Search the Community

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Warren Central (9-4) - 1/10 80-58 W at #6 Warren East, 1/11 84-81 W at #7 Barren County Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/14 at #9 Glasgow, 1/17 at #2 Bowling Green 2) Bowling Green (11-3) - 1/10 72-64 W #8 Greenwood Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/17 vs. #1 Warren Central 3) Clinton County (11-5) - 1/10 78-39 W Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/14 vs. Cumberland County, 1/17 at #6 Russell County 4) Monroe County (11-4) - 1/10 67-61 W at Allen County-Scottsville, 1/11 56-49 W Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/14 vs. Metcalfe County, 1/17 vs. #5 Barren County 5) Barren County (11-4) - 1/10 84-59 W at Franklin-Simpson, 1/11 81-84 L #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/14 at #7 Warren East, 1/17 at #4 Monroe County 6) Russell County (8-4) - 1/7 63-76 L at Taylor County, 1/10 86-38 W Cumberland County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/17 vs. #3 Clinton County 7) Warren East (10-3) - 1/10 58-80 L #1 Warren Central Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/14 vs. #5 Barren County, 1/17 vs. #8 Greenwood 8) Greenwood (5-7) - 1/10 64-72 L at #2 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/14 at Russellville, 1/17 at #7 Warren East 9) Glasgow (8-6) - 1/7 57-54 W OT at Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/14 vs. #1 Warren Central, 1/17 vs. Allen County-Scottsville 10) South Warren (7-8) - 1/9 69-62 W Muhlenberg County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/13 vs. Todd County Central, 1/14 at Edmonson County, 1/18 at Metcalfe County Last Week's Game of the Week - There's really no getting around it - Allen County-Scottsville is snakebit. If I ranked beyond the top 10 AC/S would be sitting at 11. They've played five games against the top 10 teams, all losses. In four of them, they've lost by a combined 16 points. One of those was last Tuesday when they hosted #9 Glasgow. The Patriots trailed much of the night before rallying for the lead midway through the fourth. They led by two with less than a minute left when Glasgow used a pair of free throws to send it to OT. And at the end of OT - THIS HAPPENED. A buzzer beater three that dealt AC/S yet another loss to a top team in the region, 57-54. The Patriots will get a quick turnaround to look for revenge, but this time they'll have to do it on the road at Glasgow. Runner-Up GOTW - Barren County fell down the ranks a bit earlier in the year when they took a (then) surprising loss to Monroe County. But the Trojans are capable of great things if the shots are falling, and they were on Saturday night when they hosted #1 Warren Central. It was a very closely contested game that featured no lead larger than 7 and the Trojans led by as much as 3. They led only once in the second half, briefly before the end of the third quarter, but kept the pressure on the Dragons throughout with a mix of perimeter shooting and surprisingly great success in the paint. They didn't wear down against the horde of Dragons sent from Warren Central's deep bench, and in the end the Dragons had to do what they rarely do well - make free throws. They held on in a very high scoring 84-81 decision. It was the most points allowed by Warren Central since December 2010 and the most they've allowed in a victory since December 2005. Key District Games - One district race can be ended on Friday when Clinton County visits Russell County. The Bulldogs knocked off Russell County by 12 just ten days ago, and they can realistically clinch the regular season crown in that district with another victory. Clinton County shot 50% from the field the last time including 43% from the three point arc and were led by the powerful duo of Langford and Dalton to the tune of 34 points combined. The Lakers will have to tighten up on defense to have a shot. Meanwhile Barren County travels to Monroe County, also on Friday. Exactly one month ago the Falcons upset the Trojans in Glasgow and a win on Friday would give the Falcons a stranglehold on the district, needing only a single victory against either Glasgow or Allen County-Scottsville to clinch the #1 seed. The 15th has been one of the tightest races this season (in a good way - compared to the 13th) and the #1 is by no means a guarantee of anything, but it would likely keep them out of the crosshairs of district host Glasgow. Meanwhile, in the 14th..... Upcoming Game of the Week 1/17 - #1 Warren Central at #2 Bowling Green - Yes, it is time for the first of two regular season matchups between the two teams that have dominated the region for the past decade plus. The two have played only three district games this season, but have won those by an average of 17 points. Neither has lost a game in region competition. Coming into the year it appeared that Warren Central might be head and shoulders above the region but the whispers have grown louder in the past few weeks that not only is that not true but they may not even be at the head of the region at all. Those could turn into shouts if the Purples defend their homecourt on Friday. Last year was a significant departure in the recent history of the series in that Warren Central swept the Purples in three games, though two were highly competitive. It was the first sweep in the series by either team since Warren Central did so in 2006/07. The Dragons have won three of the last four games played between the two teams at Bowling Green, but should expect a wild and crazy crowd from the Purple supporters. The costumes they've been wearing to games have been - interesting.

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Warren Central (0-0) - No Games Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/10 vs. Owensboro, 12/13 vs. Hopkinsville (at Christian County), 12/14 vs. University Heights (at Hopkinsville) 2) Russell County (1-0) - 12/3 54-50 W at Lincoln County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/11 TBA, 12/13 at #9 Glasgow 3) Bowling Green (0-1) - 12/7 57-62 L Trinity Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/10 at Elizabethtown, 12/13 vs. University Heights (at Christian County) 4) Clinton County (3-0) - 12/2 64-50 W Rockcastle County, 12/5 62-56 W Somerset, 12/7 81-63 W Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/10 at #8 Monroe County, 12/13 at Metcalfe County 5) South Warren (1-0) - 12/3 63-52 W Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/9 at Logan County, 12/10 at #10 Franklin-Simpson, 12/13 vs. Warren East, 12/14 vs. North Hardin (at Shelby County) 6) Barren County (2-0) - 12/3 76-61 W Green County, 12/7 74-48 W at Russellville Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/10 at Allen County-Scottsville, 12/13 vs. Monroe County, 12/14 at Edmonson County 7) Greenwood (1-0) - 12/5 47-39 W Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 8 This Week: No Games 8) Monroe County (1-1) - 12/3 56-48 W Franklin-Simpson, 12/7 56-66 L Southwestern (at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/10 vs. #4 Clinton County, 12/13 at Barren County 9) Glasgow (0-0) - No Games Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/10 vs. Todd County Central, 12/12 vs. Edmonson County, 12/13 at #2 Russell County 10) Franklin-Simpson (0-3) - 12/3 48-56 L Monroe County, 12/5 39-47 L at Greenwood, 12/7 63-81 L at Clinton County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/10 vs. #5 South Warren, 12/13 vs. Logan County Last Week's Game of the Week - Three region teams played on the opening night of the season, but two of those were against each other. Warren East hosted Logan County on December 2nd and immediately spoiled their fans with a close game with a great finish. Neither team ever gained a double digit lead, and the game was knotted at 66 coming out of a timeout and Logan County in possession. East's Mason Lee blocked a Cougar attempt at a game-winner, and Jaylin Barnett grabbed the loose ball, driving the length of the court for a game winning layup at the buzzer for the 68-66 Warren East win. Honorable Mention - Overshadowed by their football brethren, the Bowling Green basketball team put a real scare into highly ranked Trinity. The Purples jumped out to a 37-28 lead at the half despite missing several players, but a quick start to the second half for the Shamrocks erased the lead. Still, a respectable 62-57 loss to a top team bears mentioning. Cancellations - Unfortunately the narrative of the week for many teams was one of canceled games. Three teams failed to get a single game in (Warren Central, Glasgow, Todd County Central), and seven others played just a single game. Clinton County and Franklin-Simpson were the only teams that had seemingly no difficulty playing games, each getting three in. While the Clinton County Bulldogs might have been happy with that in starting 3-0, the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats maybe would just as soon stayed home, starting 0-3. Early Rankings Movement - All the movement in the top 10 came at the expense of Franklin-Simpson, as the two teams initially rated just behind them - Greenwood and Monroe County - gained victories over the Wildcats to knock them down the ladder. Upcoming Games of the Week 12/10 - #4 Clinton County at #8 Monroe County - Each team gets a tune-up before their district opener. Clinton County has made a habit of strong starts (won at least first five each of last two years) and will look to extend that streak again while Monroe County will look for revenge for last year's 54-39 loss in the All A regional. 12/13 - Warren Central vs. Hopkinsville (at Christian County) - These two teams are the heads of their respective regions and are both considered to be among the 10 best teams in the state. Hopkinsville won the last meeting between these two, 41-37 in 2011.

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

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Warren Central (7-3) - 12/26 54-60 L Cordia (at LexCath), 12/27 65-56 W Butler (at LexCath), 12/28 70-64 W Henderson Co. (at LexCath), 12/29 53-57 L Apollo (at LexCath) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/4 vs. Bryan Station (at Central Hardin) 2) Bowling Green (9-2) - 12/26 88-49 W North Hardin (at Metcalfe Co.), 12/27 84-71 W #8 Barren Co. (at Metcalfe Co.), 12/28 61-56 W Whitley Co. (at Metcalfe Co.) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/3 at #8 South Warren, 1/4 vs. John Hardin (at Central Hardin) 3) Russell County (7-2) - 12/30 80-65 W at #6 Greenwood Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/3 at #4 Clinton County 4) Clinton County (9-5) - 12/26 51-60 L Bardstown (at LexCath), 12/27 49-54 L Harrison Co. (at LexCath), 12/29 64-75 L Augusta (at LexCath) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/3 vs. #3 Russell County 5) Monroe County (7-3) - 12/26 84-47 W Carlisle Co. (at Edmonson Co.), 12/27 65-57 OT W #6 Greenwood (at Edmonson Co.), 12/28 60-48 OT W Ft. Knox (at Edmonson Co.) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/2 vs. Holy Cross (Lou) (at Adair Co.), 1/3 vs. TBA (at Adair Co.), 1/4 vs. TBA (at Adair Co.) 6) Warren East (10-2) - 12/26 59-56 W at Campbellsville, 12/27 59-83 L East Jessamine (at Campbellsville), 12/28 65-62 W Green Co. (at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: NR This Week: No Games 7) Barren County (9-2) - 12/26 77-56 W Garrard Co. (at Metcalfe Co.), 12/27 71-84 L #3 Bowling Green (at Metcalfe Co.), 12/28 65-45 W Adair Co. (at Metcalfe Co.) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/3 vs. #10 Glasgow, 1/4 at Marion County 8) South Warren (6-7) - 12/26 60-62 L Franklin Co. (at South Oldham), 12/27 51-52 L North Oldham (at South Oldham), 55-67 L Christian Academy-Louisville (at South Oldham) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/3 vs. #2 Bowling Green 9) Greenwood (3-5) - 12/26 67-57 W Grayson Co. (at Edmonson Co.), 12/27 57-65 OT L #7 Monroe Co. (at Edmonson Co.), 12/28 66-59 W Glasgow (at Edmonson Co.), 12/30 65-80 L #2 Russell Co. Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/2 vs. Green County (at LaRue Co.), 1/3 vs. TBA (at LaRue Co.), 1/4 vs. TBA (at LaRue Co.) 10) Glasgow (7-5) - 12/26 68-64 W North Bullitt (at Edmonson Co.), 12/27 57-64 L Ft. Knox (at Edmonson Co.), 12/28 59-66 L #6 Greenwood (at Edmonson Co.) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/3 at #7 Barren County Last Week's Game of the Week - There weren't many intra-region games, but the one that stood out took place in the Caveland Classic at Edmonson County. Monroe County continued a recent surge with a victory over then #6 Greenwood with a 65-57 OT victory. The Falcons did not trail at any point in the second half, but never led by more than 7 over the Gators. Greenwood overcame a late technical foul to tie the game with less than 20 seconds left and even had a heave for the victory that was no good. In OT, Monroe County scored the first 6 points and never looked back. Stock Rising - I've already mentioned Monroe County, which gained wins over 4th Region Top 10 teams Barren County, Russell County, and Greenwood since our last notebook. The win over Russell County was particularly eye opening. Another team that is jumping up the ranks is Warren East. At 10-2, they are the first team in the region to double digit victories and matched last season's 10-2 start through twelve games as the best mark for the Raiders at this point in the last 25 years. They would be even higher in these ranks if not for their two blowout losses, one of which came at the hands of South Warren. Stock Falling - It's a relative fall here since they were rated 4th in the last ranking, but had a notebook come out this time last week, Clinton County may have found themselves as the #2 ranked team in the region with a case for #1. But after getting off to the region's best start at 9-0, they have dropped five straight, thanks in large part to the tough slate at the Republic Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic. Another team sliding down is Franklin-Simpson, which has faceplanted to start the year with a 1-7 record. Their last region loss was to unrated Allen County-Scottsville, which sent them out of the top 10. 13th District Troubles - The 13th District teams find themselves in a slightly unusual situation. The district has typically found itself with a couple of teams in the dark horse mix for the region crown and usually has at least one team to bear the standard of the district as a real threat to win. Last year that was Russellville, but graduation has crippled the Panthers, and they sit at a paltry 3-9 record. The best record in the district? Todd County Central at 3-6. Every team has a losing record and they currently collectively rate as 4 of the bottom 7 teams in the region. Many years they're a tough out, but right now it appears the other districts will be hoping for the 13th come region tourney time.... Region Without a Site - The region tournament is just over 2 months away, and the 4th Region still doesn't have a home for the tournaments. The region has been at WKU every year since 2003 and all but five years in the last 50. But the current site selection plan expired at the close of last season and requires at least 12 schools of the 17 to agree to pass a new one. Per Micheal Compton of the Park City Daily News, just 11 athletic director's have voted WKU's Diddle Arena as the site for the future. If an agreement can not be made, it will go to the choice of the commissioner. In my humble opinion, the tournament belongs at Diddle Arena, but I do concede that there may be financial benefits for it to be played elsewhere. Upcoming Game of the Week 1/3 - #3 Russell County at #4 Clinton County - An easy choice. These two teams have combined for all but one of the 16th District titles since 2005, a trend that doesn't seem destined to stop this year as they are miles ahead of their district mates Metcalfe County and Cumberland County. The pair have split their regular season meetings each of the last three seasons, and provide the first top 5 matchup of the year in the region.

