, as part of a four game losing streak. No word has been given on his long-term prognosis.

1) Warren Central (6-2) - 12/27 90-52 W Lewis County (at Ashland), 12/28 55-59 L at Ashland, 12/29 62-51 W Boyd County (at Ashland) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/2 vs. Bullitt East (at South Oldham), 1/3 at South Oldham, 1/4 vs. Spencer County (at South Oldham) 2) Bowling Green (7-3) - 12/26 68-42 W North Hardin, 12/27 55-46 W Station Camp (TN), 12/28 58-53 W #2 Greenwood Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/2 vs. Spencer County (at South Oldham), 1/3 vs. Bullitt East (at South Oldham), 1/4 vs. Holmes (at South Oldham) 3) Greenwood (7-5) - 12/23 44-46 L at #11 Franklin-Simpson, 12/26 55-53 W #4 Glasgow (at Bowling Green), 12/27 59-40 W #6 South Warren (at Bowling Green), 12/28 53-58 L at #3 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/3 vs. Harvest Prep (OH) (at Holy Cross), 1/4 vs. Cardinal Stritch (OH) (at Holy Cross) 4) Glasgow (6-7) - 12/26 53-55 L #2 Greenwood (at Bowling Green), 12/27 67-49 W North Hardin (at Bowling Green), 12/28 58-48 W #11 Franklin-Simpson (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/3 vs. #7 Barren County 5) Logan County (9-3) - 12/27 68-38 W Daviess County, 12/28 66-54 W #8 Clinton County, 12/29 80-74 W Great Crossing Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/3 vs. #15 Todd County Central 6) South Warren (8-3) - 12/26 73-70 W Owensboro (at Bowling Green), 12/27 40-59 L #2 Greenwood (at Bowling Green), 12/28 51-49 W Station Camp (TN) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/3 vs. TBA (at Graves County), 1/4 vs. TBA (at Graves County) 7) Barren County (7-4) - 12/27 61-67 OT L Bell County (at South Laurel), 12/28 59-66 OT L Roger Bacon (OH), 12/29 74-51 W #9 Russell County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/3 at #4 Glasgow 8) Clinton County (9-5) - 12/27 46-38 W Grayson County (at Logan County), 12/28 54-66 L at #5 Logan County, 12/29 57-59 L Louisville Collegiate (at Logan County) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/3 at #17 Cumberland County, 1/4 at Pickett County (TN) 9) Allen County-Scottsville (6-5) - 12/23 74-58 W at #16 Warren East, 12/27 60-68 L at Hancock County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/30 at Bullitt Central 10) Franklin-Simpson (4-6) - 12/23 46-44 W #2 Greenwood, 12/26 45-47 L Station Camp (TN) (at Bowling Green), 12/27 73-71 W Owensboro (at Bowling Green), 12/28 48-58 L #4 Glasgow (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/3 at #14 Russellville, 1/4 vs. Muhlenberg County 11) Russell County (5-6) - 12/27 43-52 L Owen County (at South Laurel), 12/28 58-63 L Lynn Camp (at South Laurel), 12/29 51-74 L #7 Barren County (at South Laurel) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/3 at #13 Monroe County, 1/4 vs. Buckhorn (at South Laurel) 12) Metcalfe County (7-5) - 12/26 78-89 L Breathitt County (at Williamstown), 12/27 78-61 W Burgin (at Williamstown), 12/28 67-62 W Whitesville Trinity (at Williamstown) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/4 vs. Butler County 13) Monroe County (3-7) - No games scheduled Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/3 vs. #11 Russell County 14) Russellville (4-4) - 12/27 74-69 W Beth Haven, 12/27 49-59 L Carlisle County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/3 vs. #10 Franklin-Simpson 15) Todd County Central (2-9) - 12/27 46-77 L at Ohio County, 12/27 50-70 L Henderson County (at Ohio County), 12/28 41-68 L Edmonson County (at Ohio County) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/3 at #5 Logan County 16) Warren East (1-9) - 12/23 58-74 L #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/28 59-65 L Meade County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: No games scheduled 17) Cumberland County (3-9) - 12/23 90-53 W Caverna (at Warren East), 12/27 65-67 L Green County (at Russellville), 60-72 L Murray (at Russellville), 12/28 93-80 W Beth Haven (at Russellville) Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/3 vs. #8 Clinton County Notes -The craziness that has plagued this region so far this year mostly took a hiatus this week - primarily because the majority of region teams played out of region teams and/or the ones that did play other region teams went as expected. The enigma that is Greenwood was the lone exception. The very day I released my last rankings, they fell to Franklin-Simpson. That would be the 4-6 Wildcats who were outside of the top ten at the time. They followed that by winning a razor-thin game against Glasgow, pummeling South Warren again, and then losing to Bowling Green on the road - where they haven't won in a decade and play again in 11 days. The Gators are 3-1 in play against Bowling Green and Glasgow. They're 5-1 against the top 6 teams. They're 1-3 against the region teams below that point. It's honestly baffling. -Perhaps one insight into why Greenwood has so much variance is that they have won several games on the back of their defense. They are holding opponents to 56.75 PPG, but are scoring just 60.58 PPG themselves. They haven't topped 60 points in their last five games, and have gone over 63 just once in their last 10 games. It's not an easy task to win games when you score so low. -Bowling Green still had their shaky moments, but the win over Greenwood was a needed boost, and won them their home tournament in the process. They still may fall to Greenwood again when they meet on the 10th, but falling to them twice in the matter of 11 days when they hadn't lost to them in years would have been a psychological blow. The Purples managed to overcome 12/23 shooting from three by Greenwood by doing what they do best - get inside. The Purples were 15/29 in the paint, and made enough from three (5/13) to do enough to open everything up. Bowling Green used only a nine man rotation in that game, perhaps a sign of things to come - keeping their studs on the floor for longer stretches. -Logan County has kept on trucking along, winning their fifth straight game in taking their Christmas tournament title. The Cougars are one of only two unbeaten teams in region play (Russellville has yet to play one), and appear to be the a solid front runner in the 13th. Logan County is tied with Clinton County for the most wins overall in the region (in two less games) and is averaging a 13.16 margin of victory. What players are leading them in scoring is a mystery - they barely ever report stats. Yes, it upsets me. -South Warren had better hope it's just a mental block that is getting them against Greenwood. They're out to one of their best records in years - they're five games over .500 for the first time since their first season in 2010/11 - but they have lost to Greenwood by an average of 20 PPG in their two matchups. Considering they've never beaten Bowling Green and they have only defeated Warren Central once in the history of the program, that's not a positive sign for their region aspirations. We're still two weeks from finding out how they do against Bowling Green. -This week features the first of two monster games in the 15th district between rivals Glasgow and Barren County. The first matchup is at Glasgow this Friday. Last season, their games were decided by five, two, and five points, with the last one going to overtime. It's always a must watch. -The rest of the region is light in marquee games this week, though Warren Central and Bowling Green both travel to South Oldham to take part in the South Oldham Classic. Bowling Green will meet solid teams in Spencer County and Bullitt East, while Warren Central will face the same pair while also taking on host South Warren. These are great benchmarks for the two.

ICYMI - Check out the All-2010s 4th Region Team here: http://bluegrasspreps.com/ky-boys-basketball/4th-region-all-386018.html 1) Bowling Green (13-3) - 1/7 47-44 W #7 Barren County, 1/10 71-63 W #3 Greenwood, 1/11 68-55 W at Muhlenberg County Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/14 vs. #5 South Warren 2) Warren Central (10-4) - 1/6 84-62 W #9 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/9 83-39 W at #16 Warren East, 1/11 58-46 W at #10 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/16 vs. Knox Central (at Owensboro Sports Center) 3) Greenwood (9-7) - 1/7 84-47 W at #15 Todd County Central, 1/10 63-71 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/13 vs. Hopkinsville, 1/17 at #14 Warren East 4) Logan County (13-3) - 1/7 72-47 W at Daviess County, 1/10 72-37 W #14 Russellville, 1/11 74-57 W Madison Central (at Russell County) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/18 vs. Madison Southern (at Southwestern) 5) South Warren (10-5) - 1/10 72-61 W #4 Glasgow Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/14 at #1 Bowling Green, 1/17 vs. Christian County, 1/18 at Hopkinsville 6) Glasgow (9-8) - 1/7 61-42 W at #9 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/10 61-72 L at #6 South Warren, 1/11 56-37 W #15 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/13 at #8 Clinton County 7) Barren County (8-6) - 1/7 44-47 L at #1 Bowling Green, 1/10 68-34 W Adair County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/14 at #14 Warren East 8) Clinton County (13-5) - 1/7 49-45 W at #11 Russell County, 1/10 62-56 W #13 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/13 vs. #6 Glasgow 9) Franklin-Simpson (8-7) - 1/7 74-63 W at Hart County, 1/10 55-42 W at #15 Todd County Central, 1/11 46-58 L #2 Warren Central Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/14 vs. #10 Allen County-Scottsville 10) Allen County-Scottsville (8-7) - 1/6 62-84 L at #2 Warren Central, 1/7 42-61 L #4 Glasgow, 1/10 67-52 W #12 Monroe County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/14 at #9 Franklin-Simpson, 1/17 at Westmoreland (TN) 11) Russell County (7-9) - 1/7 45-49 L #8 Clinton County, 1/10 52-59 L #17 Cumberland County, 1/11 66-52 W Daviess County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/14 vs. McCreary Central 12) Monroe County (5-8) - 1/7 75-74 OT W at #17 Cumberland County, 1/10 52-67 L at #9 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/13 vs. #16 Russellville 13) Metcalfe County (8-7) - 1/7 51-40 W Green County, 1/10 56-62 L at #8 Clinton County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/13 at #17 Todd County Central 14) Warren East (2-10) - 1/6 73-69 W at #17 Cumberland County, 1/9 39-83 L #2 Warren Central Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/14 vs. #7 Barren County, 1/17 vs. #3 Greenwood 15) Cumberland County (4-12) - 1/6 69-73 L #16 Warren East, 1/7 74-75 OT L #12 Monroe County, 1/10 59-52 W #11 Russell County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/16 vs. TBA 16) Russellville (4-8) - 1/7 64-73 L Caverna, 1/10 37-72 L at #5 Logan County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/13 at #12 Monroe County 17) Todd County Central (2-13) - 1/7 47-84 L #3 Greenwood, 1/10 42-55 L #10 Franklin-Simpson, 1/11 37-56 L at #4 Glasgow Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/13 vs. #13 Metcalfe County Notes -Bowling Green picked up their eighth, ninth, and tenth consecutive wins this week, though none were all that easily come by. Against Barren County to open the week, the Purples fell behind by 12 points in the third quarter, but managed to close that entire gap and take the lead by quarter's end, and survived a potential game-tying three pointer in the waning seconds of a 47-44 win. Against Greenwood it was the opposite - the Purples were dominant in the first half, and held a 20 point lead in the third. Greenwood managed to whittle that all the way down to two points in the final minute as they eschewed their three point attack and went straight at the rim. Isaiah Mason rescued the Purples with an and-1 to restore a five point lead, and Bowling Green held on for their 14th consecutive home win over Greenwood, and second in two weeks. Finally, Bowling Green had a tough time shaking Muhlenberg County all night, but closed the game on a 13-2 run in the final four minutes for a 68-55 win. They have another big district game this week, taking on South Warren - who they have never lost to in 23 meetings. -Warren Central took the 2A Sectional crown this week, advancing with a 22 point win at home over Allen County-Scottsville, and holding off Franklin-Simpson in their second game at Franklin-Simpson this year in a 12 point result on Saturday. The latter game was of particular interest as the Wildcats gave Central trouble with their full court press, just as they did in their first game. Kobe Brents missed all of his three point attempts and Central was merely 4/16 from the perimeter in the game. Dre Boyd was hampered by foul trouble, going to the bench at the 6:22 mark of the second quarter with two fouls, and picking up his third on a charge just five seconds after re-entering just over four minutes later. And yet, the Dragons survived, and Boyd still managed his fifth straight 20+ point effort by dropping 23, playing the entire second half without a foul. They take on Knox Central in the 2A state quarterfinals on Thursday, and if they advance from there, likely will meet undefeated John Hardin in the semifinals. -Logan County has now won nine straight games, and has been lighting up the scoreboard, with five straight games over 70 points. The Cougars are doing it with balance, as five players average between 9.4 and 12.8 PPG. They're shooting over 60% from two, and are a bit of a throwback in the modern era, with a higher concentration of shots inside than outside (64:36 ratio). -Glasgow's poor injury luck caught them again. Tucker Kirkpatrick returned from a knee injury last week, but exited their loss against South Warren with a reaggravation of the injury. It was already tough to know exactly how much he'd play, and it remains to be seen what the impact of this is moving forward. Worse, starters Jaden Franklin and Landon Frasier exited and sat the entire second half. Franklin had knee soreness, while Frasier suffered a thumb injury. Those injuries, and uncertainty about the future, is a major factor in Glasgow dropping to sixth in the rankings. -The 16th District race has been an intriguing one to watch. Clinton County has already wrapped up the top seed in the district tournament, with a 5-0 district record just six weeks into the year. However, four of those five wins came by a combined 18 points, with every team in the district coming within four of a win once. That's a dangerous cocktail for that 1/4 game in the postseason. Every other seed in the district is up for grabs. Metcalfe County is 0-4, but has a game against both Russell County and Cumberland County remaining. Cumberland County is 2-2 with games against Metcalfe County and Russell County remaining, while Russell County is 1-2 with one game remaining against all district opponents. It's not inconceivable we could see a three-way tie for second place. The 2/3 game is probably most important to Cumberland County, which has not advanced to a region tournament in 11 years - their only appearance since 1999. -The All "A" Classic tournament gets going this week. With Glasgow's injury concerns, it is perhaps fair to consider them and Clinton County co-favorites. One of those teams will be gone after Monday, as they meet at Clinton County in round one. Glasgow is returning to the field for the first time since 2016, when they won the tournament. Clinton County has won the last two editions. Whichever teams survives that, they will be the only team in our top ten remaining in the field.

