16 Teams Left

Here is the draw for next week's KHSAA Boys' Basketball Tournament:

Wednesday, March 18:

(1) Cov. Catholic Colonels (31-2) v. (4) Lou. St. Xavier Tigers (26-7)

(3) Warren Cent. Dragons (26-3) v. (16) N. Laurel Jaguars (28-7)

Taylor Co. Cardinals (26-9) v. Grayson Co. Cougars (25-6)

Danville Christian Warriors (23-7) v. Great Crossing Warhawks (23-11)

Thursday, March 19:

(19) Lou. Butler Bears (26-5) v. Hazard Bulldogs (24-10)

(5) N. Oldham Mustangs (25-5) v. Lyon Co. Lyons (29-6)

(6) Geo. Rogers Clark Cardinals (29-4) v. Johnson Cent. Golden Eagles (28-5)

(10) Boyd Co. Lions (29-6) v. Marshall Co. Marshals (24-8)

Every team in this year's State Tournament has won at least 23 games, and the great majority have been to the tournament within the last five years.  It should be very competitive.

26 Teams Left

Tonight is the last night of the Regional Tournaments.  Five Regional Titles -- including the important Eleventh and Seventh Regionals -- were decided last night:

SECOND REGION SEMI-FINALS (at Madisonville-N. Hopkins H.S.):

Henderson Co. 56, Hopkins Co. Cent. 55

Lyon Co. 80, Hopkinsville 56

FOURTH REGION SEMI-FINALS (at W. Kentucky U.):

(3) Warren Cent. 73, Barren Co. 38

S. Warren 54, Monroe Co. 51

FIFTH REGION SEMI-FINALS (at Green Co. H.S.):

Taylor Co. 52, Caverna 35

N. Hardin 68, Adair Co. 56

SEVENTH REGION FINAL (at Valley H.S.):

(4) Lou. St. Xavier 63, (9) Lou. Ballard 49

St. X takes the Seventh Region for the second year in a row.

EIGHTH REGION SEMI-FINALS (at Henry Co. H.S.):

Spencer Co. 59, Henry Co. 52

(5) N. Oldham 49, (20) Woodford Co. 33

TENTH REGION SEMI-FINALS (at Mason Co. Fieldhouse):

(6) Geo. Rogers Clark 81, Scott 53

Montgomery Co. 91, Campbell Co. 71

ELEVENTH REGION FINAL (at E. Kentucky U.):

Great Crossing 53, (7) Lex. Frederick Douglass 45

Great Crossing, the defending State Champion, will return to the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row.

TWELFTH REGION SEMI-FINAL (at Pulaski Co. H.S.):

W. Jessamine 49, Boyle Co. 48 (OT)

Danville Christian 62, Rockcastle Co. 41

THIRTEENTH REGION FINAL (at Corbin Arena):

(16) N. Laurel 51, Bell Co. 38

North Laurel takes the 13th Region for the fourth time in the last five years.

FOURTEENTH REGION FINAL (at Breathitt Co. H.S.):

Hazard 64, Powell Co. 57

The last time Hazard won the 14th Region was in 2020, and the State Tournament was canceled for COVID a few days later.  This year, the Bulldogs are scheduled to play in the State Tournament for the first time since 2010.

FIFTEENTH REGION FINAL (at Pikeville Expo Center):

Johnson Cent. 81, Pikeville 68

Johnson Central returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.

SIXTEENTH REGION SEMI-FINALS (at Morehead St. U.):

(10) Boyd Co. 76, Russell 71

Ashland Blazer 83, Raceland 55

Right now, the State Tournament draw looks like this:

(1) Cov. Catholic or Ryle v. (4) Lou. St. Xavier

(3) Warren Cent. or S. Warren v. (16) N. Laurel

N. Hardin or Taylor Co. v. Grayson Co. or Meade Co.

W. Jessamine or Danville Christian v. Great Crossing

(19) Lou. Butler or (13) Lou. Jeffersontown v. Hazard

(5) N. Oldham or Spencer Co. v. Henderson Co. or Lyon Co.

(6) Geo. Rogers Clark or Montgomery Co. v. Johnson Cent.

