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Final from the third place game in the AIT. Ashland with a chance to tie it at the buzzer, and gets fouled on a three-point attempt, but no call. Corey Gregg was very quiet tonight. He was held to 11 points and 5 rebounds. Wetzel (?) and Withrow both had to have close to 25 for Ashland though. They are very nice players.

GRC advances to the finals of the AIT with a win over a good Warren Central team. The game went back and forth with LOTs of lead changes and ties till 2:46 in the 4th when GRC had a 4 point lead. Stats in a few.

GRC 10-2 will take on Warren Central, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the AIT tonight. Your thoughts and predictions.

Bowling Green is the 14th District Champion!!!:dancingpa

#17 Marshall County remains unbeaten, but the schedule has been light. Next in action next week at Montgomery County vs. Harrison County.

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

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

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

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Monroe County (19-2) - 1/22 67-33 W Glasgow (at Cumberland Co.), 1/23 53-52 W #4 Clinton Co. (at Cumberland Co.) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/29 vs. Murray (All A Tournament), 1/30 vs. Cumberland County, 1/31 vs. #3 Bowling Green 2) Warren Central (14-6) - 1/20 75-43 W at #8 South Warren, 1/23 49-36 W Greenwood Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/27 vs. #8 South Warren, 1/30 at #3 Bowling Green 3) Bowling Green (16-4) - 1/20 64-60 W Christian County, 1/23 71-61 W Warren East Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/26 at #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/27 vs. Muhlenberg Co., 1/30 vs. #2 Warren Central, 1/31 at #1 Monroe County 4) Clinton County (15-7) - 1/19 79-43 W at Todd County Central, 1/22 95-34 W at Cumberland Co., 1/23 52-53 OT L #1 Monroe Co. (at Cumberland Co.) Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/30 vs. #10 Allen County-Scottsville 5) Logan County (14-4) - 1/23 75-54 W at Franklin-Simpson Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 1/27 at #6 Barren County, 1/29 at Daviess County 6) Barren County (15-6) - 1/20 67-32 W LaRue County, 1/23 65-48 W at #9 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/27 vs. #5 Logan County, 1/30 at Glasgow 7) Russell County (8-9) - 1/20 80-87 L Southwestern, 1/22 54-40 W Adair County, 1/23 69-70 L #8 South Warren Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/26 vs. Cumberland County, 1/27 at Pulaski County 8) South Warren (10-10) - 1/20 43-75 L #2 Warren Central, 1/23 70-69 W at #5 Russell County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/27 at #2 Warren Central, 1/30 at #9 Russellville 9) Russellville (8-9) - 1/20 69-66 W at #9 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/27 vs. Springfield (TN), 1/30 vs. #8 South Warren 10) Allen County-Scottsville (11-9) - 1/20 66-69 L #10 Russellville, 1/23 48-65 L #7 Barren County, 1/24 61-71 L at Caverna Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/26 vs. #3 Bowling Green, 1/30 at #4 Clinton County Last Week's Game of the Week - There were a couple of strong games from last week, but one was for a title and it went to overtime. I felt strongly enough about the odds of Monroe County and Clinton County facing in the finals to make it one of my picks last week, and they didn't disappoint, rolling to the finals for a matchup of our #1 and #4 teams. Monroe County led most of the way, but were never able to stray too far from Clinton County, holding a 23-20 halftime lead that swelled to 40-32 after a John Geralds three at the third quarter buzzer. But Clinton County scratched and clawed back as Monroe County missed seven crucial free throws down the stretch, allowing a Keifer Dalton three ball to tie it at 52 and send it to an extra session. Incredibly, no points were scored until Dillon Geralds hit a free throw with 14 seconds left. Then everything went crazy. Geralds missed his second free throw and the Falcons committed a foul on the rebound to put Clinton County on the line..... where they missed the front end of a one and one. Go to the other end where Ty Mink had two shots for the Falcons. Missed them both. Then Dalton fouls out of the game for Clinton County via a charge. Then Monroe County turns the ball over. All of this took place in a span of 8 seconds. Clinton County had the ball with a chance to win but the guy you'd want shooting it was on the bench having fouled out. Ultimately, the Bulldogs missed two shots that would have won it, giving Monroe County the 4th Region All "A" Championship via a single Dillon Geralds free throw in overtime. A game worthy of former district rivals, top 5 region teams, and of a title. Honorable Mention - A strong contender was the South Warren at Russell County matchup on Friday. The Lakers have made a strong effort to schedule more of the region at-large, and this was their third matchup against a 14th District team. Some of the shine came off of this game as Russell County entered having lost three of four and South Warren had gotten knocked around by Warren Central on Tuesday, also their third loss in four games. Russell County used the homecourt to their advantage most of the night with leads of 7, 9, and 9 at the intermissions, but the only one that mattered was the last one, and South Warren got that with a 70-69 victory. 8th grader Marquise Walker drained two free throws with no time on the clock for the win. Lovan Watch - Tavin Lovan, one of the most prolific scorers in the region despite being just a sophomore, has been sidelined since December 12th with a broken non-shooting wrist. Franklin-Simpson started the year 3-1 with him, but since he went down, they're 2-14. Word at the time was that he was targeting a January 30th matchup with Todd County Central, and it appears that he is on track for exactly that as the cast is reportedly off. The Wildcats still have three district games remaining, including crucially a pair of matchups with Todd County Central. At current, those games may determine the #3/#4 seed in the district, and avoiding Logan County, which has almost clinched the top seed. All "A" - Monroe County will take on Murray in the first round of the All "A" Classic, and should be favored in that one. Should they advance, they may get a crack at Williamsburg, the final undefeated team in the state. Upcoming Games of the Week 1/27 - #5 Logan County at #6 Barren County - The Cougars have a seven game winning streak entering this one, and will look to snap a three game skid against the Trojans. Meanwhile Barren County is looking to climb the rankings, and their only three losses since December 20th have been to Monroe County, Warren Central, and Bowling Green - our top 3 teams. 1/30 - #2 Warren Central at #3 Bowling Green - Round 1 went to overtime with the Dragons coming out on top, knocking the Purples off their #1 perch where they'd been since preseason. In Round 2, Bowling Green will look to get that one back in a crucial seeding game. 1/31 - #3 Bowling Green at #1 Monroe County - I'm including this one because if played it will be outstanding, but my feeling is that Monroe County will be too good for our hopes, and will advance in the All "A", likely sinking this game (if it isn't already preemptively canceled). If they play, Monroe County will be looking to put a stranglehold on the #1 rank for the rest of the year.

