Jaelin Sanford Named Junior All-Star makes All Ohio Red

Jaelin Sanford (Moore) has had quite a good bit of accolades laid on him lately. First Sanford found out he'd be playing in the EYBL as he made the cut for the All Ohio Red 17U team. Sanford found out a few days later that he'd also been named to the Kentucky Junior All-Star Team along with 18 other of Kentucky's finest in the 2014 class.

Sanford helped lead Moore to a 23-8 record this past season and was one of the most impressive players in the 6th Region by season's end.

Jaelin Sanford will return to Moore next season as one of the best players in the state, and the continued exposure he'll receive from the Junior All-Star team and All Ohio Red will provide great dividends for Moore next season.

Make sure to check out Jaelin's junior year highlights at the top of the post.

James Bolden Interview

Check out the Recent interview I did with James Bolden over at KentuckyPreps.com.

For those of you who don't know James Bolden is a 5'11 2015 PG from Holmes High School. James has a dynamic handle and is one of the best sophomores in the state.

Check it out here: http://kentuckypreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1484466

KHSAA 2013 Boy's Semifinals Recap

Hopkinsville and Madison Central warming up before the first semifinal.

I was at Rupp Arena for both semifinal match-ups and they did not disappoint. Game Recaps below:

Madison Central 60 Hopkinsville 56

The game opened up extremely close as Hopkinsville held an early 6-5 lead. Then Ken-Jah Bosley was fouled while shooting a three, he hit all three free throws to give Madison Central a 8-5 lead. Jordan Majors would respond though as he countered with an and-1 to set the score at 9-8. Dominique Hawkins tied it up at 9 when he hit 1-of-2 free throws. Majors then hit two free throws and JaQualis Matlock scored on a Hopkinsvillefast break as the Tigers opened a 13-9 advantage. Bosley than hit two free throws, he then had two open lay-ups that he couldn't convert. Trey Edwards could convert his look though and gave Hopkinsville a 15-11 lead. Demarcus George got a bucket down low, Robert Bell answered with 1-of-2. Ken-Jah Bosley missed a shot at the buzzer and Hopkinsville took a 16-13 lead in the second quarter.

Jordan Majors led Hopkinsville with 9 points while Ken-Jah Bosley led Madison Central with 5 points.

Trey Edwards opened the second with a 3 to stretch the Hopkinsville lead to 6 at 19-13. However, Quan Taylor answered with a post bucket, then Edwards and Hawkins traded lay-ups to make it 21-17. Majors then hit two free throws and followed that up with a fast break dunk ti give Hopkinsville a 25-17 lead. After a long scoring drought for both teams Quan Taylor got a bucket. But, Majors had an answer nailing a three to make it 28-19. After two Taylor free throws and a Hopkinsville timeout with 32.1 seconds left in the half Jordan Majors drove got fouled and finished for an and-1 to make it 31-21 Hopkinsville. Dominique Hawkins answered with a jumper that fell in just as the buzzer sounded. 

Hopkinsville led 31-23 at halftime behind Jordan Majors's 19 points, Trey Edwards added 5 points. Dominique Hawkins led Madison Central with 7 points, Quan Taylor added 6 points.

Hunter Stocker opened the third with a 3 to make it 31-26. Majors scored four straight to make it 35-26, Hawkins answered to make it 35-28. Trey Edwards scored next as he sliced to the basket for an easy lay-in. Hawkins scored the next 8 points for Madison Central, but was outpaced by Hopkinsville as they pulled out to a 46-36 lead. However, Ken-Jah Bosley closed the 3rd with 4 straight points to make the score 46-40 after 3 quarters.

Jordan Majors had increased his point total to 26. Dominique Hawkins led Madison Central with 16 and Ken-Jah Bosley added 11. 

Madison Central quickly pulled within 3 after 2 free throws each for Bosley and Hawkins and 1 for Matlock for Hopkinsville to make it 47-44. T.J. Elam scored next on a fast break dunk. However, Hawkins answered with 4 straight free throws to make it 49-48 Hopkinsville. Majors then missed 2 free throws and Hawkins hit 1-of-2 to tie it at 49. Daniel Parke next hit one-of-2 to put Madison Central up 50-49. Bosley added to the lead but Demarius Cager answered to make it 51-52 Madison Central. Hawkins then nailed a huge three to make it 55-51. Majors hit 3-of-4 free throws to make it 54-55 Madison Central with 2:24 left in the 4th. Majors then got fouled and hits two more free throws to give Hopkinsville a 56-55 lead. However, the Tigers wouldn't score the rest of the way. Hawkins got fouled and hit two free throws to make it 57-56. Then an attempted Majors lay-up didn't fall and Hawkins was sent to the line again with 10.4 seconds left. He hit the first and missed the second, but Hawkins wound up with the ball and as again fouled. He hit both free throws this time to make it 60-56. Edwards 3 missed and Madison Central won the first semifinal. 

