Search the Community

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 (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.

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.

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.

Just over 13 miles separate these two schools, but this will be the first meeting between what could be considered natural rivals. Coming into the year, it was thought if any team was a threat to South Warren in the district, it was the Wildcats. Those thoughts are a distant memory because of the unbelievable start for the Spartans. Franklin-Simpson averages around 40 yards passing per game, leaning heavily on the rushing attack. Which, unless you've been living under a rock, South Warren is kinda good at stopping. Thoughts?

The Franklin-Simpson Wildcats have high hopes entering 2015 after a 9-2 campaign last season. One of their two losses last year was to a team from Tennessee in Battle Ground Academy, will they fare better crossing the border this time?

Series Overall: Warren Central leads 18-17 Series at Franklin-Simpson: Franklin-Simpson leads 9-8 To say this is a significant district game would be to sell it a little short. Franklin-Simpson has already lost to South Warren, and let's face it, Warren Central is going to. Given the relative strengths of the teams, this is expected to determine who gets the 2 seed in the district and a home playoff game, and who starts on the road and stares at the South Warren juggernaut in the second round. While Warren Central has won 6 straight in the series, the two teams have not met in district play since 2002, the first of those six straight wins. If you believe in historical trends, Franklin-Simpson would seem in good shape. The two teams have alternated wins in their last five district matchups dating to 1994, and it's Franklin's turn. Slightly more current, Franklin-Simpson has not lost two in a row since September of 2013, and have alternated wins and losses this season. They enter having lost to South Warren. Warren Central hasn't won two in a row since last September, and October has been particularly poor to them, going 2-4 in their last six October games, with both wins coming over Logan County. It's the first matchup for these teams since 2012, after playing from 1973-2002. I'm glad it's back on the regular schedule, and it should be a good one!

It's an unexpected battle of unbeatens when the Metcalfe County Hornets travel to take on the 4th ranked Franklin-Simpson Wildcats. Franklin-Simpson enters off of an impressive, albeit truncated win over Caldwell County, a 14-6 decision that was called at the half. But that they're 2-0 isn't unthinkable. Metcalfe County, on the other hand, won only two games last season. The Hornets have not started 2-0 since 2007's state semifinal run, and in fact had not won either of their first two games since 2008. Chances are that the Wildcats will reintroduce them to the loss column, but what say you?

Franklin-Simpson was living right last week, jumping out to a quick lead on top five in 5A Greenwood, but after falling behind late, gained a victory via a miracle tip drill touchdown to win 24-20. The win moved Franklin to 4-0 for the first time in 20 years, and they'll be favored to move to 5-0 for the first time since that season. In their final tuneup before the pivotal game with South Warren, they'll host 2-2 Monroe County, coming off a 46-34 victory over Barren County. The Falcons have had an up and down year in their first year under Billy Joe Murphy, and this game should go to the Wildcats. What say you?

The Wildcats travel to historical rival Warren Central riding to their first 6-0 start since the 1994 edition started 9-0. Ironically, the team that prevented that '94 team from finishing a perfect regular season? Warren Central. Alas, no fireworks will be present here. Franklin-Simpson is coming off a spectacular 30-24 win over South Warren, placing themselves squarely in the driver's seat for the district title and homefield advantage in the first three rounds of the playoffs. It avenged a pair of losses to the Spartans last season, and is expected to perhaps be the first of two meetings. Meanwhile, Warren Central had its closest result of the year, but still fell to 0-6 via a 23-6 loss to Allen County-Scottsville. A 6-0 team meets an 0-6 team - what could go wrong?

The Wildcats emerge from their bye week ready to move to 9-0 when they travel to Warren East's magnificent new blue turf field in the district closer for Franklin and the regular season finale for the Raiders. Franklin won their two games before the bye by a combined 72-0 score, have three shutouts on the year, and only Greenwood and South Warren have scored more than 7 points on them. To say their defense is rolling along with their offense (38 PPG) would be an understatement. They'll face a Raider team that clinched a return to the playoffs with a 49-0 drubbing of Warren Central last week, raising their record to 3-3 in their last six games. They have lost 7 of 8 against Franklin-Simpson, and in all, only twice beat Franklin-Simpson without Ben Bruni at the helm (5-5 under Bruni, 2-25 otherwise). No result of this game will affect playoff seedings, as Franklin has clinched homefield for the first three rounds of the playoffs and the Raiders are locked into the 4 seed. Can the Raiders high flying offense hold onto the ball well enough to give them a chance, or will Franklin's dominant ground game reign supreme?

