KSR's Kentucky High School Basketball Preseason Preview: Regions 3 and 4

It’s basketball time in the Bluegrass, and there’s no better feeling in the world. Over the next two weeks, KSR will prepare you for the upcoming season with previews of every region. Today, we will look at the third and fourth regions out of the Commonwealth.

• Highlighted numbers in parentheses are what the team is ranked in the entire state, according to Troy (@teeroyhowell) and Clark Howell (@rezinc)
• Region rankings are courtesy of The Cats’ Pause High School Preview Magazine.

You can check out KSR’s Regions 1 and 2 preview here.

Region 3 Preview

Last year’s champion: Muhlenberg County

The Cats’ Pause Pre-Season Top 8:

1. Owensboro – Led by Kenyata Carbon (maybe the best player in the region), the Red Devils will look to avenge their untimely loss in last year’s regional semifinals. Carbon averaged a smooth 20.3 ppg last year on 49.5% shooting from the field. He’s a great slasher that will look to improve his outside shot in his senior season (28.3% last season). He will be flanked by fellow senior guard Cayman Powell, who averaged 6.0 points a game last year but will take a giant step forward on the offense. Transfer guard Jonathan Moss will work to run an offense that was the best in the region a season ago.

Head coach Rod Drake said, “Our goal is to always be in a position to contend for the regional title,” and the Red Devils are in a good position to do so.

2. Owensboro Catholic – The private school in the same city will look to cement itself as the leader in Owensboro. The Aces, which are led by head coach Tim Riley, will sport the best 1-2 punch in the entire region. Senior guard Brian Griffith averaged 18.4 points per game, 4.0 assists, and made 37 threes on 35.6% shooting from distance. In the paint, 6-6 forward Ji Webb is the dominating force that controls the Aces’ destiny. Last season, he averaged 18.6 points per game along with nine rebounds a game.

Both Griffith and Webb are in their fifth year of high school (COVID-19 waiver) so to say the team has experience is an understatement. Coach Riley stated, “There’s not too many teams in the state that have that coming back. We should have a nice team.” The region four championship should run through Owensboro — will it belong to the Aces or Red Devils?

3. Ohio County – The Eagles of Ohio County will look to run the 10th district along with the region. The best junior in the region is 6-5 forward Elijah Decker. This year he could be a double-double machine for the Eagles, as he averaged nearly 14 points with nine rebounds as a sophomore. I expect huge things for Decker, and could see him being the best forward in the entire region. His frontcourt mate Bo Morse added 6/6 last year, which could skyrocket in 2022-23. The team’s small forward is expected to be Parker Culbertson, who nearly averaged 13 points last year. The Eagles also have 6-foot-4 sophomore Carson Kennedy; safe to say the Eagles will have a surplus of height.

4. Hancock County – Head coach Mike Orr LOVES the team that is returning, “We have 90 percent of our scoring, rebounding and assists coming back.” That is a dream for any coach in any sport. The Hornets will be led by senior big man Kaleb Known, who will be the reason that Hancock County will be able to dominate the boards against any number of teams. The outside scoring for this team will come from forward Ryan Ogle. The Hornets have plenty of size and strength, the question will be how Coach Orr will work to space the floor. They are returning a ton of players and had success last year with a semifinal appearance in the region.

5. Whitesville Trinity – The Raiders, led by head coach Nathan West, is another squad in the region that has a surplus of experience. A total of six seniors will play significant minutes for a Raiders squad that finished 16-16 in the regular season in 2021-22. Star player Landon Huff is a 6-1 senior guard who will do all the things that Coach West asks of him. Huff is a dream player for any coach, as not only does he score, but he rebounds the ball at a high level as well. The past few years of Raider basketball have all set up the 2023 season to be a huge one for Whitesville Trinity.

6. Muhlenberg County – The back-to-back regional champions being ranked sixth is the exact disrespect that new head coach Aaron Morris can ignite his program with. There are a ton of unknowns surrounding the Mustangs going into the ’23 season. All the while, Coach Morris’s expectations have stayed the same. He recently told the Cats’ Pause, “Our expectations are as high as they have been the last couple of years.” Watch for returner Kadin Ray to take a giant leap forward with a new expanded role as a veteran. Madox Jernigan will run the point guard — the junior is my pick for the sleeper player of the region this season.

