Pairings revealed, schedule set for 11th Region girls’ basketball tournament
As the highest-rated team in the field, Scott County enters the 11th Region girls’ basketball tournament as a prohibitive favorite, but seven other teams will have a say. Pairings for the event were drawn Saturday at Eastern Kentucky University.
District champions Scott County (26-6), Franklin County (24-7), Paul Laurence Dunbar (22-8) and Madison Central (13-17) each host Monday’s first-round games with the semifinals and finals taking place in Eastern Kentucky’s McBrayer Arena later in the week.
Dunbar comes in after its third straight 43rd District title with a young and improving team. The Bulldogs got a favorable bracket draw, avoiding a potential matchup with Cardinals until the finals. First up, they’ll get 44th District runner-up Berea (17-14), a team that has lost to a number of Dunbar’s common opponents.
Dunbar suffered a first-round upset last season, an error it’s looking to correct.
“We’ve been there several years in a row, and I feel like we came up short a little bit last year. …,” Dunbar Coach Nick Runyon said. “We’re kind of on a redemption path.”
Last year, Franklin County came within one basket of upsetting Scott County and has standout junior Brooklyn Miles (21.6 points per game) leading another charge. It opens with Bryan Station (12-19), a team it beat by 23 back on Dec. 16.
Scott County — which has a 79.7 rating in Dave Cantrall’s Rating the State, followed by Franklin County (78.8) and Dunbar (72.8) — will host Tates Creek (18-12). The Cardinals defeated the Commodores — at 61.5 in Cantrall’s ratings — 90-56 when they met on Dec. 20.
According Cantrall’s ratings, Great Crossing (15-15) is considered a road favorite against 44th District champ Madison Central (13-17). A win for the Warhawks would set up a potential semifinal between Scott County schools.
11th Region Girls’ Basketball Tournament
(First round at district winners, remainder at EKU’s McBrayer Arena)
Monday, March 2
Bryan Station (12-19) at Franklin County (24-7), 7 p.m.
Berea (17-14) at Paul Laurence Dunbar (22-8), 7 p.m.
Tates Creek (18-12) at Scott County 26-6), 6:30 p.m.
Great Crossing (15-15) at Madison Central (13-17), 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 4
Bryan Station-Franklin County winner vs. Berea-Paul Laurence Dunbar winner, 6:30 p.m.
Tates Creek-Scott County winner vs. Great Crossing-Madison Central winner, 8 p.m.
Friday, March 6
Championship, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 1:50 PM.
