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KSR's 2022 Boys Sweet Sixteen Tournament Preview

Zack Geogheganby:Zack Geoghegan•03/16/22•

ZGeogheganKSR

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Photo by Les Nicholson | Kentucky Sports Radio

We’re under 24 hours away from the opening tip of the 2022 UK HealthCare Boy’s Sweet Sixteen on Wednesday morning, which will once again use Rupp Arena as the host site with the ultimate goal to crown a new Kentucky state champion. The 16-team field is absolutely loaded with individual talent, showcasing Power 5 commits Reed Sheppard (Kentucky) and Kaleb Glenn (Louisville) along with plenty of veteran leaders and up-and-coming talent.

The team themselves are quite impressive, too, with 14 of the 16 participants among the KSR Top 25 rankings heading into the Sweet Sixteen, including eight of the top nine.

While you’re here, make sure to check out the Premier High School Sports Podcast, hosted by KSR’s Troy Howell and his brother, Clark Howell. The two were recently joined by KSR’s Ryan Lemond to break down the entire tournament and predict each game’s winner along the way. You can listen to the podcast by clicking the link here.

Now let’s dive into the written version of our preview.

The Bracket

No. T-14 Jeffersontown (24-8) vs. No. 9 Lincoln County (29-7)

Wednesday, March 16: 11:00 AM

Players to Watch: Jeffersontown PG Drae Vasser (So.) 13.6 ppg, 4.6 RPG, 53.6% FG | Lincoln County G Tramane Alcorn (Jr.) 13.9 ppg, 5.0 RPG, 50.6% FG

Led by the Vasser brothers of Drae and Will, Jeffersontown came out of the 6th Region after taking down a trio of foes in Bullitt Central, Pleasure Ridge Park, and Doss. Head coach Richard Duncan Jr. has his Chargers squad riding a six-game winning streak heading into Rupp Arena. Jeffersontown has already beaten fellow Sweet Sixteen team North Oldham earlier in the year but holds two losses to Ballard, which failed to reach the state tournament after running into Male in the regionals. The Vasser brothers both average 13.6 points per game on impressive efficiency.

Looking at the 12th Region winning Lincoln County Patriots, head coach Jeff Jackson has seen his squad winning 16 of their previous 18 outings, with losses to Madison Central and Lexington Catholic sprinkled in. Lincoln County doesn’t hold any wins this season over current Sweet Sixteen teams, however, the Patriots did beat Cane Ridge (TN) at the beginning of the year, which includes five-star class of 2022 Alabama commit Brandon Miller. They also beat No. 11 Pulaski County in a thriller in the regional title. Lincoln County boasts a foursome of double-digit scorers: Junior guard Tramane Alcorn at 13.9 ppg, junior guard Colton Ralston at 13.1 ppg, senior guard Jaxon Smith at 12.0 ppg, and senior guard Evan Smith at 11.7 ppg.

Evan Smith will not participate due to injury.

Muhlenberg County (18-11) vs. North Oldham (18-12)

Wednesday, March 16: 1:30 PM

Players to Watch: Muhlenberg County G Vincent Cole (Sr.) 11.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg | North Oldham PG Dallas Roberts (Jr.) 17.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Muhlenberg County is considered the 16th best team out of the 16-team field by KSR’s rankings, but the Mustangs made the state tournament out of the 3rd Region for a reason. Head coach Kyle Eades has led Muhlenberg County through a tough schedule that included two out-of-state tournaments and four matchups against the state’s top 25. That run toughened them up for the postseason, resulting in four straight wins as they gear up to face the 15th out of 16th ranked team in the tournament. The Mustangs are engineered by senior guards Trey Lovell’s 13.3 ppg and Vincent Cole’s 11.9 ppg and 5.0 rpg.

Midseason injuries plagued the North Oldham Mustangs, but head coach David Levitch brought his team together at the perfect time to push the school to its first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance after winning the 8th Region. North Oldham has more losses than any other team in the tournament but might also be the most dangerous from the top quadrant. Junior point guard Dallas Roberts is a Divison I prospect, averaging 17.5 points on 35 percent 3-point shooting. He’s aided by a talented supporting cast of juniors in forward Ian Higdon, guard Jack Scales, and forward Luke Anderson.