Jordan Majors led all scorers with 31 points and Trey Edwards added 11 for Hopkinsville. Hawkins finished with 30 points while Bosley added 13 points.

Madison Central: Hawkins 30, Bosley 13, Taylor 8, Parke 4, Stocker 3 and George 2.

Hopkinsville: Majors 31, Edwards 11, Elam 6, Matlock 3, Davis 2, Cager 2 and Bell 1.

Top Peformer: Dominique Hawkins (Madison Central) - 30 points and 10 rebounds. & Jordan Majors (Hopkinsville) - 31 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds.

Ballard 59 Montgomery County 55

Ballard jumped all over Montgomery County early as Malik Dow scored Ballard's first 12 points. The Bruins had early leads of 12-4 and 16-10, but Montgomery County pulled within one point on a Bryan Wallace back cut to make it 18-17 Ballard. The Bruins pushed it back to 3 behind two Lavone Holland free throws. Prewitt answered though to make it 20-19. Both teams got looks to end the half but none fell. The Bruins led by one after the first quarter, 20-19.

Tyler Jones led Montgomery County with 6 points, Malik Dow led Ballard with 12. 

Montgomery County briefly took the lead at 21-20, but Ballard then went on a 7-0 run capped by a Kelan Martin basket to make it 27-21. Prewitt hit two free throws then Julian Persawl hit a jumper to make it 27-25. Dontez Byrd then hit a 3 to push the Ballard lead back out to five, 30-25. A Montgomery County bucket was countered by two Quentin Snider free throws as Ballard held a 32-27 lead. Tyler Jones closed scoring in the half with 1-of-2 free throws and Ballard led 32-28 at the half.

Malik Dow led Ballard with 12 points and Kelan Martin added 6 points . Julian Persawl led Montgomery County with 8 points, Tyler Jones added 7 and Omar Prewitt added 6.

Prewitt opened the third with a banked in three. Holland then scored easily on a drive, but Prewitt hit a deep three to tie it at 34. After Holland hit 1-of-2 free throws, Tyler Jones scored to give Montgomery County a 36-35 lead. Tyler Jones and Prewitt both scored as Ballard could only answer with one free throw, Montgomery County led 40-36. Then two Byrd free throws were followed by a huge Snider three to give Ballard a 41-40 edge. The two teams traded punches but Montgomery County came out ahead after 3 quarters leading 46-45. 

Tyler Jones led Montgomery County with 15 points and Omar Prewitt added 14. Malik Dow led Ballard with 12 points, Martin had 11 and Snider 8. 

The first points of the 4th quarter came from a beautiful spin and finish in the lane by Bryan Wallace to give Montgomery County a 48-45 lead. Kelan Martin scored 4 straight to give Ballard a 49-48 lead, but a Prewitt free throw tied it at 49 with 4:24 left in the 4th. Martin scored again but Julian Persawl tied it back up at 51. A Montgomery County timeout at the 3:01 mark saw the score still tied at 51. Bryan Wallace would hit 1-of-2 free throws after being fouled to give Montgomery County a 52-51 advantage with 2:48 left. A Dow putback was followed by a Martin basket to put Ballard up 55-52. Tyler Jones then missed two free  throws and Martin made Montgomery County pay, nailing a jumper to put Ballard up 57-52. Martin scored again, but a Bryan Wallace three made it 59-55 with 25.1 seconds left in the 4th. Kelan Martin was fouled and missed the front end of the 1-and-1. Montgomery County got a few looks but couldn't convert any and Ballard won 59-55.

Kelan Martin led all scorers with 23 points. Tyler Jones and Omar Prewitt led the way for Montgomery County with 15 points each.

Ballard: Martin 23, Dow 14, Snider 8, Holland 5, Byrd 5, Perry 2 and Douglas 2.

Montgomery County: Prewitt 15, Tyler Jones 15, Wallace 13, Persawl 10 and Darius Jones 2.

Top Performer: Kelan Martin (Ballard) - 23 points and 14 rebounds.

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Mr. Basketball Update

Dominique Hawkins again had the better round of play over Omar Prewitt. Hawkins led Madison Central in their come behind victory over Hopkinsville with 30 points and 10 rebounds. He's the leading scorer in the tournament with 86 points scored through three games. Prewitt had 15 points as Montgomery County fell to Ballard.

I still think Prewitt is the favorite to win Mr. Basketball at this points. But, a Madison Central win tomorrow would in my mind push Hawkins past Prewitt.

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2013 KHSAA Boy's Sweet 16 Round through 3 rounds.

I'm honestly not completely sold on who will win tomorrow at Rupp. However, I think Ballard will find a way to capture their fourth state title by a slim margin.

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KHSAA 2013 Boy's Sweet 16 Second Round Recap

Time to take a look at the outcomes of the Second Round match-ups from Rupp yesterday.

Madison Central 65 Holmes 61

Top Performer: James Bolden (Holmes) - 29 points and 13 rebounds. & Dominique Hawkins (Madison Central) - 31 points and 12 rebounds.

