Rankings, stats and hype are now thrown out the window.
Win or go home mindset is now at the forefront, teams getting one pass if they make it to their district championship.
Over the next week, over half the teams in Kentucky will see their season come to an end. The other half will move on to their respective regional tournaments the following week.
Before we get there, here’s a look at the 32nd-37th District tournaments as they start on Monday. Who will pull off the bracket-busting upset? Once Saturday is here, we’ll know who is headed to their respective region tournaments.
Boys 32nd District Tournament (at Simon Kenton)
Tuesday: Simon Kenton (19-10) vs Williamstown (14-15), 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Grant County (24-6) vs Walton-Verona (20-10), 7 p.m.
Friday: Championship, 7 p.m.
Out of the six districts being previewed, the 32nd might have the most parity in it.
Simon Kenton enters as the No. 1 seed, having gone 3-0 in district play with double-digit wins over Williamstown and Grant County and a seven-point victory over Walton-Verona. The Pioneers opened the season 7-2, but have gone 12-8 since. Williamstown is not your typical run out of the gym No. 4 seed.
You’d be hard pressed to find another first round matchup in the state with 44 combined victories as Walton-Verona and Grant County will be one of the better first round district matchups in the state. The Bearcats won 49-47 on Feb. 8, a rare low scoring game for Walton this season as they come in averaging 77.5 points per game. Grant County has slayed some dragons this year with wins over Great Crossing and Mason County.
The Bearcats have won four of the last seven district titles, the Pioneers with the other three. Grant County last won in 2015.
Boys 33rd District Tournament (at Cooper)
Monday: Ryle (9-17) vs Heritage Academy (17-10), 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Ryle-Heritage Academy winner vs Conner (18-7), 6 p.m., Cooper (14-12) vs Boone County (5-19), 7:45 p.m.
Friday: Championship, 7 p.m.
Can Conner make it four in a row?
The first tip will be Monday night when Ryle will take on Heritage Academy for the right to face Conner in the semifinals. Ryle enters the tournament 9-17 coming off a tough five-game stretch to end the season. The Raiders will be leaning on Logan Verax and Landon Lorms. Both are averaging double-digit points so far this season. They will have to find a way to stop Heritage’s high-flying offense which is currently ranked 36th in the state averaging 69.7 points per game. The Eagles are led by Landon Warner, who averages 20.2 points per game on 55% shooting. The winner of this game will have the rough challenge of facing the three-time defending district champions Conner Cougars on Wednesday. Conner, who is one of the contenders to win the Ninth Region, is led by four seniors. Seniors Landon Hamilton, Ayden Lohr, Daniel Campbell and Dalton Kramer average a combined 59.7 points per game. Whoever wins our opening-round matchup between the Eagles and Raiders will clearly have to find a way to stop those four if they wish to punch their ticket to the regional tournament.
In the other semifinal of this district on Wednesday will be a matchup of two teams whose records could be a bit misleading. Boone County enters the tournament 5-19, but have lost six games by eight points or less. The Rebels went 4-3 down the stretch, so look to have turned around some of their early season misfortunes. Cooper on the other hand, who was 12-7 just a few weeks ago, is now 14-12 after losing five of their last seven including overtime losses to Covington Catholic and Dixie Heights and also a two-point loss to Newport in which they had a three-point attempt at the buzzer to win that game. All five of those losses were by nine points or less. Cooper is led by Yamil Rodon, who finished with 10 points in the Jaguars 66-37 win over the Rebels earlier this year. Boone County will have to change up their game plan and hope to find a way to get leading scorer Maddox Jones going if they hope to knock off the Jaguars. The Jaguars got an added boost over the weekend as Jashaun Pouncy was ruled eligible by the KHSAA after sitting the regular season out due to KHSAA transfer rules. Pouncy played at Boone County last season, averaging a double-double as a sophomore with 14.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
Conner has won the last three district titles, Cooper winning three straight prior to that. The last title not from the Jags or Cougars was Ryle in 2014. Boone County’s last district title came in 2009.
Boys 34th District Tournament (at St. Henry)
Monday: Ludlow (19-11) vs Villa Madonna (9-19), 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Ludlow-Villa Madonna winner vs Lloyd Memorial (16-9), 5:30 p.m., St. Henry (13-12) vs Dixie Heights (7-17), 7:30 p.m.
Friday: Championship, 6 p.m.
Is Lloyd Memorial ready to party like its 2017?
In the 34th district tournament, Jaxson Rice and the Ludlow Panthers will begin the action against the Villa Madonna Vikings. Rice, who is sixth in the state in scoring with 30.1 points per game, has steered his Panthers to a 19-10 record, which includes two wins over the Vikings earlier this season. Rice finished with 41 and 29 in their previous two meetings. The Vikings will have to find a way to stop Rice and need some of Henry Thole’s magic that he has used all season while averaging 20.8 points per game to avenge their losses to Ludlow from earlier this season. The winner of this game will take on Jeremiah Israel and the Juggernauts. The Jugs have dominated the district so far this season going 5-0 during the regular season matchups. Led by the duo of Israel and E.J Walker, who are averaging 36.2 points per game combined this season, the Juggernauts are attempting to win their first district title since 2017.
