Catching my breath ... boys

The Christmas tournament crunch takes a break on Sunday, so let's take a look at what we have learned over the last week or two about the area basketball picture:

Who is the First Region boys' favorite? Good question.

Paducah Tilghman has become the trendy pick, given its high-octane, athletic club and a solid showing against Lexington Catholic in Marshall County's Hoop Fest. One caveat is the Tornado's depth — Brad Stieg's can ill afford to lose any of his four veterans (Bryon Wright, Tony Hazard, Josh Forrest and Kris Jackson) for any extended stretch. And there is the nagging suspicion that the Tornado could be beaten in a half-court game by a team that can pound the ball into the post.

Murray showed how that strategy can work, playing the Tornado tough in the championship game of the Tilghman Christmas Tournament. Marshall County and Calloway County have that blueprint in mind, too, and the wherewithal to pull it off.

Marshall's biggest question is health. Josh Madding won't be back until sometime in January as he recovers from a broken bone in his right arm. Denver Seay is off to a fine start, but a couple of hard hits on his separated right shoulder could take a toll.

But the Marshals also have guard Scott McKenty, who could be the region's best player so far this season, and the inside tag team of Seay and Jamie Dowdy could pose Tilghman some problems.

Calloway goes as deep as anyone in the region, but it could take some time to mesh the non-footballers with the football players that joined the team after their playoff run. Derek Solomon, the Lakers' 6-7 center, is critical in their development, as is sophomore guard Brock Simmons — Calloway needs his perimeter shooting.

Graves and Murray are in the mix, too, but the Tigers don't have much depth and Graves seems downright allergic to full-court pressure. Still, a lot of things can change between now and March.

Murray looks like the All A Classic regional favorite, but keep an eye on Carlisle County and high-scoring swingman Caleb Hardy. The Comets are 6-0, albeit against a soft schedule, but they will get a chance to show some mettle in Grayson County's tournament over the next couple of days. Carlisle takes on the host squad in Monday night's semifinals.

Grayson is 8-2, with the only two losses to Owensboro and Louisville Seneca in Apollo's tournament. Lone Oak coach Andy Poore, whose team played in the same tournament, reports that Grayson will be a contender in the Third Region.

Speaking of Lone Oak, the Purple Flash copped a badly-needed win over Allen County in Graves County's tournament, breaking a six-game losing streak. Lone Oak remains a dangerous team, especially when they can make some 3-point baskets.

Don't overlook St. Mary and Mayfield, either, in the Class A race. The Vikings have all kinds of size and a capable scorer in Blake Averill and Mayfield always seems to be better than I expect them to be in the end. Chris Guhy gets credit for that and the Cardinals will make a run if Xavier Shelton produces upon his return.

Ballard Memorial, Heath and Fulton City could make it very interesting as well.

• I got my first look at a couple of talented players that not everyone knows about in my ventures through Illinois over the weekend, Trigg County's Jonathan King and Meridian's Isaiah Jones.

King is a 6-4 swingman with plenty of range on his jump shot and enough size and mobility to cause loads of matchup problems. He put on a show in the second half of Trigg's 65-62 win over Herrin at the Marion (Ill.) Tournament on Friday, scoring 30 points in the final 16 minutes. He also had two big steals and a couple of blocked shots, including one on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

On the other hand, King never saw a shot he didn't think he can make, and he forced a couple that nearly cost the Wildcats.

Jones, Meridian's 6-1 junior point guard, had 17 points, six assists and five steals as the Bobcats slammed McLeansboro in the quarterfinals at Eldorado. Jones is a little too consicious of making the highlight reel sometimes, but he makes some jaw-dropping passes in traffic. He also buried three 3-pointers in a third-quarter run that buried McLeansboro.

He faces a tough test against Massac County's athletic crew in Monday's semifinals.

• Marshall County won't play Pleasure Ridge Park as part of its visit to the Laurel County Hoop Fest in late January. PRP withdrew from the event because it had to alter its schedule because of Title IX concerns, and Hoop Fest founder Steve Woodward was forced to scramble to line up an opponent.

North Oldham, which appears to be one of the better teams in the Eighth Region, will play the Marshals. North Oldham is 3-2 with losses to Louisville Ballard (78-68) and Henderson County (89-80). We'll know a little more about the Mustangs after they play in Jeffersontown's Gaslight Holiday Classic — their first-round foe is Owensboro, the Third Region favorite.