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Monroe County (25-3) - 2/13 46-44 W #4 Clinton County Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/17 at Greenwood, 2/19 at Warren East 2) Bowling Green (23-5) - 2/9 77-69 W at #7 Logan County, 2/10 66-69 L Owensboro, 2/13 70-55 W at Warren East Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/17 vs. #8 Russellville 3) Warren Central (20-7) - 2/10 92-43 W #8 Russellville, 2/13 66-41 W at Greenwood, 2/14 86-61 W Elizabethtown Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/17 at Allen County-Scottsville, 2/20 at John Hardin 4) Clinton County (17-10) - 2/9 55-66 L at Corbin, 2/13 44-46 L at #1 Monroe County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/16 at #10 South Warren, 2/19 vs. #6 Barren County 5) Russell County (14-9) - 2/10 62-59 W #5 Barren County, 2/13 72-54 W at Adair County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/17 at Madison Southern, 2/20 vs. Allen County-Scottsville 6) Barren County (20-7) - 2/10 59-62 L at #6 Russell County, 2/13 76-49 W Cumberland County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/17 vs. Metcalfe County, 2/19 at #4 Clinton County 7) Logan County (17-8) - 2/9 69-77 L #2 Bowling Green, 2/10 55-35 W at Rossview (TN), 2/12 60-66 L Hopkinsville Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/19 vs. Greenwood 8) Russellville (12-11) - 2/10 43-92 L at #3 Warren Central, 2/13 63-53 W at Todd County Central Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/17 at #2 Bowling Green, 2/20 at Butler County 9) Franklin-Simpson (9-17) - 2/12 54-44 W #9 South Warren, 2/13 63-58 W at #10 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: NR This Week: 2/17 vs. Warren East, 2/19 at Glasgow 10) South Warren (14-14) - 2/9 72-62 W at Todd County Central, 2/10 85-81 W Warren East, 2/12 44-54 L at Franklin-Simpson, 2/14 98-63 W at Ohio County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/16 vs. #4 Clinton County, 2/19 at Daviess County Last Week's Game of the Week - Entering Tuesday's matchup, Barren County and Russell County had met six times over the previous 4 seasons, splitting the matchups 3-3. Last year in the region tournament, Barren County ended Willie Feldhaus's run as HC at Russell County 68-59 in the region tourney, avenging an earlier loss in the regular season. Both those matchups last year were at Barren County, and the Lakers took advantage of getting to host this time around. After a tight game early, Russell County stretched into a 33-20 lead at halftime, and increased it to 15 points entering the fourth quarter. Then, the Trojans finally came to life, drawing within a single point and having multiple chances to tie or take the lead. But Russell County could not be denied, puulling out the 62-59 victory. Jones had 19 points for Barren County. The victory led to a flip flop in our ranks for the two teams. 14th District Draw - The dust finally settled on the 14th District this week. On the court, South Warren seized control of the #3 seed with an 85-81 win over Warren East, relegating Greenwood and Warren East to the 4/5 game. Off the court, the coin flip for #1 took place on February 15th and when the dust settled, it was Warren Central with the 1 seed, Bowling Green with the 2 seed. That sets up a great semifinal between Bowling Green and South Warren, played at South Warren. The Spartans will try to break two streaks at once - never having beaten Bowling Green and never making the region tournament. Lovan Elevates Franklin-Simpson - To say Franklin-Simpson missed Lovan during his absence with a broken wrist would be a wild understatement. Without Lovan, the Wildcats went 2-14. With him, they've gone 7-3, including winning 4 of 5 since his return. Since coming back, he's been averaging 24 points per game. Last week, the Wildcats knocked off South Warren and Allen County-Scottsville in back to back games, elevating them into the top 10 and placing themselves as a legitimate threat to make the region tournament. Fourth Time The Charm? - Clinton County has been close, sooooooo close. Three times the Bulldogs have played old 16th District rival Monroe County three times this year. They lost all three.... by a combined five points. Monroe County has yet to lose to a region opponent, and it would be an upset if they did not maintain that until at least the region tournament. Clinton County is a lock to make the region tournament and perhaps it is there that they'll finally get over the hump. Snow - It's coming folks, and it will probably take out most if not all the games next week. It'll be interesting to see how the teams respond to potentially long layoffs leading into the district tournaments. Upcoming Games of the Week 2/19 - #6 Barren County at #4 Clinton County - It's slim pickings this week and again, it seems likely that a lot of games will get canceled in the snowpocalypse. This is one of the few games matching two top 10 region teams and is a matchup of two teams likely to make the region tournament. Last season these two had a true classic, with Clinton County going on the road for an 82-80 double ovetime win.