Marshall Co. v. (10) Boyd Co. or Ashland Blazer

128 Teams Left

Here are the quarterfinals for the First Region Boys' Basketball Tournament, which will take place at Murray State University.  MaxPrep rankings shown for teams in the top 20.  That's a tough draw for St. Mary, although at least they don't have to play on Ash Wednesday:

Wednesday, March 5:

Paducah Tilghman (16-11) v. Fulton Co. (9-13)

Graves Co. (19-9) v. (4) Marshall Co. (27-2)

Thursday, March 6:

Carlisle Co. (14-16) v. Mayfield (20-9)

(6) Calloway Co. (28-3) v. Paducah St. Mary (23-8)

Meanwhile, here are the quarterfinals for the Second Region Tournament, taking place at Madisonville-N. Hopkins H.S.:

Wednesday, March 5:

Madisonville-N. Hopkins (15-12) v. Livingston Cent. (9-20)

Christian Co. (8-22) v. Union Co. (15-10)

Thursday, March 6:

Henderson Co. (22-6) v. Hopkinsville (15-15)

Lyon Co. (24-7) v. Dawson Springs (17-15)

MaxPreps has Henderson Co. ranked number 26, which is the highest ranking for any team in the Second Region.  (Lyon Co. is ranked number 61.)

Kentuckians of the Years: 2022, 2023, and 2024

Here's the thing:  it's never easy to do these posts.  In the first place, it's usually not all that easy to pick Kentuckian of the Year.  In the second place, the end of the year is a hectic time filled with lots of other events to post about.  It's tempting to hold Kentuckian of the Year for a month like August where you don't have as much going on, but of course that wouldn't really work.  Anyway, here are the last three Kentuckians of the Year, along with an updated list going back to 2010:

The Kentuckian of the Year for 2022 was obviously Oscar Tschiebwe, the UK center who swept the honors as the National Player of the Year.  In the 2021-22 season, the Cats finished number 6 on Ken Pomeroy's rankings -- and that's the only time they have finished in the top 10 since 2019.  Oscar deserves a lot of credit for that.  He was also one of the most popular UK players of all time, and he came back to play for the Cats in 2022-23.  So he's the Kentuckian of the Year for 2022.

The Kentuckian of the Year for 2023 was Andy Beshear, who was re-elected as Governor over Daniel Cameron (the Republican) by a vote of 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent.  The total vote was 694,482 to 627,457.  Beshear's father -- Steve Beshear -- won in 2007 and 2011, so the Beshears have won four of the last five governor's races.  Their success is even more remarkable when you consider that the Beshears are Democrats.  Right now, Republicans hold 80 of 100 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives, and 31 of 38 seats in the Kentucky Senate.  But the Beshears -- with their remarkable ability to balance the solid Democratic vote in Louisville and Lexington with just enough support in the rural parts of the Commonwealth -- have managed to maintain a stranglehold on the Governor's Mansion.  No wonder Governor Beshear is seen by many Democrats as a potential candidate at the National Level in 2026 or 2028.

So that brings us to 2024.  In many ways, the biggest story of the year for Kentuckians in 2024 was the re-election of Donald Trump.  Trump received 62.5 percent of Kentucky's vote in 2016, 62.1 percent of Kentucky's vote in 2020, and 64.8 percent of Kentucky's vote in 2024.  To put those figures in perspective, Reagan received 60.0 percent of Kentucky's vote in 1984, and FDR never received more than 58.5 percent of the vote in Kentucky.  There is a strong argument to be made that Trump is the most popular Presidential candidate in the history of the Commonwealth.  (Even Henry Clay only received 54.1 percent of the vote in 1844).  So Kentucky had an unusual stake in this election, and Trump's victory will undoubtedly resonate throughout the Commonwealth for years to come.  But interestingly enough, Kentuckians have also selected a team of officials who strongly disagree with President Trump.  Mitch McConnell's opposition to Trump is well-known, and as we just mentioned, Governor Beshear is a Democrat.  Even Sen. Rand Paul hews to a libertarian ideology that regularly conflicts with Trump's populism.  So who would be the Kentuckian of the Year from the perspective of a Trump voter?  The answer is probably Rep. James Comer, who used his position as a Representative from Kentucky's First District to investigate the Biden Administration and otherwise promote the Trump campaign.

