Sporting Times Top Ten
Girls Basketball
As we enter the penultimate week of the regular season, there does not seem to be a clear-cut favorite in the 4th Region. Maybe we will find out in Week 9 who the favorite is, or maybe we will be left with more questions than we had before.
Week 9
School Record Last Week
- Barren County 13-7 1
Outlook: Barren County may have lost two out of three games in Week 8; however, the Trojanettes have won six of their last eight games overall and remain #1 in the ST Power Rankings. Coach Piper Lindsey’s club lost only its second region game of the season on Tuesday to Franklin-Simpson. Leading scorer Raven Ennis missed all three games last week. Her return to the lineup would give the Trojanettes a major boost heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. BCHS is scheduled to host Cumberland County on Tuesday before traveling to Caverna on Friday.
2. Bowling Green 8-10 2
Outlook: Bowling Green has lost four straight games, so you may be wondering why they are still ranked #2 in our power rankings. Context is critical. The Lady Purples have lost four-consecutive games, yes; however, the losses came against one of the top two teams in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 12th Regions. Coach Calvin Head’s club is still 6-1 in 4th Region play – its only loss coming on opening night at #1 Barren County. Meadow Tisdale and LynKaylah James recorded five double-doubles between them in last week’s three contests. Ava Bennett drained four three-pointers in two of the three games and has now hit 33 three-pointers on the season. The team will play some of the top teams in the 1st (Graves County), 3rd (Apollo), and 5th (Bardstown) this week. These games will continue to prepare the club for a postseason ahead.
3. Warren Central 6-6 4
Outlook: Warren Central picked up an impressive 57-44 victory over Greenwood to secure the #2 seed in the 14th District Tournament in two weeks. Saniyah Shelton led the Lady Dragons with 17 points, while Kyleigh Ray recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Coach Anthony Hickey’s club is scheduled to host Christian County on Tuesday before traveling to McLean County on Thursday.
4. Greenwood 7-4 3
Outlook: Greenwood slipped to #4 after losing to both Warren Central and Owensboro in Week 8. The Lady Gators now have a massive game against Warren East on Monday night that will decide which team secures the 3-seed in the 14th District Tournament. It will be a busy week for coach Zach Simpson’s club as they also are scheduled to travel to #9 Metcalfe County on Tuesday, host #6 Russell County on Thursday, and travel to perennial state power Elizabethtown on Saturday.
5. Franklin-Simpson 9-6 6
Outlook: Franklin-Simpson picked up one of the best wins of the 2021 season on Tuesday with a 57-51 decision over #1 Barren County. Kate Norwood led the way with 18 points, while Hadley Turner and Alera Barbee each chipped in 14. Turner also grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds. Although the Lady Wildcats were subsequently tripped up by Glasgow at home two nights later, their victory over the Trojanettes was enough to improve its ranking this week. Coach Ashley Taylor’s club will be at home for two games this week – a game with Todd County Central on Thursday and a date with Monroe County on Friday night.
6. Russell County 11-9 9
Outlook: Russell County won all three of its games in Week 8 to improve its current win streak to five games. Star Marcum led the way by averaging 18 points over the course of the three contests. A 45-28 win over Metcalfe County clinched the #1 seed for the 16th District Tournament. The Lady Lakers will jump out of district play this week with a home game on Tuesday with Monroe County to be followed by road tilts with Greenwood (Thursday) and Taylor County (Friday).
7. Monroe County 8-6 8
Outlook: Monroe County jumped up a spot in our weekly power rankings after going 2-1 in Week 8, including a win over then-#10 Warren East. Gracie Veach paced the Lady Falcons in their win over WE with 13 points and 10 rebounds. A couple of road games face coach Clifton Hamilton’s club in Week 9 – at #6 Russell County on Tuesday and at #5 Franklin-Simpson on Friday.
8. Clinton County 9-5 7
Outlook: Clinton County ran its winning streak to four games by picking up wins over Lynn Camp and Allen County-Scottsville in Week 8. Braylee Mann led the Lady Bulldogs with 20 points and 7 rebounds in their 70-55 win over Lynn Camp. Aysha Sutton tallied 14 points, while Abbi Young recorded 12. A road game at Glasgow is scheduled for Tuesday before home meetings with Edmonson County (Thursday) and Somerset (Saturday) close out the week.
9. Metcalfe County 8-7 5
Outlook: Metcalfe County picked up an overtime win over Campbellsville on Saturday to avoid going 0-4 in Week 8. In its victory over the Lady Eagles, Kassady London scored 23 points and Anna Blythe grabbed 13 rebounds. The Lady Hornets are scheduled to host Greenwood (Tuesday), Allen County-Scottsville (Friday), and Glasgow (Saturday) this week.
10. South Warren 8-9 NR
Outlook: South Warren is back into the ST Power Rankings after an impressive week that nearly saw the Lady Spartans go 4-0. Coach Lane Embry’s club picked up wins over Edmonson County, Allen County-Scottsville, and Muhlenberg County, while almost taking down #1 Barren County before falling in overtime on Friday night. Sophomore Gracie Hodges led the club in rebounding for the week, grabbing 40 total rebounds. She scored 25 points and recorded 13 rebounds in South’s 67-48 win over Edmonson County.
Next Teams Up: Warren East, Glasgow