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Monroe County (22-3) - 1/29 63-55 W Murray (All A ), 1/30 55-53 W Danville (All A), 1/31 55-46 W Owen Co. (All A), 2/1 36-78 L NCC (All A) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/3 vs. Glasgow, 2/6 at #10 Allen County-Scottsville 2) Bowling Green (19-4) - 1/26 75-40 W at #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/27 58-50 W Muhlenberg Co., 1/30 69-57 W #2 Warren Central Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/3 vs. #9 South Warren, 2/7 vs. Greenwood 3) Warren Central (15-7) - 1/27 68-51 W #8 South Warren, 1/30 57-69 L at #3 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/3 vs. Christian County, 2/6 at Warren East 4) Clinton County (16-7) - 1/30 62-56 W #10 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/3 at Caverna, 2/6 vs. Glasgow 5) Barren County (17-6) - 1/27 79-55 W #5 Logan County, 1/30 58-45 W at Glasgow Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/3 at Greenwood, 2/6 at Hart County 6) Russell County (10-9) - 1/26 77-45 W Cumberland County, 1/27 79-59 W at Pulaski County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/2 at South Laurel, 2/5 vs. Casey County, 2/6 at Metcalfe County 7) Logan County (14-6) - 1/27 55-79 L at #6 Barren County, 1/29 50-76 L at Daviess County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/2 vs. Trigg County, 2/6 vs. #8 Russellville 8) Russellville (10-9) - 1/27 85-75 W Springfield (TN), 1/30 70-60 W #8 South Warren Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/3 vs. Franklin-Simpson, 2/6 at #7 Logan County 9) South Warren (10-12) - 1/27 51-68 L at #2 Warren Central, 1/30 60-70 L at #9 Russellville Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/3 at #2 Bowling Green, 2/6 vs. Greenwood 10) Allen County-Scottsville (11-11) - 1/26 40-75 L #3 Bowling Green, 1/30 56-62 L at #4 Clinton County Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/3 vs. Hart County, 2/6 vs. #1 Monroe County, 2/7 vs. Todd County Central Last Week's Game of the Week - The intra-region games weren't all that pretty with most of the significant games ending in double digit margins, so we turn again to the All A for the highlight. Monroe County and Danville met in the state All A quarterfinals and it was not short on drama. Danville led by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons took care of that with a 13-0 run that was part of a 20-7 finishing kick that sent them into the semis. Monroe County was fairly pedestrian from the field, shooting just 38% from the floor and 27% from three, but their 22 points off of turnovers proved to be the difference. They parlayed that into a run to the finals, and barring something unforeseen, Clinton County will be their only major hurdle in the remainder of the regular season. Strong chance they remain our #1 heading into the postseason and could possibly carry a 27-3 record by that point. Almost everything has come up big for Monroe so far. District Races - An update on where we stand as the regular season winds down. 13th District - There's still a lot of movement that can happen. Logan County sits at 5-0 and needs only to beat Russellville on the 6th or have Russellville fall in one of their other two district games to clinch the #1 seed. But should the Panthers win out, they'll tie with Logan County for the top. Franklin-Simpson can clinch at least the #3 seed with a win over Todd County Central on Friday, and could theoretically play up to the #2 seed. At current, Russellville is 2-1, Franklin-Simpson 1-3, and Todd County Central 0-4. 14th District - Last season was one of the very few clean draws for the #1 seed we've had recently, marking the first time since 2008 that there was no tie for the #1 seed. After Bowling Green's win over Warren Central last Friday, the odds are in favor of those two teams facing a coin flip in a couple of weeks, though there are plenty of games remaining that could alter that course. Warren Central missed a chance to clinch the top seed in that game, but would have to lose out to face even a chance of falling below the #2 seed. Greenwood gained a huge win at Warren East to move one game up on both the Raiders and South Warren, sliding into the #3 spot. South Warren perhaps has the best remaining schedule for movement, facing both Greenwood and Warren East in addition to Bowling Green, while both Greenwood and Warren East have to play both Warren Central and Bowling Green in addition to South Warren. The 14th is a 5 team district, and each of those three teams will desperately want to avoid the 4/5 game which would require two wins to advance to the region tournament. 15th District - The matchups are officially set and the jersey colors decided in the 15th District. Monroe County has clinched the top spot via a season sweep of Barren County, and even if they lost their two remaining games this week, would win a tiebreaker with the Trojans based on that. They'll face Glasgow in the first round which is winless in the district at 0-5. Barren County has clinched the 2 seed with a 4-2 record while Allen County-Scottsville will be in the 3 spot at 2-3 currently. 16th District - The 16th is almost certainly heading to a coin toss as Russell County will likely knock off Metcalfe County on Friday to enter into a 5-1 tie with Clinton County for the top spot. Cumberland County is locked into the #4 seed with an 0-6 record while Metcalfe County has clinched the 3 seed with a 2-3 record. In any scenario, Clinton County and Russell County are virtual locks to advance regardless of which opponent they play. Cumberland County is winless and Metcalfe County's only wins are the two district wins they have over Cumberland County Upcoming Games of the Week 2/3 - #9 South Warren at #2 Bowling Green - The Spartans are a combined 0-22 against Warren Central and Bowling Green, and will once again try to pick themselves off the mat and come up with a signature win for the program. South Warren has lost 5 of their last 7, and dropped both results last week after what looked like a corner had been turned in a strong win at Russell County. 2/6 - #8 Russellville at #7 Logan County - The Clash of the Cats may have district tournament implications as mentioned above. The Cougars wiped the floor with Russellville in their January 2 meeting by a score of 72-52, but recently saw a winning streak snapped with a rough 0-2 week to tumble down the ranks. Meanwhile, that Logan County loss is the last one Russellville has taken, currently sitting on a 6 game win streak. Both of these teams will want that #1 seed badly as that likely means avoiding Franklin-Simpson, a far more dangerous opponent than Todd County Central.

