Kentucky high school boys basketball Sweet 16: Ranking the 2024 field from No. 16 to No. 1
The blind draw for the Kentucky high school basketball state tournaments has its share of critics, but it may have set up an outstanding final day for this week’s UK Healthcare/KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.
If the final Kentucky High School Basketball Media Poll is any indication, Saturday’s semifinals could match No. 1 Great Crossing against No. 4 Lyon County and No. 3 Newport against No. 6 Trinity.
Of course, there’s a lot of basketball that must be played before Saturday and upsets are common at the state tournament. No. 9 Evangel Christian, No. 12 Harlan County and defending state champion Warren Central lead the list of teams capable of disrupting the order.
The tournament includes five teams making their first trips — Magoffin County, Spencer County, Great Crossing, Butler County and Evangel Christian. On the flip side, Ashland Blazer is in the tournament for the sixth straight year.
As we approach Wednesday’s first round of action, here’s one writer’s ranking of the field:
16. Magoffin County (21-13)
The Hornets had lost to Martin County three times this season but won the one that mattered most, beating the Cardinals 67-57 for their first 15th Region championship. Aden Barnett, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, ranks sixth in the state in scoring at 29.4 points per game but isn’t a high-volume 3-point shooter (30 of 92). He was named 15th Region Player of the Year. Senior guard Grayson Whitaker (12.6 ppg) has a team-best 79 3-pointers.
15. Perry County Central (22-13)
The Commodores lost the 54th District final to Hazard 44-37 but bounced back to capture the 14th Region crown, beating Breathitt County 62-55 in the final. Senior Kizer Slone (15.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and juniors Trayten Woods (15.3 ppg) and Carter Castle (14.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) are the leaders. Slone, a quarterback, has committed to play football at Union College. Woods shoots 45.7% from 3-point range (86 of 188). The Commodores beat first-round opponent Magoffin County 78-73 in their season opener Dec. 1.
14. Pulaski County (23-10)
The Maroons lost to Somerset 55-52 in the 47th District final but got revenge in the 12th Region final, winning 70-48. Six players on the team average between 7.4 points and 15.2 points. Senior guard Will Blankenship (15.2 ppg) is the top scorer and shoots 37.9% from 3-point range (53 of 140). Sophomore Zak Anderson (10.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg) is the tallest player on the roster at 6-4.
13. Butler County (23-8)
The Bears caught fire in the Third Region Tournament and bounced Owensboro Catholic 73-57 in the final, beating the Aces for the first time since 2013. Junior guard Ty Price ranks fourth in the state in scoring (29.6) and second in 3-pointers made (143 of 365, 39.2%). He has offers from Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Southeast Missouri State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Third Region champion hasn’t won a Sweet 16 game since Owensboro took home the 2015 championship — the longest drought of any region in the state.
12. Marshall County (25-7)
The Marshals are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2012 after beating McCracken County 54-46 in the First Region final. Junior Alex Staples (14.8 ppg) and freshman Matthew Langhi (13.1 ppg) are the scoring leaders. Langhi is the son of Dan Langhi, the former Marshall County star who went on to play at Vanderbilt and in the NBA.
11. Adair County (28-7)
The Indians lost the 20th District final to Taylor County, 47-45, but bounced back to take the Fifth Region title with an 80-62 rout of Bethlehem in the championship game. Adair County has a pair of solid junior guards in Connor Loy (17.5 ppg) and Isaiah Cochran (16.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg). The 6-7 Cochran transferred from Collins prior to the season and has offers from Bryant, Eastern Kentucky, McNeese State and Tennessee Tech.
10. Spencer County (25-9)
The Bears are in the Sweet 16 for the first time after beating Simon Kenton 57-51 in the Eighth Region final. Spencer County is 18-1 over its last 19 games, the only loss coming to North Hardin 70-68 on Feb. 19. The Bears average 25 3-point attempts per game and shoot 35.3% from behind the arc. Senior Luke Erhardt (20.1 ppg) has made 110 3-pointers this season, and senior Camden Cox (15.3 ppg, Ohio Dominican signee) has made 100.
9. Ashland Blazer (23-10)
The Tomcats won the 16th Region title for the sixth straight year, beating Boyd County 61-47 in the final. Boyd County had defeated Ashland Blazer 56-55 in the 64th District final. Junior guard Zander Carter (22.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) shoots 35.2% from 3-point range (51 of 145) and has committed to Liberty. Juniors Braxton Jennings (10.1 ppg) and Tyson Lalonde (9.9 ppg) also are threats from 3-point range.
8. Warren Central (17-11)
The defending state champions return after a 64-57 overtime victory over rival Bowling Green in the Fourth Region final. Senior guard Kade Unseld (15.7 ppg) is the only returning starter from last season and is the son of head coach William Unseld. Kade Unseld, a Western Kentucky University signee, played just 19 games this season because of a knee injury. Seniors Elijah Starks (17.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and Drevin Bratton (14.2 ppg) have been key additions after transferring from Bowling Green.
