For Kentucky high school basketball fans, it’s the best time of the year.

District tournaments are under way, tipping off four straight weeks of action that will culminate with the Sweet 16s.

The Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet 16 is set for March 13-16, and the UK Healthcare Boys Sweet 16 is slated for March 20-23. Both will be held at the University of Kentucky’s Rupp Arena.

Here’s a postseason primer, with (Sweet) 16 numbers you need to know:

Boys

0 – Times Evangel Christian has reached a regional final. The Eagles (24-6) are ranked No. 8 in the state and considered by many to be the favorites to take the Sixth Region title. Evangel has one of the state’s top backcourts in seniors Kyran Tilley (17.5 ppg) and Christian Doerr (16.7 ppg).

5 – Seasons Great Crossing has been playing basketball after the school opened in 2019. The Warhawks have yet to reach an 11^th Region final but have even higher goals this postseason as the state’s No. 1-ranked team. Great Crossing (29-1) will carry a 17-game winning streak into the 41^st District Tournament and features one of the nation’s top junior recruits in 7-foot-1 Malachi Moreno (15.6 ppg, 13.3 rpg).

19 – Consecutive victories for Newport, the longest current winning streak in the state. The No. 3 Wildcats (27-3) haven’t lost since dropping a 76-71 overtime decision to Trinity on Dec. 23 in the fifth-place game of the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic at Fairdale. Newport returned four starters from last season’s team that won the Ninth Region and captured the All “A” Classic state title last month. Tay Kinney (18.7 ppg) is the No. 1-ranked sophomore in the state.

29 – Years since St. Xavier won its last Seventh Region championship in 1995, a team that included current head coach Kevin Klein. The No. 7 Tigers (27-3) are poised to end that drought this season behind an offense that ranks second in the state in scoring (83 ppg). All five starters are underclassmen, led by junior Chance Dillingham (18.2 ppg) and sophomore Jeremiah Jackson (14.3 ppg).

32.3 – Average points per game for Oldham County senior Max Green, the state’s leading scorer. The 6-foot-6 guard also ranks second in the state in 3-pointers made (136). The Holy Cross signee was named Eighth Region Player of the Year and is looking to make a deep postseason run with the Colonels (22-8), who will host rival South Oldham (16-12) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in a 29^th District semifinal. 

42.6 – Points per game allowed by Danville Christian, the No. 1-ranked defense in the state. The Warriors (23-5) are in their sixth season of varsity play and are 16-0 against 12^th Region opponents this season. Behind 6-4 senior Emmanuel Dut (13.6 ppg) and 6-10 sophomore Geu Ateny (10.5 ppg, 12.2 rpg), Danville Christian could make its first-ever trip to the Sweet 16.

1986 – The last year Ballard didn’t reach the Seventh Region Tournament. The Bruins (13-14) are in danger of finishing with a losing record for the first time in program history. They’ll face Christian Academy at 6 p.m. Monday in a win-or-go-home 28^th District semifinal at Eastern. CAL is 2-0 against Ballard this season, winning 79-63 and 67-64.

5,260 – Career points for Lyon County senior Travis Perry, who passed “King” Kelly Coleman as Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer at last year’s Sweet 16. Perry ranks second in the state in scoring this season (30.0 ppg) and is looking to lead the No. 5 Lyons (state-best 87 ppg) to the state tournament for the third straight year. The University of Kentucky signee is the front-runner for the Mr. Basketball award that will be presented March 17.

Girls

3 – Consecutive Sweet 16 championships for Sacred Heart, which will try to become the first program in state history — boys or girls — to win four consecutive titles. The No. 1-ranked Valkyries (22-7) have won 64 straight games against Kentucky competition and feature one of the nation’s top juniors in ZaKiyah Johnson (19.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg).

5 – Consecutive Second Region titles for Henderson County, which has reached the Sweet 16 in 10 of the past 11 seasons. Jeff Haile retired as Henderson County’s head coach after last season — ranking second in state history with 821 victories — and turned the job over to his son, Stephen. The Colonels (21-7) are back on top of the Second Region and enter the postseason with an 11-1 record in their past 12 games.

7 – Years since Butler won its last Sixth Region title in 2017. The Bearettes have five state titles but have struggled in recent years as several coaches have come and gone. Enter Candyce Wheeler, the former Candyce Bingham, who starred as a player at the University of Louisville. Wheeler has helped put Butler (21-8) back on top of the Sixth Region behind a pair of senior stars — Mariah Knight (15.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, Jacksonville commit) and Ramiya White (11.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, Kentucky signee).

15 – Years since Franklin-Simpson won its last Fourth Region championship in 2009. The Wildcats (27-1) have blitzed through their schedule and enter the postseason with an 11-game winning streak. Their only loss came to Boyd County, 70-61, on Jan. 14 in the final of the Kentucky 2A Championships. LaReesha Cawthorn, a 5-11 junior, leads the Wildcats in scoring (17.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg).

21-1 – Cooper’s record since a 3-3 start, the only loss coming to Sacred Heart, 61-56, in the semifinals of the Louisville Invitational Tournament. The No. 2 Jaguars (24-4) may pose the biggest threat to Sacred Heart’s four-peat hopes. Four senior starters — Logan Palmer (Evansville), Liz Freihofer (Eastern Kentucky), Maleah Alexander (Liberty) and Bella Deere (Gannon) — have committed to colleges, and Haylee Noel (7.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is one of the state’s top freshmen.

29.0 – Average points per game for Hart County senior Dea Bradley, the state’s leading scorer and Fifth Region Player of the Year. The 5-5 guard scored her 3,000^th career point earlier this season and has committed to Campbellsville University.

70.9 – Scoring average for Bethlehem, the highest-scoring team in the state. The Banshees (21-8) were ranked No. 3 in the state in The Courier Journal’s preseason coaches poll but fell off the radar a bit following a 4-5 start. Star junior Leah Macy (24.2 ppg, 13.3 rpg) missed 10 games with a knee injury but has returned to put Bethlehem back on top of the Fifth Region. The Banshees are 14-2 since the calendar flipped to 2024.

1998 – The last year Whitefield Academy — then called Highview Baptist — reached a regional tournament. The Wildcats (21-8) have the talent this season to make a run in the Sixth Region but must get past Bullitt East at 6 p.m. Wednesday in a 24^th District semifinal at Mercy. Whitefield beat Bullitt East 61-48 on Dec. 5. Senior guard Allison Spieker (13.2 ppg) is Whitefield’s top scorer.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.

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