Merry Christmas!

And for my present to you, a little recap of the action since I last posted some week and a half ago...

December 15-16 (regular season matchups)
--In a clear indication of how wild the 11th region just might be, supposedly equal rivals Bryan Station and Lafayette forgot to play a thrilling close game, as the Generals blew the Defenders out of the waters with a 103-76 victory. Nothing will be a sure thing in this region, except for perhaps Scott County, which romped to an impressive 20-point win over Newport Central Catholic.

--First an unsettling loss to Brown, and now a bad loss to district foe Lawrence County, and the Johnson Central Golden Eagles continue to fall behind Paintsville in the 15th region.

--Covington Holmes made the trek to Perry County to tackle one of the 14th region's best in Hazard, and the 9th region favorite won the day 57-40. Even though some consider the 9th region to be way down from past years, Holmes could still make some noise at the state level if they advance that far.

Some Tournament Recaps
KING OF THE BLUEGRASS
The 7th region showed their strength as Ballard outlasted Male in the King of the Bluegrass final. The Bruins and the Bulldogs both are considered favorites for the 7th region crown, and this December meeting might have an encore in March (but the two will meet again at Ballard on 2/13 and perhaps again in the LIT). Fairdale, though finishing third, made a name for themselves in the 6th region with a nice consolation win over Warren Central. The Dragons are still the overwhelming favorite in the 4th region though despite losing two games in the KOB. Doss, which figured to carry the 6th's banner in this tourney, dropped a game early to Male but rallied for nice wins over Shelby County and Rose Hill Christian. Central Hardin also raised eyebrows with three good wins, including a second win over Elizabethtown.

HOOPIN' IT UP HOLIDAY CLASSIC
It was all about Pleasure Ridge Park, as one of the 6th region's best took the title in London. With a big 60-57 win over South Laurel, PRP vaulted themselves to a top 5 state ranking, and add that to nice wins over North Laurel, Lincoln County and Notre Dame (TN), they look like a serious challenger for the state title. The host Cardinals, though a runner-up, failed to defeat anyone of note. Trinity and Greenwood both won three games in the tournament, but it was the Rocks that outslugged the Gators in a 56-54 classic on the tourney's first day.

DEFENDERS OF THE STATION
In a prelude to the 11th region tournament, many things were discovered about many teams. Bryan Station "defended" their home turf by claiming the championship over Henry Clay, which couldn't close the deal despite a terrific tournament run with quality wins over Wayne County, Allen County-Scottsville and Tates Creek. But perhaps it was Hazard that raised the most eyebrows. The 14th region representative notched not only a win over Lafayette, but a huge win over Madison Central, all this after a 43-point spanking by Dunbar. Even more so, Lafayette failed to show up for the tourney, as the Generals were not only pummeled by Bryan Station by 32 (a week after beating the Defenders by 27), but were outlasted by Hazard and destroyed by ACS. The Generals have ground to make up in the 11th region.

CITIZENS' FIRST HOLIDAY CLASSIC
Christian County was the dominant team at the Bowling Green-hosted tournament, as the Colonels amassed four wins over Muhlenberg South, North Hardin, Moore and the host Purples. Despite being destroyed by the Colonels, Bowling Green got three nice wins, including a regional win over Todd County Central. Louisville Eastern also notched four wins in the event.

For this week, look out for the Fifth Third Invitational in Lexington, the Paintsville Tiger Hoops Classic, the Campbellsville Coca-Cola Holiday Classic and many, many other local tournament across the state.

From a couple of days ago, and tonight

Apologies for not updating yesterday...finals week, what fun. Anyway, several things were notable from Tuesday night...

--The 6th Region has been officially declared "interesting." Credit Iroquois and Fairdale for the increased confusion. Iroquois upset #8 Pleasure Ridge Park 65-64 and Fairdale upended #14 DeSales 62-56. Now we know that PRP and DeSales would be in the hunt for a regional title, but we've got two others to watch now in the 6th. But #7 Doss still may be the favorite, as the Dragons slammed Southern 74-40.

