With district tournaments now completed, it’s officially regional tournament time across the Kentucky high school basketball landscape. Many brackets have been assembled as numerous draws took place Saturday morning, including both draws for the Region 4 Girls’ and Boys’ Tournaments.
The Region 4 Boys’ Tournament will begin Sunday with a pair of quarterfinal games, while the Girls’ Tournament will get underway Tuesday with two quarterfinal matchups. Both tournaments will be held at Western Kentucky University’s E.A. Diddle Arena.
Both regional champions will represent Region 4 in the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen and Girls’ Sweet Sixteen, respectively, which will both be held at Rupp Arena in Lexington. The Boys’ Sweet Sixteen will be held March 6-10, while the Girls’ Sweet Sixteen is slated for March 13-17.
On the boys’ side, the Region 4 Tournament will open with Clinton County vs. Allen County-Scottsville at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Bulldogs (23-7) captured the District 16 championship, while the Patriots (23-8) were runners-up in District 15. Clinton County is led by the senior duo of Jackson Harlan (24.2) – a WKU signee – and Seth Stockton (14.1), who combine for 38.3 points per game, respectively. Brett Rippy leads ACS with 17.1 points, and Mason Shirley averages 15.1.
The second Sunday quarterfinal features Bowling Green vs. Franklin-Simpson, which is scheduled to tip-off at 4:45 p.m. The Purples (24-5) claimed the District 14 championship, and the Wildcats (16-12) were runners-up in District 13. Isaiah Mason leads Bowling Green with 15.3 points per game, while DeMarco Chatman averages 15.8 for Franklin-Simpson.
“A lot of respect for their program and their coaching staff,” Bowling Green coach Derrick Clubb said of Franklin-Simpson. “They’ve got great players. I think Chatman is one of the best players in the region – definitely one of the best scorers. We’ll have our hands full. (Franklin-Simpson coach Dee Spencer) will put together a great game plan and they’ll come right at us.”
Monday’s boys’ quarterfinal matchups pit Glasgow vs. Warren Central – the defending Region 4 champion – at 6 p.m. and Logan County vs. Metcalfe County at 7:45 p.m. The Scotties (21-10) were champions of District 15, while the Dragons were runners-up in District 14. The Cougars (24-6) claimed the District 13 title, and the Hornets (11-20) were District 16 runners-up.
Nik Sorrell leads Glasgow with 19.6 points per game, while Dre Boyd and Kobe Brents score 14 and 13.6, respectively, for Warren Central. Boston Devore leads Metcalfe County with 16 points per outing. Logan County hasn’t entered any stats on the KHSAA Scoreboards website this season.
“We both get two days to prepare,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “They’re a heck of a basketball team. They’ve got a heck of a basketball player running their program; Sorrell’s a hell of a basketball player. They’re playing well. We’ve just gotta go and prepare and see what happens Monday night.”
On the girls’ side, the Region 4 Tournament will open with Barren County vs. South Warren at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Trojanettes (28-4) captured the District 15 championship, while the Spartans (17-12) were runners-up in District 14. Barren County is led by the duo of Bailey Pedigo (13.7) and Elizabeth Bertram (13.6), who combine for 27.3 points per game, respectively. Natalie Pierce leads South Warren with 17.1 points, and Brooke Stevenson averages 10.8.
“It’s never gonna be easy – that’s one thing about it,” Barren County coach Piper Lindsey said. “We’ve just gotta make sure we come and continue to get better like we’ve been playing. As long as we continue to stay focused, I feel like we’re coming together at the right time. I feel like our chemistry is really, really great.”
The second Tuesday quarterfinal features Logan County vs. Metcalfe County, which is scheduled to tip-off at 7:45 p.m. The Lady Cougars (21-10) claimed the District 13 championship, and the Lady Hornets (22-8) were runners-up in District 16. Sarah Hale leads Logan County with 13.7 points per game, while Kaylee Harbison averages 13.8 for Metcalfe County.
Wednesday’s girls’ quarterfinal matchups pit Bowling Green – the defending Region 4 champion – vs. Russellville at 6 p.m. and Russell County vs. Glasgow at 7:45 p.m. The Lady Purples (24-7) were champions of District 14, while the Lady Panthers (18-11) were runners-up in District 13. The Lady Lakers (18-13) claimed the District 16 title, and the Lady Scotties (20-9) were District 15 runners-up.
T’Alla Brown leads Bowling Green with 13.5 points per game, while Keyozdon Jones scores 12.4. Russellville is led by Amiyah Collier’s 10.7 points per outing. Addison Loy leads Russell County with 12.5 points, and Ashanti Gore averages 13.8 for Glasgow.
“It’s going to be tough,” Bowling Green coach Calvin Head said. “Everyone in this field has a winning record – I think 17 is the minimum amount (of wins). Every round is going to be tough. We’ve got our hands full on the bottom side, and there’s a good matchup up top with South and Barren, as well. It’s going to be fun.”