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Warren Central (2-1) - 12/10 61-56 W Owensboro, 12/13 70-78 L Hopkinsville (at Christian County), 12/14 76-55 W University Heights (at Hopkinsville) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/19 vs. Muhlenberg County (at Madisonville), 12/20 vs. Central (at Madisonville), 12/21 at Madisonville-North Hopkins 2) Russell County (3-0) - 12/11 98-47 W Southern Peninsula, 12/13 88-62 W Glasgow Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/16 at Metcalfe County, 12/17 at #7 Monroe County, 12/19 Fleming County (at Mason County) 3) Bowling Green (1-2) - 12/10 71-79 L at Elizabethtown, 12/13 86-70 W University Heights (at Christian County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/17 at #10 Franklin-Simpson, 12/19 vs. Russellville, 12/21 vs. Hickman County (at Paducah Tilghman), 12/21 vs. Caldwell County (at Paducah Tilghman) 4) Clinton County (6-0) - 12/10 76-63 W at #8 Monroe County, 12/12 78-34 W Southern Peninsula, 12/13 70-33 W at Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/17 at Cumberland County, 12/20 vs. Knox Central, 12/20 vs. Metcalfe County, 12/21 vs. Sevier County (TN) 5) South Warren (4-1) - 12/9 80-71 W at Logan County, 12/10 78-65 W at #10 Franklin-Simpson, 12/13 76-63 W Warren East, 12/14 65-67 L North Hardin (at Shelby County) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/17 at Apollo, 12/20 vs. #7 Greenwood, 12/21 vs. North Oldham (at Warren East), 12/21 vs. McCracken County (at Warren East) 6) Greenwood (1-0) - No Games Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/17 at Daviess County, 12/20 at #5 South Warren, 12/21 vs. Waggener 7) Monroe County (2-2) - 12/10 63-76 L vs. #4 Clinton County, 12/13 58-57 W at Barren County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/17 vs. #2 Russell County, 12/20 vs. Glasgow, 12/21 vs. Bardstown (at Adair County) 8) Barren County (4-1) - 12/10 61-59 W at Allen County-Scottsville, 12/13 57-58 L #8 Monroe County, 12/14 69-55 W at Edmonson County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/17 vs. Caverna, 12/20 West Jessamine (at Ohio County), 12/21 at Ohio County 9) Glasgow (2-1) - 12/10 85-71 W Todd County Central, 12/12 68-53 W Edmonson County, 12/13 62-88 L at Russell County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/17 at Logan County, 12/20 at #7 Monroe County, 12/21 vs. Casey County (at McCreary Central) 10) Franklin-Simpson (1-4) - 12/10 65-78 L #5 South Warren, 12/13 66-50 W Logan County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/17 vs. #3 Bowling Green, 12/20 at Allen County-Scottsville Last Week's Game of the Week - Monroe County trailed at Barren County 49-39 with just over 5 minutes to go in their district game Friday night, but used a 15-4 run over three and a half minutes to take a 54-53 lead with just under 2 minutes left in the game. The two teams traded baskets until Barrett Billingsley put Barren County ahead 57-56 with two free throws. That set up a buzzer beating finish where Gibril Summers nailed a shot with 1.2 seconds left to give the Falcons the win. Honorable Mention - In a game you might see in the Sweet 16, Warren Central held the lead for nearly 3/4 of their game against highly rated Hopkinsville, but a furious Tiger run erased a 13 point third quarter deficit and they finished the last three minutes of the game with a 13-4 run after trailing 66-65 to take the 78-70 win. The Dragons were competing without their starting point guard Rondell Green and could not withstand the full court pressure and aggressive defense of Hopkinsville. Unbeaten Check - There are just three unbeatens left in the 4th Region, two of them in the 16th District. Clinton County has opened up 6-0 against a heavily frontloaded schedule, which follows the 2012/13 season where they started 5-0 and the 2011/12 season where they won their first 10 games. The Lakers are a more modest 3-0, but since their usual December 16th district tilt with Clinton County is being played in January this year, it's not inconceivable that these two teams might escape the calendar year unbeaten. Meanwhile, Greenwood is almost unbeaten by default, having played only one game, a 47-39 win over Franklin-Simpson on December 5th. They haven't suffered any cancellations, they're the anti-Clinton County. While the Bulldogs play quite a bit in December, Greenwood plays an unusual amount in February, with 10 games before the district tournament. Standout Performances - Tavin Lovan, the superstar freshman for Franklin-Simpson, was scorching hot in a 66-50 win over Logan County on Friday night. He had 25 points while shooting 8/10 from the floor, including hitting three treys, and boosted Franklin-Simpson to their first win of the year. Earlier in the week came a bigger performance, albeit in a losing effort, by Jon Michael Brown of Todd County Central. He scored 40 of Todd County Central's 76 points in a 79-76 loss to Russellville. Brown has made a habit of torturing the Panthers, dropping 19, 17, and 28 on them in the three games prior to this monster performance. Upcoming Game of the Week 12/20 - #7 Greenwood at #5 South Warren - Greenwood will emerge from their early season layoff three days prior at Daviess County, but the always entertaining game between crosstown rivals on Friday is the main event. These two schools are generally mirror images of each other since South Warren split from Greenwood three years ago, and their student sections provide as much entertainment as the game itself. Last year South Warren swept the season series only to be denied their first postseason victory ever as part of Greenwood's Cinderella run to the region tournament.

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Warren Central (17-4) - 2/7 73-29 W #9 Warren East Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/11 at Russellville, 2/14 vs. #10 Greenwood, 2/15 at Elizabethtown 2) Bowling Green (18-5) - 2/4 55-54 2OT W #10 South Warren, 2/8 72-56 W at Greenwood Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/10 vs. Logan County, 2/11 at Owensboro, 2/14 vs. Warren East 3) Clinton County (17-7) - 2/4 53-68 L at Wayne County, 2/6 84-62 W Caverna Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/14 vs. #7 Monroe County, 2/15 at South Laurel 4) Barren County (17-6) - 2/4 59-56 W Greenwood, 2/7 71-45 W Hart County, 2/8 69-67 OT W at #7 Glasgow Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/11 vs. #5 Russell County, 2/14 at Cumberland County 5) Russell County (14-7) - 2/3 74-71 W South Laurel, 2/6 76-57 W at Casey County, 2/7 83-47 W Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/11 at #4 Barren County, 2/14 vs. Adair County 6) Glasgow (12-10) - 2/4 72-60 W #4 Monroe County, 2/8 67-69 OT L #5 Barren County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/11 at Metcalfe County, 2/14 at Caverna 7) Monroe County (15-8) - 2/4 60-72 L at #7 Glasgow, 2/7 72-42 W #8 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/11 vs. Cumberland County, 2/14 at #3 Clinton County, 2/15 at Metcalfe County 8) South Warren (11-13) - 2/4 54-55 2OT L #2 Bowling Green, 2/7 60-66 L at Greenwood Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/11 at Warren East, 2/13 vs. Franklin-Simpson 9) Allen County-Scottsville (8-13) - 2/7 42-72 L at #4 Monroe County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/11 at #10 Greenwood, 2/13 vs. Metcalfe County, 2/14 at Franklin-Simpson 10) Greenwood (10-12) - 2/4 56-59 L at #5 Barren County, 2/7 66-60 W #10 South Warren, 2/8 56-72 L #2 Bowling Green Previous Rank: NR This Week: 2/11 vs. #9 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/14 at #1 Warren Central Last Week's Game of the Week - South Warren had a strange week and has also fallen victim to some rotten luck. One week after losing on a free throw with no time remaining to #1 Warren Central, South Warren had #2 Bowling Green square in the crosshairs at South Warren Gym. The Spartans led much of the second half, but the Purples surged ahead late, and appeared to have the game in hand with a three point lead and the ball. But out of a timeout, Bowling Green turned it over, and eventually Austin Bybee nailed a three with less than 10 seconds remaining to tie the game and send it to OT. In the first extra period, neither team could score in the first three minutes, and as soon as the Spartans scored their only two points, BG raced up in transition to tie it again. Those were the only two baskets in that period, sending it to a second extra session. And there, after holding the lead for that entire period, Clay Stivers scored his only two points of the game with a shot in the paint to give the Purples a 55-54 2OT win and put them into position to clinch the #2 seed later that week. The Spartans would go on to lose to Greenwood on Friday, meaning not only did they twice miss out on a marquee win, they now are in a spot where they could fall all the way to fifth in the district. Game of the Week Part II - Glasgow and Barren County almost matched the amount of time played in the BG/SW game and may have topped it for dramatics. Like the Spartans, the Scotties held the lead on their homecourt for much of the game. They were up by nine heading into the 4th Quarter at 46-37. But a 19-10 run had the Trojans tied with less than 1:30 seconds left when the fireworks began. First Charlie McCoy hit a three to put Barren County up. Then sophomore James Kingery answered with 17 seconds left to knot it at 59. Barrett Billingsley was fouled with 6 seconds left, hitting 1 of 2 to put the Trojans back up 1. With less than 1 second in the game, James Kingery was fouled and went to the line with a chance to win it. He hit only 1 of 2, and OT was on. In OT, Barren County held a 1 point led with less than 20 to go when Quentel Bradley got a steal, but could not hit the shot, and Ben Leftwich hit 1 of 2 to make it 69-67 with under 10 to go. Finally, Glasgow could not match anymore, as a Milas Norris three pointer rimmed out at the buzzer, giving the Trojans the victory and placing them in a tie for the top of the 15th District. Down the Stretch - Last week I mentioned that we should finally figure out a lot in the districts. Well.... yes and no. Logan County knocked off Russellville, which combined with other results to give them the #1 seed in the 13th District by virtue of tiebreaker over Russellville (Logan County is 4-2 and Russellville is the only other team with 2 losses, but Logan has the tiebreaker because of season sweep). Franklin-Simpson sits at 2-4, guaranteed to do no better than 3rd. All that remains is Todd County Central at Russellville. A Todd County Central win would mean those two would have a rematch in the 2/3 game. A Russellville win will clinch #2 for the Panthers while sending Todd County Central and Franklin-Simpson to a coin flip for third. Speaking of coin flips, those will be required to determine everything in the 15th. Barren County and Monroe County are tied at 4-2, splitting their season series. Allen County-Scottsville are 2-4, splitting their seasons series. So we at least know those teams won't play each other. Wednesday is the drawing to determine the rest. Finally, in the 14th District, Warren Central is #1, Bowling Green is #2. The key remaining game is South Warren at Warren East on Tuesday. It's not likely that Greenwood will win at Warren Central or that Warren East will win at Bowling Green (neither has won at either since before 2001). That leaves East/South Warren. If the Raiders win, the three teams will likely tie at 2-6, forcing a draw for the three spots. If South Warren wins, they'll go to the #3 spot unless Greenwood pulls the upset. South Warren has won only 1 of their last 15 road district games, while East has lost their last four district contests at home. Upcoming Game of the Week 2/11 #5 Russell County at #4 Barren County - With any luck, this game actually gets played. Russell County has had a bit of a down year comparative to what they've been used to. Our preseason pick for #2 in the 4th Region, they entered last week at just 11-7. Last week provided a boost with three wins, that coming on the heels of a strong showing in a road game at Madison Central. Suddenly winners of 5 of their past 6, perhaps they are heading up at the right time. They'll get the chance to prove it when they visit the always tough Trojans. It'll also be a chance for the Lakers to play at the venue that will host the region tournament. This is the fourth straight year the teams will meet - the road team won the first three. Coincidence or trend?

Do you have a hat? Here’s what you do – write down Allen County-Scottsville, Barren County, Glasgow, and Monroe County on 4 separate strips of paper, fold them up, throw them in the hat. Rustle it around a few times, then pull one out. That method of choosing a champion for this district is almost as likely to produce the correct choice than one based on rational analysis. The district was just all over the place this year. The regular season only served to give us two teams tied for first, two teams tied for third, necessitating coin flips to break each. Preseason favorite and currently highest ranked team Barren County played six district games that were decided by a total of 17 points. Three of Allen County-Scottsville’s four losses came by a combined 11 points. #4 seed Glasgow blew out #1 Monroe County twice. It’s crazy. To the matchups..... 15th District Tournament at Glasgow High School February 25th #1 Monroe County vs. #4 Glasgow – So Monroe County has to be thrilled. Four years go by without them being the #1 seed, but they win the tiebreaker at the district meeting to get the “plum” spot. You know they had to be hoping they’d get Allen County-Scottsville, a team they beat twice, most recently by 30 on February 7th. But no, they draw Glasgow. Waaaaay back in December the Falcons took down the Scotties 74-64 at Monroe County. That came a week after the Falcons had beaten Barren County on the road, and everything was looking great. But then came the All “A” Tournament matchup. Monroe County had just dealt Clinton County their only loss in region play for the year, and looked to be region favorites. Glasgow pulped them by 23 and went on to win the tournament. No problem, shake it off, didn’t count for the seeding purposes. Then Glasgow beat Monroe County by 12 about two weeks later, this time in Glasgow. Where the district tournament is to be played. It’s one of those rare cases that you ignore the seeds and look at the results. And the results say, Glasgow is winning this game. Prediction: Barren County by 5 February 26th #2 Barren County vs. #3 Allen County-Scottsville – Barren County doesn’t have quite the squad they did last year, but they’ve been more than worthy of the favorite tag they had coming into the year, despite their close calls in district play. They lost only two district games, each by a point, and strangely enough both at home. While the other teams have had wild swings in momentum, for the most part, Barren County has stayed on an even keel. They played Warren Central to a 3 point game in early January, have won most of their close games (7-4 in games decided by 6 or less) and haven’t taken any terrible losses. It’s the type of performance you expect from a team with six seniors. Allen County-Scottsville, meanwhile, could scarcely have had worse luck during the year, especially in close games. They went 4-9 in games decided by 6 or less, three of those losses to 15th District teams. They recovered a bit late with a three game win streak, but had a stretch from late December to early February where they lost 10 of 12 games. Anything is possible, and they did split with Barren County in two games that were decided by a total of 3 points, but it’s hard to pick the Patriots here. But that’s not to say it isn’t possible they pull the upset. Prediction: Barren County by 6 February 28th Predicted Matchup #4 Glasgow vs. #2 Barren County – Like last year, the winner and loser of this doesn’t have a huge amount on the line, because they want whoever comes out of the 13th District in the first round of region. Oh sure, maybe they’d like to avoid Warren Central out of the gate, but it’s not like whoever else comes out of the 14th isn’t tough as well, and the 16th District is the same way. But this predicted matchup would be a treat because these two rivals have played some outstanding games this year. Barren County swept the season, winning by 9 in early January and by 2 in OT earlier in February. In the first game, no one could miss. Both teams shot over 55% from the field and combined for 161 points. The second game had a lower score but ratcheted up the drama, with Glasgow missing an opportunity to win in regulation and having a three pointer that would have won it rim out at the close of OT. It’s always crazy when these two hook up, no reason to believe it won’t be again. History isn’t on Glasgow’s side – they haven’t won district at home since 1999. The Trojans are the two time defending champion. It says here they’ll make it three. Prediction: Barren County by 3