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Bowling Green (11-3) - 12/29 75-39 W Todd Co. Central, 12/30 80-53 W John Hardin, 12/31 75-53 W Madison Southern, 12/31 62-69 L Christian County, 1/2 70-62 W #5 South Warren, 1/3 71-79 L Owensboro (at Muhlenberg County) Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 1/6 at #4 Barren County, 1/9 at Greenwood 2) Monroe County (12-2) - 12/29 74-64 W Caldwell Co. (at BGHS), 12/30 69-52 W Bardstown (at BGHS), 12/31 73-74 L Christian Co. (at BGHS), 12/31 72-52 W Madison Southern (at BGHS) Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 1/6 vs. Edmonson County, 1/9 vs. #7 Allen County-Scottsville, 1/10 at Franklin-Simpson 3) Warren Central (7-6) - 12/28 72-54 W at Pulaski County, 12/29 64-67 L at Southwestern, 12/30 71-64 W Knox Central (at Southwestern), 1/3 54-39 W Casey County (at Taylor County) Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 1/6 vs. Franklin-Simpson, 1/9 vs. #10 Warren East, 1/10 vs. #4 Barren County 4) Barren County (11-3) - 12/29 64-31 W Friendship Christian (TN), 12/30 73-50 W Bell County, 1/2 71-46 W Glasgow, 1/3 60-52 W Marion County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 1/6 at #1 Bowling Green, 1/9 vs. Franklin-Simpson, 1/10 at #3 Warren Central 5) Russell County (6-4) - 12/28 59-74 L George Rogers Clark (at Berea), 12/29 65-49 W Tates Creek (at Berea), 12/30 52-57 L Mercer County (at Berea), 1/3 72-56 W #7 Clinton County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 1/6 vs. Taylor County, 1/9 at Cumberland county 6) Clinton County (9-6) - 12/28 48-64 L Lafayette (at Montgomery Co.), 12/29 55-54 W Madisonville (at Montgomery Co.), 1/3 56-72 L at #8 Russell County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 1/6 vs. Pickett County (TN), 1/9 at Metcalfe County 7) Allen County-Scottsville (8-4) - 12/29 78-75 W Ohio County, 12/30 70-63 W Hart County, 12/31 49-60 L Shelby County, 1/2 62-57 W at Greenwood Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 1/6 at Glasgow, 1/9 at #2 Monroe County, 1/10 at Adair County 8) South Warren (8-8) - 12/29 64-76 L Christian Co. (at BGHS), 12/30 48-52 L Doss (at BGHS), 12/30 76-66 W Caldwell Co. (at BGHS), 12/31 62-56 W Todd Co. Central (at BGHS), 1/2 62-70 L #1 Bowling Green Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 1/9 at Muhlenberg County 9) Logan County (8-4) - 12/29 59-70 L Greenwood, 12/29 74-53 W Dyersburg (TN), 1/2 72-52 W at Russellville Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 1/6 vs. Butler County, 1/9 at Todd County Central 10) Warren East (8-5) - 12/29 73-68 W Hopkins Co. Central (at Edmonson Co.), 12/30 67-71 OT L at Edmonson Co., 12/31 81-75 W Ballard Memorial (at Edmonson Co.) Previous Rank: NR This Week: 1/9 at #3 Warren Central Last Week's Game of the Week - "Last week" is relative since this is the first notebook in a few weeks, so let's say game of the week since the last one. And that coincidentally came one day after our last update, waaaay back on December 9th. Call it a signature loss for Allen County-Scottsville when they went on the road to #4 Barren County and came up just short, falling 88-83 in TRIPLE overtime. After the game was tied at 61 entering OT, AC/S seized control, jumping out to a five point lead with just under a minute left in the extra frame. But a Nick Mabe three ball tied it at 71 to go to the second OT. In that session it was the Trojans that took control, and it was the Patriots' turn to hit a big three, this by Thomas Spencer tot tie it at 77. The Trojans were ultimately able to gain the lead and win it on free throws late to gain the crucial district win. Both teams are in the top 7 of the region now. Impact Game - The game of greatest impact has to be Monroe County's 62-53 win over Warren Central in the Owensboro Invitational tournament. It was just the second win ever for the Falcons over Warren Central, a team that has been to five straight region title games and entered the year a favorite to go back again. Monroe County had already moved ahead of the Dragons in the BGP rankings, but now we have concrete proof that the Falcons are ready to challenge. They remain unbeaten against 4th Region teams and have added wins over Barren County and Russell County as well. They have twice narrowly missed opportunities to play Bowling Green, but may yet have their chance to lay claim to #1 when the teams play at Monroe on January 31st. Impact Injury - Tavin Lovan may be just a sophomore, but there's a strong argument he is the region's best player and he is certainly its best prospect. In his first four games of the year he averaged over 29 points per game. But in the fifth game, he broke his non-shooting wrist, sidelining him for up to a month and a half. The Wildcats expect him back in late January, possibly for their district tilt against Todd County Central. Franklin-Simpson went on to lose the game against Logan County that he was hurt in, as well as five of the next six. And it doesn't get easier this week as the Wildcats take on the #2-#4 teams in the region. It is likely his absence will severely damage their record and seeding, but could also possibly transform them into a bit of a dark horse when he returns, a team that will far outperform their record at that point. Favorites Look Like It - Bowling Green was made #1 in preseason after their strong close to the previous year led them to the region title and state final four, and that train has not come close to derailing through the first month of the year. The Purples are off to a strong 11-3 start, matching last season's mark through 14 games as their best start since 09/10. Their losses are to highly regarded WKY powers Henderson County, Owensboro, and Christian County, and they boast wins over Apollo, Daviess County, and Elizabethtown. Bowling Green is 21-4 since their loss to Owensboro late last season and there are a lot more wins ahead of them. Upcoming Games of the Week 1/6 - #1 Bowling Green at #4 Barren County - As mentioned, the Purples are rolling and have won 14 straight games against 4th Region teams. Warren Central is the only region team to beat them in just over two years.... since Barren County took the Purples down on New Year's Day in 2013. The Trojans enter with a seven game win streak and will hope to rectify last year's failure to defeat BG when the Trojans had homecourt advantage in the region tournament. 1/9 - #7 Allen County-Scottsville at #2 Monroe County - Monroe is already out to a 2-0 start in the district and can put a stranglehold on it with a home win over the Patriots. Meanwhile AC/S will look to continue their climb up the region rankings and hope to get back in the #1 seed discussion in the 15th. 1/10 - #4 Barren County at #3 Warren Central - It's kind of a big week for Barren County as they have another year of double duty in a single week against Bowling Green and Warren Central. In this one they take on the Dragons, a team that has won 15 of 16 against Barren County, and has not lost to the Trojans in Dragon Gym since 1996. Last year each team was more highly regarded, and the two teams lit up the scoreboard to the tune of an 84-81 Warren Central victory at Barren County. Games between these two are usually quite entertaining.