Hopkinsville 50 Graves County 34 

Top Performer: Jordan Majors (Hopkinsville) - 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Montgomery County 66 John Hardin 57

Top Performer: Bryan Wallace (Montgomery County) - 21 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Ballard 68 Knott County Central 53

Top Performer: Quentin Snider (Ballard) - 20 points.

The game of the day clearly goes to Madison Central-Holmes it was so good I had to pick two top performers. I was correct on all 4 of my quarterfinal picks and am now 10 of 12 overall.

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Mr. Basketball Update

Madison Central's Dominique Hawkins leads the Sweet 16 in scoring with 56 points in the first two rounds.

Omar Prewitt outperformed Dominique Hawkins in the first round, but Hawkins clearly bettered Prewitt in the second. Prewitt who scored 29 in the first sessions scored only 11 points as he battled foul trouble against John Hardin. Prewitt added 7 rebounds and 3 assists as Montgomery County won by 11. 

Hawkins was sensational against Holmes pouring in 31 points as Madison Central won in OT. Hawkins also added 13 rebounds and according to multiple outlets picked up an offer from South Carolina

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KHSAA 2013 Boy's Sweet 16 through the first two rounds.

Here are my predictions for Saturday night.

Madison Central over Hopkinsville

Ballard over Montgomery County

I'll be at both semifinals tomorrow and the finals on Sunday.

KHSAA 2013 Boy's Sweet 16 First Round Recap

The first round of the 2013 KHSAA Boy's Sweet 16 finished up last night as Knott County Central beat Clay County to move to the Elite 8. Let's take a look at all the scores and top performers.

Madison Central 81 Wayne County 56

Top Performer: Quan Taylor (Madison Central) - 13 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

Holmes 65 Pleasure Ridge Park 60

Top Performer: B.J. Coston (Holmes) - 23 points on 5-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Graves County 74 Ohio County 60

Top Performer: Zach Kimbler (Graves County) - 23 points and 9 rebounds, 12 points in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Hopkinsville 74 South Oldham 52

Top Performer: JaQualis Matlock (Hopkinsville) - 18 points and 17 rebounds.

Montgomery County 71 Warren Central 63

Top Performer: Omar Prewitt (Montgomery County) - 29 points and 11 rebounds.

John Hardin 79 Fleming County 69

Top Performer: Keon Williams (John Hardin) - 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Ballard 75 Johnson Central 54

Top Performer: Quentin Snider (Ballard) - 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

Knott County Central 68 Clay County 54

Top Performer: Camron Justice (Knott County Central) - 29 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.

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No real huge upsets in the first round. I picked 6-of-8 teams correctly, missing on PRP-Holmes and Ohio Co-Graves Co. All of my semifinal teams are still alive.

Picks for tomorrow are as follows:

Madison Central over Holmes

Hopkinsville over Graves County

Montgomery County over John Hardin

Ballard over Knott County Central.

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Mr. Basketball Update

Both Mr. Basketball candidates in the Sweet 16 advanced in the first round. Dominique Hawkins had a fantastic 25 point performance in a Madison Central romp of Wayne County. However, he was outpaced by Omar Prewitt who had 29 points and 11 rebounds in leading Montgomery County over Warren Central 71-63.

In my opinion Prewitt holds a firm edge at this point in the Mr. Basketball race over Hawkins. However, Madison Central is by most all accounts the favorite to advance from the top side of the bracket. And if Hawkins can led Madison Central to a state title he'd likely find himself crowned Mr. Basketball.

Kentucky Girls Sweet Sixteen Contestants set

The sixteen teams that will vye for the 2013 Kentucky High School Girls Basketball title are set and the action begins Wednesday, March 13th. at the E.A. Diddle Arena on Western Kentucky University's campus in Bowling Green. Here's the matchups:

WEDNESDAY

First game at noon features Marion County vs. Bowling Green. MCHS got there with a 82-60 win over LaRue County in the 5th Region championship game and Makayla Epps' team is the prohibitive favorite to cut down the nets in Diddle Arena. Bowling Green took the 4th region title with a 81-34 drubbing over Allen County-Scottsville. Marion County wins, but a closer game then expected.

Also on Wednesday, Anderson County and Henderson Country square off. Anderson Country knocked off Simon-Kenton 70-68 to claim the 8th region title. Henderson County claimed their bid with a squeaker over University Heights 49-47 in the 2nd region. The pick here is Henderson County

Montgomery County and Ashland Blazer will also try to advance to the Great Eight with a 1:30 p.m. game on Wednesday. "The Monties" took down Campbell County 58-52 for 10th Region honors. Ashland Blazer snuck past Boyd County 54-52 in grabbing the 16th. region crown. A good matchup, but the Blazers should zip past Montgomery to advance.

Corbin and Shelby Valley end action on Wednesday night in the first day of games. Corbin prevailed over Bell County 63-60 in winning the 13th region title. Shelby Valley gained access to the dance by winning a defensive struggle with Sheldon Clark 40-31 in 15th region finals. Tough to call this one but I'll go with Corbin in a close one.

