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Final per Jared MacDonald.

The back to back defending state champions of 4A open up their latest title defense with neighboring Greenwood. Franklin has faced off with the Gators for the last ten seasons, and have won three straight and five of six from Greenwood. The last two were particularly lopsided affairs, with the Wildcats winning by a combined 113-13 score. Greenwood is looking to rebound from a 2-9 campaign a season ago. Can Greenwood get back in the game or will Franklin-Simpson run away with this again?

Franklin-Simpson saw an end to their 12 game winning streak and a seven game home streak in a running clock 36-14 loss to 5A powerhouse South Warren. Greenwood is entering on a two game losing streak, with their season so far tracking just like last season. Franklin has won two in a row against Greenwood, but failed to pick up the third in a row the last time they had such a win streak (in 2015). Can the Gators pull an incredible upset or do the Wildcats right the ship immediately?

Series Overall: Warren Central leads 19-3 Series at Warren Central: Warren Central leads 9-1 I almost started talking about this in another thread, but didn't want to threadjack that one. This is a game that matters greatly to Warren Central if they desire to try to dig out of the #4 seed in their district. They are already locked into a road game, but this could make the difference between a winnable start and one in which they'll be the decided underdog. Coming into the year and after the scrimmage, it was probably thought this would be a Dragon win, but Greenwood has been dominant this year, outside of two games against the #1 teams in their respective classes, South Warren and Bowling Green. Even against Bowling Green, Greenwood showed what they are capable of, in dominating time of possession and playing Bowling Green to a 14-14 standstill in the first half, before the dam broke in the second. Other than better scores in the losses to Bowling Green and South Warren, there isn't a common opponent this year that Greenwood hasn't fared better against. Greenwood blew the doors off of Warren East while Central struggled, and they knocked off Franklin-Simpson by two scores while the Dragons lost by 5. Greenwood hast lost six straight in the series and seven straight at Warren Central, having not won at Joe Hood field since 1995. This seems like a great year for them to break that streak. I've gone back and forth on it all year, and I do think it is probably going to be a Gator victory, but I've thought that before (2009) and been wrong. What are your thoughts?

Series History: South Warren leads 2-0 Series at South Warren: South Warren leads 1-0 South Warren has won their two matchups with the school they split off from by a combined 73-3 score. The Spartans look unbelievably good so far this year, but the Gators for their part have flexed their muscle in wins over Warren East and Allen County-Scottsville. They're 2-0 for the first time since 2012, and may be ready to stand up to their "little brother". What say you?