No. T-18 Perry County Central (29-4) vs. No. 1 George Rogers Clark (33-1)

Wednesday, March 16: 6:00 PM

Players to Watch: Perry County Central SF Landon Napier (Sr.) 15.7 ppg, 51.7% FG | George Rogers Clark G Jerone Morton (Jr.) 19.2 ppg, 5.5 RPG, 50.4% FG

The Perry County Central Commodores will come to Rupp Arena with an upset on the mind after winning the 14th Region. Head coach Shannon Hoskins and his squad haven’t dropped a game since falling to North Laurel on Feb. 5 — a now-10 game-winning streak for the ‘Dores. Senior wing Landon Napier leads Perry County Central with 15.7 ppg while freshman point guard Rydge Beverly and senior forward Lanse McKenzie are right behind with 11.6 and 9.9 ppg, respectively. The Commodores will look to beat its first Top 25 opponent of the season in what would be a massive first-round upset.

The top-ranked team coming into the tournament and favorites to win it all, the George Rogers Clark Cardinals have been viewed as the best unit in the state for most of the season. Sporting just one loss on the season, which came against South Carolina-based Dorman High School back in December, the 10th Region champions have dominated the in-state competition. Head coach Josh Cook rolls out four scorers who average at least 12 ppg, led by junior guard Jeron Morton’s (who is drawing significant DI interest) 19.2 ppg on over 50 percent shooting. GRC has already beaten the likes of North Laurel (twice), Ashland Blazer, Madison Central, Ballard, and Great Crossing. They will be a tough out.

No. 6 North Laurel (28-5) vs. No. 8 Pikeville (31-2)

Wednesday, March 16: 8:30 PM

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Players to Watch: North Laurel G Reed Sheppard (Jr.) 25.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 54.7% FG | Pikeville G Rylee Samons (Jr.) 15.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 53% FG

The North Laurel Jaguars need little introduction to those who have followed this website over the last year. Led by Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard, the 13th Region winners will draw a huge crowd at Rupp Arena as the Big Blue Nation gets an early look at the future Wildcat legacy recruit. But the Jaguars aren’t just Sheppard. Head coach Nate Valentine drug North Laurel through a tough schedule against roughly a dozen of the state’s top teams. Sheppard, who is all-but-guaranteed to drop 25-plus points, will receive plenty of help from his cousin, junior forward Ryan Davidson, who adds 20.0 ppg, along with senior guard Clay Sizemore, who contributes 10.7 ppg as the team’s sharpshooter.

But the Pikeville Panthers will present an excellent first-round challenge. Head coach Elisha Justice powered Pikeville to a two-loss season as winners of the 15th Region, with both coming against top-ranked in-state teams in Covington Catholic and Ballard. The Panthers are fueled by four double-digit scorers: junior guard Rylee Samons (15.5 ppg), senior forward Nick Robinson (13.5 ppg), senior guard Laithan Hall (11.8 ppg), and senior point guard Keian Worrix (11.1 ppg). North Laurel will be on upset watch with Pikeville in the opening round

Edit: Pikeville lost to Bowling Green and Paintsville this season, not Covington Catholic and Ballard.

No. 5 Warren Central (26-3) vs. No. 2 Male (28-5)

Thursday, March 17: 11:00 AM

Players to Watch: Warren Central G Jaiden Lawrence (Jr.) 14.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 52.2% FG | Male F Kaleb Glenn (Jr.) 21.9 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 64.9% FG

In what has serious potential to be the most-exciting first-round matchup of the event, the Warren Central Dragons will open up with a top-five matchup. Head coach William Unseld has his 4th Region champs on a 14-game winning streak with only two in-state losses on the year. The Dragons produce a trio of double-digit scorers — senior guard Jaiden Lawrence (14.1 ppg), junior wing Chappelle Whitney (13.6), and junior point guard Omari Glover (11.3) — plus two more averaging over nine per game.

As for the 7th Region winning Male Bulldogs, head coach Tim Haworth subjected his squad to a tough schedule that has paid off heading into the state tournament. Male has several wins against KSR’s Top 25, including three wins over Ballard plus victories over Ashland Blazer and Pleasure Ridge Park. The Bulldogs also split the season series against Covington Catholic. Louisville commit, junior forward Kaleb Glenn, is the clear star for Male with his team-leading 21.9 ppg and 12.7 rpg on nearly 65 percent shooting. Senior forward Lindsay Dezdrick (14.9 ppg), junior point guard Jack Edelen (13.4), and junior forward Demetrius White (9.4) round out the scoring alongside Glenn.

