PADUCAH - Next week is the final week of the regular season, which means now is the time that every coach, player and fan is hoping their team is playing it's best.  So which teams can say that and which teams need a quick course correction.

Here is a look at who is up and who is down in the region..

Up on the boy's side

Marshall County
The Marshals are currently the hottest team in the region. They boast a 17-9 overall record and they are 9-2 in the region, but more importantly they are currently riding the region's longest win streak now at 10 games. To top that off, they just wrapped up the top seed in the 4th district with their recent win over Murray. The bottom line is the Marshals are winning at the right time.

Paducah Tilghman
It's safe to say the Blue Tornado have been the surprise of the first region. But now the Tornado sit with a 17-8 overall record and are 9-4 in the region with solid wins over Mayfield, Calloway and more impressively Murray. Heading down the stretch the Tornado are 6-1 in their last seven games, with a Valentine's Day showdown with McCracken up next.

Murray
The Tigers sit with the second best overall record in the region at 21-5. The Tigers have been solid all season with an impressive showing in the All A State Tournament, making it to the semi-finals where they only lost by two.  The Tigers are 4-1 in their last five games, with that loss being a back-and-fourth affair with the Marshals this week. Murray has yet to play the region's best team in McCracken County with that match-up coming next week.

McCracken County
It's hard to say they are really “up” considering they have never really been down, or up and down, or anything but consistent. In fact they are the one constant this season on the boy's side in the region. With a 23-5 overall record and a perfect 13-0 mark so far against first region teams. The Mustangs recently had their 14-game win streak snapped, but still sit at 16-1 since December 23.  

Down

Calloway County
It's safe to say the Lakers are not playing their best basketball down the stretch. After starting the season 9-3, the Lakers have cooled off significantly since, going 6-8 in the new year.  They currently sit at 15-11 overall and are 7-7 against teams in the region and 0-3 against Murray and Marshall County. 



Up on the girl's side

Marshall County
The Lady Marshals faced some mid-season adversity and have since come out even stronger. The Lady Marshals are currently on an eight-game win streak and are now 11-2 since December under interim  coach Aaron Beth. More recently the Lady Marshals snapped Graves County's 14-game win streak with an impressive road win. The Lady Marshals now the second best overall record in the region at 18-8 and are now 9-2 in the region.

Graves County
Despite having that 14-game win streak snapped at the hands of the Lady Marshals, the Lady Eagles are 15-1 in their last 16 games. They are 20-4 overall and 8-2 in the region with a chance to avenge one of those first region losses against Calloway County next week.

Calloway County
Last season the Lady Lakers did not play well down the stretch, losing three of their final five games and missing out on the regional tournament. In their last eight games this season they are 6-2 and are in a prime position to make the regional tournament for the first time since 2018 and just the second time since winning the regional championship in 2011.

Down

McCracken County
It's really not fair to say the Lady Mustangs are “down” right now. More neutral, sort of right in the middle. They are just 2-2 in their last four games with losses to Graves County and Calloway County. It's really the loss to Calloway that keeps them from being in the category above. The Lady Mustangs beat Calloway County 58-45 back in December and then lost to the Lady Lakers 54-47 earlier this week, marking a bit more of an upward trend for Calloway and a downward trend for McCracken. However, the Lady Mustangs have a chance to get hot with three remaining games against Paducah Tilghman, Murray and Caldwell County. More importantly the Lady Mustangs are expected to win their fifth straight district title. 



For more first region sports coverage be sure to listen to The Region 1 Sports Report, available anywhere you get your podcast or by clicking on the following link.

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