Madisonville-North Hopkins senior Kanyon Johnson
Conventional wisdom says the four teams of the 7th District have never been more even.
But history says Madisonville-North Hopkins is the favorite until someone proves otherwise.
The top-seeded Maroons open the district tournament Monday night in Princeton at 5:30 against fourth-seeded Hopkins County Central.
Madisonville, 13-12 with one regular-season game remaining, has captured the last 15 district championships. The Maroons went 5-1 in district play this season, with their only loss at Dawson Springs.
Madisonville has won 13 of its last 14 matchups with Hopkins Central. The includes two wins this season. However, the first meeting in Madisonville was tight, with the Storm missing a 3-pointer at the final buzzer that would have won the game. The Maroons rolled 72-53 in the rematch in Mortons Gap.
Seniors Kanyon Johnson, Landen Smith and Ryan Bryant lead Madisonville’s charge.
With point guard Lemontae Ratcliff missing the season with an ACL injury, Johnson has been called on to handle the ball more out front. He leads the team with 16.4 points game.
Johnson, who has signed to play college football at the University of Indianapolis, plays taller than his 6-foot-4 frame, and will have the ball in his hand at crunch time.
The 6-5 Smith has added 14.8 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds a game.
Bryant scores 11.4 points a game.
Meanwhile, Hopkins Central is 10-15 with two games left on the regular-season slate. But the Storm went 0-6 in the district (although it did beat Caldwell County in a non-district matchup in the Paducah St. Mary Christmas Classic).
Still, Hopkins Central has enough offensive firepower to be dangerous, especially in a rivalry game against its cross-county foe.
Guards Davonyae Butcher and Lake Sumner are capable of filling it up. Butcher, a junior, gets almost 19 points a game while Sumner, a sophomore, is averaging 11 points a night.
Juniors Cohl Hoard and Sylas Gunn average 10 and 8 points, respectively.
The Storm was the last team besides Madisonville to wear the district crown, winning its last title in 2009.
Monday’s late semifinal game will pit No. 2-seed Caldwell County and No. 3 Dawson Springs at 7:00.
Both regular-season matchups were tight with the Tigers claiming 6- and 8-point decisions.
However, Caldwell has won 17 of its last 18 meetings with the Panthers, including five straight.
Caldwell 6-7 big man Jaydarius Wilson is a match-up problem for Dawson. Wilson, who recently signed to play at the next level at Southeastern Illinois College, is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds a game this season.
Senior guard Collin Whittington averages just over 10 points a game while freshman guard Pax Aikins scores just under 10 a contest for the Tigers, who are 16-10 with two regular-season dates remaining.
Caldwell went 4-2 in the district with both losses coming to Madisonville.
Meanwhile, Dawson’s hopes rest with senior guards Montgomery Johnston and Rex Blue, who combine for 43 points a night. Johnson scores at a 22-points-per-game clip while Blue gets 21 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds a contest.
Sophomore Easton Bourland emerged as a third threat this season at 9.8 points a game. Junior
Jaydon Plunkette adds 8.3 points, but depth is an issue for the Panthers, who are 15-13 with two regular-season dates remaining. The Panthers were 3-3 in the district, sweeping Hopkins Central and splitting with Madisonville.
The smallest school in the district is no doubt the sentimental favorite to claim the top prize.
Dawson Springs last won the district championship in 1997. The Panthers are looking for their first berth in the 2nd Region tournament since 2017.
Meanwhile, Caldwell has just one district title since being moved from the 5th District to the 7th District prior to the 2005-06 season. The Tigers’ district championship came in 2007.
The boys’ 7th District championship game will be played next Thursday at 6:00 at Caldwell County’s CAB gym.
Tickets are $8 and are now sale. They must be purchased online at GoFan. No passes will be accepted. All fans, including students, will need to purchase a ticket for the district tournament.
The 7th District champion and runner-up will advance to the 2nd Region tournament, which will be played at Madisonville-North Hopkins.