But there was another story in Kentucky that was even bigger than the election.  Perhaps nothing captures the way Kentuckians see themselves better than the KHSAA basketball tournament.  The tournament is famous for the fact that Kentucky only has a single champion for the whole Commonwealth.  This fact captures Kentuckians' love of the underdog, and their belief that everyone -- regardless of background -- should have a chance.  On the other hand, Kentucky has always had a strong aristocracy, and that means that your chance is not always a fair chance.  The Commonwealth is a place where the little people certainly have the right to be heard, but where the big people usually have their way.  And so it is in high school basketball.  Yes, every school -- no matter how small -- is eligible for the title.  But we all know that most of the time, the champion will be one of the big schools.  That's life in the Commonwealth.

Now this balance is extremely difficult to maintain.  The difference between having a small (but real) chance, and having practically no chance, is very hard to measure.  If a small school never wins, then it becomes harder to convince everyone that they have a genuine chance.  But Kentucky has been lucky so far -- every so often, from Earlington to Edmonson County to Shelby Valley -- one of the smaller schools breaks through and gives hope to the rest of them.  And this year, that school was Lyon County.  Not only did the Lyons represent a small school -- Lyon County H.S. doesn't even have a football team -- but they come from the far Western end of the Commonwealth, which traditionally struggles in basketball.  2024 was the first time since 1967 that the State Champion came from a school west of Hopkinsville.

So score one for the populists.  But also don't forget the aristocrats.  Lyon County's success resulted from the fact that the best player in the Commonwealth and the Coach of the Year were both members of the same family.  Ryan Perry coached the team.  Travis Perry was the Star who set the all-time record for points scored and won a scholarship to UK.  So yes, the little guys had their day.  But only because they had some Big-Time talent.  And therefore, our Kentuckian of the Year for 2024 is Travis Perry.

Here is the list of all Kentuckians of the Year since the HP began:

2010:  Rand Paul (Bowling Green)

2011:  John Calipari (Lexington)

2012:  Darius Miller (Maysville)

2013:  Jennifer Lawrence (Louisville)

2014:  Mitch McConnell (Louisville)

2015:  Matt Bevin (Louisville)

2016:  Mitch McConnell (Louisville)

2017:  Justin Thomas (Louisville)

2018:  Stephanie Winkler (Richmond)

2019:  Andy Beshear (Louisville)

2020:  Andy Beshear (Louisville)

2021:  Chris Smiley (Dawson Springs)

2022:  Oscar Tschiebwe (Lexington)

2023:  Andy Beshear (Louisville)

2024:  Travis Perry (Eddyville)

4 Teams Left

In the late game last night, Evangel Christian beat Trinity 57 to 46.  So the semi-finals look like this:

(1) Great Crossing (36-1) v. (7) Lyon Co. (34-3) (10 A.M. Central)

(9) Harlan Co. (33-4) v. (11) Evangel Christian (31-6) (12:30 P.M. Central)

On paper, this is one of the strongest collections of semi-finalists I can remember.

8 Teams Left

The late game last night featured an upset, with Campbell Co. (who already upset George Rogers Clark in the Tenth Region beating Number-3 Newport 43 to 40.  This will not improve the mood of folks in the Ninth Region, who were already complaining about having to play on Thursday for eight years in a row.

So that sets up today's quarter-finals, each of which features at least one ranked team:

Magoffin Co. v. (1) Great Crossing (10 A.M. Central)

(7) Lyon Co. v. Adair Co. (12:30 P.M. Central)

(9) Harlan Co. v. Campbell Co. (5 P.M. Central)

(5) Lou. Trinity v. (11) Lou. Evangel Christian (7:30 P.M. Central)

Five of the quarterfinalists were ranked in the MaxPreps top 20, which strikes me as a very impressive job of ranking, especially given the fact that the KHSAA doesn't seed its tournament.

16 Teams Left

Actually, now it's 15, as Magoffin Co. kicks off the KHSAA Boys' Basketball Tournament with a 54 to 47 win over Perry Co. Central.  Next up:  Ashland Blazer v. Lyon Co. at 12:30 P.M. Central.

42 Teams Left

Sixteen games on tap tomorrow, including some really big ones:

Second Region Semi-Final (at Hopkinsville):

Madisonville-N. Hopkins v. (7) Lyon Co.