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

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.

An impromptu meeting of two top 3 teams in the 4th Region took place in the Owensboro Invitational, and the Falcons used that opportunity to make a statement. It was a tight 37-35 game at the half with the Falcons leading, and 41 all midway through the third. Monroe County then scored the final 8 points of the quarter and drained a three to open the fourth to open up a 52-41 lead, the largest by either team in the game. The game was never closer than four points again, although the Dragons got that close with around 5 minutes left and the ball. An over and back call led to a Monroe County three on an offensive board, followed by another turnover, and that was basically the game. The two teams don't meet that much, but it was still rather staggering that Monroe County had not beaten Warren Central since 1989, by far their longest streak timewise against a region opponent. The Dragons had won 12 straight in the series, and it's just Monroe's second win over Central. They became the first non-14th District team to win a region contest against Central since December 2011, and the first from the 15th District since February 2008. This is the worst start for the Dragons since that same 07/08 season, and they are hoping that's where the comparisons will stop. That season was the last they had a losing record and the last they failed to make the region tournament. For Monroe County, it cements them as the #2 team in the region, and is the strongest statement possible before their late January meeting with Bowling Green. They are a serious threat to win the region as they have cracked the veneer of the 14th District. I think I'll have to harp on it every time until I see it stopped or they start hitting them, but the amount of missed three pointers by the Dragons was staggering. They hit some too, but I don't think I'll be surprised if they shot something like 8/26. The zone has been eating them alive.