A bit late to the party on the decade retrospectives with this, but better late than never! The 2010s were pretty good to the 4th Region, especially the back half. The region produced five state semifinalists, two state runners-up, and the state champions in 2016/17 when Bowling Green brought home the hardware. There was plenty of talent to come through the region, especially in that same 2016/17 year. Some members of the first team were no-brainers, but there were some tough choices to be made. A note - consideration for this team was judged solely on the time the player spent in the region. I note that in particular because Zion Harmon is not on this list. There is no doubt that he is one of the most talented players to play in this region in the past quarter decade, if not THE most talented. But his 8th grade year was the sole year spent playing in the region, and is the only year considered for this, which is not enough. I also was not a slave to the traditional position format, but loading up a team with too many forwards or guards was a bit of a tiebreaker in one case. With that said, the list: First Team Chane Behanan, F, Bowling Green - Player of the Decade Behanan is an obvious choice for this list and player of the decade. An imposing, physical player, Behanan could also shoot from range. Behanan was named a McDonald's All-American in his senior season, as well as being named to the Parade Magazine All-American second team. He was rated as a top 30 player nationally his senior year, and was twice selected as first team all-state by the Courier-Journal, Herald-Leader, and AP, as well as an all-region first team selection in each year. The only thing he didn't get was a region crown, but I will make the argument that BG may not have even been truly competitive with Warren Central in those years if not for Behanan, and he led them to the 2010 district title. Behanan went on to play two years for Louisville, where he won a national title (despite what the NCAA would have you believe). George Fant, F, Warren Central The other half of the legendary matchup in 2009-10 and 2010-11, Fant emerged as the third leading scorer in the history of Warren Central, and led the team to two region titles and a state quarterfinal finish his junior season. I've always made the argument that while Behanan gained more accolades than Fant, that it was beneficial to have Behanan in the region for George - it pushed him to greater heights. Fant was nationally rated as a top 150 player by Rivals.com his senior season, as well as being named to the first team all-state by the Courier-Journal, Herald-Leader, and AP that year. He was a second team selection his junior year. Fant was all-region first team in his last two seasons, and was a Kentucky All-Star in 2011. Fant was such a natural athlete that he managed to transform his body to ultimately play pro football as an offensive tackle despite not playing a down from 8th grade until his fifth year of college, and that's where he is today. That followed a highly successful career at WKU on the hardwood. Terry Taylor, F, Bowling Green The second Purple on the first team got something Behanan didn't - a region title. In fact, he got four of them, and capped those with a state title in his final game of his high school career. Taylor was named the Sweet 16 MVP for the 2017 tournament, and was a Sweet 16 All-Tournament Team selection his final three seasons. He was named to the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader's first team all-state his senior year and second team all-state his junior season. Taylor was an all-region first team selection his junior and senior seasons, and was named to the third team his sophomore year. Taylor was a scoring and rebounding monster, finishing his career with 1,704 points and 1,130 rebounds. A true nightmare to match up with, his length was tough to defend inside, but he could also shoot the three. Those four region champion teams were very talented, but they don't all happen without Taylor's ability - maybe none of them. Taylor has risen to become the star of the OVC conference at Austin Peay (aside from some Morant guy), and appears to be well on his way to POY honors in the conference. Tavin Lovan, G, Franklin-Simpson Lovan was one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the region, and ultimately finished as the career leading scorer at Franklin-Simpson - a program that has been around for 75 years and has competed at very high levels for most of them. He did that despite missing the majority of his sophomore year, when he still led his team in scoring with 26 PPG and 260 points in just ten games. He averaged 26.3 PPG as both his junior and senior seasons. Lovan was named 4th Region POY his senior season, and was named to the all-region first team in each of his last three years, in addition to being a second team selection his freshman year. He was the only player in the decade to be named to the all-region teams in all four years of high school. He was named to the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader's all-state first teams his senior year, the second team for the Courier his junior year, and the second team for the Herald-Leader that same year. His senior year, the Wildcats lost only seven times - three were to eventual state champion Bowling Green, and two others were in the prestigious King of the Bluegrass tournament. Lovan is currently at UAB, where he seems to relish making WKU pay for seemingly ignoring him in their recruiting efforts. Jackson Harlan, G, Clinton County Harlan finished his prep career with 2,128 points, good enough for second all-time at Clinton County. He averaged 23.9 PPG his senior season, and earned his way onto both the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader's all-state 1st teams for the 2018-19 season while taking home player of the year honors for the 4th Region. Harlan was also named to the Herald-Leader's all-state third team for his junior season. Jackson was twice named to the all-region first team (in his junior and senior seasons), and was named to the third team in his sophomore year. He was also selected to the Kentucky All-Star team for 2019. The Bulldogs advanced to the region semifinals in two of his final three seasons, playing at Diddle Arena, where he is currently playing for WKU. Second Team DeAndre "Pedro" Bradshaw, F, Russellville Bradshaw was a phenomenal ball-handler for a player of his length, and was a star for Russellville. He finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer (1,938 points) and rebounder (1,169 rebounds). He was named to the all-state 1st team for both the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader his senior season, and was a Kentucky All-Star in 2017. He was also named to the all-region first team twice, and the second team once. He had the misfortune of being a star in a class filled with stars in the region, though he did lead the Panthers to a region final in his senior year, their first in 16 years. Skyelar Potter, F, Warren Central The region POY his senior season, Potter led the Dragons to their first region title in five years and the most wins in the history of the program. Skyelar averaged 23 PPG as a senior, and finished as the program's fifth leading career scorer. Potter was twice named to the all-region first team, and was a member of the Sweet 16 All-Tournament team in 2017-18. He was also a second team all-state selection by the Courier-Journal, and a third team all-state selection by the Herald-Leader, in addition to being named to the Kentucky All-Star team in 2018. Tyler Robertson, G, Russell County Robertson scored over 2,000 points in his prep career, and led his Laker squad to the region finals in 2013, their only appearance in the finals as a member of the 4th Region. Tyler was twice an all-region first team selection, and was named the region's player of the year in his senior year. He was selected to the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader's all-state second teams for the 2012-13 season. Keifer Dalton, G, Clinton County Dalton is the all-time leading scorer at Clinton County, with 2,158 points in his prep career. He also finished as the school's career leader in assists and steals. Keifer was named the region's player of the year in his junior season - a rare honor for a junior - and was twice an all-region first team selection, and once a second team selection. Dillon Geralds, G, Monroe County Geralds was twice named as an all-region first team selection, in 2013-14 and 2014-15. In his senior season, he was named the player of the year for the region while averaging 17 PPG - that was actually down from 19.5 PPG as a junior. His Falcon squad advanced to the region semifinals in each of his junior and senior seasons, providing just the third and fourth region tournament victories for the program.

1) Bowling Green (10-3) - 1/2 65-59 W Spencer County (at South Oldham), 1/3 67-44 W Bullitt East (at South Oldham), 1/4 75-66 W Holmes (at South Oldham) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/7 vs. #7 Barren County, 1/10 vs. #3 Greenwood, 1/11 at Muhlenberg County 2) Warren Central (7-4) - 1/2 64-50 W Bullitt East (at South Oldham), 1/3 68-72 L at South Oldham, 1/4 70-71 OT L Spencer County (at South Oldham) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/6 vs. #9 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/9 at #16 Warren East, 1/11 at #7 Barren County 3) Greenwood (8-6) - 1/3 57-64 L Harvest Prep (OH) (at Holy Cross), 1/4 73-68 OT W Cardinal Stritch (OH) (at Holy Cross) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/7 at #15 Todd County Central, 1/10 at #1 Bowling Green 4) Glasgow (7-7) - 1/3 52-47 W #7 Barren County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/7 at #9 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/10 at #6 South Warren, 1/11 vs. #15 Todd County Central 5) Logan County (10-3) - 1/3 75-42 W #15 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/7 at Daviess County, 1/10 vs. #14 Russellville, 1/11 vs. Shelby County (at Russell County) 6) South Warren (9-5) - 1/3 57-65 L Beech (TN) (at Graves County), 1/3 41-59 L at Graves County, 1/4 68-60 W Calloway County (at Graves County) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/10 vs. #4 Glasgow 7) Barren County (7-5) - 1/3 47-52 L at #4 Glasgow Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/7 at #1 Bowling Green, 1/10 vs. Adair County, 1/11 vs. #2 Warren Central 8) Clinton County (11-5) - 1/3 57-53 W at #17 Cumberland County, 1/4 48-34 W at Pickett County (TN) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/7 at #11 Russell County, 1/10 vs. #13 Metcalfe County 9) Allen County-Scottsville (7-5) - 12/30 65-60 W at Bullitt Central Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/6 at #2 Warren Central, 1/7 vs. #4 Glasgow, 1/10 vs. #12 Monroe County 10) Franklin-Simpson (6-6) - 1/3 75-44 W at #14 Russellville, 1/4 59-53 W Muhlenberg County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/7 at Hart County, 1/10 at #15 Todd County Central 11) Russell County (6-7) - 1/3 44-45 OT L at #13 Monroe County, 1/4 54-41 W Buckhorn (at South Laurel) Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/7 vs. #8 Clinton County, 1/10 vs. #17 Cumberland County, 1/11 vs. Daviess County 12) Monroe County (4-7) - 1/3 45-44 OT W #11 Russell County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/7 at #17 Cumberland County, 1/10 at #9 Allen County-Scottsville 13) Metcalfe County (7-6) - 1/4 67-69 L Butler County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/7 vs. Green County, 1/10 at #8 Clinton County 14) Russellville (4-6) - 1/3 44-75 L #10 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/7 vs. Caverna, 1/10 at #5 Logan County, 1/11 vs. Edmonson County 15) Todd County Central (2-10) - 1/3 42-75 L at #5 Logan County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/7 vs. #3 Greenwood, 1/10 vs. #10 Franklin-Simpson, 1/11 at #4 Glasgow 16) Warren East (1-9) - No games scheduled Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/6 at #17 Cumberland County, 1/9 vs. #2 Warren Central, 1/11 vs. Rockcastle County (at Russell County) 17) Cumberland County (3-10) - 1/3 53-57 L #8 Clinton County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/6 vs. #16 Warren East, 1/7 vs. #12 Monroe County, 1/10 vs. #11 Russell County Notes -I knew coming into the week that the potential was going to be there for a flip between 1 and 2 with Bowling Green and Warren Central playing two common opponents in the three day showcase at South Oldham. While Bowling Green didn't play the host as Central did, the two common opponent comparison went decisively to the Purples. Bowling Green smacked Bullitt East and Spencer County around - albeit letting Spencer County come back from a large deficit to make it a six point final. Warren Central struggled with Bullitt East for a while before settling in for a 14 point win, but fell in overtime to Spencer County, and with that, this simply had to be done. -Bowling Green has now reeled off seven straight wins, and were impressive in each of their three wins this week. That contrasts with their performance in their home holiday tournament the week before, where they won every game but looked quite shaky at times. The team has experience but they're still remarkably younger experience - there's only two seniors on the team, and they are not the leaders. It appears they have settled in well, and they have scored 65 points or more in five of their last seven games. They match up with Barren County this week - the only region team outside the 14th District to beat Bowling Green in the last decade - and it is always a good benchmark for the team. Friday brings the all important rubber match with #3 Greenwood, and this one will count in the district standings. It's more important for Bowling Green than it is for Greenwood, for a loss would mean an 0-2 start in the official district standings. They haven't started 0-2 in the official district standings since 1995/96, prior to the seeded district tournament era. -For Warren Central, they need to get healthy. The team is expected to have a nine man rotation, and that rotation has practiced together one time. Brents started the year on the shelf, then Muleka got hurt in Ashland, and now Wright is likely going to miss time with an ankle injury. The team ran into a three point buzzsaw in their two losses up at South Oldham, as South Oldham and Spencer County combined to shoot 22/48 (46%) against the Dragons, the driving force behind them allowing a season-high 72 and 71 points in the two losses. They had previously not allowed more than 59 points. -Speaking of getting healthy, Glasgow got a big boost with the return of Tucker Kirkpatrick to the lineup. Kirkpatrick suffered a knee injury in the season opener, and while it remains to be seen how much floor time he can log, he came in during a the third quarter to knock down a three to tie the game against Barren County, providing a big psychological lift. Barren County led most of the game in the first three quarters, but Nik Sorrell had a personal 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter and staked the Scotties to a 46-40 lead, and the Trojans could not recover. The win moved Glasgow back to .500 and a 2-0 record in 15th District play. -One of the more interesting off the radar stories is whether or not Metcalfe County will be able to notch their first winning season in nine years. They currently sit at 7-6, and they feature two of the most prolific scorers in the region. Boston Devore is averaging 20.8 PPG, and Peyton Dial has 16.5 PPG. The Hornets have been held below 60 points only three times all year, and have topped 80 three times. They may allow a lot of points too, but they are never dull to watch.They have a big game with Clinton County on Friday, who they fell to at home by a 53-49 score on December 13th, their season-low for points. -With Russellville playing in (and losing) their first region game, Logan County is now officially the final unbeaten team in region play. They polished off Todd County Central by a 75-42 score to move to 2-0 in district play. Their road trip to Franklin-Simpson is probably their next actual region test (they play Russellville and Warren East in between), but there is a real chance they could run the region table into the postseason. Their most difficult region games remaining are likely games against Barren County, Glasgow, and Greenwood - all at home. -The games this week most likely to impact the rankings: #16 Warren East at #17 Cumberland County (1/6), #8 Clinton County at #11 Russell County (1/7), #3 Greenwood at #1 Bowling Green (1/10), #4 Glasgow at #6 South Warren (1/10), #8 Clinton County vs. #13 Metcalfe County (1/10), #12 Monroe County at #9 Allen County-Scottsville (1/10). If you can only watch one, make it Greenwood at Bowling Green. -On that Greenwood at Bowling Green game - another reminder that Greenwood has lost 13 in a row against the Purples at Bowling Green, the longest streak in the series. In fact, outside a four game span where Greenwood won all meetings from January 2006-December 2007, Bowling Green is 29-3 against Greenwood at home. They don't lose to them there very often. (Or to anyone - they're 128-18 there since early 2008.)