Fourth Region Semi-Final (at W. Kentucky U.):

Cumberland Co. v. (10) Bowling Green

Seventh Region Final (at Valley):

Lou. Seneca (17-15) v. (5) Lou. Trinity (25-7)

Eighth Region Semi-Final (at Henry Co.):

Simon Kenton v. (8) N. Oldham

Tenth Region Semi-Final (at Mason Co.):

(12) George Rogers Clark v. Campbell Co.

Thirteenth Region Final (at The Corbin Arena):

Corbin (23-8) v. (9) Harlan Co. (30-4)

Fourteenth Region Final (at Powell Co.):

Breathitt Co. (20-11) v. Perry Co. Cent. (21-13)

Fifteenth Region Final (at Appalachian Wireless Arena):

Martin Co. (23-9) v. Magoffin Co. (20-13)

Sixteenth Region Semi-Final (at Morehead St. U.):

(17) Boyd Co. v. Rowan Co.

128 Teams Left

All 16 Regions in the Boys' State Basketball Tournament are set, and the next week will see incredible drama.  But tonight we only have two games, both in the Ninth Region:  Lloyd Mem. v. Beechwood, and (3) Newport v. Ryle.

Here's the latest top 20 from MaxPreps:

1.  Great Crossing:  31-1

2.  Lex. Catholic:  28-2

3.  Newport:  29-3

4.  Lou. St. Xavier:  28-3
5.  Lou. Trinity:  21-7

6.  Cov. Catholic:  24-5

7.  Lyon Co:  29-3

8.  N. Oldham:  24-5

9.  Harlan Co:  29-5

10.  Bowling Green:  25-5

11.  Lou. Evangel Christian:  23-5

12.  George Rogers Clark:  29-2

13.  Woodford Co:  23-5

14.  Cooper:  21-8

15.  Lou. Manual:  24-4

16.  Lou. Male:  21-10

17.  Boyd Co:  24-6

18.  Lou. DeSales:  21-9

19.  Oldham Co:  22-9

20.  Lex. Bryan Station:  22-4

Henderson Co. is number 21.  University Heights is number 37.

McCracken Co. is number 31.  Marshall Co. is number 38.

KHSAA District Play Begins

The boys' basketball regular season is over, and District Play has begun.  There are over 270 high schools in Kentucky, and every one of them that fields a boys' basketball team will have the chance to win the State Championship.

Here are the top 20 schools in the Commonwealth, according to MaxPreps.  We will use these rankings for the rest of the season:

1.  Great Crossing:  29-1 (Champion of the King of the Bluegrass Tournament)

2.  Lex. Catholic:  27-2 (Champion of the Kentucky 2A Tournament)

3.  Newport:  27-3 (Champion of the All A State Tournament)

4.  Lou. St. Xavier:  25-3 (Champion of the Louisville Invitational Tournament)

5.  Lou. Trinity:  21-6

6.  Lyon Co:  26-3 (Champion of the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic)

7.  Cov. Catholic:  21-5

8.  N. Oldham:  23-44

9.  Harlan Co:  26-5

10.  Bowling Green:  24-5

11.  George Rogers Clark:  27-2

12.  Lou. Evangel Christian:  22-5

13.  Lou. Manual:  21-4

14.  Woodford Co:  22-5

15.  Cooper:  19-8

16.  Lou. Male:  20-9

17.  Boyd Co:  23-6

18.  Ashland Blazer:  19-9

19.  Henderson Co:  23-6

20.  Lou. DeSales:  19-9

Great Crossing's only loss was to Bishop O'Connell H.S. of Arlington, Va. at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S. Carolina.

Here are the top three teams in the First Region:

30.  McCracken Co:  21-7

45.  Marshall Co:  20-7

58.  Calloway Co:  17-9

I foresee bad feelings between the Mustangs and the Marshalls before the First Region Tournament is settled.

Of course, the big story in our end of the Commonwealth is Lyon County, whose senior class (including UK recruit Travis Perry) is trying to go to Rupp Arena for the third year in a row.  Lyon County has only three losses:

12/09/23:  Father Tolton of Colombia, Mo. beat Lyon Co. 71-54 in Columbia, Mo.