Coming into the season Bowling Green was pegged as the district and region favorite with Warren Central running just behind. South Warren was considered the dark horse with Warren East and Greenwood bringing up the rear. And now three months later…. that's pretty much where we’re at. For the fifth time in the last six years we have a tie at the top, with both Warren Central and Bowling Green finishing at 7-1 in the district. It was suggested at the district meeting that a different method for breaking the tie be used in the future, but this year we had the standard. Each coach flipped coins, and whoever came up with a heads while the other had tails got to draw an envelope. Bowling Green’s D.G. Sherrill won the toss but drew the 2 seed, handing Warren Central the 1 spot. The rest of the district shook out easily with South Warren, Greenwood, and Warren East falling in that order with no ties. Warren Central and Bowling Green are the favorites, but each has been pushed at times by their potential opponents. And with the snow wiping out the final week of the season, who is to say we couldn’t have something crazy? To the matchups….. 14th District Tournament at South Warren High School February 23rd #4 Greenwood vs. #5 Warren East – Greenwood entered February in control of their own destiny to escape the 4/5 game, but could not come up with the necessary win over South Warren, and then fell by 20+ against both Bowling Green and Warren Central. Warren East had their chances as well, starting their district slate with a win over South Warren, but repeatedly coming up short afterwards, losing seven straight district games – including a 1 point OT loss to Greenwood and a 4 point loss to South Warren to cement their fate. And so each team finds themselves in the unenviable position of needing to win twice just to reach the region tournament. As to the matchup, the season’s matchups were tight contests, each won by the Gators, by 7 and the aforementioned 1 point game in OT. The two games were just two weeks apart, and came in a stretch for the Raiders where they only played one game in between. It was also part of a two week span that saw the Gators playing their best ball of the year, winning six of seven games. Outside of that span, Greenwood has gone 3-17. Based on the season results, the Gators should be favored, but honestly, the Raiders are the better team. And the third time will be the charm. Prediction: Warren East by 8 February 25th Predicted Matchup #5 Warren East vs. #1 Warren Central – If you’re just looking at the scoreboard, the Dragons dominated the Raiders in their two matchups this season, winning by 20 and 21 points. In the case of the first matchup, that was pretty much the story. The Dragons led by 13 at the half, and after a 14-0 run in the third quarter put the game away fast. But the second game at Warren East, the Raiders were right there in the fourth quarter. After trailing by 11 at halftime, Warren East opened the third with a 15-4 run to tie the game, and trailed by just 3 entering the final frame. But one possession undid it all when Jared Savage was fouled going for a dunk and East’s Antwan Gilbert received a technical. Savage hit four free throws then Rajee Anderson hit a three to complete a 7 point play, and that was that. The point being that Warren East showed in that game that they could stand toe to toe with the Dragons, even if the final score didn’t show it. Eli Brown did not play in the first game, and has shown in his sophomore and senior years to be an inside presence that the Dragons struggle with, especially defensively. The Raiders are a streaky three point shooting team, and you can never count out three point teams. The perimeter game is where the Dragons are vulnerable as they have typically run a 1-3-1 zone in the last two months, daring teams to beat them from behind the arc. Warren East shot 6/14 from three against Central the last time out, and if they can match or better that clip, they have a chance. Should Greenwood advance out of the 4/5 game they have shown a bit of fight themselves against Warren Central, mostly in their initial matchup. For years the Gators have known that their best chance of pulling the upset is to slow the tempo and ugly up the game. They hit the blueprint perfectly in the first half of their first game against Central, hitting 5 of 12 threes, including 4 of 7 in the first quarter. That enabled them to get up on the Dragons and force them into their style. It led to a 22-12 first half lead and 24-18 halftime score. But in the second half, it all melted away, and they were unable to duplicate that success in the second game beyond a slow paced first quarter. Against Greenwood the Dragons have turned more to their full court press compared to calling it off against other teams, and the Gators have not handled it well. Should these two meet, expect that to continue, and if the perimeter game is more like the second matchup (4 of 19), don’t expect Greenwood to compete. Prediction: Warren Central by 10 over Warren East or Warren Central by 19 over Greenwood February 26th #2 Bowling Green vs. #3 South Warren – In choosing between the potential draws, this was the one that South Warren was probably wanting. They lost by an average of 25 points against Warren Central, but against Bowling Green, they lost by a combined 11 points. Plus, the Spartans get to host the district tournament for the first time ever, giving them a chance to finally get a district semifinal win from the comforts of their own homecourt. Neither Warren Central or Bowling Green really wanted to be put into that situation, but it is the Purples that face it. Not that they have overwhelming fear – they’ve never lost to the Spartans in 11 all-time meetings. And though the margins were close, the Purples by and large outplayed South Warren for around 6.5 quarters of the 8 they’ve played. The first game they jumped out to a 14 point halftime lead and mostly maintained from there, never letting it get closer than seven. In the second game Bowling Green was all over South Warren early with a 15 point lead in the second quarter and 10 point lead at halftime. But in the third quarter it all went wrong as South Warren exploded for a 23-9 advantage and led by as much as seven in the fourth quarter. But at the midway point, Bowling Green did what Bowling Green does, getting to the line, turning the Spartans over, and they held on for the win. Setting up this game, neither team is liable to change their formula all that much. Bowling Green is going to utilize fierce man to man D and full court pressure to try to force the issue with the Spartans. The Purples have a great inside out game with Tucker Sine knocking down threes from the perimeter while talented sophomores Terry Taylor and Kyran Jones can get to the rim. Meanwhile South Warren is likely to lean on their perimeter game from Dayton Gumm and Michael Hicks in particular. The Spartans shoot just under 38% from three as a team and have four players that have hit more than 22 threes on the year, led by Gumm with 54 makes on 55.1% shooting. Brandon Stacker’s height will lead to some inside looks and Gumm and Marquise Walker can slash inside, but they’re going to need to continue to shoot well from three to have a shot at this. They combined for 17/35 (49%) in the first two games, and they’ll need all of that to finally break through the glass ceiling. And you know what? This is the year… no, can’t do it. Prediction: Bowling Green by 7 February 28th Predicted Matchup #1 Warren Central vs. #2 Bowling Green – You might think it lazy or just simply lacking daring to predict this matchup year after year, but you have to play the odds. These two have met in the last seven district tournaments, and five of those matchups came in the district finals. No other district team has beaten them in the district tournament since Greenwood knocked off Bowling Green in the 2007 district semifinals. You have to figure the day will come where one will falter but how can you in good conscience pick that? Especially when the two are in the clear cut top 3 of the region (along with Monroe County)? No, this is the matchup you expect until someone else proves otherwise. Going by the scoreboard, Bowling Green’s win over Warren Central was more impressive than the other way around, but the games were pretty similar. In the first matchup at Warren Central, the Dragons could never fully shake the Purples loose, but Bowling Green never led for a single second, even though it went to overtime. Bowling Green struggled with the length of Central in that game, and it was only a furious rally from six points down in the final minute capped with a buzzer beater putback that sent the game to OT. Jared Savage and Kobe Caldwell turned in magnificent performances for Warren Central, combining for 46 points, while the Purples struggled outside of Terry Taylor’s 5/7 shooting for 14 points and Tucker Sine’s five three pointers. In the second game, there were lead changes, but Bowling Green stayed on top for the most part, erasing a small halftime deficit in a flash, making their first five shots of the second half, four of which were threes. Warren Central managed to stay in shouting distance, with several possessions down 1 or 2, but much like Bowling Green in the first game, they couldn’t get over the hump to take the lead. Consequently, the chance passed when the Purples made their final four shots of the game, including back breaking threes by Deangelo Wilson and Terry Taylor to put the game out of reach. In all, the Purples shot 9/15 from three in the game, including 6/7 in the second half, and shot 60% from the floor. In setting up a potential district final matchup, let’s get this out of the way – if Bowling Green shoots as well as they did in that second matchup, there’s not a team in the region that will beat them. They have shot on average 31% from three for the season and have only made more than five three pointers in nine games. The Purples have typically relied on their strong inside game, ability to get easy baskets off of pressure turnovers, and get to the free throw line at will. As a team they average 53% shooting from inside the arc, so if they are feeling it from the perimeter, it is over. For the Dragons, that’s a dangerous proposition because as mentioned earlier, much of their defense has been predicated on daring teams to beat them from three. In the first game, the Purples could not (5/14), but they did in a big way the second time. It will be interesting to see if the Dragons stray from their 1-3-1 to try to take the open threes away, but if they do, it opens up the lanes for slashers like Perry Ayers and Malik Carothers. For Warren Central offensively, they’d like to get the ball worked inside as much as possible. Bowling Green has typically shown them a man to man defense, one of the few opponents that do not zone the Dragons. In the first two games Central has had trouble getting Chris Amos established on the inside where he makes almost 60% of his shots. Contributions from him would be a huge boost to draw attention from the big guns, Jared Savage and Kobe Caldwell. Caldwell is the type to drive to the rim or do a pick and pop off a screen while Savage can do just about anything on the floor. In the second game Savage did a lot of posting which led to inside shots and frequent trips to the free throw line. The inside game has to get established because this is one of the weakest three point shooting teams ever for Warren Central, posting just a 30% average from the perimeter. In their matchups with Bowling Green they went just 5-26 from three. But inside the Dragons are fairly consistent, and were in their two matchups this year with Bowling Green, shooting between 40-45% from the floor in each game and hovering around 50% from inside the arc in the two matchups. It’s Bowling Green that wildly fluctuated, and ultimately, that’s going to be the key to the game. If Bowling Green is knocking down open looks, they win. If not, fortune favors the Dragons. Sounds simplistic, but really, that’s the key. And this being a neutral floor, the bet here is that the shooting regresses from the torrid pace the Purples had at home, leading to…. Prediction: Warren Central by 3