DragonFire trying to figure out how to rank these teams 1) Warren Central (4-1) - 12/16 48-49 L #3 Glasgow, 12/19 71-59 W at #9 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/27 vs. Lewis County (at Ashland), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Ashland), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Ashland) 2) Greenwood (5-3) - 12/17 54-42 W #2 Bowling Green, 12/20 73-52 W at #5 South Warren, 12/21 58-55 W North Hardin (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/23 at #11 Franklin-Simpson, 12/26 vs. #4 Glasgow (at Bowling Green), 12/27 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) 3) Bowling Green (4-3) - 12/17 42-54 L at #8 Greenwood, 12/21 66-51 W Christian County (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/26 vs. North Hardin, 12/27 vs. TBA, 12/28 vs. TBA 4) Glasgow (4-6) - 12/16 49-48 W at #1 Warren Central, 12/20 60-71 L Manual (at PRP), 12/21 61-76 L DeSales (at PRP), 56-55 W Paintsville (at PRP), 12/22 64-73 L Owensboro (at PRP) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/26 vs. Greenwood (at Bowling Green), 12/27 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) 5) Logan County (5-3) - 12/17 78-37 W Apollo, 12/20 84-47 W Taylor County (at Clinton County), 12/21 61-71 L Eastern (at Clinton County), 12/22 65-39 W Hopkins County Central, 12/22 65-56 W at #10 Clinton County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/27 vs. Daviess County, 12/28 vs. TBA, 12/29 vs. TBA 6) South Warren (6-2) - 12/16 67-51 W at #15 Todd County Central, 12/20 52-73 L #8 Greenwood, 12/21 81-53 W Apollo Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/26 vs. Owensboro (at Bowling Green), 12/27 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) 7) Barren County (6-2) - 12/16 81-51 W at Edmonson County, 12/17 74-40 W Caverna, 12/20 61-46 W at #7 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/21 65-35 W Meade County (at South Warren) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/27 vs. Bell County (at South Laurel), 12/28 vs. TBA (at South Laurel), 12/29 vs. TBA (at South Laurel) 8) Clinton County (8-2) - 12/17 67-54 W #16 Cumberland County, 12/20 54-48 W Taylor County, 12/21 46-32 W Hopkins County Central, 12/21 61-59 W Eastern, 12/22 56-65 L #4 Logan County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/27 vs. Grayson County (at Logan County), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Logan County), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Logan County) 9) Russell County (5-3) - 12/16 57-54 W at #12 Metcalfe County, 12/19 73-62 2OT W Claiborne (TN) (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/20 70-74 OT L at Gatlinburg-Pittman (TN), 12/21 58-46 W Buckhorn Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/27 vs. Owen County (at South Laurel), 12/28 vs. TBA (at South Laurel), 12/29 vs. TBA (at South Laurel) 10) Allen County-Scottsville (5-4) - 12/17 65-62 W at #17 Warren East, 12/20 46-61 L #6 Barren County, 12/21 37-74 L St. Xavier (at Warren East), 12/21 69-30 W #16 Cumberland County (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/23 vs. TBA (at Warren East), 12/27 at Hancock County 11) Franklin-Simpson (2-4) - 12/16 64-62 W at #17 Warren East, 12/19 59-71 L #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/23 vs. #2 Greenwood, 12/26 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/27 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) 12) Metcalfe County (5-4) - 12/16 54-57 L #11 Russell County, 12/17 80-72 W Hart County, 12/19 93-86 2OT W at Edmonson County, 12/20 64-74 L Thomas Nelson (at Edmonson County), 12/21 62-60 W Green County (at Edmonson County) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/26 vs. Breathitt County (at Williamstown), 12/27 vs. TBA (at Williamstown), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Williamstown) 13) Monroe County (2-7) - 12/19 64-77 L Cordia (at Berea), 12/20 78-64 W Bluegrass United (at Berea), 12/21 67-70 L Menifee County (at Berea) Previous Rank: 13 This Week: No games scheduled 14) Russellville (3-3) - 12/17 62-68 L Butler County, 12/20 41-79 L at Caldwell County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/27 vs. Beth Haven, 12/28 vs. TBA, 12/29 vs. TBA 15) Todd County Central (2-6) - 12/16 51-67 L #5 South Warren, 12/17 49-54 L at Caldwell County, 12/20 41-55 L Owensboro Catholic (at Butler County), 12/21 35-71 L Murray (at Butler County), 12/21 62-68 L at Butler County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/27 at Ohio County, 12/27 vs. Henderson County (at Ohio County), 12/28 vs. Edmonson County (at Ohio County) 16) Warren East (1-7) - 12/16 62-64 L #9 Franklin-Simpson, 12/17 62-65 L #7 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/21 85-60 W Caverna, 12/21 53-80 L Ohio County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/23 vs. TBA, 12/28 vs. Meade County 17) Cumberland County (1-7) - 12/17 54-67 L at #10 Clinton County, 12/21 30-69 L #7 Allen County-Scottsville (at Warren East), 12/21 43-58 L St. Xavier (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/23 vs. Caverna (at Warren East), 12/27 vs. TBA (at Russellville), 12/27 vs. Murray (at Russellville) Notes -Holy cow what an unsatisfying endeavor it was trying to decide how I wanted to rank these teams this week. There are now only two teams that are undefeated in region play. One is Russellville, who hasn't been beaten in region play because they have not yet played a game in the region. The other is Logan County, at just 2-0 inside the region, and 3-3 outside it. With that much chaos, there really wasn't a good, iron clad way to rate everyone. -I believe you saw about as bad a game as Warren Central can play when they hosted Glasgow on Monday. The Dragons are shooting 45.5% from three in their four wins, averaging 11.5 makes per game, and have an effective field goal percentage of 57.8% overall in those games. Against Glasgow, that dipped to 27.8% from three on 5/18 shooting and just 35.2 effective field goal percentage. They shot 32.6% from two, 27.8% from three, and 35.7% from the foul line. They lost by one. And they lost by one on a finger roll that refused to crawl over the rim at the buzzer. Glasgow deserves a lot of credit for their play, including perimeter defense, knocking down free throws, and the way they were able to battle back after blowing a lead, but it is hard to imagine that Central shoots that poorly again and the fact remains that as atrocious as they were, they were literally that close to winning anyway. I've got bias, but I believe if that game were played again tomorrow, the Dragons win comfortably. Still, it was a signature win for Glasgow, which won at Warren Central for the first time since 1985, and first time anywhere since 2006. -I probably would have made the same argument for keeping Bowling Green #2 if not for what Greenwood has done otherwise. Unlike Glasgow, which currently has a losing record, Greenwood has played very well outside of a week that now appears even more inexplicable. Greenwood knocked off BG by double digits and demolished South Warren. They throttled Glasgow earlier this season. If they hadn't been basically inexplicable against Russell County and Allen County-Scottsville, they'd be my clear #1. Those other games are why I elevated them above Bowling Green while I did not do the same for Glasgow over Central, along with the margin. That win snapped a 16 game losing streak for the Gators against the Purples. -The win over South Warren pushed Greenwood to 2-0 in the district for the first time since 2011/12 when they finished as co-district champions of the regular season, but that 2-0 start featured both wins over South Warren. It's their first 2-0 start in the district since 06/07 with one of those wins coming over Bowling Green. It's a crucial start as they pursue a region title. They have never been a #1 seed in the 14th District tournament, and historically that is a direct path to the region. -Barren County is also out to a 2-0 start in district play after winning by 15 at Allen County-Scottsville. Aden Nyekan and Will Bandy are both averaging over 14 PPG for the Trojans, whose current four game winning streak is their longest since winning 11 in a row in the 2017/18 season. They play in a holiday tournament at South Laurel this week, ahead of a very big in-region week to start the new year when they visit rival Glasgow. -Bowling Green was 1/16 from three and 5/9 from the foul line against Greenwood. They shoot just over 39% from three otherwise. I believe they are a better team than they showed that day. Several local teams are in the Bowling Green Christmas tournament, so perhaps they'll get a chance to prove it much sooner than later. One of those teams - Greenwood. -Logan County dropped a game to Eastern, but their tiebreakers put them into the title game of Clinton County's holiday tournament, knocking off the hosts by 9 today to take home the title. The Cougars do a very poor job of reporting stats, so we only have them from their first three games, but it appears a big reason for their success is more balance than expected in their scoring. Jose Nazario and Jay Hardison join Anthony Woodard in providing double digit scoring thus far, a key element for the team as Woodard is considered a superstar in the region. -Russell County already has five wins after notching only seven in the entire season a year ago. They've already avenged their loss in the district tournament at Metcalfe County a season ago, have knocked off Greenwood and played Glasgow to a two point result. It's safe to say the results have been much more positive this go around for the Lakers.

1) Warren Central (1-0) - 12/3 72-56 W Wayne County Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/10 vs. Owensboro, 12/14 vs. Henderson County (at Barren County) The back to back region champions opened with a win in their home opener for the fifth straight season, knocking off the always game Wayne County Cardinals by a 16 point margin. Dre Boyd fouled out but had a co-team high 18 points. Tay Smith also had 18 points, fueled by a 5/12 performance from three. 3rd Region favorite Owensboro should provide a much better opponent this week. 2) Bowling Green (1-1) - 12/3 61-69 L at Madisonville-North Hopkins, 12/7 63-46 W Bardstown (at Muhlenberg County) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/10 at #4 Glasgow, 12/13 vs. South Laurel (at Jackson County), 12/14 vs. Pikeville (at Jackson County) The Purples were hampered by a significant size disadvantage in their opener against BGP-top 10 opponent Madisonville, and fell behind by as many as 16 before rallying to make a game of it. They received a couple of reinforcements on Saturday when they took on Bardstown, as football players Conner Cooper and Dez Wilson returned. The Purples weren't particularly sharp offensively in that one, but locked down everyone but Traynor, coasting to an easy win. This week they'll have a top matchup on paper with Glasgow, who they haven't lost to in 11 years. 3) Greenwood (1-1) - 12/3 70-76 L Owensboro Catholic, 12/6 85-70 W #3 Glasgow Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/10 at #14 Russell County, 12/12 vs. #8 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/14 at #12 Clinton County Cade Stinnett and Noah Stansbury got the Gators out to a great start to the season. They fell short in a comeback attempt against Owensboro Catholic, but Stinnett dropped 20 and Stansbury dropped 19 in that one. They reversed roles in their win over Glasgow, as Stansbury poured in 21 points and was 3/5 from behind the arc - Stinnett had 17. The Gators absolutely walloped Glasgow from the perimeter, going 10/25 from three, and were never seriously challenged. Greenwood had four players in double digits in each game, with Ben Carroll and Marc Grant joining Stinnett and Stansbury. The Gators are for real, and the teams ahead of them will surely take notice. 4) Glasgow (1-2) - 12/2 51-45 W at #12 Monroe County, 12/6 70-85 L at #4 Greenwood, 12/7 81-83 OT L at Campbellsville Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/10 vs. #2 Bowling Green, 12/13 at #14 Russell County The week was no positive for Glasgow. They struggled in their district win over Monroe County, and lost sharpshooter Tucker Kirkpatrick to a knee injury - one that may eliminate him for the season. That means Nick Sorrell and Jaden Franklin will have to carry even more of the load - Sorrell had 33 against Greenwood and Franklin had 22. They will desperately need a third option to emerge. They don't get a respite as they host Bowling Green on Tuesday - it will take them time to regroup. 5) South Warren (2-0) - 12/3 87-68 W #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/6 73-64 W at Barren County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/10 at #11 Franklin-Simpson, 12/13 vs. #13 Warren East, 12/14 at #7 Logan County No one in the region had a better week than South Warren. We thought they could be a dark horse, but they made statements immediately. Jace Carver was relentless in the opener, with 24 points and shooting 4/9 from outside. Tayshaun Jones also posted a strong 20 point effort. The Spartans exploded for 31 points in the first quarter of that one, racing out to a 19 point lead and never leading by less than 12 after. Against Barren County, they weren't quite as dominant early, falling behind by seven in the first quarter and still down five at the half. South slowly reeled them in, taking advantage of some Trojan foul trouble to seize the lead entering the fourth quarter, and closing the game out from the foul line. It was South Warren's first win over Barren County since their inaugural season, breaking a seven game losing streak in the series. They open district play this Friday when they host Warren East, and have a nice benchmark game against Logan County on Saturday. 6) Barren County (1-1) - 12/3 85-47 W Green County, 12/6 64-73 L #8 South Warren Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/13 vs. #10 Monroe County, 12/14 vs. Hopkinsville The other side of the coin in that big game, the Trojans opened with a big win over Green County, as expected. Against South, Bandy had 24 points to lead the Trojans, but missed a huge portion of the third quarter along with other primary scorer Aden Nyekan, and that's where Barren County lost control of the game. Barren especially struggled on the boards in that one once those two went to the bench. Jacob Shaw has proven to be a strong addition through two games, transferring in from Glasgow Christian. The Trojans will look to rebound in district play against Monroe County on Friday. 