01/27/24:  Newport beat Lyon Co. 50-48 in the All A Semi-Finals.

01/30/24:  Henderson Co. beat Lyon Co. 78-73 in Eddyville.

On the other hand, the Lyons have beaten Lex. Catholic, Bowling Green, and Lou. DeSales.

Travis Perry to Kentucky

Today, the Lyon County star announced his intention to play basketball for the University of Kentucky.  I believe that he will be the first UK player since Travis Ford from our end of the Commonwealth.  In my lifetime, I can think of only two other players from west of Madisonville who played in the SEC:  Fred Cowan (of Union Co. H.S. and Kentucky), and Barry Goheen (of Marshall Co. H.S. and Vanderbilt).

Kentucky Minute: Second Region Boys' Basketball Championship

 

Comments flow ...

25 Games Left

See what I mean?  It goes very fast.  Spring planting will be here before you know it.  Allergies!  Baseball!  Going down to the lake!  Basketball in your driveway, instead of indoors.

But it's not over yet.  From here on out, every loss is painful.  I rooted for Heath High School in 36 different state playoffs, from 1978 to 2013, and I think in all those years we only made it as far as the Regional Semi-Finals once.  These are very serious games.  Tonight we had high drama all over the Commonwealth, and five more teams got their tickets to the Sweet 16:

2d Region Semi-Finals (at Madisonville-N. Hopkins):

Hopkinsville 69, Henderson Co. 60

(9) Lyon Co. 76, Christian Co. 53

You didn't really think Lyon County could get back to the State Tournament without beating Hoptown, did you?  The Tigers are 14-16, and they lost to Henderson County 62-52 back on January 3, but Hoptown usually wins these games, and Henderson County usually loses them.

4th Region Semi-Finals (at W. Kentucky Univ.):

Bowling Green 51, Barren Co. 46

(1) Warren Cent. 81, Warren East 45

Same-old same-old in the Fourth, although Barren County came closer than the rest of the Fourth normally does.

6th Region Final (at Knights Hall, Bellarmine):

Jeffersontown 55, Lou. DeSales 54

Yowsa!  J-Town started off 2-5.  On February 14, their record was 11-12.  But they haven't lost since, and they charge into the State Tournament with a record of 17-12 after wins over Moore (74-36), Butler (52-49), and DeSales (55-54).

8th Region Semi-Finals (at Henry Co.):

Woodford Co. 61, (3) N. Oldham 41

Collins 57, Simon Kenton 47

For years, folks will try to figure out what happened to North Oldham.  Last year, the Mustangs got hot at the end of the season, knocked off Woodford County in the 8th Region Final, and went to the quarter-finals at State before losing to Lincoln County.  This year, they were ranked near the top of the rankings all year.  They were 25-5.  They had won 14 games in a row, and hadn't lost since December 30.  They were the number 3 team in the State.  And then they came out and fell behind Woodford County 19-2 to start the game, and now their season is over.

10th Region Semi-Finals (at Mason Co.):

(4) Geo. Rogers Clark 69, Harrison Co. 56

Mason Co. 75, Campbell Co.

GRC remains on track to defend its State Title, but beating Mason County at Mason County will be a challenge.

11th Region Final (at E. Kentucky Univ.):

(8) Lex. Frederick Douglass 43, (2) Lex. Catholic 41

This was one of the games of the year, with the Catholic Knights (32-2) taking on a Frederick Douglass Broncos team (30-2) that had won 27 games in a row.  Way back on November 30, in the first game of the year, Catholic had beaten Frederick Douglass 71-59, which helps explain the difference in the rankings.  But today, Frederick Douglass hit a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to take a 43-41 lead, and the Knights could not get off a final shot.  Yes, it's hard to win the Eleventh Region.  But of course, it's a big advantage to be in Lexington.

12th Region Semi-Finals (at Lincoln Co.):

Lincoln Co. 55, W. Jessamine 44

Pulaski Co. 44, McCreary Cent. 41

Pulaski Co. (26-6) and Lincoln Co. (24-9) have been the two best teams in this region, so it's fitting that they meet for the title.

13th Region Final (at The Corbin Arena):

N. Laurel 70, Corbin 33

Reed Sheppard and North Laurel have flown under the radar for most of the year, but they will have a lot of fans in Lexington.