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Warren Central (7-4) - 1/4 47-62 L Bryan Station (at Central Hardin) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/10 at #6 Warren East, 1/11 at #7 Barren County 2) Bowling Green (10-3) - 1/3 64-43 W at #8 South Warren, 1/4 44-53 L John Hardin (at Central Hardin) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/10 vs. #8 Greenwood 3) Clinton County (10-5) - 1/3 65-52 W #3 Russell County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/10 vs. Metcalfe County 4) Monroe County (9-4) - 1/3 73-57 W Caverna (at Adair Co.) 1/3 61-62 L Holy Cross (Lou) (at Adair Co.), 1/4 67-54 W Hart Co. (at Adair Co.) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/10 at Allen County-Scottsville, 1/11 vs. Franklin-Simpson 5) Russell County (7-3) - 1/3 52-65 L at #4 Clinton County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/7 at Taylor County, 1/10 vs. Cumberland County 6) Warren East (10-2) - No Games Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/10 vs. #1 Warren Central 7) Barren County (10-3) - 1/3 85-76 W #10 Glasgow, 1/4 56-63 L at Marion County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/10 at Franklin-Simpson, 1/11 vs. #1 Warren Central 8) Greenwood (5-6) - 1/2 74-52 W Green County (at LaRue Co.), 1/3 48-59 L Bethlehem (at LaRue Co.), 1/4 66-60 W Nelson Co. (at LaRue Co.) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/10 at #2 Bowling Green 9) Glasgow (7-6) - 1/3 76-85 L at #7 Barren County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/7 at Allen County-Scottsville 10) South Warren (6-8) - 1/3 43-64 L #2 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/9 vs. Muhlenberg County Last Week's Game of the Week - Crosstown rivalries are always a big deal, and the matchup between Barren County and Glasgow did not disappoint. Both teams brought their A game as each shot better than 55 percent from the field for the night, leading to a high scoring 85-76 victory for the Trojans of Barren County. Sophomore guard Wade Coomer led the way for Barren County with 23 points, complimented by Charley McCoy's 19. Glasgow for its part got 22 from senior forward Milas Norris. The loss dropped Glasgow to 0-2 in the district, with road losses at both Monroe County and Barren County. They'll have one more road district game this week at Allen County-Scottsville before closing out the back end of the district slate at home. Somewhat Surprising Result - The game I pegged as the likely game of the week in the last edition was a matchup of two top 5 teams in the region, Russell County at Clinton County. There were signs Clinton County might be better than the Lakers despite my ranks, such as their performances against Monroe County (Clinton County won by double digits while Russell County lost). But the Bulldogs entered having lost their previous five games after a 9-0 start. After jumping out to a 16-5 lead on Russell County, the Bulldogs spent much of the rest of the game holding on as the lead dipped under 5 in the 4th quarter. But a late push gave them a 65-52 victory and established them as the clear front runner in the 16th District. For as much as that's worth - they'll both easily advance to the regional, but hey, bragging rights! Region Site Set - Last week I noted the limbo of the regional tournament site as the region AD's could not reach the 2/3 majority they needed to draft a plan over the summer. Well, in a victory for those who believe WKU gave the 14th District a competitive advantage and those who favor the financial benefits and atmosphere of a high school site, Commissioner Julian Tackett set the site of the boys' regional tournament at Barren County, to be played in early March. It was a position supported by the minority of ADs in terms of voting, as 11 of the 17 had voted for WKU, one shy of the 12 votes needed. In his comments and e-mail regarding the matter, Commissioner Tackett noted that there were three factions of ADs: Those in favor of WKU, those in favor of high school sites, and those that just wanted to play basketball and didn't really care (which included some who were voting for WKU). In the end, WKU may have priced themselves out of the game. This will be the seventh year since Diddle Arena opened in December of 1963 that any region tournament games were played somewhere else and only the sixth time that the finals themselves will not be at the venue. In 1989, 1994, 1997, 2000, and 2003 all games were played at high school sites and in 2002 the opening round games were played at the district winners' home courts. Old Man Winter - In a twist that many regions are experiencing, several games have been canceled, not for snow or ice but bone rattling cold. Barren County was to host Bowling Green tonight in an attempt to gain revenge for a Christmas tourney loss, the highest profile game canceled. It did save the Trojans from having to run a gauntlet that would see them face the top two teams in the region during the same week. They'll have to settle (probably) for hosting #1 Warren Central. Upcoming Game of the Week 1/10 - #1 Warren Central at #6 Warren East - Last year Warren Central lost only two region games, both of which came to the same team in their district. Most years, the easy leap would be that it was Bowling Green they fell to. But no, it was Warren East that humbled the Dragons twice, their second sweep of Warren Central in six seasons. In fact they're the only team in the region to sweep the Dragons in at least two meetings since 2001. That helped catapult Warren East into a share of their first regular season district title since 1998 and the #1 seed. They'll enter this game assured of the best record in the region while thanks to a cancellation it will be Warren Central's first game against a 4th Region team. If East wins it'll clinch their first three game win streak against Warren Central since winning 4 straight from 95/96-96/97. Also on the line is the potential of the first three game losing streak overall for the Dragons since December 2009.

1) Bowling Green (0-1) - 12/1 69-81 L Apollo (at South Warren) This Week: 12/4 vs. Elizabethtown, 12/7 at South Warren, 12/8 at Trinity 2) Warren Central (1-0) - 12/1 67-64 W Graves County (at Marshall County) This Week: 12/4 at Owensboro 3) Russell County (2-1) - 11/27 72-65 W Lincoln County, 11/29 75-55 W at Franklin-Simpson, 12/1 56-61 L Ohio County (at South Warren) This Week: 12/4 vs. Somerset, 12/7 at Glasgow 4) Barren County (2-0) - 11/27 76-34 W at Green County, 11/30 66-53 W South Warren This Week: 12/4 vs. Allen County-Scottsville, 12/7 at Monroe County, 12/8 vs. Edmonson County 5) Clinton County (2-0) - 11/26 63-56 OT W at Rockcastle County, 11/30 60-44 W Maribyrnong, Australia This Week: 12/4 vs. Monroe County, 12/7 vs. Metcalfe County 6) Russellville (1-2) - 11/27 78-86 L at Muhlenberg County, 11/29 61-78 L at Hopkinsville, 12/1 97-50 W Butler County This Week: 12/4 vs. University Heights, 12/7 vs. Todd County Central 7) Warren East (2-0) - 11/27 67-21 W at Metcalfe County, 11/30 83-68 W Logan County This Week: 12/4 at Butler County, 12/8 vs. Allen County-Scottsville 8) South Warren (2-1) - 11/27 65-58 OT W at Allen County-Scottsville, 11/30 53-66 L at Barren County, 12/1 78-58 W Muhlenberg County This Week: 12/4 vs. Franklin-Simpson, 12/7 vs. Bowling Green 9) Glasgow (0-0) - Did Not Play This Week: 12/4 vs. Maribyrnong, Australia, 12/7 vs. Russell County 10) Greenwood (0-1) - 12/1 62-65 L Owensboro (at South Warren) This Week: 12/4 vs. Daviess County

The 15th District was one of those that was easy to get a handle on the top for most of the year. There was Barren County, and then the rest of the district. The Trojans won their first five district games and looked to be on their way to an undefeated slate. All but one of those wins were by double digits, but a home win over Monroe County in January required OT, and was the first sign of vulnerability for Barren. That vulnerability was exposed on January 25th when Glasgow blasted them by 14 points. It was a game that didn't ultimately matter for seeding purposes, but was a sign that Barren County could be beaten. And who should Barren County end up playing in the district tourney? Glasgow. To the matchups..... 16th District Tournament at Barren County High School February 18th #1 Barren County vs. #4 Glasgow - In 2009, this was the matchup in the district semifinals, only with the reverse situation. Then, it was Barren County that entered as the 4 seed and Glasgow was considered a dark horse candidate for winning the region. But Barren County stunned the region by knocking off heavily favored Glasgow to advance to the region tourney. This year is on more even ground that that matchup was. Glasgow has been uneven, but the Scotties have notched big wins over teams like Russellville and Wayne County, and of course the win over Barren themselves. Barren has the big win over Russell County as well as one over Bowling Green, but have had some real head scratchers, such as the loss to Glasgow, a near loss to Monroe, and especially a loss to Franklin-Simpson. But the Trojans are at home, just as they were in 2009 when they beat Glasgow. They won their home game against Glasgow this year. And they should win it again. Just don't be shocked if it goes the other way. Prediction: Barren County by 5 #2 Monroe County vs. #3 Allen County-Scottsville - Monroe County took their lumps in December, falling to both Barren County and Glasgow in the district, but January and February have been much kinder to the Falcons. They went 3-1 in the district in the new year, including sweeping their opponent Allen County-Scottsville. Monroe's only losses were to teams rated in the top 6 of the region, falling by 3 to Bowling Green, 3 to Barren in OT, and 15 at Clinton County in the All A Classic. AC/S is a team going in the other direction. After a respectable 7-3 start, the Patriots are 7-10 going into a week that will see them likely take losses to Warren Central and Russell County. There's a good chance they'll enter the postseason losing 4 straight and 6 of 8. Adding that plus Monroe's previous victories over them, it's an easy choice as to who wins. Prediction: Monroe County by 9 February 21st Predicted Matchup #1 Barren County vs. #2 Monroe County - Win or lose, it may not matter what happens in the 15th District final. Come the region draw, either team will be hoping to draw a team from the 13th District to avoid the landmines of the 14th or 16th District. It didn't profit Barren County any last year when they ended up drawing Russell County and making a swift exit from the region tourney. Which isn't to say it means nothing in the moment. Barren County will be looking to win back to back districts, something they haven't done since 2003 & 2004. Monroe will be looking for their first district title since 2004 when they were in the 16th District, and a Falcon win would complete a four year run that saw every team win one district title. Monroe will face a tough task in beating the Trojans at home, where Barren County fell only once this season. The Falcons did have their better game against Barren there, but the Trojans will make it back to back and complete a three game sweep of the Falcons. Prediction: Barren County by 6

1) Bowling Green (4-2) - 12/11 83-55 W Franklin-Simpson, 12/14 67-64 W University Heights (at Hopkinsville) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/20 vs. Bullitt East (at Fairdale) 2) Warren Central (3-1) - 12/11 64-68 L Apollo, 12/15 96-64 W #4 Barren County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/17 vs. Logan County, 12/20 vs. Male (at Russell County) 3) Clinton County (5-0) - 12/11 61-50 W vs. Cumberland County, 12/14 64-61 W at #3 Russell County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/17 at Somerset, 12/20 vs. Seneca, 12/21 vs. Iroquois, 12/21 vs. Boyd County, 12/22 vs. Muhlenberg County 4) Russell County (6-2) - 12/11 62-57 W Monroe County, 12/13 74-25 W Metcalfe County, 12/14 61-64 L #5 Clinton County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/18 vs. Greenwood, 12/20 vs. South Warren 5) Barren County (7-1) - 12/11 68-48 W at Caverna, 12/13 68-58 W #6 Russellville, 12/15 64-96 L at #2 Warren Central Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/20 vs. Logan County (at Glasgow) 6) Glasgow (4-1) - 12/11 68-45 W Logan County, 12/14 50-44 W Monroe County, 12/15 67-48 W at Adair County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/20 vs. Metcalfe County 7) South Warren (4-3) - 12/11 45-46 L at #8 Warren East, 12/14 45-28 W at #9 Greenwood Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/17 vs. Daviess County, 12/18 at Ohio County, 12/20 at Russell County 8) Russellville (4-4) - 12/11 56-61 L Allen County-Scottsville, 12/13 58-68 L at #4 Barren County, 12/14 79-64 W #8 Warren East Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/20 vs. Breckinridge County (at Ohio County) 9) Warren East (5-1) - 12/11 46-45 W #7 South Warren, 12/14 64-79 L at #6 Russellville Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/18 vs. Todd County Central, 12/20 vs. Graves County (at Trigg County), 12/21 vs. Murray (at Trigg County), 12/21 at Trigg County, 12/22 vs. Stewart County, TN (at Trigg County) 10) Allen County-Scottsville (4-3) - 12/11 61-56 W at Russellville, 12/14 71-66 W Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: NR This Week: No Games On Schedule

1) Russell County (11-2) - 12/27 81-70 W Eastern, 12/28 W Bullitt Central, 12/29 65-50 W Apollo Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/4 at Cumberland County 2) Warren Central (8-4) - 12/27 75-48 W Clay County (TN), 12/28 60-62 L Satellite Academy (NY), 12/29 70-55 W Garrard County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/3 vs. #3 Clinton County, 1/4 vs. #6 Warren East 3) Clinton County (9-4) - 12/27 65-47 W Villa Madonna, 12/28 48-46 W Cooper, 12/29 44-77 L Covington Catholic Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/3 at #2 Warren Central, 1/4 at Metcalfe County 4) Bowling Green (5-7) - 12/27 61-64 L Apollo, 12/28 70-57 W Madison Southern, 12/29 51-52 L Eastern Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/2 vs. #5 Barren County, 1/4 at Greenwood 5) Barren County (10-2) - 12/28 54-45 W Glasgow Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/2 at #4 Bowling Green, 1/4 Franklin-Simpson 6) Warren East (12-2) - 12/27 63-58 W Daviess County, 12/28 74-70 OT W Owensboro, 12/29 63-61 W McLean County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/4 at #2 Warren Central 7) Glasgow (6-3) - 12/28 45-54 L at Barren County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/1 vs. #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/5 at #9 South Warren 8) Russellville (7-7) - 12/27 61-38 W South Warren, 12/28 75-84 L Doss, 12/29 80-66 W Logan County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/4 vs. Logan County 9) South Warren (7-6) - 12/27 38-61 L at Russellville, 12/28 59-35 W Spring Hill (TN), 12/29 62-41 W Caldwell County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/4 at Todd County Central, 1/5 vs. #7 Glasgow 10) Allen County-Scottsville (7-6) - 12/27 51-53 L Bullitt Central, 12/28 47-75 L Eastern, 12/29 57-69 L Madison Southern Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/1 at #7 Glasgow, 1/4 at Monroe County