7) Logan County (0-2) - 12/3 57-68 L Muhlenberg County, 12/7 63-67 L Bullitt East (at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/13 vs. #11 Franklin-Simpson, 12/14 vs. #5 South Warren It was not a strong open for the Cougars, who started last season 6-0 (or 5-1 if you count the actual result they had that was wiped by forfeit). Woodard had 24 to lead Logan County in their opening loss to Muhlenberg County, complimented by Jose Nazario's 18 points. They posted a strong effort against a Bullitt East team that had knocked off Scott County earlier in the week. They'll face the first of two crucial district contests with Franklin-Simpson before a tough back to back with a stronger than expected South Warren squad. 8) Allen County-Scottsville (0-2) - 12/3 68-87 L at #8 South Warren, 12/7 76-78 L at LaRue County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/10 vs. Adair County, 12/12 at #3 Greenwood, 12/13 at #17 Cumberland County The Patriots were on the wrong side of that opening blitz against South Warren, getting as close as 12 points in the second half with five minutes remaining in the contest. Michael Smith was a perfect 7/7 from the field in the game to lead the Patriots with 17 points. Mason Shirley, widely expected to lead them in scoring this season, chipped in with 16. They had better luck in a tight loss to LaRue County as they scorched the nets for 59% shooting in the first half. The problem was that the Hawks shot 61% themselves. They trailed by 14 entering the final quarter but were right there at the end. Jax Cooper had 22 and Owen Stamper had 21 in that one. 9) Metcalfe County (2-0) - 12/3 69-61 W #11 Warren East, 12/6 58-54 W #12 Monroe County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/10 at #17 Cumberland County, 12/13 vs. #12 Clinton County Dating back to last season, the Hornets are no 7-6 in their last 13 games. That may not seem like a big deal, but for a program that was 4-25 just two seasons ago, it very much is. Their opening win over Warren East snapped a seven game losing streak to the Raiders. Peyton Dial led the Hornets in that contest with 24 points, and Boston Devore chipped in 18. They followed that with their first win over old district rival Monroe County since 2011, a span of 14 straight losses. That, combined with losses by some of the other teams ranked around them, catapults them into our region top 10 for the first time ever. They have a big week ahead with two district games - especially that game against Clinton County. If the Hornets can win that one, then we can take them seriously as a real threat to win that district. 10) Monroe County (1-2) - 12/2 45-51 L #3 Glasgow, 12/3 67-59 W #7 Franklin-Simpson, 12/6 54-58 L at #13 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/10 at #12 Clinton County, 12/13 at #6 Barren County, 12/14 vs. Edmonson County (at Barren County) It was an up and down week for the Falcons. They shot only 30.6% from the field in their opening loss to Glasgow, which was a tight game, so a slight moral victory. They followed that with a bit of an upset over Franklin-Simpson. Grayson Rich had 19 in that one as they rebounded to shoot 48.8% overall and 6/12 from three. But the closing loss to Metcalfe County was a surprise - as mentioned they had not lost to Metcalfe County in nearly nine years. They face their rival from their old district when they visit Clinton County, but of far greater importance is their current district matchup against Barren County on Friday. 11) Franklin-Simpson (1-1) - 12/3 59-67 L at #12 Monroe County, 12/6 46-45 W at #9 Clinton County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/10 vs. #5 South Warren, 12/13 at #7 Logan County Franklin-Simpson almost had a REAL bad week. Andreyous Miller was dominant in the loss to Monroe County, dropping 33 points, shooting 11 of 17 from the floor. They then visited Clinton County and trailed 38-12 with just over 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Suddenly, they flipped a switch and flipped the script, stunning the Bulldogs with a 34-7 run and completing the comeback when Miller scored on a putback with 4 seconds remaining. Put another way, Franklin-Simpson averaged .55 points per minute in the first 22 minutes of the game. They increased that by nearly seven times (3.4) in the last ten minutes. They won't be able to get away with that in two tough games this week, including a crucial road trip to Logan County. 12) Clinton County (2-1) - 12/2 56-46 W at Casey County, 12/6 45-46 L #7 Franklin-Simpson, 12/7 54-44 W North Hardin (at Central Hardin) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/10 vs. #10 Monroe County, 12/13 at #9 Metcalfe County, 12/14 vs. #3 Greenwood That loss to Franklin really spoiled a solid week, as the Bulldogs still emerged with a winning record in their first three games. However, the scoring is clearly going to be a concern. They had only eight games out of 32 played a year ago where they failed to score more than the 56 point total that they have as a season-high through three games. They lost a lot of scoring to graduation, and at least early, it appears they are struggling to find a spark. 13) Warren East (0-2) - 12/3 61-69 L at #13 Metcalfe County, 12/6 54-58 L Daviess County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/10 vs. North Hardin, 12/13 at #5 South Warren The Raiders have had documented issues with their record from January on, but they have rarely started poorly in December lately. This is just their second 0-2 start since the 2010/11 season. Ryan Carter (15.5 PPG) and Kaleb Matlock (13.5 PPG) are off to solid starts, but one area of issue that is glaring is the three point shooting. The Raiders shot 33.6% from the perimeter last season, but are just 11/38 (28.9%) from outside so far. They face district foe South Warren on Friday - they have lost 11 in a row in district play. 14) Russell County (1-1) - 12/3 50-66 L at Somerset, 12/7 60-30 W Garrard County (at Mercer County) Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/10 vs. #3 Greenwood, 12/13 vs. #4 Glasgow The Lakers lost 10 of their last 11 games last year, failing to reach the region tournament for the first time as a member of Region 4. Ryan Coffey (17), Briley Hadley (15), and Scott Hamm all reached double figures in their loss to Somerset, but the team had a terrible night from the field (36.5%), three (21.4%), and the line (52.9%). They face possibly the toughest region slate this week. 15) Russellville (2-0) - 12/2 57-45 W Greenbrier (TN), 12/7 56-54 W Adair County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/12 at East Robertson (TN), 12/14 at McLean County New head coach Carlos Quarles is unbeaten as the top man, as his Panthers start the year 2-0. The team won only eight games all of last season and started 0-4, so already, things have improved. The Panthers moved away from their traditional scheduling practices this year, and won't play a district game until January. They'll look to solidify some momentum before tackling the important games. 16) Todd County Central (2-0) - 12/2 62-43 W Hopkins County Central, 12/6 60-57 W at Ballard Memorial Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/14 vs. Whitesville Trinity Similarly, Todd County Central is already off to a much better start than a season ago under returning HC Dennis Pardue, who coached the team back at the beginning of the 2000s. They won just five games a year ago, so already they have to be psyched with a 2-0 mark. That snapped a 15 game losing streak overall. They too have time to build some momentum, with no district games until January. 17) Cumberland County (0-3) - 12/3 57-69 L at Adair County, 12/6 59-70 L at Campbellsville, 12/7 58-62 L Edmonson County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/10 vs. #9 Metcalfe County, 12/13 at #8 Allen County-Scottsville The news is not so positive for Cumberland County. They fell in their final six contests a season ago, and now extend that streak to nine straight losses. They'll get a chance to turn that around as they open district play on Tuesday.

Rankings 1) Warren Central (3-0) - 12/10 68-59 W Owensboro, 12/14 78-41 W Henderson County (at Barren County) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/16 vs. #3 Glasgow, 12/19 at #9 Franklin-Simpson 2) Bowling Green (3-2) - 12/10 64-60 W at #4 Glasgow, 12/13 64-71 L South Laurel (at Jackson County), 12/14 62-45 W Pikeville (at Jackson County) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/17 at #8 Greenwood, 12/21 vs. Christian County (at South Warren) 3) Glasgow (2-3) - 12/10 60-64 L #2 Bowling Green, 12/13 51-49 W at #14 Russell County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/16 at #1 Warren Central, 12/20 vs. Manual (at PRP), 12/21 vs. DeSales (at PRP) 4) Logan County (2-2) - 12/13 64-57 W #11 Franklin-Simpson, 12/14 63-48 W #5 South Warren Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/17 vs. Apollo, 12/20 vs. Taylor County (at Clinton County) 5) South Warren (4-1) - 12/10 60-55 W at #11 Franklin-Simpson, 12/13 83-61 W #13 Warren East, 12/14 48-63 L at #7 Logan County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/16 at #15 Todd County Central, 12/20 vs. #8 Greenwood, 12/21 vs. Apollo 6) Barren County (2-2) - 12/13 63-53 W #10 Monroe County, 12/14 59-63 L Hopkinsville Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/16 at Edmonson County, 12/17 vs. Caverna, 12/20 at #7 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/21 vs. Meade County (at South Warren) 7) Allen County-Scottsville (3-2) - 12/10 46-44 W Adair County, 12/12 72-63 W at #3 Greenwood, 12/13 62-51 W at #17 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/17 at #17 Warren East, 12/20 vs. #6 Barren County, 12/21 vs. St. Xavier (at Warren East), 12/21 vs. #16 Cumberland County (at Warren East) 8) Greenwood (2-3) - 12/10 53-64 L at #14 Russell County, 12/12 53-64 L #8 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/14 60-53 W at #12 Clinton County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/17 vs. #2 Bowling Green, 12/20 at #5 South Warren, 12/21 vs. North Hardin (at South Warren) 9) Franklin-Simpson (1-3) - 12/10 55-60 L #5 South Warren, 12/13 57-64 L at #7 Logan County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/16 vs. #17 Warren East, 12/19 vs. #1 Warren Central 10) Clinton County (4-2) - 12/10 68-49 W #10 Monroe County, 12/13 53-49 W at #9 Metcalfe County, 12/14 53-60 L #3 Greenwood Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/17 vs. #16 Cumberland County, 12/20 vs. Taylor County, 12/21 vs. Hopkins County Central, 12/21 vs. Eastern 11) Russell County (2-2) - 12/10 64-53 W #3 Greenwood, 12/13 49-51 L #4 Glasgow Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/16 at #12 Metcalfe County, 12/19 vs. TBA (at Gatlinburg-Pittman) 12) Metcalfe County (2-2) - 12/10 83-86 OT L at #17 Cumberland County, 12/13 49-53 L #12 Clinton County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/16 vs. #11 Russell County, 12/17 vs. Hart County, 12/19 at Edmonson County, 12/20 vs. Thomas Nelson (at Edmonson County), 12/21 vs. Green County (at Edmonson County) 13) Monroe County (1-5) - 12/10 49-68 L at #12 Clinton County, 12/13 53-63 L at #6 Barren County, 12/14 65-75 L Edmonson County (at Barren County) Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/19 vs. Cordia (at Berea) 14) Russellville (3-1) - 12/12 68-67 W at East Robertson (TN), 12/14 44-62 L at McLean County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/17 vs. Butler County, 12/20 at Caldwell County 15) Todd County Central (2-1) - 12/14 56-57 L Whitesville Trinity Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/16 vs. #5 South Warren, 12/17 at Caldwell County, 12/20 vs. Owensboro Catholic (at Butler County), 12/21 vs. Murray (at Butler County), 12/21 at Butler County 16) Cumberland County (1-4) - 12/10 86-83 OT W #9 Metcalfe County, 12/13 51-62 L at #8 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/17 at #10 Clinton County, 12/21 vs. #7 Allen County-Scottsville (at Warren East), 12/21 vs. St. Xavier (at Warren East) 17) Warren East (0-4) - 12/10 44-75 L North Hardin, 12/13 61-83 L at #5 South Warren Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/16 vs. #9 Franklin-Simpson, 12/17 vs. #7 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/21 vs. Caverna, 12/21 vs. Ohio County Notes -It's official: The 4th Region is a little crazy. Several of these results were out of nowhere. Russell County beats Greenwood? Cumberland County beats Metcalfe County? Even South Warren losing to Logan County was a little surprising, especially the margin. Through two weeks, the only clear things seem to be that Warren Central and Bowling Green are at the top, and that below them just about anything can happen. We'll find out tomorrow when Warren Central hosts Glasgow if we should expand that to the top as well. -Warren Central is now the last unbeaten team in the region after South Warren was knocked off by 15 against Logan County. -South Warren had equaled the best start in school history at 4-0. In failing to get to 5-0, they still have not been five games over .500 at any point in a season since their first year. -Glasgow was missing two starters when they took on Bowling Green (counting Kirkpatrick who may be out the whole season), so to lose by only four, even if it included a decent comeback, was a bit of a moral victory. Nearly losing to Russell County later that same week was..... odd. -Logan County seized control of the 13th district with their win over Franklin. Then again, the Cougars won the early round last season as well before Franklin-Simpson won the January rematch. -I expect it will eventually be better for Barren County, but right now they're doing the exact thing they did a season ago, winning a game, losing the next, always balancing. The Trojans were never two games above or below .500 last year, and they are 19-19 in their last 38 games. -I don't know what to make of Greenwood. They absolutely crushed Glasgow in their game last week, and then completely flatlined against Russell County, including going 4/14 from the foul line. They went 11/13 from the charity stripe when they faced ACS, but lost that one too when they shot 39.3% from the field. They play Bowling Green on Tuesday - they have lost 16 straight and 25 of 26 against their rivals. They need to find the game that led them to a win over Glasgow. -That Cumberland County result was extremely surprising. The Panthers hit 7/14 from three and 29/53 from the field in the OT win, led by Dawson Smith's 28 points. It was the first district win for Cumberland County in two seasons, and ended a 7-51 stretch for the team, including nine straight losses. -This week's schedule highlights are #3 Glasgow at #1 Warren Central (12/16), #2 Bowling Green at #8 Greenwood (12/17), #8 Greenwood at #5 South Warren (12/20), and #6 Barren County at #7 Allen County-Scottsville.