14th Region Final (at Perry Co. Cent.):

Breathitt Co. 62, Perry Co. Cent. 46

In their neck of the woods, the Perry Co. Cent. Commodores are a great power, while the Breathitt Co. Bobcats had not been to State since 1996.  But this was the Bobcats' year, as they follow up their 53-51 upset of Hazard (28-4) with another win to capture a trip to Lexington.

15th Region Final (at Appalachian Wireless Arena):

Martin Co. 55, Pikeville 52

Martin County, which has only 11,140 people, won this Region in 2020, but of course that didn't work out.  Now the folks from Inez get to try their luck again.  After losing their last eight games in the regular season, the Cardinals (24-10) are 5-0 in the post-season.

16th Region Semi-Finals (at Morehead St. Univ.):

Ashland Blazer 89, Russell 65

Boyd Co. 61, Lewis Co. 58 (OT)

Boyd County beat Ashland 74-67 in the 64th District Final on February 23, but now they'll have to do it again.

The last ten slots for the State Tournament will be decided tomorrow.  For now, the draw looks like this (teams in bold have punched their ticket):

Wednesday, March 15:

LaRue Co. or Elizabethtown v. McCracken Co.

Jeffersontown v. Woodford Co. or Collins

(1) Warren Cent. or Bowling Green v. Pulaski Co. or Lincoln Co.

Owensboro Catholic or Owensboro v. Boyd Co. or Ashland Blazer

Thursday, March 16:

(8) Lex. Frederick Douglass v. Martin Co.

Lou. Male or Lou. Trinity v. Breathitt Co.

(9) Lyon Co. or Hopkinsville v. Newport or Cooper

(4) Geo. Rogers Clark or Mason Co. v. N. Laurel

One of those 26 teams will be this year's State Champion.

85 Games Left

Lots of action on Wednesday night, as Regional play takes off all over the Commonwealth:

1st Region Quarter-Finals (at Murray St. Univ.):

Mayfield 42, Hickman Co. 40

Murray 41, Paducah Tilghman 36

2d Region Quarter-Finals (at Madisonville-N. Hopkins):

Christian Co. 64, Webster Co. 52

(9) Lyon Co. 109, Hopkins Co. Cent. 75

3d Region Quarter-Finals (at Owensboro Sportscenter):

Breckinridge Co. 48, Muhlenberg Co. 44

Owensboro Catholic 48, Edmonson Co. 31

4th Region Quarter-Finals (at W. Kentucky Univ.):

(1) Warren Cent. 73, Franklin-Simpson 28

Warren East 68, Monroe Co. 46

5th Region Quarter-Finals (at Hart Co.):

Bardstown 55, Green Co. 53

Elizabethtown 56, Adair Co. 47

8th Region Quarter-Finals (at Henry Co.):

(3) N. Oldham 51, Grant Co. 43

Woodford Co. 55, Owen Co. 50

9th Region Quarter-Finals (at N. Kentucky Univ.):

Cooper 68, Ft. Thomas Highlands 62

(5) Cov. Catholic 66, St. Henry 55

10th Region Quarter-Finals (at Mason Co.):

Campbell Co. 83, Paris 50

Mason Co. 107, Nicholas Co. 56

12th Region Quarter-Finals (at Lincoln Co.):

Lincoln Co. 51, Wayne Co. 40

W. Jessamine 70, Rockcastle Co. 50

13th Region Quarter-Finals (at The Corbin Arena):

N. Laurel 55, Harlan 52

S. Laurel 70, Pineville 44

14th Region Quarter-Finals (at Perry Co. Cent.):

Letcher Co. Cent. 78, Wolfe Co. 64

Perry Co. Cent. 74, Powell Co. 34

15th Region Quarter-Finals (at Appalachian Wireless Arena):

Lawrence Co. 65, Belfry 45

Martin Co. 71, Shelby Valley 64

16th Region Quarter-Finals (at Morehead St. Univ.):

Ashland Blazer 77, Morgan Co. 54

Russell 71, Fleming Co. 60

127 Games to Go

The district championships wrapped up over the weekend.  Here are the last results from Western Kentucky, which came in Friday night:

1st District Final (at Carlisle Co.):

