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News and Notes: In the department of not much has changed Trinity is still the top team in the 7th Region. With Jacob King back in the fold Trinity is every bit as powerful now as they were at the beginning of the season when they were without him. With four players averaging double figures in points it will not be an easy feat for any team to knock Trinity out of the postseason. Waggener has added Devin Cooper back onto their team and he is averaging around 23 points a game right now for Waggener. Waggener has gone 2-5 since Cooper has joined the team but they have lost those games to Ballard, Trinity, Fern Creek and Dunbar along with dropping a game to Crispus Attucks out of Indiana. They have defeated a strong CAL team during this stretch so do not let their record fool you. They are still a strong team. Ballard is still Ballard and while they sit on a 21-5 record three of their losses have come at the hands of Fern Creek, the current #1 team in the BluegrassPreps.com Top 20 Rankings. Ballard has won their last four games and will finish the season against three teams from out of state which will no doubt have Ballard fully prepared to handle to rigors of postseason in the 7th Region. St. Xavier, Eastern and Christian Academy-Louisville currently make up the middle of the top 10 of the 7th Region. In the last couple of weeks Eastern has beaten St. Xavier, St. Xavier has beaten CAL and CAL has beaten Eastern so it is officially muddy in the middle. All three will have their hands full trying to defeat the upper echelon of the 7th Region but I wouldn't put it past any of these three teams to pull out a victory or two this postseason. Kentucky Country Day was the 7th Region representative in the All A Tournament this year. While their season hasn't gone as expected they did secure that 7th Region All A title and look to finish the season strong behind the play of Anthony Mathis. 7th Region Rankings: 1. Trinity 2. Ballard 3. Waggener 4. St. Xavier 5. Christian Academy-Louisville 6. Eastern 7. Central 8. Male 9. Kentucky Country Day 10. Manual 11. Seneca 12. Atherton 13. Louisville Collegiate 14. St. Francis 15. Brown 16. Shawnee 17. Portland Christian

News and Notes: Adair County is continuing to roll along this season as they are now sitting on a 24-1 record, 16-0 against 5th Region teams and 6-0 against 20th District teams. They last lost a game on December 19th against Collins on a neutral floor. While some may say that their schedule isn't very challenging they do still have wins over North Hardin and Taylor County in the 2017 calendar year. Kel Stotts has been out the past few games and his return will only make Adair County that much stronger. Bardstown is coming together nicely as they are now 18-5 overall, 10-0 against 5th Region teams and 8-0 against 19th District teams. Bardstown has had a good schedule this season as it is to be noted that all five of their losses have come from out of region teams. Bardstown will face North Hardin this week (February 7th) and will also face Elizabethtown, John Hardin and Pulaski County before they begin the 19th District Tournament. Bardstown will arguably be the most battle tested 5th Region team once tournament play rolls around. North Hardin appears to be getting more and more comfortable with Trace Young in the mix with each passing game. North Hardin is now 19-7 overall, 9-2 against the 5th Region teams and 8-0 against 17th District teams. North Hardin hasn't lost a game since January 12th and look to finish the season strong heading into the 17th District Tournament. John Hardin is sitting on an 18-7 record, 5-4 against 5th Region teams and 5-3 against 17th District teams. It would be easy to write off John Hardin but I just can't quit them yet for some reason. While they have some heartbreaking losses they are showing signs of a team that can be dangerous come tournament time. All a team like John Hardin needs to do is win that first game of their district tournament and I can guarantee they will be one of the teams that no one will want to see at the end of this month and the beginning of March. Do not sleep on John Hardin. Taylor County, Larue County, Bethlehem and Elizabethtown are all teams that have had successful and somewhat successful seasons. While they won't get the fanfare as the previous four teams that I have mentioned it should be noted that if any of these teams are able to make it to the region tournament they are all certainly capable of causing a problem to any team they face. Especially Taylor County. 5th Region Rankings(2-6-17): 1. Adair County 2. Bardstown 3. North Hardin 4. John Hardin 5. Taylor County 6. Larue County 7. Elizabethtown 8. Central Hardin 9. Bethlehem 10. Marion County 11. Nelson County 12. Washington County 13. Fort Knox 14. Caverna 15. Campbellsville 16. Green County 17. Thomas Nelson 18. Hart County

