Here’s who coaches believe will play in the 2019 girls’ Sweet Sixteen
The Kentucky girls’ basketball season begins on Monday, Nov. 26, but it’s never too early to think about March, when a champion will be crowned.
The girls’ Sweet Sixteen for the first time in its history will be held at Rupp Arena in Lexington, from March 13-17. It is the first time Lexington will host the girls’ basketball championship since 1932.
Here were the top five teams in each region, as voted on by coaches in those regions, along with their record last season.
x-last year’s region champion
1st Region
Champ: Calloway County (22-11)
2. Graves County (27-7)
3. x-Murray (32-3)
4. Marshall County (15-14)
5. McCracken County (18-15)
2nd Region
Champ: x-Webster County (28-7)
2. Christian County (23-8)
3. Henderson County (14-13)
4. Hopkinsville (20-11)
5. Madisonville (8-18)
3rd Region
Champ: Breckinridge County (17-12)
2. x-Owensboro Catholic (27-8)
3. Meade County (19-8)
4. Apollo (16-16)
5. Muhlenberg County (23-11)
4th Region
Champ: Barren County (25-7)
2. x-Bowling Green (20-13)
3. South Warren (31-4)
4. Glasgow (22-10)
5. Logan County (22-11)
5th Region
Champ: x-Elizabethtown (34-3)
2. Bardstown (22-10)
3. Central Hardin (12-16)
4. Marion County (17-13)
5. Bethlehem (18-9)
6th Region
Champ: x-Mercy (25-10)
2. Butler (24-5)
3. Bullitt East (18-13)
4. North Bullitt (24-9)
5. Fern Creek (16-12)
7th Region
Champ: Sacred Heart (29-6)
2. Male (23-9)
3. Eastern (20-8)
4. Christian Academy of Louisville (11-16)
5. x-Manual (22-9)
8th Region
Champ: Anderson County (27-6)
2. x-Simon Kenton (20-11)
3. Oldham County (22-8)
4. Walton-Verona (24-10)
5. South Oldham (19-12)
9th Region
Champ: x-Ryle (29-7)
2. Conner (23-9)
3. Highlands (24-8)
4. Dixie Heights (23-10)
5. Notre Dame (7-22)
10th Region
Champ: x-Clark County (28-8)
2. Scott (19-15)
3. Campbell County (29-4)
4. Harrison County (25-6)
5. Mason County (19-12)
11th Region
Champ: x-Scott County (31-3)
2. Franklin County (20-15)
3. Paul Laurence Dunbar (22-10)
4. Woodford County (18-15)
5. Henry Clay (19-12)
12th Region
Champ: Lincoln County (24-7)
2. Southwestern (23-8)
3. Casey County (26-7)
4. x-Mercer County (36-3)
5. Rockcastle County (18-13)
13th Region
Champ: South Laurel (26-6)
2. Clay County (21-9)
3. North Laurel (27-8)
4. x-Harlan County (28-3)
5. Knox Central (12-15)
14th Region
Champ: x-Knott County Central (24-10)
2. Leslie County (24-7)
3. Letcher County Central (13-18)
4. Owsley County (20-8)
5. Perry County Central (15-8)
15th Region
Champ: Pikeville (24-9)
2. x-Johnson Central (20-13)
3. Shelby Valley (29-5)
4. Pike County Central (26-6)
5. Belfry (15-16)
16th Region
Champ: x-Boyd County (29-5)
2. West Carter (24-9)
3. East Carter (16-17)
4. Ashland Blazer (27-6)
5. Menifee County (18-11)
Methodology
Our annual survey was emailed to all 267 KHSAA girls’ basketball coaches in Kentucky, using their email registered with the KHSAA. Multiple attempts were made to encourage every school to participate. Coaches were asked to select their top five teams in their region, and points were assigned based on a team’s position on the ballot (five points for No. 1, four points for No. 2, three points for No. 3, etc.), and tabulated across all ballots received; some schools participated in the survey but declined to vote due to unfamiliarity with teams outside of their own.
A total of 111 schools (41.6 percent) responded to the survey and are recognized here: Adair County, Allen County-Scottsville, Anderson County, Ashland Blazer, Assumption, Ballard, Barren County, Bath County, Bell County, Bellevue, Bethlehem, Bishop Brossart, Boone County, Bourbon County, Bowling Green, Boyd County, Boyle County, Brown, Bryan Station, Butler, Calloway County, Campbellsville, Carroll County, Caverna, Central Hardin, Christian County, Clark County, Clay County, Clinton County, Collins, Cooper, Corbin, Danville, East Carter, Elizabethtown, Elliott County, Fern Creek, Floyd Central, Fort Knox, Franklin County, Frederick Douglass, Gallatin County, Garrard County, Glasgow, Graves County, Grayson County, Green County, Henderson County, Henry Clay, Henry County, Highlands, Hopkinsville, Kentucky School for the Deaf, Knott County Central, Knox Central, Lafayette, Leslie County, Lexington Catholic, Lincoln County, Lloyd Memorial, Ludlow, Madisonville, Manual, Mason County, McCracken County, McCreary Central, Menifee County, Mercer County, Mercy Academy, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Murray, Nelson County, North Bullitt, Notre Dame Academy, Owensboro Catholic, Owsley County, Paintsville, Paris, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Pendleton County, Pike County Central, Portland Christian, Prestonsburg, Pulaski County, Rockcastle County, Rowan County, Russell, Russell County, Ryle, Sacred Heart, Scott, Scott County, Shelby County, Shelby Valley, Simon Kenton, South Laurel, South Oldham, South Warren, Spencer County, St. Mary, Tates Creek, Thomas Nelson, Valley, Walton-Verona, Wayne County, Webster County, West Jessamine, Whitley County, Williamstown, Woodford County