Carlisle Co. 69, Hickman Co. 54

3d District Final (at Mayfield):

Mayfield 47, Graves Co. 37

5th District Final (at Livingston Cent.):

(9) Lyon Co. 88, Trigg Co. 47

7th District Final (at Hopkins Co. Cent.):

Madisonville-N. Hopkins 73, Hopkins Co. Cent. 49

Here's how the Media Poll's top 10 did in District Play:

1.  Warren Central (29-1) won the 14th District 75-56 over Bowling Green.

2.  Lex. Catholic (30-2) won the 43d District 61-39 over Lex. Christian.

3.  N. Oldham (24-5) won the 29th District 71-50 over Oldham Co.

4.  George Rogers Clark (24-5) won the 40th District 84-44 over Paris.

5.  Cov. Catholic (26-4) won the 35th District 61-53 over Beechwood.

6.  Lou. Ballard (25-4) won the 28th District 74-50 over Christian Academy-Louisville.

7.  Great Crossing (27-5) won the 41st District 78-73 over Western Hills.

8.  Lex. Frederick Douglass (28-2) won the 42d District 69-39 over Scott Co.

9.  Lyon Co. (27-5) won the 5th District 88-47 over Trigg Co.

10.  Lou. Evangel Christian (28-4) won the 23d District 85-58 over Lou. Moore.

So all ten teams have to feel really good about their chances going into regionals.  In fact, seven of them will be heavy favorites to win their region.  The other three -- Lex. Catholic, Great Crossing, and Lex. Frederick Douglass -- will battle for the 11th Region.  Douglass got a fortunate draw, and doesn't have to meet either Catholic or Great Crossing until the Regional Final.  Barring a huge upset, Catholic and Great Crossing will meet in the Regional Semi-Final.

KHSAA Update

As we head into the District Finals, here is the top boys' basketball team in each region (according to Max Preps), along with the top 20 overall:

1st:  McCracken Co. (7)

2d:  Lyon Co. (16)

3d:  Owensboro Catholic (23)

4th:  Warren Cent. (2), Bowling Green (15)

5th:  LaRue Co. (31)

6th:  Lou. Evangel Christian (8), Lou. Western (11)

7th:  Lou. Ballard (6), Lou. Male (10), Lou. Trinity (13)

8th:  N. Oldham (3), Collins (12), Grant Co. (19)

9th: Cov. Catholic (4)

10th:  George Rogers Clark (9), Mason Co. (18)

11th:  Lex. Catholic (1), Great Crossing (5), Lex. Douglass (17)

12th:  Pulaski Co. (29)

13th:  N. Laurel (14), Harlan (20)

14th:  Hazard (41)

15th:  Pikeville (49)

16th:  Boyd Co. (26)

Here is the final top 10, according to the Kentucky High School Basketball Media Poll:

1.  Warren Cent.

2.  Lex. Catholic

3.  N. Oldham

4.  George Rogers Clark

5.  Cov. Catholic

6.  Lou. Ballard

7.  Great Crossing

8.  Lex. Douglass

9.  Lyon Co.

10.  Lou. Evangel Christian

And that would give us the following matchups, with top 10 teams in bold:

Wednesday, March 15:

LaRue Co. (20-7) v. McCracken Co. (25-5)

(10) Lou. Evangel Christian (27-4) v. (3) N. Oldham (23-5)

(1) Warren Cent. (28-1) v. Pulaski Co. (23-6)

Owensboro Catholic (26-4) v. Boyd Co. (24-5)

Thursday, March 16:

(2) Lex. Catholic (29-2) v. Pikeville (19-7)

(6) Lou. Ballard (24-4) v. Hazard (26-3)

(9) Lyon Co. (26-5) v. (5) Cov. Catholic (25-4)

(4) George Rogers Clark (23-5) v. N. Laurel (21-10)

Top KHSAA Boys' Basketball Teams by Region

Since we now have the draw for the KHSAA Boys' Basketball Tournament, we're going to organize the top teams in the Commonwealth -- according to MaxPreps -- by region.  The chart below shows the top 20 teams in the Commonwealth, as well as the highest-ranked team in each region:

1st:  McCracken Co. (6)

2d:  Lyon Co. (12)

3d:  Owensboro Catholic (20)

