High School Basketball

Boys 2^nd region semifinals:   Hopkinsville advanced to the championship game with a 66-54 win over Henderson County. The Tigers had a quartet of players score in double digits, led by Jordan Majors with 16, Robert Bell added 14 and Tre Edwards and Jaqualis Matlock had 12 each. Henderson County was led by Rick Armstead’s 15 points. Hopkinsville is 31-2 on the season, while Henderson County finishes 18-15.

Christian County saw its season come to an end as the Colonels lost to Madisonville 70-56. CJ Cotton led Christian County and all scorers with 25 points, followed by Korey Mosley with 12. Madisonville had three players in double figures led by Jawan Combs with 19, Daylyn Jones added 16 and Cameron Tandy pitched in 13. Christian County finishes the season 9-22, while Madisonville improves to 23-8.

4^th region semifinals: Bowling Green defeated Russell County 66-56 and Warren Central defeated Glasgow 72-66 in overtime.

1^st region semifinals: Marshall County defeated Fulton City 49-30 and Paducah Tilghman drilled St. Mary 70-56.

3^rd region final: Apollo punched its ticket to Rupp Arena with a 64-62 win over Muhlenberg County.

Tonight’s games

2^nd region final: Hopkinsville meets Madisonville at 7 in Maroon Gym, with the Heritage Bank pre game show at 6:45 on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP.

4^th region final: Bowling Green meets Warren Central in EA Diddle Arena.

1^st region final: Marshall County goes against Paducah Tilghman at the CFSB Center.

College Basketball

Western Kentucky has played its way into the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference tournament with a 67-63 win over Denver. Freshman George Fant led the Hilltoppers with 19 points, followed by Khalil McDonald off the bench with 14. The Hilltoppers—who have won five games in a row face North Texas at 6 this evening.

Kentucky stays number one in both the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and the Associated Press poll, while Louisville drops out of both polls this week. Murray State is ranked 10^th in the ESPN poll and 11^th in the AP poll.

Kentucky’s Anthony Davis was named the SEC freshman of the week Monday. Davis averaged 15 and a half points, ten rebounds and four blocks in wins last week over Georgia and Florida. It’s the sixth time Davis has won the award this season.

Meanwhile, Tennessee freshman Jarnell Stokes was named the SEC player of the week. Stokes shot 76 percent from the field and averaged 14 and a half points, 10 and a half rebounds and three blocks in wins last week over LSU and Vanderbilt.

College Softball

University of Kentucky freshman and former Christian County standout Griffin Joiner has been named the SEC freshman of the week. Joiner hit .571 enroute to All Tournament team honors in the Ragin Cajun Invitational hosted by Louisiana Lafayette. Joiner went 8-14 in the tournament and had three hits in one game. Joiner is the first Wildcat to receive SEC freshman of the week honors since 2009.

NFL

The Tennessean reports the Tennessee Titans have used the franchise tag on safety Michael Griffin. This means the team and cornerback Courtland Finnegan will part ways. Finnegan says he was told by the Titans there would be no contract before March 13^th, the day he becomes a free agent. Finnegan spent six seasons with the Titans and was one of the team’s most popular players.

NHL

The Nashville Predators look to extend a streak started in early January, having not lost a game in regulation on home ice. The Predators open a three game home stand with the Los Angeles Kings tonight at 7 in Bridgestone Arena.

High School Basketball

Girls 2^nd region final: For the first time in school history, the Hopkinsville Lady Tigers are headed to the Girls Sweet 16 following a 51-35 win over Livingston Central. The Lady Tigers got 25 points from senior Christy Soldo and 12 from sophomore Haley Cook in leading Hopkinsville to its 31^st win of the season to go with four losses. Livingston Central was led in scoring by Aneta Sloma who had 15 for the Lady Cardinals who finish the season 25-6.

Those making the 2^nd region all tournament team included: Christy Soldo, Ashlee Cole and Haley Cook of Hopkinsville, Aneta Sloma and Hailee Lampley of Livingston Central, Ellie Fruit, Brooke Tapp and Breyn Cooper of Henderson County, Mariah Herrera of Webster County, Dannika Prater and Denayia Holmes of University Heights, and LeLe Rodgers of Caldwell County.

Hopkinsville will face region one winner Marshall County at noon Thursday in EA Diddle Arena at Western Kentucky University, with coverage of the game at 11:40 on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP and whopam.com.