The dust from the King of the Bluegrass tournament has settled and Trinity emerged as the winner of the prestigious tournament held at Fairdale High School. If there was any doubt about who the best team in the 7th Region was before the King of the Bluegrass then all of that doubt has been erased. Trinity is not only the best team in the 7th Region but they currently claim the crown of best team in the state and they have proven to deserve that title. Can they be stopped? 1. Trinity (8-1) As mentioned Trinity emerged from the King of the Bluegrass unscathed as the 2016 KOB Champions. Led by Jay Scrubb (15.0 points/game), Lucas Burkman (14.1 points/game) and David Johnson (12.3 points/game) Trinity won the KOB with victories over #8 Cooper, #2 Fern Creek and #3 Covington Catholic. To get a better understanding of how Trinity is winning these games look no further than their statistics. Lucas Burkman is shooting 51.3% from the field, 47.2% from three, 81.5% from the FT line and is making almost 3 three pointers a game. Jay Scrubb is shooting 60.2% from the field, 52% from three and 88% from the FT line. When you can get this kind of efficiency from your two top scorers then the success we see Trinity having shouldn't be a surprise. Oh, and Jacob King should be back on the court in the near future. Up next for Trinity is Dobyns-Bennett(TN) in the Arby's Classic in Bristol, TN. 2. Ballard (5-2) Ballard was also at the King of the Bluegrass and they went 2-2 at the KOB. They started off by defeating Ballard, then dropped a game to Bowling Green, defeated Allatoona, GA and then lost to Fern Creek. Clivonte Patterson is Ballard's leading scorer at 19.4 points a game and Jamil Wilson follows that up with 18.4 points a game. Patterson is also pulling down 10.6 rebounds a game as well. Up next for Ballard is Paducah Tilghman at the Wes Unseld Classic at Seneca on December 27th. 3. Waggener (6-4) Waggener is sitting at 6-4 after going 2-1 at the Best in Hoops Classic with the lone loss coming from Bullitt East in the Championship game. Wins over Bryan Station and host Oldham County got Waggener into the Championship game against Bullitt East where they fell to Bullitt East by the score of 68-55. Jacquess Hobbs leads the team with his 17 points/game average and Jaago Kalakon adds 13.1 points a game. Both are shooting over 50% from the floor and Hobbs is chipping in 5 rebounds a game and Kalakon is at 6.1 rebounds per game. Up next for Waggener is the Suncoast Holiday Classic in Sarasota, FL. Enjoy the weather, good luck and safe travels!!!! 4. St. Xavier (5-3) St. X last hit the court on December 17th against John Paul College from Australia and they won that game 81-37. Pierce Kiesler leads the team with his 17 points and 7 rebounds per game averages. St. X is headed to Orlando, FL as they will be playing in the Jim Clark Hornet Holiday Classic. Their first opponent, Trinity Catholic(FL). According to their schedule it looks like they have a four game guarantee as they being play on December 28th and could play another game on the 28th and then games on the 29th and 30th before they return home. Again, enjoy the weather, good luck and safe travels!!!! 5. Central (5-4) Central was also in the Best in Hoops tournament but they didn't share the same success as Waggener did as Central went 1-2 while in the tournament. They had losses to DeSales and Lafayette but did enjoy a victory over 7th Region foe Manual. Devin Firman is leading Central with 17 points per game are looking to improve their record in the upcoming City of Middletown Holiday Classic where they will face off against the top team from the 5th Region in Bardstown. They will face off on December 27th and the City of Middletown Holiday Classic will be held at Eastern High School. 6. Christian Academy-Louisville (9-2) The last time we saw CAL they were 2-2 and the #9 team in the 7th Region. 