The format for high school basketball district tournaments in Kentucky is quite different from that of other states, as both the champion and runner-up from each district are allowed to advance to the regional tournament.
But there is no room for error in the regional tournament—where all three games necessary to advance to the state tournament are win-or-go-home.
The Fourth Region Girls’ Basketball tournament begins on Monday night at E.A. Diddle Arena on the campus of Western Kentucky University, but only one of the eight teams participating in the tourney will get to hoist the championship trophy on Saturday night.
The first-round matchups are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday night, and both semifinal games will be played on Friday night before the championship game at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.
The winner of the tourney will advance to the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Girls Sweet Sixteen Basketball Tournament at Northern Kentucky University, which is scheduled to run next Wednesday through that Sunday afternoon.
As all teams in the Fourth Region begin to make their last preparations for the regional tournament, here’s a quick synopsis of all the first-round matchups on Monday and Tuesday night:
Barren County vs. Bowling Green, 6 p.m. Monday
This first-round matchup is a game that will have a region championship-like feel to it.
Barren County (25-6) owns the second-best record in the region and is coming off its first 15th District title since 2009 after a 57-43 win over rival Glasgow on Thursday night while Bowling Green (17-12) is coming off a tough 68-62 loss to South Warren in the 14th District Championship.
The two teams met at Bowling Green on Jan. 2, and the Trojanettes left with a 64-51 victory over the Lady Purples.
The Trojanettes are led by sophomore standout Elizabeth Bertram (17.3 PPG), who finally returned to action in the 15th District semifinals game against Monroe County after missing several weeks due to injury. Bailey Pedigo stepped up in the midst of Bertram’s injury, and the junior is second on the team in both points and rebounding with 13.4 points and 6.8 boards per night.
Bowling Green is led by all-region player Keely Morrow, the senior scoring an average of 23 points per game while grabbing nine rebounds per night. Taylor Ragland is the Lady Purples’ next-leading scorer with 12.3 points per night.
Logan County vs. Metcalfe County, 8 p.m. Monday
Logan County (21-10) enters this game with plenty of momentum after capturing the 13th District title with a convincing 56-40 victory over Todd County Central on Thursday night.
Metcalfe County (10-16) punched its ticket to the regional tournament on Tuesday night by toppling host Clinton County 62-47 in the first round of the 16th District Tournament before suffering a 70-40 setback to Russell County in the championship game two nights later.
The Lady Cougars and Lady Hornets have not met on the hardwood since Feb. 3, 2009—a game that resulted in a 50-39 victory for Metcalfe County.
Metcalfe County senior Kaylee Harbison paces a balanced Lady Hornet attack with 11.4 points per game while sophomore Kennedy Nichols tops all Logan County scorers with 12.8 points per night.
Russell County vs. Glasgow, 6 p.m. Tuesday
Like Barren County-Bowling Green, this is another first-round game that is bound to be interesting.
Russell County (24-6) is coming off its third 16th District title in four seasons after a 70-40 win over Metcalfe County on Thursday night, and the Lady Lakers currently sport the third-best record in the region.
But the Lady Lakers will meet a very tough adversary in the first round of the regional tournament: the Glasgow Lady Scotties.
The 15th District runner-ups lost the lone meeting between the two schools this season by 20 points, but Glasgow was able to notch a victory against Barren County this year—the Trojanettes being a team that handed the Lady Lakers an 18-point loss in Glasgow on Feb. 6.
Russell County is led by senior LaShaya Carman, who pours in an average of 11.6 points and grabs 7.9 rebounds per night.
Glasgow (21-10) is paced by the one-two punch of Ashanti Gore and Anzley Adwell, who score 11.1 and 11.8 points per night, respectively, for the Lady Scotties.
South Warren vs. Todd County Central, 8 p.m.
South Warren captured its third straight 14th District title with a 68-62 victory over Bowling Green on Thursday night, and the Spartans are the favorite by many to win the Fourth Region this year.
The Spartans (29-3) are led by senior Amaya Lasley with 16.8 points per night on 155-of-309 shooting from the field on the season. Junior Natalie Pierce averages 13 points per game by shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range while senior Jordan McDonald pours in 10.8 and leads the team in rebounding with 5.8 boards per night.
Todd County Central (14-14) is playing in the Fourth Region Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season, and the Lady Rebels are led by junior Amy Brumfield (10.9 PPG).