The Crusaders of St. Henry and the Dixie Heights Colonels will meet in the other semi-final matchup in a rematch of a Jan. 19 game in which the Crusaders came away with a tough 48-41 victory. In that game, Matthew Resing and Braden Fedders combined for 27 points to lead the Crusaders offense. Colonels pair Hudson Blank and Jacob Bock will be trying to build off their 18 and 16-point performances in the team’s overtime win over the Cooper Jaguars this past week. This was Dixie’s biggest win in what has been a rebuilding season coming off a regional runner-up performance in 2022.
Dixie Heights has won the last two district titles, St. Henry winning two in a row prior to that.
Boys 35th District Tournament (at Covington Catholic)
Wednesday: Covington Catholic (24-4) vs Holmes (3-21), 5:30 p.m., Holy Cross (21-7) vs Beechwood (10-18), 7:30 p.m.
Friday: Championship, 7 p.m.
Could it be the battle of Co-Region Players of the Year?
In possibly the most star-studded district tournament, the 35th district tournament will begin with a battle between Jacob Meyer and his Holy Cross Indians and Cameron Boyd and the Beechwood Tigers. Meyer and the Indians got the first laugh as they dominated the Tigers on Feb. 7. Meyer finished with 38, Javier Ward scored his 1,000th point of his career, and the Indians cruised to a 27-point victory. Boyd will have to reach deep into his bag of tricks to find the answer to stopping the state’s leading scorer in Meyer. Either way, this will be a fantastic matchup between two incredible players and unfortunately, this will be one of the two’s final game in a high school basketball uniform.
On the other side will be Evan Ipsaro and the three-time defending district champions Covington Catholic Colonels. Ipsaro is the 14th leading scorer in the state averaging 25.2 points per game. The Colonels will face off against the Holmes Bulldgos in the semifinals. The Bulldogs are led by Miguel Garcia who is leading the team with 9.1 points per game.
Covington Catholic has been the dominant team in district play with an average margin of victory of 24.6 points per contest in the three games, although Holy Cross enters winners in 14 of their last 16.
The last team to win a district title besides CovCath was Beechwood in 2019. Holmes last won one in 2014. Holy Cross hasn’t claimed one since the KHSAA data started tracking the results in 1999.
Boys 36th District Tournament (at Highlands)
Monday: Dayton (10-19) vs Bellevue (12-15), 7:45 p.m.
Wednesday: Newport (23-6) vs Bellevue-Dayton winner, 6 p.m., Highlands (22-8) vs Newport Central Catholic (11-18), 8 p.m.
Friday: Championship, 7 p.m.
Is it Newport’s turn to take the title?
Dayton and Bellevue meet on Monday for the right to challenge Newport for one of the two regional births. The Dragons and Tigers have played twice so far this season, splitting the series. For the Green Devils, getting Mason Johnson going will be the key as he had 26 in the win over the Tigers and seven in their loss to Bellevue. On the Bellevue side, obviously, a big key will be shutting down Johnson, but on offense, they will be led by Junior guard Noah Frommeyer who had 24 and 19 in the two games against the Green Devils this season.
Newport is seeking their first district title since 2019 Newport and is led by Guards Jabari Covington and Taylen Kinney along with their two big men Marquez Miller and James Turner. The Wildcats went undefeated in district play during the regular season and will rely on their consistent play on defense only allowing 51 points per game.
Two teams that have played each other plenty of times for the district title are Newport Central Catholic and Highlands. However, this time they will be matched up in the semifinals on Wednesday night with a win-or-go-home situation on the line. Highlands comes in knowing they have already beaten the Thoroughbreds handily, 75-45 just a few weeks ago when Will Herald led the Bluebirds with 24 points. Newport Central Catholic will have to find a way to stop Highlands’ top 5 scoring offense in the state and make sure Coby Kramer who is averaging 17.7 points per game gets going.
Highlands has won the last three district titles, Newport winning in 2018 and ’19. NewCath’s last district title came in 2017 which was their ninth in a row at the time.
Boys 37th District Tournament (at Campbell County Middle School)
Tuesday: Campbell County (19-11) vs Calvary Christian (3-26), 6 p.m., Scott (13-17) vs Bishop Brossart (13-15), 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: Championship, 7 p.m.
Ten-peat?
That’s what Campbell County is gunning for when action starts Tuesday at Campbell County Middle School. The Camels are once again the class of the district, entering 3-0 in district action with comfortable wins over Bishop Brossart and Calvary Christian and a seven-point victory over Scott. Campbell will open up with Calvary Christian, a team they defeated 89-22 on Dec. 20.
The other side of the bracket is where the most intrigue is, Scott and Brossart meeting with the season in the balance. The Eagles won the first meeting, 81-75 on Jan. 20 in Alexandria. The two have went different ways down the stretch, Scott 10-6 over their final 16 games while Brossart went 1-11 over their last 12. The Mustangs hope their fortunes are similar to last year when they lost to Scott during the regular season, but got revenge in the postseason and ending the Eagles season.
The last team to claim a district title besides the Camels was Bishop Brossart in 2013.
The girls district tournament previews will be released later today.