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (23-2) - 2/9 86-58 W at Owensboro, 2/12 79-37 W #7 Warren East, 2/13 68-52 W at #7 Warren East Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/16 at #2 Russellville, 2/18 vs. Hopkinsville The beat goes on in a major way for the Purples, who are now up to 17 straight wins, their longest win streak in 17 years. They opened the week by crushing defending state champion Owensboro, then continued their dominance of Warren East on back to back nights, pushing that streak to 43 straight wins. That streak is now old enough to graduate high school. 2) Russellville (16-5) - 2/12 85-52 W #13 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/16 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 2/19 at Butler County Russellville had a quiet week thanks to the weather, but capped off a 5-1 district slate to tie Franklin-Simpson for the top seed in the district. It does matter to them which they get, as they beat Todd Central by an average of 30 PPG while beating Logan by just 9.5 PPG, but they'll almost certainly move on to region in either scenario. They get another crack at Bowling Green this week, who they put a scare into in mid-January. 3) Franklin-Simpson (20-4) - 2/9 68-51 W at #10 Logan County, 2/11 67-73 L at #8 South Warren, 2/12 59-54 W #15 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/16 vs. #8 Warren East, 2/18 at #12 Glasgow Franklin-Simpson held the record of most stunning upset of the year for about a day when they dropped a decision to South Warren. The Spartans played the Wildcats tough both times this year, but the loss was just the second Franklin has taken in this calendar year. Lovan was injured for part of the contest, but that wasn't until late, when most of the 13 point halftime lead Franklin had was gone. Lovan should be fine moving forward, but their 59-54 win against Allen County-Scottsville without him shows just how huge a hole his absence leaves. 4) Barren County (22-5) - 2/11 58-66 OT L #6 Russell County, 2/12 65-36 W at #17 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/16 vs. #16 Metcalfe County, 2/18 at #9 Clinton County The Trojans saw a 9 game winning streak end when they dropped an overtime decision at home to Russell County, but have still been playing good ball for the last month. Barren County averages winning by over 12 PPG, and the loss was the only one in their last five they didn't win by more than 16. They remain a virtual lock for the region tournament. 5) Russell County (15-8) - 2/11 66-58 OT W at #3 Barren County, 2/12 56-57 L Adair County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/16 at Madison Southern, 2/19 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville Russell County has had a bit of an up and down year, and has remained mostly out of the eye of the region for the last month, right up until they knocked off Barren County on the road. The Lakers are still just 4-5 in their last nine, but if they can beat the Trojans on the road, they are a team capable of doing damage in the postseason. No team in the region is more of a lock for the region tournament than the Lakers. 6) Warren Central (15-10) - 2/10 77-62 W at Owensboro Catholic, 2/12 67-68 L #14 Greenwood, 2/13 63-44 W at Elizabethtown Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/15 at #13 Greenwood, 2/16 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/19 at John Hardin The huge momentum that Central had following a big win over Owensboro Catholic on Wednesday met the unlikeliest of ends on Friday in what is easily the most stunning upset of the year. The Dragons led by as much as 15 and led by 11 with 2:30 left in the game, but failed to score another point as Greenwood knocked them off 68-67. It was the first loss at home against Greenwood for the Dragons in 16 years. There have been a lot of firsts in a while for Central this year - none of them have been good. With snow looming and just 15 wins, Warren Central's streak of seven straight 20 win seasons is in serious jeopardy. 7) South Warren (12-13) - 2/9 60-59 W at #7 Warren East, 2/11 73-67 W #2 Franklin-Simpson, 2/13 64-43 W Ohio County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/15 vs. #9 Clinton County, 2/18 vs. Daviess County Bookended around four straight losses to the likes of Bowling Green, Russellville, and Warren Central are two South Warren four game winning streaks. This week included two unlikely wins. The first was their road win over Warren East, wherein the Spartans overcame a double digit fourth quarter deficit, capped by two Dayton Gumm free throws with less than two seconds left. The second was the aforementioned megaton upset of Franklin-Simpson, who had three straight wins over the Spartans. They're still stuck in the 4/5 game that will drive them through Bowling Green, but the season may otherwise end on an uptick. 