Series: First Meeting Some background can be found here: http://bluegrasspreps.com/ky-football-high/south-central-kentucky-260154.html This game appears to be a bit of a mismatch on paper, but should make for some entertaining viewing when these two schools meet for the first time. They already have great rivalries in a few other sports, most notably soccer and basketball. There should be a lot of attempts at one upping the other team and student section at the game. Who ya got?

A Rivalry Game Years in the Making Fans stood on the sidelines loudly yelling their support for their respective teams. On the field there were several hard hits as each team looked to gain an edge and impose their will. Both sides wanted it, that much was certain. The scene was from the 7 on 7 event at South Warren High School when Greenwood and South Warren squared off against one another. Typically at the event Kentucky teams played Tennessee squads exclusively, but a shortage of teams from Tennessee led South Warren to play on that side, setting up a special rivalry preview of their regular season matchup. Things got a little…. heated. Greenwood won handily, but South Warren held back their starters, perhaps preferring to give as little as possible away. But you could still sense the intensity, a rivalry that has been building to the first matchup between these two teams on the field. South Warren was formed primarily from Greenwood High School in 2010 to relieve overcrowding. South Warren had the benefit of brand new facilities, many of the best teachers that had been at Greenwood, and almost every single one of their varsity coaches. That includes Mark Nelson, who had at the time been head coach at Greenwood for nine seasons, since 2001. The previous year he had led the Gators to their first (and at this time only) regional title in school history, and their only double digit win total in school history. South Warren began their first year with only a freshman and JV program, preferring to ease into varsity the following year, when they would begin in 3A. Because of the 4 year alignment cycle, it was almost certain that by the end of the alignment South Warren would have a significant enrollment advantage over the rest of their 3A brethren. These were all advantages the Spartans enjoyed out of the gate, helping propel them to four victories in their first season and a spot in the regional finals their second year. They were advantages that had not been afforded Greenwood when they started. For while South Warren did not play varsity right away, Greenwood was heavily pressured to do so. They had few or no seniors on their first team and very little with experience, as those players elected to remain at Warren Central. Virgil Livers, an assistant at Warren Central did make the trip over, but they weren’t starting with an established head coach the way South Warren did. And within a year Greenwood was in a district with the likes of Bowling Green, Owensboro, and Warren Central. It took Greenwood ten seasons to get their first winning campaign, a feat that South Warren achieved in year two. South Warren won nine games last year alone. Greenwood won their ninth game in program history in their 60th game played – in their sixth varsity season. The only time they’ve won nine games in a season was the aforementioned regional title year in 2009. These comparisons have been made the past two years – loudly. Big brother was surpassed by little brother very quickly, but big brother feels that little brother was given much, much more while he had to scrap for everything. These two schools have already mixed it up in intense fashion in all the other sports. And Friday, the two brothers will butt heads for the first time on the gridiron. It is not to be missed.

