Fifth Region Preview

Preseason Rankings...
1. Elizabethtown
2. John Hardin
3. North Hardin
4. Caverna
5. Central Hardin
6. Adair County
7. Bardstown
8. Taylor County
9. Hart County
10. Fort Knox
11. Hart County
12. Campbellsville
13. Green County
14. Larue County
15. Nelson County
16. Marion County
17. Bethlehem

Three Things To Watch...
--Many say great things about the 42nd District, but the 17th District is pretty darn good too. For one, both Elizabethtown and John Hardin are among the state's elite. North Hardin and Central Hardin are both teams that could win a regional tournament or two around the state. And Fort Knox is led by standout senior forward Terry Walker. The odds are decent that the regional champion will come from this district, and perhaps even the regional championship game will be a 17th District Championship rematch.

--Caverna, only a few years removed from a state tournament run, returns this season with William Bradley back in the fold. After missing most of last season, the star guard will be looking to lead the Colonels back to the state tournament. It will be a hard task for them, but reaching the regional tournament from the weak 18th District shouldn't be a problem.

--Parity, parity, parity! When you take away the top two and perhaps even North Hardin, it's a free for all in the 5th region. There isn't much that will seperate a Caverna or a Central Hardin from a Hart County or a Marion County. What this means is that there will be much unpredictablity in the 5th this season. Expect a few upsets in the opening rounds of the district tournaments as well. So in other words, my preseason rankings in this region (outside 1-3) are pretty much useless.

Five Early Games I'd Watch...
--November 27th: Caverna @ Fort Knox
--November 28th: Adair County @ Elizabethtown
--December 8th: Central Hardin @ Elizabethtown
--December 12th: John Hardin @ Central Hardin
--December 14th: North Hardin @ John Hardin

Last Year...
Regional Champion: John Hardin
Regional Runner-Up: Elizabethtown
Regional Semi-Finalists: Bardstown, Nelson County