THURSDAY

Lincoln County is headed to Western Kentucky after eliminating Casey County 56-54 in the finals of the 12th region. They'll face Owensboro Catholic, a 58-51 victor against Meade County for the 3rd region honors. I see Owensboro Catholic sticking around for Day 3 action.

Louisville Manual and Louisville Mercy hook up next in a Jefferson County contest. Manual barely got by Assumption 36-34 to take 7th region honors. Mercy put the 6th Region trophy in their case with a 66-54 battering of Butler. Have Mercy on me, I'm picking the Jags to handle Manual and move on to Friday.

Marshall County tries Letcher County Central in the Thursday evening opener and Marshall County knocked off Murray 41-39 in the championship game for the 1st region. They face a Letcher County Central squad that narrowly downed Perry County Central 41-40 in the 14th region title bout. There's a new marshall in Bowling Green and they send Letcher County home.

Madison Central and Notre Dame close Day 2 activities. How did Muffet McGraw and Skylar Diggins get in this bracket? Seriously...Notre Dame earned the 9th region top honors with a 63-44 sanctification over Highlands and Madison Central stifled Lexington Lafayette 45-34 to take the 11th Region top spot. Father, forgive me but I'm going with Madison Central here.

Some close finishes and a ton of excitement awaits us next week in Bowling Green. Support Kentucky Girls' High School hoops and get in on the action live at E.A. Diddle Arena!

-Paulie

2013 KHSAA Sweet 16 Preview

First let's take a look at the Region Winners (Predicted in parentheses):

1st Region: Graves County 25-8 (Marshall County)
2nd Region: Hopkinsville 31-4 (Hopkinsville)
3rd Region: Ohio County 25-7 (Daviess County)
4th Region: Warren Central 27-6 (Warren Central)
5th Region: John Hardin 27-3 (John Hardin)
6th Region: Pleasure Ridge Park 25-7 (Bullitt East)
7th Region: Ballard 28-4 (Ballard)
8th Region: South Oldham 23-7 (Collins)
9th Region: Holmes 30-2 (Holmes)
10th Region: Montgomery County 30-4 (Montgomery County)
11th Region: Madison Central 28-5 (Madison Central)
12th Region: Wayne County 27-7 (Pulaski County)
13th Region: Clay County 26-6 (Corbin)
14th Region: Knott County Central 28-5 (Hazard)
15th Region: Johnson Central 21-10 (Pikeville)
16th Region: Fleming County 28-6 (Fleming County)

Record: 8-8 on predictions

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Now let's take a look at the Sweet 16 bracket:

Some very intriguing early match-ups personally I think PRP-Holmes is the most intriguing of all the first round match-ups. PRP is one of the most talented teams in the field and their win over Bullitt East in the 6th Region semi-finals really turned heads.

I honestly think Ballard is the favorite followed closely by Madison Central. I think Ballard has the much more favorable draw, I'm not sure any team on their side of the bracket can beat them right now. While I think Pleasure Ridge Park could give Madison Central a real run for their money.

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Wayne County - Madison Central : Mr. Basketball Candidate Dominique Hawkins combined with Ken Jah Bosley and Quan Taylor is too much for the Cardinals. Madison Central moves on.

Holmes sophomore James Bolden is electric, but I don't think the Bulldogs will get past PRP.

PRP - Holmes : Pleasure Ridge Park may finally be reaching their potential, I think they'll battle with the Bulldogs for three quarters before finding a way to pull it out in the 4th quarter.

Graves County - Ohio County : An all Eagles opening round match-up pits Graves County against Ohio County. Graves County is riding a 6 game winning streak, but that's trumped by the 10 game streak Ohio County sports. Ohio County hasn't lost sine late January and I think they'll continue that streak at least one more game.

Hopkinsville - South Oldham : Hopkinsville hasn't lost since late December, however South Oldham isn't going to roll over for the Tigers. In the end Majors and Matlock prove too much as the Tigers move on in a close one.

Warren Central is no stranger to the Sweet 16, but I don't think they can get past Omar Prewitt and Montgomery County.

Warren Central - Montgomery County : The only other Mr. Basketball Candidate in the Sweet 16 is Montgomery County's Omar Prewitt. I don't think he or Happy Osborne plans on bowing out this early, Indians advance.

Fleming County - John Hardin : Two extremely talented teams in this first round match-up. However, John Hardin gets the edge based on experience.

Ballard - Johnson Central : Johnson Central star junior Shane Hall may give Ballard problems, but Ballard is too deep for the Golden Eagles. Bruins move on.

Clay County - Knott County Central : Knott County Central is led by a ton of sophomores while Clay County is led mainly by seniors. Normally I'd side with the experience, however I don't think Camron Justice is gonna go out after one game, Patriots move on.

We'll get to predictions for the quarterfinal round after some thoughts, facts, etc. on the Sweet 16.