Inside South-Central Kentucky Football (9-2-13) -Bowling Green (1-0) ran into the only thing capable of stopping their powerful offense – Mother Nature. Their Saturday game against Bryan Station at Lexington Catholic was delayed and then canceled due to rain and lightning. Attempts to reschedule for the following day were unsuccessful. This means the Purples will have two weeks between their season opener and their game against the toughest team on their schedule, St. X. -Another game, another shutout for South Warren (2-0). The Spartans have opened the season on an 85-0 tear after knocking off 5A Logan County 50-0. The Cougars managed only 31 yards of offense against the ferocious South Warren D. Joel Iyiegbuniwe was the standout for South Warren with a pick 6 plus a pair of TD runs. -Warren Central (0-2) looked much improved in their 26-16 loss to Boyle County, but it was a loss nonetheless. The Dragons took their first lead of the year 8-7 towards the end of the first half, and were tied midway through the 4th Quarter at 16 apiece before Boyle pulled it out. Of more importance, the Dragons had several injuries during the game that could potentially give them problems if they turn out to be long term. Depth is not a luxury Warren Central enjoys. -Glasgow (2-0) survived a scare before finally waking up to defeat 3A Garrard County 46-22 in a bowl game at Danville. With just under 4 minutes left in the third, Garrard County led 22-12. That was before a 53 yard Milas Norris TD reception that opened the floodgates. In all, Glasgow scored 34 unanswered in a span of 12 minutes. Quarterback Ryan Hinkley was named the offensive MVP for Glasgow. -It took longer to pull away than Warren East (1-1) might have hoped for, but they ultimately got back in the winning column against Barren County (1-1) in a 32-14 home victory. It was the first victory at home over Barren County for the Raiders since 1996, having lost five consecutive to the Trojans there. But the game was just 14-0 with less than 4 minutes left in the game. That’s when Eli Brown ran it in from 13 yards out for the game clinching score, starting offensive fireworks that saw four touchdowns in a 2 minute span. Eli Brown ran for 190 yards on just 15 carries to lead his team to the victory. He was also key in holding the Trojans to just 72 yards offense and forcing 4 first half turnovers. The win was the first at Warren East for new HC Steve Long, and his first as head coach anywhere since a 36-32 victory over Warren Central on October 19th, 2001. -Franklin-Simpson (0-2) battled for a half against 5A #6 Graves County, as Franklin-Simpson briefly enjoyed a 7-6 lead and were tied at 14 all going into the break. That’s when the other shoe dropped and Graves County rattled off 28 unanswered en route to a 42-14 victory. None of the Graves County scores were shorter than 29 yards, and two of them were 50+ yards. -In a battle of teams trying to pick themselves up after ugly losses in Week 1, it was Greenwood (1-1) that dusted themselves off first with a 17-6 win over homestanding Allen County-Scottsville (0-2). The game was a hard fought battle, with a scoreless first quarter and the difference a single Gator TD from the second quarter by the 6 minute mark of the fourth quarter. The second quarter TD was set up via a bad snap on a Patriot punt, the type of miscue the Gators themselves had suffered the previous week. Greenwood put it away with a 53 yard touchdown run by DeMarcus Potter following a turnover on downs by Allen County-Scottsville. Potter was the star of the night with a 210 yard game with two touchdowns. THIS WEEK This week is highlighted by a pair of rivalry games and one of the most anticipated matchups of the year for the entire state. -Bowling Green puts their 31 game winning streak on the line when they travel to state powerhouse St. X. The Purples have knocked off the Tigers the past two years, yet somehow again find themselves the underdogs in many circles. -South Warren hosts Greenwood in the first matchup between the two schools. South Warren was formed mostly out of Greenwood and has quickly found success that eluded the Gators for many, many years. They squared off against each other in a 7 on 7 this summer that quickly became a more physical affair. If you can’t make it to Louisville for the BG game, I highly recommend this one for the area. -Barren County hasn’t beaten Glasgow since 2008 and hasn’t even really been close since, but it’s always a great rivalry game to watch when these two match up. -One of the great sleeper matchups for the state this week might be DeSales at Warren Central. The Dragons are reeling from two straight losses to open up the season, while DeSales announced themselves as a force to be reckoned with when they knocked off 5A power (and higher ranked than Warren Central) John Hardin this past week 25-20. South-Central Kentucky Rankings (9-2-13) 1) Bowling Green at 6A #2 St. Xavier 2) South Warren vs. 5A Greenwood 3) Warren Central vs. 2A DeSales 4) Glasgow at 5A Barren County 5) Warren East at 3A #9 Monroe County 6) Franklin-Simpson at 5A Logan County 7) Greenwood at 3A #7 South Warren 8) Allen County-Scottsville at 6A Marshall County 9) Barren County vs. 2A #3 Glasgow

Series History: Apollo leads 5-3 Series at Greenwood: Apollo leads 3-1 This is the third straight year these teams have met, and second straight year at Greenwood. Greenwood won both of the last two meetings by an average of 35 points, and last year's win was their first in the series at The Swamp. Apollo's last win at Greenwood came in 2001, a 19-14 victory. Both teams enter in dire need of a win and a shot in the arm. Apollo is just 1-6 on the year, and took it on the chin in district play to the tune of three straight losses by nearly 40 points per game. Their lone win came over winless Hopkins County Central. Meanwhile Greenwood has lost two straight and four of five, none worse than their 14-10 loss at Barren County on October 4th. That decision means they will almost certainly be in 4th place in the district come playoff time. Scoring has been the largest trouble for Greenwood, as they have only 39 points combined in their six games outside of a 62-0 destruction of winless Logan County. Apollo would seem to be the perfect prescription for that problem, entering with an average of 36.7 points allowed to opponents.