Fourth Region Top 10 1) Monroe County (24-3) - 2/3 83-48 W Glasgow, 2/6 73-60 W at #10 Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/13 vs. #4 Clinton County 2) Bowling Green (21-4) - 2/3 61-58 W #9 South Warren, 2/7 67-45 W Greenwood Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/9 at #7 Logan County, 2/10 vs. Owensboro, 2/13 at Warren East 3) Warren Central (17-7) - 2/3 68-50 W Christian County, 2/6 83-62 W at Warren East Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/10 vs. #8 Russellville, 2/13 at Greenwood, 2/14 vs. Elizabethtown 4) Clinton County (17-8) - 2/3 52-55 L Caverna, 2/6 84-53 W Glasgow Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/9 at Corbin, 2/13 at #1 Monroe County 5) Barren County (19-6) - 2/3 64-51 W at Greenwood, 2/6 55-51 W at Hart County Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/10 at #6 Russell County, 2/13 vs. Cumberland County 6) Russell County (12-9) - 2/5 77-61 W Casey County, 2/6 78-37 W at Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/10 vs. #5 Barren County, 2/13 at Adair County 7) Logan County (16-6) - 2/2 74-62 W Trigg County, 2/6 79-63 W #8 Russellville Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/9 vs. #2 Bowling Green, 2/10 at Rossview (TN), 2/12 vs. Hopkinsville 8) Russellville (11-10) - 2/3 68-66 W Franklin-Simpson, 2/6 63-79 L at #7 Logan County Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/10 at #3 Warren Central, 2/13 at Todd County Central 9) South Warren (11-13) - 2/3 58-61 L at #2 Bowling Green, 2/6 76-67 W Greenwood Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/9 at Todd County Central, 2/10 vs. Warren East, 2/12 at Franklin-Simpson, 2/14 at Ohio County 10) Allen County-Scottsville (13-12) - 2/3 68-59 W Hart County, 2/6 60-73 L at #1 Monroe County, 2/7 75-66 W Todd County Central Previous Rank: 10 This Week: 2/10 vs. Greenwood, 2/12 at Metcalfe County, 2/13 vs. Franklin-Simpson Last Week's Game of the Week - South Warren entered their game against Bowling Green having lost all 10 previous matchups with the Purples. A win would put them in the driver's seat for the #3 seed in the district. To say things did not start well would be an understatement. South Warren trailed by as much as 15 in the second quarter and by 10 at halftime, but a furious rally in the third quarter spilled into the fourth, and with just under 6 minutes left in the game, South Warren had outscored Bowling Green 40-18 in a roughly 17 minute stretch to take a 51-44 advantage. But it was not to be. The Purples scored the next ten points and took a lead they would not relinquish, though the Spartans had several chances to tie or take the lead late. If South Warren's breakthrough is to come this year, it'll have to be in the postseason. District Races - Two districts have no remaining games, two districts have their postseason matchups set while another just has to settle tie at the top. And then there's the 14th.... 13th District - With Russellville's narrow 68-66 win over Franklin-Simpson, Logan County's double digit thrashing of Russellville, and Franklin-Simpson's season sweep of Todd County Central, the 13th District postseason lineup became set in stone. Logan County completed a perfect 6-0 district run, ensuring that there will not be a third straight season where Russellville and Franklin-Simpson advance to the region tournament, as those teams will meet in the 2/3. Logan County will look to return to the region tourney for the first time since 2012 (itself their only trip since 1998) against a Todd County Central team they swept. The Rebels for their part will hope to overcome the odds and go back to region for the first time since 2003. 14th District - The march to the coin flip(s) continued as Warren Central and Bowling Green matched pace and sit at 6-1. They'll each head on the road on Friday in games they'll be favored in, with Central visiting Greenwood and Bowling Green looking to extend their dominance of Warren East. If both win, it'll be a tie at the top for the fifth time in six seasons. South Warren is actually the only team in the district controlling their own destiny in pursuit of a goal. If the Spartans beat Warren East on Tuesday, they clinch the crucial #3 seed as Greenwood could only tie them and South Warren has the season sweep. Should the Spartans falter, it sets up a likely three way tie for third unless the Gators or Raiders pull big upsets in the aforementioned games against Warren Central and Bowling Green. There's a scenario where we know basically nothing after this week except that Warren Central and Bowling Green will be 1-2 in some order and the others at 3-5 in some order. The 14th District = chaos as usual. 15th District - The district slate is done and the seeds had already been determined as mentioned last week. It was nice and tidy in the 15th district. Monroe County went a perfect 6-0 - a feat they had not accomplished since they were in the 16th District back in 2004. Barren County lost only to Monroe County, Allen County-Scottsville lost only to Monroe & Barren, while Glasgow went winless. 16th District - Business as usual in the 16th. Clinton County and Russell County split their season series, sending it to a coin flip to decide the top seed. Metcalfe County is locked into 3rd via their only two wins of the year, those coming over winless Cumberland County. Upcoming Games of the Week 2/10 - #5 Barren County at #6 Russell County - Just a friendly intra-region game, but the one with the most impact on our ranks this week. Our #1-#3 teams are the only ones to take down the Trojans in the region this year, while Russell County looks to avenge their loss at Barren County in last year's region tournament, the final game coached by Willie Feldhaus. 2/13 - #4 Clinton County at #1 Monroe County - These two teams have had some outstanding games this season, meeting once in December and then in the All "A" Region Finals last month. Monroe County won them both, but by a combined 3 points and one of them took an extra session. With all due respect to Greenwood and Warren East, who will play the Falcons next week, this is likely the only thing standing between Monroe County and a perfect regular season run through the region. The Falcons are unbeaten in true home or road games this season, with only a trio of neutral floor losses. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will be hungry for a win to break through the glass ceiling. If you can make it to only one region game next week, make it this one.

