Follow Reed Sheppard’s journey to Rupp Arena, and top Kentucky basketball recruiting links
Kentucky Wildcats basketball commitment Reed Sheppard and the North Laurel Jaguars are three victories away from a trip to the Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena, and the journey starts Thursday night.
North Laurel will be favored to win the 13th Region title, but it won’t be easy. Here’s a look at the schedule, with all games being played at The Corbin Arena:
The Jaguars will play Lynn Camp at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The two teams did not meet in the regular season.
A victory there would pit Sheppard’s team against the winner of Bell County and Corbin at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. North Laurel beat Corbin by 31 points in December but managed only an 83-77 victory in a Feb. 18 rematch. The Jags did not play Bell County during the season.
The 13th Region title game will be played March 7 at 7 p.m. and decide who will advance to the state tournament at Rupp Arena. The most likely matchup if North Laurel makes it to the region final is probably Knox Central, which defeated the Jaguars in that game last season. North Laurel beat Knox Central, 90-86, in their only meeting of the season on Feb. 15. Sheppard is averaging 24.7 points per game heading into the region tournament.
We’ll keep you updated on Sheppard’s progress.
Top Kentucky basketball recruiting links
Early start on 2023: These colleges already have 5-star commitments
UK signee Cason Wallace’s team loses playoff stunner Tuesday night
Georgia among the schools that might undergo a coaching change
Merl Code has no regrets, many questions after basketball scandal
TyTy Washington falls to No. 7 in freshman rankings for this season
UK signee Cason Wallace makes the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit team
DJ Wagner scores 30 points as Camden begins its state title quest
Could five-star PG Robert Dillingham end up at NC State a year early?
Latest ESPN Bracketology has Kentucky as a No. 2 seed in Chicago
Transfer portal: It opens soon. Will UK have to replace Oscar, Sharpe?
Sweet 16 predictions: H-L preps writer not picking Sheppard’s team
Five-star point guard Kylan Boswell commits to the Arizona Wildcats
Another national recruiting site ready to rank GG Jackson No. 1 in ‘23
UK target Mackenzie Mgbako has 29 points, 13 rebounds in title game
UK target Justin Edwards led his team to a title over the weekend
More Next Cats links: No. 1-ranked center visits UK-Arkansas game
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