--The 5th region doesn't appear to be carrying the same strength as it did a year ago. First, E-Town has tanked it to start the year (apparently trying to prove my embarrasing attempt at picking a state champion wrong). Now #19 John Hardin falls to the fourth best team in its district--Central Hardin, 73-61.

--Lincoln County and East Jessamine promised to be a great matchup that might determine the favorite in the 12th region. One of those two things held true, as the Patriots smacked East Jessamine 75-55.

--Speaking of the Patriots, Allen County-Scottsville won an epic 84-82 overtime game over Bowling Green in the Patriots' home opener. This marked the first time Bowling Green coach D.G. Sherrill has appeared in Patriot Gym since leaving ACS for the Purples after the 2004-2005 season. Meanwhile, in the 4th, #22 Greenwood continued their early season roll with a close win over Russellville, 56-49. Wouldn't the 4th be fun without Warren Central as a sure bet to take the title for the sixth consecutive time?

--My sleeper regional champion in the 8th region, Gallatin County, dropped their second consecutive regional game on Tuesday, this one quite convincingly to Owen County 66-57. The other regional loss: Henry County, 48-40. Also in the 8th region, #24 Simon Kenton improved their defensive statistics substantially in a 69-13 (?) win over Williamstown.

--Paintsville: the unquestioned current favorite in the 15th region. The Tigers took care of Pikeville 68-61. The ball now is in Johnson Central's court to make a move on the Tigers, which have played as well as any team to start the season.

--And in Lexington, #23 Lafayette fell to #17 Tates Creek 78-67, #1 Scott County rolled by 20 over Covington Holy Cross, Dunbar won as expected over Lexington Christian, and more telling, #11 Bryan Station looked darn good in a 75-59 rout of #16 Henry Clay.

And for today's action...

--#19 John Hardin looks to salvage their top 25 ranking as the Bulldogs host North Hardin.

--#17 Tates Creek could vault into the top 10 state rankings with a win on the road at #6 Lexington Catholic. The Knights, likewise, could reach the top 5 with a victory here.

--And there's this tournament going on, the King of the Bluegrass, perhaps you've heard of it...

Today's games
#25 Shelby County vs. Central Hardin
#7 Doss vs. Franklin County
Elizabethtown vs. Central
#15 Male vs. Meade County

Tomorrow's games
Rose Hill Christian vs. Ballou (DC)
Fairdale vs. Hancock County
#3 Ballard vs. Memphis Kingsbury (TN)
#2 Warren Central vs. #14 DeSales

--

Updates will be sporadic from tomorrow until January 8th. But they will return in daily fashion by that day.

Today's action

Because nothing of significance went down last night, so we will press on to Tuesday's fun...

--Boyd County threw their hat into the 16th region's ring on Friday with a win over Ashland Blazer. Now they can define themselves as a true contender with a win over Elliott County, who likewise is looking for a big win to jumpstart their season.

--Just to the south, the 15th region will witness a nice battle tonight as Paintsville invades Pikeville. With Johnson Central's puzzling loss to Brown, the Tigers of Paintsville have to be considered the regional favorite as of now, especially after playing top teams like Bryan Station and Henry Clay to close games.

--Fairdale hasn't made much noise so far this season in the 6th region, but they can up their attention with an upset win tonight over the #14 DeSales Colts.

--Two Lexington titans get together tonight in a district showdown, as #16 Henry Clay visits #11 Bryan Station. The Defenders threw up 100 on Dunbar last Friday, while the Blue Devils will be looking for a nice bounceback win after dropping one to Lafayette in their last outing. Speaking of the Generals, #23 Lafayette travels to #17 Tates Creek tonight as well. To the north, #1 Scott County will host Covington Holy Cross, another chance for the Cardinals to abuse a quality opponent like they have with Lafayette and Ballard.

--As we know, the 12th region is wide open. Two major contenders for the regional title are Lincoln County and East Jessamine, and the two will clash tonight to see who has the early track to the state tournament.