4th Region Preview When the season began, I noted that last year the 14th District’s run had nearly come to an end in the 2013 region finals, but Russell County had not been able to break through the glass ceiling. I said that consequently, Warren Central would be favored to take home their 10th title in 13 years. Despite Saturday’s loss to Bowling Green, that really hasn’t changed, although they are less a favorite now than they appeared to be entering the postseason. What also hasn’t changed is the notion that the 14th District runs the region. If it is someone other than Warren Central or Bowling Green cutting down the nets, it will be a surprise. The Favorites Warren Central (22-5) – The Dragons saw their 15 game win streak come to a crashing halt in a 68-53 nightmare loss to Bowling Green in the 14th District finals, but that’s about the only thing that has gone wrong for the Dragons in a long time. They carry a 13-1 record against region 4 opponents into the tournament, winning by an average of 14.5 PPG in those games. In their four games against opponents outside of the 14th District, that average jumps to 20 PPG, with only Barren County coming within 19 of the Dragons, an 84-81 win at Barren County in mid-January. If there’s one knock on the Dragons it’s that after running through most opponents during the season, it’s that they appear vulnerable and sluggish in the postseason thus far, needing a late steal to advance to the district finals before losing there. They had an 8 day layoff prior to their district semifinal game, and will now have a 7 day layoff before their region opener thanks to weather delays. They also drew arguably the toughest first round game they could have gotten in 22 win Clinton County. On the bright side, they would be easily favored in a region semifinal matchup with either Russellville or Monroe County and tournament host Barren County is safely on the other side. Bowling Green (24-6) – The aforementioned 68-53 win over Warren Central brought Bowling Green a district title after missing the region tournament the previous season, and also catapulted them into near-even favorite status with Warren Central. After all, while the Dragons had beaten Bowling Green twice, they were the only region opponent to defeat the Purples, and the BG boys have now proven that they are more than capable of winning against any team in the region. The Purples have found their groove by pairing big men Clay Stivers and Joseph Ayers in their starting lineup, creating a formidable interior presence that is causing defensive problems inside for their opponents. The Purples have also been greatly helped by the emergence of Tucker Sine as their go to scorer. Sine scored from everywhere on the floor against Central, dropping in 22 points with two threes, three scores inside the arc, and 10/12 shooting from the line. All of that is before you get to Nacarius Fant, easily one of the most athletic players in the region and with lightning quick hands, very tough to handle defensively. Bowling Green has a rock solid resume with several quality wins and no bad losses. They got the easiest first round matchup in drawing Franklin-Simpson, but will have a tougher go of it in the semifinal round against either Barren County or Russell County, especially if they have to face Barren County on their home floor. The Contender Clinton County (22-7) – You know the Bulldogs are tired of this by now. For the third straight year they’ve drawn a 20 win team right out of the gate. Twice now that has been their reward for winning their district and in both years they face the favorite for the region crown. But that’s the only thing not to like about Clinton County’s chances in their quest to win the region for the first time in 54 years. Outside of a rough showing in the Christmas tournaments, they’ve been nigh unstoppable. Only a head scratching loss to Monroe County in January (later avenged to the tune of a 35 point victory) and a road loss to BGP Top 20 team Wayne County has kept them from a perfect record in the 2014 calendar year. As with last year they are led by Keifer Dalton and Colby Langford, possibly the best 1-2 combo in the entire region. Dalton was recently voted region POY by the 4th Region coaches as a junior, and Langford has the feel of a sixth year senior. Both can score almost at will and will be a load to slow down. Stopping them both is likely entirely impossible. As was true of Warren Central in this incredible first round matchup, if Clinton County can slay the Dragons they will be easy favorites to advance to the region title game. That alone would be a first for the Bulldogs since they won in 1960. Tough Roads Barren County (21-8) – The Trojans were the beneficiary of one of the biggest boosts a team can get in January. The 4th Region tournament, held at E.A. Diddle Arena for all but five years since 1963 was awarded to Barren County, meaning the Trojans will get a chance to win it on their home floor. While they are not perfect on their home floor this season (an alarmingly pedestrian 4-5 record), it still doesn’t hurt to play on the floor and shoot at the rims that you are more comfortable on than any other team. Barren County finished strong after a midseason swoon, going 9-2 and bringing home their third straight District 15 championship. Their only losses were to Clinton County by 2 in double overtime, and their first round opponent Russell County 79-70. In regard to the latter, Barren County probably isn’t thrilled with their opening draw, and certainly can’t be happy with their draw in general. They received the second toughest opening round game they could have drawn and their reward for winning that would most likely be Bowling Green in the semis. Get past that, they’ll just have to defeat either Warren Central or Clinton County in the finals. They went 0-4 against Russell County, Bowling Green, Warren Central, and Clinton County, and three of those losses were at home. Russell County (18-9) – The Lakers have not been nearly as strong this season, clearly missing graduated senior POY Tyler Robertson. They were swept in three meetings with district foe Clinton County, dropped a road game against 15-15 South Warren, and just altogether had a season below their standards. For the most park, they’ve been on the uptick since late January. Aside from a strange loss to Adair (who they had already beaten by 23), the Lakers performed well in winning 7 of 9 heading into region play. They gained ground on Clinton County each time they played, turning a 13 point road loss in early January into just a 1 point loss on the road in the 16th District finals. The Lakers have 1st team all-region center Nick Coffey, a solid hulk in the middle that hits just about every shot he gets in the post. They feature the second best freshman in the region in transfer Kel Stotts, but the team may still be a year away from really challenging. The region draw doesn’t help, as they’re in the same boat as Barren County. Even if they duplicate their road win from mid-February against Barren County, they’ll have to deal with the same gauntlet of Bowling Green then Warren Central or Clinton County. It’s tough to imagine them cutting down the nets, but if there’s a coach who can do it, it’s Willie Feldhaus. The Dark Horse Monroe County (20-10) – And this is a REAL dark horse. Monroe County gained the #1 seed in the 15th district via tiebreaker, but the biggest win to bring that home seems miles away now. It was all the way back in mid-December when the Falcons knocked off Barren County on the road, four days before they added a second big win over Russell County, and three days before beating Glasgow. After that, they went 2-3 in 15th District play, had their best win of the year in a 61-57 win at Clinton County followed by their worst loss in a 35 point blowout at the hands of the Bulldogs, but stabilized enough to win four games in a row prior to falling in the 15th District final to Barren County. The Falcons are led by Dillon Geralds, a junior guard who averages in the high teens in scoring per game. They got a favorable first round draw with Russellville, the best they could have hoped for. A trip to the region semis seems likely, but not much beyond that seems hopeful. The Longshots Russellville (11-18) – Russellville set a 4th Region record with their 11th straight region tournament appearance, but the good news basically ends there. They’re one of only two teams in the field with a losing record, and the other came from their district. 7 of their 11 wins came over a 13th District lineup that did not have a single team finish above or anywhere near .500. They went 2-8 against 4th Region competition outside their district and 0-4 against teams that made the region field other than Franklin-Simpson. There’s just not enough experience on a team that has only two seniors after losing so much talent to graduation. They got a winnable first round game against Monroe County, but even there they won’t be favored. Anything more than that is not remotely likely. Franklin-Simpson (8-18) – After last year didn’t end well and this year didn’t start well, there wasn’t much positive to say about the Wildcats. Starting with their last 12 games of last year, they lost 23 of 27 games, starting 2013/14 with a record of 2-13. Things improved later on, and they strung together three straight wins before falling to Russellville in the 13th District final. Much of the heavy lifting in those wins was done by freshman Tavin Lovan. The future D1 prospect averaged 33 PPG in the wins, and gets to the line at will. But it would take a Herculean effort by him to lift Franklin-Simpson into competition with Bowling Green in their first round matchup. The Purples already pasted the Wildcats by 20 once this season, and a similar result is likely on Friday night.

Final from the Marshall County Hoopfest. The game began as a game of runs, with the Dragons scoring the first five points, followed by an 11-2 Graves County run, and that followed by 15 straight points by Warren Central. Following that, the Dragons never trailed but never enjoyed as large a lead as the 22-11 advantage they held at the end of the first quarter. Graves successfully made it a tight game at the end as Warren Central could not put it away with free throws, but ultimately Central survived an airball three point attempt for the tie.