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16 thoughts, facts, etc. on the Sweet 16:

1. Four teams are making a return trip to the Sweet 16 from last year. Knott County Central, John Hardin, Hopkinsville and Johnson Central all repeated as champions of their regions.
2. This is Warren Central's 9th trip to the Sweet 16 since 2002.
3. Ballard has only lost one game since early January, that game being their only in-state loss, a 52-53 defeat in the L.I.T. Championship game.
4. Hopkinsville is riding a 23 game winning streak. During that streak they've won by 10+ 20 times.
5. Tons of talent in this Sweet 16, and it's dispersed well throughout the 2013, 2014 and 2015 classes. Omar Prewitt, Dominique Hawkins, Shane Hall, Quentin Snider, Camron Justice, James Bolden, etc. are all going to be fun to watch.
6. Also a ton of great coaches Dale Mabrey, Jason Booher, Chris Renner, Happy Osborne, etc.
7. I think Pleasure Ridge Park is the real darkhorse of the tournament. They've got the talent to compete with anybody and if they can slip by Madison Central they have a real good shot at winning the whole thing.
8. Wayne County has now won the 12th Region 2 times in the last 3 years.
9. Madison Central is the only team besides Lexington Catholic and Scott County to win the 11th Region since 2005.
10. This is Graves County's 8th all-time appearance in the Sweet 16. They've won eight 1st Region titles since 1993, more than any other 1st Region team.
11.  This is Ohio County's fourth 3rd Region Championship and first since 2005.
12. South Oldham is making their first ever appearance in the Sweet 16. 
13. Montgomery County is making only their second Sweet 16 appearance. 
14. Fleming County is making their first Sweet 16 appearance as a member of the 16th Region. They moved to the 16th Region from the 10th in the 2005/2006 season.
15. Since 2005 Holmes has won the 9th Region five times. The Bulldogs won their only state title in 2009 under the direction of David Henley.
16. Clay County is making their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2001. They've been to the Sweet 16 27 times, including 14 trips from 1973-1990.

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Predictions for the Quarterfinals are as follows:

Madison Central - Pleasure Ridge Park : PRP is just as talented as Madison Central, but they lack the experience that they have. Dominique Hawkins leads Madison Central to the semifinals.

Ohio County - Hopkinsville : Neither team has lost in over a month. However, I think it'll be tough for Ohio County to combat the Hopkinsville combo of Majors and Matlock. Tigers move on.

Brandon Price and his 17.8 points per game have led John Hardin to a second straight Sweet 16

Montgomery County - John Hardin : John Hardin hasn't lost since late December. However, they also haven't played anyone as good as Montgomery County. Omar Prewitt leads his team to the next round.

Ballard - Knott County Central : Camron Justice the top 2015 prospect in the state meets Quentin Snider the top 2014 prospect in the state. Ballard gets the edge here due to their depth and athleticism.

Semi-Final predictions after some thoughts on Mr. Basketball.

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I think Omar Prewitt will be named 2013 Kentucky Mr. Basketball

I honestly believe the chase for Mr. Basketball is down to two players. Dominique Hawkins (Madison Central) and Omar Prewitt (Montgomery County) are the only two candidates still playing. Thus they're the only two who in my opinion still have a shot at the title of Mr. Basketball. Both Hawkins and Prewitt played for the same AAU team The Ville 2013.

That being said, I think Omar Prewitt is going to win Mr. Basketball. Prewitt has better numbers (23.3 ppg compared to 19.6 and 8.4 rpg compared to 4.9) and Montgomery County has a favorable draw to reach the semifinals. 

I do think that Hawkins can win Mr. Basketball, but I think he needs to lead Madison Central to a state championship to do so.

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Dominique Hawkins and Madison Central are on a mission and  I don't think Hopkinsville can stop them.

Madison Central - Hopkinsville : Both of these teams played in the K.O.B. and both played Ballard. Hopkinsville couldn't hang with the Bruins and I'm not sure they can hang with Madison Central either. Madison Central to the championship game.

Montgomery County - Ballard : Omar Prewitt has had a fantastic season and Montgomery County has a ton of talent. However, I don't think they can beat Ballard, Bruins move on.

Before we get to the Championship Game prediction let's take a look at the top players on each team.

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Wayne County : G Peyton Woods (2015), G Trey Blevins (2016) and F Corey Stearns (2016). 

Madison Central : G Donminique Hawkins (2013), G Ken Jah Bosley (2013) and F Quan Taylor (2013).

Holmes : G James Bolden (2015), G Quan Palmer (2013) and F Chris Englemon (2013).

Pleasure Ridge Park : G Antonio McDaniels (2014), F D'Angelo Hunter (2014) and F Lamontray Harris (2014).

Graves County : G Jake Williams (2014), G/F Peyton Puckett (2014) and F Zach Kimbler (2014).

Ohio County : G Trevor Lewis (2014), G Jonathan Wortham (2013) and G/F Preston Lambrich (2013). 

