As the high school basketball postseason tips off across Kentucky, it’s time to make our picks to reach the Sweet 16s.
Story credit to Jason Frakes, The Courier Journal
The 16 voters in this season’s Kentucky High School Basketball Media Polls – one from each of the state’s 16 regions – have made their selections.
Girls regional champions will advance to the Mingua Beef Sweet 16 set for March 8-11, and boys regional winners will advance to the UK Healthcare Sweet 16 slated for March 15-18.
Here are the voters: Chelsea Parker, The Paducah Sun; Scott Brown, YourSportsEdge.com/WKDZ-FM; Mark Mathis, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer; Micheal Compton, Bowling Green Daily News; Josh Claywell, Bardstown Kentucky Standard/LaRue County Herald News; Dominique Yates, WLKY-TV; Jason Frakes, The Courier Journal; Josiah Koenig, Oldham Era; James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer; Evan Dennison, LinkNKY.com; Jared Peck, Lexington Herald-Leader; Mike Marsee, Danville freelancer; Les Dixon, 13thRegionMediaNetwork.com; John Lowe, WYMT-TV; Randy White, Pikeville Appalachian News-Express; Matthew Sparks, Ashland Daily Independent.
Teams are ranked by the number of votes they received to win their respective regions. For teams that didn’t receive the majority of votes, voters names are listed.
Girls Sweet 16 picks
First Region
16 – McCracken County (unanimous)
Second Region
15 – Henderson County
1 – Hopkins County Central (Dennison)
Third Region
15 – Meade County
1 – Owensboro (White)
Fourth Region
15 – Bowling Green
1 – Barren County (Marsee)
Fifth Region
15 – Bethlehem
1 – Taylor County (Lowe)
Sixth Region
14 – Mercy
2 – Bullitt East (Lowe, Dixon)
Seventh Region
16 – Sacred Heart (unanimous)
Eighth Region
11 – Anderson County
5 – Spencer County (Brown, Koenig, Ladd, Mathis, White)
Ninth Region
14 – Cooper
1 – Covington Holy Cross (White)
1 – Ryle (Sparks)
10th Region
16 – George Rogers Clark (unanimous)
11th Region
7 – Franklin County (Claywell, Compton, Dennison, Dixon, Frakes, Sparks, Yates)
7 – Frederick Douglass (Brown, Koenig, Ladd, Mathis, Peck, Weber, White)
2 – Madison Central (Lowe, Marsee)
12th Region
8 – Danville
5 – Pulaski County (Brown, Dennison, Frakes, Mathis, Weber)
2 – Southwestern (Marsee, Peck)
1 – Mercer County (Sparks)
13th Region
14 – North Laurel
2 – Corbin (Frakes, White)
14th Region
13 – Leslie County
1 – Knott County Central (Dixon)
1 – Owsley County (Lowe)
1 – Perry County Central (Brown)
15th Region
16 – Pikeville (unanimous)
16th Region
6 – Russell
5 – Rowan County (Brown, Claywell, Compton, Frakes, Marsee)
4 – Boyd County (Dixon, Ladd, Sparks, White)
1 – Ashland Blazer (Lowe)
Boys Sweet 16 picks
First Region
13 – McCracken County
3 – Murray (Brown, Marsee, Peck)
Second Region
16 – Lyon County (unanimous)
Third Region
9 – Owensboro Catholic
7 – Ohio County (Brown, Frakes, Koenig, Marsee, Mathis, Peck, Sparks)
Fourth Region
16 – Warren Central (unanimous)
Fifth Region
11 – Taylor County
4 – LaRue County (Claywell, Dennison, Mathis, Peck)
1 – North Hardin (White)
Sixth Region
11 – Evangel Christian
5 – Pleasure Ridge Park (Brown, Lowe, Marsee, Weber, White)
Seventh Region
11 – Ballard
5- Male (Brown, Dennison, Frakes, Koenig, Sparks)
Eighth Region
14 – North Oldham
2 – Collins (Compton, Lowe)
Ninth Region
12 – Covington Catholic
4 – Conner (Claywell, Dennison, Koenig, Peck)
10th Region
14 – George Rogers Clark
2 – Mason County (Koenig, Lowe)
11th Region
10 – Lexington Catholic
5 – Frederick Douglass (Brown, Dennison, Dixon, Mathis, Sparks)
1 – Great Crossing (Frakes)
12th Region
8 – Lincoln County (Brown, Compton, Dennison, Dixon, Frakes, Marsee, Peck, Sparks)
8 – Pulaski County (Claywell, Koenig, Ladd, Lowe, Mathis, Weber, White, Yates)
13th Region
11 – North Laurel
4 – Harlan County (Frakes, Koenig, Sparks, Yates)
1 – Corbin (Brown)
14th Region
15 – Hazard
1 – Breathitt County (Dennison)
15th Region
16 – Pikeville (unanimous)
16th Region
11 – Boyd County
4 – Ashland Blazer (Marsee, Mathis, White, Yates)
1 – Russell (Lowe)