8) Warren East (13-13) - 2/9 59-60 L #8 South Warren, 2/12 37-79 L at #1 Bowling Green, 2/13 52-68 L #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/16 at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 2/18 vs. #11 Monroe County The Raiders had a terrible week, but at least the latter two losses came against a team they literally can't figure out. The loss to South Warren was disappointing, though ultimately irrelevant in the standings. Still, Warren East has faded badly since an 8-1 start, losing 12 of their last 17 games. They've now lost five in a row, and have a very challenging game against Franklin-Simpson coming up. The Raiders are 3-10 in the month of February the last two seasons. 9) Clinton County (14-10) - No Games Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/15 at #7 South Warren, 2/18 vs. #4 Barren County The Bulldogs got a weather week off. They've played just nine games in the new year, and are 4-5 in those games. They'll have a challenging tune-up week prior to playing Cumberland County in the district tournament. 10) Logan County (9-12) - 2/9 51-68 L #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/16 vs. Rossview (TN), 2/18 vs. #13 Greenwood Logan County dropped their fourth game in the last five in their loss to Franklin-Simpson. Leading scorer Whittinghill was held to just nine points in that one, seven points below his season average. They await a coin flip to determine their district tournament opponent. They fared far better in their two games against Russellville. 11) Monroe County (8-15) - 2/11 74-49 W at #12 Glasgow Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/15 vs. #17 Cumberland County, 2/16 at #13 Greenwood, 2/18 at #8 Warren East The Falcons already knew they'd be playing Glasgow in the postseason, but their confidence in a return trip to region must be high after their second blowout win of the Scotties. In two matchups, Monroe County has won by 38 and 25 points. 12) Glasgow (9-16) - 2/10 71-57 W at #16 Metcalfe County, 2/11 49-74 L #11 Monroe County, 2/12 69-71 L at Caverna Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/16 vs. #17 Cumberland County, 2/18 vs. #3 Franklin-Simpson Glasgow continues their cool streak after a strong January, falling for the fifth time in six games. Their effort against a solid Caverna team showed that they are capable, if inconsistent. 13) Greenwood (10-15) - 2/9 65-52 W #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/12 68-67 W at #5 Warren Central Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/15 vs. #6 Warren Central, 2/16 vs. #11 Monroe County, 2/18 at #10 Logan County, 2/19 at Edmonson County It was mentioned above, but what a monkey off the back for Greenwood to take down Central on the road. The Gators hit 11/24 from the perimeter in the upset win, and will get the chance to back it up again as part of a busy week - if only the weather would cooperate. 14) Todd County Central (8-18) - 2/12 52-85 L at #4 Russellville, 2/13 70-46 W Hopkins County Central Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/16 at Trigg County, 2/17 vs. Fort Campbell Whatever happens from here out, at 8 wins, the season is still a success for Todd County Central. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (6-20) - 2/9 52-65 L at #14 Greenwood, 2/11 57-52 OT W #16 Metcalfe County, 2/12 54-59 L at #2 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/16 at #6 Warren Central, 2/19 at #5 Russell County The Patriots continue to struggle, just barely eking out a win over Metcalfe County. If they get to play both games this week, they'll have their work cut out for them on the road against region powers Warren Central and Russell County. 16) Metcalfe County (2-20) - 2/10 57-71 L #12 Glasgow, 2/11 52-57 OT L at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/12 41-56 L Green County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/16 at #4 Barren County, 2/18 at Caverna, 2/19 vs. Washington County Another week full of losses for the Hornets. 17) Cumberland County (1-22) - 2/12 36-65 L #3 Barren County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/15 at #11 Monroe County, 2/16 at #12 Glasgow, 2/19 vs. Green County The Panthers did win one thing this week - the coin toss with Metcalfe County. That puts Cumberland County in as the 3 seed in the postseason. They're still extremely unlikely to beat Clinton County, but it was a sight better than their chances against Russell County.