7. Campbell County (26-6)
The Camels enter with a 12-game winning streak after bouncing George Rogers Clark and Harrison County on back-to-back nights in the 10th Region Tournament. Junior guard Garyn Jackson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Camels a 64-63 overtime win over Harrison County in the final. First-year coach Brent Sowder leans on a pair of seniors in Connor Weinel (15.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and Broc Sorgenfrei (12.7 ppg, team-best 56 3-pointers).
6. Evangel Christian (29-6)
With an enrollment of 37 in grades 9-12, the Eagles are in the Sweet 16 for the first time after beating Fairdale 64-54 in the Sixth Region Tournament final. The senior backcourt of Kyran Tilley (17.8 ppg) and Christian Doerr (17.3 ppg) is one of the state’s best. There’s also plenty of size with 6-8 senior Johnny Djema (6.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg), 6-8 junior Ben Mukadi (5-8 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and 6-4 freshman Davier White (8.5 ppg). The Eagles have tournament experience, reaching the final of the All “A” Classic in January before falling to Newport 69-62 in overtime. Don’t overlook this squad.
5. Harlan County (31-4)
The Black Bears are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and have two big-time scorers in seniors Trent Noah (29.7 ppg) and Maddox Huff (17.6 ppg). Noah, a South Carolina signee, ranks third in the state in scoring and was named 13th Region Player of the Year. Huff has offers from East Tennessee State and Eastern Kentucky. Harlan County went 3-1 in the King of the Bluegrass in December with victories over Butler County, Chicago De La Salle and Male.
4. Trinity (26-7)
The Shamrocks overcame eligibility issues, injuries and the loss of head coach Mike Szabo to health concerns to win the Seventh Region title for the first time since 2019. Trinity is led by a trio of NCAA Division I recruits in senior Drae Vasser (14.2 ppg), junior Julius Edmonds (11.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and sophomore Jayden Johnson (12.0 ppg). As usual, Trinity is among the state’s leaders in scoring defense, ranking 11th while allowing 50.2 points per game.
3. Lyon County (32-3)
The Lyons are making their third straight trip to the Sweet 16 and are strong contenders for the title. Mr. Basketball winner Travis Perry (29.5 ppg) ranks fifth in the state in scoring and has signed with the University of Kentucky. He’s the state’s all-time leading scorer with 5,393 career points. But the Lyons aren’t a one-man team, as seniors Brady Shoulders (17.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg, Tennessee-Martin) and Jack Reddick (14.8 ppg, Florida Gulf Coast) also are Division I-bound. Don’t blink, as Lyon County leads the state in scoring (85.7 ppg).
2. Newport (32-3)
The Wildcats have a 24-game winning streak since falling to Trinity 76-71 in overtime in the fifth-place game of the King of the Bluegrass on Dec. 23. Tay Kinney (18.0 ppg) is the top recruit in Kentucky’s Class of 2026 and has several scholarship offers, including from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Notre Dame and Tennessee. Kinney suffered a strained hamstring in the regional final, which could affect his status for the Sweet 16. Seniors Jabari Covington (12.6 ppg) and DeShaun Jackson (11.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and sophomore James Turner (8.6 ppg) are the other leaders. Newport ranks sixth in the state in scoring defense (48.7 ppg).
1. Great Crossing (34-1)
The No. 1-ranked Warhawks will make their first Sweet 16 appearance after a thrilling 56-53 victory over No. 2 Lexington Catholic in the 11th Region final. They enter with a 22-game winning streak, their only loss coming to Virginia’s Bishop O’Connell in the championship game of the Beach Ball Classic. Malachi Moreno (15.9 ppg, 13.0 rpg) is a 7-1 center and one of the nation’s top recruits in the Class of 2025. Moreno isn’t the only Warhawk with size, as he’s joined by 6-5 junior guard Vince Dawson (18.4 ppg), 6-7 senior forward Jeremiah Godfrey (9.2 ppg) and 6-4 junior Gage Richardson (7.3 ppg). Junius Burrell (11.4 ppg) is a 5-9 junior spark plug at point guard.
Here is the schedule:
Wednesday
11 a.m. – Perry County Central (22-13) vs. Magoffin County (21-13)
1:30 p.m. – Lyon County (32-3) vs. Ashland Blazer (23-10)
6 p.m. – Marshall County (25-7) vs. Adair County (28-7)
8:30 p.m. – Great Crossing (34-1) vs. Spencer County (25-9)
Thursday
11 a.m. – Warren Central (17-11) vs. Harlan County (31-4)
1:30 p.m. – Evangel Christian (29-6) vs. Butler County (23-8)
6 p.m. – Trinity (26-7) vs. Pulaski County (23-10)
8:30 p.m. – Campbell County (26-6) vs. Newport (32-3)
Friday
11 a.m. – Perry County Central-Magoffin County winner vs. Great Crossing-Spencer County winner
1:30 p.m. – Lyon County-Ashland Blazer winner vs. Marshall County-Adair County winner
6 p.m. – Warren Central-Harlan County winner vs. Campbell County-Newport winner
8:30 p.m. – Trinity-Pulaski County winner vs. Evangel Christian-Butler County winner
Saturday
11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – Semifinals
7:30 p.m. – Final
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Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 field: Trinity basketball in top 5 of our rankings
