4th Region Challenge - part 1

After a Saturday that began at 4 am and ended at Midnight, I was able to see seven teams I had never seen before, 2 I had only seen once, and 10 total teams from the 4th Region at Bowling Green High School. BG Head Coach Calvin Head told us at PGH about the State Farm 4th Region Challenge at a good time, before I had even looked at this season's schedule. He has always been a pleasure to deal with so I looked into it and saw the chance to increase my knowledge of so many programs that I had to fulfill that request. It was a great day of basketball. 10 teams, some in their 1st game of the season, playing hard to get a victory. Sure, the 1st Quarter for many of the games was a bit sloppy, but that is how it goes everywhere during week 1, and often during week 2 of a season. I am not in mid-season form. The Referees are not in mid-season form. Why should it be any different for anybody else? This is the 1st in what will be at least a 3 part series on this event. I have no idea how I am going to organize it. So stick with it if you don't find the top performers you wanted to see in this article.     Lareesha Cawthorne - 6'-0" - C - Russellville - '25   Cawthorne put on a great display last Saturday of athleticism, tenacity, and agility scoring 24 points and grabbing 23 rebounds. She was a one-woman wrecking crew but that was not enough for a victory. It was enough to get my attention and to feature her in this article. How could I have missed it?   She was effective in posting up on the Left side of the paint and proved to be an effective passer out of the blocks. But she did not need to pass often. She was extremely effective at putting the ball on the glass and getting it back on her own to score on putbacks. She was highly efficient in crashing the boards and running the floor on fastbreak opportunities for layups. She made 43.5% of her shots and 66;7% of her Free Throws and threw a few opposing shots off of the court when she was tested. This is a player to keep your eyes on.     [player_tooltip player_id='164388' first='Saniyah' last='Shelton'] - 5'-9" - G - Bowling Green - '23   Shelton does a great job at handling the ball and running the offense and is a formidable defender. While filling the role of creator and distributor on a team loaded with talent, she managed to score 8 points, grab 8 rebounds, and put on a great all-around exhibition of other skills last Saturday. It is not surprising she will be playing for Eastern Kentucky next season.     Macy [player_tooltip player_id='902299' first='Lockhart' last=''] - 5'-10" - F - Barren County - '23   [player_tooltip player_id='902299' first='Lockhart' last=''] impressed on a balanced Trojanettes team by scoring 13 points, totaling 7 rebounds, and making a variety of shots. She also made 4 of 6 Free Throws (66.7%), 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 40% from the floor (4/10). She posted on the right side to score with a baby hook, made an 8-footer after finding a gap in the center of the lane, and drove from wide of the mid-post for a 5-footer, Her versatility in finding ways to score shows what kind of work she has put in to be an excellent player.     Ella Massingille - 5'-6" - G - Monroe County - '23   Playing on a talented and disciplined team with a relentless drive to keep grinding fits Massingille's playstyle very well. There was no quit in this team or player which helped them to overcome an early deficit to lead at the half and push through for the win. Massingille contributed with numerous steals and helped drive the ball into the paint over and over in a great team effort. She finished the day with 15 points on 50% shooting from the field and the three-point line. She also made 4 of 7 Free Throws. Watch out for Monroe County this year. They have an experienced team that you will learn more about in this series.     Abby Williams - 5'-9" - G - Todd County Central - '24   Williams can shoot. She made 5 of 8 (62.5%) of her Free Throws and 33,3% of her threes (1-3) last Saturday. I made this determination on the form I saw her using and just checked it against her stats from last season just to make sure this wasn't a one-off performance. She totaled 10 points, and 4 rebounds for the day, which is about her average from last season. Check the KHSAA stats for yourself. Expect to see her continue to prove this point into the new season.     Cynthia Austin - 5'-8" - G - Glasgow - '25   Austin played excellent defense in a concerted effort to shut down an elite scorer last weekend to much success but the win escaped them late. She did a great job driving to the basket and getting her teammates involved, She finished the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and made 62,5% of her free throws making 5 of 8 shots from the foul stripe.     [player_tooltip player_id='167101' first='Leia' last='Trinh'] - 5'-3" - G - Greenwood - '24 Trinh did not get a good chance to make a first impression on me due to the excellent job of scouting and defensive execution by her opponents in the 4th Region Challenge. But she did put forth a ton of work trying to get loose from tight defense and found a way to score 8 points. She did this by drawing fouls to put herself on the line where the defenders could not follow. She made 6 of 8 shots on the foul line last weekend. For those that regularly read my articles, you know how often I have mentioned the upcoming Queen of the Commonwealth tournament. You can see Trinh there along with many other talented players from across the state. Last year's QotC final featured the same teams in the Finals of the Louisville Invitational Tournament and the State Championship game. I can't recommend spending a day at this tournament more if you have the chance.

After a Saturday that began at 4 am and ended at Midnight, I was able to see seven teams I had never seen before, 2 I had only seen once, and 10 total teams from the 4th Region at Bowling Green High School. BG Head Coach Calvin Head told us at PGH about the State Farm 4th Region Challenge at a good time, before I had even looked at this season's schedule. He has always been a pleasure to deal with so I looked into it and saw the chance to increase my knowledge of so many programs that I had to fulfill that request.
It was a great day of basketball. 10 teams, some in their 1st game of the season, playing hard to get a victory. Sure, the 1st Quarter for many of the games was a bit sloppy, but that is how it goes everywhere during week 1, and often during week 2 of a season. I am not in mid-season form. The Referees are not in mid-season form. Why should it be any different for anybody else?
This is the 1st in what will be at least a 3 part series on this event. I have no idea how I am going to organize it. So stick with it if you don't find the top performers you wanted to see in this article.