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

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Warren Central (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.

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

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

1) Warren Central (6-1) - 12/20 84-40 W Macon County (TN) (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/21 39-57 L Pikeville (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/22 74-47 W Ryle (at Gatlinburg-Pittman) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/27 vs. Moore (at Taylor County), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Taylor County) Central emerged as the final unbeaten in the region just like last year, and just like last year, saw it end in hideous fashion of their second Christmas tournament game. 364 days after putting up only 39 against Oldham County last year in their first loss of that season, they managed only 39 against Pikeville, a team looking for a measure of revenge for getting knocked from the Sweet 16 last season. They held the Dragons to 14 points in the second half and 30% shooting for the game. It was bad. The good news for Central is that this is extremely common for them. In the last eight years they have been held below 40 points eight times. Six of those came between December 16th and December 28th. They tend to round into better form after the holidays. 2) Bowling Green (7-2) - 12/18 68-62 W at #3 Logan County, 12/20 64-42 W Daviess County (at Owensboro Sports Center), 12/21 55-58 OT L John Hardin (at Owensboro Sports Center), 12/22 69-31 at Apollo Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/27 vs. Murray, 12/28 vs. TBA, 12/29 vs. TBA The Purples began the week with a laugher that turned into a very serious challenge. The Purples led by as many as 20 points before Logan County closed to as few as three before Bowling Green hit their free throws and hung on for their ninth straight win over the Cougars. Bowling Green was held to just one field goal in the fourth quarter, but likely got a bit of a wake-up call on finishing out strong. They followed that with a 2-1 trip through the Owensboro Invitational, narrowly missing out on a shot at the title with an OT loss to surging John Hardin. The Purples fell behind by as many as ten on two occasions in the first half before battling back to take the lead in a back and forth second half. They ultimately didn't make a basket in the extra session, but it was still a good showing against the undefeated Bulldogs. Bowling Green hosts the Meijer Classic this week. They have not dropped a game in their holiday tournament since 2014. 3) Logan County (8-2) - 12/18 62-68 L #2 Bowling Green, 12/20 84-50 W Hopkins County Central (at Butler County), 12/20 77-64 W Caldwell County (at Butler County), 12/21 55-71 L Webster County (at Butler County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/27 at Nelson County, 12/28 vs. Boyle County (at Nelson County), 12/29 vs. Meade County (at Nelson County) Restored to a perfect record thanks to a retroactive forfeit from their season opener, the Cougars saw it slip away a second time in their loss to Bowling Green. Logan County could have buried their heads and taken the beating by the Purples, but showed a lot of heart in battling back to make it a real game in the fourth quarter. Psychologically, that's a boost a lot of the region needs when playing teams from District 14, particularly Bowling Green and Warren Central. They followed with a 2-1 run in Butler County's Limestone Bank Christmas Classic. Their lone loss was a head scratching 71-55 decision to a Webster County team that had just lost to Franklin-Simpson, but perhaps the Cougars should earn some leeway as it was their fourth game in four days, and they had played two the day before. Already the preseason 13th District favorite, their December run has cemented that. 4) Clinton County (8-3) - 12/20 66-52 W #10 South Warren, 12/20 52-64 L Monterey (TN), 12/21 63-77 L Elliott County, 12/22 74-64 W Christ Prebyterian Academy (TN) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/27 vs. Montgomery Bell Academy (TN) (at Pigeon Forge (TN)), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Pigeon Forge (TN)), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Pigeon Forge (TN)) Jackson Harlan and Seth Stockton continue to do the lifting for the Bulldogs. Harlan is averaging 26.1 per game with Stockton up to 15.5. They went 2-2 in their Christmas tournament, notching a region win over South Warren in between dropping decisions to Elliott County and Monterey (TN). Just over 1/3 of the way through the season, Clinton County is basically meeting expectations. They've allowed some closer decisions than expected against