Sweet 16 Preview: Knott County Central vs. Elizabethtown

KSR’s Road to Rupp coverage continues with the main event, the Sweet 16. Over the next two days, we’ll be previewing each game of the tournament, which tips off Wednesday at Rupp Arena. Here’s a look at the first game from our Region 14 expert Troy Howell and Region 5 expert Adam Luckett.

Knott County Central (Region 14) vs. Elizabethtown (Region 5)

Wednesday, March 31, 11 a.m., Rupp Arena

Tickets, Radio affiliates, Streaming: NFHS Network

Sweet 16 Bracket

Here’s a closer look at this part of the bracket:

Team Capsules

Knott County Central Patriots (Region 14)

Record: 18-7

Head Coach: B.B. King

KSR Preps Ranking: Not Ranked

How They Got Here:

• 53rd District: 78-45 W vs. June Buchanan
• 53rd District Championship: 81-60 W vs. Cordia
• 14th Region Quarterfinals: 64-51 W vs. Breathitt County
• 14th Region Semifinals: 68-59 W vs. Perry County Central
• 14th Region Championship: 65-56 W vs. Hazard

The Knott County Central Patriots saved their best for tournament play.  Not only did they win the 14th region All “A” tournament to start the year, they also won the 53rd district tournament, and of course the 14th region tournament.  They are 9-1 in tournament games (they lost to Pikeville in the first round of the All “A” State tournament), but only 9-6 in regular season matchups.  Let’s be honest, the 14th region was little down this year (KCC played exactly 1 ranked team all year, a 101-79 loss to North Laurel) but credit the Patriots for beating who was in front of them and being one of the final 16 teams standing.

Last week they defeated Breathitt County 64-51, Perry County Central 68-59 and Hazard 65-56 to punch their ticket to Rupp.  In my pre-region tournament rankings, Hazard came in ranked #1 and KCC ranked #2, but the Patriots were able to knock off the top dog thanks to 18 points from Kent Damron and a 12-point 14-rebound double-double from Scott Shepherd.  Many people had picked Hazard to repeat (they defeated Wolfe County in last year’s region final) but KCC winning not a huge upset, considering the Patriots beat the Bulldogs 73-64 in the All “A” region tournament.

The Patriots are back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since Mr. Basketball Camron Justice had them there in 2015 where they lost to Callaway County in the first round.  The 14th region hasn’t put a team in the state semifinals since 1986.

KCC will come in as huge underdogs against Elizabethtown.  The Panthers are ranked No. 1 in the state while the Patriots come in ranked near the bottom of the remaining sixteen teams.  KCC will likely need huge games from seniors Colby Napier (21 ppg), Josh McGuire (13.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg), and Damron (10.6 ppg) in order to be competitive in the tournament opener.

— Troy Howell

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Elizabethtown Panthers (Region 5)

Record: 19-2

Head Coach: James E. Haire

KSR Preps Ranking: No. 1

How They Got Here:

• 17th District: 80-52 W vs. North Hardin
• 53rd District Championship: 72-50 W vs. John Hardin
• 5th Region Quarterfinals: 87-50 W vs. Hart County
• 5th Region Semifinals: 67-58 W vs. Bardstown
• 5th Region Championship: 72-63 W vs. John Hardin

Elizabethtown entered the season with five senior starters and a couple more seniors set to come off the bench. After winning the 5th Region title last year with this core as juniors, expectations were very high for James Haire’s ballclub.

So far, so good.

The Panthers will head to Lexington as the No. 1 team in the KSR preps Top 25 and the Panthers have cruised this season. With five players averaging at least 11 points per game, E’town utilizes a dynamic 5-out, motion offense that stretches defenses and allows the Panthers to consistently beat foes off the bounce.

This will be the program’s sixth appearance in the Sweet 16 and the second for Haire. The Panthers would’ve made the trip last season, but won it all in their last appearance. Behind Antwain Barbour’s 31 points, E’town beat Lexington Catholic in 2000 to claim their only state championship.

Behind an explosive offense that is averaging 76.9 points per game, E’town won 19 of their 21 games with both losses coming against quality John Hardin and Covington Catholic squads. Catholic was considered the top team in the state for most of the year while the Panthers beat John Hardin in the last three meetings of the season. Back on Feb. 13, E’town crushed Bowling Green by 18 points and the Purples are a top-5 team entering this week.

Jaquais Franklin is one of the best players in the state and the point guard paces this E’town offense. Franklin leads the team with 20 points per game and is grabbing five boards per outing. The dynamic guard is shooting 52.8% from the field and is super dangerous in transition. Franklin has an offer from UIC and could be playing college basketball in the Horizon League next season.

Blessed to receive my first D1 offer from The University Of Illinois At Chicago !! @OfficialHDHoops @EtownHighSchool @BBICoachA @uicflames pic.twitter.com/gywW00fQdO

— Jaquias Franklin (@JaquiasFranklin) July 14, 2019

The Panthers find themselves in a tougher part of the bracket, but figure to be a heavy favorite to make it to the semifinals. From there, E’town could have to beat Ballard and Highlands consecutively to claim their second state title. A tall task when you consider the Bruins and Bluebirds are tied at No. 2 in the top 25.

— Adam Luckett

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If you go to the games, remember to share your pictures with us on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #RoadToRupp. We’ll be posting fan galleries on the site and social media throughout the week.