Girls 1^st region: Marshall County defeated Murray High 60-50 to improve to 27-8 on the season.

Girls 4^th region: Glasgow defeated Monroe County 51-41 and will open the Girls Sweet 16 against Louisville Butler, the 6^th region winner at noon Wednesday.

Girls 3^rd region: Muhlenberg County defeated Grayson County 56-46 and will face 10^th region winner Montgomery County at 8 pm Wednesday.

Tonight’s games

Boys 2^nd region at Madisonville: Christian County meets Madisonville in the first semi final at 6, followed by Hopkinsville and Henderson County. Coverage of both games with the Heritage Bank pre game show at 5:45 on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP and whopam.com.

4^th region semi finals at WKU: Bowling Green meets Russell County and Glasgow goes against Warren Central.

1^st region semi finals at Murray State: Fulton City meets Marshall County, followed by Paducah Tilghman against St. Mary.

3^rd region final at Owensboro Sportscenter: Muhlenberg County meets Apollo.

Hopkinsville High forward Christy Soldo has made a verbal commitment on where she will play her college basketball. Coach Tonya Wells told WHOP Sports during a post game interview following Sunday’s win over Livingston Central that Soldo has committed to Murray State.

Soldo was named the 2^nd Region Coaches Association player of the year, along with making that regional team and was named to the 2^nd region all tournament team on Sunday.

Heritage Christian Academy’s basketball teams both lost in the KCAA State Tournament over the weekend in Georgetown. The Lady Warriors were knocked out in the semifinals by Lakeside Christian 51-24 to finish the season 11-13. HCA’s Amanda Shemwell was named to the all tournament team.

Meanwhile, the Warriors were dispatched in the quarterfinals by Community Christian 72-46. HCA finished the season 27-5 under first year coach Darryl Hallmark.

Hopkinsville High’s power lifting team won the state title Saturday in Bowling Green. Three Tigers broke individual state records and won three classes in winning the school’s first championship. Quay Coleman won at the 125 pound class, Markail Bennett won at 175 and Donovan Bussell won at the 250 pouns class. The Tigers also won the National Guard Sportsmanship and Character Award.

Hopkinsville High senior golfer Dayton Jones finished tied for 12th at the Golfweek Junior Tour event held over the weekend at Greystone Golf Club in Dickson, Tennessee.  Jones fired a 159 score for the two day event.  Christian County High golfer TJ Ferry finished 18th in the event with a 162 total.  The Golfweek Junior Tour plays this weekend at Cherry Blossom Golf Course in Georgetown.

College Basketball

Top ranked Kentucky got 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks from freshman Anthony Davis and 19 points from Terrence Jones in downing Florida 74-59 Sunday. The Wildcats picked up their 30^th win of the season Sunday to go with one loss and finished 16-0 in Southeastern Conference play.

Kentucky is the top seed in this week’s SEC tournament in New Orleans and will face the winner of Thursday’s LSU-Arkansas game at noon Friday, with pre game coverage at 10:30 am on Lite 98.7.

Tennessee is the two seed and will face the Ole Miss-Auburn winner at 6:30 Friday night, while third seed Vanderbilt gets the winner of Mississippi State-Georgia at 9:30 Friday night. The semi finals are Saturday, with the championship game on Sunday at New Orleans Arena.

A reminder Kentucky coach John Calipari will have his weekly call in show at 5 this evening, followed by Big Blue Insider at 6 on Lite 98.7.

SEC Women’s final: Tennessee defeated LSU 70-58 to win its third straight conference championship and 16^th in school history. The Lady Vols received the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Sun Belt Tournament: Western Kentucky’s Lady Toppers saw their season end Sunday at the hands of top seed Middle Tennessee 65-57. The Lady Toppers finished 9-21 on the season.

Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers defeated Arkansas Little Rock 68-63 last night and will play Denver in a semi final game this evening. Western trailed by as many as 13 before scoring 17 unanswered points to get the win, which was the 350^th in the career of new Hilltoppers coach Ray Harper.

NFL

The Tennessean reports members of the Tennessee Titans and Houston Oilers say there were bounties for taking out players on opposing teams. Current and former Titans and Oilers say the practice went on while Gregg Williams was defensive coordinator and says it’s a common practice.

