Top 5 Preview: Twelfth Region

<p>Over the next month, we'll continue to preview the top teams and players in each of the 16 regions as we move toward the 2019-2020 regular season. As part of our preview, we are breaking down the regional title contenders and the top college prospects in every region. We continue with the twelfth region, where Lincoln County hopes to repeat.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Top Five Regional Title Contenders:</strong></span></p> <p>Lincoln County - The 2019 champions return 4 starters and are the early favorites to return to Rupp in March. Sophomore <strong>Jaxon Smith</strong> gets a lot of hype as the best young player in the region after starting at point guard the last two seasons. The difference between Lincoln and other contenders is their rim protection with Senior <strong>Riley Bodner</strong> patrolling the paint. Seniors <strong>Bryston Alcorn and Elijah Frye</strong> provide scoring on the wings while the X factor for the Patriots is the shooting of Junior <strong>Baylor Mattingly.</strong> Remember the name <strong>Tramane Alcorn</strong> as a freshman whose role will increase as the season rolls along.</p> <p>Danville - What Danville lacks in size, they will make up for with really good guard play. <strong>Aden Slone </strong>is eligible after transferring from Boyle County and Senior <strong>Dante Hayden</strong> combines with Slone to form a dynamite backcourt. <strong>Darrian Bell, Ethan Wood and Trey Dawson</strong> are all back for the Admirals after being impact players last season. The district is loaded with 4 teams that could compete for a regional title if things fell right but for now, Danville and Lincoln get the nod over Boyle and Garrard.</p> <p>Pulaski County - Years ago, Pulaski County won the state middle school championship several years in a row. Those middle schoolers are now Seniors and Juniors and they have high hopes for the season after winning twenty games last season. Senior shooter <strong>Colton Fraley</strong> is the leader for the team and is joined by <strong>Grant Oaks, KJ Combs and Garrett Heath</strong> all scored more than 8 points per game last season and are back for the Pirates.</p> <p>Wayne County - Wayne is one of those teams that you can count on to be a tough out in the regional tournament every single year. Coach Rodney Woods always has a solid group and this year should be no different. Senior <strong>Thomas Spencer</strong> is back after leading the team in scoring last year at almost 17 per game. <strong>Kameron Gehring </strong>is also back to provide some additional firepower. Freshman <strong>Mason Burchett</strong> could surprise folks in the region after getting a little varsity action last year.</p> <p>Somerset - The Briar Jumpers return all but one player off last year's team that finished 16-15. <strong>Kade Grundy </strong>is one of the better scorers in the region while 5 of the top 6 scorers are back this year. The Junior class should be ready to contribute in a major way as 10 Juniors saw the floor at some point last season for Coach Dunbar's team.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Top 5 College Prospects:</strong></span></p> <p>DeAjuan Stepp, West Jessamine - He hasn't gotten a ton of college exposure yet but Stepp is a legitimate D1 prospect. He's entering his 4th year as a varsity player at West (he played as an 8th grader) but this should be his break out season without Dalton Bruner taking the majority of the shots.</p> <p>Brayden Sebastian, Garrard County - Signed to Campbellsville already, Sebastian is likely to make a run at the state scoring title this year. Brayden is well on his way to being one of the best players to ever play at Garrard.</p> <p>Luke Imfeld, Boyle County - Probably a little off the radar at this point, Imfeld is my candidate for breakout player this year in the 12th region. He reminds me of former Rebel all-state player Hagen Tyler. Assuming he continues to grow, Luke should be a D1 prospect in the near future.</p> <p>Thomas Spencer, Wayne County - Spencer was a Kentucky Junior All-Star in the spring and likely ends up at the scholarship level for college. Wayne County seems to have a college player on the roster every season and Spencer is likely to be one this season.</p> <p>Jaxon Smith, Lincoln County - Smith has battled some injuries over the last 6 months or so but should bounce back for a big Sophomore campaign. I know a handful of schools have already expressed interest in him so he has a head start on most 2022s in Kentucky.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Predicted Mr. Basketball Finalist:</strong></span></p> <p>Brayden Sebastian, Garrard County</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Predicted Regional Champion:</strong></span></p> <p>Lincoln County</p>