Inside South-Central Kentucky Football (8-25-13) Week 1 in the area saw a mix of expected results and head turners. -Bowling Green (1-0) was up to their usual dominance in a 48-21 shellacking of highly regarded 4A #4 Lexington Catholic. The Purples gained 461 yards offense and the Hayes to Fant connection accounted for 4 TDs. The Purples look every bit the favorite they are. -Meanwhile Warren Central (0-1) stubbed their toe in their season opener against 4A #7 Madisonville-North Hopkins in a 27-13 loss. The Dragons were undone by 4 turnovers and a pair of blocked punts, with the Maroons scoring 21 points off of those turnovers. -South Warren (1-0) made a statement in a 35-0 victory over Warren East (0-1), the first victory over a Warren County team for the Spartans. All 35 points came in the first half as South Warren took advantage of two bad snaps on punt attempts and absolutely shut down the Warren East offense in the first half. The news for the Raiders got worse from there as their QB Austin Pagel was knocked from the game and may have a broken collarbone. -Glasgow (1-0) won easily 48-0 over Hart County, which was no surprise. Running backs Marquez Trigg and Quentel Bradley combined for 218 yards on just 21 carries as they ran all over the hapless Raiders. -Franklin-Simpson (0-1) had a decent showing in a 25-7 loss to Danville at Campbellsville University. The Wildcats trailed just 13-7 and had possession midway through the 4th Quarter, but a fumble at midfield was returned for the TD to put the game out of reach. -A key interception was the undoing for Allen County-Scottsville (0-1) in their loss to Mercer County in the Rafferty’s Bowl at WKU. Trailing 21-14 just before halftime, Colton Oakes threw an INT that was returned 73 yards for a backbreaking TD. Instead of potentially tying the game, the Patriots were down two TDs and never recovered. -Greenwood (0-1) turned in what may have been the most shocking result of the first week in the area when they were crushed 35-6 by Hopkinsville. It was the largest win for the Tigers since 2009 and least points allowed since 2006. The teams played to a scoreless tie in the first quarter and the Gators led 6-0 in the second quarter, but very little went right from that point on. Greenwood was outgained 308-48 in the second half. -Barren County (1-0) looked to be on their way to a laugher against Metcalfe County as they had a 19-0 halftime lead, but some Trojan turnovers began to make things tough immediately in the third quarter as the Hornets closed the gap to 19-13. Barren County bore down in the fourth, surviving a last ditch drive by Metcalfe County that reached the Barren 26 in the closing seconds. An INT sealed the game. South-Central Kentucky Rankings (8-25-13) 1) Bowling Green vs. 6A Bryan Station at Lexington Catholic (8/24) 2) Warren Central at 4A #5 Boyle County 3) South Warren at 5A Logan County 4) Warren East vs. 5A Barren County 5) Glasgow vs. 3A Garrard County at Danville 6) Franklin-Simpson at 5A #9 Graves County 7) Allen County-Scottsville vs. 5A Greenwood 8) Greenwood at 4A Allen County-Scottsville 9) Barren County at 4A Warren East

