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.