--#18 Manual and Trinity anyone? One of the better Louisville-area rivalries renews itself tonight at the Crimsons head to the home of the Rocks.

Top 25 and Monday

So here's a new top 25...

1) Scott County
2) Warren Central
3) Ballard
4) South Laurel
5) Mason County
6) Lexington Catholic
7) Doss
8) Pleasure Ridge Park
9) Jeffersontown
10) George Rogers Clark
11) Bryan Station
12) Holmes
13) Madison Central
14) DeSales
15) Male
16) Henry Clay
17) Tates Creek
18) Manual
19) John Hardin
20) Apollo
21) Covington Catholic
22) Greenwood
23) Lafayette
24) Simon Kenton
25) Shelby County

Dropped out: University Heights, Johnson Central

As for tonight's limited action...

--One of the best rivalries in western Kentucky renews itself tonight as Murray visits Mayfield.

--Owensboro Catholic looks to right the ship as the Aces take on Frederick Fraize.

My apologies

Had a very busy weekend, so I didn't get to update much, or at all. Here's a look at some of the more telling games from Friday and then Saturday...

Friday
--The 11th Region is going to be captivating all season long. Perhaps the regional champion is already decided, but nevertheless, what fun it has been so far. From Friday night, Lexington Catholic made a statement over defending regional champion Madison Central, Lafayette rebounded from a tough loss to Dunbar with a big win over Henry Clay and Bryan Station hit triple digits against Dunbar. Oh, and Tates Creek walloped 2nd region power University Heights.

--And while the 11th region flexes its muscle, the 7th region isn't looking that bad either. Eastern made things interesting before losing to Ballard by 5. Also, Manual continued their hot play with a nice win over North Hardin.

--Paducah Tilghman continues to struggle in the early season, as the Blue Tornado dropped their second regional game already, this one to Graves County.

--Upset in the 16th? Ashland Blazer fell to rival Boyd County by 2 points. Who is going to challenge Russell in this thing?

--E-Town as state champs? Woe is me. The Panthers lose again, this time to Central Hardin.

Saturday
--Three words: George Rogers Clark. The Cardinals make a huge statement with a win over another set of Cardinals...no, not Scott County, but South Laurel. This is quite a win for the 10th region, considering that GRC is not regarded as the region's top team (that would be Mason County), and yet they can defeat the state's #2 team. Don't expect South Laurel to be down for long though.

--Speaking of Scott County, the Cardinals slid by University Heights by 15 points, this only a day after Tates Creek pounded Heights by 27.

--And speaking of Tates Creek, the Commodores looked mighty impressive in a big win over Owensboro in Bourbon County's Kentucky Bank Shootout. So far, this basketball season is looking a lot like football season: Louisville and Lexington domination over everyone else.

--Owensboro Catholic went down hard to Webster County; it looks like a serious rebuilding year for the Aces.

New rankings to debut this afternoon.

Day 12

Nothing really big to talk about from yesterday, so let's move on to tonight's action...

--Go...east...young man, and you will find a great cross-town rivalry brewing tonight in the 16th region, as the Ashland Blazer Tomcats travel to Boyd County. Russell seems to have taken the lead in this region, but the Tomcats will be considered on their hills given a win tonight. In addition to that game, eastern Kentucky will see a fine 14th region game between Leslie County and Perry County Central.

--Arguably the biggest game in the 4th region so far this season will be tonight, as the #24 Greenwood Gators invade Purple Gym to battle the Bowling Green Purples. Greenwood has been most impressive to begin the season, and maybe this will be the year that they can topple Warren Central in the 14th district. Bowling Green has been trying for a while, and the Purples haven't really been fantastic to start this season either.

--Paducah Tilghman has already dropped an early game to a regional foe (Calloway County). Let's see if the Blue Tornado can get things on track with a win at Graves County.