4th:  Warren Cent. (1), Bowling Green (10)

5th:  LaRue Co. (35)

6th:  Lou. Evangel Christian (7), Lou. Western (13)

7th:  Lou. Ballard (8), Lou. Male (14), Lou. Trinity (15)

8th:  N. Oldham (4), Collins (11)

9th:  Cov. Catholic (3)

10th:  George Rogers Clark (9), Mason Co. (17)

11th:  Lex. Catholic (2), Great Crossing (5), Lex. Douglass (18)

12th:  Pulaski Co. (19)

13th:  N. Laurel (16)

14th:  Hazard (41)

15th:  Pikeville (57)

16th:  Ashland Blazer (31)

If all the favorites advance, the Sweet 16 would look like this (top 20 teams have their ranking next to their name):

Wednesday, March 15:

LaRue Co. (18-7) v. (6) McCracken Co. (24-5)

(7) Lou. Evangel Christian (25-4) v. (4) N. Oldham (22-5)

(1) Warren Cent. (25-1) v. (19) Pulaski Co. (22-5)

(20) Owensboro Catholic (25-3) v. Ashland Blazer (18-10)

Thursday, March 16:

(2) Lex. Catholic (27-2) v. Pikeville (17-7)

(8) Lou. Ballard (22-4) v. Hazard (25-3)

(12) Lyon Co. (24-5) v. (3) Cov. Catholic (22-4)

(9) George Rogers Clark (21-5) v. (16) N. Laurel (19-10)

That is a very tough draw for Lyon County, but overall the draw is quite fair.  The top four teams would not have to meet each other until the semi-finals, and no one else can reach the semi-finals without having to beat a top-four team.  There are only four teams outside the top 20 who are favored to make it to State, and they've all been kept away from each other.  It should be a great tournament.

KHSAA Boys' Basketball Update

Here's the latest top 20 in the KHSAA from MaxPreps:

1.  Warren Central:  20-1

2.  Cov. Catholic:  17-2

3.  Lou. Ballard:  17-2

4.  Lex. Catholic:  20-2

5.  Great Crossing:  19-3

6.  Bowling Green:  20-4

7.  Collins:  18-2

8.  McCracken Co:  19-2

9.  N. Oldham:  17-5

10.  Mason Co:  21-2 

11.  Lou. Western:  15-6

12.  George Rogers Clark:  15-4

13.  Lyon Co:  16-5

14.  Lincoln Co:  16-5

15.  Pulaski Co:  20-2

16.  Lou. Trinity:  14-6

17.  Lou. DeSales:  14-6

18.  Grant Co:  18-4

19.  Owensboro Catholic:  18-2

20.  N. Laurel:  13-9

On to KHSAA Basketball

Now that we've wrapped up the KHSAA football playoffs, we can start focusing on basketball.  Today the AP issued its first boys' basketball poll of the year, which gives us the following top ten:

1.  George Rogers Clark:  4-0

2.  Warren Cent:  4-0

3.  Cov. Catholic:  5-0

4.  Lou. Ballard:  4-0

5.  Lou. Trinity:  5-1

6.  Bowling Green:  5-0

7.  N. Laurel:  5-2

8.  Lou. Western:  5-1

9.  Mason Co:  4-0

10.  Harlan Co:  4-1

The King of the Bluegrass Tournament starts at Lou. Fairdale on Friday.  It will feature the following matchups in the first round:

Lou. Fairdale v. LaRue Co.

Lyon Co. v. Harlan Co.

Spencer Co. v. Great Crossing

(1) George Rogers Clark v. Lou. Male

(2) Warren Cent. v. Lou. DeSales

Woodford Co. v. Lou. Manual

(5) Lou. Trinity v. N. Oldham

Central Catholic (PA) v. Sagemont (FL)

KHSAA Boys' Basketball Is Under Way

In the first game of the KHSAA Boys' State Basketball Tournament, the Lincoln County Patriots defeated the Jeffersontown Chargers 45-41.  Next up, the Muhlenberg County Mustangs will play the North Oldham Mustangs.

Lincoln County High School opened in August 1974.  According to Wikipedia, it resulted from a merger of the the following schools:  Stanford, Crab Orchard, Hustonville, McKinney, and King Mountain.