Warren Central overcomes a 10 point deficit on two separate occasions to force overtime, and then scores following a turnover with 10 seconds remaining in OT to win the game. The two teams shot a combined 60% from the field in an up and down game. That included a combined 13/27 shooting from behind the arc. About the only thing they didn't do well was shoot free throws. Central was 2/7 from the line, Owensboro was 7/14. Central was led by Carver who had 21 points, and Nathaniel Walker who had 17 points aided by five three pointers. It was the fifth straight victory in the series for Warren Central, who trail the overall series 13-8. The Devils last defeated Warren Central in 2000. This was also the first OT game of the series. The Dragons haven't lost an OT game since dropping an 81-75 decision in 2007 to Warren East.

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

The three coaches flipped coins to determine who would draw envelopes first. The one that flipped different from other two chose first - that ended up being Casey Simpson of Warren East. He drew the 1 seed, making the matchups official. Bowling Green ultimately drew the #2 seed with Warren Central competing as the #3 seed. So the tourney is: Monday, February 18th #4 South Warren vs. #5 Greenwood Wednesday, February 20th #1 Warren East vs. #4/#5 winner Thursday, February 21st #2 Bowling Green vs. #3 Warren Central Saturday, February 23rd Finals This means that either Bowling Green or Warren Central will miss the regional tournament. The two teams have met in the last three region finals. It will be the 10th time they've met in a district elimination game, the first since 2008. Bowling Green has won 6 of the previous 9 district elimination games with Central. Greenwood will look to return to the region tournament for the first time since 2008, when they won. Warren East will look to go back for the first time since 1997, when they also won (they also won the time before that in 1994). South Warren will have the opportunity to play their way in for the first time in school history.

The 14th District tournament has been dominated by Bowling Green and Warren Central for the last 17 years. That's how long it has been since another team won the tournament, with Greenwood taking the title in 1996. The two teams were ranked #1 & #2 in our preseason rankings of the 4th Region and expected to meet for an unprecedented fourth consecutive region final. Just one problem.... They play in the semifinals of the district. Warren East crashed the party this year earning a season sweep of Warren Central. And despite being swept by Bowling Green themselves, coach Casey Simpson snatched the 1 seed for the Raiders at the district tournament draw to break the three way tie. So there will be at least one top team absent from the 4th Region tourney. It remains to be seen if someone can break the 17 year hold on the district. To the matchups..... 14th District Tournament at Greenwood High School February 18th #4 South Warren vs. #5 Greenwood - The Spartans swept the season series between these two teams by a combined 35 points. The Gators have managed to keep it close in a couple of district games against Bowling Green and Warren East, but haven't remotely solved the Spartans. It says here that they won't in the tournament either. Prediction: South Warren by 10 February 20th Predicted Matchup #4 South Warren vs. #1 Warren East - The Raiders are looking to return to the region tournament for the first time since 1997. The district draw gave them a clear path there, avoiding Bowling Green who swept them. Their predicted opponent South Warren nearly upset the Raiders in December, losing on a last second tip in by Aaron Strange. It gave East a win in a game they led for only 12 seconds in the second half. The Raiders led the entire second half in the rematch, but still only won by 5. A win is no guarantee, but this Raiders team has the feel of one destined to get back to region. The Spartans take the step of winning a postseason game this year, but East stops them short of their first region tourney appearance. Should the Gators pull the upset of South Warren, their Cinderella story will end against the Raiders. East won by only 6 in their early January meeting, but bombed them to the tune of a 25 point victory in the last matchup. Prediction: Warren East by 9 over South Warren or Warren East by 14 over Greenwood February 21st #2 Bowling Green vs. #3 Warren Central - The regional tournament's loss is the 14th district tourneys gain. These two teams met in the last 3 region finals but will meet in a district elimination game for the first time since 2008. Bowling Green won that 2008 matchup and has won 6 of the 9 previous district semifinal matchups between these two teams. Warren Central has been the thorn in the Purples' side this season, dealing them their only two district losses and as of this writing 2 of the 3 losses Bowling Green has suffered in their last 14 games (the other to BGP Top 5 team Hopkinsville). Central, for their part, is 14-0 against teams not named Warren East since late December, averaging a margin of victory of 17 points in those wins. In the season series between these two, the Dragons were thoroughly dominant for 7 of the 8 quarters played, but it was that 8th quarter that showed what the Purples were capable of, storming back from an 18 point deficit entering the 4th quarter of their first matchup to take a 5 point lead. The Purples ultimately fell in double overtime of that game, but it's enough to plant a seed of doubt in the Dragons and a grain of confidence in the Purples. It's a sign that either team can walk out of this game and the winner will enter the region tournament as the favorite regardless of the district final outcome. It's tough to beat a team three times in the same year, but the Dragons have also never lost a postseason matchup to the Purples in a year where they swept the regular season series, going 7-0 in those games. The prediction here is that they extend that record. Prediction: Warren Central by 4 February 23rd Predicted Matchup #1 Warren East vs. #3 Warren Central - While no team other than Warren Central or Bowling Green has won the district since 1996, for Warren East the drought is even longer. You have to go all the way back to 1989 to find the last time the Raiders won a district championship, a title they owned in their first 20 years, winning 10 times. Former district member Franklin-Simpson, which hasn't played in the district since 1994, has won one more recently (two in fact). Getting to region is the most important goal for Warren East but it would be a statement if they could break that drought and hold Warren Central and Bowling Green have had. In this predicted matchup, it would require them to defeat Warren Central for a third time this year. The Raiders won the first two matchups by pulling away in the second half of each low scoring affair, ultimately winning by margins of 9 and 7 points. East matches up well with Central, matching their interior presence and have utilized dead-eye shooting from the perimeter to fell the Dragons. If this year is any indication, you can throw out all other Central games when looking at what the Dragons have done. Central has been held below 60 points three times and only twice since December 21st - both were in their losses to Warren East. The Raiders have left the Dragons befuddled after each matchup, and with the Dragons having to compete in a far more difficult semifinal matchup, the prediction here is that the Dragons will leave this one the same way. Prediction: Warren East by 3