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) Bowling Green (16-2) - 1/12 71-56 W at #4 Russell County, 1/15 60-52 W #6 Warren Central, 1/16 75-68 W #5 Russellville Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/19 at Christian County, 1/22 at #9 Warren East Bowling Green keeps on rolling with a trio of region wins. They have now won 20 consecutive games against 4th Region competition, their longest such streak in as long as the records I have available (since 1965), and probably longest since the 40s - if not longest ever. They've won 37 of 38 in region play. This week we get a huge game as they take on BGP's top ranked team, before a district matchup with East. 2) Russellville (11-4) - 1/12 69-41 W #9 Greenwood, 1/15 59-52 W #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/16 68-75 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/19 vs. Muhlenberg County, 1/21 vs. Hopkinsville The Panthers nearly had a huge back to back showing, but settled for a gigantic district win over previous #2 Franklin-Simpson. They had a game effort against Bowling Green, hitting 10/19 from three in their narrow loss. At 11-4, Russellville is out to their best start through 15 games in six years. 3) Franklin-Simpson (13-3) - 1/12 68-60 W 68-60 W at #11 Monroe County, 1/15 52-59 L at #5 Russellville Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/19 at #12 Greenwood, 1/22 at #11 Logan County After a huge week last week, the Wildcats had a bit of a letdown when they fell on the road at Russellville, dropping them behind the Panthers in the district standings and our top 10. It's not as bad as it sounds, but Franklin is just 4-3 in their last seven. 4) Barren County (16-4) - 1/12 77-72 W at #7 Warren East, 1/15 74-41 W at #11 Monroe County, 1/16 65-50 W Grant County (at Southwestern) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/19 at Ohio County, 1/22 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville The Trojans were leapfrogged through no fault of their own thanks to Russellville's big win, but they had a nice 3-0 week away from home. Barren County has already played 20 games, and are closing in on their fifth consecutive 20+ win season. 5) Russell County (12-4) - 1/12 56-71 L #1 Bowling Green, 1/15 64-43 W at #8 Clinton County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/19 at Southwestern The Lakers were one of the latest to take their first shot at the Purples and miss. By all rights their game was closer than the final, but Russell County was doomed by 28% shooting against Bowling Green, and hit only 7 of 26 from three. Their win over Clinton County gave them the season sweep of the Bulldogs, and assures them of the 16th District's #1 seed. 6) Warren Central (10-7) - 1/15 52-60 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/19 vs. #8 South Warren, 1/22 at #12 Greenwood, 1/23 vs. Hopkinsville The Dragons have now dropped 4 of 5 after going through the top tier of their region schedule. They shot a strong 47% clip against the Purples, but committed 18 turnovers and were outrebounded 18-8 on the offensive glass. They finally face down with South Warren this week, the team considered most likely to challenge them for their #2 spot in-district coming into the season. They also face 2nd Region power Hopkinsville on Saturday. 7) Clinton County (12-7) - 1/12 62-43 W at #15 Cumberland County, 1/15 43-64 L #4 Russell County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/18 at Glasgow The Bulldogs took care of one 16th District opponent on Tuesday, but lost their home game against the Lakers to fall out of contention for the top spot in the 16th District. They'll enter as favorites for the 4th Region All "A" Classic this week, opening at Glasgow. 8) South Warren (8-9) - 1/16 73-54 W at Marion County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/19 at #6 Warren Central It's now four straight wins for Sparty as they continue to climb back towards .500. Bowling Green is the only team to knock them off in this calendar year, and now they'll have two straight games against Warren Central, the first on the road this week. A win is crucial as South Warren would be 0-4 in-district with a loss, and facing a virtual certainty of being out of contention for the 2 seed. 9) Warren East (10-7) - 1/11 71-73 L at #17 Todd County Central, 1/12 72-77 L #3 Barren County, 1/15 64-61 W #9 Greenwood Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/19 vs. Daviess County, 1/22 vs. #1 Bowling Green Warren East had an interesting week, and has had an interesting few weeks. The loss to Todd County Central is basically inexplicable, a team they beat by 33 just a few weeks ago. Then they had a strong effort against Barren County, before getting a needed district win over Greenwood - a team with their own problems. East has lost 6 of their last 8 games, and has a difficult week that includes a matchup with Bowling Green - winners of 41 straight against the Raiders. Yes, 41. 10) Monroe County (5-14) - 1/12 60-68 L #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/15 41-74 L #3 Barren County, 1/16 72-64 W at #16 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/21 vs. TBA (at Metcalfe County) Totally honest, this is where things start to fall apart. Monroe hasn't done much to earn this spot other than sort of hang around in some games. They're 2-7 in their last nine, but have basically taken care of business against the teams below them. They start in the semifinals of the All A Classic, and will be a dark horse to win the tourney. 11) Logan County (8-8) - 1/12 51-45 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/16 58-57 W at Northeast (TN) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/22 vs. #3 Franklin-Simpson, 1/23 at Hopkins County Central The Cougars have quietly won 7 of 10 to reach .500 on the season. They'll try to get a big upset at home against Franklin on Friday. 12) Greenwood (7-12) - 1/12 41-69 L at #5 Russellville, 1/15 61-64 L at #7 Warren East, 1/16 49-56 L at #14 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/19 vs. #3 Franklin-Simpson, 1/22 vs. #6 Warren Central The Gators opened the 2016 calendar year with 5 straight road games. It.... did not go well. In all, the Gators are 2-8 in their last 10. 13) Glasgow (5-11) - 1/11 40-69 L at Green County, 1/15 70-59 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/18 vs. Clinton County The Scotties got the season sweep of Allen County to put themselves into what will likely be the #3 seed for the postseason. 14) Allen County-Scottsville (4-12) - 1/12 45-51 L at #12 Logan County, 1/15 59-70 L at #13 Glasgow, 1/16 56-49 W #9 Greenwood Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/22 at #4 Barren County The Patriots lost the crucial district game with Glasgow, but did end a five game losing streak with a stunner over Greenwood. 15) Todd County Central (4-14) - 1/11 73-71 W #7 Warren East, 1/12 71-64 W East Robertson (TN), 1/16 54-42 W at Hopkins County Central Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/18 at #16 Cumberland County Break up the Rebels! After breaking a 29 game losing streak, Todd County has now won four in a row. That's more wins than all of last season, more than they had in their last 49 games. It's their longest winning streak in nine years, and one of those wins was a megaton upset of Warren East. 16) Cumberland County (1-14) - 1/12 43-62 L #8 Clinton County, 1/14 43-60 L Clay County (TN) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/18 vs. #15 Todd County Central The Panthers are unfortunately back on another losing streak at three in a row, but have a solid chance to break that Monday when they host Todd Central. 17) Metcalfe County (2-13) - 1/15 54-66 L Adair County, 1/16 64-72 L #11 Monroe County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/21 vs. TBA Metcalfe County is still seeking their first win in 2016, opening with four losses in a row.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (2-0) - 12/3 76-45 W #12 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/4 62-50 W Graves County (at Marshall County) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/8 at Elizabethtown, 12/11 vs. Henderson County, 12/12 at Hopkinsville Bowling Green started their two-time title defense and state title chase in dominating fashion, pummelling region foe Allen County-Scottsville before taking over against Graves County in the fourth quarter en route to a 12 point win. The Purples still are waiting on a couple of players from their state title football team. 2) Barren County (2-0) - 12/1 62-50 W Green County, 12/4 72-52 W #4 South Warren Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/8 at #13 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/11 vs. #9 Monroe County Barren County helped justify their ranking with a 20 point victory over #4 South Warren, using an 8-0 run to start the third quarter to gain separation from the Spartans. Gavin Driver had a game-high 29 points, a dominating effort from the big man. 3) Russell County (1-0) - 12/4 62-47 W Marion County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/8 at #10 Greenwood, 12/11 vs. #14 Glasgow The Lakers used a 22-5 third quarter to put off a game effort from Marion County in their season opener. Kel Stotts had 11 in the third quarter as part of a 27 point game, and Russell County shot 52% from the floor. 4) Warren Central (2-1) - 12/1 81-86 L at Bullitt East, 12/4 60-59 W at Henderson County, 12/5 67-51 W Central Hardin (at LaRue County) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/8 vs. Owensboro, 12/11 vs. Christian County (at Hopkinsville) The Dragons had a roller coaster time, nearly knocking off Bullitt East, a top 5 team in the state, before opening a 17 point lead over Henderson County, only to have to win by the skin of their teeth at the end. Senior Darrell Bowman averaged 18.5 PPG in the first two contests. 5) Franklin-Simpson (3-0) - 12/1 57-44 W #8 Monroe County, 12/3 65-52 W #10 Greenwood, 12/4 62-50 W at #9 Clinton County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/8 vs. #6 South Warren, 12/11 vs. #12 Logan County The Wildcats started strong behind Tavin Lovan's 21 PPG, scooping up three wins against the 8-10 teams in our poll. They get a chance to continue their momentum in a top matchup with South Warren, before opening district play on Friday. 6) South Warren (2-1) - 11/30 75-66 W Owensboro, 12/1 54-45 W #12 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/4 52-72 L at #2 Barren County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/8 at #5 Franklin-Simpson, 12/11 vs. #8 Warren East The Spartans opened their season with a win over the defending state champion, but the week ended on a sour note with a thudding loss at Barren County. They have a big matchup at Franklin before opening district play with Warren East. 7) Russellville (0-0) - None Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/8 at #8 Warren East, 12/11 at #15 Todd County Central The Panthers took an early bye week, and will try to fend off fast rising Warren East on Tuesday. They open district play with the Rebels on Friday. 8) Warren East (3-0) - 11/30 76-72 W #13 Logan County, 12/1 75-44 W #16 Metcalfe County, 12/5 66-52 W #9 Clinton County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/8 vs. #7 Russellville, 12/11 at #6 South Warren, 12/12 vs. #13 Allen County-Scottsville The Raiders are our moving team of the week, getting out to a 3-0 start for the third time in four years. Kaleb Britt has averaged 27 PPG and led East to their first win over Clinton County in 42 years. 9) Monroe County (1-2) - 12/1 44-57 L at #6 Franklin-Simpson, 12/3 47-38 W #16 Metcalfe County, 12/5 61-63 L John Hardin (at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/8 vs. #11 Clinton County, 12/11 at #2 Barren County Life without Dillon Geralds has begun for the Falcons, who dropped two of their first three games to open the season. They didn't lose two games until December 31st last year, and didn't lose a region game until the region tournament! They'll open district play on the road against the tough Trojans on Friday. 10) Greenwood (1-2) - 12/1 62-81 L Hopkinsville, 12/3 52-65 L at #6 Franklin-Simpson, 12/4 75-61 W at #14 Glasgow Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/8 vs. #3 Russell County, 12/11 vs. Edmonson County, 12/12 at #11 Clinton County The Gators stand pat as their results went about as you'd think. Hopkinsville is a top team statewide, and they had a double digit loss and double digit victory against teams ranked four spots ahead and behind them respectively. Dawson Crump has driven the offense with 21.3 PPG. 11) Clinton County (0-3) - 12/1 66-80 L at Casey County, 12/4 50-62 L #6 Franklin-Simpson, 12/5 52-66 L at #11 Warren East Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/8 at #9 Monroe County, 12/11 at #16 Metcalfe County, 12/12 vs. #10 Greenwood The Bulldogs tumble to an 0-3 start as, like Monroe County, they learn how to function without their best player from a year ago, that being Keifer Dalton. 12) Logan County (1-2) - 11/30 72-76 L #11 Warren East, 12/4 49-32 W at #15 Todd County Central, 12/5 56-67 L Muhlenberg County Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/11 at #5 Franklin-Simpson The Cougars got district play off on the right foot with a 49-32 win over Todd County Central, and narrowly fell to Warren East. Big game against Franklin-Simpson this week as they'll hope to steal their way to 2-0 in-district. 13) Allen County-Scottsville (0-2) - 12/1 45-54 L #4 South Warren, 12/3 45-76 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/8 vs. #2 Barren County, 12/11 vs. #17 Cumberland County, 12/12 at #8 Warren East The Isable era kicked off with two losses, albeit to top teams. This week won't be much easier, but does feature a lay up against Cumberland County. 14) Glasgow (1-1) - 11/30 96-88 W Marion County, 12/4 61-75 L #10 Greenwood Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/8 at Somerset, 12/11 at #3 Russell County, 12/12 vs. Edmonson County The Scotties topped last season's high mark of 67 points and posted their highest score since 2012 against Marion County, before falling to Greenwood on Friday. 15) Todd County Central (0-2) - 12/1 46-50 L at East Robertson (TN), 12/4 32-49 L #13 Logan County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/8 vs. Butler County, 12/11 vs. #7 Russellville, 12/12 vs. Webster County (at Madisonville) The Rebels open 13th District play at 0-1, and will hope to avoid 0-2 when they host Russellville this week. 16) Metcalfe County (0-2) - 12/1 44-75 L #11 Warren East, 12/3 38-47 L at #8 Monroe County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/8 at #17 Cumberland County, 12/11 vs. #11 Clinton County, 12/12 at Green County This season begins much like the last few, but an encouraging close loss to #8 Monroe County for the Hornets. Cumberland County is annually one of their best shots at a win, and that comes Tuesday. 17) Cumberland County (0-3) - 12/1 32-56 L at Adair County, 12/4 43-53 L at Campbellsville, 12/5 61-75 L Edmonson County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/8 vs. #16 Metcalfe County, 12/11 at #13 Allen County-Scottsville The losing streak has reached 36 in a row for the Panthers. Possibly their best chance at breaking that comes on Tuesday when they host Metcalfe County, the last team they defeated, back on January 28th, 2014.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (13-2) - 1/5 49-39 W #2 Barren County, 1/8 57-33 W #9 Greenwood Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/12 at #4 Russell County, 1/15 vs. #6 Warren Central, 1/16 vs. #5 Russellville The Purples continue to cement their frontrunner status, dominating then-#2 Barren County and shutting down both opponents this week with smothering defense. Three active players are averaging in double digits (Taylor, Jones, and Wilson), and they'll add a fourth whenever Booker is healthy again. 2) Franklin-Simpson (12-2) - 1/5 61-47 W #4 Warren Central, 1/8 54-42 W #2 Barren County Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/12 at #11 Monroe County, 1/15 at #5 Russellville It was a statement week for Franklin-Simpson, taking advantage of homecourt to win by double digits against Barren County and Warren Central, the #2 and #4 teams that week. Doaks emerged as a significant compliment to Lovan, scoring 17 against Warren Central and 12 against Barren County. 3) Barren County (13-4) - 1/5 39-49 L at #1 Bowling Green, 1/8 42-54 L at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 1/9 58-45 W #4 Warren Central Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/12 at #7 Warren East, 1/15 at #11 Monroe County, 1/16 vs. Grant County (at Southwestern) The Trojans took it on the chin in losses to Bowling Green and Franklin-Simpson, but held serve on their home court against Warren Central to salvage the week. With the schedule in front of them, the Trojans may run the table the rest of the way. 4) Russell County (11-3) - 1/7 65-55 W Whitley County, 1/8 62-41 W #17 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/12 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 1/15 at #8 Clinton County The three losses by the Lakers have come by a combined 11 points, and the time has come to stop punishing them for their road loss to Greenwood. They get a great chance to show what they're made of against top ranked Bowling Green, before a crucial road trip to Clinton County. Should they win on the 15th, the district #1 is theirs. 5) Russellville (9-3) - 1/5 46-58 L at Ohio County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/12 vs. #9 Greenwood, 1/15 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/16 at #1 Bowling Green The Panthers missed their shot to potentially move up when they dropped a double digit decision to Ohio County. They'll have a strong back to back opportunity at the end of the week against our top two ranked teams. DeAndre Bradshaw is up to 20.8 PPG for Russellville. 6) Warren Central (10-6) - 1/5 47-61 L at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 1/8 82-67 W at #6 Warren East, 1/9 45-58 L at #2 Barren County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/15 at #1 Bowling Green The Dragons took a hit before the week even began, when second leading scorer Tristen Murray was knocked out for 4-6 weeks with a broken hand. They got the game that counts most in winning on the road at Warren East (fueled by Bowman's 33 points), but faded badly in the fourth quarter of both losses to their higher ranked opponents. This is their lowest ranking yet, and it doesn't get easier with a visit to Bowling Green this Friday. 7) Warren East (9-5) - 1/8 67-82 L #4 Warren Central Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/11 at #17 Todd County Central, 1/12 vs. #3 Barren County, 1/15 vs. #9 Greenwood The Raiders were down just two, with the ball, entering the fourth quarter against Warren Central, but could not keep up to drop a critical district matchup. They have a busy week ahead, but it's Friday's matchup with Greenwood that is most crucial. East has dropped four of five overall. 8) Clinton County (11-6) - 1/5 59-68 L at Pickett County (TN), 1/8 75-46 W #14 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/12 at #15 Cumberland County, 1/15 vs. #4 Russell County Pickett County snapped the four game win streak of Clinton County, but the Bulldogs rebounded with a big district win over Metcalfe County to avenge their stunning December loss. They have a pair of district games on the slate, including the big matchup with Russell County. 9) Greenwood (7-9) - 1/4 46-64 L at Daviess County, 1/8 33-57 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/12 at #5 Russellville, 1/15 at #7 Warren East, 1/16 at #14 Allen County-Scottsville The Gators are slumping, dropping five of their last six. Russellville will be challenging, while Greenwood needs a win over Warren East for postseason positioning. No one wants to be in the 4/5 game of the 14th District. 10) South Warren (7-9) - 1/5 68-49 W at #13 Logan County, 1/8 55-39 W at #15 Glasgow, 1/9 45-43 W Henderson County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/16 at Marion County The wins certainly didn't come over murderer's row, but the Spartans have some strong momentum behind three straight wins. They only play three games in the next 18 days. 11) Monroe County (4-12) - 1/5 72-81 L at Edmonson County, 1/8 63-46 W at #12 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/12 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson, 1/15 vs. #3 Barren County, 1/16 at #16 Metcalfe County Monroe County is up to 2-1 in the district after their road win at the Patriots, and have a chance to pull into a tie with Barren County if they can pull the upset on Friday. 12) Logan County (6-8) - 1/5 49-68 L #10 South Warren, 1/8 72-52 W #16 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/12 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/16 at Northeast (TN) The Cougars have the season sweep of Todd County Central to pull even at 2-2 in the district. Noah Whittinghill is averaging 15.9 PPG with a healthy 36.4% shooting percentage from behind the arc. 13) Glasgow (4-10) - 1/5 64-58 W at #12 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/8 39-55 L #10 South Warren, 1/9 67-49 W Butler County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/11 at Green County, 1/15 vs. #14 Allen County-Scottsville Their road win over Allen County was a bit of a stunner, and good enough to send them up the rankings a bit. They doubled their season total for wins in a single week. If they can knock off AC/S again on Friday, they'll virtually assure themselves of being in the 2/3 game. 14) Allen County-Scottsville (3-10) - 1/5 58-64 L #15 Glasgow, 1/8 46-63 L #11 Monroe County, 1/9 61-68 L Adair County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/12 at #12 Logan County, 1/15 at #13 Glasgow, 1/16 vs. #9 Greenwood It was a bad, bad, bad week for the Patriots, dropping a pair of district games. They're now 0-3 in the district, losing all three at home. Their first road district game comes on Friday against Glasgow, and a loss there will cement them in the cellar of the district for good. 15) Cumberland County (1-12) - 1/5 69-49 W at #14 Metcalfe County, 1/8 41-62 L at #7 Russell County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/12 vs. #8 Clinton County, 1/14 vs. Clay County (TN) The 44 game losing streak is over! The Panthers did it in resounding fashion, with a beatdown of Metcalfe County, 69-49. 16) Metcalfe County (2-11) - 1/5 49-69 L #17 Cumberland County, 1/8 46-75 L at #8 Clinton County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/15 vs. Adair County, 1/16 vs. #11 Monroe County As huge a win as it was for Cumberland County, it was a devastating loss for Metcalfe County. They followed it with a blowout loss to Clinton County, and suddenly we're right back where we so often are - Cumberland and Metcalfe headed to a coin toss for 3/4. 17) Todd County Central (1-14) - 1/5 57-60 L at Butler County, 1/8 52-72 L at #13 Logan County, 1/9 78-40 W at Fort Campbell Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/11 vs. #7 Warren East, 1/12 vs. East Robertson (TN), 1/16 at Hopkins County Central The good news is that Todd County Central climbed into the winning column to erase the last winless 4th Region team. The bad news is that Cumberland County looked better in their win and against a better opponent, so Todd slips into our last spot.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (11-2) - 12/28 79-32 W West Creek (TN), 12/29 60-57 W Doss, 12/30 71-52 W St. X, 1/2 60-53 W #10 South Warren Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/5 vs. #2 Barren County, 1/8 vs. #9 Greenwood The Purples won their own holiday tournament, including a pair of wins over Louisville schools. The Doss win was impressive in particular, as the Purples trailed most of the game, but closed strong. We get the measuring stick game we've been waiting for when they host Barren County, though the Purples will remain big favorites. 2) Barren County (12-2) - 12/28 48-54 L St. X (at Bowling Green), 12/29 67-56 W #6 Warren East (at Bowling Green), 12/30 70-53 W West Creek (TN) (at Bowling Green), 1/2 79-49 W #15 Glasgow Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/5 at #1 Bowling Green, 1/8 at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 1/9 vs. #4 Warren Central Barren County missed their shot at Bowling Green when they suffered an opening round loss in the Meijer Classic, but did pick up a nice win over Warren East. They run the gauntlet this week as they play the other three top 4 teams. There will be no doubt as to where Barren County stands after this week. 3) Franklin-Simpson (10-2) - 12/28 80-75 W Barbourville (at Corbin), 12/29 62-70 L Madison Southern (at Corbin) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/5 vs. #4 Warren Central, 1/8 vs. #2 Barren County The Wildcats suffered their second loss as they prepare for two big games against Warren Central and Barren County, both in the friendly confines. Lovan has over 300 points in the 11 games that have current stats, and may have an outside shot at getting to 1,000 points this season. 4) Warren Central (9-4) - 12/28 64-46 W Rome (GA) (at Lafayette, GA), 12/29 58-50 W Cass (GA) (at Lafayette, GA), 12/30 66-44 W Coosa (GA) (at Lafayette, GA), 1/2 62-69 L Bardstown (at Central Hardin) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/5 at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 1/8 at #6 Warren East, 1/9 at #2 Barren County The Dragons won the Lafayette Christmas Classic in Georgia, but came home to a loss to Bardstown, a team they had beaten by double digits just two weeks prior. They'll go on a road trip this week, and could rise as high as #2 with three wins, but could just as easily slide down. It's a week of teams finding out where they stand. 5) Russellville (9-2) - 12/29 86-67 W St. Mary, 12/29 84-60 W Springfield (TN), 12/30 60-50 W Kenwood (TN), 1/2 59-47 W at #13 Logan County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/5 at Ohio County Russellville swept their three contests in their home holiday tournament and then picked up another district win over their crosstown rival for the kicker. They have a light week when they travel to Ohio County, who they should knock off easily. 6) Warren East (9-4) - 12/28 44-70 L Paducah Tilghman (at Bowling Green), 12/29 56-67 L #2 Barren County (at Bowling Green), 12/30 73-57 W Trigg County (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/8 vs. #4 Warren Central The Raiders took it on the chin in a pair of games in the Meijer Classic, but got a week of rest before a crucial home district match with Warren Central. The Raiders could position themselves for a top 2 seed with a win. 7) Russell County (9-3) - 12/28 75-50 W Jackson City (at Powell County), 12/29 71-55 W Harlan County (at Powell County), 12/30 49-53 L Tates Creek (at Powell County) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/7 vs. Whitley County, 1/8 vs. #17 Cumberland County The Lakers fell just short of a title, but have re-established themselves as a threat in region play. They, like Russellville, have a lightweight week. 8) Clinton County (10-5) - 12/28 58-43 W Estill County (at Powell County), 12/29 75-50 W Jackson City (at Powell County), 12/30 79-34 W Lee County (at Powell County) Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/5 at Pickett County (TN), 1/8 vs. #14 Metcalfe County, 1/9 vs. Harlan County The Bulldogs won the Red River Classic and have run their win streak to five. They're the only team moving up in the ranks this week, and should have a good shot to sweep the week. 9) Greenwood (7-7) - 12/28 44-74 L North Bullitt (at LaRue County), 12/29 50-65 L Adair County (at LaRue County), 12/30 57-47 W Crittenden County (at LaRue County) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/4 at Daviess County, 1/8 at #1 Bowling Green The Gators were blown out by North Bullitt and dropped another game to Adair County, so they drop a notch. Big rivalry game with Bowling Green this week. 10) South Warren (4-9) - 12/28 68-58 W #11 Monroe County (at Campbellsville), 1/2 53-60 L at #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/5 at #13 Logan County, 1/8 at #15 Glasgow, 1/9 vs. Henderson County South justified their top ten spot with a win over the team contending for their spot, and hung tough with top ranked Bowling Green behind Dayton Gumm's 34 points. The Spartans have played within single digits of the Purples in four of their last five games, but can't seem to get the win. 11) Monroe County (3-11) - 12/28 58-68 L #10 South Warren, 1/2 54-77 L at Central Hardin Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 1/5 at Edmonson County, 1/8 at #12 Allen County-Scottsville The Falcons have dropped four straight, and will need to rebound before a big district game with Allen County. Avoiding Barren County in district tournament play is crucial. 12) Allen County-Scottsville (3-7) - None Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 1/5 vs. #15 Glasgow, 1/8 vs. #11 Monroe County, 1/9 vs. Adair County The Patriots took a winter siesta, and come back with a pair of district matchups. 13) Logan County (5-7) - 12/29 76-42 W Prestonsburg (at Russellville), 12/29 43-63 L Kenwood (TN) (at Russellville), 12/30 66-65 W Springfield (TN) (at Russellville), 1/2 47-59 L #5 Russellville Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 1/5 vs. #10 South Warren, 1/8 vs. #16 Todd County Central The Cougars picked up a pair of wins in their holiday classic, but still remain below .500. 14) Metcalfe County (2-9) - None Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 1/5 vs. #17 Cumberland County, 1/8 at #8 Clinton County Another team that took a week off, the Hornets host Cumberland County in a game that should lock them into at least the 3 seed in their district. They travel to Clinton County, who they shocked in holiday tournament play. 15) Glasgow (2-9) - 12/28 52-39 W Crittenden County (at LaRue County), 12/29 47-67 L at LaRue County, 12/30 38-65 L Daviess County (at LaRue County), 1/2 49-79 L at #2 Barren County Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/5 at #12 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/8 vs. #10 South Warren, 1/9 vs. Butler County The Scotties have not topped 54 points since the third game of the year. 16) Todd County Central (0-12) - 1/2 55-61 L at Kenwood (TN) Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 1/5 at Butler County, 1/8 at #13 Logan County, 1/9 at Fort Campbell The beat goes on as the Rebels still seek their first victory. Each of these games this week are winnable. 17) Cumberland County (0-11) - 1/2 52-68 L McCreary Central Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/5 at #14 Metcalfe County, 1/8 at #7 Russell County Metcalfe County will be one of Cumberland County's last serious chances at a win, and would be their only hope of digging out of the 4 spot in the district tournament.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (5-0) - 12/8 61-35 W at Elizabethtown, 12/11 66-45 W Henderson County, 12/12 69-62 OT W at Hopkinsville Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/15 at #10 Greenwood, 12/18 vs. Fern Creek (at Fairdale) The Purples kept up their unbeaten streak with the obvious most impressive game being a road win at Hopkinsville in overtime. The Purples were still without DeAngelo Wilson, but managed to get a rare win over Hopkinsville in Tigers Gym. 2) Barren County (4-0) - 12/8 63-47 W at #13 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/11 52-44 W #9 Monroe County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/15 vs. Caverna, 12/17 at Edmonson County, 12/18 at #4 Russellville The Trojans continue to match pace with the Purples, although they had to tough out a closer than expected game with Monroe County. They have a top matchup on Friday with rising Russellville. 3) Franklin-Simpson (5-0) - 12/8 52-51 W #6 South Warren, 12/11 84-46 W #12 Logan County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/18 at #13 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/20 vs. Nelson County (at Hancock County) Tavin Lovan has been slacking off, averaging only 21.8 PPG. Carlesso Doaks has been a big help, adding in 10.8. They gained a big win over South Warren last Tuesday when Lovan trumped Gumm and Stacker. 4) Russellville (2-0) - 12/8 76-60 W at #8 Warren East, 12/11 71-44 W at #15 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/15 vs. #13 Allen County-Scottsville, 12/18 vs. #2 Barren County The Panthers made a resounding statement with their thumping of unbeaten Warren East, and will look to make an even bigger one when they host Barren County on Friday. District 13 is back! 5) Warren Central (3-2) - 12/8 71-69 OT W Owensboro, 12/11 53-81 L Christian County (at Hopkinsville) Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/14 vs. #12 Logan County, 12/19 vs. Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN) (at Bardstown), 12/20 vs. John Hardin (at Bardstown) The Dragons suffered a brutal loss to Christian County after a tight overtime win against Owensboro. The schedule will stay tough in Bardstown. 6) Warren East (5-1) - 12/8 60-76 L #7 Russellville, 12/11 80-65 W at #6 South Warren, 12/12 68-56 W #13 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/15 at Grayson County Warren East suffered a big loss to Russellville, but gained a rare road win over South Warren to move to 1-0 in the district. The Raiders will make that trade very time. 7) South Warren (2-3) - 12/8 51-52 L at #5 Franklin-Simpson, 12/11 65-80 L #8 Warren East Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/18 vs. #10 Greenwood The Spartans may be having a little deja vu to last year, when they'd show they could play with anyone, but not win the games they needed. South has a lot of potential, but they need to start acting on it. 8) Russell County (2-1) - 12/8 60-66 L at #10 Greenwood, 12/11 67-48 W #14 Glasgow Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/14 at #16 Metcalfe County, 12/15 at #11 Monroe County, 12/18 vs. #9 Clinton County The loss to Greenwood at home was rather stunning. They'll try to erase that memory with a pair of district games this week. 9) Clinton County (3-3) - 12/8 49-47 W at #9 Monroe County, 12/11 53-30 W at #16 Metcalfe County, 12/12 58-56 W #10 Greenwood Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/15 vs. #17 Cumberland County 12/18 at #8 Russell County Clinton County eases into our top ten on the back of some close wins over Monroe County and Greenwood, the two teams below them. They have a HUGE game against Russell County this week. 10) Greenwood (3-3) - 12/8 66-60 W #3 Russell County, 12/11 67-66 W Edmonson County, 12/12 56-58 L at #11 Clinton County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/15 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 12/18 at #7 South Warren The Gators ran out of steam at the end of the week against Clinton County, but still got a great road win over Russell County. It's district week for Greenwood with a pair of games against Bowling Green and South Warren. The former is an almost certain loss, but the latter could be a tossup. It's the one to watch. 11) Monroe County (1-4) - 12/8 47-49 L #11 Clinton County, 12/11 44-52 L at #2 Barren County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/15 vs. #8 Russell County, 12/18 vs. #14 Glasgow Monroe County dropped a pair of games in-region, and are staring at another difficult contest against Russell County before some relief against Glasgow. 12) Logan County (1-3) - 12/11 46-84 L at #5 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 12/14 at #5 Warren Central, 12/17 vs. Ohio County The Cougars are taking it on the chin and dropped a big district game against Franklin-Simpson last Friday. 13) Allen County-Scottsville (1-4) - 12/8 47-63 L #2 Barren County, 12/11 49-40 W #17 Cumberland County, 12/12 56-68 L at #8 Warren East Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/15 at #4 Russellville, 12/18 vs. #3 Franklin-Simpson The Patriots have been running against a rough schedule in Coach Isable's first year, but did get his first win over Cumberland County last Friday. It won't get any easier this week against Russellville and Franklin-Simpson. 14) Glasgow (1-4) - 12/8 65-86 L at Somerset, 12/11 48-67 L at #3 Russell County, 12/12 54-68 L Edmonson County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/18 at #11 Monroe County The Scotties get one of their more winnable games on Friday when they travel to Monroe County for a district matchup. 15) Todd County Central (0-5) - 12/8 27-40 L Butler County, 12/11 44-71 L #7 Russellville, 12/12 27-68 L Webster County (at Madisonville) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 12/14 at Caldwell County, 12/18 vs. Rossview (TN), 12/19 at Calloway County Tough week of blowouts for the Rebels and probably a couple more on the way. 16) Metcalfe County (1-4) - 12/8 50-48 W at #17 Cumberland County, 12/11 30-53 L #11 Clinton County, 12/12 55-63 L at Green County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 12/14 vs. #8 Russell County, 12/15 at Hart County The Hornets got the win in the battle of our two lowest ranked teams, just like last year. This time Metcalfe scored on a last second layup for the win. 17) Cumberland County (0-5) - 12/8 48-50 L #16 Metcalfe County, 12/11 40-49 L at #13 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 12/15 at #9 Clinton County, 12/17 at Clay County (TN), 12/18 vs. Marion County The Panthers hard luck continues, and the losing streak is now 38.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (7-2) - 12/21 61-65 L Ballard (at Fairdale), 12/23 78-50 W at Fairdale Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 12/28 vs. West Creek (TN), 12/29-12/30 Meijer Classic, 1/2 vs. #10 South Warren The Purples have suffered a couple of losses in the wake of the injury to G Thomas Booker (4-6 weeks), but are still the best team in the 4th Region. They'll host the Meijer Classic before feasting on a slumping South Warren team. 2) Barren County (9-1) - 12/21 49-56 L at Murray, 12/22 68-51 W Ballard Memorial (at Murray), 12/22 66-54 W Calloway County (at Murray) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 12/28 vs. St. X (at Bowling Green), 12/29-12/30 Meijer Classic, 1/2 vs. #15 Glasgow Barren County's unbeaten run ended at Murray, but are off to their best start since also opening 9-1 in 2011/2012. If they win enough, they may get an early shot at Bowling Green before their scheduled game on January 5th. 3) Franklin-Simpson (9-1) - 12/21 62-61 W #8 Russell County (at Hancock County), 12/22 57-43 W at Hancock County, 12/27 80-85 L Clay County (at Corbin) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 12/28 vs. Barbourville (at Corbin), 12/29 Cumberland Falls Invitational The Wildcats suffered their first loss to highly regarded Clay County to end a 9-0 start, but have still matched their win total from all of last season. Carlesso Doaks (11.7 PPG) and Trey Radcliffe (10.6 PPG) have complimented the unstoppable Tavin Lovan (27.2 PPG) very nicely. 4) Warren Central (6-3) - 12/22 51-40 W at Bardstown Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 12/28-12/30 Lafayette (GA) Christmas Classic, 1/2 vs. Bardstown (at Central Hardin) The Dragons are quietly putting together a decent start outside of a punishing loss against Christian County earlier in the year. Seniors Bowman and Murray have averaged nearly 16 and 14 PPG respectively. 5) Russellville (5-2) - 12/21 56-70 L at Paducah Tilghman, 12/22 110-104 2OT W University Heights (at Paducah Tilghman), 12/22 72-53 W Mayfield (at Paducah Tilghman) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 12/29 vs. St. Mary, 12/30 First Southern National Bank Christmas Classic, 1/2 at #13 Logan County The Panthers missed their shot to move up when they fell to Barren County at home on the 18th, but turned in an exciting 110-104 win over University Heights in double overtime last week. They host the First Southern National Bank Christmas Classic this week. 6) Warren East (8-2) - 12/21 106-76 W Hopkins County Central (at Greenwood), 12/22 80-47 W #15 Todd County Central (at Greenwood), 12/23 66-67 L Perry County Central (at Greenwood) Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 12/28 vs. Paducah Tilghman (at Bowling Green), 12/29-12/30 Meijer Classic The Raiders have been on a tear, just narrowly missing out on winning their Holiday Hoops Classic with a 67-66 loss to Perry County Central. They matched their 8-1 start through 9 games from two years ago, but will look to avoid the second half collapse that marred that season. Kaleb Britt and MacKenzie Strange have averaged 23 PPG and 19 PPG respectively, helping the Raiders to a 74.2 PPG average. They recently scored over 100 points for the first time since 1978. 7) Russell County (7-2) - 12/21 61-62 L #3 Franklin-Simpson (at Hancock County, 12/22 62-51 W Western (at Hancock County) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 12/28 vs. Jackson City (at Powell County), 12/29 vs. Harlan County (at Powell County), 12/30 vs. Tates Creek (at Powell County) The Lakers' road loss to Greenwood has improved in stature, and they lost on a last second three by Tavin Lovan to miss out on a signature win over Franklin-Simpson. They will get another chance when they host Bowling Green in mid January. 8) Greenwood (6-5) - 12/21 54-53 OT W #13 Allen County-Scottsville (at Adair County), 12/22 57-47 W Hart County (at Adair County), 12/22 50-66 L at Adair County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 12/28 vs. North Bullitt (at LaRue County), 12/29-12/30 LaRue County Holiday Classic The Gators are incredibly tough to figure out. They've had some ups (wins over Russell County, Edmonson County, and South Warren), and some real downs (eeking out an OT win over Allen County-Scottsville, losing to Clinton County). They're in a stalking horse position in their district and region right now, but picked up a huge district win over South Warren on December 18th to improve their positioning. 9) Clinton County (7-5) - 12/21 67-65 W Grant County, 12/22 56-63 L #16 Metcalfe County, 12/22 45-52 L Christian Academy-Louisville, 12/23 62-44 W Anderson County Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 12/28 vs. Estill County (at Powell County), 12/29 vs. Jackson City (at Powell County), 12/30 vs. Lee County (at Powell County) The Bulldogs have gone 7-2 since opening 0-3, but have the most head scratching result of the year so far, falling to Metcalfe County 63-56, at home, on the 22nd during their Christmas tournament. Clinton County had beaten the Hornets by 23 just ten days prior. The Bulldogs may not be able to take for granted that they will advance into region tourney play as they've been able to for several years. 10) South Warren (3-8) - 12/21 61-71 L at Owensboro, 12/21 26-46 L Owensboro Catholic (at Owensboro), 12/22 63-61 W Henderson County (at Owensboro Sports Center), 12/26 39-54 L Central Hardin (at Campbellsville), 12/27 46-54 L at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 12/28 vs. #11 Monroe County (at Campbellsville), 1/2 at #1 Bowling Green The Spartans may be the most disappointing team in the region right now. Big things were expected from a team that brought in a great coach in Tony Hopper and returned a great core in Dayton Gumm and Brandon Stacker, two of the best players in the region. Since starting 2-0, they have fallen in eight of their last nine games. The low point came in a 46-26 loss to Owensboro Catholic, the lowest point total ever posted by South Warren. 11) Monroe County (3-9) - 12/21 76-86 L Caverna (at Greenwood), 12/21 51-73 L Perry County Central (at Greenwood), 12/23 69-57 W #15 Todd County Central (at Greenwood), 12/26 74-84 L Green County (at Campbellsville), 12/27 61-63 OT L Grayson County (at Campbellsville) Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 12/28 vs. #10 South Warren, 1/2 at Central Hardin Life remains tough for the Falcons after the success of the last couple of years. Their only three wins are over teams in the basement of the region, and they're more than halfway to as many losses this year (nine) as the last two combined (15). They play a neutral site game with South Warren for a chance to move into the top 10, and still figure to have a good chance to advance to region tournament play when all is said and done. 12) Allen County-Scottsville (3-7) - 12/21 53-54 OT L #10 Greenwood (at Adair County), 12/22 68-67 OT W at Adair County, 12/22 68-52 W Hart County (at Adair CountY) Previous Rank: 13 This Week: None The Patriots have run afoul of six of the region's top 8 teams, losing all of them, so perhaps they might be a bit better than this spot. Their 68-67 OT win over Adair County, a team that has knocked off one of the top teams in the state in Taylor County, bodes well for their chances to play spoiler for some teams. 13) Logan County (3-5) - 12/21 44-39 W Houston County (TN), 12/22 58-55 W Northwest (TN) Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 12/29 vs. Prestonsburg (at Russellville), 12/30 First Southern National Bank Christmas Classic The Cougars traveled out of state to get back in the win column, and will hope to ride that momentum this week inside the county borders at the First Southern National Bank Christmas Classic at Russellville. Then they have the always huge rivalry game with Russellville on January 2nd. 14) Metcalfe County (2-9) - 12/21 65-81 L Grant County (at Clinton County), 12/22 63-56 W at #9 Clinton County, 12/22 27-66 L Anderson County (at Clinton County), 12/23 44-69 L Christian Academy-Louisville (at Clinton County) Previous Rank: 16 This Week: None Metcalfe County moves up by virtue of their first win over a district opponent not named Cumberland County since 2011/2012. Their 63-56 win over Clinton County came out of nowhere, and unfortunately for them does not count in the district standings. But it gives them a glimmer of hope. 15) Glasgow (1-6) - 12/21 26-62 L at Boyle County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 12/28 vs. Crittenden County (at LaRue County), 12/29-12/30 LaRue County Holiday Classic The Scotties have dropped six straight since their opening win over Marion County, all by double digits. 16) Todd County Central (0-11) - 12/22 47-80 L #6 Warren East (at Greenwood), 12/22 69-70 L Hopkins County Central (at Greenwood), 12/23 57-69 L #11 Monroe County (at Greenwood) Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 1/2 at Kenwood (TN) The Rebels went to overtime with Hopkins County Central, but couldn't gain their first win of the year, falling 70-69 at Greenwood High School. Their losing streak is now 25 straight, and they have not won in a calendar year, since knocking off Owensboro Catholic during last year's Meijer Christmas Classic at Bowling Green High. If their schedule is correct and they don't play until Saturday, they'll have gone the entire year of 2015 without a win. 17) Cumberland County (0-10) - 12/21 48-70 L Louisville Holy Cross (at Butler County), 12/22 60-65 L at Butler County Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 1/2 vs. McCreary Central It's now 43 straight losses for Cumberland County, who narrowly missed on a shot at Butler County, falling 65-60 on the road. Their best chances at breaking that come in the next few weeks, when they travel to Metcalfe County on January 5th, and play Todd County Central on January 18th.

