Fourth Region Review 12-31-07

I wish I was armed with a bunch of statistics, but one of the shortcomings of writing from a fan's perspective is that high school sports fans have trouble coming up with statistics. Plus, I have this thing called a "job" that eats up so much of the time I'd like to following high school hoops and searching for statistics.

I'd quit my job and do nothing but watch and write about sports, but my wife always lays a guilt trip on me: "The kids need to be fed" or "We need to pay the mortgage, electric bill, and gas bill." What's more important? Seeing that the kids are not malnourished or catching a match up between Logan County and Monroe County?

However, I can draw upon schools' records, opponents, and the games I have seen since Thanksgiving. Since the start of the season, I've seen seven of the sixteen Fourth Region teams play. I've seen Bowling Green, Greenwood, Cumberland County and Barren County play multiple times, and six of the seven teams have a good shot at winning the Fourth Region Tournament in March.

Barren County Trojans
Barren County played very well and won the Citizens First Classic in Bowling Green. They are well coached and execute their plays with precision. They are led by 6'1" senior forward Lee Hubbard and point guard Matt Riley. All five of Barren's starters are seniors, and they have seniors coming in off the bench. I always tend to favor experienced ball clubs when crunch time comes in March. When I start thinking about post season play in the Fourth, Barren County always jumps into my mind. They are 10-3 overall and 3-2 in the region, which doesn't really make my case very well.

Warren East Raiders
Unfortunately, the only chance I've had to see Warren East play was in the ugly, whistle fest they played against Warren Central on December 7th. Jordan Ellis spent most of that game on the bench in foul trouble, but Deangelo Kirk's shooting kept them in that game. East is 9-1 overall and undefeated in the region after four games. After the game against Central, I compared the Raiders to Rodney Dangerfield: "they don't get no respect." That still may be the case with fans, but I think Fourth Region coaches are giving them respect. I think they'll be jamming to some Aretha Franklin by the end of the regular season. They won the Murray Bank Classic and fared well in the Campbellsville University Classic. I'd watch out for them in March.

Metcalfe County Hornets
I haven't seen Metcalfe County play, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Hornets take to the Hardwood. They are 10-1 and undefeated after four games against Fourth Region opponents. They got fat on teams like Cumberland County, Monroe County, and Clinton County, but they beat Barren County in Edmonton on December 14th. Their only loss came in the Arby's/KFC Classic in Marion, Kentucky, at the hands of Ballou High School out of Washington, D.C.

We'll check back with them at the end of January and see how they did against teams like Warren East, Franklin Simpson, and Allen County-Scottsville. They play the Raiders at Warren East on January 12th, and I'm going to try my best to make that game.

Bowling Green Purples
The Purps are 5-1 against Fourth Region foes, with their only loss coming in the consolation game of the Citizens First Holiday Classic to crosstown rival Greenwood. Overall, D.G. Sherrill's squad is 9-3 with losses at the hands of Hazel Green out of Alabama and University Heights Academy. UHA is led by the tough tandem of Tyshawn Edmonson and Blue Chipper Scotty Hopson, and they played Bowling Green when most of the Purples' team was still playing football. After Christmas BG traveled to Morton's Gap and won the Hopkins Central Holiday Classic.


Warren Central Dragons
Is this the year that Tim Riley's reign over the Fourth Region ends. The Dragons are listed 11th in the region in overall wins, and they are 0-1 in the Fourth with a loss to Warren East. They dropped six games in a row, but the string included losses to Pleasure Ridge Park, Apollo, Hopkinsville, and the overtime loss to Warren East. St. Xavier (OH) wiped up the court with the Dragons in the Monticello Bank Classic, but Warren Central hosts the Greenwood Gators on January 4th for only their second Fourth Region match up. I just get the feeling that the Dragons are smoldering and will be breathing fire by the time district play starts. It would be foolish to count them out.

Greenwood Gators
I guess I've seen them play more than any team on the region. I even caught part of their game with Central Hardin in Murray on December 27th. They lost that game, but they beat Bowling Green in the Purples' auxiliary gym in the consolation game of the Citizens First Classic. The Gators are 9-6 overall and 2-4 in the region. They puzzle me. Sometimes they look great and other times they seem incapable. I saw them loose a heart breaker to Allen County-Scottsville on the opening night of the season. The Gators have no size, so they must execute with precision to beat larger teams. This is another team that I would not count out in March.

I'd love to write about other teams, but there's several teams in the region that have a shot at making some noise and Diddle on their way to Rupp Arena. The Fourth Region is absolutely wide open at this point, and I think there are several very competitive teams in it. January and February should prove to be exciting.

If any of my readers think I gave short shrift to their favorite team or overlooked any team, please comment and tell me so. I'm no expert, just a fan.