Take a look at the KHSAA Sweet 16 pairings for boys and girls high school basketball
Whoever survives next month’s Seventh Region boys and girls basketball tournaments could be facing tough roads to the Sweet 16 championship games.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association on Friday held its draws for the Sweet 16s, and Louisville’s Seventh Region was not a winner when considering The Associated Press statewide polls.
The Girls Sweet 16 is set for March 9-12, and the Boys Sweet 16 will be held March 16-19. Both tournaments will be played at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
On the boys side, the Seventh Region champion will open play at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, against the Fourth Region titlist.
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The Seventh Region is led by No. 2-ranked Male and No. 7 Ballard. The Fourth Region features No. 8 Greenwood, No. 9 Bowling Green and a talented but unranked Warren Central squad.
If the Seventh Region gets past the first round, the 11th Region champion (possibly No. 10 Lexington Catholic) could be waiting in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Ashland Blazer or No. 6 Covington Catholic in the semifinals.
The Sixth Region champion will face the 12th Region winner in the first game of the Sweet 16, set for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16.
Bullitt East is the defending champion, but the Sixth Region appears full of contenders this season, including Pleasure Ridge Park, Western, Iroquois, Jeffersontown, Doss, Evangel Christian and Butler. Whoever wins the Sixth Region could face No. 3 Pulaski County in the first round. The Maroons were 23-0 before suffering their first loss of the season Tuesday at No. 5 North Laurel, 82-54.
Along with the Seventh facing the Fourth, another intriguing first-round matchup could see Ninth Region champ Covington Catholic facing 16th Region titlist Ashland Blazer. The Tomcats beat the Colonels 71-60 on Jan. 29.
On the girls side, the Seventh Region champion will face the Eighth Region winner at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10.
No. 1 Sacred Heart is the defending state champion and the front-runner in the Seventh Region but could get a test against No. 6 Anderson County in the first round. Anderson County is led by senior Amiya Jenkins, a University of Kentucky signee and the front-runner for Miss Basketball honors this season.
If the Seventh Region winner gets past the first round, it could face No. 2 George Rogers Clark in the quarterfinals and No. 5 Notre Dame in the semifinals.
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By contrast, the Sixth Region winner got an easier road in the top half of the bracket. The Sixth Region champion will face the Fifth Region winner at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9. No. 4 Bullitt East and No. 7 Mercy are the top teams in the Sixth Region. There is not a top-10 team in the Fifth Region.
Here are the draws for both tournaments. Games are listed in bracket order. The top three teams from each region, according to the KHSAA’s RPI ratings, are included.
Girls Sweet 16
Wednesday, March 9
12th Region (Danville, Southwestern, Pulaski County) vs. First Region (McCracken County, Graves County, Marshall County), 6 p.m.
11th Region (Franklin County, Berea, Frederick Douglass) vs. Second Region (Henderson County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Webster County), 8:30 p.m.
Fifth Region (Central Hardin, Bethlehem, Nelson County) vs. Sixth Region (Bullitt East, Mercy, Whitefield Academy), 1:30 p.m.
Third Region (Owensboro Catholic, Breckinridge County, Meade County) vs. 16th Region (Russell, Ashland Blazer, West Carter), 11 a.m.
Thursday, March 10
Ninth Region (Notre Dame, Conner, Ryle) vs. 15th Region (Pikeville, Shelby Valley, Lawrence County), 1:30 p.m.
14th Region (Letcher County Central, Knott County Central, Perry County Central) vs. Fourth Region (Bowling Green, Franklin-Simpson, Barren County), 11 a.m.
10th Region (George Rogers Clark, Montgomery County, Bishop Brossart) vs. 13th Region (North Laurel, Corbin, Bell County), 6 p.m.
Eighth Region (Anderson County, Owen County, Simon Kenton) vs. Seventh Region (Sacred Heart, Male, Christian Academy), 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11
Quarterfinals at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 12
Semifinals at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Final at 7 p.m.
Boys Sweet 16
Wednesday, March 16
12th Region (Pulaski County, Lincoln County, Boyle County) vs. Sixth Region (Pleasure Ridge Park, Western, Iroquois), 11 a.m.
Eighth Region (Collins, Woodford County, Oldham County) vs. Third Region (Owensboro, Ohio County, Muhlenberg County), 1:30 p.m.
10th Region (George Rogers Clark, Mason County, Bracken County) vs. 14th Region (Perry County Central, Breathitt County, Wolfe County), 6 p.m.
15th Region (Pikeville, Lawrence County, Paintsville) vs. 13th Region (North Laurel, Knox Central, South Laurel), 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 17
Fifth Region (John Hardin, LaRue County, Bardstown) vs. Second Region (Lyon County, Hopkinsville, Madisonville-North Hopkins), 1:30 p.m.
16th Region (Ashland Blazer, Boyd County, Bath County) vs. Ninth Region (Covington Catholic, Cooper, Dixie Heights), 8:30 p.m.
First Region (McCracken County, Murray, Marshall County) vs. 11th Region (Madison Central, Lexington Catholic, Great Crossing), 6 p.m.
Seventh Region (Male, Ballard, Manual) vs. Fourth Region (Bowling Green, Greenwood, Warren Central), 11 a.m.
Friday, March 18
Quarterfinals at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 19
Semifinals at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Final at 7 p.m.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Sweet 16 pairings set for boys and girls basketball tournaments