their 16th District brethren, but they've still won them all. 5) Monroe County (6-5) - 12/20 45-76 L Owensboro Catholic (at OIT), 12/21 52-63 L Hopkinsville (at OIT), 12/22 67-75 L Owensboro (at OIT) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/27 vs. Bullitt East (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) Monroe County can take solace in the fact that they're still 2-0 in the 15th District race, and that's the most important thing. Because the Owensboro Invitational was not a good experience for them. They went 0-3, and lost by an average of almost 17 PPG. Not much for the Falcons to do but learn from it and move swiftly along. They may have a chance to cross swords with some in-region teams in the Meijer Holiday Classic this week. 6) Glasgow (6-4) - 12/19 56-77 L Clay County (TN) (at Barren County), 12/20 81-46 W Lighthouse Christian (TN) (at Barren County), 12/21 80-68 W Elizabethtown (at Barren County) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/28 at #8 Barren County The Scotties broke out of their mini-slump with a pair of wins in the Barren Hoops Classic. They opened that tourney with a third consecutive loss, but posted their highest point totals of the year with 81 & 80 in their wins over Lighthouse Christian and Elizabethtown. They'll play their fourth straight game at Barren County when they visit there to take on the Trojans this week. For now, we have them ranked second in the 15th District, but a loss there would drop them to 0-2 in the standings. 7) Allen County-Scottsville (9-2) - 12/18 72-59 W at #12 Todd County Central, 12/20 68-44 W Fairview (at Raceland), 12/21 73-60 W at Raceland, 12/22 71-72 L Paintsville (at Raceland) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/27 vs. Sayre, 12/28 vs. TBA, 12/29 vs. TBA The Patriots continue their resurgent season, narrowly missing out on getting to ten wins in just eleven games when they lost on a miracle three pointer at the buzzer to Paintsville, denying them the Derby Classic title. Still, that's an 8-2 Paintsville team that they essentially let off the hook. The Patriots won nine games all last season, and the ninth win came on February 8th. It's safe to say first year coach Brad Bonds has more than earned his keep so far. 8) Barren County (5-5) - 12/19 66-72 L Elizabethtown, 12/20 61-57 W Clay County (TN), 12/21 58-52 W Lighthouse Christian (TN) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/28 vs. #6 Glasgow The Trojans exit the week at .500, and that's a pretty good picture of the team so far. They lost their first game, then won their next. Lost two straight, win two straight, lose two more in a row, then win their last two. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Already 0-2 in district play, their game against bitter rival Glasgow takes on heightened importance. If they drop to 0-3, their chances of being in the #4 seed come postseason will skyrocket. It would also drop them to 0-2 in district play at home, forcing them to try to recover on the road. 9) Franklin-Simpson (4-6) - 12/18 47-42 W at #9 Greenwood, 12/20 61-58 W Webster County (at Butler County), 12/21 63-67 L Caldwell County (at Butler County), 12/21 68-70 L Hopkins County Central (at Butler County) Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/27 vs. Owensboro Catholic (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Allen County-Scottsville) If not for Allen County-Scottsville, Franklin-Simpson would be the most stunning early season development. The Wildcats won only seven games last season, and after starting 0-3 this year, appeared on their way to a similar effort. But the Wildcats have grabbed wins over Warren East, AC/S, and now added Greenwood on the road at the start of this week (albeit without Jack Roberts for the Gators). They also added a win over a Webster County team that drubbed Logan County, but could not sustain the effort with a pair of losses to Caldwell County and Hopkins County Central. They play in Allen County-Scottsville's holiday tournament this week before a pair of crucial 13th District games to open January. 10) Greenwood (5-4) - 12/18 42-47 L #11 Franklin-Simpson, 12/20 80-46 W Hart County (at Edmonson County), 12/21 69-58 W Green County (at Edmonson County), 12/22 39-34 W Grayson County (at Edmonson County) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/27 vs. Henderson County (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Allen County-Scottsville) Greenwood remains a difficult team to rank thanks to the absence of Jack Roberts with a broken hand. Despite that, they are 4-1 since Roberts went down, and followed their loss to Franklin-Simpson with an unbeaten run through Edmonson County's Caveland Classic. Their 39-34 win over Grayson County marked the least points they've allowed in two years and is just the second time ever they have won while scoring less than 40 points. 