--In Lexington, #23 Lafayette fell suprisingly to Dunbar earlier this week, and the Generals must recover quickly as they host #15 Henry Clay. Also, #11 Lexington Catholic heads down to Richmond to play #10 Madison Central in a game that most likely will determine which team can best challenge #1 Scott County in the 11th region, if any team can. Tates Creek steps out of region to host University Heights, and finally, Dunbar looks to make it two regional wins in a row as the Bulldogs host #12 Bryan Station. It will be a tough chore.

--Fern Creek can be considered a sleeper in the 7th region, but the Tigers will have the chance to get some attention tonight provided they pull the upset at #14 Male.

--Looking for a good game tonight between teams leading their respective regions? Try #7 Mason County (of the 10th region) and Lincoln County (of the 12th region) at Bourbon County's Kentucky Bank Shootout.

Day 11

Two games to note from last night...

--So much for ranking Johnson Central, as the Golden Eagles came west to Louisville and lost to lowly Brown 56-54. Perhaps this does make Paintsville the team to beat in the 15th region.

--A region over, Russell outlasted Elliott County 74-71 in the EKC Tournament. This bodes well for both teams, as Russell gets credit for winning, and Elliott County proves itself legitimate in the 16th region due to hanging with the Red Devils.

To be truthful, there aren't any games that are must-see for tonight, but keep an eye on these three...

--Corbin @ Bell County
--South Oldham @ Spencer County
--Breckinridge County @ Meade County

There will be many good games coming up this weekend though. Check back tomorrow for a look at those...

Day 10

Tuesday was full of important things to note...

--Our game of the night turned out to be the game of the night, as #9 Doss escaped #4 PRP with a 60-58 win, as Jeff Brooks's tip-in in the waning moments gave the Dragons the big win. It appears early on that the 6th region will be a three-way chase between these two teams and DeSales, but I haven't seen Central enough to proclaim this race only eligible to three teams.

--As for ranking Holmes at #5, perhaps that was a mistake. Or perhaps Simon Kenton deserved to be ranked. Whichever is the case, SK picked up a huge early-season victory in overtime by a 78-74 margin.

--In another overtime contest, #10 Madison Central got out of Winchester with a 69-68 victory over #19 George Rogers Clark. This isn't all bad news for the Cardinals though, as this close contest proves that they will probably give Mason County all the Royals want in the 10th region.

--In the other games I tagged to watch: #3 Warren Central won going away over #17 Apollo...Muhlenberg North added to Ohio County's early-season misery in the 3rd region...#23 Lafayette couldn't get revenge on Dunbar from last year's district tourney, as the Generals go down...Allen County-Scottsville plastered Barren County in such a way not seen in many years

--But several other games bear comment: #16 Covington Catholic dropped another game, this one on the road to regional rival St. Henry by five points...Paducah Tilghman, widely regarded as the favorite in the 1st region, fell to Calloway County 63-56...Warren East upset Russellville in the 4th region, closing the game from the super six in that region (Russellville, Warren Central, ACS, Greenwood, F-S, BG) and the remaining ten teams...

As for tonight, two games of note...

--Russell battles Elliott County in the EKC Tournament...is Elliott County for real or not?

--#21 Johnson Central heads to Louisville to take on Brown.

Day 9

Not much of consequence last night, only that Owensboro Catholic struggled to a three-point win over Whitesville Trinity and Russell cemented themselves as a favorite in the 16th region with a 14-point victory against Raceland.

But tonight...

--The game of the night has to be #9 Doss traveling across town to battle #4 Pleasure Ridge Park. Talk about cutting right to the chase...both of these teams have state championship potential, but an early-season matchup such as this one won't have much indication on what will happen in March. Still, it's fun to see one like this real early.

--Also, keep an eye on #5 Holmes as they travel to Simon Kenton. I gave Holmes quite a lofty ranking this week; let's see if they can live up to it as they battle the team which many favor to win the 8th region.

--The best team in Western Kentucky (which for our purposes we will call regions 1-4) is undoubtedly #3 Warren Central, but the #17 Apollo Eagles might have something to say about that claim. Let's see how the 3rd region's highest-ranked team does in Dragon Gym, a place where few escape with a win.

