6 Things to Look for during the 5th Region Tournament
With Basketball action taking place at both Hart County and Green County High School for the 5th Region Boys and Girls Region Tournaments, there are several things to look for as every team will face a win or go home situation every game from this point on.
John Hardin Stays Perfect! It’s never easy when you seek perfection, but the John Hardin Bulldogs will do just that starting with a Tuesday Night game in the 5th Region Tournament against Hart County. Going unbeaten during the regular season in a year in which many saw as a rebuilding or transition season has been quite a ride and created a SRO atmosphere everywhere the Bulldogs go to play as head coach Jared McCurry’s team is the headline attraction on the playoffs. After disposing of both North Hardin and Central Hardin in the District Tournament, every game will be the “Circus” so to speak as we wait and see if they can do the incredible and make it to Saturday’s Championship game with a chance to go to the State Tournament next week.
John Hardin vs. LaRue County Round Two? The Region Tournament most definitely has plenty of stories and one could be who will play (or challenge) John Hardin in the Championship game? One team to look out for could be LaRue County. Head coach Paul Childress has built a team which has taken the best the Region as to offer and has stood out as a team to look out for. With Noah Davis and inside threats like Daillias Cox, Anthony Atkins and Mark Goode, Childress the Hawks may be one of the few teams in the Region that can matchup well against the Bulldogs inside-outside attack and in their only meeting this season lost a one-point game to them in the Class 2 A Sectionals. Also, no one can forget last season’s thriller at Marion County (2018 5th Region Final) that came down to a last second basket by Aaron Scott after the Hawks finally overcame a deficit to lose.
Bruins want to be Party Crashers! With all the talk about John Hardin and LaRue County, not much as been made about Central Hardin. The Bruins were preseason favorites to challenge for the 17th District crown. That was until John Hardin took exception and chose to run the table taking away the Bruins steam. Still, Central Hardin has tried to keep up their end of the bargain going 19-9 with one of those wins over LaRue County in the Nathan McCurry Classic in January. Despite losing three times to the Bulldogs, head coach Matt Nickell has a squad capable to getting there, but their journey will not be an easy one with both Taylor County and LaRue County in their bracket. The Bruins will need a big tournament from All Area performer Jacob Hobbs and great play by both Gavin George and Chase Elmore. Central Hardin is capable of this. It’s just a matter of getting it done.
Elizabethtown is STILL the ONE! It may seem like a broken record, but the 5th Region Girls Tournament once again goes through the Lady Panthers. After playing one of the toughest out of Region schedules, Elizabethtown still seems like the odds on favorite to represent the Region in the KHSAA state tournament. Despite losing three starters from last year’s team, head coach Donnie Swiney has built a team around the talents of All Area guard Whitney Hay, Sydney Clark, Amir Evans and transfer Beth Taylor and Leikyn Walker, who has come back from a knee injury. No matter who graduates, the Lady Panther machine goes on and their unbeaten district streak which extends back to 2009 as they try to repeat as champions for the fifth time in six seasons.
The 19th STRIKES BACK! Much like the Girls Soccer season, it looks like one of the best threats to Elizabethtown’s dominance could come from the 19th District where both Bardstown and Bethlehem are coming on strong. The Lady Tigers were Region Finalists last season and the Lady Banshees are coming off their best season after beating Bardstown in the District Championship game in overtime. The Lady Tigers have overcome graduations to key players (Allie Walsh, Halee Koger and Destanie Love which contributed to nearly 70% of the team scoring last season) and have put together a great season, while Bethlehem, despite the loss of Ellie Taylor (to Elizabethtown) has flourished under Jason Clark and the timely additions of former Nelson County stars sophomore’s Ellie Thompson and Amelia Hodges along with Maddie Sparks, Carly Beam and Baeli Young. After dropping two painful losses to Bardstown during the regular season (the first an overtime thriller), the Lady Banshees came out with their best performance of the season in the District Championship with an overtime win. The scary part is these two teams are very young and will only get better.
Look Who’s Back! After winning a state title in 2013, the Marion County Lady Knights might not be too far away from doing that again. Under former Nelson County head coach Kelly Wood, the Lady Knights in their second season under him have started to look like a team which might be making some noise in the 5th Region Tournament. Wood is getting balanced scoring from five players including Dailyn Spalding, Jayla Cowherd, Katie Mattingly, Maddie Wood and Tanika Williams. Although not the powerhouse offensively that the 2013 team was, the Lady Knights are holding team around 40-points and controlling the ball while scoring around 60. One of the early key matchups will be in the opening round of the 5th Region Tournament as Marion County plays Bardstown on Thursday night at 6:45 and that’s a matchup which will go a long way into determining who will face the winner of Hart County – Elizabethtown on the following Monday night in the Final Four.