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

Final Rankings and Postseason Preview 1) Bowling Green (22-5) High Rank - 1, Low Rank - 2, Average Rank - 1 You wouldn’t know it from the rankings, but few teams in the region experienced as much turmoil as the Purples. Coming into the year, Bowling Green had five seniors on their roster. Entering the postseason, they have two. Two of the casualties were starters Trevor Dennis (10.6 PPG) and Davion Dice (6.7 PPG). They weren’t small losses. They were a very large part of a Purple team that started 15-2 and looked to be on their way to dominant favorite in the region, losing only to McCracken County and John Hardin (in overtime) at that point – both teams are ranked in the BluegrassPreps.com rankings and one is undefeated. They are still a very respectable 7-3 since that time, but it took them quite some time to figure out their offense again. They enter the postseason with two straight wins in which they averaged 88 points scored, albeit against teams in the bottom half of the region. Despite all the turmoil, they have lost only a single game in the region, falling to Warren Central 49-45 on the road in January. Their 14-1 record in region play is the best in the region, and one of only two teams that have lost less than four games in region play. With the departure of Dennis and Dice, they have become an extremely youth-oriented group. That group is led by Isaiah Mason, the team’s only player averaging in double digits at 15.3 PPG. That’s no surprise – the sophomore was listed as one of the preseason ten best players and has a sky high ceiling. A guard with great length, he is a pure shooter, hitting 45.3% from outside, shoots well in midrange, and is the team’s leading rebounder. The team needs him to be at his best to be at their best. Freshman Turner Buttry has been key in the back half of the season, and averages 7.1 PPG. He had 14, 12, and 13 in three key games in late January, wins over Warren Central, Allen County-Scottsville, and South Warren. The Purples have relied on phenomenal defense lately, suffocating teams with great size and length inside and dominating the glass. They have the #2 defense in the region, allowing just 54 PPG, and still have the top scoring average at 68. 26 PPG. They are more vulnerable than they might have been, but they still fit the bill of a favorite. They win this region if the youth performs well in the high pressure of postseason play. They do not have the luxury they are used to of a wealth of experience leading the youth – it’s a baptism by fire. They will open in the district semifinals with the winner of South Warren and homestanding Warren East. If they survive that to reach Diddle, recent history has shown that they are a near lock to make the finals – they have the last 11 times they reached the region tournament. They are 139-3 in the last decade against teams in the region that aren’t Warren Central. Right now we’re predicting them to win it all for the fifth time in six years, as well as their sixth straight district crown. 2) Greenwood (16-11) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 10, Average Rank - 7 I really struggled with where to rank the Gators in these final rankings. I’m not entirely certain that they really are the second best team in the region, but their recent run has been outstanding. They started the season in fifth, but started just 2-4, and were sitting at 8-11 in late January. Since then, they’ve reeled off eight wins in a row, which included five straight wins with margins of less than five points and two overtime games. That winning streak is their longest since the 2007/08 season. What is significant about that year? That’s the last year they won region. The main difference between the late season and early season was Jack Roberts. He was present early on, but broke his hand against Bowling Green in the season’s fourth game. He returned just prior to the winning streak, but is in full motion now. He has averaged 17 PPG in this streak, just a notch above his season average of 15.3 PPG. Ben Carroll was the man while they weather the absence of Roberts, and the big man was more than up to the task. A forward with range, Carroll averages 16.4 PPG, shooting better than 41% from outside and better than 50% from inside. He leads the team in rebounding and even shoots 74.5% from the foul line. He’s a matchup nightmare for most teams in the region, a strong scorer, and foreboding presence on defense. Isaac Stansbury and brother Noah Stansbury are shooting 42.7% and 37.9% from outside as well, giving the Gators a wealth of perimeter options. They’re averaging over 65 PPG in their current winning streak and their defense has typically been sound all season long. One of Greenwood’s strengths is also likely one of the worries about them. They have been so good lately in close games, but were just 1-4 in games decided by less than five points before the current run. They were run down by Bowling Green in a game Greenwood seemingly had won in early January. When the chips are down, do they have the finishing kick to get away from a team and not let it stay in that razor thin margin where anything can happen? I have to hedge on their prediction a bit. If they beat Warren Central in the district semifinals, this is a team that can make a run to win the region. They are well-coached, and fundamentally sound. Just two years ago, they beat Warren Central twice to reach the region tournament – can they do it again? It’s our prediction that no, they won’t. Ultimately when predicting, you have to lean to where the deeper talent is, and that was showcased in a 28-point Warren Central victory in January. But that is a game that can go either way. If it is close and Greenwood has the lead, given recent history, can you go against them? 3) Warren Central (16-10) High Rank - 1, Low Rank - 3, Average Rank - 2 What a strange journey it has been with this team this year. They opened the season as preseason favorites and boy were they backing it up. Their first five games they topped 80 points in each and started 5-0. You can see by the record up there and do the simple math – they are 11-10 since. Some of that is schedule. Teams like LaRue County, John Hardin, and Bowling Green are understandable losses. 18 point loss to Pikeville? 24 point loss to Doss? Their first ever loss to South Warren? Those are much less understandable. Even more concerning has been a recent trend that has seen Central play outstanding ball against teams not from this region and then struggle against 4th Region competition. They own road wins over Owensboro, Taylor County, and Wayne County. They took down Collins in February at Warren Central. But they were swept by Allen County-Scottsville, their first losses to the Patriots in a decade. They blew a seven point lead entering the second quarter against Greenwood and never led in the entire second half. They have the second highest PPG in the region with 67 points on average, but failed to score over 60 in three of their last four games – all losses. On the positive side, their defense ranks fourth in the region as well, and the 66 they allowed to Allen County-Scottsville is the only one they gave up north of 60 in February, and one of just four games they have allowed over 60 in the last 17 games. No one doubts their talent. Dre Boyd and Kobe Brents made the second and third teams all-region respectively. Brents is their leading scorer with 14.7 PPG and has made nearly 100 three pointers. Dre Boyd is shooting 53% from inside the arc to average 13.2 PPG, adding 7.6 rebounds per game. Senior Tayshaun Bibb has posted several high double digit games lately and has upped his average to 8.4 PPG on the season – he is hitting nearly 60% of his shots. Central is similar to their teams this decade in that they love the three. If it is falling, they will bury you. But if not, it will fall almost entirely on Boyd and Bibb to carry the scoring. It’s a lot of pressure on their primary interior weapons. Like Bowling Green, the Dragons just want to get to Diddle and let it play out. They have made the finals 14 of their last 16 trips to the region tournament. Like most 14th District teams that make region, they are always heavily favored to go the distance if they get there. They split with district semifinal opponent Greenwood this season, with the road team winning each time. The loss to Greenwood in the district tournament two years ago will no doubt loom in coach William Unseld’s mind, though most of his team were not players in that game – the majority of the roster wasn’t even at the school. There is every reason to believe they can lose that game. If they get by it, our prediction is they make the region finals against Bowling Green. Of note – if they don’t win at least one title trophy this postseason, they’ll fail to hit 20 wins for the third time in four years. 4) Clinton County (21-7) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 5, Average Rank - 3 Clinton County has pretty much done everything that was expected of them this year. They carry the second best record in region play at 15-2. They swept their district with a perfect 8-0 record. They won the region’s All A tournament by an average of 15 PPG and fell against a very good Shelby Valley team in overtime of the state All A. They are 13-2 in their last 15 games, and they stayed between #3 and #5 in the ranks the entire season. Simply put, they are the team you’d expect to be most likely to make a run outside of the 14th District. A lot of that is owed to the presence of Jackson Harlan. Harlan is the region’s player of the year, averaging 24.3 PPG. He scores, then scores some more, then scores for good measure after that. And you can’t just key on him, as Seth Stockton is an able lieutenant, adding 14.2 PPG to complement Harlan. They are the region’s best 1-2 punch. But depth is a definite drawback for the Bulldogs, as you might expect when two players account for more than half of your team’s scoring. They are #6 in the region in scoring and #5 in the region in team defense. If there’s a major red flag for contender status, it is their 1-2 record against District 14. One of those losses can be waved away – their were blown out 73-48 by Greenwood in a game in which Harlan did not play. The other two games were against South Warren. One was at home in December, a 14 point Bulldog victory. The last was on the road in February, an 8 point loss. They did not play Warren Central or Bowling Green, and the whole team did not play Greenwood. Chances are, they will have to go through at least one of those teams if they are to win the region, and history suggests that they’ll have to go through two. Clinton County has not made a region final in 59 years – they are not used to being there. They are going to make region, and they are likely going to make it easily – they beat their opponent Cumberland County three times this season, and none were closer than 9 points – the last was by 20. What their hope would be in terms of a region draw depends on just what they want to do. If they want to make a real run at the title, then they should hope to draw District 14 first. Get one out of the way, and put a gap in between potential games against the two teams. If they want to advance, then given any other draw, they will be favorites to make the semis. Ultimately, that’s where we’ll split the difference in our prediction – district champions, region semis finish. 5) Logan County (22-6) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 6, Average Rank - 4 We knew coming into the year that Logan County was going to be good. I will not pretend that we knew they’d be this good. They not only have their first 20+ win season in seven years, they have their most wins since 1993. They need just two wins to have their most wins since 1984 – the year they won the state title. It’s been a rousing success by any measure for new head coach John Tinsley. The party got started early, as they raced out to a 15-2 record, with one of the losses coming in a very close 68-62 game against Bowling Green. They experienced a bit of a swoon as they went 3-4 over their next seven games, but closed out strong with four wins in a row. Their last loss was a 44-43 overtime affair at Greenwood, and as mentioned before, that’s the hottest team in the region right now, so it’s not exactly shameful. Their 27 point dismantling of Allen County-Scottsville on the road was particularly eye-popping. The Cougars carry the #1 scoring defense in the region into the postseason – they allow just under 53 PPG. Their average scoring margin is just over 11 PPG, trailing only Bowling Green in the region. Their rotation goes 8-9 deep, providing solid depth on par with most region teams. Kelby Epley, Third Bell, and Anthony Woodard are the names to know for the Cougars. Unlike Clinton County, they have played with the best the region has to offer in games against Greenwood and Bowling Green, nearly sweeping the Gators and taking that close loss to Bowling Green when the Purples were whole. They have allowed a few teams to get closer than they probably should, most notably in losses to Glasgow and Franklin-Simpson, as well as a narrow victory over Barren County. The biggest knock on the team is lack of experience. No one on the squad has played in a region tournament. No one on the team was alive the last time Logan County won a game at region (all the way back in 1998). They have shown a bit of a weakness with Franklin-Simpson. Last season they fell as the #1 seed against a poor Franklin team, and then split with them this year, falling by five on the road after winning by 15 in December. If they win their district, it is likely they will have to contend with the likes of Allen County-Scottsville (1-0), Monroe County (1-0), Russell County (1-0), or Metcalfe County. They’d likely be favored in any of those matchups, and again, have proven they can contend with the 14th. Going in as a district runner-up, that’s a different proposition entirely, as possible champions Bowling Green and Clinton County would be favored, and the current 15th District favorite Glasgow knocked off Logan County in January. Ultimately, we see Logan County winning the district and advancing to the semifinals should they avoid the 14th District in the first round. 6) Glasgow (19-10) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 7, Average Rank - 5 The Scotties didn’t quite work their way to twenty wins in the regular season, owing to the fact that they never had more than a four game winning streak during the year. Still, a lot of things have broken their way. First, they won the first Kentucky 2A Classic sectional to advance to the state round. They did that despite playing in a sectional with both Warren Central and Allen County-Scottsville, each of whom they fell to prior to that tournament. AC/S took down Central and Webster County cleared out AC/S just one day after Glasgow lost to the Patriots. Second, when they entered the final weeks at 2-2 in district play, they needed three things to happen to have a chance to get #1 in the district. They needed to beat Monroe County, then have Monroe County beat Allen-County Scottsville in Scottsville, then go to Scottsville themselves and beat the Patriots. Check, check, BIG CHECK in a 21 point blast. Then they need to win a head to head draw with Allen County. It broke their way again, and instead of playing Monroe County in the semifinals in Tompkinsville, they match up with rival Barren County who they beat twice during the season. Now, that’s not 100% rosy, as the Trojans lost the two games by a combined 7 points, so you never know. Still, better to take your chances with a team that didn’t already prove they could beat you. The Scotties are led by a trio of players that have put up double digit averages on the year. Nick Sorrell is chief among them. A first team all-region pick, Sorrell is averaging 19.3 PPG. He has gotten to the line for 213 attempts this year, hitting 70.4%. He is averaging 9.1 rebounds per game, giving him nearly a double-double each night. New addition Tucker Kirkpatrick is averaging 11.2 PPG, leading the team in three point makes with 58. Robert Kingery doesn’t have any time for the perimeter – his 11.1 PPG is all a result of the inside game, and he carries a 55% average from the field. Two more players average over 8 points per game, meaning that just like last year, Glasgow is one of the most balanced teams in the field. They were destined for a higher final rank before they fell at Franklin-Simpson on Thursday, the first major moment to give pause on the team since a loss to South Warren to open January. Still, this is a team that made the region tournament last season, pushing Warren Central heavily before falling by five. They’ve won 7 of 9 going in, and can reach Diddle if they can get their fourth straight win over Barren County. We predict they do, and go on to win the 15th District title. Like Logan County, their draw may determine how far they go. If they avoid the 14th District representatives, we like them for a semifinal exit. 7) Allen County-Scottsville (22-7) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 6 What to make of the Patriots? First things first, what a job Brad Bonds has done in his first year at the helm. The former coach of the girls’ program is in his first year, and he just pushed them to their first 20+ win season since 2009, and their most wins since 2007. That alone would win him coach of the year in the region, which he did. Add to that the fact he is the fifth coach in five years for the program, and it becomes even more impressive. That fueled an oddly common among region teams 15-2 start, which included an overtime win at home over Warren Central, their first win over the Dragons in a decade. But again, simple math tells you things went a bit askew from there. The Patriots closed just 7-5, and some of those losses were hideous. 16 points to Webster County, 21 points to Glasgow, and finally 27 points to Logan County. They struggled mightily in wins over Edmonson County and Metcalfe County, beating the two by a combined three points. Just when you were thinking it was safe to write them off as having peaked, they rode into Warren Central and dealt the Dragons their first home loss of the year and got the season sweep. So who knows what to expect? The Patriots have done it largely thanks to the scoring effort of four players. Brett Rippy leads the team with 16.9 PPG, and is one of the best sharpshooters in the region, hitting 46.5% from three on 144 attempts. It’s not often you see a player attempt that many from three and hit nearly 57% of his shots from the field overall – he shoots 68.5% from inside the arc. We knew first team all-region selection Rippy would score a lot, but sophomore Mason Shirley has been possibly the more important player. A third team all-region selection, his 15.4 PPG came seemingly out of nowhere for outside observers, and there is no telling how high his ceiling will go. Both he and Rippy are money from the foul line, hitting 80.8% and 78.4% respectively. Owen Stamper (9.7 PPG) and Jax Cooper (9.2 PPG) round out the top scorers for a team that has the fifth highest PPG in the region at 65.5. The team shoots well, shoots free throws well, what’s not to like? While the margins were occasionally unimpressive, the Patriots do go into the postseason winners of four of five. They drew the short straw in their tie with Glasgow, and now they take on a Monroe County team that has gone toe to toe with Greenwood in the past week and knocked off the Pats on the road to start the spiral. It’s a game the Patriots should still win, but they are in real danger here. The team went 10/23 from three when they played at Monroe in January, and Rippy was a perfect 7/7 from the field. They’ll need those types of efforts again to get the W. Our prediction is they push past Monroe County, a vote for consistency, but fall to Glasgow, and then ultimately bow out in the first round of region. 