Final Rankings and Postseason Preview 1. Bowling Green (25-2) High Rank - 1, Low Rank - 1, Average Rank - 1 In the preseason preview we noted that the 14th District dominance this year wore a single color - Purple. Three months later, that hasn't remotely changed. Bowling Green ran everyone through the thresher this year, winning all 13 of their region contests as part of an overall 25 game win streak against 4th Region opponents. Only four of those wins came by single digit margins, and only one when the Purples were at full strength. In all, the Purples won region contests by nearly 20 PPG while playing 12 of those 13 games against teams in our final top ten. The entire Purple starting five made the All-Region team and coach D.G. Sherrill was voted KABC COY. This is our pick for 14th District and 4th Region champion, ending the year where they started it and every week in between - first. 2. Franklin-Simpson (22-4) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 6, Average Rank - 3 We pegged the Wildcats somewhat in description if not in our first ranking. "No team is more reliant on one player than Franklin-Simpson is on Tavin Lovan" is what we wrote prior to the year, and as their mere five point win over Allen County-Scottsville without him showed last week, they are beatable without him. But WITH Lovan's 26.8 PPG, they've been a load to handle. He is complimented by three point shooter Carlesso Doaks (10.3 PPG) and Trey Radcliffe (9.4 PPG), but the team's fate rises and falls with Lovan. Aside from a head scratching loss to South Warren, where Lovan was injured in the second half, the Wildcats rolled through their region schedule aside from a January loss to Russellville. Voted co-COY for the 4th Region awards, HC Dee Spencer's Wildcats are a virtual lock for the region tourney. What they won't have, is the benefit of having seen Bowling Green during the regular season. It remains to be seen if that lack of experience will hurt them. They open postseason play with Todd County Central, and as long as they stay opposite of Bowling Green, they're our pick for region runners-up. 3. Russellville (17-6) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 7, Average Rank - 4 Like the Wildcats, Russellville was undervalued entering the year. The 13th District really struggled last year, but the youth flourished this year, and Russellville helps personify that. Led by 4th Region First Team selection DeAndre Bradshaw (21 PPG, 12 RPG) and his double-double average, the Panthers were one of the aforementioned four games where a region team stayed within single digits of Bowling Green. Thanks to the height advantage that a player like Bradshaw gives them, the Panthers like to pound the ball inside, with over 78% of their attempts on the year coming from inside the arc. But, they may need a game like they had against the Purples in their first matchup to have a shot at that major upset, when they went 10/20 from three. The Panthers are athletic and have one of the best and most veteran coaches in Phil Todd. Russellville has not advanced past the second round of the region tournament since their title run in 2001, and they have fallen in nine straight region tournament contests against teams from the 14th District, reaching back to that same year. In fact, the entire 13th District has lost 22 in a row to the 14th District in region tourney play going back to 2001. The Panthers open with Logan County, and should compete well for the 13th District crown. Like Franklin-Simpson, if they can stay out of the way of Bowling Green, they've got a shot to make a deep run. 4. Barren County (22-4) High Rank - 2, Low Rank - 4, Average Rank - 2 The Trojans began the year as the solid choice to push Bowling Green the best, and remained in the stalking position for the first five weeks of the year. But since, they've mostly taken a seat to the 13th District resurgence, which has suited Barren County just fine. They rode that to become the first region team to reach the 20 win mark this season, and along with Bowling Green, are the only ones to enter the postseason at that threshold. This rank is mostly owed to a pair of double digit losses to Bowling Green and Franklin-Simpson in January, a late loss at home to Russell County, and a host of middling opponents that didn't give us a read. The team is led by Wade Coomer, the KABC player of the year, complimented by Nick Mabe's inside presence. Both are seniors, giving them a veteran edge on the mostly young region - a real rarity this year. Barren County's head coach Warren Cunningham was the other co-COY as selected by the Fourth Region, and he guided Barren County to their fifth straight 20+ win season. The Trojans open with Allen County-Scottsville, a team they defeated by an average of 11.5 PPG in the regular season. They are the clear choice to win their district, but don't believe they will be able to return to the region finals for the first time since 2004. As long as they don't draw the 13th district loser, we believe they will have their season end in the region semifinals for the fourth straight year. 5. Russell County (17-8) High Rank - 3, Low Rank - 8, Average Rank - 6 Russell County has had a successful, if not heralded, season under John Tinsley. The Lakers fell in one of their earliest tests of the year, dropping a road game at Greenwood that mostly kept them supressed in the rankings. But they proved their mettle in a 66-58 overtime win at Barren County just 10 days ago, a solid tune up for their region run. They enter the postseason winners of four of five games including that result over Barren County, and are led by All-Region Second Team selection Kel Stotts, a dynamic junior guard. As 16th District champions, running through with an unbeaten slate that saw them win by 9+ in all six of their district games, they open with Metcalfe County, who they will roll over. No team has an easier path to the 4th Region tournament than Russell County. They're our pick for 16th District champions, and a perfect draw for them would see the 15th district runner-up in the first game with the 13th District champion playing the 14th District runner-up. Given those circumstances, a region final run is not out of the question. Regardless of the opponent, the Lakers are always strong on the fundamentals, and a tough out. 6. Warren Central (17-11) High Rank - 4, Low Rank - 6, Average Rank - 5 Against a tough schedule, the Dragons record suffered greatly compared to where it has been in recent years. Warren Central saw win streaks come to an end against Frankin-Simpson, Barren County, and Greenwood, with the former two coming by double digits on the road and the latter an ugly home loss where they blew a 15 fourth quarter lead. This is not the team we are used to, and now they will enter the postseason without the services of their starting point guard, who has been dismissed from the team. They do have big man Darrell Bowman, a Third Team All-Region selection that makes nearly 70% of his shots. The fatal weakness for Central is often their love of the three point attempt, which they do not make at a good clip. When they're falling, they are capable of playing with anyone - Bowling Green included. When they're not, well, they could find themselves out in the semis of the district, where they open with Warren East. We think they'll get past that game, but that the run of six straight region final appearances will come to an end, and with it, a seven year run of 20+ win seasons. The Dragons go out in the region quarters. 7. South Warren (13-14) High Rank - 4, Low Rank - 10, Average Rank - 8 Coming into the year, the Spartans looked capable of so much more than this. With players like Dayton Gumm (All-Region Second Team) and Brandon Stacker (All-Region Third Team) returning, along with new head coach Tony Hopper, it appeared that the postseason success would finally come. Alas, though they enter the postseason winners of five of six, it came too late to help them avoid the 4/5 game in the 14th District tournament. They open with Greenwood, a game they should win, but that would line them up against Bowling Green, a team they have never beaten, and which drubbed them by 44 the last time they met. The season ends in the district semifinals against the Purples. 8. Warren East (14-14) High Rank - 6, Low Rank - 11, Average Rank - 7 The Raiders came out of the gates on fire, starting 8-1. But the wins have been tough to come by since, finishing with just six wins in their last 19 contests. That included a run of six straight losses before they won their season finale, the last game that will be played in their current gym. The Raiders are led by All-Region First Team selection Kaleb Britt's 19.9 PPG, and also feature MacKenzie Strange (13.3 PPG) and Patrick Satterfield (12.3 PPG). Warren East loves the three ball, attempting one on 35% of all attempts, but making only 32% of those shots. That leads to a very volatile team. They played Bowling Green on back to back nights, losing by 42 and 16. The difference? In the first game they were 0/15 from three - the second 5/12. They open with a very beatable Warren Central, but the three ball will have to drop for them to get back to the region tournament for the first time in 19 years. That would be a realistic and attainable goal for this team. 9. Clinton County (14-12) High Rank - 7, Low Rank - 11, Average Rank - 9 The Bulldogs enter the postseason going in the wrong direction, in a year where they suffered from the absence of graduated Keifer Dalton, the leading scorer in program history. Clinton County lost their last four games and six of eight. Included in that run was a loss to Glasgow in the All "A" Classic, a tournament they were picked to win. They open with Cumberland County, a team they beat by an average of 22 PPG, but the region quarters is their absolute ceiling. 10. Greenwood (12-17) High Rank - 8, Low Rank - 14, Average Rank - 11 Like the Spartans, the Gators may have waited too long to hit their stride, although in their case, they had an early stride paired with a late stride, but a terrifyingly low middle. Greenwood started 6-4 and finished 5-3, but sandwiched that around a 1-10 run. Results such as December victories over Russell County and South Warren along with a rare road win over Warren Central give them hope, but they are stuck in the 4/5 game of the district tournament, where even a win over South Warren would just put them up against the Bowling Green juggernaut. Coach Jordan Carter will need to some all-time great performances from All-Region Third Team selection Dawson Crump to give them a shot. Our prediction is an exit in the first game against South Warren. 11. Logan County (10-13) High Rank - 10, Low Rank - 13, Average Rank - 12 The Cougars open with rival Russellville in the 13th District tournament. They hung tight in regular season losses of 12 and 7 to the Panthers, but should see their season come to a close with a third loss at Russellville. Noah Whittinghill's 15.6 PPG lead Logan County, who enter postseason play losers of 5 out of their last 7. 12. Monroe County (8-17) High Rank - 8, Low Rank - 12, Average Rank - 10 Their slow descent as the season wore on bottomed out here, at their lowest rank of the year. The Falcons have dominated their first round opponent Glasgow, obliterating them by 38 & 25 points. Monroe County should be a strong favorite to reach the district finals and punch their ticket for Diddle, but their reward will be that they are the most sought-after first round opponent at region. 13. Glasgow (10-17) High Rank - 12, Low Rank - 15, Average Rank - 13 Though they appear to be overmatched against Monroe County, the Scotties already have a region title on the year, that coming in an unlikely run to the region All "A" Classic title. By that measure, first year coach James Willett's season will be a success. James Kingery's 14.4 PPG lead Glasgow. 14. Todd County Central (9-19) High Rank - 13, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 15 It's not going to translate into postseason success against opponent Franklin-Simpson, but there's a lot of positives in the season for the Rebels. They snapped a 28 game losing streak with a six game win streak, winning nine of their last 14 games. All nine of those wins came after January 1st, which is nine more than they had after January 1st last season. 15. Allen County-Scottsville (6-22) High Rank - 12, Low Rank - 15, Average Rank - 14 The Pats have had a rough go of it under first year HC Hilton Isable, but have made it hard on a few opponents this season, extracting close losses against Warren Central, Franklin-Simpson, and Clinton County. But it hasn't translated to wins often, with a 3-20 slate against 4th Region teams. Barren County will likely end their season on the Patriots' home floor on Tuesday. 16. Metcalfe County (3-22) High Rank - 14, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 16 The tough years continue for Metcalfe County, who haven't advanced to region since 2011. They did have a signature win over Clinton County in December, their first win over a district opponent besides Cumberland County since that year. Unfortunately, they weren't even lucky enough to draw the Bulldogs in the district tourney, instead facing Russell County, a team they haven't beaten in 8 years. 17. Cumberland County (1-24) High Rank - 15, Low Rank - 17, Average Rank - 17 Ignore everything else - Cumberland County snapped a 44 game losing streak when they beat Metcalfe County in January. That was the most important thing about the season. They will face Clinton County in the district tournament and lose, but they beat last year immediately in January. Top Players in the 4th Region 1. Tavin Lovan, G, Jr. (Franklin-Simpson) - Same spot this young man occupied entering the season. His ridiculous 26.8 PPG is sixth highest in the state. 2. Terry Taylor, F, Jr. (Bowling Green) - Taylor averages 16.6 PPG on a team that has four players averaging in double digits. His 12.3 rebounds per game are good enough for third in the state. 3. DeAndre (Pedro) Bradshaw, F, Jr. (Russellville) - Bradshaw gives the Panthers a double-double basically every game, averaging 21 PPG and 12 RPG. 4. Kyran Jones, F, Jr. (Bowling Green) - Though he fell to a second team selection on the all-region teams, Jones averages a double double for the Purples, giving them another incredible scoring and rebounding presence. 5. Wade Coomer, G, Sr. (Barren County) - Coomer is a Coastal Carolina signee, the KABC POY for the region, and a selection to the All-Region First Team. 6. Thomas Booker, G, Sr. (Bowling Green) - An injury to his wrist robbed him of a large portion of the season, but the All-Region Third Team selection dropped 40 points in his first two games back, and averages 11.5 PPG on the season. 7. Kaleb Britt, G, Sr. (Warren East) - The All-Region First Team selection dropped in 19.9 PPG while shooting over 42% from behind the arc. 8. Kel Stotts, G, Jr. (Russell County) - Stotts continues to light up the scoreboard for the Lakers. 9. Dayton Gumm, G, Sr. (South Warren) - The unquestioned general on the floor for the Spartans and by far their #1 scoring option. 10. Darrell Bowman, F, Sr. (Warren Central) - An incredible reclamation project for the Dragons, the big man averages 16.4 PPG and shoots 73% from inside the arc.

