2024 KHSAA Boys' High School Basketball Sweet 16: Thursday Preview

March Madness is officially underway!

With many one-seeds in conference tourneys getting bounced, along with the Wildcats in the first round of the SEC Tournament, it truly feels like March — even if it’s not the feeling we were hoping for. While it’s easy to get lost in the razzle-dazzle of March Madness, the main reason that the appeal of the tournament grew was due to the love of one’s team.

Even at the high school level, the same can be said.

In my years traveling for my athletic journey (does soccer count in Kentucky?) I never sensed a love for high school sports like Kentucky. For me, Indiana High School basketball and Kentucky High School basketball were always the true gamekeepers against the AAU/Overtime takeover of high school hoops.

And what better place to celebrate the love of basketball and one’s home county than in Rupp Arena?

While the Cats head into the big dance, their home will be taken over by the Kentucky High School Basketball Boys’ Sweet 16 Tournament.

Starting on Wednesday (March 20), 16 teams will look to make history for their respective schools and win the state championship. In Kentucky, there isn’t division 1, 2, 3, etc. for the basketball tournament. In Kentucky, there is only one true state champion. Now, before each team battles at Rupp, KSR will have you covered in a preview detailing each first-round matchup.

We already wrote about Wednesday’s matchups, now for Thursday. A full bracket can be found here.

Harlan County vs. Warren Central | 11:00 AM

In the 11:00 AM slate, the defending champions will match up with a future SEC guard out of the 13th Region. Warren Central is returning to Rupp Arena for its third straight year under Coach William Unseld. In the past two seasons, the Dragons have made it to the championship game, losing to GRC and then defeating them a year later.

Last year’s Dragons were one of the best teams Kentucky has seen in a long time, going 36-1 on the year with four players averaging 10+ points. However, key graduations left star Kade Unseld alone for Warren Central, and expectations were much lower for the (now) dominant program. The Dragons lost four of their first five games, losing more games in two weeks than they had in two years.

More losses followed as Warren Central ended their regular season with a 13-10 record, a far cry from Bowling Green’s 26-5 record in the same district. Bowling Green then proved the tide had turned this season beating Warren Central 78-54 in the 14th District Championship, their fourth win over Warren Central this season. This left Warren Central with little hope going into a 4th Region championship matchup with the Purples.

However, Warren Central shocked the state with an overtime win over Bowling Green on WKU’s court to punch their ticket to a third-straight Sweet 16 appearance.

Harlan County’s Path

Harlan County’s path featured a lot less drama and a lot more dominance. The Black Bears ended their season with a 62-40 victory over Corbin, finishing with a perfect 18-0 record in the 13th Region. Harlan County’s only losses in the state of Kentucky were to Frederick Douglass Douglass, Bowling Green, and Pikeville; other than that it was pure dominance. Harlan County ended with a 31-4 record but didn’t feature the greatest strength of schedule on the season.

This matchup with Warren Central is their chance to get the signature win. Senior South Carolina commit Trent Noah is a three-star shooting guard who held multiple D1 offers from across the country. Noah averages 29.7 points per game, one of the highest marks in the state. Look out for Noah to end Warren Central’s streak of championship appearances.

KSR’s pick: Harlan County Black Bears

Butler County vs. Evangel Christian | 1:30 PM

BY: Zack Geoghegan

Much like the first matchup of the day, game number two at 1:30 p.m. EST also features a high-profile scorer. Butler County junior Ty Price averages 29.6 points per contest for the Bears, fourth-best in the entire state. The 6-foot point guard holds an offer from Mississippi State and a few other mid-major programs.

Price will lead Butler County against Evangel Christian as both schools look to take advantage of their first-ever Sweet 16 appearances.

Butler County finished the season with a 23-8 record, mowing through the 12th District Tournament and having little issue making it out of the 3rd Region, taking down Owensboro Catholic in the finals. As for Evangel Christian, the small Louisville-based school is 29-6. The Eagles, led by head coach Larry Miller, breezed through the 23rd District before escaping out of the 6th Region.

Along with Price, Butler County rolls out another impressive shotmaker in junior Lawson Rice, who averages 18 points per game on a team-high 61.9 percent shooting clip. Lawson also leads the Bears in rebounding at 10.9 boards per outing. Butler County ranks fifth in the state in scoring at 76.7 points per game. Junior Briar Griffin also chips in 11.6 points per game.

As for Evangel Christian, the Eagles are fueled by a pair of 17-point-per-game scorers in seniors Kyran Tilley (17.8 PPG) and Christian Doerr (17.3 PPG). Six other players average at least five points per game. Evangel Christian loves to score the ball, evidenced by its 74.3 points per game (13th in the state). The Eagles are beating teams by an average of 18.3 points per contest this season.

KSR’s pick: Butler County Bears

Pulaski County vs. Trinity (Louisville) | 6:00 PM

Pulaski and Trinity are opposites regarding culture. A private school from Louisville and the boys from Somerset is an excellent matchup for all of Kentucky. With different cultures comes fun basketball, as Trinity may enter a hostile environment on Thursday night. Both schools are about the same distance from Lexington, so the crowd should be a significant factor for both squads.

However, Trinity is seen as a much better team. Pulaski is ranked as the second-worst team in KSR’s top-16 teams entering the tournament. Trinity is up there with some of the best in the game, as the Shamrocks come in at number five in the same rankings. 

Senior Andrae Vasser, sophomore Jayden Johnson, and junior Julius Edmonds lead Trinity. Their big three are all considered legit scorers and really good athletes. Most will need to get to know Jayden Johnson, a four-star 2026 SG who ic currently trending toward the Indiana Hoosiers. He could have his real breakout in this tournament, and that could happen on Thursday. Trinity has a significant advantage at guard, and that is big in tournament time.

Pulaski County is led by Will Blankenship, a senior who averages 15.2 points per game. Two others (Zak Anderson and Ethan Idlewine) both average double-digits in scoring while Gavin Cook is right there with them at 9.7 PPG. Pulaski County relies on its defense, which is 26th in the state in opponent scoring at just 52.7 PPG.

The Maroons will need production from everyone to make the upset possible.

KSR’s pick: Trinity Shamrocks

Newport vs. Campbell County | 8:30 PM

Newport may be the biggest foil for Great Crossing in their quest to win a state championship. The Newport Wildcats come in at number two in the state at 32-3. They are led by four-star sophomore Tay Kinney and senior Jabari Covington.

Kinney is a great scorer and an even better player. He has interest from Cincinnati, Louisville, Notre Dame, and many more. These guys can play, and Newport may just be the hottest team entering the tournament.

Newport has not lost since before Christmas — that makes zero sense. In my mind, this tournament is Newport and Great Crossing at the one and two, and either could be argued for the one. Newport averages 64.7 ppg and shoots over 50% from the field. Their kryptonite may be their three-point shopping as the Wildcats shoot “only” 35.6% from three. So if teams can make a lot of threes, and contain Kinney (a tough ask), Newport is very beatable.

Campbell County is good in its own right. The Camels’ 26-6 record and one-point win in the 10th Region championship adds drama to the matchups. Campbell County averages 67 points per game and is led by Connor Weinel at 15.7 points per game. It’s a tough draw for Newport in the first round, and this could be a very interesting game.

KSR’s pick: Newport