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 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.

Series History: Franklin-Simpson Leads 8-4 Series at Franklin-Simpson: Franklin-Simpson Leads 4-3 The two county neighbors meet for the fifth consecutive season and second straight year at Shadetree Stadium in Franklin. In a bit of an oddity, the road team has won the last five meetings in the series, including last year's 21-14 victory for the Gators. Both teams are 1-2, with Franklin-Simpson coming in off their first victory of the year, a 49-7 win over Logan County. Meanwhile Greenwood was shellacked 38-0 in their first meeting with new rival South Warren, with all points coming in the first half. The Gators are managing only 7.67 points per game, being outscored 73-6 in their two losses.

South-Central Kentucky Football - Top 5 Running Backs So Far A quick look at where we stand for the best runners in the South-Central Kentucky Area. 1) Blue Tisdale, Sr., Bowling Green – 30 Rushes, 222 Yards (7.4 YPC), 1 Touchdown. 5 Receptions, 111 Yards, 1 Touchdown. – The most talented back in the area running behind the most talented line. It’s really not fair to the teams he squares off against. Tisdale lost a chance to boost his stats when Bowling Green’s second scheduled game against Bryan Station was rained out, but is still averaging north of 100 yards per game and boasts a strong YPC. What sets him apart from most of the other backs in the area is he is a huge receiving threat as well. In Bowling Green’s 39-25 win over St. X, he had an 82 yard TD reception while lined up in the slot. 2) Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Sr., South Warren – 16 Rushes, 73 Yards (4.6 YPC), 4 Touchdowns. 2 Receptions, 38 Yards, 1 Touchdown. – Tisdale’s line is a little under because of a lost game. Iyiegbuniwe’s line is a little under because the Spartans quite frankly haven’t needed him to rack up the stats. Thanks to a strong defense, Iggy hasn’t had to face many long fields, so when he breaks his runs he hasn’t had to go too far. What’s most impressive is that he is averaging a touchdown every four carries or every 3.6 touches when you factor in the receptions. Joel has been South Warren’s most impressive player all-around in the young season. 3) Marquez Trigg, Jr., Glasgow – 24 Rushes, 263 Yards (11.0 YPC), 5 Touchdowns. 2 Receptions, 45 Yards. – What a luxury Coach Wood has in Trigg. It’s not every day you have a running back that when you hand him the ball averages gaining a first down. It’s no wonder that he is averaging a touchdown every 4.8 carries. He essentially compiled his stats in the first two games of the year, leaving with a minor injury after only three carries for 18 yards against Barren County, netting a touchdown and “only” 6 yards per carry. 4) Eli Brown, Jr., Warren East – 49 Rushes, 378 Yards (7.7 YPC), 2 Touchdowns. 1 Reception, 8 Yards. – You knew the Raiders were going to have to lean on their bell cow, but possibly they’ve had to do so even more than they thought they would after losing their starting QB in the very first game of the year. He is already almost halfway to his total carries from the 2012 season, in which Warren East played 14 games. Brown has continued to excel in all facets of the game, knocking down opponents from the defensive side as well as running them over on the offensive side. His numbers include a mammoth 202 yard effort against Barren County. 5) Charlie Trapp, Sr., Allen County-Scottsville – 66 Rushes, 410 Yards (6.2 YPC), 5 Touchdowns. 4 Receptions, 23 Yards. – If you go see a Patriot game this year, chances are you are going to see Trapp carry the ball A LOT. He’s currently seeing a carry on roughly 40% of the offensive plays AC/S runs, and still averages an incredibly strong 6.2 yards per carry. Trapp accounts for 45% of all offensive yardage for the Pats right now. The next opponent to hold him under 100 yards rushing on the game, will be the first one. Honorable Mention (Listed Alphabetically) Quentel Bradley, Sr., Glasgow – 50 Rushes, 327 Yards, 3 Touchdowns. 5 Receptions, 86 Yards. – Bradley is the thunder to Trigg’s lightning for Glasgow. Rondell Green, Sr., Warren Central – 26 Rushes, 141 Yards, 3 Touchdowns. 5 Receptions, 130 Yards, 1 Touchdown. – Central has had a rough start, but continue to get reliable play out of their best back. Blake Pillow, Sr., Bowling Green – 13 Rushes, 99 Yards, 3 Touchdowns. 5 Receptions, 82 Yards, 1 Touchdown. – Pillow may actually be the most dynamic weapon the Purples have. If you don’t tackle him before he hits the jets, you won’t. DeMarcus Potter, Sr., Greenwood – Stats Unavailable – Potter has been something of a surprise for the Gators. He transferred from South Warren and has given the Gators a strong presence in the backfield. South Warren is the only team to hold him down so far.

Series History: Greenwood leads 8-7 Series at Greenwood: Greenwood leads 4-3 Greenwood opens district play with a game that has been a layup for them the last several meetings. The Gators have won 6 straight in the series by an average of 32 points per game. Last year Greenwood exploded for their third highest point total in school history in a 62-34 victory over the Cougars. Logan County is just the type of opponent the Gators are looking for at this point in the season. Greenwood has not failed to score 35 points in their six straight wins over Logan County, and that amount would actually exceed Greewood's point total for their first four games this year combined. In their three losses they are averaging only four points per game while allowing just under 30 points in those games. Enter Logan County which has scored only 7 points all year and has yet to hold an opponent under 47 points. The teams share two common opponents in the young season, South Warren and Franklin-Simpson. The Cougars fell to those opponents 50-0 and 49-7 respectively, while Greenwood dropped 38-0 and 16-6 decisions.