7. McLean County – Jaxon Floyd is the man that opposing defenses will need to key in on to stop this explosive Cougars offense. McLean County upset Owensboro in the regional semifinal last season (before ultimately falling to Muhlenberg County). But, the cinderella program has gone back to getting no respect. Fellow starters Evan Ward, Cruz Lee, and Brodie Cline will flank Floyd on their quest to return to the promised land. Watch out, because head coach Darren Lynam is not looking for the Cougars to take a step back.

8. Daviess County – Panthers senior forward Cole Burch is one of the best finishers in the entire region, and that will be needed this season. He will be supported by Jack Payne, who is a wonderful three-point shooter. Payne also has a great sense for the court and is a candidate to lead the region in assists, which will only help Burch to improve upon his 13.6 points per game average a year ago.

Region 4 Preview

Last year’s champion: Warren Central

The Cats’ Pause Pre-Season Top 8:

1. Warren Central (#T1) – KSR’s very own Troy Howell also has the Dragons tied for the preseason No. 1 team in the entire state. Warren County fell to George Rogers Clark in the state championship game a year ago… by a single point. It’s safe to say that one of the best duos in the state, Omari Glover and Chapelle Whitney, are hungry for the title. Glover and Whitney combined for 25 points in last season’s campaign. Junior Kade Unseld will provide much-needed shooting for the Dragons on their quest for the state.

Head coach William Unseld told the Bowling Green Daily News: “Our approach is we lost our last game. We didn’t win it. So we are still hunting. These guys are very competitive, very spirited. There is no complacency. They won’t allow it. It’s made my job easier.” This quote screams hunger from a squad that was a single procession away from doing the unthinkable last season at Rupp Arena.

2. Bowling Green (#8) – Trivia question: when is the last time one of Bowling Green or Warren Central DIDN’T win the fourth region title? The answer is….. 2008. It seems as though it will be more of the same for the region. Bowling Green has reloaded after losing Turner Buttry, who was Mr. Basketball a year ago and now plays at Eastern Kentucky. It is very rare for a team to lose a Mr. Basketball and to still be on track to contend. That is the true sign of a program that commands respect and has a great culture.

The Purples will now be led by junior guard MJ Wardlow, who may be the most dangerous scoring threat on the roster. There is plenty of depth on this Purples roster including Mason Ritter, Deuce Bailey, and Elijah Starks. BG pushed Warren Central to the breaking point last year and will look to do the same in ’22-23.

3. Franklin-Simpson – Senior G Jalen Briscoe will lead the Wildcats in their quest to repeat as the 13th District champions from a season ago. Briscoe is the floor general that every coach looks for when assembling a great squad. His backcourt mate Gabe Jones is much more dangerous from the perimeter, making 56 triples a year ago. Do not doubt the Wildcats as contenders for the region, as senior Connor Vincent is another bruiser who can rebound.

4. Warren East – A new district means a new swag for the Raiders of East Warren. Isiah Andrews is an easy 20 points per game scorer and may be the best player in the entire region. He is a 6-5 forward who can also play guard, a luxury for any high school coach.

The problem lies in the fact that the Raiders only won 11 games last season, so do they know how to win? Head coach Kyle Benge will look to teach them along the way. This season may start with some bumps, but the 15th district should watch out for the Raiders.

5. Metcalfe County – Senior Wyatt Blythe will lead the Hornets on the court and in scoring this season. Jax Allen will be the second punch that the Hornets need to contend with the absolute best in the region. This Metcalfe County squad seems to be a huge question mark coming into this season. This can be a good thing for the favorites of the 15th district. I expect Blythe to be one of the premier players of the fourth region.

6. Greenwood – In a loaded 14th district, it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. The Gators did anything but that in ’21-22, winning 24 games while only losing four. They competed with the likes of Warren Central and Bowling Green through the regular season. However, Greenwood fell short of winning the coveted district. This season, after losing a majority of the lineup, it will be up to Luke Stansbury to break his team through. He is one of the best shooters in the district and can change the game at the snap of a finger. The Gators could be a real contender this year, but it won’t come without significant challenges.

7. Barren County – Eli Brooks, a 6-foot-7 guard will lead the Trojans this season in a wide-open race in the 15th district. Look for Brooks to fill up stat sheets all over the region, and make this Trojan team much more of a contender. Aiden Miller is another talented player for Barren County and will look to provide the playmaking alongside Brooks.

8. Clinton County – Nick Irvin holds the reigns as new head coach of Clinton County. The main attraction in Clinton is PG Cohen Davis, who is unproven at this level. He’ll be supported by seniors Eli Dearborn and Braden Stockton. Davis could be really good in this offense, as being unproven can ignite a fire in young talent. the 16th district is a two-horse race between Clinton and Metcalfe.