2017-18 Season Preview: 5th Region
October 15th is a holiday in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. High school basketball season is officially underway in the Bluegrass state. The excitement that comes with a new season will soon be replaced by the grind of the season but every school in the state starts the season with the same goal. Everyone wants to get to Rupp Arena in March. In our season preview series, we break down the favorites to make it to the KHSAA state tournament out of each region. Our previews continue with the fifth region, where John Hardin and Adair County look to be the favorites to get to Rupp Arena.
The Favorite: John Hardin (23-11 last season, 6 seniors graduated)
Best Case Scenario: Seniors Anthony Witherspoon, Mickey Pearson and big time transfer Malik Wright combine to form a dynamic and athletic trio while the sophomore class of Preston Murrell, Alex Matthews and Trevon Harris play major roles for the Bulldogs. They fight through a very good 5th region to get to Rupp Arena.
Worst Case Scenario: John Hardin has the horses but the region is just too deep and they don’t survive one of the deepest regions in the state this season. They fall in the regional tournament and fail to get to Rupp Arena.
Defending Champion and Contender: Taylor County (20-15 last season, 3 seniors graduated)
Best Case Scenario: Tre’Von Smith leads the state in scoring. Kybrin Smith, Austin Ellis and De’Jhon Irvin all make strides and improve greatly. The Cardinals surprisingly make another run to Rupp Arena.
Worst Case Scenario: After graduating Dylan Gaines and Ezra Oliver and losing Quentin Goodin and David Sloan the year before that, the losses are finally too much to overcome. The lose in the district semifinal to rival Marion County.
Contender: Adair County (32-2 last season, 7 seniors graduated)
Best Case Scenario: With the addition of freshman superstar Zion Harmon and returning Corey Melton, Adair has the offensive firepower to win 30+ wins for a second straight year but don’t get upset in the region title game like they did last year. The Indians represent the 5th region at Rupp Arena.
Worst Case Scenario: The addition of Harmon hurts the chemistry at Adair. Harmon and Melton can’t carry the load alone and their supporting cast doesn’t step up when needed.They fall in the regional tournament.
Contender: LaRue County (26-8 last season, 3 seniors graduated)
Best Case Scenario: Sophomore Mark Goode and Senior Shane King power the Falcon attack. Goode gives them a post presence most in the region cannot match. They advance to the regional title game where they pull an upset to reach Rupp Arena.
Worst Case Scenario: The Falcons don’t improve as much as necessary to keep up with the rest of the region. They still win a weak district but do not advance past the opening round of the regional tournament.
Contender: Bardstown (22-8 last season, 6 seniors graduated)
Best Case Scenario: What Boo Brewer‘s Tigers lack in star power, they make up for with quality depth. They play hard and together and make another deep run to through the regional tournament.
Worst Case Scenario: The very young Tigers need another season to develop before they can become true contenders for the regional championship. All their freshmen and sophomores get much needed playing time and they get ready to be a force in the 5th region next season.