8) South Warren (13-14) High Rank - 8, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 11 Don’t let the record fool you – South Warren is a team that is on the rise in the region. They are 8-3 in their last 11 games, and those three losses came by a combined 16 points against Bowling Green, Greenwood, and Warren Central. Otherwise known as the top three teams in these ratings. They also own a win over Warren Central in that stretch, the first ever they took from the Dragons. They took down Clinton County as well, winning by 8 over the Bulldogs not even a week ago. The 101 points they scored on Hart County on February 9th is a program record, their first to hit the century mark. They knocked off Glasgow just prior to this 11 game stretch, doing so in Glasgow by 8. The Spartans are very dangerous under head coach Blane Embry, who returned to the male coaching ranks for the first time in 9 seasons. Tyler Martin was named to the second team all-region, and averages 17 PPG to lead the Spartans. Martin will shoot from anywhere, and if he is on, can end your season. Sophomore Jace Carver has emerged to give the Spartans a second strong scoring threat with 12.6 PPG, hitting better than 40% from three. He had a career-high 35 points in a near upset of Greenwood, the last loss the Spartans suffered before notching four straight wins to end the year. Freshman Caden Veltkamp has also emerged for nearly 9 PPG. The next great quarterback for the Spartans is the third leading three point shooter on the team with the best percentage of the three, hitting on 42.7% of his attempts. The Spartans rank in the bottom half of the region in scoring offense and defense, but do have a positive margin of victory despite the losing record. They open the district tournament in the 4/5 game with Warren East, who they swept on the year, most recently winning by 12 at home. They do have the disadvantage of playing that game on the road, as Warren East hosts the tournament. However, the Spartans are playing their best ball of the year, and Warren East has won just three times since December 27th. The real looming monster is Bowling Green if South Warren were to advance. That semifinal matchup would pit them against a Bowling Green team they have never beaten – they are 0-22 against the Purples. The last of those losses was one of the closet they’ve ever had against Bowling Green, falling 47-43 at BG in late January. Bowling Green is a young team, not playing at home, and will have had a week off by then, which can sometimes be counterproductive. If there were a year to do it, this appears to be that year. Our prediction is, this is not that year. They’ll make the district semifinals, but they’ll have to wait yet another year for their first region tournament appearance. 9) Franklin-Simpson (15-11) High Rank - 8, Low Rank - 16, Average Rank - 10 Franklin-Simpson has had a lot more recent success than some of the other success stories above, but their turnaround this season is still a quite impressive surprise. In 2016 & 2017, the Wildcats combined for 50 wins. That dropped to 7 wins last year in a 7-23 campaign that saw them win just twice after January 1, and after an 0-3 start to this season, they had lost 17 of 19 games. But then the script flipped, and the Wildcats boast 11 wins in their last 15 games, gained a season sweep over Greenwood, and earned a share of the regular season district championship alongside Logan County, before settling into the #2 seed on the coin flip. They are favored to return to the region tournament for a fourth consecutive season, but they won’t upset their way in this time like last season. The Wildcats are also a year ahead of schedule – they don’t have a single senior on the team, not one. DeMarco Chatman leads the team with an average of 16.1 PPG and is the leading rebounder as well with 6.7 PPG. The junior guard was selected to the third team all-region. Sophomore Andreyous Miller is another bright player for the future, averaging 10.8 PPG. It must be said though that scoring is a problem for the Wildcats. They rank 16th in the region in scoring, averaging on 54.65 PPG. That is one stat that has not turned around from a year ago when they were similarly offensively challenged. They make up for it by allowing just 54.38 PPG. Defense wins championships, but that’s a razor thin margin. It’s why eleven of Franklin’s wins have come by single digits. It may not be comfortable, but it has been working for them. They open the postseason with Russellville, who they swept after falling to them twice a season ago. The second matchup was tight, won by just six points after a 25 point margin in the first game – the largest margin of the season for Franklin. The most encouraging thing about the first two games was Franklin’s scoring. The 69 points they scored in the second matchup was a season high, with the 66 in the first just behind. Franklin also comes in with strong momentum, winners of four of their last five, and grabbing a win over Glasgow last week. Our prediction is they knock off Russellville, fall short against Logan County, and exit in the first round of region. 10) Barren County (15-14) High Rank - 7, Low Rank - 10, Average Rank - 8 The Trojans were the picture of average this season. Barren County never strayed more than two games above or below .500. If they won two straight, they’d lose two straight. They saw a three game winning streak end in blowout fashion against Clinton County last week – that three game winning streak had come on the heels of a three game losing streak. They have scored just five points more on the year than they allowed, ranking 12th in the region in scoring and 8th in defense. Even their region record was 9-10. They struggled to get wins in district play, posting a 1-5 record against the 15th district, though four of their losses were by a combined 12 points. Crucially, two of those close losses were against Glasgow, their opponent in the district semifinals. The Trojans were bested by their bitter rivals a season ago, and will be looking to flip the script from the 4 seed this year. Barren County is another youth movement team, this one with just two seniors. Instead, junior Will Bandy leads the team, averaging 16.1 PPG and 6.5 RPG. Bandy has a solid build, and plays primarily on the block, though like many Barren County bigs, he is not afraid to shoot from the perimeter, though he has hit only 26.6% of his 79 attempts from outside. Bandy was selected to the third-team all-region. A guy who will possibly be looked at as Barren’s next superstar is freshman Aden Nyekan. Nyekan is 6’3”, and is tough to handle inside. He’s hitting nearly 52% of his shots, averages 14.3 PPG, and pulls down 7.3 rebounds per game. He’s a foundational piece moving forward, and paired with Bandy, the two can really make some noise next year. Barren County is a team that relies heavily on production inside. They rate among one of the worst in the region for perimeter shooting, hitting on just 28.2% of their shots there. That makes it extremely difficult in games where they fall behind, so they have to stay in shouting distance of Glasgow. It is absolutely possible that the Trojans take the Scotties down on a neutral court, but ultimately, the prediction has to be in favor of the team with the season sweep. We predict Barren County ends its season at 15-15 – it feels almost like destiny that they finish at .500. 11) Monroe County (11-14) High Rank - 5, Low Rank - 11, Average Rank - 9 If the team that played in the first two weeks of the season and the final two weeks of the season shows up, then Monroe poses some real danger to their opponents. They would probably prefer to pretend that December 20th-January 29th did not happen. The Falcons started the year 6-2. They played a modest 3-2 in February, but had a relatively close road loss at Clinton County and fell in overtime against the red-hot Greenwood team, plus knocking off district tournament opponent Allen County-Scottsville on the road. In between? That would be a 2-10 run that included a loss to Barren County that would ultimately cost them a shot at the #1 seed in district play. In that stretch, Monroe County’s only wins were by 1 point over South Warren, and an overtime win over Metcalfe County. Team defense has been a struggle for the Falcons. They rank 15th in points allowed in the district, giving up 2.4 points more than they score despite having the 4th highest scoring average in the region. They meet Allen County-Scottsville in the semifinals, who averaged 75.5 PPG against them in their two matchups. They allowed 70+ in nearly half of their games this year (12). They’ve got a shot if they can just reel that in. An all-region first team pick, senior Chandler Clements is a big reason for the gaudy scoring average in the positive column. He was our pick for #2 in the region entering the year and he has not disappointed. He averages 25.8 PPG and has a knack for getting to the foul line – he has hit nearly 200 free throws this season. His scoring region is tops in the region and #5 in the entire state. He’s #8 in the state for rebounding as well, averaging 11.2 per game. Grayson Rich has complemented him well, averaging over 12 PPG while doing his damage from outside where he hits nearly 38%. The Falcons lost two of their three district games at home this year, so homecourt advantage in the tournament may not seem to be a massive advantage, but they’ll hope to catch lightning in a bottle when they face the Patriots. Our prediction though is that they exit the postseason on Monday. 12) Warren East (11-17) High Rank - 7, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 12 It’s been a very rough year for the Raiders. Like many seasons of late, East showed some promise in the early going. They won their Christmas tournament and started 8-4. There were surprising losses that look better in retrospect (South Warren, Franklin-Simpson, and Allen County-Scottsville), but for the most part, it looked like East would be a factor in the region. Then came illness, injuries, and games against teams that they rarely have success against. And so they crashed to a 3-13 record since that start, with all three wins coming against teams with losing records, including Caverna which has only a single win. The Raiders can be forgiven for playing in a brutal district where they ultimately went 0-8, but they have only lost by less than double digits twice during the run. Needless to say, they are not rolling going into district, and it does not look good for their chances to reach region for the first time since 1997. That’s despite having homecourt advantage, though they have lost in their first game of the last four times they’ve hosted the district tourney. The Raiders rank 13th and 11th in scoring offense and defense respectively. East shoots just under 44% of all attempts from the three point line, so if they can get hot, they’ve got a puncher’s chance. Adante Barber leads the team in scoring with 12.8 PPG, while four other players average between 7.8 and 8.8 PPG (Ryan Carter, Bryson Wallace, Thomas Maxey, and Kaleb Matlock). The Raiders will be looking for a game like the last they played against Warren Central, where they hit on 8 of 20 three pointers on their home floor. They open with South Warren, who defeated them by 2 at Warren East in December before getting the sweep with a 12 point win in February. That’s where we predict them to go out. If they should manage to get past that to the district semifinals, they’ll match up with Bowling Green. The Purples just beat East by 34 at Warren East, and have won 50 in a row against the Raiders. It’s hard to see any path to the regional tourney. 13) Metcalfe County (10-19) High Rank - 13, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 15 The Hornets enter the postseason with ten wins. That is their first double digit win season since 2011. It is also equal to the win total they had in the last four seasons combined. Let’s put it one more way – the last five Hornet coaches that weren’t the legendary Tim McMurtrey failed to ever reach double digit wins in a season. This was a good year. In addition to the win total, the Hornets had near misses against the likes of Glasgow, Monroe County (overtime), and Allen County-Scottsville. They enter the 16th District tournament with the two seed, having secured their first win over Russell County in 11 years when they knocked off the Lakers at home 56-53 on January 29th. Boston Devore and Tyler London lead the team with 16 PPG and 13.7 PPG respectively, as the Hornets average a healthy 64 PPG average as a team. They will host the district tournament, where they are 4-7 this season. Their reward for beating Russell County is the proposition of doing it again. That’s a tall task as Russell County has yet to lose a district semifinal game since entering the region in the 2005/2006 season. But this appears to be finally the year for Metcalfe County to return to Diddle. They’re at home and the Lakers have struggled on the road. They get the win, fall to Clinton County in the finals, and then have their season come to a successful end in the region quarters. 14) Russell County (7-23) High Rank - 13, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 14 The Lakers are just 3-14 in their last 17 games, and three of their wins on the season have come over Cumberland County, who went winless against 16th District teams. Russell County enters the postseason on a short positive note, knocking off Rockcastle County 63-58 to stop a nine game skid. The seven wins they have now equals their lowest total for a season in the last 20 years. In other words, it has been a tough season for Russell County. Their scoring attack rates as one of the worst in the region, as they score only 54.9 PPG while allowing 64.7 PPG. During their nine game losing streak, they topped that average only twice, scoring 59 against Jackson County (in overtime) and 61 against Marion County. Scott Hamm has provided an able presence inside, scoring 14 PPG while hitting nearly 55% of his shots from the field. When we say inside, we mean it – he has attempted zero three pointers. Briley Hadley has also chipped in 11.3 PPG. As mentioned in the Metcalfe preview, Russell County has never lost a district semifinal game as a member of the 16th District. Their region tournament appearance streak is a record 13 in a row. Of greatest concern for them is that they have won only a single true road game this year, beating Cumberland County 76-72 on January 4th. They are 1-10 at their opponents, and that includes a 56-53 loss to Metcalfe County. The combination of a low scoring offense, a road environment, and just general momentum points to a district semifinal loss at long last for a rebuilding Russell County team. 15) Cumberland County (6-22) High Rank - 12, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 17 The Panthers entered the season on a 14 game losing streak, and the first half of the season did not go much better. Despite some close results such as losses of 7, 9, and 4 to 16th District opponents, Cumberland County started just 2-14. Things have improved in the back half, including a stretch of four wins in seven games, back to back wins over Russellville and Todd County Central, and a 90 point effort in an overtime loss to Metcalfe County that rated as the highest score for the program since December 2003. The Panthers have frequently been competitive, and their scoring rate of 66.7 PPG is good enough for third in the region. Unfortunately, they allow over 78 PPG, dead last by over 8 points. They have allowed 77 points or more in a staggering seven straight games. Three Panthers average in double digits, led by Dawson Smith’s 19.7 PPG. Joseph Johnson averages 11.7 PPG and Isaiah Dyer adds 10.9 per. If Cumberland County had the fortune of matching up against Metcalfe County or Russell County, it would be conceivable that they could advance to the regional tournament. But instead, they take on top seed Clinton County, who have bested them 25 straight times dating back to 2009. That 2009 victory came in the district tournament, the last time Cumberland County advanced to the region tournament. That won’t happen here. Clinton County gets the win, and ends Cumberland County’s season. 16) Russellville (8-16) High Rank - 12, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 16 The Panthers have improved slightly from last season, but they are still well off the pace of 2017’s region runner-up. Like last season, the trouble has really kicked up following the start of the new year. While Russellville started 0-4, they entered the new year at 5-8, and were still 7-9 following a win at Caverna on January 8th. Since then, they are just 1-7, with only two of those losses coming by less than 10. It’s not without effort from Jacob Naylor. The senior was selected to the second team all-region, and his 25.2 PPG are tied for 8th in the state. He accounts for over 42% of his team’s total scoring. Add in Elijah Kemp’s solid 12.9 PPG average, and the two players account for over 64%. There’s just not enough depth from Russellville for a run. They did avenge an early season loss to Todd County Central with a 71-58 victory, which helped them avoid a potential matchup with Logan County in the district tournament. They will play Franklin-Simpson, who they fell to by just 6 at the start of February. Crazier things have happened, but our prediction is a swift exit in the semis. 17) Todd County Central (5-23) High Rank - 9, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 13 Todd County Central had a phenomenal season last year, getting back to the region tournament, reaching the semifinals, and claiming their first district title in over a decade. They returned the best pure big man in the region in John Calvery, and the second team all-region selection is having a fine year with 17.4 PPG. But ultimately, the loss of leading scorer Nolan Barrow was too much for the Rebels. They enter the postseason on a 14 game losing streak, and one of their five wins was actually an administrative forfeit to open the year. During their losing streak they have topped 60 points only three times, and their 54 PPG average is the worst in the region. They meet Logan County, who knocked them off by 13 and 10 in their two matchups. The district is at Todd County Central, but this seems like a year where a lot of the district hosts are not in extremely favorable positions. It’s just hard to envision Todd Central making any noise. Our prediction is that they end their season at home against Logan County. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Jackson Harlan, G, Sr. (Clinton County) – Voted the POY by both the 4th Region coaches and the KABC, his scoring average is actually down to 24.3 PPG. That’s how much he can score. 2. Chandler Clements, F, Sr. (Monroe County) – Clements leads the 4th Region in scoring, and will be leaned on heavily if they are to have a chance to advance. 3. Isaiah Mason, G, So. (Bowling Green) – Lean and long, Mason will ascend to his birthright as best player in the region starting next year. 4. Ben Carroll, F, Jr. (Greenwood) – Carroll is a huge matchup advantage, playing both inside and outside, and has a high basketball IQ. 5. Brett Rippy, G, Sr. (Allen County-Scottsville) – Rippy averages a ridiculous 46.5% average from the three point line. If he’s open, you’ve made a terrible mistake. 6. Tyler Martin, G, Sr. (South Warren) – Martin recently became the all-time leading scorer at South Warren. He’ll need to be great to give them a shot at their first region tournament berth. 7. Jacob Naylor, G, Sr. (Russellville) – It’s unfortunate that Naylor has gone a bit unnoticed by some in the midst of a rough Russellville season. His 25.2 PPG are 8th in the state. 8. Kobe Brents, G, Jr. (Warren Central) – Brents has struggled to find his shot at moments this year, but has turned up his play of late to lead the Dragons in scoring. If his threes are falling, look out. 9. Jack Roberts, G, Sr. (Greenwood) – A broken hand early in the season blunted his progress, but the eighth year senior is playing well as he enters his final postseason, looking to duplicate the heroics of 2017. 10. Jon Calvery, C, Sr. (Todd County Central) – Calvery is easily the best post player in the region, enabling him to still average over 17.4 PPG despite struggles around him. He’s making 50.6% of his field goals on the year.