7 games and 7 wins later they are sitting at 9-2 and are heading into the Henry County Invitational with tons of momentum after emerging as the champions of the Berea Invitational Tournament. During the 7 game winning streak they put a whipping on Kentucky Country Day and have been rolling right along. Parker Jones is now up to 21 points per game, Kenneth Purvis is at 14.5 and Michael Woodward is at 11.1. Jones is also pulling down 10 rebounds a game as Jones looks to solidify himself as one of the best players in the 7th Region. CAL will start off the Henry County Invitational against East Jessamine on December 27th. 7. Male (4-5) Male is currently marred in a three game losing streak having dropped two games at the Bardstown Holiday Classic to out of state guests Hoover (AL) and Christian Presbyterian Academy (TN) and then dropped a close one to Bardstown. Led by Hogan Brownley with his 15.3 points(60.2% from the floor) and 9.7 rebounds per game male is headed to the Meijer Holiday Classic at Bowling Green High School where they look to end their three game losing streak as they will face Greenwood on December 28th. 8. Eastern (4-5) Eastern went 2-1 last week at the Clash of Titans tournament at Mercer County. After dropping their first game to Boyle County they finished with two wins against Campbellsville and Knott County Central. Eastern is led by Caleb Williams and his 14 points and 7 rebounds a game. Eastern will be hosting the City of Middletown Holiday Classic and they will face Meade County and Beechwood on December 27th. 9. Louisville Collegiate (8-4) Louisville Collegiate rolls into the top 10 with an 8-4 record and a three game winning streak. Led by Ryan McDaniel and his 17.5 points per game and Barrett Myers and his 15.8 points a game Louisville Collegiate is enjoying a successful start to the season. Up next for Louisville Collegiate is Evangel Christian and then Bethlehem at the Beth Haven Holiday Classic beginning on December 28th. 10. Atherton (5-7) Atherton rounds out the top 10 as they have enjoyed recent success by going 3-0 at the Cecilian Bank Tournament that was held at Breckenridge County. Atherton secured wins over Frederick Fraize, Grayson County and Breckenridge County. With Flynn Calnon leading the way with his 17 points a game average Atherton will face Danville on December 27th at South Oldham in the Mitchell F Irvin Classic. 11. Kentucky Country Day (3-4) Kentucky Country Day has found themselves on the outside looking in for the top 10 in the 7th Region after dropping games to CAL and then Atherton. Anthony Mathis leads the team in scoring at 24.7 points a game and Solomon Mathis is scoring 15 points a game. Next up for KCD is Fern Creek in the Mitchell F Irvin Classic at South Oldham on December 27th. 12. Seneca (1-8) Seneca has been struggling this season but they aren't as bad as their record looks. Keyontez Leach leads the team with 16 points per game as Seneca looks to gain some positive momentum as they host the Wes Unseld Classic this week. They will face Grant County first on December 27th. 13. Manual (1-8) Manual like Seneca isn't as bad as their record looks. Having now lost their last 7 games after losing to Lafayette tonight Manual is in the unfamiliar position of being in the bottom half of the 7th Region. Currently playing in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic will likely get Manual prepared for the gauntlet that is the 7th Region. Noah Hawkins is Manual's leading scorer at 10 points per game. 14. St. Francis (4-5) St. Francis recently went 1-2 at the KME Christmas Classic at Trigg County as they secured a victory over Clarksburg(TN) and dropped games to Trigg County and St. Mary. They will next face Portland Christian on January 3rd. 15. Brown (4-7) Brown had dropped 6 straight games until grabbing a 60-59 victory over Evangel Christian on December 20th. Jared Fife leads the team in scoring at 15 points a game and Collin Bynum is adding 13 points a game. Frederick Fraize is next up for Brown on January 2nd. 16. Shawnee (0-9) Shawnee is still searching for their first win of the season. Led by Amontay Mitchell and his 13 points per game Shawnee closest final margin has been 9 point losses and they look and hope to secure their first victory at the Mitchell F Irvin Classic at South Oldham. They will face host South Oldham on December 27th. 17. Portland Christian (3-5) Portland Christian took a loss to Beth Haven last time they were on the court. Led in scoring by Quincy Dye's 26 points per game portland Christian is headed to the Beth Haven Holiday Classic where they look to exact some revenge on Beth Haven when they face them on December 28th.