Williams has come under heavy scrutiny by the NFL after it was learned late last week that the program was administered while Williams was defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints.

PGA Tour

Franklin’s Kenny Perry finished the four day Honda Classic event at five over par, while fellow Kentuckian JB Holmes was six over par. Rory McIlroy was the winner at 12 under par, two shots better than former world number one Tiger Woods who shot a blistering 62 Sunday. McIlroy is the new top golfer in the world rankings due to Sunday’s win.

High School Basketball

Girls 2nd region: Areta Sloma was the only double figure scorer in the game as Livingston Central defeated Webster County 49-32. Webster County did not score a field goal in the game's first 12 minutes. Mariah Herrera led Webster County with nine points. Livingston Central is now 25-5 on the year, while Webster County finishes 18-13.

Hopkinsville won the nightcap defeating Henderson County 54-49. Christy Soldo led Hopkinsville with 27 points with Ashlee Cole adding 13. Henderson County had four players in double figures led by Brooke Tapp with 16. Hopkinsville won its 13th game in a row in improving to 30-4, while Henderson County finishes 25-4.

Hopkinsville meets Livingston Central in the championship game this afternoon at 3 in Colonel Gym at Christian County, with the Heritage Bank pre game show at 2:45 on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP and online at whopam.com.

Girls 4th region at WKU: Glasgow defeated Todd Central 40-30 and Monroe County over Bowling Green 59-47. Glasgow and Monroe County meet in the final this afternoon at 3 pm.

Girls 1st region at Murray State: Marshall County rolled over Lone Oak 52-28 and Murray High over Paducah Tilghman 77-59. Marshall County and Murray play in the final this afternoon at 2 pm.

Girls 3rd region at Owensboro Sportscenter: Grayson County defeated Hancock County 67-61 and Muhlenberg County over Daviess County 70-57. Grayson County meets Muhlenberg County in the final at 6 thie evening.

Boys 3rd region at Owensboro Sportscenter: Apollo defeated Meade County 82-55 and Muhlenberg County over Daviess County 87-56. Apollo plays Muhlenberg County in the final Monday evening at 7 pm.

A decision is expected today on whether the Boys 2nd region tournament will continue at Madisonville North Hopkins as scheduled Monday evening. There are some issues that may cause the games to be moved from Madisonville. Christian County meets Madisonville in the first semi final game, with Hopkinsville and Henderson County to follow.

College Basketball

Jewan Long's layup with 4.4 seconds left gave Murray State the Ohio Valley Conference championship with a 54-52 win over Tennessee State Saturday. The 9th ranked Racers are now 30-1 on the season and await to learn who and where they will play in the NCAA Tournament.

In the SEC: Auburn defeated LSU 67-52. Anthony Hickey had eight points and four rebounds in the contest. Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt 68-61.

Elsewhere: 2nd ranked Syracuse defeated 19th ranked Louisville 58-49 to improve to 30-1 on the season. Western Kentucky defeated Florida International 67-63 in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament in Hot Springs Arkansas.

Women's scores: Western Kentucky defeated Louisiana Monroe in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

SEC tournament: LSU defeated Kentucky 72-61 and Tennessee routed South Carolina 74-58.

OVC tournament final: Tennessee Martin over Tennessee Tech 82-65.

Today's games: Top ranked Kentucky faces Florida in its regular season finale in Gainesville. Pre game coverage at 9:30 on Lite 98.7. Western Kentucky meets Arkansas Little Rock in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament.

Women's games: Western Kentucky meets Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament. Tennessee meets LSU in the SEC championship in Nashville.

High School Basketball

The Kentucky High School Athletics Association cancelled all girls regional semi final games across the Commonwealth Friday night because of the severe weather which ripped through parts of the state. Semi final games will be played today across the area, with one region playing both its girls and boys tournaments semi finals today.

2nd region at Christian County: Livingston Central meets Webster County at 6, with Hopkinsville and Henderson County in the nighcap. Coverage of both games with the Heritage Bank pre game show at 5:45 on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP and whopam.com. Tonight's winners will play for the regional championship at 3 pm Sunday.

4th region at WKU: Todd Central plays Glasgow at 4, with Bowling Green and Monroe County to play at 6. The winners will play in the championship game Sunday at 3 pm.