11) South Warren (4-7) - 12/20 52-66 L at #4 Clinton County, 12/21 65-90 L Elliott County (at Clinton County), 12/21 77-55 W Monterey (TN) (at Clinton County), 12/22 64-71 L Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN) (at Clinton County) Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/27 vs. Graves County (at Bowling Green), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Bowling Green) The temporary bolster of returning football players has crashed into a 1-5 stretch. The lone positive for the Spartans was in defeating a Monterey (TN) team that likewise knocked off Clinton County. The Spartans are averaging just over 61 PPG, which is pretty much right on line with last season's pace. 12) Warren East (7-4) - 12/19 62-58 W Caverna, 12/20 56-48 W #12 Todd County Central, 12/21 63-58 W Muhlenberg County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/27 vs. Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (TN) (at Ohio County), 12/28 vs. #17 Russellville (at Ohio County), 12/29 at Ohio County The Raiders took some big steps to erasing some ugly early season losses with a perfect 3-0 run through their Holiday Hoops Classic. East was cardiac in the tourney, winning all three games by a combined 17 points. The Raiders have been extremely balanced in their scoring, with four players averaging between 9 and 11.8 PPG. With their win over Todd County Central, head coach Brandon Combs secured his 100th career win. He now has 61 at Warren East, and his next win will move him into third all-time at East. 13) Todd County Central (4-8) - 12/18 59-72 L #7 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/19 85-78 W OT Campbellsville (at Warren East), 12/20 48-56 L at #13 Warren East, 12/21 46-51 L Bardstown (at Warren East) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/27 vs. Daviess County (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/28 vs. TBA (at Allen County-Scottsville), 12/29 vs. TBA (at Allen County-Scottsville) The Rebels endured four games in four days, and it didn't go extremely well. They did grab an overtime win over Campbellsville to open the Warren East Holiday Hoops Classic, posting 85 points - their highest total in just over a year. They combined for just 94 points in the next two games. True post John Calvery is averaging 19.5 PPG, but the Rebels just aren't getting much elsewhere. 14) Russell County (2-7) - 12/20 53-70 L Corbin (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/21 55-46 W Robertsdale (AL) (at Gatlinburg-Pittman), 12/22 47-51 L Buckhorn (at Gatlinburg-Pittman) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/27 vs. TBA, 12/28 vs. TBA, 12/29 vs. TBA The Lakers picked up their second win of the season in the consolation bracket of the Smoky Mountain Classic, but the problem can be summed up in the fact that their 55 points in that win was their second highest total of the year. They have lost every game where they scored less than 55 so far. 15) Metcalfe County (4-7) - 12/20 71-64 W at Edmonson County, 12/21 63-71 L Grayson County (at Edmonson County), 12/22 74-60 W Hart County (at Edmonson County) Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/27 vs. Whitefield Academy (at Danville), 12/28 vs. Webster County (at Danville), 12/28 at Danville The Hornets have already equaled their win total from last season, which itself was the most since the 2011/12 season. During the Caveland Classic they avenged an earlier loss to Hart County and picked up a win over host Edmonson County. This is almost definitely going to be the best season in years for Metcalfe County. 16) Cumberland County (2-7) - 12/19 72-64 W #14 Russellville (at Berea), 12/20 68-95 L Robertson County (at Berea), 12/21 77-85 L at Berea Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/27 vs. Somerset, 12/28 vs. TBA, 12/29 vs. TBA The Panthers got back on the winning track with a region win over Russellville, their first out of district win in the 4th Region in two seasons. Cumberland County has scored between 61 and 77 in every game this season, but must find a way to tighten defensively. Their 77 PPG allowed is worst in the region, and they've given up over 80 points in a game four times. 17) Russellville (3-7) - 12/19 64-72 L Cumberland County (at Berea), 12/20 62-46 W Pineville (at Berea), 12/21 72-51 W Menifee County (at Berea) Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/27 at Ohio County, 12/28 vs. #12 Warren East (at Ohio County), 12/29 vs. Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences (TN) The loss to Cumberland County may have been bottom for the Panthers, but they did recover with wins in consecutive games for the first time in a year.

