Arguably the best Offense vs Arguably the best Defense. Who wins and why?

Tough call. To beat Holmes it appears you need to somehow force the ball out of Bolden's hands and then also get a hand in the face of Palmer or Coston. Bolden makes that a challenge since you often need help D on him.

 

Cooper can win but I'm a bit concerned about their scoring.

 

When and where?

Holmes in a blowout. I've seen both teams play and Cooper just is not athletic, nor fast enough to keep up with Holmes. 20+

Holmes in a blowout. I've seen both teams play and Cooper just is not athletic, nor fast enough to keep up with Holmes. 20+

 

CCH isn't fast and athletic either. If Holmes is the measuring stick no teams in NKY are fast and athletic.

Playing at Holmes, I will go with Holmes by at least 10.

CCH isn't fast and athletic either. If Holmes is the measuring stick no teams in NKY are fast and athletic.

Disagree....CCH is pretty fast and knows how to play fast.

 

I think Cooper is getting better but not there yet. I see them really peaking again when districts and regionals come around.

Disagree....CCH is pretty fast and knows how to play fast.

 

I think Cooper is getting better but not there yet. I see them really peaking again when districts and regionals come around.

 

CCH is no faster and not more athletic than Cooper.

I haven't seen Cooper, but they seem to be all ove the place offensively. They are consistent defensively. I am not so sure Holmes is the best offensively, but they are good. Holmes is going to lose sometime, you would think, in the regular season, it could be here. Again, you have to take care of the ball against Holmes or they will score in bunches. That is driven by their setting up their press after making baskets. I haven't seen anyone in this region who can handle Bolden 1 on 1. They do make you pay if you help on him. Palmer and Coston can fill it up and Englemon can hurt you inside if you ignore him. Holmes will lose when they have an off night shooting and get sloppy with the ball. HC really caused Holmes fits in the 2nd half with effective pressure on Bolden and Palmer and they turned it over a bunch. Holmes should win, but I think Sully will have the Jags ready and they are quite capable of winning. It is difficult for teams in the 9th to pratcice against Holmes quickness, you just can't replicate it. You can play teams out in the state that have it and I'm not sure Cooper has yet.

Cooper is the type of team Holmes has lost to in past seasons.

I didn't say anything about Cooper but I do think CovCath plays just about as fast as anyone in the area. Holmes obviously does it best but even at times they play too fast and that hurt them on a few occasions during the CovCath game.

 

Say what you want but I think CovCath plays faster than Cooper. Try to get out and run the fast break a bit more. I don't know their 40 times but CCH really can run.

Correct me if I'm wrong but this is basketball we are talking about and not track right? Holmes is fast and athletic, they always are but this is predominantly the exact same team that lost to Cooper last year and they were fast and athletic then too. Last year of course means nothing but speed is sometimes neutralized when the other team dictates the pace of the game. Cooper doesn't play fast primarily because it doesn't have those types of athletes past Morgan but mostly because it doesn't want to and doesn't have to. I know, I know, everyone will post what does Cooper do with Bolden and if they are lucky enough to somehow control him what happens when BJ and Quan get hot? Fair questions, but I think similar questions have to be asked of Holmes when Collins and McNeil (who has become the leader of the team) get hot as well and additionally how does Holmes control the bigs of Cooper in Maniacci (6' 8'), Shelton (6' 5") and Hathorn (6'4") who are bangers. If Holmes has one weakness, it's defensive rebounding. Sully preaches and demands defense and if you don't play it you come sit down so if the scoring is low this game will be closer than the prognosticators predict.

 

Holmes should win but there is no way Cooper loses by 20.

It's so much easier to slow a game down than it is to speed a game up. My guess is Cooper can slow it down if they want to. I'm not sure Sullivan will show them how he plans to beat them in a couple months though.

I've seen CovCath play a couple of times this year. I do think they are more athletic and faster than Cooper (as a team). I feel Holmes will be too much for Cooper, as they seem like a more deliberate, physical type of team, and the Holmes quickness and jumping ability will be too much on either end.

Cooper needs to watch some tapes of Boone County versus Holmes. That is their recipe for a win.

Cooper plays defense with a physicality that no one else in the region does. This game will be played in the 50s and Cooper will win a close one.