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.