No. 22 Lyon County (28-6) vs. No. 25 John Hardin (25-9)

Thursday, March 17: 1:30 PM

Players to Watch: Lyon County G Travis Perry (So.) 27.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg | John Hardin G Amareion Doctor (Sr.) 16.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg

Lyon County is so small of a school that it doesn’t even have a football program, but it does have Travis Perry, and that’s really all a team needs. The Lyons haven’t been to the Sweet Sixteen in over 60 years but will step into Rupp Arena featuring a sophomore in Perry who already has 3,000 points to his name and holds an offer from Ole Miss. Head coach Ryan Perry has Lyon County riding a nine-game winning streak behind a trio of double-digit scorers. Travis Perry leads the way with 27.7 ppg while guards Jackson Shoulders (Sr.) and Jack Reddick (So.) are behind him with 19.6 and 10.6 ppg, respectively.

Coming out of the 5th Region, the John Hardin Bulldogs and head coach Austin Jones are powered by a pair of 16 ppg senior guards in Jalen Tyus (16.4) and Amareion Doctor (16.1). Another pair of senior guards in Corey Brown and Devon Rogers round out of the Bulldogs double-figure scorers at 11.2 and 11.0 ppg, respectively. John Hardin has won seven games in a row to make the Sweet Sixteen but has lost all three games this season played against the KSR Top 25.

No. T-14 Henry Clay (27-8) vs. No. 23 Murray (25-6)

Thursday, March 17: 6:00 PM

Players to Watch: Henry Clay G Aziel Blackwell (Sr.) 17.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg | Murray G Grant Whitaker (Jr.) 17.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 55.7% FG

Coming out of the 11th Region, the Henry Clay Blue Devils took down all three of Lexington Catholic, Great Crossing, and Frederick Douglass in a row to reach the Sweet Sixteen. Head coach Daniel Brown challenged his team with a tough schedule all season long, which proved to be the right move down the stretch and heading into the postseason. Senior guard Aziel Blackwell is the Blue Devils’ lefty star, averaging roughly 17 points and six rebounds per outing, with senior point guard Kanye Henderson and junior point guard Konlin Brown not too far behind at 13.3 and 11.1 ppg, respectively.

Looking at the Murray Tigers, head coach Dior Curtis had little trouble getting out of the 1st Region. Behind junior point guard Grant Whitaker’s team-leading 17.2 ppg and senior forward Trey Boggess’ 13.4 ppg, Murray upset a good McCracken County squad in the regional title to make the Sweet Sixteen. The Tigers have just one win this season against a team in the state tournament — Muhlenberg County, in what was Murray’s second game of the season.

No. 3 Covington Catholic (28-4) vs. No. 7 Ashland Blazer (26-5)

Thursday, March 17: 8:30 PM

Players to Watch: Covington Catholic PG Evan Ipsaro (Jr.) 21.7 ppg, 58.8% FG | Ashland Blazer PG Colin Porter (Sr.) 17.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 49.3% FG

Another matchup with potential as the most intriguing of the first-round features the Covington Catholic Colonels, led by head coach Scott Ruthsatz. Winners of the 9th Region, Cov Cath has been viewed as one of the top three favorites to take home the title in 2022. Miami (OH) commit, senior center Mitchell Rylee, is a beast down low with his 16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per outing on over 70 percent shooting, but the Colonels are powered by junior point guard Evan Ipsaro, who averages a team-high 21.7 ppg on nearly 59 percent shooting from the field. Junior forward Chandler Starks does the dirty work in the paint with his 9.6 ppg and 8.4 rpg. Cov Cath will be an incredibly tough out.

But if anyone can take down the Colonels in round one, the Ashland Blazer Tomcats is as good a bet as any to do so. Coming out of the 16th Region, Ashland Blazer features a foursome of impressive scorers, engineered by senior point guard Colin Porter — who is committed to play his college ball at Liberty — and his 17.4 ppg. The Tomcats leading scorer, senior guard Ethan Sellers, pours in 18.1 ppg on nearly 50 percent shooting while senior guard Cole Villers fills in with 13.9 ppg. Freshman guard Zander Carter rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.7 ppg of his own. Three of Ashland’s four in-state losses came against KSR Top 25 teams in Ballard, Male, and George Rogers Clark.

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2025-01-10