Series History: Greenwood leads 10-5 Series at Barren County: Greenwood leads 6-2 Greenwood has won seven straight in the series between these two teams, and have not lost at Barren County or overall since the Trojans took a 17-7 decision in 2001. Last season was the most lopsided result of the series when the Gators shellacked them by a 47-8 score in Bowling Green. Many of the other games in the series have been more measured contests, as during Greenwood's streak they have won by between 8 and 14 three times, including by just 11 two years ago in Glasgow. This game will play a large part in playoff positioning. Neither team has real hope of gaining a home playoff game, so it's about trying to get a slightly better matchup in their road trip. Barren County has not risen above the 4 seed in any playoff since 2007, something that has contributed to their ongoing lack of success in the playoffs. Greenwood's hasn't been a 4 seed since 2004, though they did miss the playoffs outright in 2005, 2006, and 2010. Their only playoff wins have come in that span of time. Barren County will also look to break a 6 game district losing streak, and a win here would almost certainly gain them a playoff berth.

Series History: Graves County leads 4-0 Series at Graves County: Graves County leads 2-0 Playoff Meetings: First Meeting These two teams were district rivals from 2003-2006, the only years they have ever played against each other. During that time, only one meeting was closer than a 17 point Graves County win, that coming in the first year of the series by a 17-14 score. Greenwood has stumbled to a 3-7 record on the year. Can they put together a massive upset?

Inside South-Central Kentucky Football (11-11-13) -Ho-hum, just the usual first round running clock for Bowling Green (10-0) as they began their march to a third straight state title with a 49-7 victory over Apollo. The win was their 40th consecutive and clinched their 22nd double digit win season in the last 26 years. Bowling Green opened the throttle early to gain the necessary 36-0 lead before the end of the first quarter, then used most of the remainder of the game to play reserves and stay healthy moving forward. It was also senior night for Bowling Green, which honored 27 seniors. They’ll have at least one more home game, and may have up to three. -Warren Central (6-5) received a little more fight from their first opponent, but likewise put the running clock on Hopkinsville in a 48-10 victory. The Dragon offense was rarely stopped, gaining 347 yards, but did have some trouble slowing Hopkinsville’s rushing attack at times. The Tigers actually held a brief 7-6 lead near the end of the first quarter and had a couple of red zone possessions where they came up empty due to turnovers. The game’s turning point came on a pair of turnovers on downs in their own territory late in the second quarter, both of which set up short fields for Dragon touchdown drives. -Continuing the running clock theme, South Warren (10-1) received little challenge from Webster County in a 49-7 win that secured the first 10 win season in the short three year history of the Spartans. QB Jay Eblen ran for three scores and threw for two others, all in the first half, and South Warren gained the running clock by going up 42-0 with 9:11 left in the second quarter. On the negative side, the Spartans did give up 64 rushing yards, by far the most on the year they’ve allowed, though most came against the reserves. That raises their average to 9.64 YPG allowed on the ground. Pick it up guys, you’re slacking. -Glasgow (10-1) picked up a milestone win for the program with their 43-0 shutout. It was their 600th in program history, becoming the 15th school in the state to accomplish this feat. They rank 42nd nationally as well with the honor. As for the game itself, the Scotties went up 36-0 with three minutes left in the first half to start the running clock, and cruised to the shutout victory. Marquez Trigg continued to pull away in his role as lead back for Glasgow with 21 carries for 167 yards, accounting for just under 50% of Glasgow’s total offensive output. -What’s that? Another running clock? The first round of the playoffs are great. Franklin-Simpson (6-4) sent Hopkins County Central to their 26th consecutive loss in a 50-0 decision in Franklin. Hopkins County Central made the playoffs due to the contraction of their district from five teams to four with the loss of Lone Oak. The Wildcats totally dominated the Storm, beginning the scoring with a safety and holding them to only 20 yards of offense. It’s irrelevant and coincidental, but next week will be the third straight week Franklin-Simpson plays a team with Hopkins in its name (Hopkinsville, Hopkins County Central, Madisonville-North Hopkins). The first two were wins of 34 or more – they’ll hope for the same then. -The theme was survive and advance for Warren East (7-4), which was playing without stud RB/LB Eli Brown during their ugly 21-0 victory over Calloway County. The game featured three fumbles and a missed field goal in the red zone for the Raiders as they allowed the Lakers to hang around. It was just 7-0 with under 3 minutes left in the third quarter, but a pair of TDs from returning QB Austin Pagel within a 4 minute span put the game away. Pagel broke his collarbone in the first game of the year and was initially though lost for the entirety of the season, but stepped up with a TD through the air and one on the ground to win the day for East. It isn’t known for certain whether Eli Brown will return this week or at all this year for the Raiders. Nothing official has been released regarding his MRI last week. -Three years, three first round matchups with Madisonville-North Hopkins, three losses for Allen County-Scottsville (4-7), which saw its season end in a 52-28 loss to the Maroons. It was a disappointing end for the Patriots, dropping their last four games by an average of 21.25 PPG. AC/S could not slow the Maroon rushing attack which netted 272 yards on the ground, most of it from Ryan Bowman (10/117) who also had 73 yards receiving. The highlight for the Pats as always was senior Charlie Trapp, who rushed for two scores and hauled in a 45 yard TD reception in his final game in the red, white, and blue. The Patriots improved on last year’s record by a game, but will enter next season still looking for their first winning season since 2010. -It’s baby steps for Barren County (4-7), but a move forward nonetheless for the Trojans as the Trojans closed their season with a 26-12 loss at Christian County. The Trojans won their most district games in 12 years and gained their most competitive playoff result since 21-14 at Scott County in 1994. After falling behind 12-0 after one, the Trojans pulled within 12-6 during the second, but the Colonels scored again to move up 19-6 at halftime and hit a 90 yard bomb to go up 26-6 during the third quarter. A mid-4th Quarter TD by Wininger gave the final margin. -Graves County coach Lance Gregory said Greenwood (3-8) was not a typical 4 seed, and they sure didn’t play like one for most of the night Friday in a season-ending 56-42 loss. The Gators took to the air to remain competitive, with outgoing senior QB Josh Dyer throwing for 200 yards and 4 TDs to keep them in it. Greenwood kept it a game throughout the first half, trailing just 21-14 after a Dyer to Bibb TD with 29 seconds left in the half. But the first backbreaker came then, an 85 yard kickoff return by Marshall. That momentum carried over with Graves getting out to leads of 42-14 and 49-21 before Greenwood attempted an unlikely late comeback that saw them draw as close as 49-35 with the ball and less than 3 minutes left in the game. The 42 points for Greenwood is their most ever in postseason play, topping the 40 they posted against Muhlenberg County in 2009. THIS WEEK -The marquee game would seem to be #7 Glasgow hosting #3 DeSales. It represents what the Scotties hope will be the beginning of a brutal march that would likely require them to beat the top 3 teams to reach the state finals. The first two would at least be in Glasgow. -It’s another year where Warren Central will take the long journey west to take on the district champion Graves County Eagles, the former stomping grounds of Dragon HC Mike Rogers. Last year Graves gave Warren Central all they could handle in a 21-14 win, and the Eagles will be looking to advance to the region finals for the first time ever while Central is looking to make it for the fourth straight year. -South Warren got the better of Fort Campbell in the playoffs last year, and will host the Falcons for the first time ever this week. This is the third straight year the two teams have met in the playoffs, splitting the two meetings at Fort Campbell. -Bowling Green will square off against the last team that has beaten them, hosting Christian County. The Colonels completed an unlikely comeback from 10-0 down late in the game to win 14-10 back in 2010. But Christian County has lost their last 6 at El Donaldson Stadium, and haven’t won there since 1977. South-Central Kentucky Rankings (11-11-13) 1) Bowling Green vs. Christian County 2) Warren Central at Graves County 3) South Warren vs. Fort Campbell 4) Glasgow vs. #3 DeSales 5) Franklin-Simpson vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins 6) Warren East at #8 Owensboro 7) Allen County-Scottsville (4-7) 8) Barren County (4-7) 9) Greenwood (3-8)

