The second statewide media poll of the prep basketball season is out.
Votes are pulled from 16 media members representing each region of the state. In a bit of a change from prior years, the 16-member panel submits their top 15 in boys and girls basketball and presents a top five for the region they cover. The prior two seasons it was a top 10.
The top 15 statewide shows first, with the top five teams selected by that media member for the 8th, 9th and 10th Region below it.
The poll will run weekly up to when district tournaments start in late February.
Boys statewide poll
First-place votes in parentheses; records through Sunday’s games
Rank-school (FPV)                      Record Pts       LW
1. St. Xavier (16) 11-2 240 1
2. Great Crossing 13-4 224 2
3. Frederick Douglass 10-2 205 3
4. Bryan Station 13-2 181 4
5. Marshall County 15-0 152 6
6. Covington Catholic                11-2     147      5
7. Manual 12-3 117 8
8. Hazard 13-1 114 7
9. George Rogers Clark 10-2 94 9
10. Green County 13-1 82 10
11. Warren Central 12-1 76 11
12. Woodford County 8-6 62 12
13. Ballard 9-4 61 13
14. Male 9-4 36 14
15. Bowling Green 11-3 30 NR
Others receiving votes: Calloway County 27, Lloyd Memorial 25, LaRue County 14, Butler 9, Ashland Blazer 7, Pleasure Ridge Park 6, Jeffersontown 4, South Laurel 3, Harlan County 2, Adair County 1, Clinton County 1.
Top five teams in the 8th-10th Region
Eighth Region
James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer
1. Woodford County
2. North Oldham
3. Simon Kenton
4. South Oldham
5. Walton-Verona
Ninth Region
Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer
1. Covington Catholic
2. Lloyd Memorial
3. Highlands
4. Cooper
5. Conner
10th Region
Evan Dennison, LinkNKY.com
1. George Rogers Clark
2. Campbell County
3. Mason County
4. Montgomery County
5. Bourbon County
Girls statewide poll
First-place votes in parentheses; records through Sunday’s games
Rank-school (FPV)                      Record Pts       LW
1. Sacred Heart (15) 8-2 238 1
2. George Rogers Clark 5-5 189 4
3. Cooper                                      6-3       185      2
4. Franklin-Simpson 12-1 179 3
5. Assumption 9-1 169 6
6. North Laurel (1) 11-0 151 5
7. Franklin County 12-3 147 7
8. Covington Holy Cross           15-1     117      8
9. (tie) Bethlehem 10-1 104 10
9. (tie) Madison Central 13-0 104 9
11. Henderson County 10-3 83 11
12. Simon Kenton                       12-2     65         13
13. Frederick Douglass 8-3 64 14
14. Notre Dame                           8-3       43         12
15. Highlands                              12-3     16         15
Others receiving votes: Anderson County 14, Marshall County 9, Graves County 7, Johnson Central 7, Lafayette 7, Breckinridge County 6, Owensboro Catholic 6, West Jessamine 6, Danville Christian 3, Knox Central 1.
Top five teams in the 8th-10th Region
Eighth Region
James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer
1. Simon Kenton
2. Anderson County
3. Spencer County
4. Grant County
5. Walton-Verona
Ninth Region
Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer
1. Covington Holy Cross
2. Cooper
3. Highlands
4. Notre Dame
5. Dixie Heights
10th Region
Evan Dennison, LinkNKY.com
1. George Rogers Clark
2. Campbell County
3. Bishop Brossart
4. Scott
5. Montgomery County