1st region at Murray State: Lone Oak plays Marshall County at 6, followed by Murray High and Paducah Tilghman. The winners will meet Sunday afternoon at 2 pm.

3rd region at Owensboro Sportscenter: Both the boys and girls will conclude their tournaments today.

Girls: Hancock County plays Grayson County at noon, with Daviess County meeting Muhlenberg County at 1:45. The final will be played Sunday evening at 6.

Boys: Daviess County plays Muhlenberg County at 6, with Meade County and Apollo at 7:45. The final will be played Monday at 7 pm.

Heritage Christian Academy's boys basketball team was to play in the KCAA State Tournament at Georgetown College Friday, however it was also a victim of the severe weather. The Warriors will face Community Christian at 10 am and would play in the semi finals at 7 this evening if they win this morning.

Meanwhile, the Lady Warriors will play Lakeside Christian at 4 this afternoon in the girls semi finals. Both state championship games are set for Monday, 4:30 pm for the girls and 6:30 pm for the boys at an undetermined location. HCA Athletics Director David Taylor says the sites will be determined depending upon who wins today and some other factors.

College Basketball

The 9th ranked Murray State Racers are in the championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in Nashville this afternoon after defeating Tennessee Tech 78-58 in semi final action Friday night. Donte Poole had 25 to lead the Racers, who improved to 29-1 on the season. Tennessee State defeated Morehead State in the other semifinal game 59-52.

Murray State and TSU will meet for the third time this season in this afternoon's championship game. The Tigers handed the Racers their only loss of the season. You can hear the game with pre game coverage at 12:45 on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP.

Women's: Murray State saw its run in the OVC tournament end Friday, falling to top seed UT Martin 102-77 while Tennessee Tech defeated Eastern Illinois 81-72 in overtime. UT Martin and Tech play in the championship game later this afternoon.

SEC Women's: Kentucky and Tennessee were both winners Friday, with UK edging Florida 71-67, while UT defeated Vanderbilt 67-58. Kentucky plays LSU at 3 this afternoon, while Tennessee plays South Carolina at 5 in Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

Elsewhere today: 19th ranked Louisville meets 2nd ranked Syracuse, Siena meets Manhattan. In the SEC: Vanderbilt meets Tennessee and LSU meets Auburn.

Sun Belt Tournament: Western Kentucky's Lady Toppers meet Louisana Monroe this afternoon in Hot Springs, Arkansas while the Hilltoppers play Florida International this evening.

College Football

Austin Peay has announced Jason Palermo has been named the new offensive line coach. Palermo replaces Tyler Trent who recently resigned the job. Palermo is the son of John Palermo, who was Governors head coach in 1990. Palermo was the tight ends and offensive tackles coach at Southern University the last two seasons.

NHL

The Nashville Predators are back in action this evening at the Florida Panthers, with first puck dropping at 6:30.

NFL

The Tennessean reports time is running out before Tennessee Titans cornerback Courtland Finnegan becomes a free agent. The status is apparently the same as it has been, with the Titans having no plans to place the franchise tag on Finnegan and no long term contract is in the works. Finnegan can become a free agent March 13th.

PGA Tour

Franklin's Kenny Perry and former UK golfer JB Holmes are both at even par heading into the third round of The Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Tom Gillis and Justin Rose are the co leaders at eight under par, with Rory McElroy one stroke back.

Kentucky High School Athletics Association Commissioner Julian Tackett cancelled all girls regional semi final games across the Commonwealth just after 3 Central time this afternoon.  All regional semi finals and in one region locally the final will be played tomorrow.  The adjusted schedules are as follows:

2nd region at Christian County:  Livingston Central plays Henderson County at 6 pm, followed by Hopkinsville and Henderson County.  The final will be played at 3 pm Sunday afternoon.  

Coverage of the semi finals airs at 5:45 Saturday evening on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP and whopam.com.

4th region at WKU:   Todd Central meets Glasgow at 4 pm, with Bowling Green playing Monroe County at 6pm.  The final will be played at 3 pm Sunday.

1st region at Murray State:  Lone Oak meets Marshall County at 6 pm to be followed by Murray High and Paducah Tilghman.  The final will be played at 2 pm Sunday.

3rd region at Owensboro Sportscenter:  Hancock County meets Grayson County at 1pm, with Daviess County and Muhlenberg County at 3 pm. The final will be Saturday evening at 8 pm.