4th Region Top 10 1) Russell County (18-4) - 1/29 68-43 W Taylor County, 1/31 80-43 W Casey County, 2/1 68-23 W at Metcalfe County Previous Rank: 1 This Week: 2/5 vs. #6 Barren County, 2/8 at Adair County, 2/9 vs. Madison Central 2) Warren Central (17-6) - 1/29 66-61 W at Christian County, 2/1 58-65 L at Warren East Previous Rank: 2 This Week: 2/4 vs. #7 Russellville, 2/5 at Henderson County, 2/8 at Greenwood, 2/9 vs. Elizabethtown 3) Bowling Green (13-11) - 1/29 65-44 W vs. South Warren, 2/1 76-49 W at Glasgow, 2/2 68-60 W Greenwood Previous Rank: 5 This Week: 2/4 at Logan County, 2/5 vs. Owensboro, 2/8 at #4 Warren East 4) Warren East (18-5) - 1/29 70-51 W Cumberland County, 2/1 65-58 W Warren Central Previous Rank: 6 This Week: 2/4 vs. Caverna, 2/5 at #8 South Warren, 2/8 vs. #3 Bowling Green 5) Clinton County (14-8) - 1/29 66-73 L vs. Wayne County, 1/31 65-61 W at Caverna Previous Rank: 3 This Week: 2/7 vs. #10 Allen County-Scottsville, 2/9 vs. South Laurel 6) Barren County (18-5) - 1/29 87-71 W at Greenwood, 2/1 62-50 W at Hart County Previous Rank: 4 This Week: 2/5 at #1 Russell County, 2/8 vs. Cumberland County 7) Russellville (14-9) - 1/29 67-59 W Franklin-Simpson, 2/1 71-75 L at Logan County Previous Rank: 7 This Week: 2/4 at #2 Warren Central, 2/5 at University Heights, 2/8 at Todd County Central 8) South Warren (13-10) - 1/29 44-65 L at Bowling Green, 2/1 70-52 W Greenwood Previous Rank: 8 This Week: 2/5 vs. #4 Warren East, 2/7 at Franklin-Simpson, 2/9 at University Heights 9) Monroe County (12-9) - 1/29 61-45 W Glasgow, 2/1 63-55 W at Allen County-Scottsville Previous Rank: 9 This Week: 2/5 at Cumberland County, 2/7 vs. Cumberland County, 2/9 at Metcalfe County 10) Allen County-Scottsville (12-9) - 1/29 72-62 W at Hart County, 55-63 L Monroe County Previous Rank: NR This Week: 2/5 vs. Greenwood, 2/7 at #5 Clinton County, 2/8 at Franklin-Simpson A Rankings Defense - I usually don't include this but I feel like one of the rankings in particular this week calls for explanation. Essentially, I believe you could consider Warren Central, Bowling Green, and Warren East virtually a tie. There may just be matchup advantages and disadvantages that explain the round robin they have going. If you wanted to argue Warren East ahead of Warren Central based on the season sweep, I'm not certain I could tell you you're wrong. I believe arguments can be made for any of the three teams to be in any order. My rank is based on the eye test and what I've seen them do outside of the head to head games. If any of the three are standing as district champs in a few weeks, I won't be blown away. Zero District Unbeatens - When Russellville fell 75-71 to Logan County on Friday, it left the region with zero teams unbeaten in their district. This marked the first time since the 2008/09 season that no one made it out of the regular season unbeaten in their district. As of this posting, five teams have 5-1 records in their district, with Warren Central and Bowling Green also checking in at 5-2. Parity reigns supreme for the region, though this may cap their upside as well. Heading For Another Tie - The 14th District began seeding in 1999. From 1999-2008 there was never a single tie atop the standings, and usually one team was unbeaten in the district. If Warren East fails to beat Bowling Green on Friday, it will likely mean at least two teams tied atop the 14th District for the fifth straight year. It would likely be the second straight year that three teams tie at the top. Sweet 16 Draw - In the drawing conducted 10 days ago, Region 4 drew Region 10 in the upcoming Sweet 16 tournament. This will be the 10th meeting of the regions since the 4th Region teams moved in from the 5th Region in 1966, and the 6th first round meeting. The 10th Region took the last meeting, a 2006 Mason County victory over Warren Central in the first round. That snapped a 6 game win streak that the 4th Region had over the 10th Region, and they hold an overall 7-2 advantage, including victories in the 1976, 1984, and 2004 state championship. Games Of The Week 2/9 - Madison Central #1 Russell County - The 4th Region has done little to raise their profile statewide this season, a rarity in recent years for the region. This is most likely their last chance prior to the postseason to gain a high profile win. The Lakers have only lost two games since Christmas, but they were double digit losses to the best teams they've played in that time, Pulaski County and Southwestern. 2/8 - #3 Bowling Green at #4 Warren East - Warren East enters with an astounding 36 game losing streak to the Purples. They haven't won one since January 30th, 1998. Ernie Simpson was Bowling Green's head coach at the time - his son Casey Simpson coaches the Raiders now. The last time these two teams met it was a big game for Warren East. It was their chance to put themselves in dominant position for the #1 seed. They were blown out by 28. This time, it's a chance for them to clinch the #1 seed, something they've never done since seeding began. The Raiders have never made a region tournament since seeding began - this would more than likely put them there. 2/5 - #4 Warren East at #8 South Warren - The first time these two teams met in December, South Warren led the whole game, until literally the last second, when Aaron Strange tipped in a miss at the buzzer to give the Raiders their first district win - a win that has now proven crucial to their postseason positioning. The Spartans are in the midst of a late season swoon, but will try to play spoiler while picking up some postseason momentum. Though on the surface not as big as the Bowling Green/Warren East game, this still could have significant implications for the district seeding in the 14th District. For starters, it would guarantee there could not be a three way tie atop the district. It would also mean that Bowling Green would need a Warren Central loss to Greenwood to be able to get the #1 seed, as a two way tie with Central would place them at #2.