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) Bowling Green (20-2) - 2/2 93-49 W at #9 South Warren, 2/6 62-60 W Ballard Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/9 at Owensboro, 2/12 vs. #7 Warren East, 2/13 at #7 Warren East The Purples remained undefeated when their starting lineup is entirely healthy, handing South Warren their worst defeat ever before notching the first win for any team from the Bowling Green/Warren County area over the always tough Ballard Bruins. The Purples can cap off an unbeaten district slate if they pick up a pair of wins over Warren East this weekend. A single win (or Raider loss to South on Tuesday) will clinch the district's top seed for BG. 2) Franklin-Simpson (18-3) - 2/2 70-50 W #2 Russellville, 2/5 51-36 W #13 Todd County Central, 2/6 60-56 W Somerset (at Pulaski County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/9 at #10 Logan County, 2/11 at #8 South Warren, 2/12 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville Franklin avenged their only loss of the 2016 calendar year in resounding fashion, punishing Russellville with a 70-50 result in the friendly confines. Tavin Lovan dropped 33 points in that matchup, shooting 11/17 from the floor. That kept the Wildcats alive in the chase for their district's top seed, and there's a strong chance Franklin will now ride into the postseason on a double-digit win streak. 3) Barren County (21-4) - 2/4 82-50 W at #12 Glasgow, 2/5 68-42 W Hart County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/9 vs. #6 Russell County, 2/12 at #17 Cumberland County Barren County had to wait an extra two days thanks to snow, but they became the region's first 20-win team with a blowout of Glasgow. It's the fifth season in a row for Barren County to have 20+ wins. The Trojans are now on a 9 game winning streak, their longest since winning ten in a row in the 12/13 season. 4) Russellville (15-5) - 2/2 50-70 L at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 2/5 77-70 W #10 Logan County Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/12 vs. #13 Todd County Central Russellville shuffled to the bottom of the #2- #4 tier when they fell in blowout fashion to Franklin-Simpson. The loss cost them a chance to secure the district's top seed, but they bounced back with a win over Logan County. The Panthers have remained very balanced below Bradshaw, their leading scorer with 20.8 per game. They have four players averaging between 8.8 and 11.0 PPG. 5) Warren Central (13-9) - 2/1 53-56 L Hopkinsville, 2/5 83-52 W #8 Warren East Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/9 at Owensboro Catholic, 2/12 vs. #14 Greenwood, 2/13 at Elizabethtown Another week saw another close loss for the Dragons to a good team, when Central just couldn't quite take down Hopkinsville. Warren Central is just 4-6 since New Year's, and all four wins came over just two teams, Warren East and South Warren. Their losses came to Bardstown, Hopkinsville, and the three top teams in the region. 6) Russell County (14-7) - 2/1 47-84 L at South Laurel, 2/4 69-77 OT L at Casey County, 2/5 73-56 W #17 Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/9 at #3 Barren County, 2/12 vs. Adair County The Lakers have hit a bit of a mini-slump, with zero wins out of district since knocking off Whitley County on January 7th. They just completed a 2-3 road trip, before completing an unbeaten district run via a 73-56 win over Metcalfe County on Friday. They have a top matchup with Barren County on the road tomorrow. 7) Warren East (13-10) - 2/3 88-72 W at #16 Cumberland County, 2/5 52-83 L at #5 Warren Central, 2/6 81-101 L Doss (at Bowling Green) Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/9 vs. #8 South Warren, 2/12 at #1 Bowling Green, 2/13 vs. #1 Bowling Green The Raiders have continued to play a wide open style of basketball, which has often led to a lot of points (averaging 70.2 per game), but allowing a ton as well (68.1 per game). That culminated with the defense surrendering 83 and 101 on back to back nights, both losses. They'll have yet another chance to slay the Bowling Green goliath that has plagued them for 18 years. In fact, they'll have two. The Raiders can still play themselves into the top seed in the district if they sweep. 8) South Warren (9-13) - 2/2 49-93 L #1 Bowling Green, 2/5 58-24 W at #14 Greenwood Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/9 at #7 Warren East, 2/11 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson, 2/13 vs. Ohio County Well, that's a pretty good way to break a losing streak. The #1, #4, and #5 (twice) teams in the region dealt the Spartans four straight double digit losses, but the Spartans held the Gators to the lowest total they've ever allowed in the streak buster, just 24 points. That was after the Gators put up a meager 10 in the first half! 9) Clinton County (14-10) - 2/2 58-79 L Caverna, 2/6 47-63 L McCreary Central (at Pulaski County) Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/2 vs. Caverna, 2/5 vs. Harlan County, 2/6 vs. McCreary Central (at Pulaski County) The slumping Bulldogs finally had to bump down a bit in the ranks. Like several other teams in the region, 2016 has not been kind. Clinton County is just 4-5 since the turn of the year, and three of those wins came against the bottom rung teams in the region. 10) Logan County (9-11) - 2/1 70-71 OT L at Trigg County, 2/5 70-77 L at #2 Russellville, 2/6 66-63 W #12 Glasgow Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/9 vs. #2 Franklin-Simpson Logan County narrowly missed wins at Trigg and their rival Russellville before snapping a quick three game skid by knocking off Glasgow at home. The Cougars will enter the district tournament in the 3 spot of the 13th, but they don't yet know whether it will be against Franklin-Simpson or Russellville. 11) Monroe County (7-15) - 2/5 71-40 W #15 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/9 vs. #17 Cumberland County, 2/11 at #12 Glasgow, 2/12 at #9 Clinton County The Falcons have only played twice in the last two weeks thanks to the weather, but have made the most of each, winning by an average of 22.5 PPG in those contests. Monroe has won 4 of 7, including sweeping ACS to put themselves into position to secure the #2 seed in the 15th District tournament. 12) Glasgow (8-14) - 2/4 50-82 L #4 Barren County, 2/6 63-66 L at #10 Logan County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/9 at #16 Metcalfe County, 2/11 vs. #11 Monroe County, 2/12 at Caverna Glasgow's hot streak that carried them to the All "A" title and saw them win six of 8 has hit the bricks thanks to three straight losses. They should get back in the win column against Metcalfe (if it gets played), before a postseason preview against Monroe County on Friday, their district tournament opponent. 13) Todd County Central (7-17) - 2/5 36-51 L at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 2/6 61-51 W #15 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/9 vs. Fort Campbell, 2/10 vs. Trigg County, 2/12 at #4 Russellville, 2/13 vs. Hopkins County Central Todd Central still hasn't grabbed a 13th District victory, and will likely enter the postseason that way. But they are still one of the most improved teams in the region, with all seven of their wins coming in the last ten games. Their only losses were to Glasgow in the All "A" Finals and "no shame" losses to Franklin-Simpson. 14) Greenwood (8-15) - 2/5 24-58 L #9 South Warren Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/9 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/12 at #5 Warren Central, 2/15 vs. #5 Warren Central The Gators haven't played much in the last few weeks, and when they have, it hasn't been the best. Since starting 6-4, Greenwood is 2-11 and their only win in 2016 was against hapless Cumberland County. They scored their third lowest point total in school history against South Warren last week, a loss that assured a rematch in the 4/5 game of the 14th District tournament. That is basically the killbox for postseason dreams. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (5-18) - 2/3 50-62 L at Hart County, 2/5 40-71 L at #11 Monroe County, 2/6 51-61 L at #13 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/9 at #14 Greenwood, 2/11 vs. #16 Metcalfe County, 2/12 at #2 Franklin-Simpson The Patriots have had a couple of close calls mixed in with some blowout losses, but haven't been able to stop their current five game losing streak. That matches their longest of the year, but should have a good chance to stop it with winnable games against Greenwood and Metcalfe County this week. Metcalfe County comes on Senior Night for the Patriots, providing even more motivation. 16) Metcalfe County (2-17) - 2/5 56-73 L at #6 Russell County, 2/6 66-67 L at Campbellsville Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/9 vs. #12 Glasgow, 2/11 at #15 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/12 vs. Green County The Hornets have dropped nine in a row, but for the second week in a row they just barely missed out on a victory. 17) Cumberland County (1-21) - 2/1 56-72 L at Hart County, 2/3 72-88 L #8 Warren East, 2/5 51-71 L Washington County Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/9 at #11 Monroe County, 2/12 vs. #3 Barren County It's ten straight losses for the Panthers, with not much hope of ending that streak before the postseason. Cumberland County has not had a single digit margin in the last six games.