Hopkinsville : G Jordan Majors (2013), G Trey Edwards (2014) and F Jaqualis Matlock (2015).

South Oldham : G Matthew Haysley (2013), G Kyle Young (2014) and F Shae Goodlett (2013).

Warren Central : G Nay Walker (2013), G Chris Porter-Bunton (2014) and F Bryon Carver (2014).

Montgomery County : G Bryan Wallace (2014), G/F Darius Jones (2014) and G/F Omar Prewitt (2013).

Fleming County : G Darion Burns (2014), G Austin Crisp (2014) and F Troy Steward (2014).

John Hardin : G Brandon Price (2013), G Keon Williams (2014) and F Daveon Green (2013).  

Johnson Central : G Braxton Blair (2015), G/F Kyle Gullett (2015) and F Shane Hall (2014). 

Ballard : G Quentin Snider (2014), G Lavone Holland (2013) and F Kelan Martin (2014). 

Knott County Central : G Camron Justice (2015), F Evan Hall (2015) and F Chance Cornett (2015).

Clay County : G Tyler McDaniel (2015), F Marty Bowling (2013) and F Stephon Lyttle (2013).

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Championship Game Thoughts and Prediction:

I think the trio of Snider, Martin and Holland will again prove too much for Madison Central.

Ballard over Madison Central : Ballard beat Madison Central in the K.O.B. earlier this year. And that's when they didn't have Malik Dow and Lavone Holland was still recovering from sickness that held him out from an earlier game. I think the trio of Snider, Holland and Martin prove too much for Madison Central. Ballard wins their first title since 1999

Mascot Sweet 16

Final Match-up today Nicholas Co-Collins. Vote on the top left under the banner.

The bracket is set and the semifinal match-ups are set to begin. Bracket is below and Schedule below that.

Bracket found here: Mascot Sweet 16


Feb. 25th - Wayne Co (82 votes) over Woodford Co (10 votes) & Fairdale (8 votes) over Holmes (4 votes).

Feb. 26th - Apollo (26 votes) over Marshall Co (3 votes) & Collins (162 votes) over Hopkins Co Central (9 votes).

Feb. 27th - Nicholas Co (197 votes) over Warren Central (5 votes) & West Carter (38 votes) over Adair Co (7 votes).

Feb 28th - St. Xavier (13 votes) over Pikeville (1 vote) & Corbin (8 votes) over Knott Co Central (2 votes).

Mar. 1st - Wayne Co (57 votes) over Fairdale (17 votes) & Collins (117 votes) over Apollo (30 votes).

Mar. 2nd - Nicholas Co (160 votes) over West Carter (30 votes) & St. Xavier (20 votes) over Corbin (11 votes).

Mar. 3rd - Collins (165 votes) over Wayne Co (25 votes).

Mar. 4th - Nicholas Co (352 votes) over St. Xavier (23 votes).

Mar. 5th - Collins Titans-Nicholas Co Bluejackets

Seneca and Trinity Advance in 27th District

 79     56

Trinity opened postseason play with a convincing win over Atherton. They'll play Seneca @ Home at 7:00 Wednesday Night. Trinity was led by 21 from Darryl Hicks, 17 from Tre Ivory and 16 from James Quick.

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69                 62

To say the Seneca-Waggener game started off with a bang is an understatement. Brandon Trotter snatched an errant Kevin Kirby pass intended for Nicholas Kratholm. Trotter proceeded to race down the court with Kratholm trailing, Trotter and Kratholm both went up and Trotter finished with a roof raising dunk. However, despite the exciting start the first half was very slow offensively. Seneca led 12-9 after the first quarter.

Brandon Trotter an Chris Coffey led Seneca with 4 points after one quarter. Joe Head led Waggener with 5 points after one.

Waggener opened up the second quarter with a Kevin Kirby and-1 to tie the game at 12. However a Chris Coffey putback was followed by a Trotter three to make it 17-12. Waggener answered with 4 points of their own to make it 17-16 and force a Seneca timeout. Seneca stretched their lead to 23-20 before Semaj Ingram was assessed a technical before touching the ball before it left the inbounder's hands. Gerald McCarver hit 1-of-2 to make it 24-20. Waggener answered to make it 24-22, before two Trotter free throws made it 26-22.  Brandon Wells and McCarver traded baskets to end the first half, Seneca led 28-24.

Brandon Trotter and Gerald McCarver both led Seneca with 9 points. Rodderick Maddox led Waggener with 8 points and Joe Head added 7 points.

Waggener got close early in the 3rd quarter after a Semaj Ingram and-1 cut the Seneca lead to 33-31. However Seneca reeled off an 8-2 run that was capped by a Brandon Trotter three, it gave Seneca their largest lead at 41-33. After Waggener and Seneca traded baskets, Rodderick Maddox had 4 straight to bring Waggener within four at 43-39. However, Seneca answered with four of their own to make it 47-39. Waggener seemingly ended the half on a 4-0 run to close within 4, 47-43. However, a Gerald McCarver drive pushed the lead back out to six just before the end of the third, Seneca led 49-43.