Getting down to the nitty gritty.... 1) Bowling Green (21-5) - 2/4 73-52 W at #9 Barren County, 2/5 65-73 L Owensboro, 2/8 84-50 W at #12 Warren East Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/12 vs. #16 Russellville, 2/15 at Hopkinsville The record is still stellar, but as described previously, the Purples have undergone some growing pains of late. The Purples are down to two seniors on the team with the dismissals of Davion Dice in January and now Trevor Dennis earlier this week. Dennis had averaged in double digits for the Purples, but has been a non-factor since mid-January. The cracks have shown in several narrow wins and in the blowout loss to John Hardin. This week saw another sign, as the Purples suffered their first home loss in falling to an Owensboro team they beat by 15 at home in December. It's hardly panic time, but the Purples have dropped two of four overall, and have a tough road game at Hopkinsville on Friday. Of great importance, however, was their 50th consecutive win over Warren East in a devastating blowout on Friday, which secured the district's #1 seed before it would have been secured anyway with Warren Central's loss to Greenwood. Isaiah Mason poured in 22 points - all in the first half - keyed by six threes. The newly-minted first team all-region player is averaging just shy of 15 points per game on the year. 2) Warren Central (16-8) - 2/5 82-43 W at #16 Russellville, 2/8 55-59 L at #7 Greenwood, 2/9 67-56 W at Wayne County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/12 vs. #7 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/15 vs. LaRue County Though I do not release mid-week rankings, for three days the Dragons were #1. Had they defeated Greenwood, they would be #1 in these rankings. The Dragons have still won 8 of 10 games, and picked up their second strong road win in the last two weeks with an 11 point victory over 21 win Wayne County today. Earlier in the week they torched Russellville for their seventh 80+ effort of the season. But it is the loss to Greenwood that will stand out. The Gators are their postseason opponent, which was clinched with that loss (and would have been as well once BG finished Warren East). The Dragons were just 4/17 from three and only secured five free throw attempts in the loss, never finding an offensive rhythm. A 17-10 first quarter lead gave way to only six second quarter points and a 23-all tie, and Greenwood took the lead for good immediately after the start of the second half. It added up to their first loss to Greenwood in The Swamp since 2012, and suddenly they are just 5-4 in the last nine meetings with a Greenwood squad they beat 39 of the previous 41 times they played. The Dragons completed their road slate in District 14 at 1-3, and fell to three different district opponents for the first time since 2007/08. With Bowling Green's roster upheaval, the Dragons may actually be a better favorite for the region crown at this point, but they are also extremely vulnerable. They take on a slumping AC/S team that they'll be looking for revenge against, before finishing with the toughest game they've had all year when they host dominant LaRue County. 3) Clinton County (20-6) - 2/4 55-48 W McCreary Central, 2/8 82-72 W #11 Monroe County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/11 at #8 South Warren, 2/14 at #10 Barren County The Bulldogs often win unimpressively, but slowly, inexorably, they win. Clinton County secured their 20th win this week with a pair of home wins, their last two home games of the season. Jackson Harlan did all the heavy lifting in a 55-48 win over McCreary Central, dropping in 29 points on 11/20 shooting. Seth Stockton was uncharacteristically off in the game, chipping in only six. The 82 points Clinton County dropped on Monroe represent a season high outside of district play. Another win for the Bulldogs - Jackson Harlan received accolades as the 4th Region Player of the Year as voted on by the coaches in the region, earning the honors with his 24.2 PPG average. Clinton County has won 12 of 13, with their lone loss coming against Shelby Valley in the All A. They look to finish out strong with a tough road game against an up and coming South Warren squad before a nearly certain win against Barren County to close out the regular season. Why aren't they higher? Because at the end of the day, if they were going up against one of those two teams, I still don't think I could find belief that Clinton County was going to win. 4) Glasgow (18-9) - 2/4 70-49 W at #2 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/5 66-58 W #13 Metcalfe County, 2/8 64-52 W Caverna Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/12 at #15 Cumberland County, 2/15 at #9 Franklin-Simpson The Scotties had a pretty good week. Just 9 days ago they appeared a longshot to have a shot at the top seed in the district tournament. Monroe County opened the door, Glasgow broke it down in a blowout win over AC/S on Monday, then won the draw on Wednesday. That earns them the right to play Barren County on the 18th. The Trojans played them close in two contests this season, but for the Scotties, it is still a plus to not play a Monroe County team that did beat them in December in a district tournament hosted by Monroe County. Nik Sorrell was named to the All-4th Region first team - he averages nearly 20 points per game. Glasgow picked up a trio of wins this week to make it six wins in seven games, and they look to be very likely to enter the postseason riding a five game win streak based on their matchups this week. Everything seems to be coming together at the right time for Glasgow. This is their highest ranking since the disastrous blowout against Bowling Green in December. 5) Greenwood (14-11) - 2/5 44-43 OT W #6 Logan County, 2/8 59-55 W #3 Warren Central Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/12 at #11 Monroe County, 2/15 at Edmonson County Speaking of good weeks and highest ranks since December - Greenwood is up to their highest since the second week of the season. They own the region's longest winning streak at six games in a row, getting strong efforts from their top two guys Ben Carroll and Jack Roberts. Roberts had 12 and 20 in their two wins this week, while Carroll had 15 and 18. That's over 63% of their scoring in those two games, but it's not surprising from two guys who are usually at their best as the end of the season approaches. Greenwood tailed by 11 in the fourth quarter against Logan County on Tuesday, on a night when the threes just wouldn't fall. But Jack Roberts found one just in time, sending the game to an extra session after a furious rally, and Benn Carroll gave them the win on a putback with just over 5 seconds remaining. Then the Gators jumped out to a twelve point lead in the third quarter over Warren Central, and though the lead dwindled to as few as three, they never trailed in the entire second half of the district tournament preview. The Gators dropped only a single game at home in-district play (a 57-56 loss to Bowling Green), and will look to have a repeat of their 2017 district semifinal victory over Warren Central when the two teams meet again in just over a week. If they can do as expected and win both their games this week, they'll enter the postseason on an 8 game winning streak, which would be their longest since 2008. 6) Logan County (20-6) - 2/5 43-44 OT L at #7 Greenwood, 2/8 54-51 W at Muhlenberg County, 2/9 79-52 W at #2 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/12 vs. Ohio County, 2/15 vs. #15 Cumberland County Logan County was on the other side of that narrow overtime loss to Greenwood, and is still trying to regain their footing in this latest stretch. They are just 5-4 since starting 15-2. None of their recent losses have been by more than 8 points, dating back to just before Christmas when they fell by 16 to Webster County. They recovered from the loss to Greenwood with wins over Muhlenberg County and Allen County-Scottsville, giving them their first 20 win season since 2012. They have a good chance this week to pick up a pair of wins, which would give them their most in a quarter century. There is every reason to believe this season may rank among the best the school has ever had. 7) Allen County-Scottsville (20-7) - 2/4 49-70 L #5 Glasgow, 2/5 55-53 OT W at Edmonson County, 2/7 57-56 W at #13 Metcalfe County, 2/9 52-79 L #6 Logan County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/12 at #2 Warren Central, 2/14 vs. #17 Todd County Central When the Patriots suffered a narrow loss at home to Bowling Green on January 26th, everything seemed to be sky-high in potential. Very little has gone right since. The Patriots may be 3-3 in that span, but the crucially lost two district games to fall into a tie with Glasgow for the district top spot - with their loss to Glasgow coming in blowout fashion in Scottsville no less. As detailed above, the draw didn't go their way, and they find themselves now with the task of playing Monroe County in a true road game in nine days for a berth in the region tournament. They followed that Glasgow loss with the narrowest escapes against Edmonson County (by 2 in overtime) and Metcalfe County (by 1). Metcalfe actually had a challenged shot that would have given them the win. Those teams are a combined 20-32 - not positive signs. Logan County extended the misery with a 27 point shellacking in Scottsville this evening. This is a squad that is clearly reeling, and they are not likely to find any quarter when they visit a Warren Central team they beat at home in early January. Just not an ideal stretch for the Patriots, which is a shame, because it overshadows a campaign that has seen them reach 20 wins for the first time in a decade. There's still time, they just need to rediscovery their strong January form. 8) South Warren (12-14) - 2/5 71-59 W #12 Warren East, 2/7 54-41 W at #8 Franklin-Simpson, 2/9 101-87 W Hart County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/11 vs. #3 Clinton County, 2/15 vs. Butler County The Spartans may have found themselves condemned to the 4/5 play-in game in the 14th District tournament, but they picked up a trio of wins this week for their third three game winning streak this season. They have now won 7 of 10, which included wins over Warren Central and Franklin-Simpson, as well as very close losses to Greenwood and Bowling Green. Tonight they dropped 101 on Hart County, a school record and the first trip over the century mark for the team. Tyler Martin, recently minted second team all-region, dropped 33 in the game, and became the school's career leading scorer with it. Earlier in the week they earned a 12 point win over Warren East, the team that they will face off against in the district tournament in just over a week. They'll try to battle back to .500 with a pair of games this week, including a daunting one on Monday against Clinton County. 9) Franklin-Simpson (13-11) - 2/5 39-35 W Butler County, 2/7 41-54 L #10 South Warren Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/12 at #12 Warren East, 2/14 vs. #4 Glasgow The Wildcats have been going through a bit of a rough patch of their own, winning only three of their last seven games. They slide behind South Warren as a result, who knocked them off by 13 in Franklin on Thursday. This week saw an unwelcome return to the scoring issues that have plagued Franklin at times, as they managed only 80 combined points in the two results. Despite having a winning record, the Wildcats have actually allowed 17 points more than they've scored on the season. Andreyous Miller did his best to raise the scoreline, combining for 29 points in the two games, on 10/18 shooting. The impressive sophomore has moved his scoring average up to 10.7 PPG on the season. Demarco Chatman was named to the third team all-region this week as well. Franklin should be favored over Warren East before closing with a tough home contest against Glasgow. 10) Barren County (14-13) - 2/4 52-73 L #1 Bowling Green, 2/5 58-47 OT W at #14 Russell County, 2/8 77-70 W #15 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/12 at #13 Metcalfe County, 2/14 vs. #3 Clinton County The Trojans were steamrolled at home against top-ranked and highly motivated Bowling Green, but recovered the week with a pair of wins to move back over .500 on the year. Barren County has been very up and down all season long. They have yet to win more than three in a row, nor will they be favored to that this next week given their matchup against Clinton County. They have played very competitively in losses to Logan County and Glasgow, but have also struggled to put away teams like Russell County and Cumberland County. It is very tough to know how things will play out when the postseason hits. They'll meet Glasgow in nine days. 11) Monroe County (10-13) - 2/5 81-70 W at #15 Cumberland County, 2/8 72-82 L at #4 Clinton County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/12 vs. #5 Greenwood, 2/14 vs. #12 Warren East Chandler Clements was named first team all-region this week, and keyed an 81-70 win over Cumberland County with 23 points on 9 of 18 shooting. They could not extend their win streak to three, falling in a road game at Clinton County 82-72. Still, the past week represents a step forward for the Falcons, and they will warm up their home floor with games against a pair of District 14 opponents before they host the 15th District tournament next week, when they'll meet an Allen County-Scottsville team they just beat. 12) Warren East (10-15) - 2/5 59-71 L at #10 South Warren, 2/8 50-84 L #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/11 vs. Caverna, 2/12 vs. #9 Franklin-Simpson, 2/14 at #11 Monroe County Things did not improve for the Raiders, who have not been able to overcome a bevy of ailments since the start of the new year. They are now 2-11 in their last 13 games, and each of their last seven losses have something in common - they have failed to top 60 points in each. Scoring has just been hard to come by, and that has not put them in a position to be able to grab wins. Their two losses this week dropped them to 0-8 in District 14 play this season, but they do get to host the district tournament, so perhaps they can still parlay that into something. They have a chance to grab some momentum and move up the ranks with three winnable games, including two against teams within three spots of them. 13) Metcalfe County (9-18) - 2/4 97-90 OT W at #15 Cumberland County, 2/5 58-66 L at #5 Glasgow, 2/7 56-57 L #2 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/12 vs. #10 Barren County, 2/14 vs. Caverna, 2/15 at Washington County The Hornets no longer required the win over Cumberland County to stay in the 2/3 game and away from Clinton County in the district tournament, but it was a nice touch nonetheless. The 97 points represented an eight year high for the program, as both Peyton Dial (29) and Boston Devore (21) topped twenty points in the game, with Trevor Fields just missing with 19. They proved to be competitive with Glasgow and had a shot for the win carom off the iron against Allen County-Scottsville. The signs are all positive as they enter the last week of the regular season. 14) Russell County (6-22) - 2/4 45-61 L at Mercer County, 2/5 47-58 OT L #9 Barren County, 2/8 45-54 L at Adair County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/12 vs. Danville, 2/15 vs. Rockcastle County The Lakers have now dropped eight in a row, and they appear almost certain to fall to Danville before a winnable game against Rockcastle County. The Lakers failed to top 47 points in any of their three games this week, which included an extra four minutes in the game against Barren County. In fact, 61 points is their high in the entire losing streak. They'll be the #3 seed when they meet Metcalfe County next week, hoping to keep alive their region tournament streak. 15) Cumberland County (6-20) - 2/4 90-97 OT L #13 Metcalfe County, 2/5 70-81 L #11 Monroe County, 2/8 70-77 L at #9 Barren County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/12 vs. #4 Glasgow, 2/15 at #6 Logan County The scoring has been way, way up for the Panthers, who are averaging almost 80 points over their last four games. The wins have not necessarily come - they are 1-3 in that stretch - but they have certainly proven to be competitive in those games. They'll have an uphill battle in games against Glasgow and Logan County this week, ahead of their district tournament matchup against Clinton County, which defeated them three times this season. 16) Russellville (8-15) - 2/5 43-82 L #3 Warren Central, 2/8 71-58 W at #17 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/12 at #1 Bowling Green, 2/15 vs. Whitesville Trinity The Panthers snapped a six game losing streak and won their first district game of the year with a 71-58 victory on the road at Todd County Central. The win pulled them into a tie with the Rebels for the 3rd seed in district play, and it means we have no idea who is going to be in what spot as the top two spots and bottom two spots in the district are now tied. Jacob Naylor was named to the second team all-region. The senior is averaging just a hair under 25 PPG. This week they will almost certainly suffer a 16th consecutive loss to Bowling Green before meeting a surprising Whitesville Trinity team. 17) Todd County Central (5-21) - 2/4 58-80 L Rossview (TN), 2/8 58-71 L #16 Russellville Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/12 at Muhlenberg County, 2/14 at #7 Allen County-Scottsville The Rebels were not able to ride homecourt to a victory, and their losing streak has now reached 12 in a row. It's been a difficult season for Todd County, which was not able to replicate last season's success despite the presence of Jon Calvery. Calvery was named to the second team all-region this week.