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

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

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

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

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Monroe County (17-2) - 1/16 64-54 W at #4 Barren County, 1/17 68-33 W at Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/22 vs. TBA (4th Region All "A") 2) Warren Central (12-6) - 1/13 66-16 W Glasgow, 1/16 64-58 OT W #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/20 at #8 South Warren, 1/23 vs. Greenwood 3) Bowling Green (14-4) - 1/13 68-62 W #5 Russell County, 1/16 58-64 OT L at #3 Warren Central Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/20 vs. Christian County, 1/23 vs. Warren East 4) Clinton County (13-6) - 1/13 68-45 W at Cumberland County, 1/16 48-44 W #5 Russell County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/19 at Todd County Central 5) Russell County (7-7) - 1/13 62-68 L at #1 Bowling Green, 1/16 44-48 L at #6 Clinton County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/20 vs. Southwestern, 1/22 vs. Adair County, 1/23 vs. #8 South Warren 6) Logan County (12-4) - 1/13 61-46 W at #7 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/20 vs. Edmonson County, 1/23 at Franklin-Simpson 7) Barren County (13-6) - 1/13 69-68 W #10 Warren East, 1/16 54-64 L #2 Monroe County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/20 vs. LaRue County, 1/23 at #9 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/24 at Edmonson County 8) South Warren (9-9) - 1/13 72-61 W Edmonson County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/20 vs. #2 Warren Central, 1/23 at #5 Russell County 9) Allen County-Scottsville (11-6) - 1/13 46-61 L #9 Logan County, 1/16 81-56 W Glasgow Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/20 vs. #10 Russellville, 1/23 vs. #7 Barren County, 1/24 at Caverna 10) Russellville (7-9) - 1/13 68-67 W at Greenwood, 1/16 60-52 W at Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: NR This Week: 1/20 at #9 Allen County-Scottsville Last Week's Game of the Week - Could it be anything else other than Bowling Green at Warren Central? Annually these teams are the ones to beat for the region title (though as you can see Monroe has something to say about that this year), so any time they meet, it's big. And round 1 went to the Dragons via 64-58 win in OT in one of the most tense, nerve-wracking games you'd ever see. Incredibly though it made it to OT, Bowling Green never led. They were tied several times and possessed the ball on numerous occasions with a chance to take the lead, but could never climb the mountain all the way. The Dragons managed a 25-15 lead in the first half, but once that was closed the game was never led by more than 6 the rest of the way. Most of the second half and OT was spent with the Dragons maintaining a lead between 1-4 points. Just when you thought it was over, the script flipped. The Dragons had gotten out to a 6 point lead with less than a minute left and at the line to go up 7. That free throw was missed, and after the Purples cut it to 4 they forced a turnover and cut it to 2 with just over 10 seconds remaining. After Jared Savage missed the front end of a 1 and 1, Logan Riehn rebounded a missed three pointer for the win and tied it to send it to the extra session. But again the Dragons did not let go of the lead, gaining a crucial district victory. We'll do it again in two weeks. A New Sheriff - You can see it plainly in the rankings above, but it is worth drawing your attention to that Monroe County now heads up our ranks for the region, dethroning Bowling Green which had held the position since the preseason. The Falcons entered the year as the #3 team, and while not quite a favorite at the time were by no means a dark horse. We've had them pegged from the beginning as a serious threat and they have proven it on the court. They're unbeaten in 4th Region play, are the only region team to defeat Warren Central, which is the only region team to beat Bowling Green. It is highly unlikely that the Falcons will lose a region game before their matchup with Bowling Green on January 31st, so expect that this will be the status quo until at least then. Monroe County is a serious player in the region this year. Holding Server At Home - It's no secret who will come out of the 16th District this year as Metcalfe County and Cumberland County just aren't on the level of their district mates. But it's always interesting to watch the games between Clinton County and Russell County, and the two split their regular season matchups in the last two weeks, each winning at home, necessitating the formality of a coin toss for their district seeding. Ultimately these teams will meet a third time in the all important district game. Keifer Dalton Makes History - Keifer Dalton recently broke Chuck Conner's all-time scoring record at Clinton County, surpassing his 1,887 point mark that had stood for 52 years. Conner was on hand for a ceremony recognizing the achievement earlier this month during a girls' varsity game. Upcoming Games of the Week 1/20 - #2 Warren Central at #8 South Warren - It's another chance for the Spartans to get that elusive first victory over the Dragons. They were within 5 points twice last season. 1/23 - #1 Monroe County vs. #4 Clinton County - This is a bit of a gamble as this isn't a scheduled game. These two are heavy favorites to win their games in the All A tournament to play each other in the title game. If they do meet, it will be their second of the year, after a two point Monroe County win on the road earlier this year.

Franklin-Simpson found the sledding much less difficult last week than the week before, rolling to a 48-0 victory over Warren Central, just the second time they've shut out the Dragons, and the first since 1980. It was also the most points the Wildcats ever put up on Warren Central, so naturally, it was also their largest margin of victory as well. This week, they take defend their 7-0 record at home against Allen County-Scottsville, which survived Warren East last week in a 28-21 decision, but perhaps at the cost of their starting QB Chase Wilson, who left with a knee injury. A season ago AC/S pulled a stunning upset over the Wildcats in a 21-20 decision in Scottsville. The Wildcats will be looking for revenge as well as continuing to shore up their postseason status. These two teams are competing for the 22nd straight year, and the last 14 meetings are an exact 7-7 split. But only two of those AC/S wins came on the road, and they haven't won there since 2009. Can the Patriots pull off the stunner or will Franklin-Simpson continue their redemption from last season?