Rocky Stanley
The Independent
ASHLAND —
The winner of the Boys 16th Region Basketball Tournament will play in the opening game of the 95th PNC/KHSAA Sweet Sixteen.
Draws for the Boys and Girls state tournaments were conducted Friday in Lexington.
The Boys 16th Region champion will meet the 13th Region winner on March 14 (Wednesday) at noon in Rupp Arena.
Rowan County, Ashland, West Carter and Russell are currently the top four teams in the 16th Region according to Dave Cantrall’s Rating the State.
Last season, Rowan County advanced all the way to the state championship game before falling to Christian County.
Front-runners in the 13th Region include Clay County, Harlan, Bell County and Knox Central.
The winner of Sweet Sixteen opener will have an Elite Eight game against a team from Region 12 or Region 2.
Also in the top bracket, the boys’ draw produced a powerhouse first-round matchup between the Sixth and Seventh regions from the Louisville area. The 7th Region features No. 1 Trinity, No. 3 Ballard and No. 9 Manual, while the 6th Region is equally loaded with No. 4 Pleasure Ridge Park, No. 5 Bullitt East, No. 7 Moore and No. 8 Jeffersontown.
The Boys tournament will crown the 2012 state champion on March 17.
Meanwhile, the girls’ draw produced another first-round matchup between the 16th and 15th regions.
Their lower-bracket game is scheduled for March 8 (Thursday), 7:30 p.m. (Eastern), at Diddle Arena in Bowling Green.
Last year, Sheldon Clark defeated Boyd County in the opening round.
Ashland, Fleming County, Rowan County and Boyd County lead the 16th Region according to Cantrall’s Rating the State.
In the 15th Region, it’s Shelby Valley, Magoffin County, Paintsville and Sheldon Clark.
The 16th/15th winner moves on to play the winner of Regions 12 and 13.
Top-rated Louisville Manual (Seventh Region) could meet No. 4 Perry County Central in a first-round game of the top bracket.
The Houchens Industries/KHSAA Girls State Tournament title game will be March 10 at 9 (Eastern).
ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2671.
