16th Region Notebook Jan 23, 2013

[Tom Terrific]

As January comes to a close, and old man winter has gotten a grip, the 16th is just warming up.

 

Let's begin district by district as those tournaments are looming and the seeds are playing out as the season slowly comes to a pinnacle.

 

61st District

1. Fleming - no surprises here. They are still looking like region favorites despite taking one on the chin last night at Mason County, who has a substantial win streak over the Panthers and once again barely snatched the victory at home. Burns seems to be back to form and Steward and Crisp are potent and consistent. It's possible Rowan could upset them in the tourney and capture the crown, but unlikely.

2. Rowan - starting to hit their stride. 5-2 in the month of January with the only losses to Russell on the road and Fleming at home. Big man Brown in the middle has stepped up his game and the Vikes are poised to get back to the region and will likely do so from the 2seed in this district, and again, could upend the Panthers in the final.

3. Menifee - slight advantage over Bath for this seed so far and will have a shot at upsetting Rowan but will take a Herculean effort.

4. Bath - with some winnable games left on the schedule, Bath has to hope to get some valuable experience, but will have a very tough time with Fleming right out of the chute in the district.

 

62nd District

1. Morgan - the Cougars sit atop the district and in the driver's seat for the top seed once the tournament starts. Big man Malinic and freshman Perry, who recently eclipsed the 1000pt plateau, lead the charge with games with East and West left on the slate. It's not out of the question, but highly doubtful Morgan will let loose of the hold they have on the top seed.

2. East Carter - sitting at 3-1 in the district, they have a solid spot in this district with a game against Morgan to determine supremacy. A healthy Kyle Stewart is a big deal for the Raiders, but why does it feel like the district game of the year will come down once again to an East/West battle to go to Morehead?

3. West Carter - while their record may not reflect their position, the fate of the Comets lies in their hands with tilts remaining with East and Morgan remaining. It's possible, not likely, that they could slip up to the 2, but doesn't really matter if that plays out, because once again, it'll be the Carter Co. battle for Morehead. I have a feeling Coach Webb and Kyle Brown will be prepared.

4. Elliott - the Lions are way more than capable of launching enough bombs to blow the regional hopes of the top seed out of the water. They already have once.

 

63rd District

1. Russell - stranglehold on the top spot and it would take a miracle to beat them in the opening round. Evans, Skaggs, Porter and crew are headed to Frankfort and the regional representative in the Touchstone Energy All-A Classic. Coming off a fairly sound beating at the hands of Boyd, the Devils look to rebound and get the train rolling again in the capital.

2. Lewis - the Lions seem to be on a collision course with Raceland for the chance to go to Morehead. With Ruckel back from an injured ankle, they seem to be molding into post season form.

3. Raceland - the young Rams will be charged to face Lewis in the first round and with that much time to prepare, it wouldn't be a stretch to see coach Trimble come up with something to confound the Lions. With some winnable games left on the docket, look for the Rams to be ready.

4. Greenup - the Musketeers, like most 4 seeds will have a mountain in front of them. This year will have to suffice, likely, as a building block for the young team to mold and get better.

 

64th District

1. Ashland - at this precise point in time, the Tomcats are the 1 seed, by virtue of head to head margin with Boyd. While they do have to take care of business at Fairview this weekend, it appears likely the Cats will again get the best draw. Salow seems to be in the best shape of the year and Dixson is a double-double machine. If Ashland gets more scoring punch from Miller and Hart, they are very capable of winning the whole thing.

2. Boyd - as we speak, there's not a team hotter than Boyd. Ironically, the loss of big man Brandon Lowe has made the Lions change philosophy. Hunt is solid night in and night out, and maybe all of the parts are better than most thought. Stacy, Griffith, Taylor all seem to be contributing in different ways. The Lions seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.

3. Fairview - while they are destined to be in the 3 slot, they are definitely capable of playing spoiler having played Ashland to a very narrow margin at Ashland. And the close quarters in Westwood is never an easy place to play, who knows?

4. Rose Hill - the Royals are basically just trying to get better. They are definitely improved, but still lack the horses to get it done.

 

 

It may be a bit premature to get these district discussions going, but this is just a little preview of what to expect as the rest of January rolls into February and we stare down the barrel of district play.

 

 

Top 10

1. Fleming - still the cream of the crop

2. Russell - despite the loss to Boyd, they have what it takes

3. Boyd - not sold on Morgan, and Boyd has all the parts.

4. Ashland - still lots of work to do, but like Boyd, have the pieces.

5. Rowan - could have easily been in the 3 spot, and experienced.

6. Morgan - more than capable, solid season to date.

7. East Carter - up and down season so far, but more than capable of a run

8. Fairview - have the athletes to confound opponents

9. Lewis - now that leading scorer returns, much better production

10. Elliott - the bombers can hurt you if they're on target

[Randy Parker]

Nice stuff Tom! I like the District-by-District breakdown! :thumb:

[gold sunrise]

Nice stuff Tom! I like the District-by-District breakdown! :thumb:

I did too. Didn't realize that Morgan Co was the top seed.

[wire]

Good job Tom

[Newman]

Not so fast my friend , If two teams tie with identical records and split their head to head games in the 64th the number 1 seed is determined by a coin toss.

[spindoc]

Newman is correct, it's a coin flip.