McCarver and Trotter led the Redhawks with 13 apiece. Rodderick Maddox led Waggener with 16 points.

Waggener got as close as they would get following a Joe Head 3 in the first part of the 4th quarter, Seneca led 49-48. The Redhawks slowed down a lot after Waggener drew close. Brandon Trotter scored and JeOnta Samuels scored on baseline feeds twice. However another Joe Head three made it 55-51 Seneca with 2:42 left. Gerald McCarver answered with four straight points for Seneca to make it 59-51 Redhawks. Wells was fouled for Waggener and hit 1-of-2 to make it 59-52 Seneca. Seneca stretched their lead to 10 on a Seneca steal and McCarver lay-in, but Head answered for Waggener to make it 62-54. After a Seneca turnover, Kenneth Wachira fouled Wells on the inbounds and Wells hit both free throws to make it 62-56. McCarver was fouled and hit two free throws, but Head hit a corner three to make it 64-59. McCarver hit two more free throws and a Waggener turnover looked like an easy Wachira bucket, but he traveled. Head then hit another 3 to make it 66-62 with 14.4 seconds left. Will Maddox hit 1-of-2 for Seneca to make it 67-62. A Kevin Kirby three was short and McCarver was intentionally fouled and then fouled again. He hit 2-of-4 to give Seneca a 69-62 win. They'll play Trinity on Wednesday @ Trinity at 7:00. 

Seneca was led by Gerald McCarver's 25 points, while Joe Head led Waggener with 18 points.

Seneca: McCarver 25, Trotter 15, Samuels 13, Coffey 8, Maddox 3, Bailey 2, Dyson 2 and Wachira 1.

Waggerner: Head 18, Maddox 16, Ingram 14, Wells 9, Kirby 3 and Adams 2.

District/Regional Predictions

I'm gonna go ahead and try to forecast all the district winners and runner-ups plus the regional winners.

I'm not gonna put a detail of why in all of the district winners but feel free to ask me on twitter.

Here we go.

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1st: District:

Winner: Carlisle County

Runner-Up: Hickman County

2nd District:


Winner: Lone Oak

Runner-Up: Heath


3rd District:


Winner: Mayfield

Runner-Up: Graves County


4th District:


Winner: Marshall County

Runner-Up: Calloway County

1st Region Winner: Marshall County Marshalls. Marshall County is on a twelve game winning streak since falling to Graves County. They've avenged that loss and look prepared to play in Rupp.

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5th: District:

Winner: Trigg County

Runner-Up: Lyon County

6th District:


Winner: Henderson County

Runner-Up: Union County


7th District:


Winner: Madisonville-North Hopkins

Runner-Up: Caldwell County


8th District:


Winner: Hopkinsville.

Runner-Up: Christian County.

2nd Region Winner: Hopkinsville Tigers. The Tigers haven't lost since December. They have no losses to 2nd Region teams, Hopkinsville moves on.

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9th: District:

Winner: Daviess County

Runner-Up: Apollo

10th District:


Winner: Ohio County

Runner-Up: McLean County


11th District:


Winner: Breckenridge County

Runner-Up: Meade County


12th District:


Winner: Butler County

Runner-Up: Grayson County

3rd Region Winner:  Daviess County Panters. Daviess County hasn't lost a 3rd Region game since late December. Plus Logan O'Bryan has been fantastic this year.

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13th: District:

Winner: Russellville

Runner-Up: Franklin-Simpson

14th District:


Winner: Warren Central

Runner-Up: Warren East


15th District:


Winner: Barren County

Runner-Up: Monroe County


16th District:


Winner: Russell County

Runner-Up: Clinton County

4th Region Winner: Warren Central Dragons. The Dragons only losses in the 4th Region have both come to Warren East. I think the Dragons will avenge those losses and advance to Rupp.

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17th: District:

Winner: John Hardin

Runner-Up: North Hardin

18th District:


Winner: LaRue County

Runner-Up: Caverna


19th District:


Winner: Bardstown

Runner-Up: Bethlehem


20th District:


Winner: Taylor County

Runner-Up: Adair County

5th Region Winner: John Hardin Bulldogs. Coach Wells's team hasn't lost since December and they're undefeated in 5th Region play. Bulldogs advance.

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21st: District:

Winner: Pleasure Ridge Park

Runner-Up: Fairdale

22nd District:


Winner: Butler

Runner-Up: Doss


23rd District:


Winner: Moore

Runner-Up: Southern


24th District:


Winner: Bullitt East

Runner-Up: Jeffersontown

6th Region Winner: Bullitt East Chargers. The Chargers have zero losses in the 6th Region and have won the 6th the past two years. Plus they've played the toughest schedule of all 6th Region teams. Chargers go back to Rupp.