--The third region might be highlighted by the 'boro schools of Owensboro and Apollo, but both Ohio County and Muhlenberg North bear watching in this region. Despite a tough start to the year, I still like the Eagles to come out of the third behind big man Josh Clemons, but the Stars have looked very good early with wins over Owensboro Catholic and Powell County.

--Back around Lexington, #10 Madison Central kicked off their defense of the 11th region championship in a solid fashion, but #19 George Rogers Clark will offer a stiff test for the Indians. Can Central compete with Scott County in the 11th region? This game will give us some indication of what that answer might be.

--And in Lexington, #23 Lafayette looks to build off a great win over Covington Catholic as the Generals head to Dunbar for a critical early-season district game.

--But of course, my heart will be in Glasgow as the Allen County-Scottsville Patriots will rekindle their rivalry with the Barren County Trojans. Even though Barren County should be down this season (although a 2 OT loss to Ohio County might suggest otherwise), expect the typical nailbiter between these two teams.

Day 8

Not much of anything going on tonight...

--The marquee game comes from the 16th region, where Raceland takes on Russell in the EKC Tournament. Russell is considered by many to be the favorite to repeat their regional title, but Raceland has notched an impressive win already, defeating my 16th region pick Elliott County.

--It looks to be a down year for Owensboro Catholic, if their opening blowout losses to Muhlenberg North and Apollo were any indication. The Aces should get a big win tonight though against Whitesville Trinity; if not, sound the alarm bells.

--To close, the 11th region gets a lot of press for the Lexington schools plus Scott County and Madison Central, but both Woodford County and Madison Southern are solid teams that would compete for regional titles in most other regions. They square off tonight in Berea.

Top 25 Rankings

1. Scott County
2. South Laurel
3. Warren Central
4. Pleasure Ridge Park
5. Holmes
6. Ballard
7. Mason County
8. Jeffersontown
9. Doss
10. Madison Central
11. Lexington Catholic
12. Bryan Station
13. DeSales
14. Male
15. Henry Clay
16. Covington Catholic
17. Apollo
18. John Hardin
19. George Rogers Clark
20. University Heights
21. Johnson Central
22. Manual
23. Lafayette
24. Greenwood
25. Christian County

On the cusp: Paducah Tilghman, Marshall County, Henderson County, Owensboro, Allen County-Scottsville, Central, Simon Kenton, Shelby County, Tates Creek, Paintsville

Regular Season: Day Seven

From Saturday...

--This weekend, the Paintsville Tigers represented the 15th region well albeit losing twice at the Commodore Classic in Lexington. Bryan Station defeated the Tigers 92-85, and Henry Clay beat them by a similar margin on Saturday 88-78. But these games proved that not only could Paintsville play with these teams from Lexington, they can also score. The ability to put the ball in the bucket is much more valuable in a region like the 15th than the 7th or 11th, where offensive ineffectiveness directly results in a losing record. But Paintsville's rival, Johnson Central, also picked up a nice win this weekend, as the Golden Eagles notched the victory over the 5th region's North Hardin 50-41. All in all, a good weekend for the 15th region.

--But not so much for the 5th. As we saw, North Hardin fell to Johnson Central. And my state champion "prediction," Elizabethtown, took it on the chin hard at Tates Creek 74-51. A 23 point loss to a mid-pack team from the 11th region isn't a good sign for the Panthers. To the 5th's credit, John Hardin won a scrappy 60-58 affair with Greenwood, a team that had started the season on fire.

--After defeating Dunbar to begin the season, Covington Catholic made the return trip to Lexington, but they played Lafayette. And the result was not the same for the Colonels, as the Generals picked up a big win for the 11th region 85-77. Combined with Tates Creek's rout of Elizabethtown, and Scott County's whipping of Ballard, the 11th region has established itself as the predominant region in the state.

--Henderson County, one of the favorites in the 2nd region, looked anything but that against the 3rd's Meade County. The Colonels fell hard 49-31.