Series History: Warren Central Leads 17-3 Series at Warren Central: Warren Central leads 8-1 This is a game that will most likely decide the #2 seed in the district for 2013. Greenwood's philosophy coming into the year was to catch Bowling Green they must first catch Warren Central, and the Dragons certainly don't want to be caught from behind in their own pursuit of the Purples. Warren Central has won 4 straight and 12 of 13 against the Gators. They have also won the last 6 meetings at Joe Hood Field dating back to the sole Gator victory, a 35-21 game in 1995. The last three games overall the Dragons have taken by an average score of 31.7-2, and they have never scored less than 20 points against Greenwood at home. Meanwhile the Gators have only twice scored above that threshold at Warren Central. The Gators are hoping that one of the positive historical facts holds true, in that the last time Warren Central entered the game with a losing record was the last Greenwood victory, that a 22-7 decision at Greenwood in 2008. Both teams come in on positive notes. In a 62-0 victory against Logan County, Greenwood notched their first shutout since 2010 (also against Logan County). Their 62 points equaled last year's effort against the Cougars as the third highest score in Gator history and raised their season average by nearly 11 PPG. It was more points than they'd scored in their last five games combined. This game is a continuation of a stretch that has them on the road for five of six games until they close the year with three at home. Meanwhile for the Dragons it is Homecoming, their third home game in their last four and next to last one of the year. They have won two consecutive games since starting the year 0-3 and will look to continue that momentum. Both of their wins have been first half running clock affairs and they outscored North Hardin and Barren County by a combined 103-20 score. They have a positive 159-113 scoring mark on the year despite the losing record.