There has been a surprise or two to start the season in the 5th Region. North Hardin stumbled out of the gate as did Taylor County and both appear to be righting the ship. Bardstown has gotten off to the start we expected from them and Adair County only has one loss at the moment. Bethlehem and Larue County are still undefeated. John Hardin was undefeated until they faced Central Hardin along with a couple of games immediately after that but have turned things around. Lots of season left for what looks to be a very competitive chase for the crown of 5th Region champion! 1. Bardstown (5-3) Bardstown has gotten off to a good start. They have defeated Marion County, North Oldham and West Jessamine. Their best wins so far are most likely against West Jessamine and Male but being led by Kel Livers and Santrel Farmer is something most schools in this state covet. Bardstown has four players scoring in double figures with Santrel Farmer leading team with his 18.6 points a game average. Kel Livers is adding 15.1, TraJan Walls is at 13.1 and Daydrian Allen is at 10.5 points but Daydrian has only played two games so far according to their stats. Kel Livers is hitting three pointers at a clip of 59% and is proving to be dangerous from behind the arc so far this season. Next up for Bardstown is the City of Middletown Classic a Eastern High School. They are slated to face Central and Mayfield in this tournament. After the tournament they will begin district and region play and we will see if they are truly the #1 team in the 5th Region. 2. Adair County (10-1) Adair County is searching for that one signature win to announce to the state and region that they are legit and with the bona fide scorers that they put on the court it would be foolish to dismiss their talent. Kel Stotts is scoring 23.5 points a game. Corey Melton is scoring 17.s points a game, Chance Melton is scoring 14.3 points a game and Cameron Lashley is at 10 points a game after scoring 17 points per game last year. The scoring ability of Adair County from four different players is one of the aspects that makes them one of the most dangerous teams in the region as well as the state. Their only loss came from the hands of Collins and while that isn't a bad loss fellow 5th Region team John Hardin has defeated Collins this year. Up next for Adair County is Mercer County at the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic on December 28th. 3. North Hardin (6-4) North Hardin began the season as the top team in the 5th Region along with Bardstown. Tony Jackson is worth the price of admission and freshman Roger Mcfarlane is proving to be as good as advertised. Once they put Trace Young into the mix and throw in James Pitre's contributions this will be one of the teams to beat in the 5th Region. When looking at North Hardin's record of 6-4 it must be noted that three of their losses came from the hands of three of the top 10 teams in the state in Covington Catholic, Bowling Green and Christian County. As mentioned Trace Young is now eligible and I imagine we will see a much different North Hardin team going forward. Up next for North Hardin is the Wes Unseld Classic at Seneca where they will face Bryan Station on December 27th. 4. Central Hardin (6-3) Central Hardin started off the season in a rough fashion dropping games to Nelson County and Southwestern but they have rebounded nicely by finding their bearings in having wins over Elizabethtown, Butler and John Hardin. Mason Rothrock is scoring 12.5 points a game, Trent Woods is at 12.2 and Jacob Hobbs is chipping in 11. They recently went 2-1 at the Simon Kenton Invitational with wins over Scott and Gallatin County. Up next is Newport Central Catholic at the Apollo Holiday Classic at Apollo High School in Owensboro on December 27th. 5. Taylor County (3-3) Taylor County has had a challenging schedule to start the season as they got off to a 2-3 start. They then reeled off four straight victories including a victory over John Hardin and are now sitting on a 6-3 record. TreVon Smith leads the team in scoring at 18.9 points a game. Dylan Gaines is chipping in 13.8 and Ezra Oliver is adding 13.2 points a game. Elizabethtown is up next for Taylor County on January 3rd. 6. John Hardin (3-2) John Hardin got off to a good start and then dropped two games in which they expected to win. Sitting at #6 now they began the season as the #3 team in the 5th Region. Mickey Pearson and Devonte Guillory lead this John Hardin team that recently went 3-1 at the Farmers Bank of Jessamine County Tournament with their only loss coming from a strong Harlan County team. Things appear to be turning around for John Hardin and I wouldn't be surprised to see them shoot their way back up to the top of the rankings