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25th: District:

Winner: Central

Runner-Up: DuPont Manual

26th District:


Winner: St. Xavier

Runner-Up: Male


27th District:


Winner: Trinity

Runner-Up: Waggener


28th District:


Winner: Ballard

Runner-Up: Eastern

7th Region Winner: Ballard - Honestly I'm not sure who to pick here, Trinity beat Ballard in the L.I.T., St. Xavier beat Ballard and Central beat St. Xavier. I think it'll be one of those four teams with Trinity and Ballard the two easy favorites. However, when in doubt pick the team with the best player and that's Quentin Snider of Ballard. Bruins advance.

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29th: District:

Winner: South Oldham

Runner-Up: North Oldham

30th District:


Winner: Collins

Runner-Up: Anderson County


31st District:


Winner: Owen County

Runner-Up: Gallatin County


32nd District:


Winner: Grant County

Runner-Up: Simon Kenton

8th Region Winner: Collins Titans. The Titans are riding an 8-game win streak and they're only loss in 8th Region play has come to district foe Anderson County. I think the Titans will avenge that loss and find themselves at Rupp.

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33rd: District:

Winner: Cooper

Runner-Up: Boone County

34th District:


Winner: Dixie Heights

Runner-Up: Ludlow


35th District:


Winner: Holmes

Runner-Up: Covington Catholic


36th District:


Winner: Newport Central Catholic

Runner-Up: Newport

9th Region Winner: Holmes Bulldogs. Holmes beat Covington Catholic, Covington Catholic beat Newport Central Catholic, Cooper beat Covington Catholic and Newport Central Catholic beat Holmes. So in short any of those teams could win. However, I'll take Holmes in what is sure to be one of the crazier regions.

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37th: District:

Winner: Bishop Brossart

Runner-Up: Scott

38th District:


Winner: Pendleton County

Runner-Up: Nicholas County


39th District:


Winner: Augusta

Runner-Up: Bracken County


40th District:


Winner: Montgomery County

Runner-Up: George Rogers Clark

10th Region Winner: Montgomery County Indians. Undefeated in 10th Region play and have one of the best players in the state. Indians move to Rupp.

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41st: District:

Winner: Woodford County

Runner-Up: Franklin County

42nd District:


Winner: Scott County

Runner-Up: Henry Clay


43rd District:


Winner: Lafayette

Runner-Up: Lexington Catholic


44th District:


Winner: Madison Central

Runner-Up: Model

11th Region Winner: Madison Central Indians. Another team undefeated in Regional action. Indians also have one of the state's best in Dominique Hawkins, Madison Central advances.

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45th: District:

Winner: Danville

Runner-Up: Boyle County

46th District:


Winner: East Jessamine

Runner-Up: West Jessamine


47th District:


Winner: Pulaski County

Runner-Up: Somerset


48th District:


Winner: Wayne County

Runner-Up: Southwestern

12th Region Winner: Pulaski County Maroons. I think the recent loss to Somerset will really motivate the Maroons to prove how good they are. Taylor Gover powers Pulaski County to Rupp.

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49th: District:

Winner: Clay County

Runner-Up: North Laurel

50th District:


Winner: Corbin

Runner-Up: Whitley County


51st District:


Winner: Barbourville

Runner-Up: Pineville


52nd District:


Winner: Harlan County

Runner-Up: Middlesboro

13th Region Winner: Corbin Redhounds. Corbin is on a 7-game winning streak and took out Harlan County a week ago. The Redhounds have only one loss since January 1st and it came in double overtime. Corbin advances to Rupp.

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53rd: District:

Winner: Knott County Central

Runner-Up: Cordia

54th District:


Winner: Hazard

Runner-Up: Leslie County


55th District:


Winner: Breathitt County

Runner-Up: Wolfe County


56th District:


Winner: Lee County

Runner-Up: Owsley County

14th Region Winner: Hazard Bulldogs. I've yet to really go out on a limb, but I think this is the region to do it. Hazard somehow gets stuck with playing Perry County Central in the first round of districts. I think they handle the Commodores and then find a way to beat Knott County Central on the way to a 14th Region Championship.

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57th: District:

Winner: Johnson Central

Runner-Up: Lawrence County

58th District:


Winner: Betsy Lane

Runner-Up: Prestonburg


59th District:


Winner: Pikeville

Runner-Up: Shelby Valley


60th District:


Winner: Belfry

Runner-Up: Pike County Central

15th Region Winner: Pikeville Panthers. Not many teams boast a senior combo like Ethan Rowe and Ray Kasongo. I think those two find a way to get the Panthers to Rupp Arena.

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61st: District:

Winner: Fleming County

Runner-Up: Rowan County

62nd District:


Winner: Morgan County

Runner-Up: West Carter


63rd District:


Winner: Russell

Runner-Up: Lewis County


64th District:


Winner: Ashland Blazer

Runner-Up: Boyd County

16th Region Winner: Fleming County Panthers. Russell beat the Panthers a few weeks ago. However, I think the Panthers will edge out Russell in the 16th Region tournament.

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