District Tournament Previews: 11th Region
The postseason is finally upon us and the Road to Rupp Arena starts this week. The amount of schools in the postseason will be cut down to 128 once the district rounds are complete. Only district champions and runners-up move on to regional tournaments and there are sure to be several upsets this week. As we continue with our postseason previews, we move to the Eleventh region where Scott County looks to start their road to a state championship. Here’s a district by district breakdown of the match-ups:
41st District (Games played at Western Hills):
On Tuesday night, Frankfort makes the trip across town to take on host Western Hills. Frankfort won both regular season games against Western Hills. The last game was only decided by 8 points and this 3rd and final game could be close with Hills having a chance to win.
Wednesday night, Woodford County and Franklin County renew their rivalry. They haven’t played each other since Woodford won by a point in early December. This game could be one of the best matchups in the 11th region semifinals.
42nd District (Games played at Frederick Douglass):
With the addition of Frederick Douglass to the district, this is now a 5 team district. Action starts on Monday night as Sayre goes up against the host Broncos. The winner of that one will take on Scott County Wednesday night. Scott figures to be a heavy favorite over whomever wins the opening round game.
Also on Wednesday night, Henry Clay will look to upset Bryan Station in a battle of two teams headed in opposite directions. Henry Clay has been playing their best basketball lately while Bryan Station has lost 3 of their last 7 after starting the season as one of the hottest teams in the state. This is another district semifinal that could be electric.
43rd District (Games played at Lexington Christian):
The 43rd is also a 5 team district. The opening round game is Tates Creek going up against Dunbar in a battle of young squads. The winner of the game will face top seeded Lafayette on Wednesday night in the second semifinal.
The first semifinal is on Tuesday night and will feature Lexington Christian playing host to Lexington Catholic. Catholic has beaten LCA twice in the last 2 months but LCA is one of the hottest teams in the state coming off of a huge road win over Trinity in Louisville this past Friday. This game should be highly entertaining.
44th District (Games played at Eastern Kentucky University):
Monday night, the first semifinal pits Model against Madison Southern. Model actually beat Southern in their lone contest in the regular season. Southern will be looking to avenge that loss and get back to the district championship game.
Tuesday night’s semifinal between Madison Central and Berea will not be for the faint of heart. It’s likely to be a beat down of epic proportions that propels Madison Central into the district title game.
Predictions:
Champions: Woodford County, Scott County, Lexington Christian, Madison Central
Runners-Up: Frankfort, Henry Clay, Dunbar, Model