in the 5th Region. Logan County is up next for John Hardin on December 28th. 7. Larue County(8-0) Larue County is one of two undefeated teams left in the 5th Region and a lot of that is due to their schedule to date. Larue County is proving to be a good team but without a true signature win it is hard to get a good gauge of where they sit amongst the best of the 5th Region. Led by MJ Embree and his 14.8 points a game, Derek Goode at 13.1 points and Mark Goode at 11.6 points Larue County has enjoyed a great showing at the Smoky Mountain Classic. Next up for Larue County is the Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic where they will play host to an 8 team tournament beginning December 28th. 8. Bethlehem (8-0) Much like Larue County, Bethlehem is sitting on an 8-0 record and are still searching for that signature win to vault them to the top 5 of the 5th Region. Recent wins over Marion County, Washington County and Glasgow are helping to prove Bethlehem's mettle as probably not many people besides themselves expected them to be undefeated at Christmas. Matthew hagan is dropping 20.6 points a game and Jacob Taylor is pouring in 16.4 points. John Prescott is adding 7 points a game and 9 rebounds. Up next for Bethlehem is the Beth Haven Holiday Classic beginning December 28th where they will face Louisville Collegiate and Evangel Christian. 9. Elizabethtown (4-4) Elizabethtown is sitting on a 4-4 record and they land into the top 10 on the strength of a victory over Marion County. They don't have any bad losses right now as they have lost to teams most would expect them to lose to. Up next for Elizabethtown is the South Central Bank-Halton Classic at Allen County-Scottsville where they will face Allen County-Scottsville on December 28th. 10. Marion County (5-5) Marion County rounds out the top 10. Led by Lez Means and his 15.5 points a game and Luke Thomas and his 10.8 points a game Marion County is looking to improve their record at the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic where they will face Monroe County on December 28th. 11. Nelson County (4-5) Nelson County has enjoyed wins over Central Hardin and Washington County. Led in scoring by Max Ryan at 17.8 points a game they are looking to crack the top 10 as the season goes forward. The Nelson County Classic is up next for them as they look to snap a four game losing streak. 12. Green County (7-3) At 7-3 Green County has one of the better records in the 5th Region. Unfortunately for them all of their wins have come against teams ranked lower than them so it is hard to see just how good this team is. We will find out going forward as district and region play intensifies. Up next for Green County is district opponent Hart County who Green County has already defeated once this season. Isaac Landis leads Green County with his 12 points per game average. Green County will next face Hart County on January 3rd. 13. Washington County (6-5) Washington County is led by DT Yocum and his 23 points per game average. They recently went 2-2 at the Arby's/KFC Classic with wins over Whitley County and Lynn Camp. Up next for Washington County is a district matchup with Bardstown on January 3rd. 14. Caverna (3-7) Caverna is in the midst of a four game losing streak. Jobby Howard is pouring in 24.8 points a game, Devon Paul is putting up 17.2 points a game and Travis Henley is putting up 12 points a game. Up next for Caverna is the Wes Unseld Classic at Seneca where they will face Calloway County on December 27th. 15. Campbellsville (1-10) Tyrion Taylor leads Campbellsville at 23.8 points a game. Campbellsville is currently in a 7 game losing streak but they have faced some tough opponents this season. They look to get in to some winning ways as they host the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic and will face Betsy Layne on December 28th. 16. Hart County (1-6) John Shoulders is putting up 25.8 points and 6.3 rebounds a game for Hart County. While they only have one win thus far under new coach Josh Henderson they look to get things going in a positive direction at the Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic at Larue County where they will face North Bullitt on December 28th. 17. Fort Knox (2-7) Led by Camron Gore's 15.1 points per game Fort Knox has secured 2 wins this season. Up next for Fort Knox is a tough matchup with North Hardin on January 6th. 18. Thomas Nelson (0-11) Thomas Nelson has yet to win a game this season. Things have been tough for Thomas Nelson and leading scorer Jerry Wimsett and hopefully they will be able to get on track and secure that first victory of the season. Up next for Thomas Nelson is Grayson County at the Magnolia Bank Classic at Larue County. on December 28th.