Inside South-Central Kentucky Football (10-21-13) -Friday night provided confirmation of something that everyone knew already, that Bowling Green (7-0) is far and away the best team in the area, truly without peers. Warren Central (4-4) managed to stay in touch with the Purples through 1.5 quarters by matching them score for score. It was 14 all at the 9 minute mark of the second quarter, and just 20-14 BG heading under 5 minutes in the half. But the Purples' powerful offense was stopped only once on the night and very rarely slowed, a clip that the Dragons just could not hope to match. In all, Bowling Green racked up a 467-247 offensive yardage advantage, including a Bowling Green single game record 374 yards passing by QB Devin Hayes. The win wrapped up the 5A District 2 crown for the Purples, and they will face the winner of Friday's Ohio County/Apollo game in the first round. It appears that Warren Central will host Hopkinsville in the first round of the playoffs in three weeks. -South Warren (8-1) let loose the frustration of two years of losses to Monroe County out in a flurry of activity at the end of the second quarter of their 53-8 victory over Monroe County. The first quarter was fairly even with the Spartans up just 7-0, and just 14-0 heading under the 4 minute mark of the second. They would score 20 points via two TD runs and a blocked punt TD on defense in just under 3 minutes of gametime to seize control of the game and take a 34-0 halftime lead. The win clinched the first district title in South Warren history, and gives them homefield for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Spartans were fueled by QB Jay Eblen who ran for five TDs and 149 yards as South Warren held a 346-111 advantage in offensive yardage. Monroe County had won the first three meetings in the series by a combined 83 points. -Glasgow (7-1) clinched a district title of their own, going on the road to take a 48-13 victory over Green County. The Scotties led just 13-6 after one, but would score the next 35 points in the game to put Green County down. Marquez Trigg and Quentel Bradley combined for 307 yards on the ground on just 36 carries, while QB Ryan Hinkley threw for three TDs. The effort put Marquez Trigg right at 1,000 yards rushing on the year. In all, the Scotties were the picture of dominance with over 550 yards of offense. -Franklin-Simpson (4-4) continued their late year push with their fourth win in six games, the latest a 50-7 blowout victory over Breckinridge County. The win puts them just one more district win away from their second district title in three years. The first quarter belonged to Chris Holman, as he ran for scores of 23, 20, and 17 yards on the way to a 28-0 first quarter lead for the Wildcats. Holman accounted for 115 yards on just seven carries as part of a night that saw Franklin-Simpson rush for 414 yards. -Before the bye, Warren East (4-4) were the receivers of a surprising 37-7 beatdown by Franklin-Simpson to lose control of their own destiny in the district. They kept themselves in the hunt for the #1 seed by knocking off visiting Allen County-Scottsville (4-4) 28-14 in a close affair at Jim Ross Field. The Raiders seized control early on a pair of Raymond Green TDs The first was a 46 yard strike from QB Antwan Gilbert, the second a 22 yard sweep. The Patriots rallied in the second quarter to tie it at 14 all in the half, and Charlie Trapp's 77 yard TD rush ultimately accounted for nearly 75% of Allen County-Scottsville's 105 yards of offense on the night. RB Antonio Shields put Warren East up for good late in the third quarter on a 14 yard run, then put the nail in the coffin with another TD run with less than two minutes left in the game for the final margin. The Raiders now have to become Patriot fans, hoping that Allen County-Scottsville can knock off Franklin-Simpson next week to create a three way tie atop the district. -Barren County (3-5) clinched the 3 seed in the district - their highest since 2007 in the first year of 5A - with a 53-13 win over Logan County. The win gave Barren County multiple district wins on the year for the first time since 2001, and sets them up for a likely trip to Christian County when the playoffs begin. Chad Eaton was Mr. Everything for Barren County, scoring two TD receptions in addition to throwing for another. Cole Payne also had a pick six against the winless Cougars. -Greenwood (3-5) got just the opponent they needed in Apollo to snap a two game losing streak in a 24-13 victory. Apollo entered the game with just a single win over the year - that over a winless opponent. The Eagles did make Greenwood work for the win, taking a 7-0 first quarter lead and maintaining a 13-10 advantage at the half. But the defense bore down in the second half, holding Apollo to just 33 yards of offense and turning a fumble into a 23 yard TD return for the final score of the game. THIS WEEK -The game with the most postseason implications will be Allen County-Scottsville at Franklin-Simpson. If Franklin-Simpson wins, they will take the district outright. A Patriot win coupled with an all but certain victory by Warren East over Breckinridge County will send it to a three way tiebreaker. The three teams are very close in potential tiebreaker scenarios currently. -Two weeks after being the only team in the area to play, South Warren will be the only one to sit this one out as they prepare for a date with Russellville in the season closer. -There will be a lot of familiar faces when Greenwood meets Bowling Green on Friday. Several coaches on the Greenwood staff were at Bowling Green last year, including HC Chris Seabolt. They'll get a chance to learn how the other half lives in that series, one in which Bowling Green has won all 21 meetings and most have not been close. The Purples have won the last seven meetings by an average of over 46 PPG, dating back to the last time Greenwood came within a single score, a 31-24 loss in 2004. South-Central Kentucky Rankings (10-21-13) 1) Bowling Green at Greenwood 2) Warren Central vs. Logan County 3) South Warren - OPEN 4) Glasgow vs. Metcalfe County 5) Franklin-Simpson vs. Allen County-Scottsville 6) Warren East at Breckinridge County 7) Allen County-Scottsville at Franklin-Simpson 8) Barren County at 4A Taylor County 9) Greenwood vs. Bowling Green

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?

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.