Fourth Region Rankings 1) Bowling Green (18-2) - 1/26 79-56 W at Muhlenberg County, 1/29 66-61 W at #6 Warren Central Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/2 at #9 South Warren, 2/5 at #12 Glasgow, 2/6 vs. Ballard Bowling Green continues to roll, grinding out a tough road win over Warren Central to complete the regular season sweep of the Dragons, the first time doing so in 15 years. Their 13 game district win streak is their longest in 15 years, and their 21 game region win streak is their longest in at least 50 years. The Purples have not officially wrapped up the #1 seed for their district tourney, but it's in the bag. 2) Russellville (14-4) - 1/28 72-48 W at #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/29 78-42 W at #8 South Warren Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/2 at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 2/5 vs. #10 Logan County Phil Todd's Panthers have won 5 of 6, and their last three they won by an average of nearly 27 PPG. This is easily the best Russellville team in a decade, working behind big man DeAndre Bradshaw, who averages a double double. They have a chance to essentially wrap up the crucial #1 seed with a win over Franklin-Simpson on Tuesday. 3) Franklin-Simpson (15-3) - 1/29 67-55 W at #15 Todd County Central Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/2 vs. #2 Russellville, 2/5 vs. #13 Todd County Central, 2/6 vs. Somerset (at Pulaski County) The Wildcats have had just one chance to take the floor in the last 12 days, but continue their stellar season that has them just two wins away from equaling their combined total for the last TWO years. They face a must win against Russellville to remain in the race for the district #1 seed, but will be confident no matter who their opponent in the district tourney next month. 4) Barren County (19-4) - 1/25 60-53 W #14 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/26 79-46 W at #11 Logan County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/2 vs. #14 Greenwood, 2/4 at #12 Glasgow, 2/5 vs. Hart County Barren County has nothing to hang their heads about in sliding in at just #4, as they've won seven straight since falling to Franklin-Simpson on January 8th. The Trojans are likely going to be the first fourth region team to hit the 20 win plateau, and face a fairly winnable schedule the rest of the way. If the weather cooperates, it is entirely possible Barren County will enter the postseason at 26-4. 5) Warren Central (12-8) - 1/27 70-51 W at #8 South Warren, 1/29 61-66 L #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/1 vs. Hopkinsville, 2/5 vs. #8 Warren East The Dragons have not played much thanks to the weather, but took care of business at South Warren before falling in a close on to rival Bowling Green at home, snapping a 13 game home winning streak. That loss virtually ends their hopes for the district's #1 seed, meaning they'll likely have to go through Warren East for another shot at the Purples. 6) Russell County (13-5) - 1/28 63-47 W at #16 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/1 at South Laurel, 2/4 at Casey County, 2/5 vs. #17 Metcalfe County Russell County has continued to amble along, wrapping up the #1 seed in the 16th District en route to a surprisingly light 18 game schedule so far. They'll look to complete a perfect district slate on Friday when they return home for the first time since their January 12th loss to Bowling Green. 7) Clinton County (14-8) - 1/26 91-84 OT W Campbellsville, 1/29 60-56 W at #14 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/2 vs. Caverna, 2/5 vs. Harlan County, 2/6 vs. McCreary Central (at Pulaski County) While we were away, Clinton County dropped a stunner in the All "A" Classic to eventual champion Glasgow, and won in somewhat lackluster fashion over Allen County-Scottsville this past Friday. The Bulldogs have mostly won at their usual clip, but likely aren't much of a threat to the teams ahead of them. 8) Warren East (12-8) - 1/26 89-86 OT W Edmonson County, 1/29 53-48 W at #12 Greenwood Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/2 at #16 Cumberland County, 2/5 at #5 Warren Central, 2/6 vs. Doss (at Bowling Green) The Raiders continued their roller coaster ride of a season, knocking off a solid Edmonson County team before struggling for the second time this month with Greenwood. Still, they got the district wins they needed so far, and can lock themselves into no worse than the 2/3 game in the postseason with a win at Warren Central on Friday. Even without it, it would take a near impossible scenario to knock them into the 4 spot. 9) South Warren (8-12) - 1/27 51-70 L #6 Warren Central, 1/29 42-78 L #2 Russellville Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/2 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 2/5 at #14 Greenwood The Spartans clawed their way to within a game of .500, only to drop three in a row, all by double digits. They ended the week with a loud, thudding loss at home to Russellville. South Warren is just not getting any of the production they need outside of Gumm and Stacker. The Spartans need to win out and get a lot of luck to get out of the 4/5 game, an all but impossible task. The region prospects look dim for South. 10) Logan County (8-9) - 1/26 46-79 L #4 Barren County Previous Rank: 11 This Week: 2/1 at Trigg County, 2/2 at Butler County, 2/5 at #2 Russellville, 2/6 vs. #12 Glasgow Logan County has quietly put together 7 wins in their last 11 games. 11) Monroe County (6-15) - 1/29 66-52 W at #16 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/2 at #12 Glasgow, 2/5 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville The Falcons have beaten the teams they should and lost to the teams they should so far. We get a district tournament preview this week as they take on Glasgow, their postseason opponent. 12) Glasgow (8-12) - 1/25 47-45 W #15 Todd County Central (at Metcalfe County), 1/28 46-77 L Cordia (at Frankfort Civic Center) Previous Rank: 13 This Week: 2/2 vs. #11 Monroe County, 2/5 vs. #1 Bowling Green, 2/6 at #10 Logan County The Scotties completed an improbable run to the 4th Region All "A" crown last week, and will look to continue that momentum with a pair of winnable games sandwiched around one that they'll just hope to compete in. 13) Todd County Central (6-16) - 1/25 45-47 L #13 Glasgow (at Metcalfe County), 1/29 55-67 L #3 Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 15 This Week: 2/5 at #3 Franklin-Simpson, 2/6 vs. #15 Allen County-Scottsville Speaking of improbable runs, the Rebels finally saw an end to their win streak, which reached six in a row, their longest in 14 years. Incredibly, that followed a 29 game losing streak. 14) Greenwood (8-14) - 1/29 48-53 L #9 Warren East, 1/30 73-63 W #16 Cumberland County Previous Rank: 12 This Week: 2/2 at #4 Barren County, 2/5 vs. #9 South Warren The Gators finally stopped a seven game losing streak, part of a run that saw them lose 10 of 11. After a likely loss at Barren County on Tuesday, they have a must win against rival South Warren. Lose, and they'll likely be locked into the 4/5 game in the postseason. 15) Allen County-Scottsville (5-15) - 1/25 53-60 L at #4 Barren County, 1/26 67-65 W at Butler County, 1/28 48-72 L vs. #2 Russellville, 1/29 56-60 L vs. #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 14 This Week: 2/2 at Hart County, 2/5 at #11 Monroe County, 2/6 at #13 Todd County Central The Patriots have put together several competitive performances on the year, but have often come up just short. This week was no exception, with close losses at Barren County and against Clinton County. They'll have their last shot to avoid a winless district slate when they visit Monroe County. 16) Cumberland County (1-18) - 1/28 47-63 L #5 Russell County, 1/29 52-66 L #10 Monroe County, 1/30 63-73 L at #12 Greenwood Previous Rank: 16 This Week: 2/1 at Hart County, 2/2 vs. #8 Warren East, 2/5 vs. Washington County The breakthrough win that ended their losing streak is growing dim in their memories as Cumberland County has now lost seven straight. They ran through the wringer last week with three games in three days. 17) Metcalfe County (2-15) - 1/27 57-58 L at Thomas Nelson Previous Rank: 17 This Week: 2/2 vs. Edmonson County, 2/5 at #6 Russell County, 2/6 at Campbellsville Metcalfe County completed a winless January with the heartbreaking loss at Thomas Nelson. As you can see from the comments, the district races are close to closing, and postseason play is just around the corner now!

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