From King of the Bluegrass

 

[h=3]Consolation games[/h]• St. Xavier 75, Apollo 51: Alex Jones scored 26 points and Robert Shaw added 15 as the Tigers (7-2) prevailed to face Collins at 7:30 tonight.

Cameron Tutt scored 16 for Apollo (8-2), which will play Butler at 6.

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20121221/SPORTS05/312210173/King-Bluegrass-Roundup-Madison-Central-wins-OT-again

St. Xavier vs. Collins should be a really good one. One of the two will walk away with a quality win. IMO, since they are a newer school and they play in the (weaker) 8th, the win would mean slightly more for Collins and could go a long way in legitimizing them (or someone who beats them to become the 8th's representative) as a team who could do some real damage in the state tourney. Collins already has a 1 point loss to Hopkinsville and an 11 point loss to Madison Central, so they've proven that they can hang with tough competition. They haven't really beaten anyone on par with St. X, however, so they have the opportunity to make this a statement game by beating them (esp given it is in Louisville).

The 8th is definitely not the 6th or 7th but the top of the 8th is competitive with anyone most nights. Collins beat Butler... Oldham County beat Central last night by 9 and Central beat St X earlier by 9 .... both of those teams are solid good basketball teams.

Apollo was well coached, but couldn't keep up with the speed of the Tigers. Does Collins play fast pace or more half-court? That will be the difference if they are opposite philosophies. (Fun Fact: Apollo's coach was St. X Coach, Kevin Klein's AAU coach when they took a basketball trip to Australia back in 1994. Must have been a good feeling for Klein beating his former coach!)