--Much has been made of Rose Hill's possible resurgance in the 16th region, but many say that the Royals are still a year away from contending for a title. Perhaps not, as Rose Hill's young guns were too much for a good Southwestern team in a 81-62 pounding.

My first top 25 will debut today. Consider these to be more of a "power rankings" set, as I will reward teams that made big statements in week one.

Regular Season: Day SIx

From our first Friday night of basketball, we had some interesting things develop...

--Scott County served notice last night that the Cardinals are the team to beat in the state, as they walloped Ballard in Georgetown. Matt Walls led Scott County in scoring with 31 points, and no team has looked as impressive in any game so far as the Cardinals did last night.

--While Ballard was being hammered outside of Louisville, the Ville witnessed several early pivotal contests. Male rallied from an opening loss to DeSales to "upset" the defending state champions Jeffersontown Chargers. Meanwhile, DeSales failed to build on the momentum created from the Male win as they fell narrowly to PRP at home. And after their early loss to Manual, Doss returned strong to crush Holy Cross.

--Tough start for Elliott County, which is one of the favorites in the 16th region. They lost their opening game to a solid but not spectacular Raceland team.

--And out west, Christian County could not hold homecourt against the 4th region favorite Warren Central. It's yet another impressive early season win for the 4th region, which has been led by Greenwood, Russellville and now Warren Central so far.

For today, a lot of tournament action...here's some of the highlighted games...

--Henderson County vs. Meade County
--Henry Clay vs. Paintsville
--Greenwood vs. John Hardin
--Covington Catholic vs. Lafayette
--North Hardin vs. Johnson Central
--Elizabethtown vs. Tates Creek

Regular Season: Day Five

A note or two from last night's limited schedule...

--The 4th region is looking good early, as the Russellville Panthers defeated Fort Campbell 94-79 in an exciting contest. Greenwood also smacked Butler County by 46 last night, and all this success early on has been done without the help of the region's five-time defending champion, the Warren Central Dragons.

--McCreary Central edged Pulaski County 70-68 in overtime to run their record to 2-0. Expect a lot of similar games this season in the 12th, which is arguably the most wide open region in the state.

--Graves County and Marshall County were early winners in the Marshall County Hoop Fest, which continues today.

And now for tonight's top action, the first Friday of the young season...

--All western Kentucky baskeball fans will have their eyes on Hopkinsville, as the Christian County Colonels welcome the Warren Central Dragons. As stated earlier, the 4th region has been very impressive out of the gates, and a big win for Central would only affirm that initial thought.

--Coming off a big win at Male, DeSales gets back to work at home against PRP. With the win, DeSales would likely shoot up into the top 10 state rankings (at least they would in mine, which will debut on Sunday). PRP could jump into the role of regional favorite with a win, due to Doss's loss to Manual early this week.

--Meanwhile, Male stares an 0-2 start square in the face, as the Bulldogs must travel to Jeffersontown to battle the defending state champion Chargers. J-town defeated South Oldham in impressive fashion to begin the season, and a win over visiting Male would establish the Chargers as the regional favorites once more, slightly ahead of...

--Ballard, which will be featured in the best game so far this season, as the Bruins head to Georgetown to face the highly-regarded Scott County Cardinals. Scott County started their season with a nice win over Lafayette. Ballard, however, will provide a much stiffer test for Matt Walls, Bud Mackey and company.

--Heading back west, Shelby County will look to affirm their high status as the Rockets host defending 11th region champion Madison Central. The Indians, fresh off a spanking of rival Madison Southern, have flown under the radar preseason in the 11th region, and hopefully a win in Shelbyville will garner a few more headlines.

--There are some good tournament matchups tonight as well. In Tates Creek's Commodore Classic, the host Commodores play Lexington Christian after 15th region favorite Paintsville tackles Bryan Station. Out west, the Marshall County Hoop Fest will feature a nice Marshall County-Trigg County matchup, along with Paducah Tilghman playing Shelbyville, TN. Other tournaments will be held at Glasgow, Shelby Valley and Somerset.