Event Preview: Kentucky Class 2A State Championship

<p>This weekend brings the first ever Class 2A State Championships. The games all take place at the Owensboro Sportscenter. Here's a look at the opening round match-ups and the players to watch for each team.</p> <p>Friday at 9:30 am, Morgan County and Glasgow get the action started. Morgan County comes into the game with a record of 13-6 and will be traveling all the way from the 16th region. Glasgow has a much shorter trip coming from the 4th region and will arrive with a record of 11-6.</p> <p>The second game of the day tips at 12:30 and features John Hardin taking on Scott High. John Hardin is the only undefeated team left in the state, sitting at 18-0 and are the favorites to win the 5th region. Scott hails from the 10th region and bring a 10-6 record with them. The Eagles are having a disappointing season but can turn it around with a 2A state title.</p> <p>The Friday evening session gets underway at 6:30 and is a showdown between Webster County and Knox Central. Webster County should have the most fans in Owensboro as they are the closest team to the Sportscenter. They sit at 12-7 heading into Friday. Knox Central will be making the trip all the way from the 13th region where they are a contender to get to Rupp in March. They have a 15-2 record and only one loss to in state competition.</p> <p>The final game on Friday is scheduled for a late tip at 9:30. This one is between Christian Academy of Louisville and Bourbon County. Bourbon County is having a great year at 16-6 but took a rough loss to George Rogers Clark last night after winning 11 straight games. CAL is the only team to arrive in Owensboro with a losing record as they sit at 8-10.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Players to Watch:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li><strong>Brayden Daniels, CAL - </strong>The leading scorer and second leading rebounder for the Centurions, Daniels is a shooter who leads the team in attempted and made threes. Daniels is only a Sophomore and could be a 1,000 point scorer for CAL before he graduates,</li> <li><strong>Jace Wallace, Bourbon County - </strong>Wallace is the leading scorer and rebounder for Bourbon County at 14 points and 5 rebounds per game. Jace is a versatile forward at almost 6'6 and is having a breakout Senior year for the Colonels.</li> <li><strong>Tyler Camplin, Webster County - </strong>The Junior point guard is averaging over 16 points and 3 rebounds for the Trojans while shooting an impressive 51% from the field. If there is a weakness to his game, it's perimeter shooting. Camplin is only shooting 29% from behind the three point line.</li> <li><strong>Nick Martin, Knox Central - </strong>Martin is going to be a matchup problem for Webster County. The 6'6 Senior is averaging 18 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 64% from the field. Martin is a contender for 13th region Player of the Year.</li> <li><strong>Scott's Trey Meister - </strong>The Senior is a popular small college recruit with a handful of offers. He leads the Eagles in points and rebounds despite not having the best shooting percentages. Meister plays with a great motor and is going to have to step up in a big way if fellow Senior Chad Ohmer is hobbled this weekend.</li> <li><strong>John Hardin's Alex Matthews - </strong>A walking double-double for the last two seasons, Alex is averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds this year while being the focal point of the Bulldog offense. Matthews shoots 62% from the field for the season and does most of his damage around the rim even though he can stretch the floor with some shooting.</li> <li><strong>Glasgow's Nik Sorrell - </strong>The Junior point guard does it all for the Scotties. Averaging a team high 20.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, Sorrell is likely the most valuable player to his team in the tournament. The fact that he can shoot 49% from the field and 54% from 3 is impressive when you realize how many shots per game Nik has to take for his team to have a chance to win.</li> <li><strong>Morgan County's Jake Helton - </strong>Averaging just shy of 17 points in addition to 7.4 rebounds per game for the Cougars, Helton is having a great year. Helton and Senior Blake Evans make one of the best 1-2 punches in this tournament and are capable of winning it all.</li> </ul>