A quick snapshot of the matchups in the 4th Region tournament: Game 1: February 24th – Clinton County (16th District Champions) vs. Allen County-Scottsville (15th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Clinton County leads 1-0 -Last Region Meeting: Clinton County 40 Allen County-Scottsville 38 - 2010 4th Region Quarterfinals Clinton County is into their eighth straight region tournament, the longest current streak in the region now that Russell County was eliminated in district play. The Bulldogs secured their fourth district title during that streak, winning by seven over Cumberland County in a tighter than expected contest, but comfortably knocking off district host at #2 seed Metcalfe County by 23. They drew the middle option from the district runners-up, with Allen County-Scottsville checking in at #7 in our last BGP rankings – Clinton County was #4. That puts the Bulldogs in a position that has been rather rare for them over the years, that of a first round favorite. They have lost 8 of their last 9 games in the region tournament, but did win their only meeting in region tournament play against Allen County-Scottsville. The Bulldogs are 23-7 on the year, and have won 15 of their last 17 games. That included a win over 15th District champion Glasgow, who just knocked off Allen County-Scottsville in the 15th District finals. While Clinton County did not play the Patriots, they went undefeated against the rest of the 15th District, posting a perfect 4-0 record. Like most years, they enter with good tournament experience, having won the region’s All A Classic tournament and advancing to a solid effort against Shelby Valley in the state tournament. As mentioned in the postseason preview, Jackson Harlan is the engine that drives Clinton County. They’ll need a big effort from Jackson Harlan, who posted 20 and 29 points in the district tournament. The Patriots can be one of the most dangerous teams in the entire region tournament, but since their 15-2 start, they have been wildly inconsistent. Some of that was on display in the district tournament, sometimes even in the same game. The Patriots blasted Monroe County by 15, and jumped out to a lead on Glasgow by halftime, but gave up a perfect shooting performance from the field in the third quarter to fall behind, and they couldn’t reel the Scotties back in. There wasn’t really a perfect draw for the Patriots at that point, but Clinton County will do as they are the only team the Patriots didn’t face among the possible district winner opponents available to them, and they went 0-2 against Bowling Green and Logan County. The Patriots are into the region tournament for the first time since 2013, and they have lost their last six games in region tournament play. Their last win came in 2005, and even that was their only win in the tournament since they won the title in 1996. The Patriots are 7-3 all-time against 16th District opponents in the region tournament, but have fallen in two straight. AC/S has not won more than three games in a row since their 15-2 start ended, and that particular streak was just snapped in the district final. Brett Rippy is the player to watch on AC/S – he posted 24 points on 8/11 shooting in their district semifinal win over Monroe County. Both they and the Bulldogs average around 65 PPG, so there should be a healthy amount of scoring in this matchup. Game 2: February 24th – Bowling Green (14th District Champions) vs. Franklin-Simpson (13th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Bowling Green leads 9-1 -Last Region Meeting: Bowling Green 77 Franklin-Simpson 59 - 2017 4th Region Semifinals It’s March – well, scratch that, February (this is the earliest start for the Bowling Green-area region tournament in history) – which means Bowling Green is in the region tournament. The Purples have missed the tournament just once in the last 12 seasons. While they saw their run of four straight region titles end a season ago, they kept alive their streak of reaching a region final when they make the tournament, appearing in the final of the last 11 tournaments they’ve made. They brought home their sixth consecutive district title in their 57-49 win over Warren Central, one shy of their record for the district tournament set from 1939-1945. The Purples win in the postseason, and they win often. They win often against Franklin-Simpson too, regardless of when it takes place. They are 9-1 all-time against Franklin-Simpson in region tournament play, with the lone loss coming in the 1971 region finals. They’ve won 8 in a row, including during their state tournament run in 2017. Besides that, they have won 11 in a row against the Wildcats at any point, including this season’s 67-51 victory in January. Franklin-Simpson hasn’t so much as topped 60 points against the Purples since 2011, while Bowling Green has just once dipped below that. They’re favored heavily is what we’re saying. Given their track record, their region-best 24-5 mark, and their presence as champions of the district that has won 17 consecutive 4th Region tournaments, they’re favored for the whole tourney. Franklin-Simpson is making their fourth consecutive region tournament appearance, but they have lost 8 of their last 9 in region tourney play – their sole win came in 2017 over Russell County. They carry a 2-18 mark all-time in region tournament play against the 14th District, and have not won against the district since beating Warren Central in 1996, losing twelve in a row. They start with a game against a 14th District rep for the sixth time in their last eight region tournament appearances. That’s the negative in a season of many positives. While last year’s squad snuck into the postseason, Franklin whipped Russellville 75-61 before falling short against Logan County on a layup with less than 10 seconds remaining, and a brutal no-call on their final play, falling 67-66. They bounced back to 16 wins this year after winning just seven one year ago. While they allowed 128 points in the district tournament, their 55 PPG allowed is one of the tops in the region. They allowed Bowling Green to shoot 25/42 from inside the arc in their last meeting, and Isaiah Mason dropped 21 points on them. The Wildcats simply cannot allow that sort of production on the defensive end to have a shot. Game 3: February 25th – Glasgow (15th District Champions) vs. Warren Central (14th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Warren Central leads 5-1 -Last Region Meeting: Warren Central 68 Glasgow 63 - 2018 4th Region Quarterfinals Déjà vu. These two met in the opener just last season, and Glasgow likely is not happy to have drawn them yet again. It is inarguably the worst draw they could have gotten in terms of the runners-up. There is something to be said about playing a 14th District rep first, rather than hoping to beat them back to back in the semis and finals, but it is very tough. Glasgow is making their third region appearance since 2012, and they lost both openers since then, both against 14th District teams, both against teams that went on to win the region. Glasgow carries a 39-41 all-time record in region play, and haven’t beaten a 14th District opponent since 2002. The Scotties enter region tournament play with 20+ wins for the second straight year, and have won 9 of 11 overall. They have three players averaging over 10 PPG, led by Nick Sorrell’s 19 PPG. He topped that with 22 big points in an overtime win over Barren County in the district tournament, and added 17 to lead the team again in their district title win over Allen County-Scottsville. The Scotties were outscored by the Patriots in three of the four quarters, but they were perfect in the third, outscoring AC/S 26-12 and that was enough to lift them to a 61-56 win. The Scotties have lost 14 in a row to Warren Central, so that’s some pretty strong motivation. There’s also the matter of the two players who transferred from Glasgow to Warren Central this offseason and started for Central in the district tournament, which it’s fair to say will be strong motivation as well. The defending 4th Region champions, Warren Central, earned the right to defend their title, though it wasn’t very pretty. With an influx of transfers, the Dragons started the year 5-0, but faltered to a 12-11 mark since. Their 17 wins are their fewest going into a region tournament since 1997 when they had just 9. They performed phenomenally against out of region competition down the stretch, but went 3-4 against region teams since late January. While earlier in the season they had some defensive struggles, they have come a long way with that, holding 12 of their last 14 opponents under 60 points. But then, their offense has suddenly come up short, as they have failed to top 60 points in their last four games, and didn’t get over 50 in the district tournament. They’ll have to do better to keep up with the Scotties, who average 64 PPG. Central carries a 23-3 all-time mark in region tournament openers, and have won 17 of their last 18. They won their first meeting with Glasgow in December, 84-62 in Glasgow. Tayshaun Bibb had a career high 21 points in that game, as Kobe Brents (formerly of Glasgow) added 16 and Dre Boyd had 15. If the Scotties allow that type of production from Bibb again – who exclusively operates at the rim – then the Dragons are a good pick for the W. Central will rightly view themselves as very much one of the favorites for the region title, but their road starts difficult and will remain that way. Game 4: February 25th – Logan County (13th District Champions) vs. Metcalfe County (16th District Runners-Up) -Series at Region: Series tied 1-1 -Last Region Meeting: Logan County 67 Metcalfe County 60 - 1997 4th Region Quarterfinals The Cougars carry the longest current win streak in the region into the region tournament, having won their last six. They have been scoring at will, averaging nearly 74 PPG in their last five games. That included just their second district tournament win over Franklin-Simpson ever, and their first in a district final (where the two had never met), winning 67-66 in Todd County. Dalton Thompson worked his way in for a game-winning layup with 5 seconds left in the matchup, lifting the Cougars to their first district title in four years. Now they look to climb a bigger mountain – their first region tournament win since 1998. With apologies to Metcalfe County, they got the draw to do it. The Cougars are 3-1 all-time in region tournament play against teams form the 16th District, last losing in 1985. The Hornets are the only team with a losing record in the tournament field, while Logan County is tied with Bowling Green for the most wins in the region with 24. Logan County averages 65 PPG, while Metcalfe County allows just shy of 70. It’s an ideal draw. The Cougars like to play uptempo and feature some good length on the team. They can match up with anyone in the field, and while they need to not get caught peeking ahead, their easier path to the semis makes them a legitimate dark horse for the title. They won their only title in 1984, and went on to win the state tournament. I’m not trying to besmirch Metcalfe County, who is a genuinely uplifting story. As mentioned in the pre-district preview, Metcalfe County exceeded the win total of their last four seasons combined, and reached the region tournament for the first time in eight years. They ended Russell County’s 13 year run of reaching the region tournament, becoming the first team in the region to ever defeat the Lakers in the district semifinals, doing so in a 62-58 overtime win. They’d likely have preferred to have given Clinton County a better run in the finals, but while the stated goal for the team is going to remain the pursuit of a region title, the Hornets have already accomplished and exceeded the realistic goals for the team. Metcalfe County is seeking their first region tournament victory since they knocked off Greenwood with a 25 foot buzzer beater en route to the 2006 region finals. They carry a 12-24 all-time record in region play, but won their last game against a 13th District opponent in the tournament, beating Franklin-Simpson – also in 2006. The Hornets are 5-5 in their last ten games, and will hope for some hot three point shooting like they had against Russell County, when they dropped in 8/17 from the perimeter. Boston Devore remains the team leader in scoring, averaging 16 PPG. A couple of anecdotal notes that don’t fit well into the previews: -I mentioned that this is the earliest region tournament start in the history of the Bowling Green-area region. This year, they also start on Sunday. It is extremely uncommon, as there have been only three Sunday games ever played in the tournament prior to this year. One was the 2013 region final, and the other two came in the 1948 semis. -This collection of teams has never been in the region tournament at the same time. The last time Clinton County and Metcalfe County made it in the same season was 1973. Allen County-Scottsville was still just plain old Allen County and Scottsville, and Logan County was split into five different schools. Bowling Green, Franklin-Simpson, and Warren Central all played together in the 14th District at the time. -While some districts did so prior to 1999, by that year, each district in the region was seeding their district tournaments. This year was the first year ever that the higher seed won each and every game played in the region. All four #1 seeds are champs, all four #2 seeds are runners-up. So it’s been a good year for chalk. By the last BGP region rankings, Glasgow is the only district champion not favored. It’ll be interesting to see how far the trend goes. -Three 20+ win teams are at the top of the bracket, with Clinton County, Allen County-Scottsville, and Bowling Green all exceeding that mark. -The non-14th District teams will be trying to put an end to the streak of 17 straight region tournament titles for the 14th, but this collection of teams does not have much recent experience in advancing to the title game. Franklin-Simpson last made it in 2009, Metcalfe County in 2006, Glasgow in 2000, Allen County-Scottsville in 1996, Logan County in 1984, and Clinton County waaaaaaaaay back in 1960. Bowling Green and Warren Central have combined for 26 appearances since 2001. Someone will have to defy the (recent) odds. -The 14th District has not lost to a 13th District representative since 2001, when Russellville beat Warren Central in the title game. That’s 26 straight wins, the longest such streak by one district against another by nine whole games. Bowling Green opens with 14th District runner-up Franklin-Simpson, and by BGP rankings, Warren Central will be expected to meet 13th District champion Logan County in the region semifinals.

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.

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 (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 (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 (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.